Following God into certain uncertainty

I used to think that being in the center of God's will was the safest, calmest, most sure place to be. Now not so much and thats ok, I think… jus kidding, It is ok. God gave me a vision to open a coffee shop to reach un-churched and de-churched people and do ministry in a creative way. And now I have the opportunity to being doing it. But nothing about it is certain, trying to figure out the business side of things, the ministry side, staff, scheduling. Nothing is safe, nothing is definite, tomorrow is not promised, we haven't figured out long term sustainability. But God is moving and we have opportunity to minister to many people each day. I know we are following and obeying God, but that doesn't equal safety or certainty.

On top of that I am now leaving my 'stable' job of driving a school bus part time. I've been wanting to stop driving a bus for the longest time and now I have the opportunity to stop driving and do what I feel called to do everyday. But the same uncertainty with the business of the coffee shop now affects me personally as my job as well.

I must admit I've never felt so fearful and uncertain about what I'm walking into than now. But this gives me all the more opportunity to trust God, seek His face and depend on Him, not me. Its exciting to think about what God has in store for me, for Common Grounds, for this community. He has brought us this far, He has used us this far, He we continue and complete His work of Common Grounds being a church for the unchurched and de-churched and reaching lost people.

So if being in Gods will comes with uncertainty, I'll take the certain uncertainty.  

Because following Gods will for your life is the absolute best place to be in and most fulfilling, the only thing certain about it is God Himself, everything else is uncertain. Because Gods purposes for us is to grow to depend on Him, to need Him, for Him to be our God. Often times in comfort, certainty and safety is when we often can forget our need for God. 

So while the external circumstances might not be to sure, the fact that I know I am being completely obedient to God, am doing what He's called me to do and reaching who He's called me to reach is certain, everything else is not and thats ok. God never promised it would be easy, but that He would be with us

Surprised by Love

Christmas is so planned and busy for me. My December calendar starts filling up in September or even earlier. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in all the festivities that we fail to stop and think about how truly surprising Christmas can be.

The story of Joshua Bell,  Full Story, on a crowded subway platform always reminds of this. 

Joshua Bell was an amazing violin player. He was part of a marketing experiment, where he went incognito with his 2 million dollar violin to play some of his music on a crowded DC subway. He played for 43 minutes while 1,097 people passed by him. Only a handful even stopped and listened to his music. And only 3 stopped to listen for more than a few seconds.  One was a 3 year old child, whose mother had to drag him away from the music. Bell collected approximately 17 dollars for this impromptu concert, while usually his concerts cost 100 dollars per seat.

So just like the business of a subway at rush hour and people missing the amazing music of an amazing violin player, during this holiday season we can often miss the power of the music that seems to be incognito. The music of Gods love, the incarnation, the breaking through of God into human space and time is the power of the music. This was the event that people had been waiting for hundreds of years to arrive. They were waiting for the Messiah to come and save the people of God and deliver them for all eternity. Some were expecting the Messiah to come as a military power, a king, or a ruler, but the Messiah came as a child, born in a feeding trough for animals (a manger). This was not a glamorous event at all, the wise men and shepherds did not arrive until days, even weeks later. There were only animals, Joseph, Mary and Jesus lying in straw and animal feces. Sound surprising? Yes, most of us forget how unglamorous and how surprising the incarnation, the Christmas story was. The Christmas story, the breaking forth of God into human history often seems like a fairy tale, a glamorous thing, but it was not at all. And we miss how surprising it was, a surprise of love. This act showed us just how much God loves us. Loves us so much He became like one of his creation and was born as a child and laid in straw and animal dung. All this to demonstrate love, love for us.

Not only do we miss the music of Gods love, we can miss the amazing instrument that the music of his love is played upon. It would have been amazing enough to hear Joshua Bell play in a subway, but he choose to play his music on a 2 million dollar violin. It would have been amazing enough for God to love us and demonstrate His love for us, but to do it through His son, Jesus, God in the flesh, is even more amazing. We forget how surprising this Messiah was. He was God. This event changed the course of human history. And not just in the world, but in the church as well. We recognize and celebrate the birth of Jesus as a child, but do we realize and recognize the power of this, the surprise of this, God in the flesh.

One of my favorite artists from U2, Bono, puts it this way.  ” The idea that God, if there is a force of Love and Logic in the universe, that it would seek to explain itself is amazing enough. That it would seek to explain itself by becoming a child born in poverty, in crap and straw, a child, I just thought, ‘Wow’! Just the poetry … I saw the genius of picking a particular point in time and deciding to turn on this … Love needs to find a form, intimacy needs to be whispered … Love has to become an action or something concrete. It would have to happen. There must be an incarnation. Love must be made flesh.”

