So, what's the point?

It is interesting to follow how we (believers/the church) try to make sub-points into the main point. We take an appetizer, a dessert, a side-dish and deliver it as the main course, the main dish. I don't think we intentionally do this. We don't set out to communicate a life that involves pouring into the fringes instead of the heart, the core.

But we do this? Don't we? Preachers, leaders, teachers...us, the church. We try to fit the square peg called "good" into a round hole called "best". What is the point of the Christian life? What is the point of Jesus coming and giving his life? What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? A person on the way who is following The Way?

So, what's the point?
Is it...
*To build buildings that we call "the church"...no, that's temporary and material.
*To reach the nations for the gospel...no, important, but still a by-product.
*To protect God's name...no, don't think He needs our flimsy, protective measures.
*To ascend to a set of truths/beliefs...no, seems void of heart.
*To live simple and free of consumerism...no, still a side-dish.
*To help the poor and needy...no, vital, but incomplete.
*To plant churches and multiply our efforts...no, great thing, but not the point.
*To evangelize our cities and neighborhoods...another good try but still lacking.
*To create a safe place for broken people...no, another appetizer.
*To teach the Bible...no, so needed, but still not central or core.

So, what's the point? Each of the items above are good things, even great. In fact, I can name a church or organization that highlights that as the core, the main thing. There is a mission statement that matches the belief. Programming and budgeting then falls in line with the central purpose. And then a book gets written highlighting this as the "main thing". Many copies are sold and a new church-trend gets created. Typically, a personality is celebrated...a method is elevated.

Once again, these are wonderful things to include in the course called "Christianity". We would certainly want to include these on the syllabus...missions, evangelism, bible teaching, helping the poor, beliefs, worship, etc. I am convinced, though, if we make these the main thing, we build a faulty foundation. We feed people a snack instead of a meal. We give them something to sell their lives out for, only to realize that they were travelling on a side-road...great scenery, but not taking them to the right location.

What if the point, the main dish, the foundation, the core is to...walk with God. Sounds too simple, doesn't it? To learn the heart of our God and the rhythms of grace. To know God's heart on an intimate, personal level. What if that's the point? Everything flowing from this one, primary stream. Sure, there are tributaries. But what if everything flowed from this river...the waters of walking with God.

What if...with this in place...and our energy, time, programming, money, etc. pouring into this foundation...we trusted that the other things (listed above) would actually happen. Do we trust God to walk with His people and make these things happen? Do we trust that people walking with God will actually lead them to be on mission, help the poor, worship, disciple, study, etc.?

Just some random thoughts here...but I have a growing conviction about this. Certainly do not claim to have a corner market on this one. Wanting to grow and be a student. At the same time, I've been around the church-block a few times, even played on the playground with many believers. Through it all, I sense that we have moved away from what is elementary, what is core, what is foundational. I'm ready to spend my days feasting on the main course. The appetizers will come...plenty of side-dishes to nibble on. Desserts will arrive. But as for me, I desire to feast on what fills, what satisfies. I think that's the main point.

Confession and Forgiveness

In preparing for the Disciplines Class that I am leading on wednesday nights, the following was very helpful from Richard Foster's book on "A Celebration of Discipline".
_________________________________________________

Confession is a difficult Discipline for us because we all too often view the believing community as a fellowship of saints before we see it as a fellowship of sinners.

_________________________________________________

To clarify forgiveness and what it means. Here are 4 things forgiveness is NOT…
1. Some imagine that forgiveness means pretending an injury doesn’t really matter. We say, “Oh, that’s all right, it really didn’t hurt me anyway.” That is lying, not forgiveness. Love and lies do not mix well. What we need is not avoidance but reconciliation.

2. Some think that forgiveness means ceasing to hurt. There is a belief that if we continue to hurt we must have failed to forgive completely. That is simply not true. Hurting is not evil. We may hurt for a long time to come.

3. Many would have us believe that forgiveness means forgetting. Just “forgive and forget”. The truth is we cannot forget. The difference is that we no longer use the memory against others. The attempt to force people to forget what cannot be forgotten only puts them in bondage and confuses the meaning of forgiveness.

4. Many assume that forgiveness means pretending that the relationship is just the same as it was before the offense. The relationship will just not be the same…that is just the fact. By the grace of God, it may be a hundred times better, but it will never be the same.

