Happy Valentine's

Life keeps whirling on it seems this February...I love my wife, my daughters, my son, and all that God has graced me with from an amazing & inspiring job to the opportunities I have to travel, to keep adventuring, to encourage those I meet on this journey called life! I realize nothing I do is of value unless I love...and so this Valentine's I call out to planet earth - learn to love & learn to live! This video is a cool collection of postcards to postsecret - a library of broken hearts & mended ones. Enjoy!

Exploring Community

I've been chatting off and on with a few friends about what it would look like to create a more environmentally-friendly way of living that is more cost-effective? Right now to live off the grid is still has significant start-up costs but it would be much more economical to group multiple families together and share this enviro-technology. The other benefit to living with multiple family units is instant community along with the shared cost-savings! Ever thought about communal living?

My wife and I lived in a house with 6 other single young adults for a year (98-99) while going through a leadership development program at Medeba, a Christian adventure-focused camp in Ontario. It took some getting used to as a married couple living with singles but I can honestly say that overall it was an amazing experience. We had our private bedroom to ourselves but every other aspect of the house was shared. We had a rotating schedule with meal prep and clean-up, menu planning and shopping, etc. We shared the costs of living, computers & internet, TV, phone, etc. There were obvious struggles and conflicts but I think we learned much about interpersonal processes and real community through it all. There would obviously be some added challenges having kids in that setting but perhaps the benefit of babysitters in the next room over would offset that!

Don't get me wrong I love the house we live in right now as a family, the space and privacy we definitely enjoy but we also love being with other people! Is there a way of designing a housing complex that allows for both privacy when you want it but the option of community for times of meals and other social events? Benefits of such a Utopian communal lifestyle: stimulating conversations, support for one another during times of struggle, a sustainable and more balance living with the sharing of responsibilities in the maintenance and operation of a home, etc.

As a person of faith, I try to follow the teachings of Jesus and I see a clear call for followers of His way of living to reach out to others, to be in community, to share with others, to help those in need. Our society seems so opposite: is all about personal gain, materialism, individualism, competitiveness, keeping busy, privacy, and the result is loneliness and under-developed relationships. Most families need two incomes to survive financially - at least with so-called luxuries we choose like two cars, large houses, etc. That means both parents work while our children are raised by a public school system or public/private daycare. Considering the blundering of our governments - why would you trust a "politician" to raise your children. I don't even want to start talking politics on a blog as there isn't a party that I can fully agree with. Power corrupts - politics needs to be minimized or it gets out of control.

Getting back to community! Picture this - a small farm-like housing complex with a central community room (made up of a living area, kitchen, dining, etc.) and then separate hallways that took you to private living spaces for family units that could be divided into rooms as well. Perhaps wind technology combined with solar to provide electricity, some type of a geothermal heating/cooling system, would bring down the monthly costs we all endure but clearly take away from our lifestyle. Anyways - this is just a musing and not anything too serious at this point but I think it is good to explore ways to live differently and obviously live in ways that do not harm the environment. Part of my faith system is quite clear in that we are called to be stewards of this planet and its resources.

Legacy

I've posted about the role of legacy before in life i believe but it was again affirmed today at my grandmother's funeral. She has left me with much including a love of music and art that I will never be able to escape. It was only fitting that together with some cousins we played a medley of gospel songs complete with guitar & mandolin accompaniment. My grandmother was the first person from my community of Rosenort/Riverside to attend a camp and interestingly it is where she established a relationship with Christ. My passion includes camp ministry - camp is also where I experienced my calling to be a teacher and also eventually met my wife! Her father, my great-grandfather (John W. Dueck) was a teacher which interestingly has become my occupation. She had a deep concern with the education of her children and grandchildren in the ways of Christianity. My grandmother was also an amazing cook, my favorites included her perogies (wrenkje), mashed potatoes, and of course her coconut cream pie! She lived a long life of ninety dedicated to God, to family, and to prayer. It was hard to let her go but I do know she is in a better place and celebrating with her husband, family, and friends that already are in Paradise.

