I'm reading this book. It's a shock to the system-- the good kind though. The first third of the book is a novel about two people having an affair. They are purposely never condemned or interrupted by the narrator with random acts that may reveal their rendevous - scandalous. The author comments intermittently and is often quite funny and sarcastic. Here's a taste:
"I said grace cannot prevail until law is dead, until moralizng is out of the game. The precise phrase should be, until our fatal love affair with the law is over- until, finally and for good, our lifelong certainty that someone is keeping score has run out of steam and collapsed. As long as we leave, in our dramatizations of grace, one single hope of a moral reckoning, one possible recourse to salvation by bookkeeping, our freedom-dreading hearts will clutch it to themselves. And even if we leave none at all, we will grub for ethics that are not there rather than face the liberty to which grace calls us. Give us those parables of the Prodigal Son, for example, and we will promptly lose its point by preaching ourselves sermons on Worthy and Unworthy Confession, or on The Sin of the Elder Brother. Give us the Workers in the Vineyard, and we will concoct spurious lessons on The Duty of Contentment or The Moral Aspects of Labor Relations.
Restore to us, Preacher, the comfort of merit and demerit. Prove for us that there is at least something we can do, that we are still, at whatever dim recess of our nature, the masters of our relationships. Tell us, Prophet, that in spite of all our nights of losing, there will yet be one redeeming card of our very own to fill the inside straight we have so long and so earnestly tried to draw to. But do not preach us grace. It will not do to split the pot evenly at four A.M. and break out the Chivas Regal. We insist on being reckoned with. Give us something, anything; but spare us the indignity of this indiscriminate acceptance.
Lord, let your servants depart in the peace of their proper responsibility. If it is not too much to ask, send us to bed with some few shreds of self-respect to congratulate ourselves upon. But if that is too hard, leave us with at least the consolation of our self-loathing. Only do not force us free. What have we ever done but try as best we could? How have we so hurt you, even by failing, that you should now turn on us and say that none of it makes any difference, not even our sacred guilt? We have played this game of yours, and it has cost us."
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Monday, December 26, 2005
Christmas
Okay, I realize this is about one day too late, but get over it.
This Christmas was different. Leading up to the big day I felt differently about Christmas than ever before. I don't really know why, it's not like there have been drastic family changes, or that I have done anything intentional to celebrate Christmas differently, however like most things these days, I'm changing the way I think about this whole event.
First of all, the whole debate about xmas bla bla blah- can the church really make this argument? Like most things we debate about, the root of the matter stems from the fact that we really only care because it means we will have less of a voice in Western culture. I think that in all likelihood (and this is pure conjecture) that most families probably celebrate Christmas exactly the way most pagan families do- presents, food, family, church. The only difference is that we are free to send Christmas cards that say things about Jesus on them.
I would argue that maybe we should start saying Happy Holidays because that is all it is. My friend Andrew wrote an article about the name of the Lord, using the Hebrew words qatan (small, insignificant) and qavod (heavy). He basically says that Rabbis refused to use the name of the Lord because it was too heavy, and they didn't want to risk treating it with insignificance. I think we throw Christ onto a holiday that is essentially about ourselves, 'the haul' and the time off to relax. It has nothing to do with Christ- he is small, insignificant.
And so, maybe Happy Holidays is appropriate- at the very least its more reverent than saying Merry Christmas and then spending a billion dollars on gifts and gorging ourselves on turkey.
Oh the bitterness, where does this all come from?
It's not all bad. I did get to spend Christmas eve at the shelter and let me tell you that I loved it. Over the course of the evening, a couple people stopped by. My favorite was a family of five, with three little kids. They were handing out some gifts that they brought- nothing extravagant- but everything is significant when you have nothing. The highlight of the night had to be when the five year old boy of the family went up to a couple of scruffy homeless guys and said 'merry Christmas', and then handed them the gift. That was probably the most 'Christ-massy' this I've seen. I think if I ever ended up with a family that that is what we might do on Christmas eve...
Please don't get me wrong. I really want to say Merry Christmas, but honestly, if its just a thing to do, a tradition that we accept, then really Christ means nothing in it and I'll take happy holidays. Of course, I want it to mean something...the trick is figuring out how to do that. The first step may be to recognizes the epiphany of the Christ as a daily reality... the savior who was born- born into reality first with 10 fingers, 10 toes... smelly, pukey and adorable and then bruised, beaten and glorious.
"Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master".
This Christmas was different. Leading up to the big day I felt differently about Christmas than ever before. I don't really know why, it's not like there have been drastic family changes, or that I have done anything intentional to celebrate Christmas differently, however like most things these days, I'm changing the way I think about this whole event.
First of all, the whole debate about xmas bla bla blah- can the church really make this argument? Like most things we debate about, the root of the matter stems from the fact that we really only care because it means we will have less of a voice in Western culture. I think that in all likelihood (and this is pure conjecture) that most families probably celebrate Christmas exactly the way most pagan families do- presents, food, family, church. The only difference is that we are free to send Christmas cards that say things about Jesus on them.
I would argue that maybe we should start saying Happy Holidays because that is all it is. My friend Andrew wrote an article about the name of the Lord, using the Hebrew words qatan (small, insignificant) and qavod (heavy). He basically says that Rabbis refused to use the name of the Lord because it was too heavy, and they didn't want to risk treating it with insignificance. I think we throw Christ onto a holiday that is essentially about ourselves, 'the haul' and the time off to relax. It has nothing to do with Christ- he is small, insignificant.
And so, maybe Happy Holidays is appropriate- at the very least its more reverent than saying Merry Christmas and then spending a billion dollars on gifts and gorging ourselves on turkey.
Oh the bitterness, where does this all come from?
It's not all bad. I did get to spend Christmas eve at the shelter and let me tell you that I loved it. Over the course of the evening, a couple people stopped by. My favorite was a family of five, with three little kids. They were handing out some gifts that they brought- nothing extravagant- but everything is significant when you have nothing. The highlight of the night had to be when the five year old boy of the family went up to a couple of scruffy homeless guys and said 'merry Christmas', and then handed them the gift. That was probably the most 'Christ-massy' this I've seen. I think if I ever ended up with a family that that is what we might do on Christmas eve...
Please don't get me wrong. I really want to say Merry Christmas, but honestly, if its just a thing to do, a tradition that we accept, then really Christ means nothing in it and I'll take happy holidays. Of course, I want it to mean something...the trick is figuring out how to do that. The first step may be to recognizes the epiphany of the Christ as a daily reality... the savior who was born- born into reality first with 10 fingers, 10 toes... smelly, pukey and adorable and then bruised, beaten and glorious.
"Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master".
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Big Announcement
Finally it is time for the official announcement.
There is a conference in April that a couple good friends of mine and I are putting together. We think that the church has been and will continue to be changing in the next little while, for better or worse. We have all pretty much moved in our ideology from 'going to church' to 'being the church'...while still asking the age old question: what does that look like?
And so, The Evolving Church will be held at Tyndale on April 8th. Keynotes are Brian Mclaren, Donald Miller and Chris Seay, with a couple workshop leaders (keynotes will also be leading workshops) that we are very excited about, including George Sweetman, Pernell Goodyear, Brian Walsh and some others tba.
April 8th, Tyndale,..book it!
There is a conference in April that a couple good friends of mine and I are putting together. We think that the church has been and will continue to be changing in the next little while, for better or worse. We have all pretty much moved in our ideology from 'going to church' to 'being the church'...while still asking the age old question: what does that look like?
And so, The Evolving Church will be held at Tyndale on April 8th. Keynotes are Brian Mclaren, Donald Miller and Chris Seay, with a couple workshop leaders (keynotes will also be leading workshops) that we are very excited about, including George Sweetman, Pernell Goodyear, Brian Walsh and some others tba.
April 8th, Tyndale,..book it!
Monday, December 12, 2005
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Blyss
A couple months ago I picked up the new Lifehouse cd, mostly because of the catchy song that was all over the radio, but I have been pleasantly surprised. In fact, I'd say the album is better than their first one, which is still a favorite to this day.
Jason Wade from Lifehouse used to be in a band called Blyss. I have never seen their cd around but one of their songs has surfaced in a couple different circles-- Storm
I suppose I should get back to paper writing...or do something else..
Jason Wade from Lifehouse used to be in a band called Blyss. I have never seen their cd around but one of their songs has surfaced in a couple different circles-- Storm
I suppose I should get back to paper writing...or do something else..
Monday, November 14, 2005
thrashers and watering holes...
I put in a couple shifs at the Gateway this weekend. A couple of leaf games, a whole lot of coffee changing, lockers and the 'white man' made for an interesting time. I really like that place. One of the shift leaders there is a man by the name of Tyler Thrasher. I'd like to give props to him for being one of the best dang supervisors in the world (shout out also to Scott- and a wedge of lemon..!?).
Also, I was at a new church in St. Catherines this past weekend. It was pretty trendy. I don't mean that in a negative way but I did feel like I was on a college campus (except most young couples had a couple of babies in each arm). There was however a good mix of the older crowd which I appreciated. There are four pastors at this church and not one of them is older than 33. What's more, not one of them has theological training, ha (funny how we think that seminaries= closer to God and qualified to tell me what to think about God)...although apparently one guy is doing graduate studies presently at a good school in the states. This church has doubled in size TWICE, in the last three years. They run a full time homeless shelter right out of the building. Two services, good worship and a good message. I think if I was home more often I might go back.
A quote from the service, "rules can never change character"- in a series called Graceland (I told you it was trendy). As hard as I try to surround myself with boundaries to keep myself from sinning, boundaries will not cause me necessarily to sin less or more. Rules can never change character. I heard that in Austrailia a lot of the farmers don't have fences for their livestock. How do they contain them? They put a watering hole around where they want the animals to stay so the animals never wander too far away, even though they could go as far as they want. Maybe we need a little more of that in the church. Maybe if we really believed that Jesus was the living water (apologize for the cheesiness) we would never want to wander away, we wouldn't need rules (read: no alchohol, no drugs, no swearing, no R movies, no smoking, no jeans in church or if you're from a generation ago- no cinemas, no bowling alleys, no card games!...) to try and make us better people. Rules can never change character- we just need to figure out how to stay close to the watering hole...
