Wednesday, July 29, 2009

The Best I Can Do

This is from Wild Goose Chase, the collateral reading assignment for my Essential Christianity class. It is an excerpt from Chapter 4, "Eight-Foot Ceilings:
For the past several months, I've had a recurring thought: I don't want to live my life in such a way that the best I can do is the best I can do. Frankly, my best isn't good enough.
When I fail to pray, the best I can do is the best I can do. I forfeit my spiritual potential. But when I pray, the best I can do is no longer the best I can do. The best I can do is the best God can do. And He is able to do immeasurably more than all I can ask or imagine.

Good stuff, huh? I still have a few copies of the book left if you want to read the whole thing.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Catalyst Week 5

This week in the Catalyst School of Ministry we will discuss the question, "Don't all religions lead to God?" I know that at times I have struggled with questions such as, "Am I a Christian because I grew up in a Christian home, or because Christianity is true?" And, "Is it fair that some half-hearted Christians will get eternal life while passionate and sincere Hindus won't?" Well, we won't be able to get to the depths of any of these questions in a 45 minute session, but we will hopefully encourage progress in your thought process which will continue after the in-class discussion.

Also, the collateral reading assignment in Wild Goose Chase is chapter 4, Eight-Foot Ceilings, Coming out of the cage of assumptions. In it was one of the core values of the church where Mark Batterson serves. That value is, "It's never too late to become who you might have been." That is encouraging to me, a middle-aged guy who is still wondering what I will be when I grow up. I have had several careers already and suspect that I still have one or two more in me. But when I get antsy and begin to think maybe it's too late to find what I want to do for the rest of my life, I remember that Abram fathered a nation beginning at 99. I think of Caleb, who, when he came to the end of his role as one who led the children of Israel to occupy the promised land, asked for the hill country for his inheiritance because he felt he still had new territory to explore.

Keep on keeping on. Retirement isn't mentioned in the Bible. See you Wednesday night.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Street Pastors

I was privileged on my recent trip to Ireland to spend the better part of a day with the business administrator of Cornerstone church in Derry. This church exists in an area which saw much violence during the political struggles of just a few years ago. As with all struggles, even though the strife is over officially, it still rages on in the hearts of some people. Therefore there is always an undercurrent of tension even amidst the peace. Cornerstone is made up of almost equal parts of people from both sides of the conflict. Derry is a crowded city and I was struck by the close physical proximity of the two opposing sides. They find themselves bumping into each other on a regular basis. When you have a crowd in the city center on a weekend and pour on a liberal dose of liquor, you have the recipe for trouble.

Cornerstone church decided to do something other than stay at home and cluck their tongues at those who participated in such activities; they decided to get out among the crowds and engage them. They started a group called, "Street Pastors". They wear a brightly colored vest that identifies them as a street pastor and on Friday night they walk the streets of Derry. They have carts that they set up at various locations and these carts dispense free tea and coffee and liberal doses of the love of Christ. They are not preachy, but they are engaging. Over the past few years they have become known in the community. Policemen will look for a street pastor if they encounter someone getting too intoxicated. They feel it is better to connect with a street pastor than to throw another drunk in jail. Also the street pastors are known for reducing random violence. If a crowd begins to gather in alcohol fueled anger, the street pastors will intentionally go to that crowd and begin to talk to different people. Some will stay and talk, and some will move on, but the crowd dissipates, and the chance for an outbreak of fighting is diminished.

I love the heart of this. They don't even own a building. They rent a theatre for their Sunday facility. Sunday service is one event on their weekly calender. But they are having church all week long.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Spontaneous Expressions of Community

I saw an example of community yesterday. One of the ladies of our church was involved in a car accident and was taken by ambulance to the emergency room. We got word at the church of the accident, and I went quickly to see about her. When I got there, four women, three of whom were from our church, were already there. They were large and in charge. They were friends of the injured lady and were there, crying, laughing, and talking, but mostly caring.

I was completely unnecessary, and it was awesome.

No one was waiting for a pastor to appear to determine if anyone cared. No one waited for a career minister to pray and to begin to meet needs. No program was alerted. Women who have developed close relationship through fellowship and discipleship were displaying community without a conscious thought. When the doctor delivered the prognosis of lots of soreness but nothing broken, the ladies had a plan to take her home, see to her children's needs, prepare food, and help with any other issues that would arrive until insurance kicked in.