I miss you grandma Friesen but I thank you for your legacy that I continue to live out and experience daily.

Service

This past week I had the privilege of spending time with 42 first year college students and exposing them to a variety of soup kitchens, drop-in centres, & shelters in inner-city Winnipeg. It was not an easy week, particularly being away from family, but it was a rewarding one. It was exciting to see many of my students step up to the plate and interact with people they would normally look away from - the sniffers, the addicts, the alcoholics, the prostitutes, the homeless, the mentally-ill, and the poor. The hardest reality to hit home was the many kids from very difficult home situations.

One of the contrasts I observed was in how "ministry" was being done - soup kitchen style versus potluck. The soup kitchen approach is basically handing out food to people who stand in lines waiting. The potluck approach is very different, both the haves and the havenots offer their services in distributing food & clothing, and sit down at the table and eat with each other. I think both approaches have merit but it seems the second is more humane, more community minded. A lot people cannot help their economic situation, particularly the young or the old. Addictions and mental disorders as well keep people from living their lives as the majority of North Americans do.

A special thanks goes out to Gospel Mennonite Church, Salvation Army, & Inner City Youth Alive for hosting us and allowing us to serve in so many ways! God has blessed both the poor & the rich with so much - however, it seems that often it is the poor that realize contentment better. The fact is we all live in a "broken" world and all long for restoration and reconciliation with our Maker.

G

Tis' The Season

I've been a little slack lately in the area of blogposts but tis' the season of xmas parties, banquets, and in my case marking papers and by the end of this week marking exams. I challenged our student body to examine their personal character over the next few weeks. I asked them if who they feel called to be lines up with who they are currently? Tough question but a good one to ask.

Christmas as a holiday obviously has its roots in Christianity and ultimately celebrates the gift of Christ's birth and life. Who was Jesus and how did he lead His life? How did he manage his life? How did he influence those around Him? There are many aspects of Jesus' character that we can learn from whether we are Christians or not. Are we living lives of integrity? Do we live a life of balance or one of extremes? Do we bring hope to others? Are we reaching out to those in need or are we consumed by our own lives?

If one takes a look at the Gospel's account of Jesus' three-year ministry - you can divide it into three focuses. A third of Jesus' time was spent reaching out to the crowds, the community, those he came into contact. Another third was spend with his disciples, family & friends. The final third, it appears, he spent alone in reflection with God away from it all.

When I reflect, I view my life through a paradigm or lens which I call the four C's: they refer to Character - who I am and who I seek to be; Community - my relationships with family, with friends, with acquaintenances; Communion - my time of spiritual reflection (means to commune with God), & Commission - how am I reaching out to others (perhaps within my community or globally)?

Hopefully, Christmas will be a time in which we get to celebrate the gift of life as a country, in our communities, in our churches. My guess is that most of us will celebrate socially as friends and family. My challenge is for us to actually spend some time quietly reflecting on who we are as people - are we living a life that reflects what we are called to do, a life that is intentional?

G

Calm Before The Storm 2?

Well, I'm about 30 hours or so from running a youth event at the college and I'm surprisingly pretty relaxed. I have about a 100 high-school aged youth and 20 chaperones/sponsors arriving on campus tomorrow late afternoon. I'll have about 60 or so college students running different activities, leading worship, & taking the youth on different opportunities for service (soup kitchens, drop-ins, etc). My job is to coordinate the madness of programming, so that people can grow in their relationships to others and ultimately with God.

So today, I'm doing my best to rest before the chaos hits. I am not really a details person but for the most part the details seem to be taken care of. That is thanks to the details people around me and admittedly I have a fair amount of experience of running these types of events at colleges & camps. It's the unknown aspects of such events that are scary and obviously hardest to prepare for. We'll see what happens but in all honesty, I can hardly wait for next Tuesday and the official release of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb by U2. If I survive till then, I can make it through the chaos. I hope to escape to the wilderness for a short mtn bike ride and find some peace there as well.