Well, I need a drink.
(interpret that how you will)
Also, I was at a new church in St. Catherines this past weekend. It was pretty trendy. I don't mean that in a negative way but I did feel like I was on a college campus (except most young couples had a couple of babies in each arm). There was however a good mix of the older crowd which I appreciated. There are four pastors at this church and not one of them is older than 33. What's more, not one of them has theological training, ha (funny how we think that seminaries= closer to God and qualified to tell me what to think about God)...although apparently one guy is doing graduate studies presently at a good school in the states. This church has doubled in size TWICE, in the last three years. They run a full time homeless shelter right out of the building. Two services, good worship and a good message. I think if I was home more often I might go back.
A quote from the service, "rules can never change character"- in a series called Graceland (I told you it was trendy). As hard as I try to surround myself with boundaries to keep myself from sinning, boundaries will not cause me necessarily to sin less or more. Rules can never change character. I heard that in Austrailia a lot of the farmers don't have fences for their livestock. How do they contain them? They put a watering hole around where they want the animals to stay so the animals never wander too far away, even though they could go as far as they want. Maybe we need a little more of that in the church. Maybe if we really believed that Jesus was the living water (apologize for the cheesiness) we would never want to wander away, we wouldn't need rules (read: no alchohol, no drugs, no swearing, no R movies, no smoking, no jeans in church or if you're from a generation ago- no cinemas, no bowling alleys, no card games!...) to try and make us better people. Rules can never change character- we just need to figure out how to stay close to the watering hole...
Well, I need a drink.
(interpret that how you will)
Thursday, October 27, 2005
all rights reserved.
I was in a pretty big church the other day for Sunday morning service. It was pretty normal I suppose- stand up sing, sit down pray, listen to sermon, go home and eat...nothing out of the ordinary.
As I was flipping through the bulletin during the sermon I came across a section entitled "Steps to Peace with God". It did a pretty good job of outlining redemptive history in 3 sentences or so (does anyone else think that is a problem?) which included God's plan for peace and life, our problem and separation from God and God's remedy- the cross. Of course, once one understands redemptive history in this brief context, the opportunity for response is given: Admit, Repent, Believe, Receive. (I'm surprised it wasn't an acronym- something as easy as ABC...)
Regardless, that is all okay and I don't disagree that all of those things are part of the Christian life, however then came the good old sinners prayer...
Now, I know this isn't in the Bible but just in case someone who read this didn't know what to do or say after reading this and was apparently being convicted by the Holy Spirit to respond, they had a prayer to say that would seal the deal. The legitimacy of the sinners prayer aside, the funniest part of this whole thing is that right underneath this prayer it said, "Used by permission of 'insert well known evangelical association here', All rights reserved".
All rights reserved?
All rights reserved!
This is part of the problem. Like a good Western company they sought to monopolize, patent and reserve the rights to a prayer--a conversation with the Almighty God! Can you imagine this conversation between clergy and a recent convert... "Thank you for praying this prayer, if you could please just send a letter of recognition to this association for allowing you to be part of the kingdom"
Of course this wouldn't be an issue if we didn't reduce the story of redemption and the kingdom life to a prayer. When did this happen? How did this happen?
Where is God?
What are we doing?
What has the gospel become?
As I was flipping through the bulletin during the sermon I came across a section entitled "Steps to Peace with God". It did a pretty good job of outlining redemptive history in 3 sentences or so (does anyone else think that is a problem?) which included God's plan for peace and life, our problem and separation from God and God's remedy- the cross. Of course, once one understands redemptive history in this brief context, the opportunity for response is given: Admit, Repent, Believe, Receive. (I'm surprised it wasn't an acronym- something as easy as ABC...)
Regardless, that is all okay and I don't disagree that all of those things are part of the Christian life, however then came the good old sinners prayer...
Now, I know this isn't in the Bible but just in case someone who read this didn't know what to do or say after reading this and was apparently being convicted by the Holy Spirit to respond, they had a prayer to say that would seal the deal. The legitimacy of the sinners prayer aside, the funniest part of this whole thing is that right underneath this prayer it said, "Used by permission of 'insert well known evangelical association here', All rights reserved".
All rights reserved?
All rights reserved!
This is part of the problem. Like a good Western company they sought to monopolize, patent and reserve the rights to a prayer--a conversation with the Almighty God! Can you imagine this conversation between clergy and a recent convert... "Thank you for praying this prayer, if you could please just send a letter of recognition to this association for allowing you to be part of the kingdom"
Of course this wouldn't be an issue if we didn't reduce the story of redemption and the kingdom life to a prayer. When did this happen? How did this happen?
Where is God?
What are we doing?
What has the gospel become?
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Summer
Living in a house with no heat (maybe this Wednesday?) makes me miss the summer. A whole lot of fun in a short, short time. Thanks to Sarah Cross for these pics.
A romantic moment on the docks in Orillia with C. Ralph.
I knew we'd get in. D-D-D Donna you're the star of the show.
Just another night during pre-season.
Deb, Mutter and C. Ralph.
A romantic moment on the docks in Orillia with C. Ralph.
I knew we'd get in. D-D-D Donna you're the star of the show.
Just another night during pre-season.
Deb, Mutter and C. Ralph.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Normal, IL
I have a confession. Before I share though I must set the context. Today I was cleaning out my car which was littered with gas receipts, cd cases, baseball equipment and a couple of tool kits. However, as I always do before I begin to clean the car, I put on a cd. It just so happened that a perfect cd was already in the player and I began to labour away to "The Normals". My confession is this: I love The Normals. As far as I know I'm the only person alive (or in Canada)who owns this cd. The tragic part about this whole love affair is that the band broke up shortly after I purchased their first album. I did find out that the lead singer took Derek Webb's spot in Caedmon's Call so maybe I can live vicariously through them now. Oh and Normal isn't actually a place in Illinois but I guess they thought that their town was pretty average.
The Survivor.
I stand in the bloodfield shell shocked and guilty,
The sole survivor of what we all had coming.
And feelings are fiction as we watch our loved diving
And for some strange reson we just keep on marching.
The ice that drips from isolation has melted me to this.
In all of my power this is all I can offer,
And it's broken, it's broken, it's broken.
But somewhere the good king has been claiming His victory,
And it's offered, it's offered, it's offered to the survivor.
My greatest confession is that what I claim dearly
is the very thing that leaves me so scared.
I know peace lies in silence and prayer is its heartbeat
But I don't feel it beating in me.
What if I find in the quiet that all I am is the sum of my habits.
In all of my power this is all I can offer,
And it's broken, it's broken, it's broken.
But somewhere the good king has been claiming His victory
And it's offered, its' offerd, it's offered to me, to me.
And your answer to my questions is to be still and know
That I Am and I Am Love and I Am and I Am Love.
And right here the good king has been claiming His victory,
And it's offered, it's offered, it's offered,
It's given, it's given, it's given to the survivor.
Here's the only Normals concert that I've ever been apart of...(only because of this link).
http://www.creativesitesmedia.com/normals/ram/normals_best_i_can.ram
The Survivor.
I stand in the bloodfield shell shocked and guilty,
The sole survivor of what we all had coming.
And feelings are fiction as we watch our loved diving
And for some strange reson we just keep on marching.
The ice that drips from isolation has melted me to this.
In all of my power this is all I can offer,
And it's broken, it's broken, it's broken.
But somewhere the good king has been claiming His victory,
And it's offered, it's offered, it's offered to the survivor.
My greatest confession is that what I claim dearly
is the very thing that leaves me so scared.
I know peace lies in silence and prayer is its heartbeat
But I don't feel it beating in me.
What if I find in the quiet that all I am is the sum of my habits.
In all of my power this is all I can offer,
And it's broken, it's broken, it's broken.
But somewhere the good king has been claiming His victory
And it's offered, its' offerd, it's offered to me, to me.
And your answer to my questions is to be still and know
That I Am and I Am Love and I Am and I Am Love.
And right here the good king has been claiming His victory,
And it's offered, it's offered, it's offered,
It's given, it's given, it's given to the survivor.
Here's the only Normals concert that I've ever been apart of...(only because of this link).
http://www.creativesitesmedia.com/normals/ram/normals_best_i_can.ram
Sunday, October 02, 2005
The Gateway.
I got a job as a relief worker at The Gateway a couple of weeks ago. It's a homeless shelter for men in downtown Toronto. To be honest, I was a little nervous going into the whole gig. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I really only knew that I wanted to work there because for some reason I think that Jesus would've probably hung out there. The first shift was, well...boring. It was a night shift in which pretty much nothing happened except for 'wake ups' (every half hour beginning at 4:30am) and breakfast in the morning (a great perk to this job is that I get fed). The next couple of shifts were pretty good though. In fact I've worked a total of four now and I originally thought that the 12 hour shifts would feel terribly long but so far they don't. I discussed this with one of the workers on Saturday and he described it as "it's like you live at home for a time and then just move here for the day and live". Really, that's what I do. I live there during the day and hang out with people. It is by far the greatest job I have ever had. I'm not just saying that because it sounds like I'm a slacker but it really is great to watch t.v. or play cards or chess with a guy my age who just got enough cash to move into his own place, or the guy from Winnipeg who has a wife and kids in the Philippines but needs to save enough money to pay back the government for dual citizenship issues. I also met Patrick, well I didn't really meet him. I was kind of scared to. He seemed a little rough around the edges at first but all of that went out the window when he almost overdosed on opium on Friday. I thought I was witnessing my first death but the ambulance got there pretty fast and I think he's okay. While that certainly wasn't a funny thing...a friend of Patricks (I assume) was just screaming the f-bomb at him for continuing to use. It was kind of funny. I also thought it was funny when his buddy was poking around his pockets looking for drugs so that the ambulance/police officers wouldn't bust him in the hospital. One of the workers asked him to get some gloves to do so-- I thought at first because it would be hygenic...I later realized it was because he didn't want him to get pricked by any needles.
I like The Gateway. The guys there are really nice and not the typical homeless men you might see outside union station (although some are...). Most of them want to work and have temp jobs but for whatever reason (drugs and alchohol addictions do come into play) can't get on their feet. I like these guys.
