The Pastoral Primaries

When our time here in Jerusalem is over and I am forced to end my retirement and re-enter the work force we have endless possibilities. We can move anywhere and do almost anything. As of right now, I do feel that it is the time in my life where I want to go somewhere long enough for my kids to make friends and make it through school. I also am at the point where I will probably work as a senior/lead pastor for the next phase of life. (This or possibly be a driver for UPS)! Obviously I want to go where God leads us and all of this can be changed by things I can not anticipate so please do not hold me to the following conclusions.

I have found inspiration from the presidential primary season in America in helping me to decide where exactly I would like to work when returning to the country. I have decided to do my own "primary" that will work in the opposite direction of states choosing a candidate. In this, it will be the candidate choosing the states. The best way to do this is to work through a process of elimination so at the risk of offending readers from all over (as if there are readers from all over) here are the first states to be eliminated:
All states east of California and south of I-80.
Arizona, New Mexico, Alabama, and Louisiana are too hot.
I was born in Georgia but don't drink Iced Tea.
Florida is a better place to visit than to live.
Mississippi is out because I do not speak the language.
The Texas state sign says, "Proud home of George W. Bush".
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and the Carolina won't work because I cannot even name one country music song.
I also have eliminated Kansas, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, the Dakotas, and Iowa on principle.
I eliminated most of the East Coast because I do not dress "preppy" enough to live there.
In fact, lets be honest most of the country is eliminated because I just wont fit in. Some of the New England states are still in but drastically trailing in the polls. St. Louis, Chicago, parts of the upper Mid-west, and Denver have some appeal but probably won't make the cut because they are just too cold. So it is the West Coast that leads in the polls but that only makes sense because I am from the West Coast and because after living for a year in Israel where people are uptight, I think I need to return to the land of "casualness".
So in the next few months I will use this site to include all of you in an open dialogue in shaping some ideas for church. The important thing for me is to be a part of a gathering of people who are interested in following the God of the Bible and not one that has been confined by the limits of often faulty theology and manipulated by political motivation. I am interested in joining with the churches who are waking up to the reality that the American church has lost touch with the world in which it lives and it has lost the revolutionary power that the universal Church had in its origins.
Part one of "shaping of the church" will come later this week so please join in the process.

By the way, this is my disclaimer to God. If you really want my family to move to Texas we are willing. Just remember that we already are spending a year in a place like Texas where 1) we are not fluent in the language, 2) where everyone man and woman carries a gun, 3) where they like to build big fences to keep people out, 4) where we are the minority religion, and 5) where the people would be willing and eager to fight any country up for the challenge.

When Words Don't Work

Today we found out that our 5 year old son's best friend was just diagnosed with a rare heart disease that requires a heart transplant. Nothing we can say can add understanding or comfort to the parents and no words can even help a 5 year old understand exactly what is happening to his friend. So today from 5000 miles away we try to pray and we eagerly await his surgery that happens tomorrow that will hopefully give him some more time as they wait for an adequate match for a transplant.
So today I ask all of you to pray for this boy and I leave you with these words from the songwriter Rich Mullins;

"Hold me Jesus, because I'm shaking like a leaf
You have been King of my Glory, now be my Prince of Peace"

Now I know I am a college student

This post is evidence that even though I am a few years older than most college students, I still possess the same qualities that are required to be a successful student. You see, right now I am writing a short paper that is due this week. As you can see, by "writing" this paper what I mean is that I am finding many other things that absolutely need my attention at this time. Like any good college student I will probably keep finding other things to do until the night (or morning) before the paper is due and then I will get it done without a problem.
Just the other night one friend emailed a link to a web site and asked my thoughts about the ideas presented so I immediately checked the site and replied to him with a two page response. To be honest, I was impressed with my response and even graded my own paper, giving myself an A- only because some arguments were not as well supported as they should be, but nonetheless, it was a quality work. Okay, enough wasting time, NOW I must go and complete this paper and I will not do anything else until it is done.... unless one of you asks a question that requires response and then I will be happy to procrastinate.

Retroactive New Year's Resolutions

Many of you know me well enough to know that I tend to be very rigid and driven by goals, schedules, and the pursuit of fame and fortune. Okay, so I am not driven by schedules.
Anyway, this is the time of year when many people like to make lists of goals for the New Year and they like to reflect on the year behind. Since I actually do not operate off of lists or schedules I thought this year I would write my 2007 goals now instead of worrying about what the year ahead might bring. It is like those of you who write lists for everything and if you accomplish something not on your list, you write it on the list retroactively so that you can check it off. Consider these my retroactive New Year's Resolutions.

2007
X Have a baby: preferably a boy with blue eyes and dark hair. Oh yeah, with minimal crying and always happy.
X Miss a plane and spend a day in Zandorf on the North Sea in Holland.
X Bring a group of students to Uganda.
X Retire from my job and travel the world.
X Drive my car through a tree.
X Learn a new language.
X Rent out my home to friends and live in the Middle East.
X Become friends with a Monk, a Rabbi, an Armenian Priest, an Accomplished Archaeologist, and someone from Poland.
X Spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem.
X Drink Turkish coffee with a Bedouin Arab.
O Sleep through the night without interruption. (This is for next year).
X Celebrate Chanukah with Jews who follow Jesus.
X Meet friends in England and spend the day with them and my family.
X Take time to think and study and prepare for whatever is next.

There is probably more that I should have put on my list but I do not want to set my goals for last year too high.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Last night on Christmas Eve my family drove 3 miles down to road to the crossing from Israel to the West Bank. We parked our car and went through the multiple turnstiles, passport checks, passed the heavily armed Israeli Defense Soldiers, and finally passed the enormous 30-foot high concrete separation wall into the Palestinian Territory. From here we took a five minute taxi ride to "Shepherd's Field" near the town of Bethlehem where we celebrated the birth of the Messiah Jesus along with about 50 other believers in Yeshua.
After singing songs about a baby born in the town where we were standing and about Angels appearing to shepherds in a field perhaps where we were, we headed to dinner with some friends. We ate a Palestinian restaurant called "the tent" and sat at the table with a couple (a Palestinian Christian and his British wife and 4 boys) and another couple from Bermuda with their two boys and we experienced Christian fellowship over some great food. For the first time since moving to Israel we heard Christmas songs playing in the restaurant and we realized that there is beauty in the simplicity of the season. God came to us and through him the earth can have peace. Our Christmas service contained no "special music", no dramas, no eloquent messages, and no promotion for a particular church. It contained people celebrating the messiah and then friends sharing food together before returning home.
As we returned home through the separation wall and watched an impressively armed escort leading dignitaries in a huge caravan into Bethlehem for the midnight mass we looked and saw graffiti on the wall. One piece of graffiti said, "Peace to earth and goodwill to men". The wall, the guns, the armored vehicles, the Israeli flags flying in site of the Palestinian flags, and the intensity of the conflict between these two people groups cannot hide the message that peace is only found in the Messiah. 2000 years ago Palestine they felt the pressure of the Roman government and longed for a leader to come and to deliver them from the "occupying" forces. He came to a town called Bethlehem and showed the way to peace. People still long for this message today so all followers of the Messiah Yeshua should show the way to peace through our lives. Let your Christmas this year fly in the faces of the "separation walls" and the hatred that fills our lives. Let us remember that flashy Christmas services and beautiful churches will never bring the message of Jesus to the world. Peace comes through our lives so may peace reign on earth and may there be goodwill towards men through your lives.
Merry Christmas

Don't forget to check out more thoughts from my wife at The Jerusalem Letters .

