Worry, why?

I am still preaching from the Sermon on the Mount.  The last few weeks have addressed those uncomfortable topics of anger, lust, adultery, oaths, retribution, and loving one’s enemies.  I know that often these are issues that many of us would like to believe do not affect us.  The reality is that in every church, every community, and often in most if not all families these issues in one form or another exist.  The challenge we face is how are we going to respond to others as well as our own issues.  To believe that what we do does not affect the body of Christ and that it is my issue no one else’s is delusional.  The choices that we make and the way we live effects those around is for better or for worse.  That is why we need each other to be accountable in love and that confrontation (Matthew 18:15-20) is vital to relationships and to community.

This Sunday I will be continuing to preach from the Sermon dealing with anxiety and worry.  I came across this illustration as I was preparing my sermon and wanted to share it.

My little dog has an eccentric habit. It’s more of a compulsion really. Whenever we give him a rawhide bone, he spends the rest of the day and sometimes the next in a flurry of activity. Whether he is motivated by instinct or his own peculiar quirkiness or some combination of the two is hard to say.
Given a bone, he commences a search through the house for a suitable place to bury it. Once he settles on a spot, he proceeds to “dig” a hole in the linoleum. Undaunted by the fact that all his furious digging scarcely leaves a scuff on the floor, he carefully places his bone in his imaginary hole. Next he painstakingly noses imaginary dirt over it and then turns himself around to kick some more for good measure. This whole exercise in futility can take a quarter of an hour.
It is at this point, when he inspects his work, that he appears to realize something is amiss. His prize is not sufficiently buried and, in fact, is in plain sight. So he picks it back up and hunts for a better spot. And thus the cycle repeats over and over again until it’s time for a nap.
Sometimes as I watch him and shake my head, I wonder if there is some of this craziness in me, too. Are there things that I do over and over out of a compulsion I do not understand — things that are equally unproductive? Maybe you know what I mean. Things like wearing ourselves out trying to impress other people. Or how about chasing after things that never satisfy. Or maybe it’s just a cycle of busyness that doesn’t really get us anywhere. Sometimes I wonder, but then it’s time for a nap.
—Kari Myers, HomeTouch, October 17, 2010.

I believe it is time for a nap.

This is Beautiful..try not to cry

Living Strong

I subscribe to an ezine about living strong that focuses on ideas about how to live as a leader in ministry.  The author has often spoken to me about ways of reflecting on my cause, passion, and call.  He is also a couch for leaders.  I want to share his latest edition with you.

The Cause Within

...a brand new car sits idle by the side of the road. Not a thing wrong with it. Engine has less than 40 miles clocked. Tires still have the smell of new rubber. The chrome trim is shiny. Not a speck of mud anywhere on the sparkling paint job. The problem? No gas.

...you carefully walk into the dark room. Can't see your hand in front of your face. Pieces of furniture crouch silently in wait to destroy your toe upon impact. You reach for where you suspect the lamp normally is. Feel your way across the lampshade and underneath. Grab the switch and...nothing. The problem? No power.

We expect a car to run when we turn the ignition key. We expect a lamp to turn on when we flip the switch. Cars get us somewhere. Lights help us see where we are going. But without gas; without power, these capable mediums of energy are useless.

You and I were also created to expend energy. It's a law of nature. The Apostle Paul even shared how he approached life in Philippians 3,

"...one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

What fuels your passion? What makes you want to wake in the morning? What keeps you going when everything around you is failing and fumbling? What is that prize for which God has called you heavenward? It's your passion; your cause. Everybody has a cause. Some people know what theirs is. Others are still searching. And some don't know or believe such a cause even exists. What about you?

After coaching several ministry leaders, studying research, reading up on various subjects I have come to one profound conclusion: Burnout eludes the person who knows their cause and pursues it with their whole heart.

Salt and light

I am in the process of preparing my sermon for tomorrow.  The topic is about being salt and light.  It is based on Matthew 5:13-20.  This is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount.  One of the concerns about breaking down scripture into sections such as this is that one can have the tendency to only read the verses without looking at the whole.  I will not be able in the sermon to put this entirely into context but here I would offer some reflection.
Actually the Sermon on the Mount begins with Jesus’ calling of disciples and the healing stories in Chapter 4.  The gospel of Matthew has five major discourses or sermons throughout the gospel.  There are some who feel that Matthew did this to indicate a new Torah.  Jesus becomes the new prophet overshadowing Moses.  The Sermon on the Mount is the first of these discourses. There are many illustrations that point to remembering Moses and especially dealing with Exodus such as Moses going up on the mountain.  Here Jesus goes up on a mountain but rather than the faithful being barred he invites his disciples to come up with him.
There is a distinction between the disciples that come up to sit with him and the crowds that are curious.  The sermon ends with the crowds being amazed in Chapter 7.
The verses that we will be reflecting on this Sunday follow the Beatitudes and need to be seen as a continuation and connection with what was stated and what will follow.  Our ability to be salt and light to others can only occur with the blessing that has already been given to us.  It is also important to realize that we can only do this when we are in community with one another.  More on that Sunday.
I would invite readers who are not able to attend our service to listen on the web for the live broadcast on www.kbrbradio.com.  

sermon on the mount

I am going to be preaching on the Sermon on the Mount for the next 4 weeks.  I was in Houston last week at a Do No Harm workshop that focused on ethical decisions in the church regarding sex, boundaries, response to those who violate those boundaries, safe sanctuaries, cyber security, and ways to help church leaders continue to grow in their awareness of appropriate choices in their lives.  As you can see that there was much discussed regarding the church today.  I believe that there were 58 annual conferences represented and representatives from Germany and the Congo.  It was a great experience though one which I would hope that we would not have to discuss.  The reality is that church can be no safer than any other institution.  I hope that as we continue to grow as faithful disciples we would learn ways of not oppressing others through domination, misuse of power, and through manipulation.  BTW when I left Houston it was 72^o .  Today the wind chill is –20.