I think sometimes we're scared of poor people. Isn't that ridiculous? Isn't that the most ridiculous statement ever? But it's true. We don't know how to relate or how to talk to them (like they are different?). I think it's because we're trained to see poor people as invaluable...as people who don't contribute to society or the economy and therefore aren't important. Think about it. A person with a BMW vs. a homeless man with a shopping cart... whose more valuable? Who do we trust more?
I remember telling someone that I worked at a homeless shelter. They stopped and thought about it for a second and said, "you know a lot of them don't want to get jobs and want to be there"... I think that is the consensus of society. I also think that if that is our attitude... we've got a lot of reading and thinking to do.
The prophets say that God has a heart for the poor, the marginalized, the mistreated...those without a family. Isn't that a tremendous characteristic of God... to defend the orphan and widow, the alien and homeless?
Jesus says, "the poor you will always have with you but you will not always have me". At first you might read this passage and think that Jesus just wants some time with his peeps but I think there is a greater statement here. What if Jesus is saying that because you are my disciples you will be around the poor because that's where I live and they need to be loved.
I like The Gateway. The guys there are really nice and not the typical homeless men you might see outside union station (although some are...). Most of them want to work and have temp jobs but for whatever reason (drugs and alchohol addictions do come into play) can't get on their feet. I like these guys.
I think sometimes we're scared of poor people. Isn't that ridiculous? Isn't that the most ridiculous statement ever? But it's true. We don't know how to relate or how to talk to them (like they are different?). I think it's because we're trained to see poor people as invaluable...as people who don't contribute to society or the economy and therefore aren't important. Think about it. A person with a BMW vs. a homeless man with a shopping cart... whose more valuable? Who do we trust more?
I remember telling someone that I worked at a homeless shelter. They stopped and thought about it for a second and said, "you know a lot of them don't want to get jobs and want to be there"... I think that is the consensus of society. I also think that if that is our attitude... we've got a lot of reading and thinking to do.
The prophets say that God has a heart for the poor, the marginalized, the mistreated...those without a family. Isn't that a tremendous characteristic of God... to defend the orphan and widow, the alien and homeless?
Jesus says, "the poor you will always have with you but you will not always have me". At first you might read this passage and think that Jesus just wants some time with his peeps but I think there is a greater statement here. What if Jesus is saying that because you are my disciples you will be around the poor because that's where I live and they need to be loved.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
I'm at Nathan and Darryl's apartment after coming back from a wedding. Silas is here. I love Silas. He transferred to Waterloo after a couple of years at Tyndale. As a frosh at Tyndale he had these stubby little dreads but now they've grown down to his shoulders. This, combined with his newly grown beard make him look very 'rasta', as they say.
I remember this one time about three weeks ago when Darryl, Silas, Nathan and I were sitting around at the apartment talking about things that guys talk about. Silas interrupted someone's train of thought to say, "You know what guys, growing up I didn't have the greatest family situation but that's okay because now I consider you guys my family". Did I mention that I love Silas? I think that if you met Silas you would love him too.
Here he is.
I remember this one time about three weeks ago when Darryl, Silas, Nathan and I were sitting around at the apartment talking about things that guys talk about. Silas interrupted someone's train of thought to say, "You know what guys, growing up I didn't have the greatest family situation but that's okay because now I consider you guys my family". Did I mention that I love Silas? I think that if you met Silas you would love him too.
Here he is.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
It's Over
After two weeks, it is finally over. Leadership week/frosh week came to a blissful end at approximately 11:45 a.m. With the grass looking a bit greener and the smell of autumn in the air, I quite enjoyed rolling out of 25 Ballyconnor with a good friend and car full of luggage. I spent little time dropping Darryl off and picking up some things from the house I'm living in and proceeded directly to the 401 West on my way back to Smithville. Now don't get me wrong I loved a lot of this past little while but am definatley thankful for at least a couple days to myself. In honor of these past two weeks I think that I a top 10 list in in order.
10. Fair Havens: I realized how much I absolutely love that place when there are few other people around.
9. Working with Darryl and an 8 year old from Kitchener on the largest architectural project I have ever been a part of. I imagine it would take quite a storm to bring that sand castle down.
8. A road trip back from the Pinery featuring Pat, Fulford and Michelle Whiting. Comments like "I can't get enough of your love babe" and "you have a flat tire" combined with the quest for a gas station/ bathroom and a ridiculous amount of traffic made for some good times.
7. The new house. While the majority of my time there so far has consisted of me being relatively unconscious for 8 hours each time-- it is coming together and I'm definitely blessed to live with some great guys.
6. Michelle Whiting: "Do you want a chocolate bar?" and sitting on the bus together (although there was no leaning on each other)
5. The reunions. The night I saw Nathan for the first time in a while, combined with the surprise of Silas turned me into a giddy school girl for about an hour.
4. Ruth/Naomi, Peregrenatio and walking with me, or walking with you.
3. Derek Webb. It was different than the other concerts at Tyndale and he didn't speak as much as I thought he would but he was phenomenal. He gave us a tangible ministry to invest in that I think represents a lot of what we (as a Council) want the students at Tyndale to become aware of:
http://www.bloodwatermission.org --we're going to build a well.
2. I had a great conversation near the (as if) muffin shop with a good friend last week. I loved that conversation.
1. Council/Ministry Team/RA Team. I can not say enough good things about this team. I'm not really involved with the RA's too much but from what I saw--- they did a great job. And the Council/Ministry team did an absolutely incredible job in everything that they planned and made things fun while doing it. I am privileged to serve alongside so many great leading servants....
10. Fair Havens: I realized how much I absolutely love that place when there are few other people around.
9. Working with Darryl and an 8 year old from Kitchener on the largest architectural project I have ever been a part of. I imagine it would take quite a storm to bring that sand castle down.
8. A road trip back from the Pinery featuring Pat, Fulford and Michelle Whiting. Comments like "I can't get enough of your love babe" and "you have a flat tire" combined with the quest for a gas station/ bathroom and a ridiculous amount of traffic made for some good times.
7. The new house. While the majority of my time there so far has consisted of me being relatively unconscious for 8 hours each time-- it is coming together and I'm definitely blessed to live with some great guys.
6. Michelle Whiting: "Do you want a chocolate bar?" and sitting on the bus together (although there was no leaning on each other)
5. The reunions. The night I saw Nathan for the first time in a while, combined with the surprise of Silas turned me into a giddy school girl for about an hour.
4. Ruth/Naomi, Peregrenatio and walking with me, or walking with you.
3. Derek Webb. It was different than the other concerts at Tyndale and he didn't speak as much as I thought he would but he was phenomenal. He gave us a tangible ministry to invest in that I think represents a lot of what we (as a Council) want the students at Tyndale to become aware of:
http://www.bloodwatermission.org --we're going to build a well.
2. I had a great conversation near the (as if) muffin shop with a good friend last week. I loved that conversation.
1. Council/Ministry Team/RA Team. I can not say enough good things about this team. I'm not really involved with the RA's too much but from what I saw--- they did a great job. And the Council/Ministry team did an absolutely incredible job in everything that they planned and made things fun while doing it. I am privileged to serve alongside so many great leading servants....
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Random Things
It's been too long. You would think I would have given up on this whole blogging thing after being away for a while but here I go again. I had a rant ready to go about Christian culture after attending kingdom bound at Darien Lake with the youth group but I won't go there , mostly because I'd just be complaining. It's a blog for another day, maybe after I go to another Christian festival this Saturday, who knows?- it will depend on how much Jesus paraphenalia I see.
Anyway, things have been good. I went to the most perfect wedding of all time this past weekend. Congratulations e-dawg and Lauren. The day began with breakfast at Eggcetera which was followed by showers & Good Will Hunting and just when you thought the day couldn't get any better, two people got married! Even the reception was incredible, everything from the food to the speeches and the dancing... unreal how much fun it was. At a couple points during the day I did start to think that all this wedding stuff is strange--it's kind of like we're all growing up... about time I suppose.
That's it for today. Soon I'll be back in the swing of things but for now, let me leave you with this quote from Lewis' "The Magician's Nephew".
""But please, please- won't you- can't you give me something that will cure Mother?" Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as any thing in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself."
Anyway, things have been good. I went to the most perfect wedding of all time this past weekend. Congratulations e-dawg and Lauren. The day began with breakfast at Eggcetera which was followed by showers & Good Will Hunting and just when you thought the day couldn't get any better, two people got married! Even the reception was incredible, everything from the food to the speeches and the dancing... unreal how much fun it was. At a couple points during the day I did start to think that all this wedding stuff is strange--it's kind of like we're all growing up... about time I suppose.
That's it for today. Soon I'll be back in the swing of things but for now, let me leave you with this quote from Lewis' "The Magician's Nephew".
""But please, please- won't you- can't you give me something that will cure Mother?" Up till then he had been looking at the Lion's great feet and the huge claws on them; now in his despair, he looked up at its face. What he saw surprised him as much as any thing in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion's eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory's own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself."
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Do the chickens have large talons?
I found this today. If you're not sick of Napoleon Dynamite...it' s funny...real funny.
http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/HCR029.html
http://www3.state.id.us/oasis/HCR029.html
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Why I LIve in The Village
This may be old news to some of you but I recently watched (for the third time) M. Night’s “The Village”. (warning: I'm about to explain the plot). The basic plot of the movie is that a group of people purchase a large area of land and set up a town in the style of 19th century America and pay the government to not allow any plans to fly over the land or allow anyone outside of the village to enter the town-ever. In doing so, they attempt to preserve the sacredness of a place unaffected by tragedies such as violent crime, war and even the use of money. The crisis of the movie comes when one of the characters, upon hearing of the engagement of a girl that he is fond of, proceeds to repeatedly stab the fiancé in the stomach. In this way, a society that was supposed to be segregated from violent crime has been marred by a terrible incident that seemingly will result in death if new medicines from ‘the towns’ can not be retrieved in time. Now, to go along with this the elders of the village (those who started it) have led those in the village to believe that there are monsters in the woods (those we don’t speak of) and that they have reached a deal with the monsters; they don’t go into the woods and the monsters will not come into the village. The elders have implanted the idea of fear into the minds of their children to keep them from being corrupted (ie. Discovering the truth about their town).