So when you hear music being played this holiday season, especially a violin, pause and think about the story of Joshua Bell and then think about the surprise of Christmas, God’s love becoming flesh. Become surprised again, let the quaint story come alive. And stop and pause this season and look around and see where love may be manifested in ways you might not normally expect it. Be surprised by love.

Christians and Politics

Christians and Politics

As I write this on Tuesday morning, November 6^th, 2012, I’m convinced today is the day that Christians are most divided this year. Why? Because by the end of the day we will know whom our 45^th president of the United States will be. As Christians many of us feel that there is clearly one right choice for president, some would say Obama, some would say Romney, some perhaps would chose to not vote at all. And clearly as Christians we are divided on who we will vote for and that’s ok, but is it ok that the body of Christ (his church) be divided like we are?

I believe how we act during election time gives Christianity much of a black eye. Do we really act as one body of Christ, when we are so divided, calling each other names, arguing like children and the sinful ways we act toward one another during this time? I hear people say ridiculous things like “the world is going to end if this person gets elected” or people being certain that one candidate is “God’s choice”. Just go on Facebook or twitter and see how ugly it is.

Do we ever take time to ask people who are voting differently than us why they are and then just listen to their reasons why, so that we might learn something? Do we even know why we vote for whom we vote for? Do we know anything about the difference between democrat and republican? Do we know that there are others that are just as passionate about the opposing candidate as you are about your candidate and they love Jesus just as much as you do? And if you know this, do you really believe it? Do we realize there are many issues to vote on other than just one or two issues that we should be concerned about as Christians?

Do you realize that both political parties make vain promises and stances about Faith and Religion to gain voters? I am against abortion and think it is a terrible thing. But do you realize the issues like abortion, even though a candidate is against it, are not up to be overturned or repealed? We’ve had several Republican presidents that are Pro-Life since 1973, yet Roe vs. Wade has still not been overturned. Do you realize that abortions have actually been steadily declining since the 1970’s under Republican and Democrat alike? (see source below)

I am all for social justice issues and causes and believe Jesus cared about the poor and so should we. But do you realize that social issues aren’t always solved by throwing money at them? That not only Democrats, but also Republicans can support social issues, just in different ways?

We should never place our trust in one party or one person, we already have one savior, and His name is Jesus. Jesus demands our allegiance as Christians; our allegiance should be to Him first, not earthly governments or systems. To borrow a few sentences from Jen Hatmaker’s blog, she puts it this way

 “I will never get in bed with a political party, because full allegiance forfeits the right to call a party to reform, and both parties are in dire need of reform. Full allegiance tempts us to place our hope in secular government fueled by greed and power, and both parties are fueled by greed and power. Full allegiance silences our prophetic voice in favor of touting party lines and demands we turn our fellow citizens into enemies for differing viewpoints.”

Do we realize that human government will not solve the moral or social (individual and community) problems of our day? That Jesus’ message of being salt and light to this earthly kingdom perhaps is the best approach and answer to all these issues that we vote and pass off to politicians to do for us. Perhaps Gandhi is on to something when he says, “be the change you want to see in the world”. The church is perhaps the answer to the things we vote on and hope sinful, selfish politicians we change for us.

This Election Day lets rally around Jesus and remember Jesus’ prayer for us to be unified. Lets remember the sun will rise tomorrow and the world will go on, no matter who is elected. Lets listen to someone who votes and thinks differently than us. Lets be the change we want to see in the world as the church. Lets look and act differently than the rest of the country does on Election Day, so that the world will know we are His disciples.

Vote for Romney, vote for Obama or don’t vote at all. But disagree respectfully, listen to each other, learn, have your hope in the right person (Jesus) and be the change you want to see in the world.

 Sources/Further Study:

Abortion Rates year by year

http://www.christianliferesources.com/article/u-s-abortion-statistics-by-year-1973-current-1042)

Jesus for President (Book) by Shane Claiborne

Thoughts from a Christian Independent (Article) by Jen Hatmaker

http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/10/16/the-election-thoughts-from-a-christian-independent

The Problem with Political Profiling (Article) by Relevant Magazine

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/current/politics/problem-political-profiling

God Speaks in the Valleys

God speaks mostly clearly and most meaningfully to me in the valleys and the tough times. I think this is true for most people. That God speaks most powerfully in their dark times, not when they are on top of the mountain. 

Why though? 

Perhps becuase when we are on top of the mountain we are so consumed with ourselves and the thrill of the moment, the thrill of the accomplishment that we look to self, success, status or some other idol in our life and not God. 

And when we are in the valley we are most desperate to hear God speak, becuase all of our other idols that we serve have let us down and left us. And we are most desperate for God. 

