When I spent my first few weeks overseas, doing missions trips, tours or whatever, I always wondered what it would be like to be there for more than two weeks. Vacations and missions trips are great, but only a fool thinks its like that all the time. What is it really like to be there everyday, day in and day out? When your daily comforts and familiarities finally pass away? The places you went to escape and be refreshed are gone. What will it be like when the honeymoon is over?
I always loved to hear the story from missionaries about when the honeymoon was over for them. It varies from person to person, for most it is a few months but rarely more than a year. It comes when all the newness wears off, where the place you now live no longer has its "new car smell". I knew one couple who said their honeymoon was over the day they landed in Istanbul. I have wondered when that day would come for Cassie and I, and it is finally here.
We (our leadership team for the church plant) have all been talking recently about how the transition has been more difficult than we anticipated. So this evening, my lovely and always honest wife began with how she is feeling and struggling with the transition. The anxiety of a new job, the discomfort with having to find time to "be downtown" for the ministry, and the desire to just come home at the end of the day. She confessed she was a little depressed. I breathed a sigh of relief for she had named what I was feeling, depressed. They don't write about this in church planting, missionary, or entrepreneurial books. There is no chapter for the realization that you are not home. There is no chapter on the feeling of depression in the early stages.
I thought I would make my next post about San Jose but I said to my wife after our meeting, "We can't begin to love San Jose, until we are done grieving Denver." We caught ourselves complaining about this valley after a great weekend in Santa Cruz, sailing, eating, drinking, and being extremely impressed by Vintage Faith Church. I loved everything about Denver and I try not to talk about it too much. I had numerous awesome ministries to look to. I had more friends and family than I could keep up with. I was busy and I knew what the weather was going to be like. Now, I am having a hard time finding work and wondering when I might need to resort to a entirely new line of work. The few friends I have are very new and I am still getting to know them. The city feels small and the weather is deceptive. It is perfect during the day and quite chilly at night. I don't know where the good restaurants are. I have to use the GPS to get anywhere. There are a million bikes lanes and I don't know where to ride. What's worse, In-And-Out is as great as when I first arrived. The honeymoon is over barely a month into our time here.
But all is not lost for those in the Lord. As I prayed to end our evening I think the Spirit spoke to me with my own words. We will make friends, and we will find our favorite spots and we will have work that we enjoy. Ultimately what matters is that we are living out of his grace. I think the Spirit reminded me that he is satisfied with us and we need not worry about all that we are doing, to rest in his grace. I was encouraged by our common fellowship together, Letitia, Cassie, Jason and I. As we all transition from the honeymoon to life together in, for, and with San Jose.
I am reminded of Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah as Israel was removed from their homeland to Babylon. I think on a small level we feel a common sense of loss, leaving Denver for San Jose. Jeremiah wept for his former city as they were sent into exile. In Lamentations 3, he cries out that God had caused him much pain and sorrow as a result. I love his honesty which is not often seen. The truth is God is causing much of our pain and sorrow now too. We are experiencing it because we choose to follow him. We have left our Jerusalem for our Babylon and so we are grieving our forming city as we learn to love our new one. In the midst of Jeremiah's angst, of listing the woes God had cast upon him, he writes these comforting words which I now understand more fully,
Lamentations 3:21-32
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;
let him put his mouth in the dust - there may yet be hope;
let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
A New Kind of Evangelism?
I must confess, I stand among the many who have criticized Brian McLaren without actually have read much of his work. He has published many books at this point and is not short of critics. He essentially takes the heat for being representative of a new kind of liberal Christianity. I have merely trusted the evaluation of others whose work I admire. I now can at least count More Ready Than you Realize among works of his I have actually read. I have long suspected that he was not as bad as some make him out to be, and I think my suspicion is on target. I do not agree with everything he says, and that is the case with this book, but for the most part he is advocating something many Christians should take very seriously.