Our society is built on fear. A simple perusal of the 6 o’clock news will tell you to be afraid because terrorists have been active or be afraid because mosquitoes have killed another person or that someone has been abducted. Fear is paralyzing and does keep people away from things like transit, tourist destinations or even the highway. These fears, while in some cases exagerrated, are real.
This is real fear because it is real cause for concern. In the Village however the fear was in the minds of the those in the village and kept them from leaving. I had a thought that maybe I live in the Village because at least one aspect of society- consumerism, also leads me with the idea of fear. Let me explain.
Consumerism tells me that I am inadequate as I am and must purchase or be involved in whatever they tell me because without it, I am not as valuable. Thus fear is used to control first what I think of myself and second what others think about me. For instance, I own a very nice (rusty) Ford which is good for me. However, if I parked beside a brand new Mercedes- who does society instantly say is more important? Generally we will automatically associate expensive with worth and not just monetary worth but intrinsic value. To me, this means that I’m living in the Village. It means that people in our country are afraid to be poor because there is no value (instrinsic?) in poverty. It mean that we have all been sold a lie by the elders (Microsoft? Car dealerships? Schools, Malls?) and we have (generally) failed to venture into the forest for fear that ‘those we don’t speak of’ (being uninfluenced by societal values) will hurt us. By this I mean that we continue to accept the idea that more stuff means more value, higher tuition means better education, (Tyndale is really good at this…) or a lawyer is somehow better than a garbage man.
We can not believe this lie. My sense of value can not come from believing that I’m better by what I do or own. I can not be afraid not to be apart of something just because society tells me otherwise. The way to escape this village is to, like the blind girl (ironic?) in the movie to recognize these fears and venture into the forest. I suppose that in the forest may be a place that Jesus calls the abundant life. A life free from the fear that I must measure up to the standard of society-- a life free from being tied down with possessions, looking for value in comparison and free from this faulty concept of reality that we’re being sold everyday.
The trouble is that I can not move completely out of the Village unless maybe I moved very far north into a remote community free from the 6 o’clock news and malls. However I have a feeling that like the actual movie, just because I separated myself from what I perceived to be evil- evil would find me. The prophet Jeremiah says that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. This is why no matter how hard they tried, the people in The Village could not escape such a heinous crime. This is also why we will have to constantly recognize that we do live in a village of lies based on fear and must somehow push our way into 'the forest' in order to live in the truth.
Our society is built on fear. A simple perusal of the 6 o’clock news will tell you to be afraid because terrorists have been active or be afraid because mosquitoes have killed another person or that someone has been abducted. Fear is paralyzing and does keep people away from things like transit, tourist destinations or even the highway. These fears, while in some cases exagerrated, are real.
This is real fear because it is real cause for concern. In the Village however the fear was in the minds of the those in the village and kept them from leaving. I had a thought that maybe I live in the Village because at least one aspect of society- consumerism, also leads me with the idea of fear. Let me explain.
Consumerism tells me that I am inadequate as I am and must purchase or be involved in whatever they tell me because without it, I am not as valuable. Thus fear is used to control first what I think of myself and second what others think about me. For instance, I own a very nice (rusty) Ford which is good for me. However, if I parked beside a brand new Mercedes- who does society instantly say is more important? Generally we will automatically associate expensive with worth and not just monetary worth but intrinsic value. To me, this means that I’m living in the Village. It means that people in our country are afraid to be poor because there is no value (instrinsic?) in poverty. It mean that we have all been sold a lie by the elders (Microsoft? Car dealerships? Schools, Malls?) and we have (generally) failed to venture into the forest for fear that ‘those we don’t speak of’ (being uninfluenced by societal values) will hurt us. By this I mean that we continue to accept the idea that more stuff means more value, higher tuition means better education, (Tyndale is really good at this…) or a lawyer is somehow better than a garbage man.
We can not believe this lie. My sense of value can not come from believing that I’m better by what I do or own. I can not be afraid not to be apart of something just because society tells me otherwise. The way to escape this village is to, like the blind girl (ironic?) in the movie to recognize these fears and venture into the forest. I suppose that in the forest may be a place that Jesus calls the abundant life. A life free from the fear that I must measure up to the standard of society-- a life free from being tied down with possessions, looking for value in comparison and free from this faulty concept of reality that we’re being sold everyday.
The trouble is that I can not move completely out of the Village unless maybe I moved very far north into a remote community free from the 6 o’clock news and malls. However I have a feeling that like the actual movie, just because I separated myself from what I perceived to be evil- evil would find me. The prophet Jeremiah says that the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. This is why no matter how hard they tried, the people in The Village could not escape such a heinous crime. This is also why we will have to constantly recognize that we do live in a village of lies based on fear and must somehow push our way into 'the forest' in order to live in the truth.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
the vertical Christian
The last couple of weeks I've noticed some lines in songs that say something like 'God is all I need', or 'all I want'. I like these songs as they are ridiculously catchy but I'm having a hard time meaning what I sing. I suppose the purpose of these lyrics would be to confess a surrendered life to Christ, which is an amazing thing. However, I hope this doesn't make me a poor Christian but when I hear these kind of songs, I think of things besides God that I need or want like water or sleep or a wife for example. Sometimes I need water more than prayer-- such is the case when it's 40 degrees outside. Or, for instance sometimes I need people. If all we needed was God we'd probably exist in individual realms with things like prayer benches, holy water and the presence of the Lord. Instead, I am reminded of the 'it's not good for man to be alone..."passage. And so we get a partner or rather-- people to share our existence with. I think this may be key to understanding what a Godward life looks like. Maybe my life needs a touch more horizontalness to it than the vertical Christianity I've come to know. In fact, maybe the purpose of sanctification is to become like God to other people and therefore a concrete being with which to interact? I think it is a fascinating thing to think that we are receiving the mind of Christ for the purpose of loving other people.
One of the places that its almost impossible to be a strictly vertical Christian is in community living. I have experienced some sort of community living a number of times and let me say that I think it's incredible for those who experience it and undervalued for those who don't. In community living you are not an individual so much as you are part of the whole. For example, while my name is Chris Lewis, I am part of what makes up 4 North dorm and also what is known as the 4th floor. While I am an individual my existence means that I am part of this web that collectively makes up residence or community life. I believe one trend we are seeing or will see in the church is the moving away from the individual Christian that modernity (if I can blame modernity?) has fashioned. The idea that 'my personal relationship with Jesus Christ' is distinct from any other believers in that it is 'mine' may be something we don't refer to as much in the coming years. Is it possible that this training of a personal relationship may have screwed the church up for a time as we are unable to share our fears, frustrations or even joys as we don't need to because after all, it's a personal thing. If we could ever move out of this western individualistic mindset that has become the North American body of Christ I think we'd be in for a few surprises..
I wonder what a vertically horizontal Christian would look like in terms of metaphor...a triangle? Any ideas?
One of the places that its almost impossible to be a strictly vertical Christian is in community living. I have experienced some sort of community living a number of times and let me say that I think it's incredible for those who experience it and undervalued for those who don't. In community living you are not an individual so much as you are part of the whole. For example, while my name is Chris Lewis, I am part of what makes up 4 North dorm and also what is known as the 4th floor. While I am an individual my existence means that I am part of this web that collectively makes up residence or community life. I believe one trend we are seeing or will see in the church is the moving away from the individual Christian that modernity (if I can blame modernity?) has fashioned. The idea that 'my personal relationship with Jesus Christ' is distinct from any other believers in that it is 'mine' may be something we don't refer to as much in the coming years. Is it possible that this training of a personal relationship may have screwed the church up for a time as we are unable to share our fears, frustrations or even joys as we don't need to because after all, it's a personal thing. If we could ever move out of this western individualistic mindset that has become the North American body of Christ I think we'd be in for a few surprises..
I wonder what a vertically horizontal Christian would look like in terms of metaphor...a triangle? Any ideas?
Saturday, July 02, 2005
*insert clever blog title here*
Hey everyone, (Heidi, Tom, Nathan)
I hope you all are doing well...really. The last couple of weeks have been remarkably crazy. I remember explicitly saying to one of my youth kids a couple of month ago two things: first, that I would probably never work for Fair Havens again and that I would never work for my home church again, ever. It's not that I had anything against either of these place- I mean, I love Fair Havens and I've known the people at my church for 20 years-- there is no bad blood there-- I just knew that I wouldn't be working there. And so, I planned my own thing. I interviewed for a camp job in T.O, got told that I'd work there for a summer and then be the director next summer--pretty good plan I thought. Of course I had some time to waste before the camp started, about 5 weeks worth.
I got home from Fair Havens last week...what a glorious 5 weeks of work it was. I can not even believe the amount of fun that was had. Here's some of my favorite things about this pre-season, in no particular order: Becoming way better friends with the Jon, Mike and Dan, I can't even believe how much I've grown to love you guys. Seeing Dan fall out of and be run over by a golf cart (don't tell Bob...). Writing a song and performing it with Mike...ah yes "Caitlyn and Sarah are our favorite guest services workers in the whole world...etc..etc.."--it's in the process of being recorded. Blue?...who is supposed to know that former Russian president Kruschev has blue eyes...I can't stand (and yet love) Trivial Pursuit. If they tell me I can't do high ropes...they're right (nice work Lindsay)...if they tell me I can't do a front flip in the pool...it's go time... 47 awkward attempts later...the front flip is mastered, and my back/head/neck is in serious need of a chiropractor. Drive in movies, falling windows, cabin painting, Thursday nights, taking one for the team and Bill Davis all contributed to a great month.
The plot thickens. The day camp is waiting for me when the time comes, but then I get the email heard around the world (or at least by those sitting next to me at the time). The day camp had low registrations and needed to look at things like job cuts, salary reduction etc. So- I put the word out to a couple of places, including (gulp) my church, letting them know I may be looking for a job.
I started working at my home church the day after I got home from Fair Havens. I'll be doing some day camp stuff, starting a college and careers group, helping out with youth and doing some preaching. To me, this is the funniest thing that could have happened. There's a proverb that goes something like "In his heart a man plans his course but the LORD determines his steps"....okay Lord, you've made your point.
This is what makes life so exciting. I wonder what will happen tomorrow?