The Faith of Jews, Muslims, and Parents

Earlier today I was sitting at my desk attempting to work on some Hebrew translations and my two older sons came in to give me a reason to procrastinate. In an attempt to keep the conversation light, my oldest son asked, "Dad, what do you believe in that you cannot see?" As I prepared to answer he jumped in and said, "I believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, air (because you can't see it), and Santa Claus. I smiled and told him that those are good things to believe in and he agreed but did say that grown-ups don't believe in Santa but he wants to this year.
Then tonight my wife showed me a letter that he wrote to Santa and it basically explains that he once believed and then didn't, then did, and then he stopped believing, but now he wants to believe because he has two requests for gifts. The point of this post isn't that my son wants to believe in Santa this year, it is really just to share one line from the letter that I loved. In his explanation that he wanted to believe in Santa again he said, "(now that I believe in you [Santa]), I believe in something that Jewish people, Muslims, and parents do not believe in".
I love the small lessons that we gain from the mouths of children. Here is my son living in a country dominated by Jews and Muslims, (and parents) and he acknowledges that he has to make a choice to believe. It reminds me of the passage in the book, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" when the children are talking with the professor about the story the youngest sister, Lucy, told them about a magical world hidden in the wardrobe. When the older children tell him that the possibility of another world is too crazy to believe, he responds by questioning the quality of their education.
It seems that the ability to believe in the unseen is a trait we too often overlook. Even now I am doing research into Biblical texts and their literary environment and most of the scholarship begins with the assumption that religious texts are too incredible to believe. I agree with the professor that there must be something wrong with the educational system that does not allow belief. I side with Chesterton who once said that the incredibility of the story of Christ is the thing that convinces him it must be real. As the church father Tertullian said, "I believe because it is absurd".
For my son, belief in the unseen is perfectly acceptable even if Jews, Muslims, and parents do not agree. I personally side with my sons.

Another Deep Thought

We went to Jordan for the weekend and I saw this camel drinking coke. Another example of the amazing education I am receiving this year...

Food Fit For a King

In my travels around the world I have had the opportunity to experience some memorable times set around food. I've had some good memories such as having cheese and wine in a small cafe in the shadows of the Eifel Tower and some unique experiences such as eating hot dogs with mustard for breakfast along with Bosnian coffee in an orphanage in central Bosnia. This week I had a new experience that ranks near the top. As the country of Israel takes this week to celebrate Chanukah, the nightly lighting of the Chanukah candles takes place everywhere. This week after a late night of classes I stopped by the student "watering hole" on campus with a Jewish friend.
During the course of our discussions about our classes, our faith, and American politics, we were interrupted as someone brought a large Chanukia (Chanukah Menorah) and placed it on the bar. He then made an announcement that he was lighting the candle and began singing the traditional song. It essentially is a song/ prayer giving thanks to the God and King of the Universe for sustaining the Jewish people. In a moments time, the entire place was singing and celebrating this moment. As the song ends with "Amen", the entire place errupted in applause. I felt for a moment that I was sitting in an English pub watching World Cup Soccer and singing pub songs. Perhaps this is what it was like as the writers of the "great hymns of the faith" sat in pubs and inserted Christian theology into the songs in the bars.
The song ended then someone came around and handed out traditional "jelly-filled" donuts. As I sat with my Jewish friend from Boston eating donuts to go with our Israeli brewed beverage, we both commented that this was a first for us. We finished our donuts and conversation as the candles burned brightly on the bar (and as the thump of the typical Israeli techno music echoed through the room). We thought that we may be missing the atmosphere of the American Holiday season, but this was a nice consolation prize.

Hag Samaech (Happy Holidays)

It is one of the Holiday Seasons here in Israel (although not the most important) and we are completely enjoying the entire experience. We celebrated the first night of Chanukah with some friends in the neighborhood complete with traditional donuts, traditional prayers, and games. My wife will give the full story at The Jerusalem Letters so check it out there.

One thing that really stood out to us was the enriching experience that the Festival of Lights or "Chanukah" has for followers of the Messiah Jesus. First of all, it was enriching just to be in Jerusalem where this event originally took place just as Jesus was in John 10 where it says he was in Jerusalem for the feast of dedication. In addition to that, this holiday has great Messianic symbolism and is worthy of a study so go and study because that is not the point of this post.

One thing that came out of our time last night was the hope for the Messiah and the belief that the Messiah will come during a "Year of Jubilee". This is a year that happens every 50 years and is intended to forgive all debt and return land to rightful owners. Basically it is a year of redemption and forgiveness. It is a year that puts all people back on equal ground before God. So it is plain to see why tradition says that the Messiah will come on a year of Jubilee.

I can't be exact on all of these dates but it looks like 1) During the time of Christ the year of Jubilee was 28/29 AD. 2) Jesus spent 3 or 4 Passovers during his public ministry. 3) Jesus was crucified in 32/33 AD. Which means that it is likely that the Messiah Jesus began his public ministry during a year of Jubilee. In other words, he came to forgive debt and offer redemption on the year the nation of Israel was commanded to do the same. I will do a little more research to check these dates but it is pretty amazing if this is the case. And if it is not the case, it is still pretty amazing that Jesus offers redemption and forgiveness of debts.

Ho Ho Ho

What's wrong with the world besides me? This Christmas season there are some department stores that are restricting Santa Claus' use of the term "Ho Ho Ho". They actually claim that this famous laugh by children's most beloved character may offend some women. Apparently the term "ho", even if used during a laugh, is a degrading term for certain women. No real alternative has been offered but I presume that they prefer a more politically correct term such as "professional woman of the night". Some might think it strange for Santa to bring up a questionable profession while laughing or for carolers to insert a comment about prostitutes in the course of spreading Holiday cheer, but if this makes these stores feel like they have protected women from hearing degrading names all throughout the ever lengthening Christmas season then I am all for it.
Okay, in case you do not sense the sarcasm in my (writing) voice allow me to tell you that this whole thing is pure claptrap (that is a thesaurus word for nonsense). This is one of those issues where some people make issues out of non-issues especially in light of the fact that Santa has been saying "Ho" long before rap music popularized a new use of the term. It is like when stores say they will not say, "Merry Christmas" because it is too religious and in the process they offend even more people than they would offend if they used the phrase in the first place. This over-reaction is also like when Christians boycott stores for saying "Merry X-mas" thinking they are proving a point (when in actuality the "x" in Christmas is the Greek letter that begins the word "Christ" so it is actually a Christian abbreviation).
The point is that people over-react too much. Just this week I was talking with a world-renowned archaeologist who writes for the journal "Biblical Archaeology Review" and he was criticizing the large number of pastors who cancel their subscriptions when the review publishes information that goes against their assumptions about the Bible. He told me that he just couldn't understand how pastors could have such weak faith. Here was a Jewish man saying that these Christian pastors should have a strong enough faith in Jesus to not be affected by information published in a journal. As I walked away from that conversation I thought about his point and how much I agreed with it and how much I see this overreaction everywhere.
I walked out into the cold Jerusalem air and thought that this would be a great year of celebrating the birth of Jesus here in His homeland. With Christmas less than one month away, the cold air and the lights (for Chanukah) put me in the "Holiday Spirit". I thought that all I needed was some Christmas music so as I walked to the bus stop I turned on my i-pod and I listened to 2 Pac sing "Ho Ho Ho". And now I am in the Christmas mood.

Mud

We went to the Dead Sea this weekend instead of studying. I put mud on my body. Now I feel like a baby's butt. (Not emotionally, it is my skin that feels like a baby's butt).

Fascinating Discoveries

Some have asked why I moved my family across the world to study the Bible when I could do that in quality institutions in places like Dallas, Texas. It is a legitimate question and one that I could answer 100 different ways. My first response is "have you been to Dallas?" Another response is that I needed a break so I thought moving to the Middle East would be a perfect place to rest my body and mind. Another answer is that after working in churches for 13 years, Israel sounded safe and relaxing. Perhaps another answer is that I always encourage college students to take a semester to live in a different culture and I never had the opportunity to do that for myself so I dragged my family into this adventure. Still another answer is that I knew that I would have to leave my last church so I took this opportunity to check off some things on my "to do" list for life.