I became a Christian within a circle of people involved in Campus Crusade for Christ, a group known for its enthusiasm for evangelism. Ironically, I did not get the standard presentation the group has made famous, the "Four Spiritual Laws". I was merely invited to check out a Bible Study and gradually introduced to the church and eventually God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. I was "born again" and became a "Jesus freak". I became involved in Campus Crusade which has a very pervasive culture to evangelize to the extent that one feels inadequate if they don't do it always. It was a culture within the group that spoke louder that individual assurances otherwise. If you didn't evangelize, something was wrong.
The way this worked is familiar to nearly everyone is our society. A stranger approaches you and almost immediately jumps into a sales pitch about how you are messed up and far from God you are and the only answer is Jesus. Just this last week, Cassie and I are walking out of Target and two Green Peace proselytizers were outside. I was hoping they wouldn't bother us but there was no escape except into the mall full of hundreds of other peddlers. This guy was good, many could learn from his evangelism techniques. He said how messed up the world was due to pollution from technology and that most recycling is really just us passing our trash on to third world countries (which is basically true). The solution, the savior, for this great sin problem and barrier to a Utopian world, was to become a Green Peace member and have faith in their political lobbying (kind of a let down for such a dramatic build up). He was a smooth and confident talker. His transitions were great. He didn't waste time. He had his pen ready for us the moment he was done. It was very impressive and I was tempted.
I knew better; and it's not because of Green Peace and its fundies (they do have their own brand of terrorists). Its because I don't think that is the best way to reach people. I don't make friends that way and I didn't make peace with God that way. I got to know God like people make friends. It was a bit indirect because God works primarily through his people. I came to know Jesus through getting to know Spirit-filled Christians helping see how the Father is was trying to reach me. This is what I think McLaren is attempting to get at in More Ready Than You Realize.
His method is the classic "emerging church" lingo of being conversational. At this point in all the latest trends in church "conversations" has become incredibly cliche. He basically argues that many people are craving to have deeper conversations about their life and what that may have to do with God. He uses the example of years of emails he exchanged with one young women in particular and the genuine listening he did. What he should answer and what he should not and just give her questions to help her think about it. He provides an excellent example, and to my delight, uses Acts 10 with Peter and Cornelius as an example. He comes to many of the same conclusions I did in my recent sermon. He argues that evangelism should not be an event but a process of helping people move closer to Jesus. A great question he asks, is not if you are a Christian or know Jesus as your personal savior, but "How would you describe your relationship to God at this point? Are you strangers, acquaintances, dating, engaged, happily married, unhappily married, separated, divorced, or something in between?" (p. 113)
Chapter 17 is the closest you get to a synopsis or systematic explanation that suits a blog. However, like many recent books like this (a cultural trend it seems) its chapters are not indicative of its content. They are like song or movie titles which are usually apropos phrases from some line in it. Anyways, here are his 7 elements:
1) The relational factor - count conversations, not conversions
2) The narrative factor - listen to their story, share your story and God's story, not just propositions or formulas.
3) The communal factor - expect conversion to normally occur in the context of authentic Christian community, not just in the context of information.
4) The journey factor - see disciple making as a holistic process and unending journey, not just a conversion event.
5) The Holy Spirit factor - believe that God is at work "out there" in everyone and not just "in here" at the church.
6) The learning factor - see evangelism as a part of your own discipleship, not just their's.
7) The missional factor - see evangelism as recruiting people for God's mission on earth, not just people for heaven.
I cannot agree enough with all of these. McLaren is right and a gifted evangelist, pastor, and writer.
If you are looking for a critique I am afraid I will disappoint you. In general, I don't think he is a particularly great theologian. I could nit pick here and there for some of his conclusions about why this works and is the healthiest way to interact with people but it would be counter productive. I do not agree with all his reasons and explanations but I cannot critique his method. It is exemplary.