I hope you all are doing well...really. The last couple of weeks have been remarkably crazy. I remember explicitly saying to one of my youth kids a couple of month ago two things: first, that I would probably never work for Fair Havens again and that I would never work for my home church again, ever. It's not that I had anything against either of these place- I mean, I love Fair Havens and I've known the people at my church for 20 years-- there is no bad blood there-- I just knew that I wouldn't be working there. And so, I planned my own thing. I interviewed for a camp job in T.O, got told that I'd work there for a summer and then be the director next summer--pretty good plan I thought. Of course I had some time to waste before the camp started, about 5 weeks worth.
I got home from Fair Havens last week...what a glorious 5 weeks of work it was. I can not even believe the amount of fun that was had. Here's some of my favorite things about this pre-season, in no particular order: Becoming way better friends with the Jon, Mike and Dan, I can't even believe how much I've grown to love you guys. Seeing Dan fall out of and be run over by a golf cart (don't tell Bob...). Writing a song and performing it with Mike...ah yes "Caitlyn and Sarah are our favorite guest services workers in the whole world...etc..etc.."--it's in the process of being recorded. Blue?...who is supposed to know that former Russian president Kruschev has blue eyes...I can't stand (and yet love) Trivial Pursuit. If they tell me I can't do high ropes...they're right (nice work Lindsay)...if they tell me I can't do a front flip in the pool...it's go time... 47 awkward attempts later...the front flip is mastered, and my back/head/neck is in serious need of a chiropractor. Drive in movies, falling windows, cabin painting, Thursday nights, taking one for the team and Bill Davis all contributed to a great month.
The plot thickens. The day camp is waiting for me when the time comes, but then I get the email heard around the world (or at least by those sitting next to me at the time). The day camp had low registrations and needed to look at things like job cuts, salary reduction etc. So- I put the word out to a couple of places, including (gulp) my church, letting them know I may be looking for a job.
I started working at my home church the day after I got home from Fair Havens. I'll be doing some day camp stuff, starting a college and careers group, helping out with youth and doing some preaching. To me, this is the funniest thing that could have happened. There's a proverb that goes something like "In his heart a man plans his course but the LORD determines his steps"....okay Lord, you've made your point.
This is what makes life so exciting. I wonder what will happen tomorrow?
Sunday, June 12, 2005
altars for sinning
"Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings,
these have become altars for sinning”. Hosea 8:11
These two lines jumped out of the page the other day. I’m wondering if this is a warning that anyone who is involved with any sort of ministry or kingdom stuff in general should have plastered on the wall of their office. A couple of friends and I are involved in starting our own business that’s going to be doing some incredible stuff that we are very excited about. We feel like God has given us a similar vision and has opened all these doors to make this vision a reality. In turn I think that our motives are pure but the last thing I want is to have this thing that starts out right end up becoming ‘altars for sinning’ or ~ the exact opposite of what it was designed to do. I mean, there is a precedent for this sort of thing happening; think of any secular university that began as a seminary and now produces a generation (for the most part) of religious skeptics. Or young pastors who began with a passion for the hurting and then hit it big (dare I say - mega?) and end up with the beamers and a real estate business on the side. I guess the only way to really not have to worry about this is to never attempt anything. That is not an option, it can’t be. I guess a good old fashioned gut check every now and again and an earnest effort make sure that our “concern is not whether God is on our side; (but our) greatest concern is to be on God's side” (A. Lincoln) will mean there will be no ‘altars for sinning’.
Either that or we just stick to the business plan, right guys?
these have become altars for sinning”. Hosea 8:11
These two lines jumped out of the page the other day. I’m wondering if this is a warning that anyone who is involved with any sort of ministry or kingdom stuff in general should have plastered on the wall of their office. A couple of friends and I are involved in starting our own business that’s going to be doing some incredible stuff that we are very excited about. We feel like God has given us a similar vision and has opened all these doors to make this vision a reality. In turn I think that our motives are pure but the last thing I want is to have this thing that starts out right end up becoming ‘altars for sinning’ or ~ the exact opposite of what it was designed to do. I mean, there is a precedent for this sort of thing happening; think of any secular university that began as a seminary and now produces a generation (for the most part) of religious skeptics. Or young pastors who began with a passion for the hurting and then hit it big (dare I say - mega?) and end up with the beamers and a real estate business on the side. I guess the only way to really not have to worry about this is to never attempt anything. That is not an option, it can’t be. I guess a good old fashioned gut check every now and again and an earnest effort make sure that our “concern is not whether God is on our side; (but our) greatest concern is to be on God's side” (A. Lincoln) will mean there will be no ‘altars for sinning’.
Either that or we just stick to the business plan, right guys?
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
a little update
I must apologize for my tardiness the last couple of weeks. I've been in transition mode--moving from home in good old S-town (aka: Smithville,ON) to Fair Havens. So I went from blogging a lot because I didn't have much to do, to blogging never because there was always something going on...but I've missed it.
Do you ever wake up sometimes and have this amazing, profound thought and then ten minutes later you can not remember what the heck you were thinking? That happened this morning. I do remember that it was something about Jesus...
This past weekend I was honoured to attend the wedding of a couple of my good friends. Now, I must confess-- I really like both of those two; they are some of the nicest people I've ever met. During the reception someone mentioned something about how their lives were designed perfectly for them to come together to be married. I thought about that and realized that, holy smokes...its true. They each have had their share of serious family heartaches growing up but it is truly amazing to see the LORD bring them together so that the trend of brokennesss that occurred in each of their pasts has now become this very beautiful thing that is a new relationship.
Do you ever wake up sometimes and have this amazing, profound thought and then ten minutes later you can not remember what the heck you were thinking? That happened this morning. I do remember that it was something about Jesus...
This past weekend I was honoured to attend the wedding of a couple of my good friends. Now, I must confess-- I really like both of those two; they are some of the nicest people I've ever met. During the reception someone mentioned something about how their lives were designed perfectly for them to come together to be married. I thought about that and realized that, holy smokes...its true. They each have had their share of serious family heartaches growing up but it is truly amazing to see the LORD bring them together so that the trend of brokennesss that occurred in each of their pasts has now become this very beautiful thing that is a new relationship.
Monday, May 23, 2005
favour
Hey guys,
A couple of my friends and I are putting together a conference for university age(ish) students for next year. Before we get too into it though, we need to know what people our age want in a conference. So we've put together a survey-- if you could take a couple seconds (literally) to fill it out...that would be great.
http://www.freesurveysonline.com/fso/AskSurvey.fso?Survey=5875&CheckID=5293
Thanks!
A couple of my friends and I are putting together a conference for university age(ish) students for next year. Before we get too into it though, we need to know what people our age want in a conference. So we've put together a survey-- if you could take a couple seconds (literally) to fill it out...that would be great.
http://www.freesurveysonline.com/fso/AskSurvey.fso?Survey=5875&CheckID=5293
Thanks!
Sunday, May 15, 2005
just a quote
I found this quote today..."When you're on a really long voyage, you have to get beyond asking, "Are we there yet?" and instead start asking, "Are we making progress?" -- Brian Mclaren
Something to think about.
Something to think about.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Groundhog Day
I remember getting my sweet little car in 2001, at which point that tiny racer was 13 years old. The first question people ask when you bought a car in high school was either: so what kind of rims are you going to get? or the classic: what kind of stereo you got in that thing? In some strange post-fall way, these questions provided us with a sense of worth.
A feeble attempt to buy friends left many of us with little cash in the old bank account and an overpriced cd player in the dashboard. I was having this conversation about a week ago with a couple friends from school, discussing how odd it seems now to have found value (even if we wouldn't have admitted it at the time) in a frame of metal (aka: my mustang, which alas has become its most vicious nickname- a rustang). Not that I don't desperately seek the approval of others now but maybe its in different way, in fact I know it is. Now it's in the approval of the reading material on my bookshelf or in wanting someone to ask what I got on my term paper (upon occasion..) or the classic, 'so, how many goals you score that game?'... (a question that was severely lacking this past year). All of this to say that I'm still trying to figure out this whole finding my complete value in and only in Christ- thing. I'm still learning...after all that money spent...
It's a learning curve that involves starting over everyday. I remember speaking with a good friend at camp last summer about the Christian life and how when I was young I thought "its easy to be a Christian when you're older, it just happens"...I didn't think that "I'll just be a Christian when I'm older and not be one now" but it just seemed easier. One of the biggest things I'm reminded of every single day of my life that sometime between the time I close my eyes at night and open them in the a.m, my life has started over. It's like this strange version of Groundhog Day because I'm given the chance to try another day at life. It's not totally the same because the people change, the setting changes but the purpose and the idea that today I either live the life I'm called to or I don't....the choice is there every morning.
I guess I thought there'd be a lot more continuity in the Christian life but bless the Lord that it's new everyday. This is one of the good parts about being a Christian...if yesterday I screwed it up...today is brand new. Now, I've heard it said that that is the greatest part of being a Christian-- 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.."etc, but lets be honest here, I don't think the point of that passage was a "get out of sin free card"... No-- God still desires personal holiness everyday, but the good part is that everyday is a new opportunity embrace the life we're called to.
From A to B...but I'm not sure how I got here. I hope you all are well.
A feeble attempt to buy friends left many of us with little cash in the old bank account and an overpriced cd player in the dashboard. I was having this conversation about a week ago with a couple friends from school, discussing how odd it seems now to have found value (even if we wouldn't have admitted it at the time) in a frame of metal (aka: my mustang, which alas has become its most vicious nickname- a rustang). Not that I don't desperately seek the approval of others now but maybe its in different way, in fact I know it is. Now it's in the approval of the reading material on my bookshelf or in wanting someone to ask what I got on my term paper (upon occasion..) or the classic, 'so, how many goals you score that game?'... (a question that was severely lacking this past year). All of this to say that I'm still trying to figure out this whole finding my complete value in and only in Christ- thing. I'm still learning...after all that money spent...
It's a learning curve that involves starting over everyday. I remember speaking with a good friend at camp last summer about the Christian life and how when I was young I thought "its easy to be a Christian when you're older, it just happens"...I didn't think that "I'll just be a Christian when I'm older and not be one now" but it just seemed easier. One of the biggest things I'm reminded of every single day of my life that sometime between the time I close my eyes at night and open them in the a.m, my life has started over. It's like this strange version of Groundhog Day because I'm given the chance to try another day at life. It's not totally the same because the people change, the setting changes but the purpose and the idea that today I either live the life I'm called to or I don't....the choice is there every morning.