G

Quotes of the Day...

I was replying to a post on a blog focused on culture and this first quote came to mind, so I thought I might as well post it here as well and see if it causes any nibbles or responses:

"Music is Worship; whether it's worship of women or their designer, the world or its destroyer, whether it comes from that ancient place we call soul or simply the spinal cortex, whether the prayers are on fire with a dumb rage or dove-like desire...the smoke goes upwards...to God or something you replace God with...usually yourself." - Bono from his introduction to "Selections From The Book of Psalms" Grove Press, 1999.

My other quote comes from www.billycorgan.com

"...a kid said to me the other day, 'like, I heard you found God and stuff, is that true??' uh, no, I didn't find God...you cannot find something if it has never been lost...ok, maybe, in that thinking, God found me? It is not important, I am Billy, spirit made flesh, word made whole, insanity made mainstream, love made lover...life is good!!! Jesus people, please save someone who needs saving, there are many who are in greater need than I... I will never be a puppet for man's vision of the whole deal..." - Billy Corgan from his website post entry 10.24.04

Survivor

Well - I have survived a week I would prefer not to repeat. I've worked enough hours that anyone sane would do in two weeks. 7:30am till 1:30am is plain not healthy - felt like i was on some kind of eco-challenge only worse - I was chained to my desk & computer. In fact, I have come to the conclusion that an eco-challenge may in fact be healthier because at least I would get to have some fresh air.

Interestingly, besides having astronaut-like stress levels I was pretty sharp for my classes. We got through an amazing amount of material, but more importantly we had some really good discussions in class regarding the concept of God in our lives. I asked some perhaps controversial questions regarding prayer and I may have blown up some boxes that people were formerly comfortable with.

One of my students in particular was bothered by the statement I made regarding praying for safety. This person felt that without prayer we were asking for trouble. I agree that praying for safety makes sense from a human perspective but what if you get into an accident? Does that mean you didn't have enough faith? You didn't pray enough? I think that is dangerous ground to walk on. Not everyone gets healed through prayer - does that mean they didn't have enough faith?

Bad things happen to good people - that is a fact. As much as we all would like to believe in Karma - justice is not necessarily present in our chaotic world. Perhaps there is a reason for pain & suffering in this world? Perhaps that is why the concept of grace is so critical.

I encouraged my class to pray for safety but with the clause that they would pray that God's will would be done. In other words, perhaps the crisis we go through has a direct purpose - and praying against something really isn't the point. Rather we should pray for wisdom and direction whatever the situation. I'm not sure if it is necessarily good that we are safe.

When do we grow as people? It is when we experience difficulties, tragedies, misfortune that we often are better equipped to give advice to others and have a better understanding of the role of God in our lives.

Obviously, we don't want people to get hurt or die and praying for journey's mercies are completely understandable but would it not be better to pray that whatever the circumstances God allows us to go through that we would be empowered by him to handle it.

The Scriptures call us to pray as Jesus did,

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.
Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins,
Just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Amen

There is much we can learn from this prayer. How do we honor God? By being in relationship with him. It is not just about following rules or Torah, rather it is about communicating with him. It is important to acknowledge God's will and purpose here on earth. We need to be thankful for our situation, our food, our security & safety. We need to acknowledge our sin and that without grace we deserve karma. In other words - we reap what we sow. Sin breeds sin without intervention and it grows. You lie to someone and you don't want them to find out. So you cover your tracks. Think of a child - if they do something wrong what do they do? They hide. Not too different from the Genesis story of Adam & Eve. They sinned and tried to hide from God. It didn't work - they had to face up to their sin. Sin has consequences, forgiveness by God does not eliminate the consequence. Am I getting to preachy? Sorry - I tend to preach at myself more than anyone. Or maybe its just a rant.