The most accurate answer is that what better place to study the Bible than in the land where the history actually took place. For example, as a family we looked at the passage in John 5 when Jesus heals the cripple man near the pools of Bethesda after walking to the pools and viewing them in person. Also, each week I have a Biblical Archaeology class (which is like taking gym class in college to raise the GPA) and we discuss the rise of the city of Jerusalem in Jewish theology and consequently in Christian circles and I can walk down the hill and look at the actual remains for the things we are talking about. You can compare studying the Bible here to someone moving to Italy to study Art, or to someone moving to Antartica to study ice, or even to someone moving to the Moon to study gymnastics (think about that one). You get the point.

Many of you want to know the things I have learned so far and I am not prepared to write a paper for all of you answering that question, but I can give a few startling new facts I have learned so far. 1) The number 30 bus doesn't always come, 2) It gets cold in Israel at night, 3) Cheddar cheese costs $10 per pound, 4) More people speak English here than in parts of Southern California, 5) it turns out that Jesus was a Jew.

Now you can rest easy knowing that I am getting my money's worth here.

More serious thoughts will follow in the weeks ahead.

Shabbat Shalom

One thing you will notice if you visit Israel is the frank nature of the locals and the apparent lack of friendliness and small talk. For example, if you walk passed a person on the street, make eye contact, and say “Shalom”, do not expect the pleasantry to be returned. When purchasing food at a store and you say “Todah (Thank You)” when you receive your item, do not expect to hear “You’re welcome”. One Israeli friend of mine even joked about the formal nature that Americans’ have when introducing friends to each other. According to the Israelis here, you do not need to be polite or formal, just begin talking. Unless you are from the Northeast, this comes across as rude behavior to most Americans. After spending some time here, it is easy to adapt to this culture and learn that it is not personal, it is just Israel.
With this said, there are two days every week when this culture lifts and the opposite of the norm takes place. Every Friday and Saturday, people great each other with “Shabbat Shalom” which literally means “Peaceful Sabbath” or you can translate this to say, “Have a nice and peaceful Sabbath”. In stores, on the street, and even on buses people transform into friendly faces and warm greeters. To add to this transformation, around 4:00 PM on Friday everything shuts down. The buses stop running, the stores close, people quit doing housework, and the focus for the next 26 hours is on God and family.
For us, we wake up Saturday morning, pack lunches for the day (which is technically prohibited for Jewish people), and walk to worship at our church. After church, we walk to the park usually with other families, and spend the afternoon making our way home. It is difficult to explain how relaxing this is. To spend the entire day walking, relaxing with family and friends, and whole-heartedly holding to the “do not do chores” rule is a nice way to live. It must be a glimpse of how it was in America before someone decided that we must always work and always be productive. Now it seems that if people are not at work, they are involved in organized sporting events, work around the house, frantically driving around town to run errands, or countless other activities that prevent true rest. I even have friends in America who work at churches and never have a day off. They justify it by saying that they rest when they really need it but is that really the point?
The point of resting on the Sabbath is to avoid all human efforts to produce and get further ahead in life. It is about taking time to reflect on God and the blessings that he gives us. I love the Sabbath and I fear my eventual return to America, where we do not even take off once sacred days like Thanksgiving and Christmas, will produce frustration. I know it is a part of the culture that I want to fight against and do all I can to preserve this age-old tradition of focusing on God and Family. If possible, I recommend re-arranging your lives the best you can to do the same and refocus on what matters.

Shabbat Shalom.

Evolution of the Senior Pastor

A few weeks ago I talked about the joys of my new life as a retired person. In this new life I spend around 50 hours per week either in class, studying, or reading in preparation for those classes. Because something is not right with me, I have added a significant amount of additional reading and study on a few topics that interest me outside of my coursework.
One of my major projects this year is to evaluate the Church in America and to take an academic approach at recognizing some major issues in hopes of coming to useful conclusions. So far it has been interesting to trace the earliest Pagan and Christian literature we have outside of the Bible to notice some trends emerging. In its infancy, the Church demonstrates an uncompromising commitment to Christ and works to live at peace with the Roman Empire and in recognition of their Jewish roots.
By the 4th century, we see various Bishops such as Ambrose of Milan wielding their influence and political power. These Bishops actually experienced open relationships with the emperors (Constantine in particular) and were even able to begin outlawing all religions other than Christianity. The church leaders gained an increasingly greater level of power while the “average” Christians seemed to gain less influence in their own churches. To demonstrate this change in thinking Ambrose says, “Palaces belong to the Emperor, and churches belong to the Bishop”.
It is interesting to note that as time moved on, the numbers of “Christians” dramatically increased and therefore the political influence of Christians also increased. Along with this, church leaders began to say things like “We are the head of the church”. Could it be that this mentality is the distant ancestor of the system we possess today with “Senior Pastors”? I am not sugessting that churches should eliminate the title of "senior pastor" because the culture in countries like the USA virtually make it impossible for people to understand the structure of a church without this position. But I do wonder if some of the problems in many churches today come from people believing that they are “the head of the church” while somehow forgetting that Christ is the head.
How many times do you hear senior pastors and congregants speak in terms of “My church or your church”? Does this type of thinking make church leaders too powerful and therefore too susceptible to needing to have it “their way”? Sadly, as the early Christian church shifted from a persecuted body of people all pursuing Christ and desiring to know and please Him to an organized political force led by powerful men, we see less and less evidence that these people had any relationship with God. History proves that some of these men actually did not have a relationship with God but enjoyed the power given by leading churches.
So as I leave Israel next year and most likely re-enter the Church world as a “Senior Pastor”, or even better, simply as a “Pastor/Overseer”, what can be done to avoid the mistakes we see so often today? Can churches today find persons for leadership like the ones described by Origen in the late 2nd century when he said, “We call upon all of those who are competent to take office, who are sound in doctrine and life, to rule over the churches. We do not accept those who love power”. How can Christian leaders ensure that they do not “love power” and how can churches ensure that their leaders do not “love power”?

To Live and Die in L.A. (or the West Bank)

This week our speaker at church was a man who starts Christian churches and schools around Ramallah and other parts of the West Bank. This is how he was introduced, “Our speaker today has a very credible and serious threat on his life so we are grateful that he is still with us… so please welcome …” He then got up and spoke without ever mentioning the threat on his life or the ministry that he does in the West Bank. He simply shared about the love of God and His acceptance of us. At one point he did mention the power of forgiveness and the need to pray for the forgiveness of those who persecute us but that was more in reference to the fire set at our church than in reference to the people who want him dead.
When he was done speaking the congregation was told, “Keep Isa in your prayers because the same people who killed Rami two weeks ago are the ones threatening his life.”
This is really the closest thing I have ever seen to the life of the early church. This is the closest I may ever get to understanding what it must have been like for Paul and the disciples of Jesus. The man I saw this week is simply counting the days until the enemy takes him down but he will not quit what God has challenged him to do.
At times it seems easy to say that we would die for Christ but mainly because we never really have to face that decision. I believe that if I was cornered and asked to “deny Christ or die” that I would gladly choose death. But if a threat was on my life that said, “quit your ministry or die”, I am not sure that I could continue. I would easily find a good reason to go somewhere else but here we see an example of a person who lives with a threat on his life everyday.
I can’t imagine what it must be like to go to work and wonder if he will arrive. What must it be like to walk from your house and hope that the people after you are not waiting on the street? Imagine the fear that must be overwhelming at times. The daily choice to live for Christ and follow His call in the face of these threats is difficult for me to fathom. Perhaps this daily reality that death lurks around every corner caused the apostle Paul to write, “For me to live is (for) Christ, and to die is gain”. I admit that my concept of this commitment to Christ and the consequence of following Him is lacking. Honestly, I am not even sure that I ever want to have this concept to become more real to me.

Truly it is easier to die for Christ, than to live for Him.

God's Chosen People

I hate to break up the good conversation that is happening in the previous blog, but I think we must take a moment to pay tribute to God's favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox. I found this Kippa proudly displaying the Red Sox colors. So all good Jewish people can pay tribute to the Red Sox and demonstrate their humility before God at the same time!

