BenMcBride.com

Middle Class Religion

2012-02-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not that bad.

I'm not as bad as the person beneath me nor worse than the one above me.

I'm somewhat in the middle.

We like being in the middle don't we? The ambiguous position where we're not accountable? The role where we start to generate our positivity by what we're not and our motivation by what we want to become.

Is that the point?

To find safety in the middle?

Jesus seems to teach against what we call balance.

Against what we call the middle.

He encourages people following His lifestyle to be hot or cold

In or out

Down for or Cool off

But be something other than the middle.

Interestingly enough, the whole political fight in my country is about who can appeal to the middle class.

Figure that out.

True Lies

2012-01-10T00:37:00.000-08:00

I have a split personality.

I'm a rule-follower and a rebel.

I grew up in the same society as all of us where we were taught to follow the rules, and following the rules is what creates a safe space for everyone.

But what about when the rules are wrong?

What happens when the right is exchanged for the wrong, the truth for the lie? Is it possible for us to end up on the wrong side of the equation because we stopped thinking?

When I listen to the message Jesus talked about and the imperial application of that by the 1st and 2nd century Romans, something goes really wrong.

Oppressors are now defining the message of freedom for the oppressed.

Right has become wrong.

Truth has been exchanged for the lie.

But who will correct it?

I think some people's objection to Christianity has more to do with their refusal of imperial Rome sometimes hidden within what we call modern Christianity.

They don't want Rome.

Maybe they're looking for the real Jesus.

Maybe I am too.

Maybe you are as well.

Angles in the End Zone

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

So Tim Tebow losing today seems to challenge some people's belief that his past success has been that of divine intervention.

But probably, that same crowd will find another spiritual reason to justify his loss.

You know, I like Tim Tebow. He stands for positive things, he's a role model, and loves the same Jesus I do. But I've been frustrated to understand why his success couldn't be attributed to him being a great, athletic quarterback who's in a great scheme considering the personnel they have.

Why did being 7-1 have to be God-ordained?

Could God have helped Tim Tebow win games?

All things are possible within the God-paradigm, so my answer is emphatically, yes!

Is it likely?

Considering the history of the God story in the world, and the Godly response seemingly following prayers from the oppressed, poor, and desperate; I'd think not.

In a world that has lots of problems, I'd be really depressed if the God I worship was busy watching the National Football League.

And I'd be even more depressed that he was a Broncos fan!

I just think we should save divine intervention for the important causes that require God's interaction. I think we should pray for divine interaction in the hearts of those who are ignored and abused by the systems that benefit us all.

If God's going to be anywhere, I pray that He is there...

working through me who is there as well.

P.S. "God, if you're listening, Derek Fisher of the Lakers is also a devout Christian and I'd like another championship."

What? I'm just making sure! ;-)

Noise

2011-11-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

Our world is really noisy, isn't it?

OCCUPY noise...

Presidential candidates noise...

Economical noise...

Homicidal noise...

Sometimes it seems that the world around us is so noisy, all you want to do is cover the ears to your innermost being, close your eyes, and imagine that it all isn't happening.

Or

you just engage in the noise.

But one of the ancient, Hebrew kings encouraged people to make a different kind of noise.

Joyful noise.

Now the difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is the pleasure that emerges from a source or special place.

That place is called joy.

Joy leads to happiness

so joy's gotta be deeper than happiness.

Amidst all the noise of our world, let us commit to living our lives in such a way that cause our actions to fuel happiness in the lives of others.

Let's make the right kind of noise.

Because if God is listening, we'd better be careful about what song our life is singing.

Laundry

2011-10-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter is always trying to keep up with my eldest.

She wants to be like her big sister.

Why?

Well, her big sister does all the tasks she is supposed to do and help with, only better. So many times, she never tries because she's always comparing herself to her big sister.

My eldest is great at doing the laundry and her sister is

well

let's just say my eldest is great at doing laundry.

I walked into her big sister's room today and there, doing the laundry, was my youngest.

Her big sister was there but she was working on other things.

When I saw the finished product, the reality is that it paled in comparison to what her big sister could do, but what filled me with pride as a father was the effort of my youngest.

The ancient Hebrews understood God, within their patriarchal society, as a Father.

Jesus spoke about God in this way.

And I just understood a little more about my role in the world.

My laundry pales in comparison to my big brother, Jesus, but in his presence I do my best and make my Father proud.

Maybe what my Father is looking for isn't perfect laundry, but perfected effort while I look to my big brother for inspiration.

Elephants and Watermelons

2011-10-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

Somethings you only learn over time.

Like smashing watermelons with your foot.

I was watching a documentary on elephants and the caregivers tossed watermelons over the fence for the elephants to snack on. In this pen was a female elephant who was fostering an orphaned baby elephant.

The adult elephant smashed the watermelon with her hoof, broke it open, and began eating while the baby elephant looked on.

You see, although he weighed 400 pounds, he couldn't figure out how to smash the watermelon.

Sometimes, we have all the skills and tools to be successful in a certain area of life and it just doesn't come as easy as it would seem.

One of the caregivers tried to smash it for the baby when he was held back by his colleague.

"He has to learn" he said.

Soon enough, the adult elephant came over and crushed the watermelon for the baby, teaching him in the process.

We don't smash watermelons, but we do need to learn a lot.

Maybe what we need isn't divine intervention, as we would define it, but rather patience to learn what life has been designed to teach us through others.

And that is divine.

Maybe through patience and humility, we'll crush watermelons some day.

Crazy Jesus

2011-10-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's interesting because I have a few friends and associates who really try to follow the Jesus way, and that leads people in their communities to think they are mentally ill.

Because following the Jesus way is crazy.

We're not socialized to see counter-cultural, anti-imperial lifestyles as something to be celebrated, but rather something to be feared and controlled.

It's always been like this.

Because Jesus' message never blends with the dominant culture or preserves the world as it is, but rather it challenges the power and continues to compel people to make the world as it should be.

Otherwise called the kingdom of God.

But since I don't live in a physical kingdom, and never will, I'll call it the world as it should be.

When you live to create that world, people think you are crazy.

One day Jesus was teaching about this new world as it should be, and his family showed up to perform an intervention.

Because their son and little brother, Jesus, had gone crazy.

When told that his family was outside, Jesus told the crowd that his family were those who made the world as it should be.

Tough answer

but that's crazy Jesus.

Revenge

2011-09-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

You ever know someone ugly who cleans up well?

You see them in a suit and forget how unattractive they are by focusing on how nice they look.

That's kind of how revenge looks when it borrows the suit of justice. There are enough distractions to keep us from paying attention to what we're really thirsty for.

Revenge.

You hit me

piss me off

or hurt someone I love

And justice is me getting the opportunity to either do it back to you or sit by and watch someone do it to you on my behalf.

That's not justice.

An early Jesus follower describes love as being a patient, kind energy that doesn't want what others have or hold itself higher than others. This energy doesn't put others down nor is driven by selfish motivations. It's not easily pissed off and isn't driven by revenge.

But I think we like dressing revenge up as justice because it quenches our thirstiness for power and control in a world where it oftentimes feels so out of balance.

But revenge isn't the way.

Love is the way

and love must win!

One of my favorite authors says, "Justice is the body of love, love the soul of justice. Justice is the flesh of love, love is the spirit of justice. When they are separated, we have a moral corpse. Justice without love is brutality. Love without justice is banality." - John Dominic Crossan

Holy War

2011-09-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

There's nothing holy about war.

Not now, not ever.

I was in discussion with someone the other day who wondered, in retrospective view of 9/11, why a group of religious people would perform such an act of terror.

Yes, we all remember.

The planes flying into buildings

the people jumping out of windows

The buildings collapsing

and the dust cloud turning New York into a disaster movie.

It was the result of someones foolish idea of a holy war.

That's what happens when people live out of what I call old agreements and old understandings. That's what happens when the spiritual journey doesn't "journey", but in fact remains where it was once understood.

In one of the ancient, Hebrew narratives; some people felt inspired by God to commit genocide against nations they were at war with, killing men, women, and children.

Holy War.

Samson, an ancient Hebrew hero, is remembered for praying to God to give him the strength to kill his oppressors.

Some tell this story to their kids to understand about God and revenge.

But that's why Jesus is so important to me along with his new agreement.

Jesus says that "it's been this way before, but I now I say it should be this way..." Not only does he create new agreements, but he tells his followers to keep creating new agreements that help people know how to make the world as it should be.

So for those of us who are religious or spiritual in our perspectives,

let us take the cue of Jesus and ensure that our embrace of spirituality is relevant.

Because when we don't, we end up with burning buildings and holy wars. We end up telling our children stories about God that don't make the world as it should be.

It had been said that we should hate those who oppress us, but Jesus says to love them and engage God on their behalf.

They ended up killing Jesus.

Does that make his message any less true?

Artificial Intelligence

2011-08-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

Are you programmed or are you authentic?

It's not that I believe any of us do anything apart from being influenced, but we still are faced with the challenge of being an original or just part of the critical mass.

So much of the majority just responds to mainstream stimuli while thinking they are actually making individual decisions.

It's a form of intelligence

But its artificial.

The amazing potential of robots lies in someone's ability to get a bunch of stuff done without objections.

But that's not how the universe works.

Comets are supposed to crash into planets

And tree roots are supposed to tear through the soil.

The chaotic order is what makes the world, the world.

So make sure you don't become a robot powered by artificial intelligence; a simple executor of someone's imagination.

You're so much more than that.

And so am I.

365 (2011) Summer Special

2011-08-27T04:38:00.000-07:00

Jesus is an iPad

2011-08-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

In sacred stories, Jesus' followers remembered all the references Jesus made of himself to them. He had an uncanny way of using symbols for them to remember how he functioned so they could remember how to function in his absence.

He was the light

the door

the gate

bread

water

the way

the shepherd

and many more things.

If Jesus lived now, I think he'd be an iPad.

Because he connects everything and brings what would be so out of reach into reach. Through his teaching, he provides innumerable apps to employ in your life to transcend the mediocrity of this human experience.

Yeah, Jesus is an iPad.

The Apple that doesn't get you kicked out of the garden.

Natural Disasters

2011-08-25T01:05:00.000-07:00

It really concerns me when some religious people claim that every natural disaster is God's reaction to what they define as unholy lifestyles in the world around them.

As if they know what God is doing and what God is reacting to at all.

The day we begin to speak for God instead of speak about God, we enter into dangerous territory. Because the fact is, we simply do not know.

We can guess

but we don't know.

And how are people to process these suggestions when they hear them? Especially people who define God by what the people, who say they speak for God, say?

How does the Japanese woman process her dead child under the rubble of her nation's worst earthquake as a loving God's response to her Buddhism?

Or how does a Somalian father grapple with watching the life travel out of his infant's eyes as a response to his Islamic practice?

Maybe earthquakes happen because of fault lines and famine occurs because some people in the world take more than what they need and aren't willing to share their excess.

Sometimes, a natural disaster is just that.

A natural disaster.

I think it's much easier to make God the scapegoat for our natural disasters because if God's the author of things that go bad, I don't have a responsibility to respond in a loving, tangible way.

If all these earthquakes are simply God judging this unholy world, it's a lot easier for me to tweet to others that Jesus is returning and everyone should act right

instead of acting right by responding with my time, energy, and resources to the calamity.

Jesus warned his followers to be careful to not end up like the religious people he indicted in his teachings. They were, as he said, nicely landscaped graves with nothing but dead bones in them.

Maybe we shouldn't speak for God but speak about God.

Maybe we should live through natural disasters in a supernatural way.

King Kong Church

2011-08-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

That's what I would name the building if I started a community of believing people

otherwise known as a church.

Because names don't matter as far as I'm concerned.

I understand branding and messaging and I understand that that's how you setup an effective company or organization, but I'm just not sure that's the point of the community...the church.

For me, church is no longer a building I attend; it's a movement I belong to.

A movement about contributing to the fairness in the world, showing love, and practicing inclusivity to those forced to lived on the fringes of society.

I don't regularly attend a building weekly to experience the believing community experience because, for me, the attendance distracted me from the function.

We must remember that it's not about the attendance.

It's about the function.

Church is not a place that you go; it's a way you live.

Now I'm not demonizing those of you who regularly attend a building; I just want you to remember that it is only, in fact,

a building.

Instead of going, let us be

committed to contributing to the fairness of our society

showing love

and practicing inclusivity to those on the fringes.

Jesus called it the "Kingdom of God."

I call it "making the world as God wants it."

And when I finally get enough money to build the King Kong Church, you'll all be cordially invited.

Crutch

2011-08-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

So I need a crutch...what's the big deal?

Most believing people take offense to the non-believing critique that they utilize spirituality because they need a crutch.

Somehow, they're unable to support their own life's weight by themselves and therefore, need something else to help them get along.

I used to take offense to this but as I've evolved in my spiritual approach towards life, I'm realizing that this isn't too far from the truth.

Who's to say that being able to support your own life's weight is healthy, anyway? Animals feel insecure when they're not supported by their community in lifestyle, agriculture tends to thrive when planted together.

So why shouldn't I utilize my crutch that enables me to connect with other people on a deeper level that leads me to thriving?

Jesus told his community thousands of years ago to lean on him with their life's weight because he really loved them and he could handle it.

I'll be your crutch, he says. And eventually, you'll do even greater things than me.

So instead of tiring your good leg out in life, use the crutch that's proven to hold you up.

Maybe eventually, you can become that crutch for someone else.

Fairy Tale

2011-07-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

My kids are some of my greatest teachers.

One of my daughters lost a tooth yesterday and put it under her pillow so she could receive money from the Tooth Fairy. So this morning I was trying to sneak a couple bucks under her pillow when she rolled over and looked at me directly in the face. I quickly told her to go back to sleep and hoped that would be the end of it.

When she awoke, she came up to me saying

Thanks Dad!

As we were getting ready to leave for the summer program, her grandfather asked her if the Tooth Fairy came, and she replied,

"The Tooth Fairy has gone to college to learn how to put money under kid's pillow."

Then she glanced at me with a sheepish smile.

She had believed this fairy tale for a while, but because of what was apparent in front of her, she was forced to accept the reality although it was probably more magical when she believed the fairy tale.

She had to grow up just a little more.

An early follower of Jesus wrote that when he was a child, he acted and thought as one; but as he became more mature, he had to put away his childish ways.

His fairy tale.

My daughter made me wonder this morning,

What am I still believing that I may need to adjust?

What fairy tale do I need to put away?

Maybe transitioning to a more mature approach towards some of the same ideals and beliefs will prove to be just as magical

but in a different way.

Pages

2011-07-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Whenever we remember the magic of influential people in the past, we mistakenly only identify them with their huge successes and their apparent failures.

The mountains and the valleys if you will.

But we know that life is much more than that. It's more than highs and lows.

We live life in between the pages.

It's easy to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. as the "Dream Speech" giver and the civil rights leader, or George Washington as the cherry-tree chopper who courageously led his men through the winter at Valley Forge.

But their lives were more than that.

An ancient Hebrew story about a man named Abraham talks about how he left his hometown in search of something greater

better

divine.

He leaves his hometown in search of a city that will allow him to discover his purpose. But on that road, there had to be times where he questioned whether he was going the right way

or rightly going at all.

There were times where servants got bit by desert snakes, children died from the heat, and close friends questioned his integrity.

Because that's the life that's never talked about.

That's life in between the pages of history.

So maybe we don't have to live our lives trying to make them be full of highs and lows; maybe we can find affirmation in the rightness of our journey through the reality of life.

Through life in between the pages.

Seeds

2011-07-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Most seeds taste absolutely disgusting.

Within something so small lies something so huge, but looking for a delightful taste in the crunch of most seeds will leave you wanting.

Because the seed doesn't exist to be eaten

it exists to produce fruit.

Lots of times we misinterpret who we are and what we've been given not because of what it is, but how we perceive who we are and what we've been given.

In every seed is a tree that will produce fruit.

Fruit that has many more seeds that will produce many more trees and even more fruit.

But what if we fail to see the tree in the seed?

Maybe that's what faith is about.

Seeing the tree in the seed.

Jesus taught that small-seed faith could move mountainous challenges.

So today, see your tree within your seed

Your talent

Your passion

Your annoying job.

Together, we can grow to give shade to all who need it.

Rocks

2011-07-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting how easy it seems to remember the bad times? We frame our history by the few years we're at war rather than the decades of peace we enjoy.

It's easy to forget that things aren't as bad as they seem.

When the ancient Hebrew people were migrating to their new land, they had to cross a river that good reason would suggest would be mass suicide.

But they did it anyway to pursue their destiny.

When they made it safely across, their military leader told them that he felt divinely inspired that they should stack a bunch of big rocks as a reminder of their journey. This stack of rocks would create opportunities for them to tell their story to their kids and whoever else might listen.

In a culture that's based on a 24 hour news cycle, we're faced with potentially forgetting our story and the reality that things aren't as bad as they seem.

Make sure you stack some rocks

create some opportunities

have some conversations

get involved in some activities

that continue to remind you that you're one step closer to your destination while giving others a chance to be inspired.

Not only will your stack of rocks remind you of God's involvement in your process, it will inform others of God's involvement in their lives as well.

Let us all celebrate where we've been, where we are, and where we're going

by looking at each others' rocks.

Public Storage

2010-10-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, my brother told a story about a conversation he had with a Nigerian tourist.

They were driving down the street and the tourist saw a huge building and asked what it was. My brother explained to him that it was the place where we "store the extra stuff that can't fit in our houses."

The Nigerian brother couldn't process that idea.

You pay rent to

store the extra stuff you can't fit in your house.

"Why not just give it away?" he asked.

As I passed the Public Storage on my way home today, this conversation relaunched in my head and I wondered,

"Yeah. Why don't we give it away?"

