It's Been Awhile

I just realized that it's been ten days since I've put down some thoughts. Time sure does fly when...well you understand. Anyway, I would like to let you all know that there have been some up times and some down times since last we met, but that is life. The cool thing is that God never lets me get too low before He shows up with some really cool stuff. For instance, last week I was able to hook up with some guys from Sling 'n Stone who are doing the same stuff we are in Natchez, MS area. It was so uplifting to talk to these guys. You know how when you feel all alone in your little world and people show up and let you know that your world isn't very small after all. That is what happened last Thursday night at Fire Mountain. It's in those much needed times that an encouraging takes place and you can go on with the vision before you. You realize that all the question marks are actually exclamation points that you see in the rear view mirror on the bill boards of life's road. They'll probably never know how much just talking to them about their trials and tribulations along side our struggles made me feel that night. So here's to the guys at Sling 'n Stone, may you continue to do what God says to do when and where God says to do it. The world is changing and you are it's agents. Godspeed on your journey.
Do you hear that Mr. Anderson? It's the sound of inevitability.
-Agent Smith in The Matrix
SIM CP

You Haven't Played Yahtzee?!

I was traveling to Monroe, LA with my good friend/co-worker/future business partner/fellow church planter from Words Less Spoken and we were just talking about life in general when the topic went to games. I love games. Board games, card games, table games, computer games, any game really. I was telling him the games we play when we are at my ma-maw's house, which include progressive rummy, scrabble, dominos, and Yahtzee. After a few minutes of my rattling on and on about the fun we have, he confesses to me, "I've never played Yahtzee." Of course I'm glad I wasn't driving or I may have driven off the road in dis-belief. This was like an alien was speaking to me. Once I regained consciousness, I looked over at him and said, "Are you serious?" like he had just admitted stealing from the pope. You must understand, he and I are so similar. Similar backgrounds, similar likes and dislikes, similar...lots of things, so to here this come out of his mouth, well let's just say I was shocked.
Why in the world did I just tell you the story? It made me think of some things the next day (remember, I received quite a shock and had pondered the idea of someone close to my age never having played Yahtzee). What it made me think of was: 1. No matter how similar people are to us, they are still different or, better yet, unique and 2. Just because something is so loved by us doesn't mean that others will find those things even enjoyable. Let me explore these two things further.
Similarities are the things that bring individuals together, also referred to as "common ground". We assume lots of times that similarities are enough, and for starters they are enough, but as time passes we will learn more and more about others and the un-similarities. At this point, we have decisions to make, either call it quits or work through the differences. The example about Yahtzee is not a big deal, easily overcome, but what about those harder issues. What if we find someone that is similar to us and we find out in time that they have no problem with something that you have a big problem with, say abortion. I think that abortion is hideous, and I am passionate about that, and at this point in the conversation your similar buddy says to you, "Hey man its no big deal", what is your response. My response to that has changed in the past few years and this has been the progression thus far, five years ago, intense hatred, three years ago, pity, last year or so, inquisitiveness, now, acceptance. I still think that abortion is hideous, and my buddy's response doesn't change that, we can still be buddies. He has an opinion and so do I, that doesn't change, what has changed in my life is the simple realization that everyone is different/unique just as God made them. The point expressed by Jesus, "love your neighbors as yourself" doesn't mean just when they agree with you on all points but all the times they don't too. Can't we all just get along?
Secondly, those things that we hold so dear in our hearts are sometimes not all that important to others. I would like to insert here beliefs. I believe one way(which I am finding is being refined constantly) and someone I know doesn't even care about those beliefs, how do I react to that? History tells us that beliefs were so sacred that if you didn't believe the same way, you were killed off. Christians, Muslims, Hindus, it doesn't matter. Look at the history of these "causes". Violence, greed, hatred was what provoked "crusades" to take place in order to remove the "heathens" from existence. This is, sadly, not only in the past. In today's world, we are still seeing violence, greed, and hatred when it comes to those that don't believe the same as others. Is it our job to wipe someone out when they believe differently than us? Are we always right? I know I am seldom right and this is not a false humility, I really don't know the answers to a lot of questions. I thought it was my responsibility to love everyone unconditionally as Jesus loves me. I am to go to the poor and wretched and the different and love them without prejudice. I think I've read that somewhere before. This whole entry boils down to this, love is the answer to those "toughest of all" things we deal with everyday. Out love your neighbor and see if what a difference your life makes now and forever.
Love,
SIM Church Planter

Eureka!!