Instead, I want to simply commend this book to Christians who desire to see what effective evangelism looks like regardless of a "modern" or "postmodern" cultural climate. That is, authentic Christians loving their neighbors in a way that faithfully reflects the triune God. Plus, you can read it in no time.
I became a Christian within a circle of people involved in Campus Crusade for Christ, a group known for its enthusiasm for evangelism. Ironically, I did not get the standard presentation the group has made famous, the "Four Spiritual Laws". I was merely invited to check out a Bible Study and gradually introduced to the church and eventually God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. I was "born again" and became a "Jesus freak". I became involved in Campus Crusade which has a very pervasive culture to evangelize to the extent that one feels inadequate if they don't do it always. It was a culture within the group that spoke louder that individual assurances otherwise. If you didn't evangelize, something was wrong.
The way this worked is familiar to nearly everyone is our society. A stranger approaches you and almost immediately jumps into a sales pitch about how you are messed up and far from God you are and the only answer is Jesus. Just this last week, Cassie and I are walking out of Target and two Green Peace proselytizers were outside. I was hoping they wouldn't bother us but there was no escape except into the mall full of hundreds of other peddlers. This guy was good, many could learn from his evangelism techniques. He said how messed up the world was due to pollution from technology and that most recycling is really just us passing our trash on to third world countries (which is basically true). The solution, the savior, for this great sin problem and barrier to a Utopian world, was to become a Green Peace member and have faith in their political lobbying (kind of a let down for such a dramatic build up). He was a smooth and confident talker. His transitions were great. He didn't waste time. He had his pen ready for us the moment he was done. It was very impressive and I was tempted.
I knew better; and it's not because of Green Peace and its fundies (they do have their own brand of terrorists). Its because I don't think that is the best way to reach people. I don't make friends that way and I didn't make peace with God that way. I got to know God like people make friends. It was a bit indirect because God works primarily through his people. I came to know Jesus through getting to know Spirit-filled Christians helping see how the Father is was trying to reach me. This is what I think McLaren is attempting to get at in More Ready Than You Realize.
His method is the classic "emerging church" lingo of being conversational. At this point in all the latest trends in church "conversations" has become incredibly cliche. He basically argues that many people are craving to have deeper conversations about their life and what that may have to do with God. He uses the example of years of emails he exchanged with one young women in particular and the genuine listening he did. What he should answer and what he should not and just give her questions to help her think about it. He provides an excellent example, and to my delight, uses Acts 10 with Peter and Cornelius as an example. He comes to many of the same conclusions I did in my recent sermon. He argues that evangelism should not be an event but a process of helping people move closer to Jesus. A great question he asks, is not if you are a Christian or know Jesus as your personal savior, but "How would you describe your relationship to God at this point? Are you strangers, acquaintances, dating, engaged, happily married, unhappily married, separated, divorced, or something in between?" (p. 113)
Chapter 17 is the closest you get to a synopsis or systematic explanation that suits a blog. However, like many recent books like this (a cultural trend it seems) its chapters are not indicative of its content. They are like song or movie titles which are usually apropos phrases from some line in it. Anyways, here are his 7 elements:
1) The relational factor - count conversations, not conversions
2) The narrative factor - listen to their story, share your story and God's story, not just propositions or formulas.
3) The communal factor - expect conversion to normally occur in the context of authentic Christian community, not just in the context of information.
4) The journey factor - see disciple making as a holistic process and unending journey, not just a conversion event.
5) The Holy Spirit factor - believe that God is at work "out there" in everyone and not just "in here" at the church.
6) The learning factor - see evangelism as a part of your own discipleship, not just their's.
7) The missional factor - see evangelism as recruiting people for God's mission on earth, not just people for heaven.
I cannot agree enough with all of these. McLaren is right and a gifted evangelist, pastor, and writer.
If you are looking for a critique I am afraid I will disappoint you. In general, I don't think he is a particularly great theologian. I could nit pick here and there for some of his conclusions about why this works and is the healthiest way to interact with people but it would be counter productive. I do not agree with all his reasons and explanations but I cannot critique his method. It is exemplary.