Lament

In true davidic fashion - I thought why not do a brief entry in response to the busyness of my life as of late. I am guessing that i put close to 70 hours, possibly more this past week in preparation for the new course I am teaching. Admittedly, I have wondered if it has been worth it all? What has the cost been to my lifestyle?

I enjoy my leisure time and plan on doing a serious mtn bike ride once a week for about an hour or so. I love spending any time I can outdoors, in fact at one time I used to get paid to work outdoors. I love to spend time playing with my daughters & wife! Our family usually spends a morning a week with our church community that meets in a building near where we used to live and every two weeks we spend an evening with our small group. But lately - all those things I love have been pushed aside to meet the demands of my so-called work or ministry.

How many hours do you pour into your work so that you can put food on the table, make those house payments, & buy those vehicles to put in your garage? How much does our lifestyle actually cost us? The government of Manitoba estimate that to raise a single child from 0-18 costs somewhere in the neighbourhood of $166,000 Cdn. Again, this is an average guestimate and perhaps a reflection of the lifestyle choices we force our children into. Why do we work? Obviously to meet the economic or physical needs of a family. But what about the emotional, social, & spiritual needs that exist?

Ironically, if I would maintain my current workload I most likely would be sacrificing my children on the altar of "doing." The hours we spend at work each week (even if it is a job that we truly enjoy) obviously are more than the hours we actually spend with our families right? In fact, even when we are home away from our workplace, often we are still at work solving some type of problem. The problem of our age is that often never leave work - our computers now fit in our pockets and tell us what to do hour by hour.

Humankind has made the mistake of believing that what we do actually counts for something when in reality it is who we are or are becoming which should really be recognized. Some people call this self-actualization - others simply call this discovering your calling. We have all been called to develop our character - to be people that extend grace & mercy to those less fortunate.

We are called I believe to some form of community - we all need friends and function best when we have other people to interact with & love. We are all called to commission - to reach out to the world in sharing what we have learned and in a Christian context - the good news that this life can have meaning beyond what we do or even who we are. And finally, I believe we are called to communion - to spend time reflecting on who we are becoming and we are called to be. For me personally, this not only includes self-introspection but God-introspection. Who is God and what does our relationship look like?

So here I sit in lament, typing out my frustrations but closer than ever to finding a way out of the cage. I may be deeper in the darkness but I'm closer to the light.

G

J33:3

Bono once described himself as having a form of Tourette's syndrome where he would always mention God in places where it was taboo. As if to confirm that, Bono recently confessed in Rolling Stone Magazine that the J33-3 on the cover of the album is a scripture reference. The verse is Jeremiah 33:3 and says "Call to me and I will answer you." "It's known as God's phone number" says Bono.

The above quote links nicely to my theme for this college year - "The Calling." What is our calling, our purpose in life, our passion? I love to teach - nothing gets me more excited (other than spending time with my family or spending some of my excess energy kayaking or mountain biking). Unfortunately, I'm at a stage or season right now though where excess energy just isn't there. I feel like spent uranium - I still can pack a punch but I no longer radiate as I was meant to do. I have mismanaged the time given me and filled it up with stuff I am unable to complete. The result is that I am experience a definite valley spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally (not that there is a way of really separating the mind, body, heart & spirit). Despite the darkness I still have hope.

I can feel with Bono in that I often mention God in places where it may not be expected. That is because I see God in the strangest of places. I hear him listening to The Clash's song "Should I stay or should go" or watching an episode of Extreme Makeover Family Edition. It's weird where God appears. I've had another song in my head this past week - Bruce Cockburn's Closer To The Light - the chorus that goes something like "Gone from mystery into mystery, gone from daylight into night, another step deeper into darkness, closer to the light."