I guess I thought there'd be a lot more continuity in the Christian life but bless the Lord that it's new everyday. This is one of the good parts about being a Christian...if yesterday I screwed it up...today is brand new. Now, I've heard it said that that is the greatest part of being a Christian-- 'there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.."etc, but lets be honest here, I don't think the point of that passage was a "get out of sin free card"... No-- God still desires personal holiness everyday, but the good part is that everyday is a new opportunity embrace the life we're called to.
From A to B...but I'm not sure how I got here. I hope you all are well.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
conversation starters...
Ah yes, another mothers day. A day to celebrate those wonderful women (in my case named Linda) who we have come to know as 'Mom'. In the Lewis household it is also a day to bring Grandma over and invite the rest of the relatives to pay homage to the woman who birthed them. In the living room of the Lewis homstead, the roundtable discussion lingered around road construction and the people who had recently died (as per usual) when someone suddenly remembered that the hot gossip around town was that a gay choir would be performing at a local church next week.
Dear Lord, the things you hear when children have been raised on Jerry Falwellish propoganda. And so, the debate turned from this choir to the institution of gay marriage (which everyone was against...including me...not sure if i needed to say that but just for clarifications sake) and then back to the gay choir. At this point I hadn't said anything and then it came out from my 80 year old great aunt-- What does the preacher think? I scanned the room for someone who resembled a minister but with no clerical collars in sight I realised that the question was directed towards me.
And so I began to talk about gay marriage and pointed out that I think that we see more emphasis on the poor and social justice in the Bible than on what to do about homosexual marriage, but for some reason we're not having a heated discussion about why millions of children die from AIDS in Africa each year. The conclusion of my little speech ended with a statement "i don't know why we're so focussed on this and not other things"--to which i heard an alarming response from another person present "do you want the homosexuals to take over the country?".
Silence.
In my head i'm thinking, 'what?, what does that even mean?'. Luckily someone noticed that they were late for another family gathering and had to get going which broke up the conversation, but i'm still thinking about what it means. I have a feeling that a generation is rising that is not going to parade a gay choir in front of a church like some sort of solidarity statement but is also not going to protest outside of the church where a gay choir is performing. A generation who isn't afraid of homosexuals taking over the country because we're confidentent that love is the greatest commandment, not correction or rebuke. If we're living out this love then fear mongering or prejudice isn't even an option. Maybe, just maybe we'll be the generation who sit the gay choir beside the guy who cheats on his income taxes, or the person who struggles with alchoholism or lust, or sit him beside me...or you.
Dear Lord, the things you hear when children have been raised on Jerry Falwellish propoganda. And so, the debate turned from this choir to the institution of gay marriage (which everyone was against...including me...not sure if i needed to say that but just for clarifications sake) and then back to the gay choir. At this point I hadn't said anything and then it came out from my 80 year old great aunt-- What does the preacher think? I scanned the room for someone who resembled a minister but with no clerical collars in sight I realised that the question was directed towards me.
And so I began to talk about gay marriage and pointed out that I think that we see more emphasis on the poor and social justice in the Bible than on what to do about homosexual marriage, but for some reason we're not having a heated discussion about why millions of children die from AIDS in Africa each year. The conclusion of my little speech ended with a statement "i don't know why we're so focussed on this and not other things"--to which i heard an alarming response from another person present "do you want the homosexuals to take over the country?".
Silence.
In my head i'm thinking, 'what?, what does that even mean?'. Luckily someone noticed that they were late for another family gathering and had to get going which broke up the conversation, but i'm still thinking about what it means. I have a feeling that a generation is rising that is not going to parade a gay choir in front of a church like some sort of solidarity statement but is also not going to protest outside of the church where a gay choir is performing. A generation who isn't afraid of homosexuals taking over the country because we're confidentent that love is the greatest commandment, not correction or rebuke. If we're living out this love then fear mongering or prejudice isn't even an option. Maybe, just maybe we'll be the generation who sit the gay choir beside the guy who cheats on his income taxes, or the person who struggles with alchoholism or lust, or sit him beside me...or you.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
channel surfing fiasco
It's been a while since i last blogged. I could attribute it to the final push of papers/exams that took place but honestly I really wasn't inspired to write, until tonight.
I'm back at home for an extended period for the first time in 2 years. A funny thing happens to me when I'm at home- I watch a whole lot more t.v. I hate t.v. most times and really just watch sports and Seinfeld during the year but at home I'm always reminded what kind of retarded things are on t.v.
Tonight I swore at this stupid little box that sat 3 feet away from me. Normally I don't swear but tonight a couple of people deserved it (if ever someone deserved to be sworn at...). Firstly, this woman on CNN told America that cheating on your spouse was a natural instinct of human beings and that she doesn't feel guilt for ruining someone's life, in fact she expects people to have ramped sex because its 'only natural'. You know those times when you feel God's heart break? I almost threw up.
The second time I swore at the t.v. happened about 5 minutes later when I was flipping through the channels and came to BET where some white guy (ironic?) was quoting scripture. Interesting I thought-- and then his book flashed across the screen, "How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted". You *&^% #$%*&", I said. Prosperity gospel also makes me sick. Of all of the things to preach on this guy is telling a gullible generation of single moms that these 7 steps (1- do more, 2- think more etc...seriously, these are the steps...) will literally cause them to be millionaires, because a millionaire is the desire of God for each believer.
I have trouble believing this. In fact, like I said, it makes me sick. Now, I have nothing against tangible blessings in a persons life.--to whom much is given, much is expected...but to say that a person should not be content with their state and should try to become a millionaire--as if that is some kind of desirable lifestyle--i think is a big mistake. after all, it is harder for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Was Jesus pulling our legs on this one?
Now, maybe, just maybe this guy should be more concerned about being rich... and how not to be rich. I hope one day he writes a book called - 'how to give up everything you ever owned and still be happy'? To me, that sounds more like the gospel of Jesus than any word spoken on BET tonight. This guy on t.v. and Rich Ruler could have been friends. If only Jesus would have told the Rich Ruler that to inherit eternal life he had to follow 7 steps that would lead to vast reaches and the achievementt of his life long dreams. Why is it that materialism has taken the place of social action, of helping the poor, the widow, the orphan--no, instead this guy wants everyone to have a yacht. I would sadly expect this attitude from Hollywood or maybe at Times Square but from someone with the Word of God? Lord help us.
Well, that was a nice little rant to begin the month of May.
I'm back at home for an extended period for the first time in 2 years. A funny thing happens to me when I'm at home- I watch a whole lot more t.v. I hate t.v. most times and really just watch sports and Seinfeld during the year but at home I'm always reminded what kind of retarded things are on t.v.
Tonight I swore at this stupid little box that sat 3 feet away from me. Normally I don't swear but tonight a couple of people deserved it (if ever someone deserved to be sworn at...). Firstly, this woman on CNN told America that cheating on your spouse was a natural instinct of human beings and that she doesn't feel guilt for ruining someone's life, in fact she expects people to have ramped sex because its 'only natural'. You know those times when you feel God's heart break? I almost threw up.
The second time I swore at the t.v. happened about 5 minutes later when I was flipping through the channels and came to BET where some white guy (ironic?) was quoting scripture. Interesting I thought-- and then his book flashed across the screen, "How to be Rich and Have Everything You Ever Wanted". You *&^% #$%*&", I said. Prosperity gospel also makes me sick. Of all of the things to preach on this guy is telling a gullible generation of single moms that these 7 steps (1- do more, 2- think more etc...seriously, these are the steps...) will literally cause them to be millionaires, because a millionaire is the desire of God for each believer.
I have trouble believing this. In fact, like I said, it makes me sick. Now, I have nothing against tangible blessings in a persons life.--to whom much is given, much is expected...but to say that a person should not be content with their state and should try to become a millionaire--as if that is some kind of desirable lifestyle--i think is a big mistake. after all, it is harder for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Was Jesus pulling our legs on this one?
Now, maybe, just maybe this guy should be more concerned about being rich... and how not to be rich. I hope one day he writes a book called - 'how to give up everything you ever owned and still be happy'? To me, that sounds more like the gospel of Jesus than any word spoken on BET tonight. This guy on t.v. and Rich Ruler could have been friends. If only Jesus would have told the Rich Ruler that to inherit eternal life he had to follow 7 steps that would lead to vast reaches and the achievementt of his life long dreams. Why is it that materialism has taken the place of social action, of helping the poor, the widow, the orphan--no, instead this guy wants everyone to have a yacht. I would sadly expect this attitude from Hollywood or maybe at Times Square but from someone with the Word of God? Lord help us.
Well, that was a nice little rant to begin the month of May.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
unfaithful, ungraceful, unloving.
It would seem that i can't get away from this theme.
"I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindess and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the LORD" Hosea 2:19-20
A couple things. First, I can't handle the book of Hosea. I can't handle God telling his people over and over that yes there is punishment for unfaithfulness but He'll still love them. For instance, at the very moment I don't feel very spiritual. It's probably because i didn't listen to Hillsongs today or something like that. Bless the LORD though...my feeling unspiritual doesn't change the fact that I have been betrothed. It's a good thing that God isn't like our family court system. God knows people are getting divorced for things less than the sins that I've committed. I guess that's what a it means to be betrothed in faithfulness. By its very nature, the relationship is one of faithfulness- forever.
By no means am I a Hebrew scholar but i went to what we Dr. Bodner students like to call 'the masoretic text' to discover a couple of things of value (props to Darryl Silvestri as i left my Hebrew Bible at school). First, let me point out that the word Hesed is used. This is a special word used only to describe this thing about God that we don't really know how to describe. It means something like lovingkindess or loyalty, devotion, steadfastness or something like that but we don't really know what it means... kind of like Yahweh, it means something bigger than we can comprehend. And so, we've got this thing that God has betrothed us to him in...hesed...something that transcends 'i do' into something with a value like 'i am and i always will', your feelings might change but my faithfulness will not. I think that (in the west at least) society doesn't know how to be faithful. We aren't loyal to anything, let alone covenantally faithful. If I went downtown, said to the most vile prostitute that I chose you to be my wife and i will remain faithful to you forever, how hard would that be? That is what God is saying. You have been filth but I will marry you.