You ladies already know who you are and you are awesome. I was completely impressed and blessed by your spontaneous expression of community in the emergency room yesterday. Bravo to you all.

Catalyst Class Article

I distributed an article in our Catalyst "Essentials of Christianity" class last night. The article, found on ChristianityToday.com was entitled, "Ministry Lessons from a Muslim". In it, a Muslim professor encouraged Christians to embrace their Christian identity in their dialogues with persons of other faiths. Is it possible to befriend those of other faiths without compromising our own beliefs? Where is the line between being sure of your beliefs and being overbearing with them? Let me know your thoughts.

If you need a copy of the article I can e-mail it to you.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Back From Ireland

The team got back from Ireland last night. It was a really good trip at many levels. The team from Highpointe and the Irish team meshed well and both appreciated the hard work and sacrifice of the other. They ministered for 5 days for the St. Mark Fun Week. Similar to a VBS there were stories, games, crafts, songs and refreshments. In other words, a lot of hard, tiring work that they enjoyed thoroughly.

I was blessed to be able to spend an extended time with Gary Davidson, who I consider to be one of my spiritual mentors. I traveled with him for several days and met some incredible pastors who are reaching their cities in innovative ways. I was privileged to speak in one of the churches, located in Portlaoise. The young couple, James and Rachel are leading a growing and vibrant multi-ethnic congregation in an industrial space that they are transforming into a really appealing worship center. They have done an amazing amount of work in a brief time, but they still have a lot of work to do to finalize their project and complete the vision they have to reach their community. They need additional prayer support and finances to see this come to pass.

Sunday night I visited the Teen Challenge men's center at Tiglin. Once again I was struck with awe at the commitment of the leaders to bring God's transforming power to men who have been overcome by addiction. I was asked to speak at their chapel and was blessed to have that opportunity. They showed me a vacated and run down hostel that was adjacent to their facility and I heard of their vision to expand the reach of their ministry. This former hostel could be used to begin an internship program, among other things. It looks like a natural addition to their ministry. They have been faithful to develop what they have in their hands, and they are mazimizing the facility they have. But rather than just getting comfortable in their current situation, they want to expand to reach more men and offer a level of discipleship that they can't offer now. I have committed to pray with them for a miracle of favor and finance to allow them to occupy this territory for the Kingdom of God.

I know that I will post more about this time. I went looking for answers and came back with more questions. Maybe the questions are my anwers. I hope that doesn't sound too "zen".

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Inner City Church Project

Yesterday a group of Lakeside Guys spent the day at Inner City Church preparing a room to be used as a food pantry. Kenny Hayes, Michael Weed, Ronald Fister, Charlie Bunn, Ray Ortega, Donovan Dufrene and I spent the day needling each other and working real hard in 100 degree weather. (Yes, mother, we drank plenty of water.) We laid carpet tiles and built shelves and counters. At the end of the day we were worn out, but the change was remarkable. Thanks to every guy who went and gave up a Saturday to help another church. I know that everybody is busy and that Saturdays are precious, so their time contribution is outstanding. That is the heart that is beginning to grow at Lakeside/Highpointe. Also, a special shout-out to Kenny for harassing guys till they committed, and to Michael for applying his lifeskills to this project. It wouldn't have happened without either guy.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

We are all aliens- part 3

There are countries that allow double citizenship. There are people who have two passports and can claim allegiance to both countries. In a great sense, Christians have double citizenship. I am a citizen of the United States with all of the rights and responsibilities that come with that designation. But as a Christian I recognize that the U.S. is not my home. I am a citizen of the kingdom of God. Hebrews 11 refers to those who "admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ...they were longing for a better country- a heavenly one." Knowing this, I must hold very loosely to the things of earth. I need to place my citizenship in God's kingdom as having a much higher place than my earthly citizenship. I am a resident alien wherever I go here on earth. If you are a believer, you are as well. Let's make sure to treat every people group we come in contact with with love and respect, because in reality we are all aliens.

