Loving, Learning, and Leading

Take care not to store up possessions on earth that can be spoiled by worms, eaten by moths, or stolen by thieves.  Instead, give away your possessions to the ones in need, and then you will be storing up great possession in the spirit-world above, where nothing can be lost or stolen.  For where you store your valued possessions is where your heart will be.... No one can be loyal to two rival chiefs.  You will have to choose between them.  You will either hate one chief and love the other, or honor one and resent the other.  You cannot be loyal to the Great provider and to possessions at the same time Matthew (Gift from Creator tells the good story) 6:21, 24 First Nations Version Spiritual warfare is resistance to empire, to the political and economic manifestations of Babylon in our own time and place     --Richard Beck in Reviving Old Scratch Earlier today, I was listening to the news and there was a report of a Senator describing his opposition to b...

 “ Is this what makes you a king, having more cedar than anyone else? Didn’t your father eat and drink and still do what was just and right? Then it went well for him! He defended the rights of the poor and needy; then it went well. Isn’t that what it means to know me? declares the LORD .” Jeremiah‬ ‭22:15-16‬ ‭CEB‬‬ ““ Watch out for false prophets. They come to you dressed like sheep, but inside they are vicious wolves. You will know them by their fruit. Do people get bunches of grapes from thorny weeds, or do they get figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, and every rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit. And a rotten tree can’t produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, you will know them by their fruit. ” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:15-20‬ ‭CEB‬‬ During the reign of King Joakim,  (600 years prior to Jesus),  the small country of Judah was a relati...

"The Spirit who inhabits us is not mute, restricting himself to an occasional nudge, a hot flash, a brilliant image or a case of goose bumps" -- Dallas Willard "So pay attention to how you hear.  To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given.  But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them." Luke 8:18 Here is a confession.  My most challenging and rewarding class that I have ever taken (high school, college, graduate schools combined) was called  Advanced Choir.  I know that sounds crazy in light of years of difficult science, Seminary, and organizational management courses.  Yet, when I reflect back, its high school choir that required the deepest level of focus and understanding. I am a person with a very average voice who grew up in a family without a significant musical history.  The advanced choir in high school, was one of the top competitive choirs in the state...

“ When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭5:13-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “ The bigger agenda is not a call to politicize the body of Christ but to faithfully reflect Christ and his concerns for the whole world in all of our public engagement” — Richard Cizik in New evangelical manifesto Yesterday, I was watching the Cleveland Browns lose with a bunch of Die hard Browns fans in Naples Florida when one of my newly found comrades in the 100 year war (slogan adopted by Browns fans to deal with the misery of losing for soooo long) said "Everytime a political commercial comes on, I turn away as it literally turns my stomach.  It feels so hopele...

" Blackness is always assumed to be the problem"      -Drew Hart in "The Trouble I've Already Seen" Matthew 25:40  "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.  NIV Today, Amelia and I went to see the movie " Birth of a Nation " based upon the life of Nat Turner.  Nat Turner was born at the turn of the 19th century as a slave in Virginia.  He would lead a violent insurrection that led to the death of 55 Whites, mostly slave owners and their families.  Local government and Slave owner families responded with violent reprisals against hundreds of slave and Free Black men, women, and children.  The insurrection created a ripple effect where laws and processes were enacted that severely limited the ability to Blacks to congregate, read, or preach.  In fact, one could say that a fear-based legal and social culture was promoted, in which has exten...

"Pounds like thunder within my breast All the anger, all my humanness. And, though I call you Lord, I must confess I''m a stranger to your holiness A stranger to your holiness" --Steve Camp in Stranger to Holiness (1985) "*Reads news* *Looks in mirror* I will not despair.  I will defiantly identify in myself that  Which I hate in others and I will be kind" --Nadia Bolz-Weber @sacrcasticluther 7/16/16 “God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:5-7, 9 NLT We live in unprecedented times.  The degree of violence, mistrust, deception, and division within our communities seems like it has been building and building and there is a sense of an impending explosion.  We have seen tragedy upon tragedy ...

“We need to be willing to replace our agendas with God’s agenda, put God’s will above our wills, and replace our priorities with God’s priorities.” — Richard Stearns in Unfinished “ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ” John 1:35-38 ESV Lately, I have been studying the gospels, looking at their applications in regards to concepts of community, discipleship, and Jesus' understanding and use of power.  I took several months to go through the book of Mark and now have begun the gospel of John. In this early scene from John's gospel (John 1:35-38 above), we have the well known prophet, John the Baptist revealing to his own disciples, and previously, to the scribes,...

“ God intends for us to fight sin as an army, not as a soldier.” — Gary Thomas in Thirsting For God “Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.” — Deitrich Bonhoeffer in Temptation “pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Although I have followed Jesus for many years, God has taken the last couple of weeks to remind me of the necessity of prayer.  Not only the importance, or the priority of prayer, but the essential role of prayer that is foundational for a healthy spirituality, a healthy marriage, and a healthy church.  So often, prayer is something that is done "if we have time" and this leaves us spiritually dry.  In a spiritual catch-22, we become spiritually destitite because we do not have an active prayer life, then in our destitution, we pray. Last month, I visited a young dynamic church (www. red4christministries.com)  that was holding an outdoor worship and community picnic.  During the worship service, a couple perfo...