I think it's a huge indictment on how we live our lives and view life. When we're paying rent to store stuff we obviously don't need over giving it away, our actions are declaring that we don't believe that the God above us is really taking care of us.

I hear Jesus words again, "Look at the birds...the Father feeds them!"

I pray that I can give away my excess so that one day I can actually sacrifice my life for the cause of Jesus in the world.

Lifesavers, Boats, and Helicopters

2010-09-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

I spent my afternoon helping a brother struggling with crack get a step-up towards healthy living as he's helping others and after I dropped him off at the BART train station, I made a left.

I looked up and saw another brother who was on his way to getting kicked out of our rehab program at my job.

Coincidence?

Maybe.

Providence?

I think so.

Because God works in mysterious ways.

I remember a story about a man who was drowning in the ocean and he asked God to save him. So a lifesaver drifted by, but he passed on it because

he was waiting for God.

A boat approached him and offered to bring him aboard, but he passed on it because

he was waiting for God.

A helicopter flew by and threw down a ladder, but he waved them off because

he was waiting for God.

Then he died.

He got to heaven and God asked him, "What are you doing here so early?"

He told God, "I asked you to save me but you never did!"

God told him, "You fool, I sent a lifesaver, a boat, and a helicopter!"

I realized today that this whole chase of personal purpose is an empty one

because the purpose is quite clear.

We are all to be lifesavers, boats, and helicopters for those drowning in life's ocean.

People taking advantage of our sacrifice isn't the point!

Us offering our personal sacrifice for the sake of others is!

Two Pigeons

2010-08-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

I was walking through the dirty, parking lot across from the courthouse when I saw something I think I will never forget.

Two pigeons fighting, gripping each other at the beak, while spinning around in circles.

I paused

leaned on a pole

and watched these two pigeons.

They would take a break from fighting and race towards the crumbs they were fighting over.

As one would move closer to the crumbs, the other pigeon would desperately grasp onto his beak again to try and prevent him from getting what he wanted.

So I leaned against the parking lot column.

Why?

Because these two pigeons reminded me of us.

People.

Fighting over our perceived survival.

I had a cookie in my hands

something that was sweeter than the crumbs they were fighting for

and I broke it into pieces and tossed it to the two pigeons.

Immediately, they stopped fighting

found their individual crumbs

and started living in peace.

And there

in the parking lot across from the courthouse

I had an epiphany.

Maybe God tosses us crumbs that we call blessings to keep us from tearing each other apart.

Maybe Jesus is the example of a human being that fought his innate desire to fight over the crumbs so that we would and could know that

living in peace beside the pigeon next to us is something within reach.

Maybe the stuff we fight over is so minuscule from the perspective of the Uncreated One beyond us.

Maybe God spoke to me through observing two pigeons

or maybe it was all a coincidence.

Putting the Cape Away

2010-08-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

I've observed myself for the last few years and have learned a lot.

What I've learned about myself and the prevailing culture is that our so-called "civilization" is really a child's playground on steroids.

Substitute professional sports for the monkey bars...

The playground structure for skyscrapers,

and swings for entertainment

and you have our modern society.

I've been frustrated at times by it and even tempted to participate in its folly.

I felt many times that I had to be a part of saving it from impending failure. Then I realized I was making as much sense as the financial bailouts did for our failing economic system in 2008.

I forgot that I wasn't the Savior.

Not Superman,

Batman

or Robin.

I'm just me and being me is all I'll ever be.

So instead of trying to be what I'm not, I'm learning to be super at being me.

I'm learning to take the cape off and put it away and rather than trying to win, I'm taking solace that the game has been won.

I'm just understanding, through life's journey, how it's been won.

Maybe putting the cape away is what we all need.

A break from trying to be Superman

and a new beginning at just being super-me!

Jay-Jays, Pee-Gees, & Pee-Cees

2010-07-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Spirituality always seems to be a divisive agent in the interaction of people today.

I don't think it has to be this way.

I think it's this way because the majority of us operate from the premise of having the absolute understanding and application of how the created should relate to the Creator.

I know I have in times past

and maybe still do in times present.

But as I study more into the historicity of my "Jesus-following" faith, I see these same frustrations and challenges.

Jesus dies and his movement spawns into 3 cords.

The Jay-Jays (His older brother, James', crew of Jews following his movement who practiced a conservative application of his teaching)...

The Pee-Gees (His sidekick, Peter's, crew of God-fearing people who practiced a more moderate application of his teaching)...

and the Pee-Cees (Paul's Christians who practiced what might have seemed to be a liberal application of his teaching).

James' Jews, Peter's God-fearers, and Paul's Christians all understood Jesus' teaching differently but struggled to find a way to allow their core spirituality to serve as an agent of unity rather than division.

My hope is that we learn to find ways of including rather than excluding each other through spirituality so that we can allow the power of God in our world to really save us

from us.

Clean and Dingy

2010-06-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

The ancient Hebrews experienced their culture through a huge prism.

Purity.

What made them clean

and what made them dingy.

From what they could eat

to what they could wear

It was all about clean and dingy.

From menstrual cycles

to washed hands before meals

It was all about clean and dingy.

When Jesus arrives on the scene, he begins to elevate the conversation.

"It isn't what you put into your stomach that makes you dingy" Jesus says,

"But rather what comes from your heart!"

So it seems that he suggested that the prism wasn't incorrect at all,

but the measuring systems were absolutely off!

And if we're to borrow this ideology for our setting, maybe the things we tend to use as measures for

the clean

and the dingy

need to be elevated.

Rather than focusing on the perfection of our religious exercises,

Let's seek perfection in our reality.

Wrestling Match

2010-05-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

There's a story about a guy named Jacob.

He's a twin and in his culture, his oldest brother gets first dibs at every opportunity.

I know.

That sucks.

But Jacob has a plan.

Well, really his mother hatched the plan, but Jacob definitely followed along.

His blind, dying father was requesting the presence of Jacob's older brother, but the brother was out doing his dad a favor.

Jacob slipped in, masquerading as his twin brother, and in essence, had his father sign away his elder brother's opportunity to him.

His father asked him his name

and he responded with the name of his brother.

He did this then.

We do this now.

Because we've been told a lie that the only way we can be excepted by our Father

is to be dressed in the skins of our brother.

And that's why God has to get us alone later in life.

Fast-forward decades down the road and you have Jacob being faced with having to confront his deceitful past and has a night encounter where he wrestles with the Divine.

God asks him what his name is

and now he tells the truth.

My name is Jacob.

And God responds by giving him a new name, Israel.

Maybe the wrestling matches in our life have more to do with us battling our fears and demons so that we can admit to ourselves and to God

who we really are.

Maybe the only way to be healed

is to be honest.

Maybe the only way to get a new identity is to have the courage to face the old one.

Hot Pants

2010-05-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

I was having a conversation today about "how far" is "too far" to express yourself to someone physically that you're not committed to.

Interesting conversation huh?

I know we live in the land of relativity where our blacks and whites seem to always fade to gray, but situations come that require a more definitive posture as it relates to the sexuality and subsequent expressions we are afforded within our interaction.

One of the ancient Hebrew sages said, "Can you build a fire in your lap and not burn your pants?"

We usually understand this as a conversation about what we can and cannot do.

But maybe the answer to what we can and cannot do is the wrong narrative.

Maybe a better narrative might be,

Considering what I can do, what will the ramifications of those actions be

now

and in the future.

Who will it hurt

and who will it help

Because if we concentrate on the striking of the match,

We miss the smouldering heat of the fire in our lap.

And we end up with hot pants of a different kind.

Breadcrumbs

2010-04-26T21:39:00.000-07:00

Hansel and Gretel left breadcrumbs as a way to find their way back through a confusing, dark forest.

So what are we leaving to find our way back

or at least help someone else find their way at all?

There's a guy named John (one of Jesus' followers) who was caught up in a vision where he was seeing the end of the world and all that we know to be real culminating into finality.

He was kinda having that "Neo waking up from the Matrix" experience happening.

Anyways, he says that people on the side of right win because of the sacrifice Jesus made for humanity and something else.

Breadcrumbs.

Well, he didn't call them breadcrumbs.

I did.

He called them their "stories".

Could our stories be that powerful that they are actually an ingredient in the eternal pot of gumbo that causes us to overcome the adversity of this experience?

We've been socialized to hide our stories

keep it on the down low

and lock those skeletons up in a closet.

But maybe that's why the world is so broken.

Because we need those stories, low-down tales, and skeletons to serve as compasses for others who are navigating that same confusing forest trying to find their way home.

So share your story

take that risk

and leave some breadcrumbs.

The world will feast from the eternal pot of gumbo if you do!

The Good, Dr. Reverend J.C. Nazareth

2010-04-21T23:12:00.000-07:00

That would be his name in one of our churches today.

You know in order to be a fancy preacher, you gotta use your initials.

But sometimes I wonder if Jesus would fit, at all, in our churches today. I wonder if he would be heard or thrown out as he was during his day when he turned up the heat on his followers?

Jesus doesn't preach messages that make the crowds stay but rather a message that makes them empty.

He throws huge events, feeds thousands of people, and then goes off onto a rant that leaves finger-lickin' church members leaving out the back door saying, "That katt is crazy!"

So I wonder whether Jesus could make it in the church today?

Could he make it preachin' his message about abandoning our concepts of success in this worldly paradigm and embracing God's concept of success which oftentimes looks like failure in our setting?

Could we have the perspicacity to embrace Jesus, now?

Do we embrace Jesus, now?

Do we wanna hear the katt who's talking about how in the "end days", people will be so busy

buying and selling

getting married

eating and drinking

starting businesses and building their empires

that when God shows up, they'll find themselves locked out of the very concept they thought they were celebrating.

I don't know.

Maybe it's just late and I'm trippin'.

But I don't know whether the Good, Dr. Reverend J.C. Nazareth could have a church now to preach his message.

And if he couldn't, what are we giving our lives to in the lifestyle we call "Christian"?

The Nature of the Beast

2010-04-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Quid Pro Quo in Latin means "something for something" or in others words

"one hand washes the other".

It's how things are.

We find ourselves becoming comfortably dishonest about discomforting truth because we feel powerless to change the prevailing systems in which we live.

So we recognize the wrong but have no problem participating with the wrong because we can't change the wrong.

We say, "It's just the nature of the beast."

But maybe that's what gives the beast it's power.

Our participation.

Jesus shows up during the imperial rule of Rome among his fellow oppressed Galileans and encourages them to counter the culture and not give the beast it's power.

He called their beast

Mammon.

The boogieman of their day that represented the system that led to monetary and subsequent political power and, ultimately, their perceived success.

Jesus says you can't serve God's system and the beast simultaneously. You'll love one and hate the other!

So maybe the nature of the beast is not very natural at all

And maybe withdrawing our membership isn't about bringing death to the beast

but more about bringing life to us.

Monopoly

2010-04-09T19:53:00.000-07:00

Everybody starts off with $1,500

a piece to go around the board

and a mission to become the winner in the game of Monopoly.

And how do you win?

You try to keep up an accelerated pace based upon the roll of the dice while trying to move ahead of your fellow players.

You land on spaces called Chance where you can either gain or lose and spaces called Community Chest that hopefully have a monetary reward.

You buy properties with the hope of building houses and hotels

getting rich

and bankrupting your fellow players so that you gain a monopoly.

Interesting that this is the game that we use to socialize our children into society.

Move forward

take chances

accumulate property

make money

and win the game.

This is success.

So maybe it makes some sense that we don't grow up embracing the revolutionary manifesto by the homeless, nomadic rabbi.

Maybe there's a reason his message wrestles against our psyche.

Maybe a lifetime of celebrating hotels and houses, properties and money, advancement and rewards lends to an expectation of a God that is concerned about our success.

But maybe God isn't concerned about our success.

Maybe God was concerned about something more profound.

Something Jesus died for.

Something He wants me to die for.

Something other than a monopoly.

Maggots

2010-03-24T23:55:00.001-07:00

There's an ancient story about the nomadic Hebrews of the Sinai desert.

They live as an oppressed people for 400 years before being released and starting a 40 year journey to a mysterious place they called

the Promised Land.

They left their place of bondage with lots of cash

but cash doesn't have much power in the desert.

So they eventually became hungry, complained to their leader, and God ended up responding with something called

manna.

Every morning, bread flakes would fall from the sky and each family would be able to gather what they needed for that day.

This process would repeat itself daily.

They weren't to keep any leftovers but come back every morning for manna.

Of course, some people decided they would keep some until the next day, and when they did, there were maggots in it.

Yes.

Maggots

that smelled pretty bad.

That's what happens when we take more than what we need instead of depending on God for our survival.

Maybe that's what we need today.

Some maggots that stink up our financial profiles

our politics

our religion

and our society.

Maybe the stench of the maggots might be exactly what we need to drive us back into a place of dependence where, in anticipation, we wait for our daily bread.

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!

2010-03-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

There's this story about this event-planner who's throwing a party for a bunch of guests.

When it's time for the party to begin, he sends out his personal assistants to tell everyone to come because it's time to get this party started.

The first person told the assistant that he had just bought some new real estate and he needed to go check it out.

So he needed to be excused.

The assistant moved on to another person who told him that she had just received a promotion and she wanted to go get started on her work.

So she needed to be excused.

Another person told the assistant that they had just married so, of course, they couldn't come.

They also needed to be excused.

When the personal assistant told the event-planner what was up, he was pretty pissed. He told them to go out into the urban sector and the ghetto and bring the homeless, the poor, and drug addicts.

When the personal assistants filled up the venue with these folks, there was still room.

The event planner sent them out again, this time, to invite the outsiders and people who lived on the fringe of society. He told his assistants that none of the invited guests would be accepted into the party.

I wish I could take credit for this story, but it belongs to Jesus.

Yes, a 2,000 year old story still has profound relevance today.

How many times do we ignore God's invitation to be a part of Heaven's reality over the American dream?

These ancient examples have modern excuses for why we can't respond to what God has prepared for us to be a part of.

Excuses we celebrate in our religious circles while calling them blessings and balance.

So why isn't God doing the electric slide?

Maybe it's because He's pissed about how we're responding to His invitation and maybe He doesn't wink at our newly purchased properties, career promotions, and marriages.

Maybe we've become really successful at missing the point to such a degree that our complete failure in God looks like complete success in our own eyes.

And if that's the case, could it be possible that your invitation may not give you access into the party because of your refusal to respond when you're called to come?

What a sad sight that would be.

A bunch of people with invitations

but no access to the party.

Cake Pan

2010-03-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

When I was a child my mother made this cool Smurf cake. It was the joy of my birthday to have the smurf cake with fully colored icing on the table.

So let's think about the cake.

You have a variety of ingredients that make up what a cake becomes, yet in the beginning, they are all individual ingredients.

Flour

Butter

Sugar

Eggs

Flavoring

Milk

and a bunch of other things contribute to what we call a cake.

A cake is nothing but a bunch of individual ingredients that have been whipped, cracked, and beaten into a unified consistency known as batter.

But that batter still isn't a cake.

So what makes the cake, a cake?

It's when the individual ingredients that have been whipped, cracked and beaten into a unified consistency known as batter is exposed to an intense amount of heat.

But you can't have the cake without a cake pan.

The cake pan, seemingly insignificant, is one of the most important elements to this process.

Regardless of how whipped, cracked, and beaten the unified consistency known to us as batter has been exposed to the heat is,

it still has no shape.

The pan gives it shape.

So as you are whipped

cracked

and beaten

until you can't even recognize your life anymore

and wind up feeling like you're being thrown into the fire

Make a choice as to what will shape you.

My mom had a smurf pan.

Considering what you've gone through,

what

and

who

will shape you?

This is Really about That

2010-03-05T23:23:00.000-08:00

Isn't it interesting that perspective is always clearer in hindsight?

Because it's then that we realize that this is really about that.

We experience things on an everyday basis and if we're not careful, we can become inundated with the this and absolutely forget about the that.

For example,

Mahatma Gandhi could have thought that his Indian revolution was really about salt

and

Rosa Parks could have made the mistake of thinking that her desire to stay seated on the bus really had more to do with her feet hurting

and

Jesus of Nazareth could have believed that his bloody cross was really about Roman soldiers and religious authorities.

But of course not.

This was

and is

really

about that.

Gandhi's salt was really about his revolution

and

Rosa's seat was really about her movement

and

Jesus' cross was really about His kingdom.

Their this was always about their that.

So maybe your this is about your that.

And if so,

endure your this

no,

embrace your this.

So you can have the benefit of experiencing

that.

The Highlighter

2010-03-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

People are pretty interesting.

Including me.

Because we can always find ways of making ourselves the most comfortable in the lives we live.

One of the guys in a bible study I was facilitating was asking me about a passage in scripture that outlaws tattoos (as he was trying to enforce it upon others) and I responded with the passage that outlaws being employed from afar after your wife gives birth.

He agreed to let his point go.

But that's what makes us as people interesting.

We like to pick and choose what is comfortable for us especially as it relates to spirituality.

Jesus says, to people who choose to follow him, "sell all your possessions, give the money to the poor, and come and follow my lifestyle of sacrificial living and interdependence on God and other followers."

It's interesting what we're turning that very plain call into

Participating in children ministries

Ushering

Writing a monthly check to a charity

Teaching entrepreneurship classes at our church

You know, Christian stuff.

But Jesus was clear and is clear about the radical response of following him.

If he asked his followers to give it up, and they asked their followers to give it up, and they asked their followers to give it up, and they asked their followers to give it up;

why don't we give ours up?

Maybe because we don't highlight these passages when we read the words of Jesus.

We take crackers and juice (check out my earlier blog...) once a month at our church

give our 10%

and try to live it up as big as possible on the other 90%.

I wonder whether Jesus would be uncomfortable, as I recently was, sitting in a mansion on a golf course with a bunch of very wealthy people who said they were his followers when 20 miles away, there were homeless followers of Jesus with nowhere to stay.