Soul Food

"A Christian community is therefore a healing community not because wounds are cured and pains are alleviated, but because wounds and pains become openings or occasions for a new vision. Mutual confession then becomes a mutual deepening of hope, and sharing weakness becomes a reminder to one and all of the coming strength."
-Henri Nouwen in The Wounded Healer

Loneliness

A good word from a dear brother and sage...Henri Nouwen...

"But the more I think about loneliness, the more I think that the wound of loneliness is like the Grand Canyon--a deep incision in the surface of our existence which has become an inexhaustible source of beauty and self-understanding.

Therefore I would like to voice loudly and clearly what might seem unpopular and maybe even disturbing: The Christian way of life does not take away our loneliness; it protects and cherishes it as a precious gift. Sometimes it seems as if we do everything possible to avoid the painful confrontation with our basic human loneliness, and allow ourselves to be trapped by false gods promising immediate satisfaction and quick relief. But perhaps the painful awareness of loneliness is an invitation to transcend our limitations and look beyond the boundaries of our existence. The awareness of loneliness might be a gift we must protect and guard, because our loneliness reveals to us an inner emptiness that can be destructive when misunderstood, but filled with promise for him who can tolerate its sweet pain.

When we are impatient, when we want to give up our loneliness and try to overcome the separation and incompleteness we feel, too soon, we easily relate to our human world with devastating expectations. We ignore what we already know with a deep-seated, intuitive knowledge--that no love or friendship, no intimate embrace or tender kiss, no community, commune or collective, no man or woman, will ever be able to satisfy our desire to be released from our lonely condition. This truth is so disconcerting and painful that we are more prone to play games with our fantasies than to face the truth of our existence. Thus we keep hoping that one day we will find the man who really understands our experiences, the woman who will bring peace to our restless life, the job where we can fulfill our potentials, the book which will explain everything, and the place where we can feel at home. Such false hope leads us to make exhausting demands and prepares us for bitterness and dangerous hostility when we start discovering that nobody, and nothing, can live up to our absolutistic expectations."

Book Titles?!?!?!

In working on the marriage book this week, I found some interesting titles to books. And yes these are actual titles...scary, isn't it??

Booty Call in the Church

Church, Who is Your Daddy?

Church, Go to Hell! Please?

Church People will Kill You

Hands Off my Daughter (Until After Marriage)

Love Never Fails...But a Marriage Can

Marriage Is Not A Cure All, And That's For Sure Y'all!

Try Hymn I Dare You For Your Marriage

If God Does Not Permit a Woman to Preach Then God Must be a Sexist

Forget the Epidural, Forget the Pain-Get Jesus

Jesus Was A Middle Schooler Too

The Three Billy Goats Gruff Find Jesus & The Three Little Souls

POSSUM Got Big Ears: Anatomy of a Child's Journey to Womanhood

Whoa Man! See What God Did with a Rib

A Good Man is Hard to Find, Even in the Church

Life Throws Many Curves; Just let God be Your Coach

From a Pothead to a Preacher's Wife

Burned Outhouses, Big White Chickens, And Other Sins I Could Mention

One Hundred and Forty Four Scriptural Reasons Why Women Shouldn't Preach

Pregnancy pains...

Is that what you call the final stages of pregnancy...pregnancy pains?? Well, we have been working on this marriage book, off and on, for 7-8 months...and now I am feeling the fatigue of the final stages. So ready for this book to be birthed. When you have been working on something for that long, everything starts to run together. So, we are hoping to get things finished up in the next week or so. Then, we will be nearing the birthing stage. Hope to have it in print by late april or early may. we will be sure to send out a "book-birthing" announcement. (i apologize to all the moms out there...for even "pretending" like i can feel your pain!!!!!!!!!)

Happy Birthday...

Happy Birthday...LIFE Ministries. March 1 is our official start date for the new ministry and we are quite excited. As with any birth, there will be much transition. Lack of sleep...diapers...crying...exhaustion...hold on, we just did this with Asher. Just when i thought we were over the newborn phase...another birth is here.

anyway, i am excited today and looking forward to what God has in store. we are tired from the last month of preparing for this birth. feel like i'm in the birthing suite right now...trying to catch my breath. need to rest some and take care of my own heart.

Would appreciate prayers this week...we are trying to put final touches on the marriage book with hopes to complete it by friday. days that are committed to writing are always opposed for us...so would appreciate prayers. strong prayers against the enemy.
(also, pray for financial support for the book. praying for the support to be in place by next week.)