" Prayer is the method, and the Holy Spirit is the mechanism whereby God has given us the ability to discern His direction in our lives "~Richard Stearn in Unfinished " Prayer is openness to God in faith "~David G. Benner in Spirituality and the Awakened Self “ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer .”” Mark 9:27-29 ESV According to yahoo news, the movie War Room was the leading box office draw this weekend.   War room is a film about a couple with a struggling marriage who have a divine intervention with the introduction of intercessory prayer into their lives.  It is an unapologetically Christian film. So, let me get this out of the way after seeing it this weekend. The acting is poor, the writing is definitely subpar, and the plot is predictible, very cli...

"Its clear that an essential way to stop the violence and the despair in our culture is to engage in activities that bring us empathy and conviviality"~Cecile Andrews in Living Room Revolution "Justice without might is helpless; might without justice is tyrannical"~Pascal in Pense "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!~Jesus of Nazareth  (Luke 12:49) Dr. Cheryl Sanders wrote that the first step of empowerment of a people is the expression of testimony.  Not the testimonies that we often get in the traditional "testimony service", but an uninterrupted expression of one's experiences using the witnesses own words, language, and forms.  Often, in our sincere desire, to help others, we rush into the area and begin to rescue.  In that rescue attempt, we often articulate "their needs". and silence the voices of those who desire empowerment.  Paradoxically, we further diminish the dignit...

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.  Proverbs 11:2 The Sin of pride undergirds racism.  Pride is a misdirected self-love that regards others as being inferior to the individual or race.~Lisa Sharon Harper in Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith Racism need not be malicious or intentional to be.~Monica Harrold Last month, after the massacre of nine African-American people in Charleston S. Carolina by a self-identified White Supremacist who posted pictures of himself displaying what is commonly understood to be the confederate flag (Understanding that the flag used most often to commemorate Confederacy is quite different than what was used by the Confederacy).  In response to the tragedy, cries were renewed to remove that same flag, that had been flying at the South Carolina Statehouse since 1961.   It is heartbreaking, to realize that it took a tragedy of this degree to even initiate a real discussion on...

"Trust is a function of two things: Character and competence.  Character includes your integrity, your motive, your intent with people.  Competence includes your capabilities, your skills, your results, and your history. "~ Stephen MR Covey in The Speed of Trust "The moment there is suspicion about a person's motives, everything he does becomes tainted .~ Mahatma Gandhi' "What's important, though, is that at last we're confronting the issue of declining trust in our culture.  As trust declines, we quit believing in each other; we don't feel safe because we trust no one."~Cecile Andrews in Living Room Revolution Romans 13:3-4 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. (NLT) The single most important asset in any community is trust.  Trust is simply the ability to have confid...

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.  “ Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n I’m all tearing that butt up when needed !" ~Allstar Football player Adrian Peterson explaining the wounds his 4 yr old son received This past week, one of the most popular NFL players, Adrian Peterson, was arrested for child abuse.  His 4 yr old son, was noted to have lacerations and bruises to all of his extremities as well as his genital area.  The response among football fans was varied.  Some were appalled while others noted that using a "switch" for discipline, is common practice in particular cultures. The basic question in this situation is whether this episode represents severe discipline that is culturally defined or whether it represents abuse.  I want to share a couple of principles that we need to consider before we can understand what is happening in this situation: 1. Abuse is...

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. (Genesis 6:9 NLT) “ The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.” – A.W. Tozer in The Pursuit Of God Yesterday, I had the opportunity to watch " Noah " staring Russel Crowe as Noah.  It was a well produced, and well directed fictional  account of the Biblical story of Noah.  By now, I have read and heard various well meaning Christians speak about the horrors of such a film: The conspiracies to undermind the Biblical truth; The conspiracies to promote pro-ecological agendas; The "Hollywood" mindsets to be anti-God.  I get it and understand the reality of those trends an...

As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11 NIV) “What is shame? You are: different rejected exposed contaminated” -Edward T. Welch in Shame Interrupted. In western Christianity, there is a tremendous emphasis on dealing with guilt.  Guilt is that feeling or understanding that you have done something wrong or trangressed a particular standard.  Guilt is associated with something one does, or sometimes something that one does not do.  Guilt is a universal emotion that is culturally defined.  Culturally defined because the standards that produce guilt are defined and re-enforced by one's community. However,  shame is a much more insidious and opppressive emotion. While guilt may speak "I have messed up"; shame screams "I am a mess".  Guilt may impair our actions and outlook, but shame distorts and perverts our identities. Guilt is often related to shame in that shame may result in our pathological ways of dealing ...

“ Our society's obsession with media violence does not show that human beings are naturally violent.  Instead, it demonstrates that our society is ill.” – Paul k Chappell in Peaceful revolution “The greatest single antidote to violence is conversation” – Jonathan Sacks in The Dignity Of Difference Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly. (Proverbs 3:31, 32 NLT) This is a continuation of a series of reflections on the tragedy of Trayvon Martin's death and its implications for me personally, and the broader society.  In the first post, I spoke about the clear racialization that initiated the process and how that racialization destroys the possibility of true community.  Regardless whether you believe George Zimmerman's accounting of the events or not, I think we can all agree that Trayvon's death was senseless and that his family is justified in feeling a sense of injustice. ...

"There is a tendency to judge a race, a nation or any distinct group by its least worthy members"      -Eric Hoffer, Philosopher and Presidential Medal of Freedom writer "It's clear that an essential way to stop the violence and the despair in our culture is to engage in activities that bring us empathy and conviviality."      -Cecile Andrews, in Living Room Revolution Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.      -Romans 12:14-16 NIV The entire tragedy of the Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman incident and trial is almost too large to behold, too deep to describe, and so personal that it is hard to control the emotions that it provokes.  It has been several days since the verdict of not-guilty was issued and I have read some superb blogs and commentari...