I wonder if Jesus would have ever lived in a place that met more than his needs.

I don't have all the answers, but I refuse to settle for comprising solutions that have more to do with my inability to accept the challenge of Jesus to abandon the American dream for the Kingdom dream.

If Jesus lived with the poor, than I want to live with the poor.

If Jesus' friends were the outcasts than my friends should be the outcasts.

I don't want to live in the safe land that the highlighter gives me

to choose

or not choose

to follow Jesus.

Golden Cows

2010-02-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

My kids were watching the Prince of Egypt movie the other day which made me think about the story of a reformed murderer who went on to lead an oppressed Hebrew people out of enslavement in ancient Egypt.

There is a lot of shape-shifting in this story.

Burning bushes that don't burn up.

Sticks that turn into snakes.

River water that turns into blood.

But the one I was thinking about was gold turning into a cow.

Moses, the reformed murderer, is on the mountain getting God's rules for the newly liberated people and leaves their care to his brother.

Aaron.

The people like Aaron.

Aaron would do what they wanted and what they wanted was a golden cow.

An idol.

Something they could worship that reflected the work of their own hands.

They had lived their whole lives in Egypt and being influenced by Egypt so when they were finally freed, they still longed for the things that Egypt had.

Golden Cows.

So they stripped themselves of all their gold

turned it into Aaron

he made them a golden cow

and they worshipped it.

I wonder how different that is from now.

We get free from the oppressive systems of our world through following God and when we get tired of waiting at the foot of the mountain for His direction

We make golden cows.

What are you worshipping that reflects the work of your own hands?

Jesus said that our hearts would lie with whatever we treasure.

I hope our lives don't lie with golden cows.

Crackers and Juice

2010-02-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

As a child, I watched my father fill a silver platter with hollow crackers and upon a silver tray, fill small cups with Concord Grape Communion wine.

This was interesting because in our religious circle, drinking alcohol was considered a sin at that time. But my father would prepare these trays along with filling several small cups with Welch's Grape Juice.

You know.

For the former-alcoholic that didn't want the cup of Concord Grape Communion Wine and the kids.

Then we would all line up in the evening at church, the ladies dressed in all white, and the men dressed in black suits with white shirts and dark ties to receive Communion.

There would be tears, spirituals, an a seemingly improvisational exhortation from one of the ministers. We would read scriptures that talked about the reverence that should be rendered while handling the recreation of "The Last Supper".

In one line, that always scared me, we read something about people taking the communion when they weren't supposed to and ending up in death.

At least that's how I remember it.

But this was an interesting ceremony.

I wonder whether this was the point Jesus wanted us to take from this.

I wonder if Jesus finds as much reverence in my crackers and juice as he did in his moments before giving up his life and all the security that would come with it.

For some reason, when Jesus says, "Do this as a way of remembering me, I think He's talking about more than just crackers and juice.

White dresses and black suits with dark ties.

Silver platters with hollow crackers.

Concord Grape Communion Wine & Welch's Grape Juice.

Maybe Jesus, in light of what he was about to go through, was telling his followers to allow their bodies to be broken up and their blood spilled as a way of remembering Him.

Maybe Jesus was telling them and us now that communion with him is all about giving up what makes you secure in a way of remembering Him.

By taking the career He calls you to rather than the one that makes the most money.

By using the extra resources you don't currently need to further the gospel throughout your community and the world along with helping out where there's poverty.

By making special videos to raise millions of dollars for the poor all the time instead of when a major disaster happens on foreign soil.

Maybe that's what our life looks like when we're really "communing" with him.

But as for the crackers and juice.

I'm cool.

Sand

2010-02-17T12:18:00.000-08:00

I wonder why it's so hard to keep it out of your shoes.

Sand, that is.

Beaches

Playgrounds

Trails

They just seem to carry a lot of sand and that sand seems to hitchhike a ride with us.

Sand, because it is so small, moves all throughout the course of the organic experience oftentimes unnoticed and other times absolutely obvious.

It has the ability to move around, navigating throughout the world, because it is so small.

Seemingly insignificant, sand contributes to so many things.

Marriage proposals

Recess

Home

at least for the crab it does.

Views of the city

Castles

Laughs

Tears

Bonfires.

But it's just sand.

Sand is made up of broken pieces of rock that have been so broken up that they no longer look like rock, they take on a new identity.

Sand.

But it's the light composition of sand that has the ability to make its rounds through nature unlike it's maker, the dense rock.

So the rock makes the sand

and the sand makes the memories.

Sure, rocks make memories too, but sand is much more available.

Maybe we're smaller and more available to participate in the making of memories within our world.

So if you feel shattered, maybe it's because you're being spread around as a fragment of something greater.

The Crosswalk

2010-02-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Painted white lines on black crumbled concrete.

Black boxes with a red light or hand or a green light or man on metallic chrome poles.

All kinds of people walking back and forth dressed in ways that tell a metropolitan parable.

And cars, impatiently waiting, on every side of the intersection with drivers frothing over the opportunity to feel the rush of adrenaline as they depress their accelerator to the floor.

This is the intersection where we find the crosswalk.

As I observed it I wondered, "How is it that so many people have so much faith in painted lines on the ground and black boxes on the poles?"

On one side you have a machine that weighs over 2 tons and moves up to 160mph.

On the other side you have a woman who weighs less than 150 pounds and moves 3mph.

Yet, the woman walks, without flinching, in front of the machine

Inside the crosswalk

Because she believes.

She believes because someone, somewhere, told her that someone, somewhere made a rule that if someone, somewhere painted white lines on the black concrete and put black boxes on the chrome pole that she would be protected from the 2 ton machine that moves up to 160mph.

She doesn't know the someone and hasn't been to the somewhere, yet she believes.

You see, we all have faith

in someone or something

that exists somewhere.

It's why we continue to adventure through life's intersections without flinching.

Because we believe.

Now our belief doesn't stop the 2 ton machines that can move up to 160mph from crossing the painted white lines on the black concrete and the black boxes on the chrome poles.

But the crosswalk gives us common ground to believe together that the someones, somewhere that told us about the other someones, somewhere were telling us the truth and that their truth might contribute to a safer living experience for us all.

That if we both believed in the word of people we've never met or seen; we might all make it to our destinations safely.

So maybe faith doesn't have to be a place where we divide, but one where we unite.

A place where we cross.

More about Bigger Barns

2010-02-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

You know, I've been thinking about the bigger barns some more.

It seems to me that Jesus wasn't against the barns entirely as much as He was against them existing without there being equitable storing away for God.

So maybe the kingdom of God has room for big barns as long as those barns exist to fulfill or "fill full" the purpose of God in the world.

Maybe what made the rich man a fool was his perspective about his stuff and his barns rather than the stuff and the barns itself.

Ok.

Now I'm done with the barns.

Bigger Barns

2010-02-07T09:06:00.000-08:00

I love Jesus' stories.

They are the mental movies that play in my head that teach me about God, my self, and the world I'm trying to exist within.

Jesus tells a story about a man who had more resources than what he needed. Rather than giving them away, he came up with a stellar idea.

I'll build bigger barns to store my stuff so I can take life easy, eat, drink, and live it up.

But God's response to this man is to call him a name.

A fool.

God demands the man's life from him that night then asks him, "Who will get your stuff now?"

Jesus suggests that this is how our lives will be if we're after our "security" rather than using our resources towards the things God cares about.

Wow.

So in a world where we're taught and encouraged to establish our security, maybe God's heart sees security as something totally different.

Maybe security is supposed to look like dependence on Him, like the rest of the creation, rather than our ability to build bigger barns.

Maybe Jesus is indicting our IRA's, Mutual Funds, and 401k accounts like the story.

Maybe He doesn't want us secure in our independence, but is trying to encourage us towards a more risky, dependent life in Him.

I know it doesn't make sense, but maybe that's the point.

Maybe that's the kingdom!

Shiny Quarters

2010-01-20T05:33:00.000-08:00

I am the light that is over all things. I am all: from me all came forth, and to me all attained. Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.

Words of Jesus.

Recorded by Thomas, the doubter.

Why do we call Thomas a doubter?

He was one of Jesus' followers who admitted that his logic wrestled with the supernatural activity of God in his life.

Does that make him "the doubter" or does it just make him human?

We wrestle all the time with the supernatural to the degree that we fail to realize that God is still as supernaturally involved in this world as He has ever been.

Yesterday I engaged a man who had a story.

He and his father fell on hard times.

They became homeless.

His father suddenly died from cancer.

He remained homeless.

He started abusing drugs and alcohol again.

But in all of this, this man never stopped engaging God.

He told us stories about God showing up in the middle of his hard times, homelessness, cancerous death, and addiction.

One story in particular was about a time when he was at the metro station waiting for a train with no money. While he pan-handled he prayed to God for help.

All of a sudden, a man showed up with 2 shiny quarters.

He praised God for these "shiny quarters" as we was able to enter the train.

God has never stopped engaging the world but maybe we've become too complex to see or embrace that engagement.

Maybe the kingdom of God belongs to the poor because they still have room to appreciate the supernatural reality in shiny quarters while the wealthy are looking for it in the reversing of an upside-down mortgage.

While I started out to reach someone, I recognized that I needed to be reached myself.

My prayer is that I, too, find my shiny quarters.

Everybody wants to be Jesus; Nobody wants to be John.

2010-01-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

If you're unfamiliar, the story of Jesus is filled with lots of interesting characters.

You have people in need of Jesus.

People who feel a need to eliminate Jesus.

People who follow Jesus

And then you have John.

The founder of the baptizing movement.

The guy who wears camel skin

lives in the desert

and eats bugs and honey between sermons.

Yeah, John's that guy.

John launched a faith movement after 400 years of spiritual silence with a purpose. His purpose was to create an opportunity for his cousin, Jesus, to present his much needed message.

So when Jesus shows up, John's movement is over.

His disciples become Jesus' disciples.

He's later arrested for speaking truth to his political powers

And is subsequently executed.

There's no resurrection for John.

No angels showing up to roll away the stone.

No pronouncement of greatness for his life lived.

No Easter suits, egg hunts, or chocolate bunny rabbits to commemorate his sacrifice.

But that's why everybody wants to be Jesus and nobody wants to be John.

Because we don't want death without a resurrection.

We want angels rolling away stones, grand pronouncements of our legacy, and a holiday.

But there's a truth in John's example that we must see.

John is great not because of his ability to speak, but rather his ability to decrease so that Jesus could increase. John is great because he allowed God's power and purpose for his life to navigate his direction rather than opportunity.

John is great because he was able to die without a promised resurrection.

What we don't need is more people to be like Jesus, we need more people to be like John.

Jesus is like Ruth Chris' Steakhouse Prime Rib.

He stands on his own.

But if we can be like John, submitting ourselves to be the preparer of the way for Jesus' arrival in the existence of "our world", we do better.

They asked John if he was the Great Jewish Hope, the reincarnation of the Great Jewish Prophet, or at least a prophet on his own.

To all these he answered No.

What was he.

He describes himself as simply a voice crying from the deserted place, "Make room for the arrival of God."

So maybe the picture of following Jesus looks more like John.

Because we've been called to follow Jesus, not be Jesus.

Cake Boss

2010-01-04T22:13:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite shows in Cake Boss.

I was watching the last episode where Buddy, the owner, went "there" on one of his workers because he didn't follow his instructions.

They were building a cake.

He needed an 11 inch pound cake.

His worker baked a 12 inch pound cake.

Now you might say, "it was just an inch?"

But that inch was crucial towards the final creation of the perfect wedding cake.

It's not the big decisions that are crucial to our life but rather the small, seemingly insignificant ones that affect us so much.

I often share with others that our lives are lived in moments.

Regardless of where you are, good or bad, you can trace your present to the sum total of a few moments where "small-ness" shaped "large-ness".

So the 1 inch matters.

In that same way Jesus says how can you say you love me if you don't do what I tell you to do.

I submit that He's talking about the 1 inch.

When He tells us to share our excess, he means it. When he tells us to forgive those who do harm to us for standing for his message, he means it.

When he makes the huge step and asks us to love people who we have identified as our enemy, he means it.

He's the boss, and in his kitchen we're baking his cake.

So the 1 inch is important.

And just maybe we'll end up with a cake that tastes as good as it looks!

Money and Motivation

2010-01-03T01:03:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine a world where money isn't the motivation?

I know it's difficult, but close your eyes real tight, lock your jaws up, squeeze your butt, and you might be able to create an idea of what that might look like.

A world where you don't choose your husband based upon his financial profile but rather his character profile.

A world where you go to school to learn not to compete with everyone else.

A world where the occupation you choose has everything to do with you fulfilling your predetermined role in the circle of life and nothing to do with "earning a good living."

A world where your faith community doesn't collect resources but rather encourages believers to give away their excess to those around them or to organizations specifically designed at taking care of the poor around your community.

Okay, you can relax your butt cheeks.

Jesus seems to suggest that money and motivation can't occupy the same space. They're hostile to each other and your love can only serve one.

Either you serve God's motivation placed within you regardless of what monetary result that brings, or you serve a monetary motivation that brings you the result you want in that system.

Which is to be secure.

But that's the point right there.

Jesus offers us a philosophy and power that frees us from the need to have that false sense of security so that we can embrace or be embraced by the One who is security.

So ask yourself, "What motivates me?"

If every occupation paid the same, what would you be doing now?

Whatever the answer to that question is, you had better get busy doing it.

Because that's what matters.

That's wealth.

That's security.

Playing your role.

Doing God's will.

Let that be your motivation.

The Oh! Factor

2010-01-02T00:18:00.000-08:00

God stays surprising a negro.

You think He's over there and then...He's over there!

Yeah, that's God.

At least the God that I know.

He sees power in weakness, joy in suffering, success in failure.

Yeah, that's our God.

And that's where my Oh! comes in.

You see I have my own definitions about what "good" really is and is all about.

My wife and I being on the same level is good.

My children not fighting with each other is good.

My financial output being less than my intake is good.

Beignets at the New Orleans Kitchen at Disneyland are good.

But God seems to define good a little differently than I do.

Because He sees good in creating a life for me to live in that is full of stinky creatures, clandestine company, and opportunistic choices that will give me all of what I want but don't need while asking me to deny this all for the knee-high grass skipping activity with Him in the afternoons of my daily experience.

I'm learning more and more that His ways really are higher than mine and I do better to change my perspective towards His rather than arrogantly wait for Him to adjust His to mines.

I've got to notice that He's different and following Him is going to make me different.

Following Him is going to bring me to many points in my life where I say, "Oh! that's good?"

So as you enter 2010, pay attention to your Oh!'s.

The very thing you might be wishing away might be the very catalyst you need to become what your Creator has longed in His heart for you to be.

Because the only thing separating your GOOD from GOD is your...

O!

The Year in Review

2009-12-30T11:37:00.001-08:00

40 blogs later, I'm looking in the rear-view mirror for a minute to track where I've been.

We started this year off dealing with overcoming pain and transition in life while finding a new place to function from. We started journeying through concepts like purpose and what discovering that really meant. (Dislocated Shoulder, Seasons, Cathedrals, Meat, the 13th Man, Some Say, Christians don't like Grace, Poverty, and Jesus & Swords)

From there, we began to discuss the complexities of relating to each other's humanity and the lack of divinity we find in that exchange. (Judas' Kiss, Dew, Chocolate Bible, Sleepy People)

Then we talked about the organized church, what it is, and what it can become. (Nouns, Jesus & Pro-Wrestlers, St. Arbucks or Bust!, Radio Revolution, and PhD)

We talked about how the value systems in our world were missing out on some of God's greatest values and how we might do good to see what others are missing. (Marijuana Memory, Earth Spin, Hot Baths, Justice and Love, Pharisees, Rubbish, The Devil, Holy Frustration, and Jesus in a Dog's Butt)

Then we focused on viewing Jesus, his life, and his values. (Jesus is Insane, Jesus values Dirt, and Jesus couldn't do Something.)

And we finished realizing that it's really us that needs to change. (Robes, Seats, and Long Prayers; Acorns; Stephen's Stones; Chimeras; Abacus; Weak, Grecian Jews; American Idol; Mother knows Best; Eden; and Blame it on the A-A-A-A-A-Alcohol)

Or better yet, me that needs to change.

Thanks for looking over my typos, listening to me rant, and taking the time to journey with me through The Epistle of Ben as we've pondered together from afar who we are in light of who God is.

May his reality superimpose our falsehood in 2010 like never before.

Here's to another year at theepistleofben.blogspot.com!

Blame it on the A-A-A-A-A-Alchohol

2009-12-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

A psalmist said...

Blame it on the Goose
Got you feeling loose
Blame it on Petron
Got you in the zone
Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol
Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol
Blame it on the Vodka
Blame it on the Henny
Blame it on the Blue Tap
Gotcha feeling dizzy
Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol
Blame it on the alcohol

So you say, Ben, where are you going with this one.

Jesus tells an interesting story to explain a point to some religious folks.

He tells them that you don't put new wine into an old container because the old containers they used in their day would burst and waste the wine.

Instead, he says you put the new wine into new containers that can ensure it's opportunity to serve it's purpose.

He said this in response to the religious folks attacks on why he was hanging out with those they deemed degenerates and why his followers seemed to lack the religious morale they had seen in the Baptist's movement.

But I'm hearing Jesus today.

It's all about the wine.

It was new and so it had to look different.

Be different.

Appear in different settings.

Bring about different responses.

It was all about the wine.

The new wine will bring about a new crowd and different behavior in the disciples. It's probably a lofty expectation to think that those who have enjoyed the old wine would enjoy the new wine.

So I don't know....

Maybe there isn't a wrong approach in the old or the new, but rather a difference in timing.

So I guess I'll just blame it on the alcohol.

Eden

2009-12-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

I heard a song that was big on the gospel charts at sometime this year.