Fire and Forgiveness

Today we went to church (our church meets on Saturday mornings... Sabbath day here in Israel) and found that someone broke into the building and set the church on fire this past week. We found that this was the second time in this church's history that someone tried to destroy it. Apparently it is difficult to be a church that proclaims and praises the Messiah Jesus in Jerusalem. This time, because the building is made entirely of concrete, the fire was only able to destroy the interior (chairs and the "stuff"). So... plastic chairs and new "stuff" was brought in and church went on as usual. We also discovered that after the fire many comments were made against the church such as, "You deserve this you soul- stealers" and other negative comments directed against this congregation of Jesus-followers.

After singing praises, the senior pastor (who never preaches because he does not feel like it is his gift) went up on the stage and said, "Today is a very special day. Today is a special day because today we are not going to hold a grudge. Today we are not going to point fingers or cast blame on those who might be responsible for our fire. Today we will love the people who did this thing to us. We will not hold a grudge because holding grudges and becoming bitter is a burden too great for us to bear. We don't even have to bear these burdens because Jesus said He would bear them for us." Then he sat down and the worship service continued.

It is a beautiful thing to see true Christ-like living. It is beautiful to know that Jesus calls us to "turn the other cheek" and to bless when we are cursed. This type of living does more for the cause of Christ than fancy programs and "outreach" events could ever do. Living out the grace and forgiveness of Jesus is the truly effective form of spreading the message of God's love to the world.


* A side note to this event is that the Synagogue next to the church offered free use of their facilities until the church was able to open again. The stage also was decorated with flowers today courtesy of the same synagogue. A reminder of the love of God came to the Church of Jesus the Messiah from those who do not believe. *

Retirement

As you know, this year I decided to retire and am now in the process of learning a new way of life. No, I am not quite to retirement age (I have about 30 years to go) but I thought I should retire when my kids were young and when I still had all the energy I need to do all the things I want.
My first week of retirement I drove my family up the West Coast, hiked around the woods, and played on beaches. I spent a week with family in Washington State and went golfing (it wouldn’t be retirement without golf). Then we decided to spend some of our retirement money to travel to Europe and show our kids some sites. From Europe we continued our journey to Israel and spent the first day lying in the sun on a sandy beach along the Mediterranean Sea. Retirement to this point was great. Hotels, restaurants, site seeing, golf, and wearing Hawaiian shirts. (I guess the Hawaiian shirt thing could also mean that I am a Senior Pastor of a church in Southern California).
After our time in Tel Aviv we headed to our vacation home in Jerusalem. It is in a beautiful neighborhood with chic shops and cafes two minutes away. Retirement couldn't be going any better.
Then, I went to Hebrew University where I am studying for the year. I spent my first day in a total immersion class learning Hebrew. Once class was over and the swelling in my brain subsided I took the bus home and wondered if there might be better ways to spend retirement. When I arrived home and found my family in the park directly across the street from our vacation home, I realized that I could make this work for one year. Then I think I will rejoin the workforce.... maybe.

What to Read

One of my readers (Kevin) suggested that I post the top ten books to read in one's lifetime. That thought comes with tons of pressure but because I have not completed editing several posts that I am preparing for this site, I thought I would give it a try. Know that I think the following books give good insight into humanity and God so they are worthy of reading from time to time. I do want to change this list however from "Top Ten Books for a Lifetime" to "Books to Read". The other title is much too lofty for a person like me.

1. The Bible by God
2. "Orthodoxy" by GK Chesterton
3. "Brothers Karamozov" or "The Idiot" by Dostoyevsky
4. "Night" by Eli Weisel
5. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by CS Lewis
6. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain
7. "Tremendous Trifles" by Chesterton
8. "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning
9. "the Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard
10. "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Remarque?
* Bonus * To Kill a Mockingbird

Three Pointing Back

I realized a very liberating piece of truth today. That truth is that I am usually right and people around me are usually wrong. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to discover this fact of life. Now whenever someone questions me or disagrees with me I can laugh inside with full knowledge that this person is obviously mistaken. I am actually embarrassed that it took me so long to find the freedom in this new knowledge but now that I possess this information I vow to live it out each day.
Allow me to illustrate this liberation through an everyday example. When I am in a hurry and weaving through traffic, it never fails that the drivers around me are the ones too slow or too unskilled to understand that I have places to be and that I need to quickly maneuver around their wasted pile of metal. With my new information about my own superiority over all people, it helps me to ease up a little and to offer grace for these people do not live up where I exist. I now actually pity others for not possessing the same superior qualities that I have been given.
One other area that this indisputable truth shows its ugly head is when I deal with other people in leadership roles. Apparently I am the only one who knows the right way to lead and the right things to say. I don’t know why it is so hard for others to realize that I am quite easy to work with because I am not wrong. All they have to do is stay out of my way and everyone will be successful and happy. If others would just recognize my unquestionable wisdom, then they would humbly accept my input when I point out the flaws in their lives.
It is my ease of finding flaws in others and my ability to demonstrate my superior skills in a world that never measures up that led me to the discovery of this irrefutable truth about my knowledge. There really is no other explanation for my eminent wisdom, and ability to judge. No other explanation unless you agree with my friend who says, “We find fault in other people usually because those are the same faults we struggle with”.
I’m not sure I want to agree with that statement because it sounds a bit like Jesus’ principle of, “Do not judge or you will be judged by the same measure”. It is as if Jesus said what my friend says. I am judged by the same measure because it is often the same sin in my own life. If this is true and if I am not all knowing, that would mean that when others around me are “bad drivers”, then maybe I should recognize the bad driver is looking in my mirror. When I easily see the flaws in another person, I need to ask myself why that flaw looks so familiar and easy to recognize.
Perhaps this is the truly liberating truth. The truth that says God alone is judge and all of my thoughts fail in comparison. All of the judgments thrown at me from other people also fall short in comparison to the thoughts that my God has towards me. To be truly liberated I must remember that all the “idiots” around me and all the shortcomings of others can only accurately be assessed through the eyes of a perfect God. And when I find myself taking on the role of judge and point my finger, I need only to look down and see that I have three pointing back.

My letter

For those who know us or who have been involved in our church, the following is my resignation letter written for the congregation. For some reason this letter did not make it to the entire church body so I include here for your viewing pleasure. If you know of anyone who would benefit from reading this please forward it to them.