Ironically it is in those deep dark valleys or caves in the seasons of our life that we find that glimpse of grace, that distant hope that leads us back into the light. Right now, like David the Psalmist - I am frustrated with the world & chaos around me but I still have to be thankful for how God has blessed me & my family.

"What can I give back to God for the blessings he's poured out on me? I'll lift high the cup of salvation -- A toast to God! I'll pray in the name of God; I'll complete what I promised God I'd do, And I'll do it together with his people." - Bono quoted Eugene Peterson's paraphrase The Message Psalm 116 on the Elevation Tour before singing out "Where The Streets Have No Name."

G

Here's to simply taking a deep breath!

Vampire Killer?

Grace takers versus grace givers....

Do we just drink the blood of salvation as some type of a pseudo-vampire professing belief in Christ (with apologies to Williard) or do we share the good news that there is hope in a future & present kingdom of peace?

Are we believers in Jesus or are we followers? Or do we view Jesus as simply a radical teacher who happened to claim that He was the truth, the life, the way?

Some still are seeking truth, others believe it as if it were true, some live truth and share it with whoever is willing to hear them out...

Do we got to church to have our needs met or to meet the needs of the church? Or do we even consider church to be anything other than a building?

Do we worship in song to attain some type of temporary euphoria or to truly acknowledge that God in someway has worth in our lives? Perhaps we worship our own lives, our successes, our personal kingdoms. "What have I become? My sweetest friend; Everyone I know goes away; In the end; And you could have it all My empire of dirt." - Hurt (as sung by Johnny Cash)

I long for honesty, integrity, & a genuine passion for living a life dedicated to following Jesus whereever He leads - even if it means to accept whatever the circumstance and actually embrace suffering...

There is something beautiful yet terrifying about a genuine Christianity that dies to self and lives on in others...

There is something disgusting, vomit-producing about the lukewarm faith of a so-called "Sunday Christian" - but then again how many of us actually live out what we believe?

There is something freeing about giving grace to others and not keeping it locked up in the confines of our own caged heart...

There is something holy about recognizing how unworthy but how amazingly our lives can be transformed from something of filth into something more pristine than a waterfall in the garden of Eden...

Are you a bloodsucker or do you share your lifeblood with those dying?

Are you willing to die for your belongings, your car, your house, your stuff - or are you willing to die to self?

The ponderings & musings of a postmodern truthseeker continue...

Let it ride...

Yeah great song by BTO - I know. I'll have to share my Fred Turner story sometime...anyways - i got a couple responses re my drowning man story below. It's part metaphor and of course there is always truth behind metaphor but emotions are always suspect. Anyways - I have to celebrate the fact that I actually get paid (not much mind you) to teach a course on Mountain Bike Skills! So off I go with 4 of my students to the Sandilands to enter the real classroom - God's creation! Yeehaw (with my apologies to the Duke brothers)!!!

Later,

G

Reading Paul in a Postmodern Context

What would happen if Paul would write a letter to a postmodern audience? Well Brian Walsh & Sylvia Keesmaat did just that - they recreated Colossians in a very interesting way! Have a peek at their manuscript in pdf format: Colossian Targums. The book is entitled Colossians Remixed: Subverting The Empire and will be available from amazon.ca sometime in November.

G

Conversations

I wanted to make a brief comment on a show that I find intriguing because of its unique playful conversations with God. Joan of Arcadia basic storyline is focused on a teenager named Joan who goes through regular teenage struggles (complete with angst) but has the added issue that God is now talking and appearing to her. Amber Tamberlyn continues to be an amazing actor (for the medium of television) portraying Joan in a very authentic way. Once again the writers for the show ask fascinating questions about God, our existence, & our purpose here on earth. Check it out on CBS's Friday night lineup.

Spam

You should really check out the original blogpost but I had to repeat this particular Kiwi's take on spam:

My name is Spam.
Spam I Am.
I have some stuff I'd like to sell.
Take a look! It's really swell!