It was called, "Back to Eden." Here are some of the lyrics...

"...Let's get back to Eden, get on top of the world.
Our families blessed; finances blessed
Our mind and spirit; and our bodies blessed..."

The heart of this song seemed to suggest that what Eden represents for us as humanity is the place where everything we have is good.

I don't disagree with that but I wonder whether we really want to get back to Eden.

In this story of a paradisaical garden created for all living things to flourish, there is a balance. The creation obeys the Creator and relishes the opportunity to be dependent.

That's Eden.

But do we really want to get back to that?

In Eden, every living thing only absorbs what it needs to survive. The circle of life is in balance thus the bear only eats the fish it needs to survive. When it hibernates, it stores up only enough food to ensure it can survive during its period of seclusion.

That's Eden.

But do we really want to get back to that.

You don't see the bear with a 401k honey account. It only takes what it needs.

But humanity, we took a different road as the song suggested.

We chose to be independent through the evolution of our own knowledge rather than dependent through God's life-giving flow.

So we take more than what we need.

We desire blessing for ourselves regardless of how our blessing might in-turn serve as a curse for someone else.

Eden now represents us living in a superior position.

But we're still eating from the wrong tree, and now our perspective of Eden is held captive to the sap of that tree.

Do we really want to get back to Eden?

Maybe that was what the message of Jesus was all about.

He told them to seek a low place rather than a high one to be great. He told them to unplug themselves from the value systems of money and status. He told them not to rest on their own intellectual prowess. He told them not to worry or be anxious about material things but rather to be in a pursuit of God's kingdom as your supreme priority.

Maybe that's why they missed it then when it was in front of their face.

Maybe that's why we're missing it now.

Back to Eden...

Really?

Are you sure?

Mother Knows Best

2009-11-28T14:28:00.000-08:00

Jesus' mother is at a wedding reception.

Jesus is there as well

and his followers.

The wedding planner runs out of wine, and when the guests begin to ask for more, Jesus' mother comes to him and makes an announcement to Jesus.

"They have no wine."

Interesting comment, huh?

They're at a wedding reception and they have no wine.

This is important.

Wine was used in Jewish culture as a part of many exercises by which they would pray and pronounce blessing over one another at festivals, holidays, and weddings.

So listen to Jesus' mother again.

They have no wine.

They are lacking in the elements needed to complete the exercise of blessing over this new marriage.

I love Jesus' response and his mother's response to his response.

He asks her why she is involving him.

She tells those around to do whatever he tells you to do.

I love Jesus' mother in this story because she recognizes that those around her have run out of the needed elements to pronounce blessing over their new marriage and so she petitions the one who has the power to change that situation and instructs those who have positions to execute that powerful change through obedience.

She sees a much-needed lack at the wedding.

She asks Jesus to supply what's needed.

She instructs those who have positions to make it happen.

I wonder what that would look like in our context.

If we see what's lacking

Maybe we need to ask God for the supply

and get busy if we have the position or instruct others to do the same.

Maybe "lack" exists as an opportunity to remind us that our attendance at the wedding reception is for more than us just having a good time.

But maybe we received an invitation to be the sober-minded crowd in-tune with what the reception is missing.

Maybe our closeness with Jesus isn't about us, but more about an irresponsible wedding planning committee who runs out of the elements needed to pronounce blessing upon those entering the New Covenant.

Well if so, let's see, ask, and instruct so the blessing that's really needed can really happen.

American Idol

2009-11-23T21:21:00.000-08:00

Don't worship anything but me.

God's words, not mine.

You can't serve two value systems, God and money. They're aggressive towards each other.

Jesus' words, not mine.

I've been wondering what it means for us, as followers of Jesus, to commit ourselves to a lifestyle of worship to God rather than worshipping success as defined by the value systems of our world.

They say that if you have spare change in your candy dish that you are a part of the world's top 8% in wealth.

Yet, we complain.

Because we can't buy that purse

Or get that job.

We can't acquire that house

Or build that church complex.

We enter our churches and rather than worshipping God with an intense pursuit until we find ourselves in contact with the essence of His presence

We sing songs we don't mean that musical artists write for a paycheck.

Where is the lyric that was birthed out of someones suffering?

Where is the pursuit that is fueled by someones desperation to meet with God?

Where is the sermon that is more like a prophetic cry from someone who's heart is more focused on articulating God's heart rather than pleasing his congregation?

What are we worshipping?

God?

Or our American Idol.

We celebrate the rich, famous, and successful in our circles. We bring the accomplished forward while the impoverished sit in the rear of our churches.

We create religious atmospheres that suit our fancies while those who need the love and grace of Jesus remain confused and unable to embrace the God of the universe because his vitality is being strangled by our religious culture.

Yes, we have our American Idol.

You wanna recognize him?

When people are crying out to God and we stop that process so we can give them our homiletic sermon we've been preparing.

When people are poor and we ask them for resources instead of give resources to them.

When preachers who pastor the poor buy brand new luxury vehicles, dress like pimps, and wear bling-bling to set themselves apart from the crowd.

Yes, that's our American Idol.

Jesus is calling for something different.

For someone different.

For some different people.

People who have something to give that is powerful enough to bring strength into the lame feet of our generation.

People who are known more by the power they have internally over the success they have externally.

He's looking for people who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

People who gather to seek Him until they FIND Him!

People who are willing to fail.

People who are willing to break protocol.

People who are willing to be different.

A prophetic people.

A people who refuse Aaron's golden cow for Moses' tablets.

Jason Upton said the problem with the American church, and there is a problem, is that our wisdom isn't foolishness to the world anymore.

So I quote Jason's song, "Dying Star" for our reflection...

You've got your best man on the front side
You always show your best side
And evil's always on the other side
You say this is your strategy
But son I hope you take it from me
You look just like your enemy
You're full of pride
We better trash our idols if we want to be
In the army of the Lord
And the greatest idol is you and me,
We better get on the threshing floor
When will we learn that God's strategy
Is giving glory to the Lord?
We better trash our idols if we want to be
In the army of the Lord.

Weak, Grecian Jews

2009-11-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

So what does it mean to be missional?

As I've braved the seas of organized religion and ministry for nearly all my life, I've navigated through the many currents that experience brings.

And if there's one thing I've consistently seen, it is and can be expressed in one word.

Trends.

And now the new trend is being missional.

And this word means different thing for many different people depending on who they are, what they're looking at, and from where they are looking from.

Missional means giving food to the poor.

To others it means sharing your faith with those in your community, wherever that may be.

And many folks see it as the posture they must take to engage this postmodern generation in a way that leads the agnostic/un-churched/de-churched crowd back into the organized church.

I must confess that missional has meant these three definitions for me at different seasons of my life.

But as I've been walking the walk of a missional person in vocation, I've had to change.

It's interesting because I thought I was coming to bring change while I didn't realize that change needed to be brought to me.

I was so accustomed to bringing a word and now I'm realizing that a word was brought to me.

The reality that I've found in just the almost 18 months in this walk is that faith is failing in our world not because of a lack of power in the message of faith, but rather the inability of those leading the faithful to take on a role of patient humility while allowing time to see life from other's point of view.

During this season of life, Paul 's (the missional cat from the early Jesus movement) words have begun to really frame my posture as it relates to those in need of hope, love and transformation.

He said that he had to give up his familiarity in order to reach a wider range of people. He didn't lost who he was, but rather made room for who others were so that the hope, love, and transformation that God brings into willing lives has a chance to be cultivated.

In his words, he became a Jew to the Jew.

A Greek to the Greek.

And a weak person to the weak.

Never does he say he became strong to the strong.

Why?

Because that's the posture we already start in, and rather than empowering that posture, we need to take great strides to ensure that we are abandoning that strength while making room to see life from other's point of view.

Missional for me, now, means making room in my life for me to change so I can be better postured to present the message of faith that many are desperate to hear.

Missional means that I must become a Weak, Grecian Jew.

Abacus

2009-10-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a friend of mine about a variety of different ways we surrender ourselves to God's plan.

We were talking about the ancient, Hebrew prophets and what their lives looked like in partnership with God.

One of them laid on their side for 390 days as a visual statement to his nation that they had walked away from their partnership with God.

Then he had to roll over and lay on his other side for 40 days as another visual statement to his community that they had ignored God for generations.

That's a long time.

430 days on the ground to be exact.

He was told that he could bake bread, but it needed to be cooked on a bed of human feces.

Yeah.

This is God

and his prophet.

But this is a different picture of God and his partnership with his servants than what we're familiar with. This God doesn't seem to care too much of how his "partnering" will affect his partners.

Why?

Because maybe God expects his partners to understand that partnership with Him is about Him and his heart for a hurting world and not about what possible opportunities your partnership with him might create.

It's like He's the teacher

explaining a subject to a rowdy class.

We've thought for too long that we were the subject, but instead, we're more like an abacus.

We're a tool that sits over in the corner of the room until the subject of math is being discussed, and then the ancient yet contemporary calculator is needed to teach kids how to count.

The abacus doesn't teach.

The teacher uses the abacus to teach his subject.

Outside of math time, the abacus gets used as a toy by kids in the room, a musical instrument, an imaginary shield when the kids are playing war, or simply a bookend to keep the Dr. Seuss book from falling.

But the abacus must know his place in partnering with the teacher

And we must know our place in partnering with God.

Our lives might seem to be filled with mundane opportunities to stand next to the glue and hold up books, but when the teacher is ready to use us for His purpose, we will be prepared to be used.

So don't allow your lack of use to determine your value, but rather your presence in the class of the Teacher.

Chimera

2009-09-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

I never knew that there is actually an animal that is half sheep and half goat.

It's called a chimera.

Jesus is pretty clear about who will be welcomed into his kingdom in the afterlife.

Sheep

and not

Goats.

Sheep are determined by those who treat the "least of us" as they would treat their Creator

while

Goats are determined by those who do the opposite.

In this measure, Jesus makes a vivid point that faith in him, alone, without a lifestyle that validates that faith isn't really faith at all.

Thus, you by default find your home in the land of goats.

Jesus asks his disciples then and now to treat the least of "his brothers" well.

Failure to do this in light of religious, political, or social persuasions has no validity in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus simply asks us to treat the least his brothers, well.

Give them food if their hungry

Clothes if their naked

shelter if their homeless,

and visitation if their incarcerated.

This isn't the end, but rather a mere beginning that will hopefully spawn us to good works.

That's why God's gives us his very, Holy Spirit.

Do be empowered to accomplish his work.

So I challenge you, as myself, to ensure that we graze in the meadows of sheep rather than live in the land of goats.

That we make no excuses for ourselves and settle for a compromising posture that allows us, in our eyes, to do both.

Because Jesus is calling for sheep and not goats.

And he is certainly not looking for half-breeds.

Stephen's Stones

2009-09-01T20:41:00.000-07:00

I see heaven open.

The beginning of a sentence that got a young man named Stephen killed but also led to life for us.

Stephen, this young man in the early Jesus movement, uttered these words with more about Jesus sitting at God's right hand and the religious crowd of his day stoned him to death.

Yeah, rocks.

Pretty tough, huh?

Stephen loved God.

He loved the people.

But his life ended with the pain of being pummeled by stones.

But Stephen's sacrifice was necessary.

It wasn't until this episode in the early movement that the opposition realized how dangerous the movement was to their religious systems and sought out to annihilate it.

And without that, the members of the early movement never scatter.

And without their scattering, the apostles are never traveling to serve them.

And without their traveling, other people groups never hear the message.

And without other people hearing the message, the movement never picks up global steam.

But it didn't start with the apostles having grand ideas about spreading out,

it started with Stephen's stones.

Lot's of times, we're more likely to stay with the crowd and where we feel secure, but often, we're not needed there. We need to be scattered so that the movement does just that.

Moves.

So lick your wounds and understand that Stephen's stones were what was needed and your stones are as well.

In the way of Jesus, personal sacrifice is always the door that leads to provision for many.

Acorns

2009-08-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Jesus says ask and you will receive.

See and you will find.

Knock and the door will be opened to you.

Now, truth be told, lots of us have asked, sought, and knocked and didn't end up receiving, finding, or getting admission anywhere.

Well, so it seems.

What I'm realizing is that what we desire and subsequently ask for may sometimes originate from a value system that is hostile towards God's order in the world.

So those desires shouldn't be answered.

Like killing that person you can't stand

Or letting your football team win this week

Or you getting a new car to "floss" in while you haven't giving anyone a ride in the "hoopty" you've been driving.

Yeah, those desire don't deserve fulfillment.

But some do.

So if we ask for the right things or should I say, "from the right place", Jesus says God is faithful to meet us at the other end of this principle.

But we still must be careful in our journeying to the "other end".

Because when you pray for an oak tree

God usually responds with an acorn.

Israel needed a messiah

God responded with a baby.

So don't "despise your day of small beginnings" because when the receiving starts to happen, the finding becomes easier, and the admission is all around you

It's your time to take that acorn, and make it work

Towards God's order and not your own.

Robes, Seats, and Long Prayers

2009-08-28T22:25:00.000-07:00

Jesus is pretty confrontational.

In one story, he's sitting in their model of church talking to the parishioners. He's talking to them about historical and theological concepts that involve one of their ancient kings, David, and the crowd's pretty interested.

Then he hits this interesting subject about the teachers of the law.

Otherwise known as the Pharisees

or leaders of their model of "church".

Jesus, while teaching in the lobby, tells the parishioners to be careful that they don't allow themselves to get caught up in the fluff of their modern day leaders.

Now why is Jesus going down this road?

Is he a hater?

Is he a gossiper?

Is he bitter?

Maybe he's operating in his prophetic role and speaking some truth to power that the parishioners needed to hear then and need to hear now.

You see, this message can come and should come free from Haterade, gossip, or bitterness.

Jesus warned the people to not get caught up in the fluff or as Paul says, a "form of godliness that denies the actual power to be godly."

Jesus warns them then and us now to not be swayed with those who like to impress with their trendy fashion and shiny smiles as they ever-so-slightly mosey through the crowd.

Jesus warns them then and us now to pay attention to those who seek those important seats and positions that bring them personal honor.

Jesus warns us to watch the actions of those who's "ministry" flourishes off the backs of the poor while they make good on perfecting their religious rhetoric.

Now why is Jesus going down this road?

I thought he said we shouldn't be judging?

But I think He's bringing us down this road for a reason.

He wants us to learn.

He didn't do any of these things, and regardless as to whether we might see other religious leaders going down these roads, we must obey and follow the commands and example of Jesus.

So the next time you find yourself interested more in the way you look rather than your ability to see those Jesus misses most, check yourself and change.

Otherwise known as repentance.

The next time you are looking for the front row or position, find the back row or position and get to know those people.

And the next time you get lost in a long prayer, shorten it and take that extra time to go help somebody less fortunate than you.

Because that's what we signed up for with Jesus.

Repentance

Backseats

and service.

It isn't sexy, but it is the way of the kingdom.

Jesus Couldn't Do Something.

2009-08-21T08:19:00.001-07:00

At least, that''s how one of the author's frames the story.

Jesus shows up in his hometown trying to energize people with his teaching, but they knew him there.

Not by who he was now,

But by who he was then.

A carpenter

Mary's son

a brother to siblings

And a mere Nazarene.

Because of his humble beginnings, people discredited the authenticity of his message and subsequent activity.

To them, his start didn't give way towards his finish.

So they didn't believe.

And because they were positioned in a place of such skepticism, the writer suggests that Jesus couldn't do any miracles there.

Except heal a few sick people.

But otherwise, the author says Jesus couldn't do something.

And that's interesting to me because that's not a clause you find often, about Jesus, that is.

That he couldn't do something.

But that's what sticks out.

The activity of God through those who partner with his plan must have a welcoming embrace towards that activity.

Jesus didn't just heal because of who He was, but rather didn't heal because of who they were.

So understanding what a huge part we play in the interaction between that which we can't touch and that which we can is crucial.

While we recognize that we don't play the most important role, we can understand that we do play a vital one.

Because if Jesus couldn't do something then because of the unbelief of the people, maybe God's activity in our communities is limited now because of the unbelief of the people as well.

Jesus Values Dirt!

2009-08-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

Jesus seems to make a big deal out of it.

Dirt, that is.

He tells this story that the authors of the narratives left for us to learn about the character of Jesus of Nazareth seem to unitedly show us.

Jesus tells a story to people about how seed complies with dirt or fails to comply.

He seems to set a precedence in his story that the sower will sow seed on all kinds of dirt, but it's what exists within the world of the dirt that determines the success of the seed.

He says that the sower comes to sow seed on the dirt by the side of the road, but the birds come to take it away.

He says that the sower comes to sow the seed on the dirt that's hard and stony, but the seed never takes.

He says that the sower comes to sow the seed on the dirt that has thorns, and those thorns never allow the seed to flourish.

And He says that the sower comes to sow the seed on the dirt that takes the seed and actually fulfills it's purpose and produces fruit.

Jesus tells his intimate followers the revelation of his story.

He says that some people's dirt gives room for their enemies to steal away the presence of the seed's truth.

Some people's dirt is so hard that it literally resists the seed from sinking in.

Some people's dirt allows the paradigms and value systems their living in to strangle the life of the seed.

And some people's dirt is ready for the seed to sink in, and make a difference in their future.

You see, the factor isn't the seed.

It's the dirt.

So make sure your dirt is prepared to receive the seed that can produce fruit for you and your family to eat as well as others.

Because Jesus values dirt.

Jesus is Insane!

2009-08-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

This is what his family said when they saw how he was living his life.

They were a family of carpentry and here Jesus was traveling around teaching and preaching in the religious circles, this new message.

He's got crowds following him with his crazy self.

He's telling this eccentric group of 12 that follows him around everywhere that they now have power to free people from devils and heal their sicknesses.

His family has a unified take.