In the lectionary, the gospel reading come from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  It got me thinking what if we treated these scriptures seriously.  Rather than passing them over as quaint but unachievable.  What if we began to work toward actually making decisions based on the ethical premises that Jesus presents?  I believe we would not have to have workshops on Do No Harm, we would be doing it naturally.  I would like to have you readers read Matthew chapters 5-7.  Take time to really read them and to reflect how what is said can change our lives, our world, and our witness to the Kin-dom of God.

10 Questions regarding Christianity: # 1

Today is the day after Epiphany.  When I preached on epiphany last Sunday I mentioned that there are two main definitions.  One is theological and that is something divine that breaks through into our ordinary lives.  The second is seeing something in a new way that has been there all along.  As I continue to read Brian McLaren’s new book, I am reminded that even in our faith we can see something new in the way we perceive ordinary tasks.  This can apply even to the way we read the bible.

The first question that McLaren would pose in our need to rethink Christianity is, “is there an overarching theme in the bible?”  He brings out some interesting thoughts that have been an epiphany for me.  One is that we tend to read the bible backwards in time.  That is we read the scriptures based on the lenses of those who have come before us.  For instance, we read through modern theologians, Wesley, Luther, Calvin, Aquinas, Augustine etc. that have led to doctrines that influence the way we read and understand.  An example he uses focuses on original sin and that Plato and Aristotle philosophical ideas influence that doctrine which is not mentioned in scripture at all. In fact if we read about Adam and Eve when they were told that if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would die.  Yet when they did God did not kill them but instead made clothes for them.  Same was true for Cain and Abel. When Cain murdered his brother, did God demand his life?  No not only did he not but he even protected him from others who might.

I find what McLaren has to say interesting.  What he proposes is that we read the scriptures forward and in that way witness to the narratives and stories that led to Jesus.  I know that I feel that for any Christian to truly understand the gospels and the Christian scriptures they need to understand the Hebrew scriptures which was what informed the writers of the New Testament.  There is value in seeing how the early stories of Israel lead to Jesus.

McLaren also warns about taking scripture piecemeal.  In seminary we called that proof texting.  One needs to be familiar with the whole story not just the parts that support one’s particular belief.  An example he uses is the pro-slavery and abolitionist debates.  Many of those who favored slavery would use scripture to support their beliefs.  It was not until events proved them wrong did people change.  McLaren suggests that debate continues whether dealing with women in ministry, dealing with sexual orientation, torture, war, abortion, we continue to proof text to support whatever side of these debates we want to believe.  His concern is that by doing do we continue to fracture the Christian community.

Whereas he brings up some very interesting points, I feel we need to continue to debate the issues.  At the same time, we need to be careful about how we go about it.  Based on the previous post remember that when we think we know the absolute right answer, we are wrong.  Is there a right way of looking at these?  I believe we need to continue to dialog with one another with respect of others points of view.  Then and only then we will reach a consensus that approximates where scripture leads us.

A New Year

It is always amazing how quick the year goes by.  I haven’t written anything in my blog for quite some time and realize that I need to get back to some sort of discipline in my life.  I have started to do a morning meditation that begins with the Psalms and has a a short reflection.  Today I read Psalm 5.  I also have been reading from the Book of Daily Prayer which has prayers for morning, mid-day, and evening.  I was reading in the reflection that if one would start the day with prayer and/or exercise one is more likely to continue to follow through.  The struggle is not giving into that voice that says, Oh you can do it tomorrow.  So keep me in prayer as I continue to work on this discipline.

I also have started to read a new book by Brian McLaren.  The title of the book is “A New Kind of Christianity,” which focuses on ten questions that he believes that the church needs to respond to.  I have just started but I find that what he has to stay about church and the need we have to examine what we do to be insightful.  I have often questioned why we speak of changes that need to be done and those changes seem to make little effect for many churches.  Yet, I am aware of system theory that states any family, organization, or institution is a system and that all systems tend to develop a balance that allows it to function.  Any changes in that system can result in some imbalance that can create something new.  But the system tends to return to its original balance (or what it is used to) over time unless one continually challenges that status quo.

McLaren starts his book with this quote, “Never accept and be content with unanalyzed assumptions, assumptions about the work, about the people, about the church or Christianity.  Never be afraid to ask questions about the work we have inherited or the work we are doing.  There is no question that should not be asked or that is outlawed.  The day we are completely satisfied with what we have been doing; the day we have found the perfect, unchangeable system of work, the perfect answer, never in need of being corrected again, on that day we will all know that we are wrong, that we have made the greatest mistake of all.—Vincent J. Donovan.”

I will be commenting at different times about some of the reflections I have regarding his ten questions.  Brian states that he is responding to his experiences as a pastor and traveler but that he is not the final answer.  See quote above.  We are on this journey of re-discovery and nothing is above reflecting.