Instead, I want to simply commend this book to Christians who desire to see what effective evangelism looks like regardless of a "modern" or "postmodern" cultural climate. That is, authentic Christians loving their neighbors in a way that faithfully reflects the triune God. Plus, you can read it in no time.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
On naming a blog
I thought I would start my own blog... a suppose a place to ruminate about life, theology, ministry, and random stuff that will make no difference and seem superfluous. Perhaps you may wonder if they are different? Well, yes and no but I will save that rant for another day.
I was trying to be creative and come up with a cool and catchy name for my blog. I think in a sense I dreamed that if I did that more people would read it... but who am I really trying to impress? I realize now I had a few rules for naming my blog:
1) Its title reflects its content and author, intentional or not. You know it's true and I don't even have to explain why.
2) It should be honest with itself. Please, don't let your blog's name be something of which you can't really do. I am shocked at how many young dudes on the internet seem to think they are the next John Calvin... please. I fancy myself a theologian but I doubt I can write the next "Institutes" with my little meanderings.
3) It should seek to grow into its title. Your name has some kind of eschatological reality in it, i.e. what you name is to an extent what it will become. This is how people name their kids. You try not to give your kid the same name as jerks you met or that are easy for people to make jokes with; but one that has meaning and character.
4) It should be kind of spiritual. For me, this means it should have an allusion to Scripture.
This is how my thought process went. Maybe I can do something like "living theology" but someone already did that who has been published. Dang... besides, its doesn't really get at number four. Then, I thought, I will use my favorite verse, Philippians 3:8 "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (ESV). My creative... more accurately... my dorky side came out when I thought I would use the Greek word for "rubbish" in the title, (skubalon, Greek for... ahem... crap or s**t. Seriously.). Unfortunately, a lot of other theologically disgruntled guys have already done it. Argh... there is nothing new under the sun.
So I came up with "its rubbish or Jesus" because that is what this is. I am not sure what I think of blogging yet. There is a lot of it that is garbage and there is some that is very good.
So here is my contribution to the endless works of humanity, so let my posts be a big pile of dung or by the grace of God may it be gaining Jesus Christ.
I was trying to be creative and come up with a cool and catchy name for my blog. I think in a sense I dreamed that if I did that more people would read it... but who am I really trying to impress? I realize now I had a few rules for naming my blog:
1) Its title reflects its content and author, intentional or not. You know it's true and I don't even have to explain why.
2) It should be honest with itself. Please, don't let your blog's name be something of which you can't really do. I am shocked at how many young dudes on the internet seem to think they are the next John Calvin... please. I fancy myself a theologian but I doubt I can write the next "Institutes" with my little meanderings.
3) It should seek to grow into its title. Your name has some kind of eschatological reality in it, i.e. what you name is to an extent what it will become. This is how people name their kids. You try not to give your kid the same name as jerks you met or that are easy for people to make jokes with; but one that has meaning and character.
4) It should be kind of spiritual. For me, this means it should have an allusion to Scripture.
This is how my thought process went. Maybe I can do something like "living theology" but someone already did that who has been published. Dang... besides, its doesn't really get at number four. Then, I thought, I will use my favorite verse, Philippians 3:8 "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (ESV). My creative... more accurately... my dorky side came out when I thought I would use the Greek word for "rubbish" in the title, (skubalon, Greek for... ahem... crap or s**t. Seriously.). Unfortunately, a lot of other theologically disgruntled guys have already done it. Argh... there is nothing new under the sun.
So I came up with "its rubbish or Jesus" because that is what this is. I am not sure what I think of blogging yet. There is a lot of it that is garbage and there is some that is very good.
So here is my contribution to the endless works of humanity, so let my posts be a big pile of dung or by the grace of God may it be gaining Jesus Christ.
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