To our Dear friends at Mission Hills,

It is with a heavy heart and a sense of anxiety that I write this letter. After prayer and grueling deliberation, my family and I feel strongly that God is leading us to step out in faith and leave my position here at Mission Hills effective the end of September. I can honestly tell you that this is the most difficult decision that I have made in my professional career and one of the most difficult decisions I have made in my life. In this letter, I will attempt to communicate my heart and to give you a sense of what the future holds.
There is an ancient blessing that is recorded by the Jewish Sages that says, “May you be covered in the dust of the sages [teachers, Rabbis] and may you thirst mightily for their words”. One understanding of this blessing is that when you walk so closely with your Rabbi, the dust from his feet will fall on you and cover you. Dust. It has been my desire during my time at Mission Hills that I walk so closely with Christ that His dust covers me. Dust that shows up as evidence as a person who wants to follow Christ fully and who wants to be an example of God’s character to this earth.
During my seven years here I have been blessed to see a group of students and leaders that work to understand how to follow Jesus and how to join in God’s work of redeeming this earth. The youth at this church are the source of great joy for our family. The highlight of each week is spending time with this entertaining, creative, mostly intelligent, always energetic, and sincere-hearted group of students. They cause me to laugh, to cry, to rejoice, to weep, and to remember that there are bigger things to live for in this world. I look at our group of JH through College-aged students and I honestly believe that this group is among the best gatherings of students around. Even in the midst of some shortcomings in their own faith I can see the dust of Jesus covering them.
As a family, we had two of our boys dedicated at this church and have seen each of them develop a faith in Jesus and a love for God through the excellent leadership in Children’s ministries. We have walked with others in this church family through countless hours of small groups, birthday parties, summer BBQ’s, anniversary celebrations, dinner parties, and the list goes on and on. My wife and I have had the opportunity of using our giftedness in teaching in ministries other than youth. We have taught in woman’s Bible studies, Men’s events, Couple’s events, Sunday Morning fellowships, and main service settings. All in all, I count my years here a success and I have no regrets relating to the ministry in which I was able to participate and in the relationships we were able to build. I look at my time here at Mission Hills and I can say in the words of Psalms 13:6, “God has dealt bountiful with me”.
Now we feel led to walk away from the place we love and the people who have become family and head into the unknown. We feel like Abraham who was asked to leave everything and head into a land he did not know while trusting that God has better things ahead. In our case the land we feel called to happens to be the same as it was for Abraham 4000 years ago. Our plan at this point is to take the upcoming academic year to study the Bible and its world at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. This will give us an opportunity to do the type of research I love in the land where this very history was made. It is difficult to consider giving up our entire income to take my wife and three young boys halfway around the world but the dust of Jesus makes this possible.
As we leave I know many will ask what will happen to the youth at Mission Hills. I want to reassure you that Mission Hills still cares about each student in the program and the same God that brought me here seven years ago will bring another in my place. I leave you with the assurance that the team of leaders here at Mission Hills is filled with amazing people who love the youth and who also seek to be covered in the dust of Jesus. They are the ones who make the youth ministry at MHC a success and they will continue to be the reason for that success in the future. One thing I believe is that this is not about me, it is about my Rabbi named Jesus and I want all eyes focused on His words and life. With that said, I am not so naïve as to believe that human relationships bear no importance and believe me when I say that my family already grieves over the prospect of saying goodbye to all of you. Many tears have been and will be shed as we part ways even with a hope of crossing paths again in the future. Through these tears we still have hope because we believe that the God of the Universe cares and that all things are in His control.
So as I close allow me to communicate my deepest “thanks” for all of the years of encouragement, of help in times of need, in pushing and challenging me to be a better teacher, pastor, and friend. Thank you for loving my kids and for volunteering as teachers and mentors in their lives. Thank you for accepting us as family and for inviting us to holiday dinners, for providing babysitting, for helping me remodel rooms in my house, for fixing things when I was out of town, for preparing food when we were in the hospital or on bed-rest, for lending us your tools, your cars, and your hearts. Thank you for serving alongside me in the weekly challenge of leading youth to better lives here in Orange County, in feeding the poor in inner city LA, in Mexico, and in loving the oppressed in Bosnia, Africa, and South America. Thank you for allowing me to grow and develop professionally and personally in more ways that I could have ever imagined. To the hundreds of former and current staff, elders, and lay people who call Mission Hills home, we say “goodbye” with heavy hearts but heads held high for the work we were able to do here.
As we leave Mission Hills, we leave a piece of us with you and should God ever allow us to cross paths again I will count it an honor.

May you be covered with the dust of your Rabbi.
Shalom,

Ryan, Sara, Isaac, Ian, & Benjamin

The Future is Now

So here is a quick update on my life. I have been working as a pastor at a church for the past 7 years and like most churches we have seen our share of struggles. My family was determined to see passed the struggles and focus on the task at hand. Early this year we determined that we have done all we can do and that it is time to move on.
So like any normal person would do, I quit my job and decided to move to Israel. My last day of work is the 30 of September and a week later I will pack up my three boys and very supportive and brave wife and head to Israel to study for a year.
Deciding to leave a place after so many years reveals a lot about people. In most people, we see the importance of relationships that have been built, in others we see shallowness and indifference that come as a surprise. Either way, leaving is good to do from time to time and I highly reccommend it to anyone.

It has been a while since I have posted so I am sure that my two readers stopped checking this so if you happen to see this, let the other reader know that I am back.

The Silence is Broken

It has been four months since I last posted any thoughts here. It is amazing how many things can change in four months. As a family we are on the verge of beginning a new adventure that is sure to bring new stories, new friendships, new perspectives, and new opportunities in life. It is too early to get into details so read between the lines for now and in three weeks I return from a trip to Africa and will have much more to say.

Quote of the Week

"What is old is new". -Various authors including Jung Ho Park from the band Chemical Chemical

Quote of the Week

"The kind of thinking that will solve the world's problems will be of a different order to the kind of thinking that created those problems in the first place." - Albert Einstein

Lent

The season of lent is upon us once again and, unlike last year, I have chosen to give up a few things that are a bit more difficult for me. Last year I successfully abstained from things like jogging, green beans, and Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer but this year I will take it to a new level.
I have decided to give up drinking soda for this period of 40 days. It is not like I drink soda everyday but something about giving it up makes me want it more often. So, to this point giving up something out of dedication to God is serving as a reminder of how often I want things my own way.
Each time I think about having a soda I stop and remember that I am but dust and am in total need of God's work in my life. I recommend that you choose to give something up during this time of lent and each time you crave that thing take a moment to express your commitment to God and to remember your place with Jesus Christ.

When is Dishonesty Okay?

This Sunday morning I was working with our High School group at church and a new student who is a junior in High School joined us. I greeted him and asked all the usual questions that we ask of new students. Through this conversation he told me he was looking for a youth group to attend, his family did not go to church, and he was not involved in any church. I mentioned a few students in our group that he might know and he denied knowing them.

10 minutes later, another student who is the same age came in for the first time and gave me the exact same story. I introduced the two students to each other and then to some students in our group and proceeded with the morning. After group I found out that both of these new students know each other, both attend another church in the area, and both were sent on assignment from their church to “check out other ministries”.

I have no problem with learning from each other so that we can all do the best job possible but something is not right with this scenario. First of all, both of these students had well- rehearsed lies about who they are and where they are from. Apparently their church wants them to use dishonesty at times. Secondly, both of these students attend a huge church in the area who have a High School group larger than our entire church. They have a new youth facility that costs more than 5x our entire church building. What do they possibly think they can learn from us? Anything that works for us cannot be applied to their situation because sheer numbers make it impossible to replicate.

This whole assignment is set up to fail because: 1) it teaches their students that dishonesty is okay at times, 2) if the students like the smaller churches better they will become frustrated with their current church because they are too big to replicate small church ministry, and 3) if the students don’t like the smaller churches they could gain an “elite’s” perspective on their own church experience and unless the students are more mature than most adults, they will get the wrong impression about what makes a church good.

The point is this for those leading other people in ministries. 1) Jesus never used dishonesty. 2) Learn from others but focus on what God wants YOU to do in YOUR situation, not what other people do in their situations. 3) Church is not a competition. The best possible scenario is for all churches to be faithful to what they think God wants them to do and to do it whole-heartedly. Success is not measured in numbers, but it is measured in faithfulness to God’s call to each individual.

Quote of the Week

There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society....

Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are.

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" April 16, 1963

Is this still true today? How?

Mexico Every Morning

Every morning when I drop my son off at school I am reminded of why we love living right where we are. Our son attends a public school in a community that must be around 90% Mexican. The program he attends at his school is a Spanish Immersion program that teaches in 80% Spanish and 20% English. In theory his class consists of 50% English Speakers and 50% Spanish but the reality is that only 4 kids in his class come from English only homes.
All this to say that everyday when I walk with my son to his class I am amused at how different his school is from most in this area. Instead of the kids filling the ball fields with American football games, the fields are filled with kids playing “futbol” (soccer). Instead of every kids arriving at school in brand new mini-vans and SUV’s, the majority of kids arrive walking with their mothers and grandmothers. Instead of English, all that can be heard is parents, students, and faculty conversing in Spanish. The styles of clothing clearly have a Latino flair and are obviously different than all other schools in the area.
We have actually had many people in this area ask why we don’t put our kids in a “nicer” school. How could we find a nicer school than this? Our kids learn two languages, they learn to exist within a culture different than their own, they learn that money and image are not the most important thing, and they don’t have to put up with the arrogant parents who believe that this world exists to serve them only. It is a little piece of paradise every morning and one that I wish all families could experience.