I have had a revelation. This morning. During my four book "read-a-thon". Particularly in two of the books. First, revelation had to do with fasting. I am trying to develop spiritual disciplines in my life and have found a book entitled, "Spiritual Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups on the Twelve Spiritual Disciplines", edited by Richard J. Foster. This book is good for me because it gives small "snipets" of other's works on the disciplines which makes "digestion" easier. This mornings reading is from Catherine Marshall, wife of Peter Marshall(known for his chaplaincy in the US Senate), who was embattled with criticism of others. In obedience to Lord, she fasted a whole day from any criticism. She states that she wasn't sure what the Lord could be trying to teach her through this exercise but when the day was complete, well, hindsight, 20/20, we get the picture. She discovered that she was more gracious to others. Thoughts of peace and harmony were on her mind. Creativeness flowed. She discovered that criticism was a heavy weight to carry around. I can almost hear the, "Duh" on your mind but I am a slow learner. The point is this, fasting is a much needed spiritual discipline and it has nothing to do with the absence of food but rather with the absence of a needed discipline.
The second moment this morning that really caught my attention was from Philip Yancy's book,"The Jesus I Never Knew". I have to say here that I have never read any of Yancy's work, but after reading this one I will be reading more of it. He is a remarkable writer that really touches on the uncertainties in his own life making his dialogue... "real"? I guess real is the word I'm searching for, maybe "tangible"? Hopefully you get what I am saying. This morning I am reading the chapter on the Ascension. Yancy states that this part of the Gospels is the most difficult for him to understand and I on the other hand, have not even given it much thought. As he begins to map out his problems with the Ascension, I begin to see his point, and a good point it is, why did Jesus leave? The Good News would have seemed to have flourished at even greater speed if Jesus could have showed up at the next Sabbath at the Temple. Or even better than that, the next Sanhedrin business meeting. Can you imagine the faces on those stuffy-shirt fundamentalists(I use the term not as a jest, but rather in its truest sense)? It would seem to me that the message of hope and love would have taken off like a rocket. But as it has been my understanding of things, God never chooses the easy path. In His infinite wisdom, He chose rather to put the keys to the kingdom in the hands of a bunch of undisciplined, scared, ignorant men. What was He thinking?! The part I missed, Yancy makes. The men to whom He entrusted this great task had something no one to that point in history had, Jesus in them. Yancy uses the illustration of dandelion seeds being blown off of the stem. Jesus left Himself in the disciples in Spirit, more to the point, the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself said that He had to leave in order to send the Comforter, so He did knowing that this was the better way, exponentially. Little Jesus' all over the place and eventually all over time. God is, as my pa-paw used to say about those he saw as intelligent, "A pretty smart feller."
One last point. In the same chapter Yancy makes a statement that is something that will be with me today and probably many days to come. The statement has to do with the parable that Jesus tells His disciples about the sheep and the goats, where the sheep and goats are separated and judged according to the action or no action taken in regards to the poor, naked, hungry, thirsty, imprisoned people. Jesus says that we are to be about the business of ministering to these people because we are in essence doing it for Him, or as He said, to Him, Jesus in disguise as Mother Teresa put it. The statement Yancy makes is the reason we are not ministering to these folks, and the statement is this, "we are looking in the wrong places". These people are not typically in the institutional church. They are not usually welcome. I know what some will say, "They are welcome", but the truth is they will not stay long if they even come in because they are not like "us". We have created in the institutional church the mentality that we are the mold to which all must fit. "If you are not like us, there is obviously something wrong with you", is what we will never say, but our actions prove the point. The mandate Jesus gave is this, go to where they are. Go to the alleyways and byways. Go to the places that no self-respecting church goer will dare go. And minister to them as though they are Jesus Himself. What an example Jesus gave. What a life we are to follow. Seems all to obvious now. Till next time...
SIM Church Planter