Archive for February, 2009

Act now and you too can enjoy amazing success!!!!

February 19, 2009 at 7:32 pm · Filed under Current Events, Discipleship ·Tagged ,

I love the amazing, unexpected, brilliantly loving and bizarre way in which the Lord directs our lives! We were at Pearl Lane after the hail storm yesterday when, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in a fit of divine energy, Heather uttered in an otherworldly language a prophetic call that spoke directly into the life of another soul. She said – grab your journal because you’ll want to write this down as it is one of the keys to amazing spiritual vitality and Kingdom renewal. It will revolutionize your life and set you on paths of discovery and grace that will literally re-write your understanding of reality — She said, “Would like to come over for some soup?”

I know! Wow!! Who’d have ever thought to do something so audacious, so counter-cultural and risk taking as to ask someone over for soup!? Here is where it gets good. They said, “Sure.”

I know! Two separate lives suddenly linked across an incredible chasm of time, schedule, and circumstance. But it doesn’t end there. They actually come over! We actually had soup together!!

In this midst of this mind-boggling event deep and profound things began to happen. We start talking, and this other person really did need a friend to listen to her. Our boys offered unexpected blessings by greeting her with warmth and affection, taking her around the house, and foisting Valentine’s gifts on her. We start talking. Not about the weather but about hurts and pains and confusion. Deep wounds that were thought to be healed, but had only been partially healed.

I sat – no joking here – spell-bound by hearing the story of a life that in a million years I never would have imagined this person – who I knew somewhat – had actually lived. I’d had never met a recovering alcoholic, call-girl, mistress, pilot before. It took me straight to the feet of God’s grace and magnified his love and mercy in my mind to an unimaginable degree.

We were able to pray together. When she left there was a tangible presence of the Lord and his peace in our house. All because of those few, amazing, God-inspired words: Would you like to come over for soup?

I know that many of you won’t believe me, but it works. All you have to do is make some soup with a little extra for guests. Utter the secret code words (which I think are a translation from some Templar rite embedded in the mathematical code of the Old Testament) and sit back and watch what happens.

All kidding aside, it was an amazing evening that came about because we had a little extra soup and Heather had the desire to be generous and hospitable. Give it a shot. It really will re-define your reality.

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Unexpected moments

February 12, 2009 at 7:26 pm · Filed under Adventures, Current Events ·Tagged , ,

I don’t know if I will ever get use to the way the Lord works.  The more and more I do ministry in the places the Lord calls me to the bigger things seem to be.  By bigger I mean more intense, more unexpected, more difficult, more joyous, more surprising.  Yesterday was another example. 

I walked one of the kids home to pick some stuff yesterday afternoon.  We walked past a group of men by a dumpster who were obviously drunk and animated.  It’s skinny white guy and tiny latino 3rd grader walking by.  After we pass the kid says, “I hate drunks.”  Not knowing what was up I start asking questions about it and how it feels.  It doesn’t take much to get him going about the noise at night, the fear, the regularity of it.  He talks about being robbed and how it was the scariest moment of his life.  As we were walking it seemed like literally every guy we passed was drinking or carting around something to drink.  In all the years we’ve been around I’d never seen so much alcohol being hauled about.

This is a great kid.  He is full of life and energy.  He has a single mom and older siblings.  He constantly makes contact with me.  Leaning up against me.  Jumping on my back – typical young kids stuff.  It’s fun to horse around with him. 

And as he is talking about his life I start getting angry/depressed.  I realize, once again, how far apart our worlds are even now when I’m less than half a mile away.  I just want to get them out and help them find peace.  I don’t want him to wake up in the middle night and be afraid.  So I’m about to ask him if he prays when he’s scared when we meet up with some of the other boys and they run off. 

So I go back into the ministry center for round 2:  middle school girls’ homework help. 

We sit around and yak and they eat and we talk about school and junk (by junk I mean boys).  Then – I really don’t know how or when it happened – they start talking about feeling ghosts and demons around them at different times.  They are immediately dialed in when we start talking about what the Bible teaches about all of this. 

Then one of them talks about being good and God waiting for us to ask forgiveness so that we don’t loose our place in heaven.  So we open up the Bible and talk about the fact that God loved us when we were at our worst (Rom 5:10, Eph 2), and do we think he is MORE upset when we want to do good but make a mistake?  We talked about what real belief is and what happens when we open our hearts to God in the truth of the gospel and turn to him.  And how amazing that is and how the Lord promises to get us all the way home. 

It was fun.  It was intense.  I had these piercing brown eyes locked on me the whole time.  I heard stories and stories.  Again I was about to ask them if we wanted to pray when the room filled with kids escaping the rain and making Valentine cookies and everything else. 

So I walked home – in the rain – tired and happy and sad and encouraged and confused.  An hour or so later some friends came over to talk about life and living. 

After Heather went to bed I stayed up.  I just couldn’t find sleep.  Nor could I think or process or find peace or answers.  All I could figure out was that “you just have to be there.”  It’s not about plans or answers or solutions (although I’ll never stop seeking, planning, hoping), it’s about presence.  Presence in people’s lives.  Unexpected moments of grace and vulnerability and honesty. 