It's funny though, when we are in the valley how we seek to get out of it as soon as possible rather than be open to what God is speaking to us or doing in us. 

Embrace the valleys.... 

Dark Night of the Soul

Dark Night of the Soul

I've never read the book, but I've experienced this before and feel like I'm coming out of one again.

It's described as a time when you have no desire to do any spiritual exercises that bring you closer to God. Like prayer, reading of scripture, spending time with God. Many people's dark night starts from different reasons or becuase of different hurts, maybe something happened to them, maybe they experienced burnout.

Mine was a hurt from ministry that made me bitter, angry and withdraw from God. I ran from God  and couldn't bring myself back. The interesting thing is that during this time in my heart I still felt like I needed to get back on track, to get un- stuck I kept telling myself tomorrow i'll get back on track tomorrow I'll start praying again, tomorrow I'll spend time with God. And I knew i needed too and I knew that God was speaking that to my heart.

But I kept running , for about 2 weeks. I would listen to worship music to try to get me back in the right mood. But nothing did. I don't know why I couldn't shake the thoughts of wanting to get back and re connected with God. I think part of it was becuase I really wanted to. But I think the other part was perhaps that I believed it was up to me to get back to God, to get myself out of this dark night, to break out of this rut on my own and the only way I could think of was by doing, acting, doing spiritual stuff to get back to God. That it was up to me.

When I read about the dark night of the soul I read an interesting thing. It said something about when we are unable to to outward things that get us closer to God such as prayer, time with God and reading scripture it seems really dark. But what happens on the inside is perhaps worth it. It purges us of religious duty and thinking. This makes sense in some ways and in others I'm not so sure.

But let me share this. This is the one thing I know for sure. The only thing that was capable of breaking the darkness I was in was the power and light of Christ. I did not break out of my dark night on my own. But Christ broke into my dark night. He encouraged me, He spoke truth into my life, He had already broken this dark night on the cross. I have a victor, he is victorious, almighty warrior fighting for me. His name is Jesus.

So while I am still coming out of my dark night, I know one thing for sure, it was Christ who brought me out, not my own efforts. It all comes back to Jesus. He never stops loving, even when we run away, even when we avoid Him, still speaks. When we can't help ourselves out of darkness he breaks into our darkness. His love never fails, it never gives up on me.

The power of Christ is what is powerful, not my own will to love God, but Gods love for me first.

Religion can not save, it only keeps us in our darkness. There is no hope without Christ. Without God loving first

Spiritual and Physical Poverty

This past weekend this quote was on my mind "The spiritual poverty of the Western World is much greater than the physical poverty of our people” - Mother Teresa 

 I was thinking about this in 2 contexts:
-Saturday I watched the movie Blue Like Jazz, in which I heard this quote for the first time. And I began to think about the spiritual emptiness here in America
-Sunday my church had a presentation about the needs of Africa. And I began to think about the needs of the world

So this quote was on my mind and I began to compare and contrast the needs of America and the needs of the rest of the world. Thinking about that quote and thinking about the spiritual poverty in America and the physical poverty and needs of the world at the same time really put things in perspective.
It gave me a better perspective of both needs, the needs of the world and the needs of people right here in America.

Mother Teresa went on to say: “You, in the West, have millions of people who suffer such terrible loneliness and emptiness. They feel unloved and unwanted. These people are not hungry in the physical sense, but they are in another way. They know they need something more than money, yet they don't know what it is.“What they are missing, really, is a living relationship with God.”

I think this is so very true, we have so much here in America, but yet we are such lonely people. We have religion, theology, knowledge and everything, but yet we lack the simplicity of  a living relationship with God so many times.
The people in poverty in the rest of the world have none of the material possessions we have, but yet can seem so much happy in such simplicity.

There are still definitely legitimate needs in the rest of the world, in Africa alone is where 95% of all HIV/AIDS cases are. Having such a simple thing as clean water is still a foreign thing to many people of Africa. The death rate of children in africa is now greater than the birth rate. There are legitimate needs there and we need to step up and help. This continent alone needs so much help. And all the other issues around the world, in India, in South America, Europe, Asia.

But I think when we should more often compare and contrast the spiritual poverty of America to the physical poverty of the world. Because when we do this, I think we see both issues more clearly. Being aware of the physical needs of the world makes me more passionate about the spiritual needs of America. And the spiritual needs of America make me more aware and passionate about the physical needs of the world. 

In the Western World I see so much stuff, so much wealth, so much technology, I see so much. But yet we are so un-grateful and so lonely and empty still
In the rest of the world I see so little stuff and so many needs. But yet so much gratitude, happiness and spiritual wealth at times.