Quote of the Week

"There are two ways of renouncing the devil... and the difference is perhaps the deepest chasm in modern religion. One is to have horror of him because he is so far off; and the other is to have it because he is so near. And no virtue and vice are so much divided as those two virtues." - Chesterton from "The Secret of Flambeau"

Proposition 95- No More Jerks

Recently a friend told me about an experience she had at a local gym. She joined a Jazzersize class and was excited to get into better shape. On her first day the instructor pulled her aside to inform her about a "situation" they were dealing with in the class. The "situation" was that a college-aged girl who displayed some mild disability was "slowing the class down".

My friend was surprised to hear that this would be a problem and proceeded with the class and did not notice any problems arising with this mildly disabled girl. As time went on, the instructor continued to treat this girl poorly and eventually passed around a petition asking the girl to leave the class or only come with "proper supervision". One day this girl was unable to make it to class and the instructor happily pointed out the fact that the class would be better off that day. To the surprise of my friend, the people in the class cheered the absence of this disabled girl.

Being the mother of a disabled child, my friend was so offended by the appalling behavior of the people in the class that she never returned to that particular group of self-absorbed ladies.

Apparently the disabled girl continues to attend the class completely oblivious to the attitudes of the ladies in this class. But I wish that something could be done to open the eyes of these people. Have these grown women forgotten to mature beyond the petty behavior of 13 year olds? Do these grown women really believe that providing a place of acceptance and encouragement for a disabled girl is not a value they should hold? Do these ladies really believe that their disability of thinking they must be perfect is less annoying than someone who lives with physical or mental disabilities?

The sad thing about this group of ladies is that they probably represent a cross section of our culture that includes, teachers, government leaders, mothers, wives, and most frightening, Christians. I cannot even imagine the outrage that God must feel towards His people that treat others this way. Could it be that Christians who are this self-absorbed will one day hear Jesus say, "Depart from me... for I never knew you."

We cannot let this continue.

The Corn Bread Caper

Last week my wife asked me to stop by the store and buy two things for dinner, canned corn and corn bread mix. Two items, that’s all I had to find. My wife had a certain level of confidence in my ability to successfully track down two items and bring them home… I knew better.

5:05 PM I arrived at the store and began walking the aisles.
5:08 PM I find the canned foods aisle and find the corn.
I didn’t realize all of the choices I would have to make to successfully choose a can of corn. I found sweet corn, creamed corn, no preservative corn, regular yellow corn, and a few other options of corn that I couldn’t see a good reason for. I made a choice based on the best criteria I knew… price.

5:09 PM With the cheapest can of corn in my hand I confidently headed off for my final item. 4 minutes into my adventure and I am already halfway to my goal.

5:18 PM I find myself returning down the same aisles that I already searched. I wander past other men staring blankly at a whole row of items that only confuse the male mind. I begin searching for an old lady who would certainly know where to find corn bread but all I can find are more confused looking men picking up items for their wives.

5:23 PM I am ready to give up. I walk to the front of the store with a can of cheap corn and ask the girl at the check out stand where I can find corn bread mix. She tells me aisle 7 or 8 so I return to the place I had already checked out several times just minutes before.

5:28 PM I find a 16 year old boy who is stocking shelves and ask in desperation if this store even carries corn bread mix. He turns around and points at the corn bread mix section and wishes me luck. I reach down and pick the first bag of mix I see and head off to the long lines of after-work shoppers.

5:35 PM I finally check out and head home. I arrive home and my wife already found a can of corn at home and it was too late to make the corn bread. She says, “thanks anyway” and we sit down to eat dinner.

I can find cereal, milk, meat, and drinks in the grocery store. Anything beyond that is too much to ask a man to accomplish. Maybe this is a lack of training or maybe I am just instinctively following the example of Bill Cosby. He says men purposefully mess things up so that their wives quit asking for help. I didn’t do this on purpose but I don’t think I will be asked to “pick up a few items after work” anytime soon.

Quote of the Week

"All men thirst to confess their crimes more than tired beasts thirst for water; but they naturally object to confessing them while other people, who have also committed the same crimes, sit by and laugh at them." Chesterton 1908

What if those of us in the church allowed each other to be honest about struggles, fear, hopes, and dreams? What if we truly experienced a place where authenticity is assumed and fear of ridicule never existed?

Quote of the Week

"My attitude toward progress has passed from antagonism to boredom. I have ceased to argue with people who prefer Thursday to Wednesday because it is Thursday." - Chesterton "New York Times" 2/11/1923

Leave Pluto Alone

One of my favorite morning rituals is driving my two boys to school. I enjoy this time because each day brings new topics for discussion and new observations on the journey. This week the topic has been planets and the solar system. The basketball in the back seat is Jupiter, a tennis ball is earth, and a small “bouncy ball” serves as Mars. My youngest son used the tip of his finger to represent Pluto. I began to explain that Pluto was no longer a planet but when pressed I couldn’t explain why this happened.
My boys questioned the authority of the scientists who stripped this defenseless planet of its status overruled their decision. They literally rejected the notion that a planet could become “not a planet” and continued without giving it any further thought. Already my boys are learning to question and challenge assumptions. I hope this leads to a lifestyle that searches for truth and that is open to answers. I also don’t mind if they are strong enough to “stick to their guns”.

Blogging

Some wonder when they can expect me to post in this blog. I have tried a regular pattern so the readers (my wife and my mom) will know when to check back for new thoughts. But I found that trying to follow a regular pattern becomes forced and then the quality goes down. It is not that I don’t have things to post it is just that some posts require the right timing.

One writing professor I had in college told me to write everyday no matter what. I don’t write everyday but I certainly do write way more than anyone will ever see. I have writings titled, “laying in the grass”, “riding on buses”, “I don’t believe in atheists”, and “running is bad” to name just a few. Some of the writings unveil deeper insights into this world in which we live and others are simply random stories that are amusing to me.

The bottom line is that I look for inspiration everywhere and overlook nothing. When I write I hope to entertain, to challenge, or to help the reader’s struggle with insomnia. But I don’t want to be flippant about it. In the words of your beloved G.K. Chesterton, “I don’t have time to be flippant”. So keep coming back and you may find deep truth hidden in the lives of two young boys, or inspiration found in the flight of a hummingbird. The annoying bark of a neighbor’s dog may produce a story funny enough to brighten your day or a tale of driving in Los Angeles may make you realize your life is not so bad.

All of this is to say thank you for coming back to read my ramblings and for those of you who contribute with ramblings of your own. As I work to become a better writer I will continue to bring my thoughts and I am happy to have you along for the ride.