Jesus is out of his mind!

Why?

Because he's living outside of the very good paradigm that they understood.

He's got a new take on the religious day called the Sabbath.

That it exists for you, not you for it.

He's got a new take on what people group he should spend his time around.

People who don't live life positive like him, but rather those who are the deviants of society.

He's got a new take on how he should minister to people's needs.

Forgive their sins as a priority over their physical needs.

His family wasn't wrong and neither was Jesus. Their perception of Jesus was being unnecessarily framed as deficient instead of different.

They were responding to Jesus by what they knew without knowing that He was responding to life and those around him by what he knew.

Because he was baptized.

Had the vision of heaven being tore open and the Holy Spirit coming on him.

Heard the voice of God speaking to him and affirming his new direction.

And Jesus had to respond.

Regardless of how other's might understand this.

Because that's the example Jesus leaves for us as people. An example where we respond with obedience to what God shows us.

We must understand that although people love you and have a good set of values and paradigms by which they understand the world; God isn't limited by those things.

And you can't be limited by them either.

Jesus' family thought he was insane and decided to have an intervention, but Jesus was having no part of it.

Not because he didn't love them, but because he had to live his life in view of his baptismal vision and not their carpentry paradigm.

When his family showed up for the intervention, he allowed them to stay outside while he continued to live life in view of his baptismal vision.

Because Jesus realized that his closest community was those who responded with obedience to the Father's direction over being limited by their understood paradigms.

So before you allow other people to define your posture as deficient instead of different, take some time to ensure that you are not disconnecting yourself from the radicality of how the Uncreated One might be relating to you.

And if that means you have to be qualified as insane

then maybe you're moving a little closer towards Jesus and away from the crowd.

Jesus in a Dog's Butt

2009-08-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

I will always be with you until the end of the age.

I will never leave you.

These are words that Jesus left his disciples with as he departed their company.

People all over the world throughout the last two thousand years have desired a physical manifestation of this statement by finding appearances of the divine in the everyday experiences of the mundane.

They see Jesus in the clouds.

In a water stain after a monsoon.

In the brickwork of a building.

And, yes, now in the butt of a dog.

Houston, we have a problem!

The problem I believe is that we are oftentimes seeking to minor in the supernatural touch of the divine rather than committing ourselves to the inconspicuous opportunities to major in the mundane.

Why?

Because the mundane is boring.

Working with your neighbors

Dealing with their drama

Listening to their stupidity

Being patient in their transition is not sexy.

We would all rather be healing blind people, raising people from the dead, or intoxicating ourselves and one another with our intellectual prowess.

But when the chase becomes for those supernatural things instead of the mundane things in front of us, we begin to major in areas we need to minor and minor in areas we need to major.

Like seeing Jesus in your dog's butt.

Out of all the things that Jesus came to do, teach, and exemplify; I think that his objective was a far cry from people getting their rocks off by seeing "him" in a dog's butt.

So instead of pursuing things that are most likely out of your reach, grab hold to those things that are within your reach.

Your neighbors.

Your family.

Your friends.

Love them.

Share your good news with them.

And major in the mundane.

Because if the message and philosophy of Jesus crescendos in a dog's butt, then God help us all!

Holy Frustration

2009-07-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

I like the musician turned political leader in the Bible, David.

Why?

Because this guy is real.

He's full of passion, courage, fire, love, and enough lust to make him become a politician.

John Edwards. Mark Sanford.

Need I go on?

But I like David.

I was just reading one of his psalms, 139, and David goes through this recounting of how cool it is that God is active in his life.

He's glad God is with him in his most heavenly experiences

And his most hellish seasons.

David understands that his life, whether heavenly or hellish, is okay because of the Uncreated One who accompanies him in that journey.

And because of this revelation, David says he hates those who are "enemies of God's state."

David has a holy frustration inside him when he sees people pimping out the truth that makes him alive.

But I love how David deals with his frustration.

With Humility

And confession.

He allows the missteps of others to remind him that he, too, is flawed and needs more of God's activity in his life.

So maybe instead of kicking at the darkness, we ought to allow our view of it to motivate us to make the Light a little brighter in our life.

It's easy to be frustrated

And probably healthy in its proper context,

But we can't stop there.

Our frustration must lead us to motivation.

The Devil

2009-07-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

So what's up with the devil?

Is he real?

Is he red?

Does he really live in that awful Halloween costume?

I mean really, when I say the word, "devil" what jumps into your mind? Probably the picture to your right!

I was wondering how the devil of the scriptures; an unemployed, homeless, angelic being; became this figure who seems to control so much in our lives and in the lives of our world.

I mean we say Jesus is the King of the world, but the devil seems to get so much play.

And in the end, it seems like he gets more people to be destroyed than Jesus seems to get more people saved.

But is this a war between Jesus and the devil?

Is the devil Jesus' equal?

Is he Neo's "Agent Smith" that balances the equation?

I don't think so.

What I think is that it's much more easy to have a very powerful devil to blame things on rather than face our own disobedience and lethargic living as the influencing factor for why the world is the way it is.

It's easier to blame the devil for the flat tire you have that kept you from getting to church on time rather than dealing with the nail you ran over and never got your tire changed.

It's easier to blame the devil for that irresponsible sexual activity you engaged in rather than take a look, as Michael Jackson says, at the man in the mirror.

Because that's how we function.

We blame.

But it seems to me that the message of Jesus calls people to responsible accountability not irresponsible blame.

And if it does, then the role of the devil in the world is irrelevant.

In Jesus' stories, I see dark and demonic forces running up to Jesus begging for the smallest beat down possible.

They're not dominating, they're being dominated.

So regardless of your opinion of the devil, whether he's a bodybuilder or an anorexic, focus on Jesus, who's message has proved to change communities all over the world.

James, Jesus' younger brother, said, "Yell a loud no to the devil, and give a quiet yes to God.

And remember that your greatest nemesis doesn't have a red Halloween costume on and live under your house.

He or she lives is your bedroom.

They are the enemy, in-a-me!

Rubbish

2009-07-05T09:15:00.001-07:00

Poverty.

Sacrifice.

Surrender.

These are terms that have dominated my faith-o-sphere for the last couple months as I've been reflecting on what it really means to follow Jesus.

I've continued to ponder on Jesus words when he said that "The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor."

I've asked myself over and over, "What does it mean to be poor?"

And the follow-up question has been, "Am I poor enough to inherit God's wealth?"

Some authors who wrote stories of Jesus life talked about how he mentioned being "poor in spirit" and "poor in substance".

Jesus doesn't say it's impossible for a rich man to enter his wealth, but very difficult to.

So I've been pondering, looking around my contemporary experience and back to the ancient times for a compass to understand what it means to be poor, now.

I don't know that I've arrived at the complete destination yet, but I did find something new in a familiar quotation from an early Christian writer, Paul.

He said, "I have counted everything I have as rubbish so I can know Jesus."

Interesting.

Paul was a wealthy man in knowledge.

Substance,

and spirit.

But he didn't know Jesus, fully.

In order to know him, he had to sacrifice his religious culture, power, and expertise.

Paul had to be willing to see Jesus how Jesus might show himself to him and not through the lenses of his religious culture, power, and expertise.

This seems to be how Paul became poor.

Once an educated Pharisee in the elite, political and religious circles of his day; he now became a traveling missionary with a new message of which there were no documents to authenticate it.

But to Paul, this was necessary that he might know him.

So whatever we have that we value

Our religious culture

Power

Expertise

must be considered rubbish so we can know Jesus.

If not, all we become are religious fools and castrated Christians who have nothing to give and are always in the need to receive.

Pharisees

2009-05-13T22:21:00.001-07:00

It's been almost a month since something interesting happened to me.

There I was.

In the 'hood, getting ready to launch another community event where we provide free groceries, clothing, and prayer to what is affectionately known as the Lower Bottoms of West Oakland.

My guys and I were setting up when two men approached me.

"Who gave you permission to be in this lot?" they asked.

"I'm not sure where you're coming from." I replied.

"This lot belongs to the church across the street, and you didn't ask our permission to be over here! We're having a meeting and our people have no where to park because you're in our lot. you were here last month and interrupted our meeting as well." they went on to say.

"I didn't know this lot belonged to you all. There is no signage or way for me to know. I'm sorry. Please forgive me.", I went on to say.

These two clowns, and I meant that intentionally, walked back over to their church and came out with the pastor along with about 10 deacons and/or ministers.

The pastor walks up to me and begins to lecture me about why I am out of order for being in his lot without his permission even though I extended an apology to him before he could say a word.

He accuses me of being Robin Hood because I am doing "something right the wrong way."

As I stand here, frustrated by the contradiction of these guys, I ask myself a question.

Is this what the church is about now?

Meetings.

Suits.

Parking Lots.

The pastor told me that I should come to his meeting so I can be "in order" and learn what they're "planning" to do in the community.

Now, he's saying this while over 200 bags of groceries and 100 coats are being unloaded in the lot.

Come to my meeting.

Then he and his goons walk back over to their church, while there is about 100 people from the community standing there, to have their meeting.

I know he felt justified in what he did, and for that I pity the man.

Why?

Because these are the same guys that showed up at John the Baptist baptismal experience 2,000 years ago.

John told them this.

"You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ...The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

We're living in an age where Christianity has been reduced to angry people having meetings, wearing suits, and arguing over parking lots.

If they're not doing this, they're protesting gay marriage, abortion, and praying against Barack Obama.

And my question is why?

Bring fruits worthy of repentance and a lifestyle worthy of being called a Jesus-follower.

Would Jesus fight over parking lots?

Would he protest against the morally wrong of his day?

Would he condemn the mother entering an abortion clinic?

Would he fuss over a parking lot when hungry people are being fed and naked people are receiving clothes?

No, he wouldn't.

So why do Christians?

Because, in an imperial system like America, there is a dangerous opportunity for the faithful to become religious.

And in this, become a Pharisee.

The very people Jesus warned were the wrong example for entering into the kingdom of God.

So ask yourself the question, "What side are you on?"

The side of Jesus...

or the side of the Pharisees.

If you don't like gay marriage...hang out with gay people and get to know them.

If you are against abortion..commit yourself to serving young mothers who feel they have no direction.

And if you have a parking lot, don't be a loser and chase someone trying to serve the community out because you feel your territory is being infringed upon.

Remember, Jesus is looking for followers, not Pharisees.

Justice and Love

2009-05-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Justice is the body of love, love the soul of justice. Justice is the flesh of love, love is the spirit of justice. When they are separated, we have a moral corpse. Justice without love is brutality. Love without justice is banality.

-God and Empire
John Dominic Crossan
page 190

...you gotta read this book...

Disclaimer: This is a great read of you are looking for an intellectual theology over a sensational theology. All isn't right or wrong, black and white, but the shades of gray in this book will keep you thinking and reflecting if your faith is something you really desire to develop.

Hot Baths

2009-04-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

What do you expect out of life?

A career making six figures

or the house on the hills

or the 2.5 children

or the Mandincan warrior.

Well, maybe that's a little out of order but you get the point.

The bottom line is we all have expectations, and if we're honest, it's a challenge for all of us when those expectations aren't met.

An old Hebrew sage said "hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

There were two men walking on a road in ancient Israel called Emmaus which translated means "hot baths".

They had an expectation that the peasant rabbi, Jesus, would restore Israel back to its national prominence.

After all his teaching, they weren't expecting the hungry to be fed, deepeing their understanding of God, or expecting opportunities to serve; but rather they were looking for national prominence.

Why?

Because is sucks to live at the bottom.

It sucks to be stuck on the underside of an empire, and after living life there for a while, the only thing you oftentimes want is to be on top.

It sucked then for many in the Roman Empire.

It sucks now for many in the American Empire.

So when Jesus died, these two guys weren't missing a rabbi, they were missing a chance at getting back to the top.

They had followed Jesus because he represented the chance to get back to the top, but now that expectation was over.

Because Jesus was dead.

So on this road to hot baths, a resurrected yet disguised Jesus joins them on their frustrated journey to remind them that what was most important was that their hearts burned from his teaching regardless of their failed expectations.

He had more in store for them then careers, homes, children and Mandincan warriors.

He wanted them to live, really live.

So maybe while we're on our road to hot baths discussing with each other why things haven't turned out the way we had hoped, we should remember that the resurrected yet disguised Jesus is accompanying us.

Let's listen to his words

and let our hearts burn.

Because maybe the hot bath we need is really an internal cleansing and not an external rinse.

Earth Spin

2009-04-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Sunrise.

An interesting word.

Especially because it's a proven fact that the sun doesn't move.

But the word signifies something interesting about humanity and our perspective.

We live in a self-centered world.

In this, the commitment to and responsibility for our fellow-man is oftentimes overlooked while we are overwhelmed in the world of me, myself, and I.

It's easy to see life with us as the center and everything else revolving around us.

You know.

The sun rises, right?

In America, we can become nationalistic and imperial in our thinking and begin to see the world with us as the center and our needs as most important.

And when that happens

torture is okay

as long as it isn't performed on our people,

murder can run through our streets

as long as it isn't running through our neighborhood,

and we can embrace a culture that ignores the poor

as long as that culture and ignorance benefits our financial profile.

Because, really, we are in the center, and everything else revolves around us.

Right?

But back to my first point.

The sun doesn't rise.

The earth spins.

So maybe instead of calling the mystifying miracle we see every morning sunrise, we should call it earth spin.

Even better, maybe our lifestyle should be reflective of the consistency of God and his message in light of our revolving animation.

Because the sun doesn't rise.

The earth spins.

or maybe I should say

The Son doesn't rise

We spin.

And since we spin, let's spin around the things Jesus talked about.

Marijuana Memory

2009-04-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

I've heard that smoking marijuana causes damage to your memory.

Whether that's true or not, I have known lots of people who, after smoking lots of weed, seem to find challenge in remembering certain events surrounding their weed smoking season.

Those lost memories leave them lacking an appreciation for both positive and negative experiences because they simply don't remember.

Upon the landscape of Christianity's celebration of Jesus' resurrection, I found myself reading through the narrative again.

You have Jesus dying on a cross.

His undercover associates burying him in a stone-covered tomb.

His mother and friend arriving at the tomb to embalm his dead body three days later.

But when they arrive, something unexpected to them occurred.

The stone was rolled away.

His dead body was missing.

And they were left in a painful confusion.

Then something happens.

Angels show up in the now, un-stoned tomb where the dead body is now missing, and have a lively conversation with the mother and friend who are processing their painful confusion.

The angelic visitors questioned the mother and the friend amidst their painful confusion as to why they were where they were.

Not at the tomb.

But in painful confusion.

They reminded the mother and the friend amidst the painful confusion of Jesus words to them before his death. He promised them that he would die and come back to life.

But when Jesus died, they forgot.

Isn't that our story?

When Jesus dies, we forget.

When what we expected to happen doesn't happen, we forget the promises he made to us preceding the letdown.

When we become inebriated by the joints we smoke when things don't work out our way or simply by the contact of being around others who are smoking the joints of life's letdowns, we escape for a season, but that escape leaves us without a commitment to the promises we held so close previously.

What I love about this story that goes beyond the divine resurrection aspect is the human reaction that happens in Jesus' mother and her friend.

The narrative says after the angelic conversation, "...they remembered his words."

As much as we can, let's try to not smoke joints of relief to escape life's letdowns so we don't forget Jesus' words.

Because the power of resurrection shouldn't just be about his ability to get up, but also about ours.

PhD (nouns-part 4)

2009-04-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

Why the church?

I mean really, why the church?

This is a question that was asked and answered almost 2,000 years ago, and needs to be asked and answered today.

So let's do that.

Why the church?

When Jesus came, he introduced an idea of heaven on earth that would be ushered in by a certain people now known as the church.

The people of his day had a religious institution.

They had a hierarchy.

They had democracy.

And Jesus came and began to bring a new idea called the kingdom.

He used this idea to shape how they understood spirituality and its place in their lives.

Jesus was a philosopher.

And the kingdom was his philosophy.

So why then has the ideas presented within Christianity represent more of the tradition's of Roman ideology over the original philosophy Jesus presented?

Because Jesus philosophy is tough.

Confrontational.

Challenging.

Sobering.

His ideas wrestled aggressively against the ideas of his age.

Jesus came presenting a message that would create a new community that brought together those inside the synagogue and outside the synagogue. This message was meant to free humanity at its core and give them the power to live based upon a cause rather than a feeling.

In other words...

Jesus had an idea that a people would cling to that would free them from seeking identity from a place or having a need to experience any thing.

Jesus' idea caused rich, young rulers to walk away from him.

Powerful people to kill him.

And his friends.

And their families.

But it was worth it to the church back then because they were living for this idea that was greater than themselves.

This idea that man could live with God, again, and because of that life; man could live with one another in true harmony and love.

So why the church?

Because the church represents an idea, a perfect idea from a Galilean man named Jesus. His idea is one of success through failure, life through death, achievement through sacrifice; and the world needs people who believe in this man and his message to balance the equation of humanity.

But if the church finds it's identity in a place, we're in trouble.

If the church finds it's identity in a feeling, we're in big trouble.

So where must we find ourselves?

We must find ourselves as a committed group of people.

Committed to the cause of Jesus.

Committed to the cause of love.

Why?

Because we live in an age where the church is known by how close-minded and insensitive it can be to those Jesus would have spent his time around.

So I ask for the church to stand in the true meaning of the church and abandon our need for hierarchies, operations, and programs.

Let us stop having services where we reduce the power of the church to the mediocrity of an organization.

And let us become doctors of Jesus' philosophy who utilize the power of his message to heal our world.

Radio Revolution (nouns - part3)

2009-03-28T19:04:00.001-07:00

First, giving honor to God, to the pastors, saints, and friends. We thank the Lord for being here, and for bringing us safely over the highways. We come to have church in Jesus name.