I do not want your worthless spam.
I do not want it, Spam I Am.

Spam I Am:$500 software that really rocks!
Just 20 bucks--still in the box!

You are really full of bunk.
I do not want your bootleg junk!
I do not want your worthless Spam.
I do not want it Spam I Am.

Spam I Am:How about some fast cash?
Fifty Thousand in a flash!!!

How stupid do you think I am?
I won't join your shady scam.
You are a sucker, you silly gitch.
If it worked, we'd all be rich!
I do not want your worthless spam.
I do not want it Spam I Am.
Stop it Spam.
Enough's enough.
I do not want your trashy stuff!
I do not want your d___ spam!
I do not want it Spam I Am!

(with apologies to Dr. Suess)

What makes the article so interesting is that it compares spam to some modernist forms of evangelism. The blogger asks the question, "Do the evangelism attempts of your church ever seem like spam to you or others?" A friend of mine recently received one of those cartoon evangelism tracts (that were so big in the 70's) from the local baptist church. You know the ones that show you on a life destined to hell and are backed by of out-of-context verses in a language apparently used by King James. Ironically - the cartoon designed to scare people into heaven out of the fear of burning in hell - just scares people.

Actually, what the cartoon told me is that I know where I won't be going - to that little baptist church on the corner that tells me I'm not "saved" unless I read my bible (KJV only) daily, go to church with a steeple, wear a suit & tie, pray to God daily & do devotions, sing out of a hymn book, etc. Why won't I go there? Well - it seems they've forgotten the simple fact that the things we do (no matter how good or significant) has ever brought redemption. I'm not saying we shouldn't read our bibles or go to a church building. Only that doing stuff like that never made anyone any less of a sinner. Grace saves. Nothing more, nothing less.

Don't spam...be real, be honest, be willing to love others in a way that Christ did. None of us like cheap imitations, empty promises, or gimmicks.

G

Shalom Revisited

For the past few weeks I have felt led to discuss & explore the Jewish concepts of Shalom & Sabbath. Why - you ask? For one I think every person has within in them a longing for peace & rest. I live in a culture that longs for both but seems to have lost both the art & science of finding it. We were created for Eden but have been cursed with the sting of death by sin. Like a confused deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car - we freeze in shock of our impending death not knowing what to do. I chuckle as I drive down my city's streets and see the health stores & gyms& wellness centres. We desire to live forever but believe the lie that our money can buy happiness & health.

What is shalom you ask? I refered to it as peace above and it is commonly known as a Jewish greeting. Much like our own North American greetings - it has lost its meaning over time. How are doing? is not a question looking for an honest reply but a way of breaking the ice. Shalom is about restoring what has been lost or broken. Shalom exists when the prodigal son comes home to his Father. Shalom exists when a child is born into this world. Shalom exists when we seek God in prayer. Shalom is about mending relationships with God, with people, and with creation.

In Brian McLaren’s book, A New Kind of Christian, there is a scene when one of the characters defines religion. Neo’s description of religion also describes the intent of the concept of Shalom. “The old Latin roots of the word simply mean ‘reconnecting,’ you know—broken ligaments, severed connections, being reconnected and defragmented. That sounds like exactly what we need, don’t you think? We’re ‘deligamented,’ disconnected, fragmented people who need to be‘religamented,’ reconnected, put back together with God, with on another, reintegrated within ourselves, reconnected to the world we are part of.” I desire this blog to be a place where Shalom reigns or is at the very least rekindled.

Losing My Religion Part 2

I work at a college sponsored in part by three Mennonite denominations - obviously the Anabaptist heritage of the school is important to be passed on. But if we fall into the trap of being somehow saved by being an Anabaptist or Mennonite or Baptist or Evangelical Free instead of following Christ - we clearly have missed the point of the Gospel. The good news is that following the law is not what brings salvation! Again - don't misunderstand me - there is nothing wrong with holding onto a faith that is guided by Anabaptist teachings but if we somehow think being a Mennonite (or your fill in the blank denomination) brings salvation we simply have it all wrong. The Gospel is about relationship with Christ, with the living God. Does it make life easier - not a chance - it will probably make your life harder because Christ calls us to sacrifice everything to follow Him.