This brings me to my next interesting find, which may be a stretch but i think it fits. A lot of times in the book of Ezekiel and the OT in general, God says "and you will know that I am the LORD", here the author says, "and you shall know the LORD". The hebrew word used her is yada. It's pretty common in the OT. However, this phrase sticks out for the very reason that the bride does not know about the LORD, but knows the LORD. I'm going to suggest that this phrase, in the context of this entire passage is similar to Gen. 4:1 when Adam knew Eve...same word. Of course I don't fully comprehend the magnitude of this, but i think the point is not sexual but experiential. In a way that Adam experienced all of Eve- physically, emotionally, spiritually- we experience God. The relationship is bound in intimacy and involves two parties- one that has betrothed and one who plays the harlot, yet God says, "How can I give you up...My heart churns within Me...I will not again destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man. The Holy One in your midst...They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt...like a dove from the land of Assyria".-- the unfaithful will look at Him with tears in her eyes, ashamed of where she's been, of what she's done- trembling- like a helpless creature with no where to go and nothing of value...to hear God say something like...
Hey unfaithful I will teach you
To be stronger
To be stronger
Hey unloving
I will love you
I will love you
I will love you
And Jesus, I’m ready to come home
Jesus, I’m ready
I’m ready to come
oh home oh
I'm ready to come home
Hey unfaithful
Hey ungraceful
Hey unloving
I will love you
Hey unloving
I will love you
"I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindess and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the LORD" Hosea 2:19-20
A couple things. First, I can't handle the book of Hosea. I can't handle God telling his people over and over that yes there is punishment for unfaithfulness but He'll still love them. For instance, at the very moment I don't feel very spiritual. It's probably because i didn't listen to Hillsongs today or something like that. Bless the LORD though...my feeling unspiritual doesn't change the fact that I have been betrothed. It's a good thing that God isn't like our family court system. God knows people are getting divorced for things less than the sins that I've committed. I guess that's what a it means to be betrothed in faithfulness. By its very nature, the relationship is one of faithfulness- forever.
By no means am I a Hebrew scholar but i went to what we Dr. Bodner students like to call 'the masoretic text' to discover a couple of things of value (props to Darryl Silvestri as i left my Hebrew Bible at school). First, let me point out that the word Hesed is used. This is a special word used only to describe this thing about God that we don't really know how to describe. It means something like lovingkindess or loyalty, devotion, steadfastness or something like that but we don't really know what it means... kind of like Yahweh, it means something bigger than we can comprehend. And so, we've got this thing that God has betrothed us to him in...hesed...something that transcends 'i do' into something with a value like 'i am and i always will', your feelings might change but my faithfulness will not. I think that (in the west at least) society doesn't know how to be faithful. We aren't loyal to anything, let alone covenantally faithful. If I went downtown, said to the most vile prostitute that I chose you to be my wife and i will remain faithful to you forever, how hard would that be? That is what God is saying. You have been filth but I will marry you.
This brings me to my next interesting find, which may be a stretch but i think it fits. A lot of times in the book of Ezekiel and the OT in general, God says "and you will know that I am the LORD", here the author says, "and you shall know the LORD". The hebrew word used her is yada. It's pretty common in the OT. However, this phrase sticks out for the very reason that the bride does not know about the LORD, but knows the LORD. I'm going to suggest that this phrase, in the context of this entire passage is similar to Gen. 4:1 when Adam knew Eve...same word. Of course I don't fully comprehend the magnitude of this, but i think the point is not sexual but experiential. In a way that Adam experienced all of Eve- physically, emotionally, spiritually- we experience God. The relationship is bound in intimacy and involves two parties- one that has betrothed and one who plays the harlot, yet God says, "How can I give you up...My heart churns within Me...I will not again destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man. The Holy One in your midst...They shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt...like a dove from the land of Assyria".-- the unfaithful will look at Him with tears in her eyes, ashamed of where she's been, of what she's done- trembling- like a helpless creature with no where to go and nothing of value...to hear God say something like...
Hey unfaithful I will teach you
To be stronger
To be stronger
Hey unloving
I will love you
I will love you
I will love you
And Jesus, I’m ready to come home
Jesus, I’m ready
I’m ready to come
oh home oh
I'm ready to come home
Hey unfaithful
Hey ungraceful
Hey unloving
I will love you
Hey unloving
I will love you
Friday, April 01, 2005
denominational jargon
I was raised in the small town church atmosphere with dress pants, Sunday school and church picnics. Growing up I had this idea that anyone who believed anything different than what my church says is grossly misinformed. That was then.
Lately, I’ve been wondering about the church, its future and how exactly Christ would live in this body of his. I guess I'm starting to think differently about the church and about truth in general. I used to be a pretty big fan of absolutism, as in it’s either: Arminian or Calvinism, infant or immersion, tongues or not, men or men and women--that sort of thing. Now, I don't want to say that I have given up on all of these issues and thrown them out the window in favor some sort of hyper- relativist understanding of doctrine because I haven’t. It's just that we, (the western church in general) have these discrepancies that has broken the body into these little pieces that are disconnected from the rest of the body. Everywhere I look we’ve split over matters of doctrine and different interpretations of Scripture and the question I’m left with is; is it worth it? Is my correct understanding of Revelation 20 grounds for separation from those who also abide in Christ?
This is not to say that I have no opinion or think that two positions can be equally correct. It is only to say that I would rather enjoy the company my potentially charismatic female pastor friend, than say, 'you are wrong and i am right' because when it comes down to it, I don't know. What I do know is that I don't think the church will grow by separating. I’d like to ask the apostle Paul what he thinks about thousands of different sections of the church that generally act independent of one another. He’d probably say something like, ‘why have you turned the church into a corporation?’. I’d like to ask Jesus what he thinks about the parts of his body intentionally divided against itself. He’d probably say something like a house divided against itself can not stand.
Is the church too far gone? If we've seen the establishment of thousands of denominations in the last fifty years, where will we be in another fifty years? If, among other things, interpretation has destroyed the body of Christ, how will this trend be stopped?
I think we are scared. Scared that either we'll be wrong about our doctrine and so we cling to it, or afraid that God is different that we thought he was. Similarly, I think we're too ignorant to acknowledge our fallibility so we cling to the idea of doctrinal absolutes and then surround ourselves with people who are likeminded, all the while thinking that if Christ came back he'd give our church a gold star for Biblical interpretation. This is wrong.
Maybe one day we'll find out that someone was right, or maybe the Lamb won't be interested in handing out gold stars for interpretation As it turns out he may be more concerned with other pressing matters such as the poor, widow, the hurting. Our focus is misplaced. We have exalted doctrine and forgotten Christ.
I don’t suggest that we all start thinking this way and make our own little church that thinks this way; that would be too easy and too much like the west. Instead we value what Christ would value, love what he would love and act like he would. If this were the case the church would actually be the one body of Christ.
Lately, I’ve been wondering about the church, its future and how exactly Christ would live in this body of his. I guess I'm starting to think differently about the church and about truth in general. I used to be a pretty big fan of absolutism, as in it’s either: Arminian or Calvinism, infant or immersion, tongues or not, men or men and women--that sort of thing. Now, I don't want to say that I have given up on all of these issues and thrown them out the window in favor some sort of hyper- relativist understanding of doctrine because I haven’t. It's just that we, (the western church in general) have these discrepancies that has broken the body into these little pieces that are disconnected from the rest of the body. Everywhere I look we’ve split over matters of doctrine and different interpretations of Scripture and the question I’m left with is; is it worth it? Is my correct understanding of Revelation 20 grounds for separation from those who also abide in Christ?
This is not to say that I have no opinion or think that two positions can be equally correct. It is only to say that I would rather enjoy the company my potentially charismatic female pastor friend, than say, 'you are wrong and i am right' because when it comes down to it, I don't know. What I do know is that I don't think the church will grow by separating. I’d like to ask the apostle Paul what he thinks about thousands of different sections of the church that generally act independent of one another. He’d probably say something like, ‘why have you turned the church into a corporation?’. I’d like to ask Jesus what he thinks about the parts of his body intentionally divided against itself. He’d probably say something like a house divided against itself can not stand.
Is the church too far gone? If we've seen the establishment of thousands of denominations in the last fifty years, where will we be in another fifty years? If, among other things, interpretation has destroyed the body of Christ, how will this trend be stopped?
I think we are scared. Scared that either we'll be wrong about our doctrine and so we cling to it, or afraid that God is different that we thought he was. Similarly, I think we're too ignorant to acknowledge our fallibility so we cling to the idea of doctrinal absolutes and then surround ourselves with people who are likeminded, all the while thinking that if Christ came back he'd give our church a gold star for Biblical interpretation. This is wrong.
Maybe one day we'll find out that someone was right, or maybe the Lamb won't be interested in handing out gold stars for interpretation As it turns out he may be more concerned with other pressing matters such as the poor, widow, the hurting. Our focus is misplaced. We have exalted doctrine and forgotten Christ.
I don’t suggest that we all start thinking this way and make our own little church that thinks this way; that would be too easy and too much like the west. Instead we value what Christ would value, love what he would love and act like he would. If this were the case the church would actually be the one body of Christ.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
the bride.