Lyrics from one of the choir songs I grew up listening to.

An interesting concept, huh?

Having church, that is.

How can you have church?

Well, this is the thing we have come to define that presents how we feel when we're in our houses of worship.

It's funny because all kinds of sects of Christianity have their own thing called "having church".

For the Pentecostal, it might be a powerful experience of speaking in unknown languages and dancing with joy rather than just singing with words.

For the Evangelical, it might be enjoying a humorous lecture after a riveting yet reserved musical experience.

And there are many more.

But it seems that now our houses of worship perfect and market their thing to draw people looking for that thing.

But are we supposed to be looking for a thing at all?

And how close do we really come to seeking the thing over the Jesus hopefully at the center of the thing we are ultimately desiring to experience?

If I'm seeking the thing, than the worship leader can fail on Sundays if he doesn't get me high.

The teacher can "miss it" if I don't feel my thing while they are teaching or preaching.

I'll switch my community of faith because of the lack or surplus of the thing I'm looking for.

Now while that fits into the mold of everything else we do in our capitalistic society of supply and demand, I wonder if it is supposed to be this way when we live as the church.

What would the world look like if we remained committed to relationships with other believers, skeptics, and seekers not because of a shared desire for our thing, but because of how our lives have authentically affected by the love of Jesus at work?

I scrolled through the radio dial last week and landed on a Christian radio station in my area. During the break, I listened to the various commercials of churches marketing their thing to believers throughout the area.

I wondered, "How did we get to a place where Jesus and our love for each other isn't marketable anymore, but rather our ability to perfect our thing?"

At what point did having a lot of people gathering in one place during the week to experience their thing become the goal of the church?

Now I will confess that I have made my considerable contribution to this reality in the past, and for that I hope for future opportunities to redeem the time.

So maybe instead of valuing our thing to the degree that we design snazzy postcards like the strip clubs or make corny, radio commercials like local auto dealers; we should commit ourselves to valuing our relationships over the fray.

Maybe a picnic with your family where you give authentic attention to your family and friends, discuss the scriptures and how they are inspiring or teaching you, and committing to those close to you the kind of accountability and reliability we all need to be healthy people.

I know this thing won't bring in the masses.

But who said that the masses represented success anyways.

And if we think that revolution is coming through our ability to describe our thing through the radio, we are in serious trouble.

When I worked at a church, one fellow pastor quoted the movie (Field of Dreams) and said, "Ben, if we build it, they will come."

...

God, I pray that the church doesn't become nothing more than a Field of Dreams.

St. Arbucks or Bust! (nouns - part 2)

2009-03-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Prayer.

Music.

Announcements.

Lecture.

Prayer.

Socializing.

For the majority, I just ran off your typical Sunday experience when you go to the place we oftentimes call church.

Now I want to make it clear, I’m not knocking the structure of your place, but rather painting a picture of a place that reflects what the assembly Jesus talked about could represent.

Jesus spent time in the synagogues (his modern-day houses of worship) and his friends continued to do so after he left the scene, but Jesus seemed to be big on creating opportunities for more people to recognize him as “The One” and subsequently become a part of the organism Jesus calls the church.

So the environments he created were neutral places influenced by those he was interested in loving.

Jesus hung out at Matthew’s house.

Jesus hung out at Zacchaeus’ house.

They were both infamous thieves and associated with prostitutes and criminals.

Jesus hung out at Jacob’s well and ultimately spent a week with Samaritans who were viewed by the faith leaders of Jesus’ day as literally, unclean.

After Jesus is off the picture, The Rock (otherwise known as Simon Barjona) moves these hangouts indoors into people’s homes because it became illegal to belong to the church in a public way.

And for more information on how we got from The Rock’s living room into your 25,000 square foot facility, take a class on Church History.

So almost two thousand years after Jesus’ death, I wonder what one of his places would look like now if he had the freedom we enjoy? What would his place (where his church would gather along with others interested in deciding whether he is “The One” or not) look like in our American context in 2009?

For some reason, I see that place designed very differently. So humor me and take a literary tour.

I think Jesus would have those places influenced not by the assembly, but rather by the skeptics and seekers.

I see a place where the artwork on the walls honors the traditions of culture that everyone can enjoy regardless as to whether they fit into the definition of the church, seeker, or skeptic. I also look around and am able to see what’s happening outside (nature, traffic, smog, other people, etc.) while I process this concept called “the kingdom”.

I sit down inside this place that is designed more for people to interact rather than focus on a particular part or person within the room. Since Jesus was always eating, this place is full of food while people are interacting and everyone from businesspeople to homeless folks are hanging out.

In this place, concepts are shared that help shape God’s picture for humanity through Jesus’ teaching but this happens in discussion format rather than lectures. People Twitter™ their responses up on the flat screens all around the walls, and continue to talk with each other with the freedom to agree or disagree.

All kinds of music are played in this place and Jesus bobs his head with the best of them. This music helps people process God’s relationship to them, their relationship to God, and their relationship to each other.

And because of the kind of people the assembly are, you won’t leave this place without someone authentically connecting with you to approach God about your struggle. It’s not facilitated; it just happens when it needs to happen.

Prostitutes like to come to this place.

The poor feel comfortable in this place.

Bernie Madoff gets to sit in the front without being sneered at in this place.

Gay people love this place.

The people who don’t like this place are the ones dressed up outside who want to hold on to the tradition of truth rather than the truth itself.

So while we have our houses of worship we enjoy, the church should also consider being intentional about creating a different place for those whom Jesus misses most outside our houses of worship.

Or those within our houses of worship who are missing Jesus amidst the…

Prayer.

Music.

Announcements.

Lecture.

Prayer.

Socializing.

Jesus and Pro-Wrestlers (nouns - part 1)

2009-03-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

A church built on a rock that isn’t overcome by present evil.

That’s what Jesus defined as the church when he spoke to his friends about the noun.

This was the first time this word was used in the Matrix Reloaded, otherwise known as the New Testament in the Bible.

Jesus is talking privately to his friends who will ultimately carry on his movement of faith among his persecuted people known as the Jews.

Jesus asks them who people say he is?

Jesus then asks who they say he is?

One guy named Simon Barjona answers by saying that Jesus is “The One” sent by God.

The Jews had been waiting on “The One”, and now one guy out of twelve believes he has in fact found him.

Upon Jesus hearing this reply, he tells Simon that this revelation has come to him supernaturally and that he is now giving him a new nickname.

The Rock.

No, not Dewayne Johnson.

Simon Barjona.

Jesus tells “The Rock” that he will be a launching pad for “my church”.

Hmmm.

A better word for church in this context would be assembly.

My assembly.

Jesus’ assembly.

In the conversation of who people think He is and who his friends think he is, Jesus finishes this discussion by talking about “his assembly” of citizens who leave their familiarity and become “his people”. It seems that Jesus connects his “assembly” with a people who have a clear perception of who He is, and throughout his teaching, he instructs people who love him and believe he is “The One” to follow his example.

It seems that Jesus isn’t calling an assembly to be attended and left, but rather a one-time call from your former location in life into a new zip code.

If this is the case, then that means we can’t actually “go to church” considering that when Jesus introduces this noun to us, he does so by introducing it as a people rather than a place.

So rather than membership, attendance, and offering records at a specific location; Jesus seems to be calling for a people who make a decision to assemble in the context of life and society because of our recognition that he is “The One”.

And since he’s “The One” I, like Simon Barjona, must be ready to sacrifice whatever I must for the assembly.

Not for a place I go.

But for a movement I represent and embody.

As his people, we must be ready to love what he loves, which is other people.

Can you imagine what our western world (yeah..just stay with me inside our borders for a minutes) would look like if we passionately understood our primary function as his people was to love other people in an actualized way.

Not just God Bless You's at bus stops, but if we centered our lives around the concept of being Jesus' assembly, his salt on our suburbs's bland pasta, and his light in our urban dark neighborhoods.

The most radical expression of this assembly I have ever read about was the earliest assembly led by “The Rock” who sacrificially sold their personal possessions to establish a collective wealth that would eliminate “lack” and create opportunity for the assembly to survive.

Considering what they gave up, as the church, I wonder…

What am I and are we called to give up, in our context, of our individuality to establish a wealthy collectivity so as to eliminate lack and create opportunity for the assembly to survive?

Not as it has been.

But as it might be.

Nouns

2009-03-22T17:06:00.001-07:00

A noun is commonly understood as a person, place, thing, or idea.

I wonder what this means when we tackle the word church which has become all four expressions of what a noun is.

The church is defined as a people.

The church is defined as a place to go to exercise spirituality with other people.

The church is defined as some thing you experience when you go to the place to exercise spirituality with these other people.

And the church is defined as an ancient idea that these other people who want to exercise their spirituality at the place subscribe to when they experience the thing.

Got it?

I have some interesting thoughts that I'm working through about all four of these common definitions. Over the next couple days, I'm gonna be dropping some blogs about people, places, things, and ideas otherwise understood individually apart from themselves as "the church".

Go with me and let's discuss over the next few days about these nouns.

Sleepy People

2009-03-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

Jesus was surrounded by sleepy people.

He was getting ready to be executed, and while He was awaiting the officials to come and falsely arrest him, Jesus was praying.

Only a couple hours earlier Jesus fed his friends and washed their feet, and now they're hanging out in a garden while Jesus starts to mentally prepare himself to be executed.

It's a tough place to be.

I can only imagine.

Jesus goes deeper into the garden to process and pray while trying to deal with the reality of execution and God's call on his life.

When he comes out, his friends are sleep.

Yeah, sleep.

They had been fed and washed, and now they are sleep.

This seems to frustrate Jesus and it seems that he had an expectation for them to stay awake. In such a crucial time, Jesus was expecting his friends to be awake, not sleepy.

His friends loved him, but they were failing in their relationship towards Jesus.

They were sleep when he needed them to be awake.

When Jesus asked them what the deal was, they responded with these words.

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

We've got to make sure that we live in a sober way that keeps us alert to the causes of those closest around us.

If we are to be light amidst our world's darkness, it is imperative that we stay awake for the cause of Jesus in the world.

While the earth is groaning with global warming, our country is shaking with financial instability, and the inclusion of faith is ever-slipping from our generation; there must be some friends who are committed to staying awake.

Having a willing spirit is cool.

But having a strong flesh is neccesary.

Chocolate Bible

2009-03-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

Why the Bible?

It's a question I visit often to ensure I have a relevant answer.

I like the stories in the Bible because they're human stories that carry a supernatural message if you read it apart from the people you feel represent modern Christianity.

I mean, just reflect with me for a minute.

Stories about a guy named Adam who was perfect enough as God's creation, but human enough to punk out while a snake was throwin' game at his lady.

Stories about a guy named Noah who was favorable enough in the eyes of God to become the only hope for human existence during a global extermination, yet was desperately in need of an AA group considering he liked to strip down butt-naked when he got a little tipsy.

Stories about a guy named Abraham who had enough faith to follow God into uncharted territory and give up familiarity to embrace God's mystery, and at the same time doubted whether God would really protect him from the people in the uncharted territory.

Stories like that.

Need I go on?

Yes.

Stories about Jacob who's nickname Israel became the name of the nation to last thousands of years, and to think, this guy hustled just about every person in his family out of their socks, had more baby-mama drama then Evander Holyfield, and had sex with his first wife all night without knowing she was the wrong chick.

Stories about Moses who led a historic exodus of an oppressed Hebrew nation, but did so after being a murderer who fled justice.

Stories about Israel's second king, David, who took the nation to a place of prominence while exemplifying a passion for God through his psalms that remain to be some of the greatest literary pieces of art, and while doing all of this was known just as much for his over-sexed behavior. I mean for real, the way they knew David had died was when they sent a virgin into his bedroom and he didn't touch her.

I like this book.

Not because it's "THE AUTHORITY!"

But because it's human.

I like it because it's not vanilla.

It's Chocolate.

It's dark and rich, full of flavor, and undeniably sinful.

Why is that good.

Because that's how most of us are.

Dark and rich, full of flavor, and undeniably sinful.

But the Bible provides stories that we can grow from, and like a cereal box, it has a super bonus prize halfway through the package called Jesus, and luckily there's enough of him in the box for everybody to share.

No more waking up early to steal the prize out of the cereal box.

So embrace God's breadcrumb trail for humanity and indulge as much as you can.

Like real dark chocolate, it's good for the heart.

Dew

2009-03-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

I walked out of my house this morning and observed an interesting normality.

Out of the littered, green lawn in front of my house glistened a shiny glare of moisture.

Dew.

I looked at this and then it hit me.

This is how I want to be.

Like a littered, green lawn that glistens with a shiny glare of moisture.

As I looked at this littered, green lawn glistening with a shiny glare of moisture, I remembered the words of a song that speaks to God...

"Like the dew in the morning, gently rest upon my heart."

Yeah.

Like that.

I said a prayer which expressed these words, "God, amidst the littered , green lawn of my life, let the tangibility of who you are shine through who I am, and catch the eyes of people going about their daily lives."

The thing I love about dew is that it isn't inconspicuous.

You have to "catch a glimpse of it".

But if you were to doubt it's presence and reached down to feel the grass, you in no way can doubt the presence of dew.

What if our lives were "wet to the touch" of those around us and instead of a bombastic presentation of our faith, we were more committed to having a little "shine" that catches the eyes of people going about their daily lives.

Hopefully, that glare builds their faith in dew.

Jesus said we should let our lights shine so people could see our lifestyles and find a compass towards faith.

In other words, let the littered, green lawn of your life be wet with the dew of heaven.

Shiny to the eyes and wet to the touch.

Judas' Kiss

2009-02-19T13:39:00.000-08:00

King David said, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment."

Judas probably wasn't thinking of the psalmist's words when he betrayed Jesus.

They wouldn't have applied anyway.

But Judas' kiss is something profound for Jesus and Judas isn't it?

For Judas it was an act of condemnation while for Jesus it was an act of liberation.

Judas hurt Jesus in a way that none of his disciples ever had, or at least that we know of considering the records we have.

Judas sold Jesus out to his enemies for about $1,000.

Why?

The why isn't as apparent or important as the what.

Judas sold Jesus out for $1,000 the way Fredo sold out Michael Corleone in the Godfather movie.

In this act, he condemned his future because he betrayed his friend in a way that led to his friend's death.

But in this same act where a man threw this life away, another man was liberated to possess the life intended for him.

In Judas' kiss, Jesus was set free from the internal wrestling he had been doing in the garden while he prayed for God's strength to face his imperial moment of death by the hands of the Romans.

In Judas' kiss, Jesus was set free to die a criminal's death on a hill called "The Skull" so he could resurrect as the Hope of all humanity.

In Judas' kiss, Jesus was set free to leave this supernatural movement of faith and hope to illiterate men who would transform the globe and set a course of change that would last over 2,000 years.

All because of Judas' kiss.

Why am I on this tip?

Because lots of times we see the glass half empty instead of half full and don't properly appropriate betrayal in our lives.

Yes, it brings lots of negativity, but when was the last time you paused to see how much positivity came out of that negative experience?

Life is full of kisses that lead us to "death", but in this movement, death is only a door into a new beginning.

So like Paul I say, "O death, where is your sting, and grave where is your victory?"

Death only precedes, for followers of Jesus, new beginnings.

So don't fight your Judas' in your life's garden, rather, embrace them and receive their kiss.

For what your enemy means for evil, our God will make for your good.

In this life, or the next.

Jesus and Swords

2009-02-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

I was reflecting a few minutes ago about how Jesus is the king of contradiction.

At least contradiction perceived by us in the sense that he often does things that seem to not make conventional sense. It becomes obvious that his lifestyle definitely matches up with his words when he says, "my kingdom is not of this world or else my subjects would stand up for me. No, my kingdom is from another place."

As I read about Jesus and think about the many stories I know by memory, I am reminded over and over about a man who does things without explanation that make no conventional sense.

He tells people to love each other.

He tells people he came to posture people against each other.

He refers to Samaritans as dogs.

He highlights Samaritans as people of faith.

He tells his followers to bring some swords to the prayer meeting.

He tells his followers, after using their swords at the prayer meeting, that swords are no good.

Yeah, in Luke's version of Jesus' story, something weird happened that I had missed for ages.

Jesus told his friends to bring some swords to the prayer meeting in the garden because He needed to fulfill an ancient Hebrew prophecy about the Hebrew Messiah.

Jesus was intentional about creating a scenario that didn't fall in line with "how people how understood him", but this was how Jesus vibed. He purposely created scenarios that connected the past to the present and set the course for the future. He created space within the minds of his followers of God at work in their past, present, and future.

Because that is, in fact, where God is, isn't he?

In our past, our present, and our future?

At the same time?

Well, there's no "gotcha" purpose to this blog like some of my others, but just a random point and observation.

Jesus was intentional about creating chaotic, contradictory moments and found peace in them and an opportunity for his followers to grow and change in them.

So this Jesus is definitely more than a bad perm, white bathrobe, and weird hand motions.

Oh, such more.

Poverty

2009-01-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

There's a power in poverty that breaks principalities
And brings the authority's down to their knees
There's a brewing frustration and ageless temptation
To fight for control by some manipulation

But the God of the kingdoms and the God of the Nations
The God of creation sends his revelation
Thru the homeless and penniless, Jesus the son
The poor will inherit the Kingdom to come

Where will we turn when our world falls apart
And all of the treasures we've stored in our barns
Can't buy the Kingdom of God?

Who will we praise when we've praised all our lives
men who build Kingdoms and men who build fame
But Heaven does not know their names?

What will we fear when all that remains
Is God on His throne, with a child in his arms,
and love in his eyes
And the sound of his heart cries...

-Jason Upton 2001

My question is...How are you making yourself poor enough to inherit the kingdom of God?

Christians don't like Grace

2009-01-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

History is an interesting teacher if you're willing to take it's class.