True Christianity is not about following rules, it is about following Jesus. It about being a friend to the people you typically avoid. It is about living out the beattitudes in Matthew 5 and being honest to God. It is about reaching out to the poor, the hurting, the outcasts, the dying, the hopeless. Who are the lepers of today? The majority of homosexuals assume that Christians hate them. We respond - "Oh no - we don't hate them we just don't like their sin." Do we treat divorced people the same? How about people who cheat on their taxes? Instead of being concerned about whether or not gays marry someone of the same sex - why don't we instead care that so many people are dying from AIDS?

Self-righteous bumper-sticker Christians beware - read Matthew 6. Don't toot your own horn about what you are doing for God. It's not what you do for God - it's what He does through you that is important! Okay - i'm starting to sound a little preachy...sorry I don't mean to bug ya. But don't you think we should (and I should) start following Christ rather than a list of rules & regulations.

We are called to share the life given to us not death. We are called to share grace not guilt or condemnation. We have no right to be simply grace-takers... we are called to be grace-givers as well!

G

"Religion is when God leaves the room and people make up rules to fill the space." -Bono

Losing My Religion

Do you remember REM's song Losing My Religion? I remember the tune being incredibly catchy but the lyrics bothered me at first. In part, it was due to my misunderstanding of what the song was about and I suppose what religion is all about. I guess at first I thought it was about actually walking away from a faith in God. It turns out the expression of "losing my religion" is from the southern states and refers to losing one's cool or simply cursing. Hmm - when's the last time you lost your religion? Was it when that guy cut you off the other day?

The phrase "losing my religion" for me personally means something very different than swearing. No - it's not about walking away from God but rather walking away from the constructs or "box" we put on our faith in God. It's not that those religious trappings are inherently bad, in fact ritual & a focus on holiness can be a good thing. But when we depend on religion to save us or make us appear righteous we are walking down the wrong road. Religion does not bring us righteousness but rather self-righteousness.

Let's face it - the culture we now live in does not particularly like people called Christians (definitely not fundamentalists) but they seem to have no problem with Jesus. If only the people that actually call themselves Christians would live out a faith that honestly followed Jesus. It's not about going to church (not that it's bad to go to church), about wearing the right clothes (definitely not about WWJD bracelets), about posting the 10 commandments on our school wall (but maybe the beattitudes?), or blowing up abortion clinics (definitely not!). But it is about being honest to others and to God about who we are. All of us need to lose our dependency on religion and focus in on Christ.

This past Sunday, Pastor Terry Kaufman entitled his challenge to our church 'The Refuse of "Religion" on the Road to Righteousness.' It was a gutsy message based on Paul's letter to the Philippians (see Phil. 3:1-11). Let's face it we all desire to be right with God and look right to everyone else. But being a follower of Christ is not about appearing righteous to others. It is being dependent on Jesus - the attention is not on us but on Him. Before we can be called holy - we need to be broken! Pastor Terry talked about how Man's religion is all about status and accomplishment; about following rules and looking good! Paul called this refuse - in the original Greek it is closer to dung or you can fill in the less-sanitized more current four letter expletives if you wish.

It seems to me that Jesus broke a lot of these so-called rules - he hung out with all the wrong people: prostitutes, taxmen, shepherds, the lepers, etc. It seem he not only was the life of the party - he also was their bartender! Jesus was most critical and condemning to the religious. The most militant Jesus we see is when he starts overturning tables in the local synagogue. He was more liberals than the liberals in reaching out to the poor & sick on the Sabbath and more conservative than the conservatives when it came to acknowledging God.