Pumpkins and Pirates

Sometimes I just stare at my son and burst from an overwhelming sense of wonder and love. Somewhere behind the missing tooth and the unkempt hair lies a mind that has figured out what most have long forgotten. In that six-year-old mind, the discovery of real life booms. A life in which rules serve as basic principles more than rigid absolutes with no room for the unexpected. He has discovered that around every corner of this world, an adventure can still be found. He has not given up on the hope that if one looks long enough, new discoveries of old truths await.
It is no wonder why when Jesus was speaking of children he said, “The kingdom of God belongs to such as these”. It is because Jesus wants those who believe it is possible to ride a pirate ship through lava in order to save a pumpkin from the Halloween monster. He wants those who believe it is possible and who don’t really care if they are the only ones convinced of this obvious possibility. Jesus knew that in the mind of a child, everything in life has a reason for existing but pure scientific answers fall short of the real truth. Jesus understood that with a child it is more likely that volcanoes exist because God thinks they look cool, not because of movement of matter beneath the surface.
Jesus must grow so tried of adults who have learned so many rules about the game of life that they actually forget how to play, or why to play in the first place. Certainly God is impressed with the minds that have looked high and low to discover the logical reasons for volcanoes. But the logical reasons for volcanoes don’t really answer, “Why do volcanoes exist”. The why question is asked by a child because he wants to know why these are a part of the story. Instead of volcanoes, why not make giant- lava spewing trees?
Lava is the logical choice of liquid when one wants to add an obstacle. Everyone knows that lava can keep the bad guys away and keep little boys in their beds at night. In the beautiful mind of a child, they still ask the right questions and search for the right answers. They still want to know how things work, but they are unafraid of answers that supercede our basic understanding.
In the mind of a six year old, the rules don’t have to make sense. They don’t have to be consistent or even serve a purpose. For a six year old, one can at any moment decide that all pillows are rocks and all blankets are invisibility cloaks. The next moment these vary pillows can become a tasty treat while hiding from a monster. It makes no difference in the mind of a child if things change. It makes no matter if logic can disprove a belief in the ability of the Pirates to succeed. In the beautiful mind of a child all things are possible because this world is big.
For a six year old, we have not had enough time shrinking the world in which he lives through our endless dogma about rules and principles. He hasn’t learned that dinosaurs are never coming back. He hasn’t had the misfortune of hearing that the stars are too far and too hot to visit. Even if he has been told, he doesn’t care because he will wear his “hot planet suit”. In this mind of a six year old, he can still believe in a God who also doesn’t care much for rules. It is still possible for God to take five loaves of bread to feed five thousand. For a six year old, killing a Giant with a rock is not illogical; it is the only logical way to kill a giant. In this mind, one must keep wood close because every rainstorm has the possibility of flooding the earth.
In our attempts to discover why things are, we loose the ability to see that things are. We find a way to explain what makes a rainbow and lose the wonder of this colorful image floating in mid air. We use a microscope to see the individual strands of DNA and forget to step back and see the spectacle of a human being. We look deep into lava and discover that it exists because of the internal temperature of the earth and forget how bizarre it is that the whole earth has not melted.
A God with such an imagination that he was willing to break His own rules has created this world. In making all mammals similar, he decided to make one with a duck’s bill, and that lays eggs. He made us believe that all things found in the sea must be fish until we looked closer and found whales. He made all flying creatures to be birds and then decided to make bats. One might argue that these creatures are evidence of an evolutionary process that links all living beings. I say they are evidence of a creator that still smiles when he hears tales of pirates and pumpkins. A creator that is bold enough to stick to a basic design that works well and then tweak it enough to remain amused.
Our great men of science attempt to use these irregularities to convince the dull minded that these inconsistencies disprove God. I say that these inconsistencies prove that our great men of science are dull and irregular.
I have decided to join my son on his boat. I have looked into this and am comfortable with the idea of saving the pumpkins. I am leaving the shores of the mundane and logical. I am sailing into the purple sunset on seas of lava. I am going to seek the truth and accept things not easily explained. I will believe that all things are possible in this world. I hereby acknowledge that in this world, there is more than what meets the eye. No longer will I stay on the shores of this great ocean waiting for it to make sense. I will fight monsters and save pumpkins. My captain will be a six year old with one front tooth.

Quote of the Week

"Only when we claim the love of the crucified Christ with heartfelt conviction, the love that transcends all judgments, can we overcome all fear of judgment. When we have become completely free from the need to judge others, we will also become completely free from the fear of being judged... The experience of not having to judge cannot co-exist with the fear of being judged, and the experience of the non-judgmental love of the crucified Savior cannot co-exist with a need to judge others."
-Henry Nouwen "Here and Now"

A Job for Idiots

The other day I was talking with a group of High School students in my church. One of them asked where I work and what I do. Another student quickly jumped to my defense and said something like, "He is your youth pastor (idiot)". She then responded by saying, "But you have your Master's Degree, why are you a youth pastor? I thought being a youth pastor was for stupid people."
I was actually flattered that she thought I was too smart to be a youth pastor... I think.
Some would say that this is a job only for fools. Some would say that this is a waste of time. Some would say that I could make more money and "be more successful" if I had a real job. Sometimes they might even be right.
The bottom line is that I like what I do, my family has a place to live and food to eat everyday, and every once in a while I see some change in a life that makes this worth while.
So here's to all the idiots out there who waste their time working with youth. Here's to all of us who wasted money on college and books. Here's to all of us who should be wasting our time as lawyers, and marketing directors. Here's to all of us idiots who have to go on snowboard and wakeboard trips for our job. Here's to all of us fools who travel the world as we lead the youth into new lands in an effort to teach service and sacrifice. Here's to all of us fools who can laugh and have fun with our jobs... who wear shorts to work... who are forced to stay in touch with technology... who drive church vans and buses... who bring kids to the beach for work... who go to all the football games... who know the principals at the local schools... who know the local detention center workers... who still like pizza and captain crunch... who still get in trouble with parents... who can leave work to see our own kids' school plays... who are known in our local coffee shops... who get to see students turn their lives around for the better... who live for something bigger than ourselves... who just aren't smart enough to do anything else!

Quote of the Week

To be struck by grace does not mean that we are simply making progress in our moral self-control, in our fight against special faults, and in our relationships to others. Moral progess may be a fruit of grace, but it is not grace itself.

Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life... grace strikes us when our disgust for our own being, our indifference, our weakness, our hostility, and our lack of direction and composure have become intolerable to us.

Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness and it is as though a voice were saying, "You are accepted. You are accepted by that which is greater than you... Do not seek for anything; do not perform anything; do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted."

If that happens to us, we experience grace. After such an experience we may not be better than before, and we may not believe more than before. But everything is transformed.

- Paul Tillich "The Shaking of the Foundations"

So, what do you think?

A Day is Like a Thousand Years

Two months ago I said I would return to posting some thoughts in a week. What I meant to say was four weeks. But what is time anyway? Jesus said that he would return soon. The early church thought that meant sometime during their lifetime. Jesus said the earth would show signs of the end before his return so every generation says Jesus will be back sometime during their life. The Bible predicts global economies, global conflicts, and centralized leadership. Christians in the 1900's and today interpret this to mean what is happening in the world are the final signs before Jesus' return. When Israel gets involved in conflict the world moves to the edge of its seat to see if this is the last straw before God breaks through and physically shows up on earth. Surely His return is "soon".
Peter explained to us that, "To God a day is like a thousand years", or in other words, God does not operate in our time zone. In God's perspective, the creation of the world and the end of the world happen at the same time. To us it is thousands (or maybe even billions) of years apart. His return is soon, but maybe not to us. Maybe when Jesus said, "I will come like a thief in the night", he really meant that you wouldn’t be able to figure out when. He didn't say, " I will come like a thief in the night sometime on Monday or Tuesday". He said you would be surprised. So the point is that we should be ready. But are we?
If Jesus came back today would we even welcome Him? Would he show up at church and find that we didn’t schedule time for him? Would we say that we could maybe fit him in between the skit and the offering song? Maybe Jesus will show up and some will say they have been “detoxing” from the church and since he actually demands our whole life they don’t really want to welcome him anyway. If Jesus showed up would we gladly quit all we are doing and sit at His feet or would we say that we need a little more time to get our lives in order?
The point is this. Jesus will return someday. And when He does return I am sure that most will find that we were wrong about a lot of things. Our interpretations of scripture, our insistence of how the “Church” should function, our beliefs about His priorities, and our judgments about “big sins” and “little sins”. The best thing we can do is to give up all the speculating, complaining, and judging and just rest in the fact that we are loved by God and allowed to love Him. Live as if you want to return the favor of a life of love lived in return, but never think you have it all figured out. You don’t. When you start feeling superior as if you have the definitive answers about God in your hands, just remember that a day to you is a completely different concept for God. His ways are not yours and His thoughts are not your thoughts.

See you in a week

I know I told some of you to expect this week's Weekly Photo Quiz. I promise that I will get back to every Friday contest, but not this week. I will be gone for a week so check back next weekend.

I Killed the Tadpoles

Last week my wife and youngest son went to a park and caught a whole bucket full of tadpoles. They cared for the tadpoles for almost a week and they seemed to be surviving okay. The problem was that they were in a bucket that I use for mixing paints, drywall mud, or other things around the house. So, being the great father that I am, I set up a fish tank for the tad poles and made the transfer into their new and improved environment.