A friend and I were having a discussion about whether gay marriage would become a normality in the faith community the way second marriages did in my generation and interracial marriage did in my parents.

You see, those marriages were thought to be an abomination and unholy while now are viewed as more than acceptable.

The racial component speaks for itself. That didn't take grace; it just took education over ignorance.

But the latter, second marriages, received grace in my generation although it was not given in my parents generation.

I was an associate pastor between several churches, give or take a couple years, for about a decade. During this formative time for me as a person, I had the opportunity to hear and converse with lots of different people from different philosophical and religious perspectives.

One interaction stands out as paramount that I want to share.

A question was asked on my message board that challenged my ideals and the ideals of my community.

A twenty-something guy wrote:

"I am not gay. I am a straight man who grew up in church but cannot go now due to the hypocrisy of organized religion. Considering what Jesus had to say about second marriage and how it made adulterers out of those participating in it, why is it that the church believes in grace for them but not for homosexuals. You can be in a second marriage and ascend to the highest role in the church of pastor. Christians believe that there is grace for a heterosexual person who engages in something Jesus spoke about, but not grace for someone who engages in something Jesus didn't speak about. I just believe Christians don't like grace. It scares them because it's implications are simply outside of their control."

Wow.

I was moved by the keenness of his question then and am now, today.

I asked my pastor, at that time, who responded, "Do they go to this church?"

I responded, "No."

"Whew!", as he wiped his forehead in an exhale. "That's a hard question Ben, and one I can't answer."

You see, grace is something that Jesus brought into the game that we can't explain or control. I don't understand it and will confess that I don't really like it that much sometimes.

I would love a world where I get to dish out grace to some and hold it back for others, but Jesus doesn't afford me that option. He doesn't let me judge and stand with him, even when I try to manipulate him by suggesting I'm standing with "his word."

No, Jesus tells me to stand back and love people. He tells me to look at history and understand that the changes in our history have more to do with the fact that Christians don't like grace than they do with his ability or desire to welcome the "stranger' to his table.

He reminds me that his nature is very much not like my own, and that is a positive thing for all of us.

Justice is getting what you deserve.

Mercy is not getting what you deserve.

Grace is getting what you don't deserve.

We have a choice.

We can fight for justice, extend mercy, or hold our noses and embrace God's grace.

Jesus painfully made a way for you and I to receive grace; how about we painfully make a way for others to receive grace as well?

It may be true that Christians don't like grace, but Jesus didn't call us to be Christians.

He called us to follow his example.

Some Say

2009-01-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

In the movie, "The Bucket List", Morgan Freeman's character has a discussion with Jack Nicholson's character.

They are having a discussion about the existence of God, and while Morgan argued to Jack in favor of the existence of God by the proof that 95% of humanity believed in His existence, Jack argued that if his experience had taught him anything, it was that the majority was usually wrong.

Now while I don't believe that to be true, I am able to extract some value from his idea.

It seemed that Jack had figured out that taking "his truth" from the masses was the dangerous equivalent of having "no truth" at all, and he had made his peace with that.

I'm constantly advocating in personal discussions with people for what I call, "collective individuality". An idea where we are "together", yet maintain the ability and healthy discipline of thinking "individually".

Jesus, when sitting down with his followers, asked them who people were saying He was.

They collectively responded, some say you're this person and some say you're that person.

Then he asked them who they personally believed he was.

Silence.

Except for one person.

One person out of twelve had the ability to be a part of the group while maintaining the ability to think on his own.

Eleven had lots to say about what "some say", while only one person had something to say of his own.

Paul, a later follower of Jesus, told his mentee, Timothy, to not allow people to make him feel bad because he was a young leader.

In essence Paul told Timothy, "Don't be influenced by what 'some say', remember who you are!"

Paul as the 13th man (see last blog) understood that life lived outside the bubble of others seemed dangerous to those inside the bubble, but that was their issue, not his.

In the same way Paul encouraged Timothy, I think we need to empower each other.

In an age where people are controlled by an invisible matrix through media, religion, and politics; we need to ensure we aren't just regurgitating what "some say".

Just because something's on the news doesn't make it true, and you don't have to believe it.

Just because your a Christian doesn't mean you have to be a conservative.

Just because your political party believes something doesn't mean you have to as well!

Don't let people control you!

Instead, live under God's leadership and instead of being manipulated by what "some say", have something to say and say it loud.

The 13th Man

2009-01-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

Ever felt like the outsider?

If not, maybe you're the insider!

After Jesus completed his time here on earth, he left his grassroots movement to 12 leaders.

One of them committed suicide, so another guy was raffled into the leadership team in his place.

This group of guys led this movement of about 120 people.

After an impacting beginning, this number multiplied from 120 people to over 3,000.

Growth.

Success.

Fulfillment.

But all this was happening inside a bubble. A bubble called the Jewish culture. Other people weren't welcome in this movement until a certain guy got knocked off his horse.

There was a guy named Saul who was in opposition to the movement until he had a weird experience during a traveling trip. During this trip he fell off his horse, heard God speaking to him, and changed from being in opposition of the movement to being it's greatest proponent since Jesus.

Isn't it interesting that the person credited with taking what Jesus started and taking it outside the bubble and ensuring that it had the ability to reach us 2,000 years later wasn't among the initial 12?

The outsider did more than the insider.

The purpose of this idea is not to begin questioning who among us to doing "more" or "less", but rather to make room at the table for the outsider and the odd quality they bring.

Sometimes, we're so busy celebrating the insider who can get us 3,000 in a day without including the outsider who can get us 2,000 years later.

So maybe it's not just the captain of the basketball team with it's 12 players that wins the game, but the 13th man that sits at the end of the bench.

If you're the captain, let him play.

If you're the 13th man, wait your turn.

And while you wait, remember, their failure to put you in has nothing to do with your ability to knock down the shot.

Stay humble under God's management, and He will bring you up when it's time.

Meat

2009-01-09T21:26:00.000-08:00

As you may know by now, I dig Jesus.

I just think the cat was bad with a capital B. The way he asks and answers questions puts a whole new definition to the word, amazing.

Jesus finds his way into arenas that no one else wants to enter and makes a home in the unfamiliar.

Jesus wasn't interested in being affirmed by the masses, but rather was interested in fulfilling or "filling full" his mission.

To redeem man.

His thinking.

His living.

His purpose.

His mission.

Jesus spent a whole afternoon redeeming the thinking, living, purpose, and mission of a promiscuous woman from the other side of town.

And she turned around her town.

Not a preacher.

Not a church.

Not an evangelism campaign.

A promiscuous woman.

But that's how Jesus got down.

When his followers returned as he was sending her back over the mountain, they were surprised to find Jesus with that "kind of woman".

I think they thought Jesus was suffering from a diabetic coma because they offered him something to eat.

But Jesus replied with one of those "Jesus-answers."

He told them he had food they didn't know about.

In the old English, it quotes as, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me."

My meat.

I like that.

His meat was to spend an afternoon with a promiscuous woman from the other side of town.

I wonder what my meat is?

I wonder what your meat is?

Things that make you go Hmm?

Cathedrals

2009-01-08T07:11:00.000-08:00

It takes different pieces to make something work, and various people to make something happen.

But doesn't it seem to suck when you're in the "forerunner" role?

I was thinking about John, the Baptist.

He was Jesus' cousin.

Filled with God's spirit while still in the womb.

The first prophet in Hebrew culture after 400 years of silence.

He was an awesome speaker who utilized radical measures to get his point across.

He had followers.

He started a movement that was so powerful that people would leave the comfort of the town and come out to the desert to hear John, the Baptist, speak.

Jesus comes onto the scene and his arrival leads John's thriving movement to a confrontational moment. When Jesus arrives, John's message changes.

He must become bigger and I must become smaller.

Why?

Because John understood his role, and didn't fight his purpose or the season he was in. John knew that his movement was only a preparation for the subsequent movement Jesus would carry on.

Can you imagine the internal struggle we would have if we were in John's place? We start a movement only to give it up at it's height so other's can take it on, and get the credit?

But that's cathedral thinking at it's best.

The architects of the great, European cathedrals set out a plan to build that lasted for over 200 years. While they drew up the plans, gathered the workers, and even began to build; they knew they would never see the manifestation of what they conceptualized.

But they built anyway.

What kind of person spends their life building something that they will never see completed or enjoy?

Maybe there's something to be learned by these cathedrals.

They stand because someone was willing to become smaller so that the cathedrals would become bigger. Someone committed themselves to experiencing a loss so that others would experience a surplus.

John eventually gave up his literal "head" so Jesus' message could go through the land, unchallenged and un-splintered.

If John could give his head and the architects could build the cathedrals, what are we willing to do to become smaller so God's purpose in our lives can become bigger?

Seasons

2009-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

A Jewish wise person said, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."

Everything in our world is based upon seasons.

Winter.

Spring.

Summer.

Fall.

Everything from how hot you are to how cold you feel or how much fun you have to how bored you may be are determined by the seasons and how you relate to them.

I'm a huge sports fan, so the word "season" creates different pictures for me. I understand the context of the writer but I still see a connection.

Professional athletes have the coolest profession to me because they get paid to play a "kid's game". But when you look at their profession, it's easy to see it only through the eyes of their current season.

A professional athlete isn't just paid for what they do in their season, but rather for their occupation.

An athlete plays their season, then has what is called the "off-season."

They aren't, in fact, off, but rather not "playing" anymore.

During the off-season, a player rests from the rigors involved with playing a season while saying good-bye to former teammates and hello to new ones.

After the off-season comes a period called "training camp". It is during this time that the athlete reflects upon their prior season while preparing for the challenges that lie ahead along with the "new teammates" for the "new season".

Following the training camp is "pre-season". It is during this period that the athlete practices in simulated games that don't "count for anything" but serve as an opportunity to practice what they've learned while building cohesiveness with the changes they have experienced.

The athlete's cycle completes with the beginning of a "new season."

But how destructive would this experience be if the athlete thought that he was an athlete only when he was playing in the season, and on the field?

Sometimes, I think we need to remind ourselves that life is based upon seasons, and regardless what season we may be in, we are still athletes.

We are still employed by God.

We are still okay.

We'll lose teammates, gain new ones, reunite with former teammates, lose coaches, gain coaches, receive pay increases and decreases, get released by a team while picked up by another one. This is a part of being an athlete or a "follower of Jesus".

One thing lacking from our Westernized experience is the ability to celebrate the beginning AND end of things.

But God is the beginning and the end.

So embrace your seasons, and celebrate them well.

Dislocated Shoulder

2009-01-06T11:10:00.001-08:00

Holding on to the foundation while reaching for the ledge.

Oxymoron, huh?

Yeah, that's how it feels but where I am.

Sometimes life brings you to moments where you have to reach further than you ever have, but wow, is it ever hard to let go of where you've been.

You find yourself trying to hold on to what you know while you're reaching for the mystery that always seems to lie outside of your reach.

But it's that extra push, isn't it, that brings in reach what was out of reach?

But between the "in-reach" and "out-reach" there is the pain of a dislocated shoulder.

Emotions.

The dislocation that occurs between your "in-reach" and "out-reach".

Things happen that effect you emotionally in the process of "changing" and that tension often leads to what I call a dislocation.

But sometimes you have to dislocate yourself in order to reach the ledge.

When your faith isn't enough to allow you to let go of your foundation, and you still want to reach for the mysterious ledge; your own trepidation leads to a dislocation.

It hurts.

But you haven't lost an arm.

You just have a dislocated shoulder.

Paycheck

2008-12-31T10:21:00.000-08:00

Isn't that how you feel when you get paid?

There's no other feeling at work like your boss walking in your cubicle, presenting your paycheck to you.

Why?

Because you worked hard and now you're being rewarded for what you've earned.

It's a human system that brings to us in reward what we have given out in sacrifice. We sacrifice our time; we are rewarded with resources.

Now that concept is very easy for us to understand when the benefit is directly for us, but why does that become complicated when that same concept challenges us towards responsibility?

The concept has many names.

Karma.

Reciprocity.

You reap what you sow.

I call it a paycheck.

Paul, an early follower of Jesus, told some of his friends from Rome that the "paycheck for sin is death."

I know this has usually only been understood as a "spiritual death", but I want to take a detour from that ending, and go down another freeway.

Hearing Paul's words through the context of the paycheck, I understand that my actions that constitute "sin for me" leads to "destruction for me and others around me."

Because what is sin, really?

Paul's friend, John, said it best.

"If you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil."

Note: Now if you're gonna listen to Paul, and take advice from John, that means you gotta use their teacher's (Jesus) philosophy on right and wrong living.

So we need to focus on what you "know" the right thing to do is, and be true to that. If we are, we will be at peace with our paycheck as well as with the sacrificial living that precedes it.

For too long, our spirituality has merely been defined by someones definition of "sin". The problem within that equation is you can easily detach yourself from the internal, introspective exploration lead by God and followed by your conscience while exchanging the beauty of that experience for a legalistic commitment to someones interpreted set of rules.

Now while this may be liberating for many, understand that this liberation frees you from people's control but not from your responsibility to God.

Because the paycheck for sin is death for you and others.

So instead of getting angry with where you are, and what you experience; take time to understand your life as a result of what you do or don't sacrifice thus bringing you the subsequent paychecks you receive.

Remember that you share a world, and your actions affect others.

Instead of focusing on living in a way that checks off boxes on your religious "to-do list", live in a way that checks your actions, keeping a keen eye on eliminating what sin is "for you".

In that right living is born, closeness with God continues to evolve, and the world becomes a better place because of our individual, yet collective sacrifice.

I think it's important to finish Paul's statement.

The paycheck for sin is death, but the bonus given because of following Jesus is life.

Hear the Angels

2008-12-25T21:32:00.001-08:00

God in man, to the earth, through a virgin.

And you thought you were special!

Listen, at some point we need to pay attention to the consistent way God seems to introduce Himself to humanity.

Through unconsummated marriages.

Poor people.

The ignored.

God seems to see an opportunity in our poverty.

I wonder whether that is saying more to us about God's relationship to us, or our relationship to God.

Maybe God is always revealing himself in "Jesus" ways but we're constantly looking in the wrong places.

We look in wealth while God is revealing himself in poverty.

We look in beauty while God reveals Himself in ashes.

We listen for perfection while God exists in the BANG of a Batman punch.

Listen, God comes where you least expect.

While we celebrate the arrival of Jesus to the earth, even though He was most likely born in the Spring or the Fall, let's pay attention again to how God reveals Himself, and to whom.

Maybe the reason you can't get a sense of God is because you're looking in the wrong places.

Church.

Preachers.

Wealth.

Politics.

Instead, use history as your GPS system, and discover the magical majesty of the Uncreated One in the homeless, urban poor, and the rejected.

Shepherds were the ones that Heaven saw fit to express the birth of "God" in the earth. Poor people who were concerned about those less than them.

Are you positioned to hear the angels?

Jesus said that the kingdom of Heaven belonged to the poor. What are you willing to relinquish in 2008 to be poor in 2009 that you might hear the angels?

Rooftops

2008-12-24T04:56:00.000-08:00

Know where you are.

Know what's around you.

Know when to bounce considering what's around.

Knowledge is power and key in our ability to maintain our spirituality within a construct that is consistently offering opportunities for its destruction.

Jesus, when re-teaching some fundamental truths within the ancient Hebrew paradigm, spoke about lust in proximity to sexuality.

He says, when speaking of adultery, to not just focus in on "not being sexual" with anyone who isn't your spouse, but rather to be conscious of where your heart is by making sure your eyes aren't leading your heart somewhere your body doesn't need to be.

Your eyes.

Your heart.

Your body.

In our paradigm, it's the other way around.

Your body.

Your heart.

Your eyes.

Many folks end up in some perilous predicaments because their body got them into something their heart wasn't prepared for, and their eyes didn't pick up on the travesty until it was too late.

So instead of falling into that trap, arrest your eyes, so your heart will be booked, thus leading your body to be jailed, if need be.

Jesus, a descendant of King David, understood his forefather's mistake and encourages us to beware of such folly.

You see, King David had a problem with rooftops.

He was on his own rooftop while watching a beautiful women take a bath on her balcony.

Sometimes your posture in life will afford you private insight into the lives of other people, but that position doesn't give you license to indulge.

Being on the rooftop isn't an excuse to spy.

Know where you are.

Know what's around you.

Know when to bounce considering what's around.

King David was led by his body, manipulated by his heart, until his eyes beheld a situation where he ultimately killed his friend to cover up his affair with his friend's wife.

This goes both ways, for men and women.

So remember, your position doesn't give you license; it just gives you opportunity.

Know where you are.

Know what's around you.

Know when to bounce considering what's around.

Some rooftops just aren't worth it!

Wake Up

2008-12-23T07:40:00.000-08:00

Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher and the father of "Existentialism", said that cowardice is one of the most dangerous forces in our world. He goes on to argue against indecision, and calls for people to be decisive.

Isn't it interesting how we find safety within a crowd?

Jesus advocates for a particular kind of strength found in a crowd, but also warns us of the danger of indecision when your amongst the wrong crowd.

Think about your life for a minute.

What opportunities have you made or missed because you either were decisive or indecisive based upon the company you were keeping?

How has your crowd scared you away or pushed you towards new experiences and mysterious explorations?

It seems that while we participate within the crowd, we must still possess the power to make individual decisions that are based upon the faith we individually have even when that faith is greater that the collective fear our crowd may posses.

Jesus always provides opportunities to people who follow Him to make a choice between cowardice or decision.

I'm reminded of a familiar boat ride Jesus' buddies were on while crossing one of their familiar bodies of water. Jesus meets them, walking on the water, during their trip.

Jesus is always showing off.

I guess being flashy has always found a home with peeps from the ghetto.

Anyways, Jesus' buddies called out to him from the boat, and the situation provided one of those moments.