Friday, July 10, 2009

We are all aliens- part 2

I have many conversations with people who speak english as a second language. I use a different vocabulary when I talk to them. I try to keep my sentences short and to the point. I try to use simple words and eliminate slang as much as possible. I don't want to impress them with my enormous vocabulary; I want to communicate with them. They already know that I know many more english words than they do.

We in the church world have our own language that can be undiscernable to someone not brought up in church. When we are communicating the gospel message to them we don't need to show that we have a great Christian vocabulary; we need to communicate God's love to them.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

We are all aliens- part 1

I have been blessed by having the opportunity to visit many countries. As a visitor to these countries I have been in the position of not being able to understand what the people around me are saying or to be able to read the signs on the streets. It can be uncomfortable at times. People around me are conversing effortlessly and I don't understand a word. If I have an interpreter, I can participate in the conversation, but it slows down greatly and loses something in the translation. As a result of my experiences, I have great empathy for those from other countries who visit or live here and have difficulty communicating. I have been the one who has to say, "I don't understand" or just smile and shake my head while the person talking to me is convinced that if he says it loud and slow enough I will understand. But I don't. I always cringe when I hear someone say, "You're in America. Speak English!" We think it's simple because it's what we speak. It's easy to learn a few phrases, but it is very difficult to be able to communicate thoughts and feelings in a different language. I know many missionaries who have lived in other parts of the world for decades and speak the language of their field fluently. But they never lose their original, or heart language. That is the one they can use to communicate effortlessly to someone else.

I love that Oklahoma City has such a variety of ethnic communities with their various languages and traditions. I encourage them to learn to speak english because it makes more options available to them, but I completely understand that they will want to speak their heart language whenever possible. Let's make sure that as Christians we love and respect our neighbors from around the world. They are also God's creation, and we will be spending eternity with people of every nation, tribe and language. Let's start getting used to that experience now.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

How can I know?

How many things do I believe in that I cannot prove? There are many. I cannot prove conclusively that the sun will go down tonight sometime after 9, but I know that it will. How? Because the sun has gone down every night of my nearly 53 years, and when it's July in Oklahoma and we are in Daylight Savings time it goes down sometime after 9pm. On the basis of that experience, I can predict with a great deal of confidence that the sun will go down tonight just after 9 even though I can't have absolute certainty. That kind of thought process is what we will go through tonight in the Essential Christianity class as we discuss How do we know God exists? Although you may not be able to see him or prove him you can be confident that He exists in different ways. Come and join the discussion tonight at 7.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Wild Goose Chase

The collateral reading assignment for the Essential Christianity class I am teaching is Mark Batterson's book, "Wild Goose Chase". I have read it twice in recent months. I read a lot, so for me to read a book twice when I have others which remain unread is high praise. Our first week reading assignment is the first chapter entitled, Yawning Angels. In this chapter Batterson introduces the term, "inverted Christianity." "Instead of following the Spirit, we invite the Spirit to follow us. Instead of serving God's purposes, we want Him to serve our purposes. And while this may seem like a subtle distinction, it makes an ocean of difference. The result of this inverted relationship with God is not just a self-absorbed spirituality that leaves us feeling empty, it's also the difference between spiritual boredom and spiritual adventure." (pg.4) Later, Batterson describes the cages that we as Christians find ourselves in. He says, "I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do to animals." He is referring to the safety and serenity that church promotes many times when a life of faith is anything but safe or serene. He then goes on to "identify six cages that keep us from roaming free with the Wild Goose and living the spiritual adventure God destined us to." These cages are, the cage of responsibility, the cage of routine, the cage of assumptions, the cage of guilt, the cage of failure, and the cage of fear. I've got a few extra copies of "Wild Goose Chase" if you want to read it even if you're not taking my course. Week 2 of Essential Christianity is tomorrow night.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Frustration

Tonight I began teaching my Catalyst class called Essential Christianity. As usual, I babbled nearly incoherently. I am in a classic "Catch 22". I love to speak in public but the opportunities come few and far between, so when I do I am always dismayed at how it goes. I feel certain that if I had the opportunity to speak more I would get better (25 years ago I spoke a lot and I felt that I did it well), but the way I speak now, it's a wonder I ever get the opportunity. For years I said that I had a voice but no message. Now I say I have a message but no audience. I can't wait to see how this turns out.