Life of David

I'm in the midst of researching for a new course I'll be teaching this fall focused on the Psalms. Obviously one of the keys to unlocking the poetry of the psalms is to get to know the poet. The life of David is one of contrast between human lows and spiritual highs.

What I love about David is that he is real - he is human. David sins but finds redemption. David struggles but finds peace in the wilderness - God's creation. He wrestles with God, questioning the suffering of the world, the loss of friends to war & murder... He demands justice in a world where the scales seemed to have tipped in the favor of all who rise against him. Yet David is a man of God.

David is human like you and I. Yet He rises from his simple skin, his human condition into someone worthy of the love of God. Despite being a murderer, an adulterer, a sinner - David the man finds grace & forgiveness! He recognizes that we do not control our world - only God does.

Through praise, through lament - David discovers that God is always there. No matter how great the mountain, how deep the valley, the peace that passes all understanding can be found in the amazing love, the amazing grace of God Almighty!

Selah!

Boxed In...

Boxes, boxes & more boxes - I am beginning to feel a little claustrophobic in my office. Reminds me of a Smashing Pumpkins tune - I hear Billy Corgan's straining voice yell out, "despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage" from Bullet With Butterfly Wings. It is amazing what I've all put in boxes these past weeks - everything from important tax documents to stories I wrote in grade school to artifacts from Ethiopia & Kenya. I was tempted to call this blog entry "Knicknacks & Artifacts."

I have a kosher grape juice bottle from Israel on my desk that I refuse to throw away. Why you ask? Because it for some reason has sentimental value to me. I went to Israel in 1991 for a college class together with some friends and my grandfather. The bottle contained the juice we used to celebrate communion together in the Holy Land. It's now simply an empty glass container with a Hebrew scrawled label that identifies it was produced by Eliaz Binyamina in 1991. But other than that it is just a bottle that you might find washed up on the shore of Galilee.

For some reason, I've thought a lot about my grandfather this week. I'm not sure why. I still miss him even though he died ten years ago. His impact on me was significant though. My beliefs and passions are largely influenced by his example. He was a man who not only read the Bible but spoke its message to all he met. We shared a common pet peeve. People who said they had faith but did not nothing with it.

Faith without action is dead. I love this quote from Rev. 3:16 "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. `So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth." or how Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message - "You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit."

Back to boxes - we love to put people in a box don't we. We classify people as pessimists, feminists, environmentalists, liberals, charismatics, new agers, partiers, etc. Ironically - the only real box we can place a person in is a coffin. What categories have you been placed into? What is worse is that we often place God in a box as well. It reminds me of a skit we once did with some junior highers during youth. McJesus. What kind of Jesus do you want? Buddy Jesus - who hangs out with you on Sunday and you put him in your closet the rest of the week. Or do you want a Condemning Jesus - who sends all those people you don't like to Hell!

The God I know cannot be put in a box. He keeps surprizing me and appearing in the the oddest places. I once found Jesus at the bottom of Red Rock Lake. I was snorkeling along the coast in late Spring and swam near the dock and so something very curious below me. It was a picture of Jesus? So I reached down and pulled a picture of Jesus with Psalm 23 written on the back of a plasticized card. Later that summer I was sharing with a good friend about how I had found Jesus at the bottom of Red Rock. It turned out she had lost that card the previous summer while doing devotions on the dock.

I love the show Joan of Arcadia as it is all about blowing up the boxes we place on God. The basic premise of the show is that Joan, a quirky teenager, can talk and see God. God appears to her at the oddest times and with the oddest appearances. He sends her on little missions or tells her to get a job - and amazingly each of her actions affects other people. Some of these actions seem simple but in the end impact someone amazingly. God is present in this world - often in what scares us the most. I'm constantly amazed by how often God plays a role in today's culture - in music, in movies, in books, in conversations, even in blowing up boxes!

What if God was one of us?

Still packing,

G