As sharp as the pain is sometimes, I wouldn’t trade it for the numbness that I use to live in for anything.  The only thing worse than thinking of the fear that comes for these little ones is having never known them or being able to care for them – even in oh too brief moments.

The Apostle Paul teaches in Rom 5.3 that suffering is essential to worship.  Not in a masochistic sense, but in the encouragement it gives us that we are actually in the fight.  That we are part of the kingdom of love moving into the darkness of the world to love.  And the darkness fights back.  But it only fights if we are “there”, where we are suppose to be, loving people as he calls us to.  This brings maturity, endurance, character, and hope. 

I know this in my head.  I don’t feel any joy from this. I just know its time to worship.  To lift these young ones up to him.  To trust in his plan and ability and not mine.  Because I don’t have one.  I’m just there and I don’t want to be anywhere else.

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Dissolving a False Distinction

February 6, 2009 at 3:27 pm · Filed under Discipleship, Musings ·Tagged , , ,

One of the things that I hope is dissolving in the western church’s return to the primacy of mission is the false line that separates “international” missionaries from “local” missionaries (i.e. you and I) . Mission is about demonstrating and sharing God’s love in Christ. Unfortunately for many in the US, we have fallen into the trap of professionalism. That is, life is best handled and explained by people with college degrees who specialize in whatever niche issue we are facing (McKnight’s book The Care-less Society is a great explanation if you want to explore the idea more). This idea of specialization and professionalization has even found its way into the local church where we have special people with special callings (i.e. professional missionaries) who live special (different) lives.

Now, before delivering the punch line let me say that I think we need specially prepared people for some tasks. There are callings and specific needs for Christians in other parts of the world – doctors, translators, cultural experts, engineers, etc. What I am about to say isn’t really a knock against those we call “missionaries” , but against an OVEREMPHASIS on an idea. That is, making the communication of the love of Christ strictly the realm of “professional” Christians.

So here’s the punch-line. There should be no difference in how a missionary makes choices and decisions and how we make choices and decisions. A missionary bases all of her decisions on reaching people with the love of Christ. Where they live, how live, what they wear and why – EVERY decision — is about putting his love on display in a way that can be seen and appreciated by the people she is called to.

Most of us make decisions of expedience because for some reason we don’t think we have the same responsibility or calling in putting Christ’s love on display. Or – what is more likely – we figure out where we want to live, how much we want to make (which is usually as much as we can get so we can have more and more), what schools we want our kids to go to (not THOSE schools), and THEN look around to see who we can reach out to. I honestly wouldn’t have that much of a problem with this if it weren’t for the fact that most of the previous decisions are based on fear and privilege that segregate us from others so that – by default – we look around and only see people just like us who made decisions just like us. I think this is a dangerous compromise and the state of the church in the US is ample proof.

Now before everyone gets defensive or thinks I’m being a judgmental pig let me get back to my main point. I’m talking about HOW we make decisions more than the specifics of our life-styles. It could very well be that it is God’s good and perfect will that you live in a good suburb with good schools and have a ministry to those around you in your neighborhood who truly, desperately need Christ. We need to be wherever God sends us and in whatever capacity he calls us to. The question we have to ask ourselves — to be sure we are not delusional or blinded by our culture – is whether in our heart of hearts he is Lord and has the right and freedom to send us ANYWHERE to do his will. If we can say “yes” or even “I want to say yes, but I’m scared witless” then I think we’re doing OK (just be sure you aren’t asking and answering the question alone – it practically guarantees delusion).

The one thing we have to do is ask the missional question, or we will lead an unreflective, compromised, non-biblical life. If we just assume our right to pursue and attain the American dream without a conscious understanding of the consequences and dangers of that dream, we will inevitably compromise the gospel and twist it into a religion that serves our cultural, personal, and national interests and not the interests of Christ.

So as we begin a mission emphasis Sunday please come in having thought and prayed about the fact that Christ has chosen you to be a vessel and a communicator of unimagined love and grace. He is sending us all around the world, in all different capacities, to all different people to bring his story of love so that whosoever believes can know him and have life with him.

Based on this grand vision of Him, where does he want you? Our church is called to Chamblee and Doraville and the international and immigrant community. We have a long way to go and much to do to truly be his presence. Do you need to relocate? Maybe, maybe not. It’s not the answer that matters right now as much as approaching the question as one desiring to imitate Christ’s mission, going where you are sent to those whom God pleases to send you. If we can start making decisions like missionaries about money, time, housing, job, school, family, etc then we will all be walking with him wherever that may be. And – as we are learning in our own relocation – since we know him, his love, and his grace then we can be assured that wherever he sends us and to whomever he sends us to, it is for our blessing and fullness of life not just to share with others.

So you see you can’t really lose if we start living life his way (though, notice I didn’t say it would be easy). But first we have to start remembering who he is (LORD) and start to do things his way.

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