A moment where they could choose cowardice or decisiveness.

12 guys.

1 boat.

2 decisions.

12 friends sat together.

1 boat kept them all from drowning.

2 decisions were made within that boat.

11 disciples made a decision to do nothing, and not challenge their "posture" or "perspective" with what was happening, while Peter made a decision to challenge his paradigm.

Peter asked Jesus if he could also walk on the water.

The 11 disciples didn't ask Jesus anything.

Peter was a part of the group, but had the ability to make an individual decision rather than being overcome by the collective cowardice in his boat.

And what happens when you're ready to make a decision?

You often have to leave the cowards behind to brave new waters that have the power to overwhelm you.

What I like most about this story is that Peter after walking a few steps on the water, fell in and began to drown as Jesus reached out to pick him up.

I like that because that's reality.

Having the courage to be decisive means you are able to step a little bit away from the crowd, and maybe still fall, but are now closer in reach for Jesus to pick you up.

It's easier to play it safe, and stay with the crowd then it is to journey away from them, drawing closer to either your demise or Jesus' hand.

Isn't it interesting that being "close" to Jesus is oftentimes associated with being close to your "demise"?

So instead of playing it safe with your 11 dumb friends who are ruled by cowardice, and never make a decision about anything worth deciding; get up and out of your boat.

Find Jesus on the risky waters of life, and make a decision to sink or swim with Him rather than live out a coward's boredom in the boat.

Soren Kierkegaard said, "Decision is the awakening to the eternal."

So friend, Wake Up!

Be the Moon

2008-12-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

Why do we follow Jesus?

I mean really, why should a person make the decision to follow Jesus?

To escape Hell?

Has our pursuit of spirituality merely been reduced to escaping a painful judgment?

If so, I absolutely understand why the statistics show that not only are people not making choices to follow Jesus, but those who are following Him are quickly changing their minds and abandoning that paradigm.

Why?

Does "Jesus" still work?

I know He does, and the statistics say more to me about "religion" than they do about "Jesus". When Jesus' message and 3 year teaching stint has been reduced to escaping a judgment, the passionate love story about a Creator towards His creation is lost, and our ability to connect on a human level with Jesus is severely crippled.

Jesus seemed to spend large amounts of time talking to people about the "hows" and "whys" of living rather than escaping judgment. He didn't seem to have the fear of the "devil" and his devices the way we oftentimes seem to possess.

Rather than advocating why people should run from the darkness, Jesus made the case for why we should run into the darkness.

Yes.

I said it.

Jesus did first.

He said, "You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven."

The purpose of a light is to exist in darkness.

If we are light, we must find darkness to exist in.

Not to be overtaken, but to illuminate.

Well, how do we do that?

It's kinda like the moon.

The moon doesn't have light to give off, rather it reflects the light of the sun and is illuminated amidst the darkness of night.

The moon doesn't brighten up the world in the manner the sun does during the day, but it isn't supposed to.

The moon translates the sun's light amidst the darkness of night reminding us that there is a sun even though we can't see it.

The moon is the sun's witness during the night!

Maybe people will begin believing in Jesus in record numbers when the moons are reminding people living amidst the darkness of night that there is, in fact, a sun.

Not in words, but in action.

So instead of telling people about the sun, reflect it's light in the darkness and be the moon.

Instead of perfecting christianese and working on your religious rhetoric, try to challenge your lifestyle to find some darkness where you can bring illumination.

So while you live amidst the darkness of night, be the moon.

E.T.

2008-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

Where's your space man from Elliott?

Uranus?

Get it?

Your-Anus?

He's alive!

E.T. phone home!

Lines from one of my favorite movies. It tells the story of human interaction with an extra-terrestrial. You have a little boy who, when faced with the unbelievable, embraces it and converges his life with it.

Oh, the power of a child's faith.

They can believe in a fat man coming down a chimney they don't have.

They can believe in the reality of invisible friends that they call "imaginary friends."

Children have the ability to believe where adults are oftentimes limited by something called reasoning.

We always want to reason ourselves into a new place rather than believe. We "reason" that if provided with a certain measure of proof, we will reason the proper response."

O.J. Simpson.

That brother left more blood at the scene than Jesus did at Calvary and still got acquitted.

Why?

Because of someones reasoning.

Jesus' uncle, Zechariah, was visited one day by an angel.

Yes, a real angel.

E.T.

Well, he didn't look like E.T., hopefully, but he was visited by an extra-terrestrial or "celestial" being.

This being, Gabriel, gave Jesus' uncle some information that was just too hard to believe.

Now get this.

He's standing there.

Having a conversation with E.T.

But he's having trouble believing what E.T. is saying.

Isn't that how we are sometimes though?

We'll be smack dab in the middle of a supernatural moment where you know God is ultimately involved in your life, yet you still lack the ability to believe the possibility of the supernatural to converge onto the practicality of your life?

Isn't it interesting how "hard" it is to believe and how "easy" it is to doubt?

The news that Gabriel was bringing to Jesus' uncle had lots to do with the arrival of Jesus Christ to the earth. Lots of times, God works mysteriously to awaken our psyche to an "arrival" of who He is in our lives.

I'm not talking about "salvation", so cue down the altar call theme music.

I'm talking about what Jesus said, and called us to do, actually becoming authentic action.

So this holiday season, dare yourself to believe in the areas where it's easier to doubt so the reality of Jesus message can permeate your life anew.

Like Elliott, embrace the E.T. moments you have and take the end of this year to soar across your moon and sunsets with your friends, so the arrival of Jesus has room to exist in your life.

Look Down

2008-12-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Imagine you're having a conversation with someone who instantaneously starts floating up into the air.

That's what Jesus' friends describe their last moments with Him to be like.

He's talking.

He's floating.

He's gone.

I can only imagine the awe mixed with the kind of fear that makes you stomach hurt and you feel like you need to go the bathroom.

You know the feeling.

Something happens in your life that somewhat leaves you transfixed between the "what you understand" and the "what you just experienced".

That can be a conversation, an interaction with the supernatural, a funeral, a wedding, a dream, or something as common as deja-vu while sitting at the cafe.

Jesus' friends were standing there, looking up into the sky, transfixed between "what they understood" and "what they were experiencing" and two men who weren't a part of the party appeared to them on the mountain.

They showed up like two Agents within the Matrix.

Where they came from, we don't know.

But these two Agents called out to Jesus' friends while they were looking up. They asked them, "Why are you standing here looking up?"

This seems like a strange question considering what's happening.

He's talking.

He's floating.

He's gone.

But this question from these two men made sense because of what Jesus was saying before he started floating.

Jesus told his friends to "go back down off the mountain and wait 'down there' until God supernaturally changes you and empowers you to carry out my mission."

Now Jesus is gone.

And these two Agents come to question why they are still looking up.

I think there's something going here worth our thought.

We should make sure that we don't allow those experiences between "what we understand" and "what we are experiencing" to keep us looking up.

Instead, those experiences need to make us look down.

Down where we can be supernaturally changed to carry out the mission of Jesus.

Down where the hurting people are.

Down where you are looking for opportunities to give up your privilege for the cause of Jesus' message.

In an age where millions of Christians are standing on the mountaintops of their spiritual understanding, looking up for Jesus, there is a dire need for followers of Jesus to look down at the people Jesus misses most.

Because even though it's probably more exciting for us on a personal level to look up...

Jesus commanded us to look down.

The Light Bulb

2008-12-04T10:55:00.001-08:00

That moment you realized, she was your wife.

That moment you understood why you got fired from your last job.

That moment you became at peace with being adopted.

That moment when Neo stands up in the Matrix and believes He is "The One."

I could go on and on because we've all had moments like this when time stands still and you understand or realize something in clarity that seemed to seconds ago be shrouded in mystery.

The light bulb comes on inside of you and the pieces start coming together faster than God speaking creation or the Big Bang Theory, whichever you subscribe too.

I think they are one in the same, while the latter is man's way of trying to naturally describe something spiritually dynamic. God said, "Let there be light", and Big...Bang...stuff started happening out of nowhere in an evolving way...in a creative way...in a "every word proceeds (evolution) out of the mouth of God: kind of way.

But I digress.

We have these moments where the light bulb comes on. These moments oftentimes follow some of the greatest challenges we face. I don't believe its the challenge itself that has to come for us to experience these, rather it's probably the humble posture we naturally take after challenges that gives us a new openness to seeing a "side" of God otherwise avoided.

Jesus after being executed, coming back to life, and meeting some buddies in the "gaps" (see previous blog); walks through a wall to visit his other friends.

Beamed out of nowhere to meet his buddies in the gaps.

Walks through walls to see his friends in the house.

Whatever happened to doors Jesus?

Show off!

Jesus shows up, and because they're seeing another "side" of God in Jesus, they're immediate response was fear.

And if you've ever ventured out of your religious box to see another "side" of God outside the comfort of your religious understanding, you understand that fear.

Jesus gives them some proof of who He was, because that's what they needed, in order to posture them correctly to hear what He was about to say. It's almost as it all the time He has spent with them is leading up to this moment.

Jesus sits down with them, and opens up their spiritual understanding.

Three years with Jesus with a closed spiritual understanding.

Three years watching miracles with a closed understanding.

Three years being taught by a member of the eternal entity that is "God" with a closed understanding.

What do you think you have after your 4 years and 3 months at your church?

Huh?

It's very possible for us to spend time with Jesus, even in fellowship with what we know to be "The Holy Spirit" and have a closed understanding because we often enter these relationships with a preconceived expectation of what those relationships look like.

Want proof?

The fact that 1,000 people in a faith community base their understanding of how God wants to relate to them based upon one person's relationship with God.

But Jesus sat down with these guys and made the light bulb come on.

I like this because it seems to me that these people were right on schedule with Jesus. They had spent lots of time with him, but it took a while to experience an authentic light bulb moment where clarity erased mystery.

Their subsequent future was based not out of their painful pasts or confusing present, but out of the light bulb moment with Jesus where His truth became theirs.

So if things aren't making sense, or you're walking with Jesus with a closed mind, the point is to simply keep walking.

So what if my mind and your mind are closed!

We'll keep walking together, even in the dark, while we make room for the light bulb to come on.

Gaps

2008-12-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we ask God the easy stuff, or at least the stuff we feel isn't offensive to God?

We don't ask God stuff like, "Why do you let good people die?"

We don't ask God stuff like, "If you're so loving, why will you burn billions of people in eternal fire?"

We don't ask God stuff like, "I followed you, and you let me down. I did what you said, but you didn't do your part!"

Those are hard questions.

We think them, but we don't say them to God; instead we say them to each other.

That's what some of Jesus' followers were doing on the Sunday after Jesus was executed. They had heard of his death and the reports of his resurrection.

But they didn't have a body.

Dead or alive.

Because that's what they wanted, wasn't it?

Proof.

That's what we want isn't it?

Proof?

Proof that we can have what we want somehow through the contradictions we are facing. Proof that we are, in fact, under demonic attack and not just experiencing life. Proof that we're not understanding God properly, and that He agrees more with how we think rather than what history shows us.

Proof.

I like Jesus because he doesn't hide from these interactions; he joins them. Jesus shows up like he was beamed out of Star Trek by Scottie and picks up the conversation with his buddies.

Jesus didn't cut corners with his response for his friends. He told them they were "foolish."

Was their posture foolish?

I don't think so; it was a general human response.

But Jesus was calling them to a paradigm beyond their humanity. He was calling them to a perspective that is full of gaps.

Missing bodies.

Executions.

Hell.

Poverty.

Divorce.

Disease.

Gaps.

He's calling us to a life that doesn't escape the gaps, but rather includes God as the truth-telling agent during them.

An old hymn said it best, "When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay."

So the next time you come to a gap in your understanding where you're confused between whether Jesus seems alive or dead to you; keep walking.

If your house is being foreclosed, keep walking.

Marriage folding?

Keep walking.

Why?

Because Jesus doesn't fill gaps, He joins conversations about them.

Saturday Night Live

2008-11-30T09:28:00.000-08:00

The story of Jesus is often told from his perspective to us.

God's perspective to humanity, that is.

But I'm not sure that's the only side of the story that bears influence.

Take Jesus execution.

We see the beating.

Observe the cross.

Mourn the death.

But then we come to something I call Saturday Night Live.

This is the story of his followers.

Imagine that you have followed Jesus for about 3 years, watching him heal the physically sick, cure the mentally ill, and even resurrect dead people.

Now, he's dead.

The man who raised the dead, just a week ago with Lazarus, is now dead himself.

Your group has been scattered while the faithful have been reduced to the faithless, and you're wondering what your future holds.

Why?

Because Jesus is dead.

He hasn't been translated to another state of entropy; He's dead.

It's "live" nights like these that Jesus' followers so carefully left out of the story. I wonder what the conversation was like between James and John on Saturday night? I wonder what Peter was thinking about on Saturday night?

It's Saturday nights that manifest the gap between what we believe and what we hope for.

If you have never had them, you will!

Those feelings that come when it seems Jesus is "dead" in your life. Things didn't materialize the way you envisioned, relationships didn't work out, and now you're questioning the authenticity of your spiritual journey.

It may feel like a parody of your real life, this Saturday experience, but you must make it through the night.

The difference between Judas and Peter?

Peter made it through the weekend while Judas gave up.

So when you feel like your story didn't pan out the way you thought it would, and you have major gaps between what you believe and what you hope for; just stay alive!

Join in with the countless numbers of Jesus' followers in saying...

"Live from the Big Apple of my heart, it's Saturday Night!"

Cocktails

2008-11-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

Occasions call for specific drinks.

If you're celebrating a wedding, the occasion calls for champagne.

If you're celebrating your 21st birthday, the occasion often calls for a Cosmo or a Screwdriver.

If you're celebrating being alone with your wife for the first time in a while, maybe a glass of fine, Red Wine will complete the deal.

But what about when you're going to die?

What does that occasion call for?

Okay. None of us are planning our death anytime soon, I hope, but we experience situations that seemed to be designed for killing aspects of our lives. The questions remains for us, "What do we drink when on those occasions?"

A deeper question might be, "What shouldn't we drink?"

Jesus arrived at a place he would have never planned to arrive. He knew he would arrive, but his prayer in the garden the night before clearly delineates that He was interested in other plans besides arriving where he ultimately did.

Golgotha.

Isn't that an ugly name?

It sounds like that really ugly girl from high school whose mother made her wear button up dresses to school everyday even with those heinous Birkenstock shoes.

Golgotha.

This was the mountain Jesus was led to. This was his occasion.

Golgotha meant, "The Place of the Skull".

Can you imagine the walk up to "The Place of the Skull"?

Jesus gets there after getting the crap beat out of him and guess what lies at the end of that ordeal?

The cross.

Doesn't it seem that sometimes when you're most beaten down or feel the weakest, stuff just gets worst?

But it was during this occasion that Jesus, battered and beaten, was faced with sharing in the tradition of Golgotha.

They nailed him to the cross.

Beginning the process of his execution.

And there they offered Jesus a cocktail.

The night before, Jesus was with his followers and offered them wine. This wine represented a new agreement that the Uncreated One was creating with mankind. Jesus told his disciples that the sacrifice of his life would be the "seal" if you will of this new agreement. He told them to drink the wine he was offering them that evening in order to share in this agreement.

Wine.

Seal.

Agreement.

Fast forward back to the bloody cross that Jesus of Nazareth is nailed to in the presence of Roman executioners.

They offered Jesus wine mixed with gall.

Historians have gone on to say that this cocktail would have numbed Jesus to some of the pain but would have ultimately poisoned him bringing about his death process quicker.

Maybe the executioner was feeling bad for him.

But Jesus rejected the cocktail, accepting a slower, more painful death because he believed this was God's process for him. Jesus wasn't interested in trading in his one agreement for another because the latter was more beneficial to him.

Maybe we should use this caution as well in rejecting "easy outs" provided by people who may have pity for us but in that pity rob us from experiencing the "full process" that God desires us to experience in life.

Maybe escaping a painful situation isn't always the best route to take, and sometimes, hanging in there when it's the most awful is the purpose.

I was watching G.I. Jane once and there was a line in the movie that speaks volumes. Her Sergeant said, "The best thing about pain is that it lets you know that you are still alive!"

So drink from the cup Jesus is offering, and know what you're drinking.

If not, you'll easily live life intoxicated by your enemies' cocktails.

BBG

2008-11-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Jesus' followers picked up on something Jesus did when he ate his food. They always seem to mention it in their writings.

He blessed it, he broke it, and he gave it.

Blessed.

Broke.

Gave.

BBG.

When he fed the five thousand, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it.

When he fed the four thousand, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it.

When he distributed the Last Supper, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it.

You get the point.

Okay.

I'll stop being annoying.

It's interesting because I see this played out in Jesus life, and subsequently my own and others as well.

Jesus was blessed at his baptism. Broken at his execution. Given through his message that spread after His resurrection.

Maybe that's the reason some of us go through the challenge we do.

Maybe God blessed us, is allowing life to break us the way it broke Jesus in order to substantiate our contribution to the world.

No!

God wouldn't allow me to be broken!

God's blessing makes us rich and doesn't add sorrow!

Ask Jesus.

Ask Peter.

Ask Bartholomew.

Ask Matthew.

Ask Thomas.

Ask James.

Ask Andrew.

Rich is relative and so is sorrow!

I don't know where you are on this path, maybe blessed, somewhat broken, or being given; but know that this is a part of it all.

BBG.

Are you feeling spiritually lost?

BBG.

Are you feeling spiritually found?

BBG.

Are you thriving in your career?

BBG.

Are you unemployed?

BBG.

Buying a new home?

BBG.

In foreclosure?

BBG.

Just got healed?

BBG.

Dying from leukemia?

BBG.

So stop trying to get away from where you will come right back to. Embrace, as Caesar Augustus said, this comedy called life and play your part well.