I really like this Derek Webb song, especially in conjunction with the video from Donald Miller's website (bluelikejazz.com).
if you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
should that be all i’ll ever need
or is there more i’m looking for
and should i read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
to make me handsome, rich, and wise
is that really what you want
i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i’m a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you
so could you love this bastard child
though i don’t trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood
because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife
Wow. So wait, the church is the bride of Christ but dang girl, if we're not whoring around before the honeymoon has started. I used to think that biblical imagery that had me in a dress was kind of weird... but i suppose that the church is asexual and that the imagery isn't about gender. Rather biblical language is just descriptive of the most intimate relationship we're aware of. Miller describes it like this; Jesus invites us to come to him and says, "take my righteousness, take my name and marry me... marry me". I used to make fun of people who spoke like this...probably because, as a sexually frustrated (as in...not having it) 22 year old male...i think that marriage = sex and Lord knows that is not what i think about when it comes to Jesus. So i rejected all this lovey, bride and marriage imagery until it finally clicked when this large white man said it. Those words made me want to take his name and enter this covenant relationship immediatley when i realized that i already had. And so, i've decided to drop the hyphen in my last name from Lewis-Jesus to just Jesus. Only his name. All of this to say that now i understand the allegory, after all... i am a whore i do confess but i put you on just like a wedding dress and i run down the aisle.
if you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
should that be all i’ll ever need
or is there more i’m looking for
and should i read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
to make me handsome, rich, and wise
is that really what you want
i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i’m a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you
so could you love this bastard child
though i don’t trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood
because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife
Wow. So wait, the church is the bride of Christ but dang girl, if we're not whoring around before the honeymoon has started. I used to think that biblical imagery that had me in a dress was kind of weird... but i suppose that the church is asexual and that the imagery isn't about gender. Rather biblical language is just descriptive of the most intimate relationship we're aware of. Miller describes it like this; Jesus invites us to come to him and says, "take my righteousness, take my name and marry me... marry me". I used to make fun of people who spoke like this...probably because, as a sexually frustrated (as in...not having it) 22 year old male...i think that marriage = sex and Lord knows that is not what i think about when it comes to Jesus. So i rejected all this lovey, bride and marriage imagery until it finally clicked when this large white man said it. Those words made me want to take his name and enter this covenant relationship immediatley when i realized that i already had. And so, i've decided to drop the hyphen in my last name from Lewis-Jesus to just Jesus. Only his name. All of this to say that now i understand the allegory, after all... i am a whore i do confess but i put you on just like a wedding dress and i run down the aisle.
Friday, March 18, 2005
a night on the town...
A couple of days ago I went to a club downtown with a bunch of people from school. After about an hour of doing the whole club scene, I sat down at our table and began to contemplate what exactly was happening here. Admittedly, I am unfamiliar with this scene but as I was watching the hundreds of 'beer in hand 20 somethings' get down to 'you shook me all night long' I started to wonder if this is a religion. Let's think about this for a second. A place where people congregate regularly that promotes community, consistent attendance, friendship and dare I say worship? It occurred to me (as a couple who had decided to join me at my table started making out) that things I had heard about worship before became very real. All of us worship something. That's about as cliche as look both ways before you cross the street, but I actually learned this from my clubbing experience.
I think clubbing attempts to answer these questions and the way they do this is through a worshipping community. What they worship is debatable,--themselves I think would be a place to start, each other, the opposite sex, sex, alcohol, materialism...it seemed like the whole place was consumed by these matters. If that is the case, and I think it was, are we surprised that clubs exist and are in fact thriving when churches are empty? No, because people like to worship these things because there is nothing else. But if people understood why they desire for these type of needs to be fulfilled we'd have a revolution on our hands...
Anyway, just a little rant on why I think that right now thousands of people are dancing and drinking the night away...because they desire something God has put in them but misplaced their means of fulfillment. If that's the case, how will they know?...
I think clubbing attempts to answer these questions and the way they do this is through a worshipping community. What they worship is debatable,--themselves I think would be a place to start, each other, the opposite sex, sex, alcohol, materialism...it seemed like the whole place was consumed by these matters. If that is the case, and I think it was, are we surprised that clubs exist and are in fact thriving when churches are empty? No, because people like to worship these things because there is nothing else. But if people understood why they desire for these type of needs to be fulfilled we'd have a revolution on our hands...
Anyway, just a little rant on why I think that right now thousands of people are dancing and drinking the night away...because they desire something God has put in them but misplaced their means of fulfillment. If that's the case, how will they know?...
Thursday, February 24, 2005
almost famous
I was on the go-train last week, heading back to Toronto after returning the old family van. It’s blue. I needed it for the Donald Miller week. From the second floor of the train I started thinking that I probably won’t make the cut for Don’s next book unless for some reason he thinks of me as his son, which I’m not convinced that he does. After he left I realized a couple of things. I think that I wanted to meet Don and suddenly we’d become best friends and then I’d be known as Lewis-the beat poet president in his next book and we’d exchange witty, meaningful conversation about penguin sex or something like that. Here’s the thing: it didn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, I think we had some good chats here and there. I suppose we thought each other was funny and shared some good stories, but in terms of life-changing conversations— it didn’t happen.
Over the course of Donald Miller week I realized that life changing, meaningful, conversations generally don’t happen with strangers very often, if ever. I imagine that’s the point of friendships. One night last week was one of those times I was thankful that I have some people to talk about life with and expect honest responses. It was just a couple of guys sitting around talking about feelings without thinking thatone of us must be gay. I guess it all comes down to this: being associated with someone famous doesn’t make anyone more valuable—being famous doesn’t make anyone more valuable. Yet we see someone who has been on CNN and say, “ah crap, where should I bow down?” when really, they’re as depraved as I am. Anyway, all of this to say that I think we need to value our friends, maybe even our enemies on the same level that we think of Miller, Mclaren, Lebron James or Brian Stiller. They’re all the same. Some are more popular than others but that has nothing to do with the intrinsic value of each individual. I should know this by now. I guess that’s all I wanted to say; that we shouldn’t expect to bond with famous people and have that meeting fill some void for popularity that is waiting to be filled in our lives. No, the desire to be valued is filled in Christ and is perpetuated in our communities- our friendships- anything else is a lie. However, if Don Miller was part of my community…
Over the course of Donald Miller week I realized that life changing, meaningful, conversations generally don’t happen with strangers very often, if ever. I imagine that’s the point of friendships. One night last week was one of those times I was thankful that I have some people to talk about life with and expect honest responses. It was just a couple of guys sitting around talking about feelings without thinking thatone of us must be gay. I guess it all comes down to this: being associated with someone famous doesn’t make anyone more valuable—being famous doesn’t make anyone more valuable. Yet we see someone who has been on CNN and say, “ah crap, where should I bow down?” when really, they’re as depraved as I am. Anyway, all of this to say that I think we need to value our friends, maybe even our enemies on the same level that we think of Miller, Mclaren, Lebron James or Brian Stiller. They’re all the same. Some are more popular than others but that has nothing to do with the intrinsic value of each individual. I should know this by now. I guess that’s all I wanted to say; that we shouldn’t expect to bond with famous people and have that meeting fill some void for popularity that is waiting to be filled in our lives. No, the desire to be valued is filled in Christ and is perpetuated in our communities- our friendships- anything else is a lie. However, if Don Miller was part of my community…
Monday, February 14, 2005
More.
Do you love me more than these? This guy named Don spoke at chapel about how the question addressed to Peter by Jesus was a reference not to the other disciples but of his career as a fisherman- (see John 21:1-13) It was his life, even after all the years of teaching Jesus had given him, Peter returns to fishing after Jesus death-- back to the way things were I suppose. But Jesus appears to him and asks, do you love me more than these? More than this lifestyle? More than this life? Do you love me enough to take care of me sheep, feed my sheep, nurture them, discipline them, love them? Then I started to think.
Do I do whatever it is that I do because it is my attempt to feed the sheep or am I farming my own little herd of lamas? Seriously though. Am I concerned with the body of Christ on the earth-- the means by which God has left humanity to accomplish his purposes, or am I concerned with the lamas? The lamas would include hundreds of meaningless conversations about nothing. Maybe sports, maybe the weather, maybe classes or profs or meetings. Like a never ending Seinfeld episode; it’s entertaining but ultimately unfulfilling.
Feed my sheep. I’m pretty sure God doesn’t care about sports. He’s probably not a Leafs fan even if the guy on the Fan 590 says so… if they were they probably wouldn’t be in a 37 year drought…although the 40th year is just around the corner, maybe they’re just wandering in the wilderness and about to enter the promised land.
All of this is to say that I enjoyed what I heard. Maybe it’s because was someone that I really like so my mind is biased to what I heard. He probably could have preached against the inerrancy of Scripture and I would have said, “you know, that’s a good point”. But I think there was some truth to what was said. “Peter, do you love me more than the fish? Prove it. Here’s how—feed my sheep. Jesus wanted Peter to know that in this life--His life-- you’ve got to love him more or it won’t work. If you serve or whatever because you were trained to in the synagogue you probably won’t last and you’ll end up taking a sabbatical in your 3rd year of bar mitzvah’s or have an affair and sell real estate in Samaria. No, I think Jesus meant this is something bigger than you’ve ever experienced and it needs to be motivated by your love for me. --Love me more, that’s it...that’s everything.
Do I do whatever it is that I do because it is my attempt to feed the sheep or am I farming my own little herd of lamas? Seriously though. Am I concerned with the body of Christ on the earth-- the means by which God has left humanity to accomplish his purposes, or am I concerned with the lamas? The lamas would include hundreds of meaningless conversations about nothing. Maybe sports, maybe the weather, maybe classes or profs or meetings. Like a never ending Seinfeld episode; it’s entertaining but ultimately unfulfilling.
Feed my sheep. I’m pretty sure God doesn’t care about sports. He’s probably not a Leafs fan even if the guy on the Fan 590 says so… if they were they probably wouldn’t be in a 37 year drought…although the 40th year is just around the corner, maybe they’re just wandering in the wilderness and about to enter the promised land.
All of this is to say that I enjoyed what I heard. Maybe it’s because was someone that I really like so my mind is biased to what I heard. He probably could have preached against the inerrancy of Scripture and I would have said, “you know, that’s a good point”. But I think there was some truth to what was said. “Peter, do you love me more than the fish? Prove it. Here’s how—feed my sheep. Jesus wanted Peter to know that in this life--His life-- you’ve got to love him more or it won’t work. If you serve or whatever because you were trained to in the synagogue you probably won’t last and you’ll end up taking a sabbatical in your 3rd year of bar mitzvah’s or have an affair and sell real estate in Samaria. No, I think Jesus meant this is something bigger than you’ve ever experienced and it needs to be motivated by your love for me. --Love me more, that’s it...that’s everything.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
its about time.
Finally, I've joined the sub-culture of bloggers I didn't know existed until recently. I feel the way I did the day I found out that you're supposed to flash your lights at oncoming traffic if you see that police have set up a speed trap-- its like a secret world. Well, I have a feeling this could get addictive. Maybe one day i'll have something intelligent to say on here but for now i'm out.
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