Within an hour of improving the lives of these tadpoles, all but two of them were dead and the others were on their way to heaven as well. So I did what any good parent/ husband would do. I went to that same park that night and, in the dark, I caught even more tadpoles and two frogs to add to the collection. My boys are completely satisfied with the fish tank/ frog aquarium now and so far all of the new tadpoles are flourishing.

Our only mishap so far was one of the frogs turned white yesterday. Apparently it had died sometime in the morning and turned white in the process. With one frog and 20 tadpoles remaining, I think we are doing alright. The lesson learned... if you have a family pet, make sure it is generic looking so if you kill it on accident you can find a replacement and no one will know. Obviously this is harder with real animals like dogs, but fish, frogs, turtles, mice, and cats are all perfectly replaceable.

Random Sampling

A little more than a year ago my wife and I wrote lists of things we want to do in life. (I have discussed these lists before so I won't go into detail here). As you know, my list is ridiculously long so I had to divide it into sections. I thought I would share a section here today. This list is constantly growing so this is subject to change...

FOOD EXPERIENCES
1. Eat Big Animals in Africa (So far I have tried elephant, all varieties of antelope, wildebeest, ostrich, and crocodile)
2. Eat lobster in Maine (Done)
3. Eat Sashimi in Japan (Not done in Japan yet)
4. Eat a Passover meal in Jerusalem (Not done)
5. Eat alligator in Florida (Done in New Orleans so it counts I guess)
6. Eat something crazy in Africa (Do grasshoppers count??? See picture here
7. Have a Beverage and bratwurst in Germany during Ocktoberfest (Done but not during the right festivities).
8. Bangers and Mash in smoky English Pub (Too many to count)
9. Creme Brule' and Crepes in Paris (Done with my wife!)
10. Cappucinno in Italy (Done in Venice on a canal during sunrise... pretty tough to beat that one)
11. Seafood in Boston (Best place for seafood I have ever found)
12. Kangaroo or something "Outbacky" in Australia (Not done)
13. Pickled Herring in Scandinavia (Actually having this in Minnesota is more than enough... Disregard)
14. Real tacos in Mexico (Hundreds so far... and still counting)
15. Sheep in New Zealand (Next year)

Many more food experiences have already been done or will be done but these are the cliche' ones that made the list. Any ideas that I should add?

Flinstone Brakes and Car Horns

The following is one of several entries from my travels to Uganda. Enjoy.

The first day in Uganda and I am enamored by the driving. From the airport where we arrived we had a 4 hour journey to the western part of the country in a hired taxi. I have had the privilege of seeing many different countries in the world and I have to say that Uganda ranks number one in the craziest drivers. They drive at high speeds, they don’t mind bumping other vehicles or people, and I am sure that they actually wear out their car horns during the course of the car’s life. Our driver maneuvered through traffic, he passed all slow moving vehicles, and he somehow managed to avoid all pedestrians and mo-ped drivers that flood the streets.

The only way to survive while riding in cars in Uganda is to just completely trust you driver. If you are the type of person who stresses with close calls and aggressive driving, you are better off sleeping through the ordeal. If you like to use what my brother and I like to call the “Flinstone Brakes” (you know, the imaginary brakes that passengers sometimes try to engage by slamming their feet on the car floor), then you will certainly be worn out from your journey in the car.

Based on what I observed, I have put together the following tips should you ever have the privilege of driving in Uganda. .

1. Drive fast. You won’t actually get anywhere in a timely fashion but the journey will be more pleasurable and the bumpy roads will seem more like amusement rides.
2. Use your horn. You must honk your horn when you see pedestrians or mo-peds, which are used as taxis. These people will then get out of the road so you don’t have to run them over.
3. Don’t slow down for people who ignore number 2. They have to learn the hard way.
4. Watch for random speed bumps. Even though you do not slow down for other people, you will find some large speed bumps in random villages. Slow down for these or you might leave your transmission behind.
5. Do not modify your driving on narrow, dirt roads. Just because you may be in a small car and you may find yourself on what looks like an off-roading course, rules 1-4 still apply.
6. Stop for fuel often but only put in 3-6 liters (or 1-2 gallons) at a time. I’m not sure why but just do it.
7. Leave your windows down even if it rains.
8. Keep a plastic bag in the car in case passengers get car sick (apparently all taxis do this).
9. Don’t worry about any traffic laws but always wear your seatbelt. The police are actually strict about the seatbelt.

The Joy of Malaria Medicine

This week I will head to Uganda on a quick trip to set up some details for future projects. The thing about going to this part of Africa that I love (other than the traveling, the people, and the culture) is the malaria medicine.

My doctor always prescribes the medicine that is known to produce paranoia and intense vivid dreams. He says the side effects will actually help me be closer to normal. I actually think this is the only medicine my insurance will cover, but after taking these pills the first time, they are the ones I request. It takes about a week or two of taking them for the effects to begin, but when the dreams start coming it is well worth it.

I know this sounds like a strange thing to look forward to but I sleep so soundly that I rarely ever remember dreams. And for me, the more intense the dreamm, the better. Dreams where I fall from high places probably rank at the top for me and dreams where I am being chased come in a close second. So here's hoping for some intense vivid dreams!

Have a great week wherever you may be and I hope to return with reports of a great trip and some fun dreams.

Quote of the Week

"If a society requires excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it's an exalted activity, it will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy, neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water"
-John Gardner

Quote of the Week

"If you can't imitate him, don't copy him". -Yogi Berra

The Thrill of the Unknown

I have a confession to make. In making this confession I will also be implicating my wife so consider this a confession on her behalf as well. I confess that I love the "Harry Potter" book series and movies. I think the books are very well written and although the movies miss large portions of the storyline, they are well done and adequately entertaining.

As I have been reading through the books I have told my wife that I think she would like them and she should try reading them. The problem is that she made a New Year's Resolution to finish scrapbooking our youngest son's first year as well as get caught up scrapbooking on our past few vacations. As part of her resolution, she said she would not get involved in any books until she completed these things. I am happy to say that she did complete most of our youngest son's baby book. Nevermind the fact that we had to make things up about him and choose pictures that may or may not accurately represent what was really happening the first year. (History is what those who write it down say it is.... right?)

Anyway, she pretty much completed our son's book but she finally gave in and decided to "just read the first book in the Harry Potter series". I'm not telling on her or anything but this morning I saw book six waiting to be returned to the library which means "just the first book" must mean something much more to her.

The point of this post is not to let you know that she went ahead and read all of the books already, but to tell you why she did. It is because she hates suspense. She actually reads the first chapter of a book, then the last chapter, then the first few paragraphs of all the other chapters, and then she reads the book in its proper order. She has to know how it ends before she can put herself through the process of hearing the entire story. It is like this for birthdays, Christmas, and even pregnancy. She wants to know what gifts are coming, what surprise is awaiting, and what that child will be like before he actually comes.

This completely ruins it for me. I don't want to know. I want to wait until the last minute before the big surprise. I loved getting to the end of Sixth Sense without knowing Bruce Willis is dead (sorry if you haven't seen that movie yet). I loved the shock I felt when I found out that Nemo really was still alive and that he would be reunited with his dad. I love going places without any idea of what might happen there. I love reading books and accepting each twist along the way.

I think that is also why I love things like skydiving, speed skiing, and other dangerous sports. I love the thrill of not being sure what the end will be. The greatest thrill in skydiving is those few seconds before you know your parachute will open successfully and that you will gracefully float to earth. The thrill of not being sure if you will live another moment is as good as it gets. This may seem twisted to some of you but I never claimed to be untwisted. I guess there really is no deep truth hidden in the words of this post but maybe some of this is what Jesus spoke about when he said, "Don't worry about tomorrow".

Ultimately, the unknown is everywhere and we often just have to accept it as it comes. For some of us that is the whole thrill of life, for the others I guess you have no other choice... sorry. (By the way, I haven't read book six yet so please don't tell me how it ends.)

Quote of the Week

Here is your "quote of the week", formely known as "G.K. Chesterton Mondays"...

"Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity" -G.K. Chesterton 1908

I don't really know what this means but it sounds profound.