Prime Time

The past two years have seen the western, if not entire global, economies on the very brink of destruction and collapse. What has been amazing is the denial of true culpability in this near disaster, and the desire to impale those who took the drastic measures required to pull it from a steep nose dive.

As I watch the now very civil (translated diluted political double talk) taking place in the testimony on Capital Hill and in the White House. Just amazing how we've made it so easy, and deny any real change to our system. Amazing how we are not interested in stopping the unbridled greed that brought ab out this mess, not to mention ruined MILLIONS of peoples' lives as they were given mortgages that were not wise, would destroy them, and were simply banks making boucoup $$$ from selling off their horrible loans. The defense goes something like this, "They should have known they were getting a bad deal. It's on them for taking it." WHAT? What about the audacity to actually create and sell such rubbish, note word sell - which means far more than offer it, but market it, convince and create the situations where working people after getting a firm footing are taken advantage of because they don't have the background counsel or awareness of the sharks teeth they were climbing into. Where was the furor over the horrible audacity to actually want to get rich - knowing it would be through destroying so many lives.

The Bible speaks clearly about exploitation, abuse and unethical loans. Do we think in our sophisticated complex society that it somehow is not the plain and simple usery the Bible addresses? If we relabel it, God will be fooled and no longer call it sin, no longer judge it?

Those of us who are deeply vested in these financial institutions, do we think we are less culpable because we've abdicated the management of our investments to others? Are we not equal partakers, by our omission of action, to this sin?

When will God's people speak into the society, act in the society and demand that we act ethically and as God would want us to?

When asking the single drop of ocean water if it was responsible for the tsunami, it replied, "I am but one drop of water, what could I have done?"

Is it A.D. Yet? (From Sojourners January 2010, p.9)

I saw this very article (satire) in Sojourners' January 2010 edition. It's too good to not share. Read all the way to the last sentence, or you'll miss it.

Once upon a time, a long time again, unto us a Saviour was born. Sadly, his mom never threw Him a birthday party. BUT now you can. This Christmas, "Really Woolly Kids", a Hallmark subsidiary, released the "Happy Birthday Jesus" kit. For only $9.99, you can host a high-tech Jesus event that would brighten the day of any self-respecting Saviour. Incuded are cards, napkins, plates, candles, balloons, and noisemakers - pus a secret access code to a live online celebration. It's the stuff fairy tales are made of and should not be confused with the Gospel. [Warning: The kids in China who made this product probably had less fun with it than your will.]

Priceless.

Power

"To merit the right to hold power,
it is imperative to give up
struggling to assert it
before having the internal strength it takes to qualify to use it."

~ Joan Chittisler, Order of St. Benedict

Oh how often, we see power misused, justified, and arrogantly demanded when there is not the under girding to execute it. In New Zealand, the Maori (Polynesian indigenous people) have a great word for this "under girding" that earns the right to speak into any situation. It's "Mana". Mana is an earned right because you've walked the turf, experienced it, lived nobly in the face of adversity, and proven a character that is not about ones self, not arrogant, but humble yet strong.

Oh that more leaders lived and led this way. Have you not noted that every leader you've aspired to emulate was like this? Has not every great leader in any epic, movie or book been just this type leader? No wonder Jesus is so attractive.

Christmas Cheer

Today I took my boys to have their regular cleaning and check up on their teeth. [All good.] While there waiting, I chatted with the receptionist who handles billing, and a lady walked in. She wore the scrub type uniform, now used by the medical industry, cleaning companies and food service businesses, retirement homes, etc. The lady, African American - 50's, was small, and her face wrapped in a scarf. The look of wincing pain was on her face. She had come from work, her friend who drove her in tow. They took her right in.

Thirty minutes later, right as our boys finished their cleanings, the lady emerged. The dentist had pulled her tooth. She looked so relieved and the scarf wrap was removed. Lisa encouraged her to not wait so long, that she needed to come in earlier, and carefully encouraged her that care earlier would prevent such radical solutions, etc. The lady looked so humiliated. She responded quietly that she just couldn't afford it. She remarked how she works every day, still have a child at home, and the bills simply mount up. They exchanged remarks about the work insurance, just not covering everything. She then said she didn't know what she would do to pay this bill.

That's when our dentist, early thirties, but settled in like an old slipper, stepped in. He had over heard the conversation. He called her over to him in the little hall way. Her response made it clear what he had done. She thanked him over and over and over, tears running down. I could only smile, for if I spoke, I too would have cried at such generosity, kindness and graciousness.

You know, so often, we reduce being a Christian to an ideology, a religion of stuff we do and don't do that relieve the God guilt to not "be bad" (sin management), and to do religious "spiritual stuff" ...worship, sacraments, etc. But we somehow miss he did not come to give us a more perfect religion, a more perfect religious liturgy and rituals. He came to change us. He didn't just come to help us, or scare us, or give us a "cookie goal" to aim for.

Jesus actually calls us to follow Him. Being a disciple means following and emulating Him - in the simplest, kindest ways. Everything we do, have, get, create, contribute is to be centered on the Kingdom, not "our rights". If we actually died in Christ and rose with Him [Romans], then we have no rights, or possessions. We only have living to Him, expanding the Kingdom in every daily act.... just like a dentist who made a mother's Christmas.

Joyeaux Nöel et paix sur terre!

Christmas before 1824

From the early days of the church, until 1824, Christmas was celebrated solely by Christians. It was purely a spiritual (religious) observance. In 1824 Clement Clarke Moore wrote a simple poem, entitled "A Visit from Saint Nicholas". That changed everything. From what is known without doing a dissertation, Moore was a professor of Literature at Columbia College (now University), and a devout Anglican. He was known for his philanthropy and a son became an Anglican priest.

Yet, his small poem changed it all. Until then, Saint Nicholas was known by church historians, and a small number of people outside of Holland, of all places. Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus, translated) was a Christian, a bishop, known for two things - his intercessory labor of prayer, for which God is said to have acted and for what he was sainted, and his charity in secretly leaving coins in shoes left at the door at night, and secretly giving gifts, not wanting any of the credit personally. Nicholas is officially known as Nicholas of Myra and Nicholas of Bari.

Moore's poem, made this remote little traidition in Holland, commemorating Nicholas, the central theme of Christmas today, only partially a Christian spiritual celebration and remembrance.

















Let's be honest, a lot has been lost, or at least diluted in the holiday we celebrate and partake in today anywhere in the west. The holiday today is only tangentially connected to the birth of Jesus. Sure, we see "Keep Christ in Christmas" and most Christians work to do that. The issue is we also throw in such a potpourri, snow, snowmen, holly, gifts (wait for that one!), Santa (the mysterious figure we've made larger than life), and fire places, parties and merry for the sake of being merry. Gifts have become such the center, with the 5th Avenue marketing machine convincing us that we need to spend, spend, spend to keep the consumer materialistic entertainment enslaved society running. They try (& arguably succeed) to convince us that we "need" all this $()@*!@*&!****~!






























Ever listen to the songs of Christmas. This year, getting older now and no longer considered a "young guy", I've seen the veneer of Christmas and all holidays loose their luster - just the reality of life sinking in, I think. Yet in this, I've lost any great "love" for the season. Hence, thought I'd give allowing myself to "hear" Christmas music more often. Therefore, I've been tuned into a local radio station that is playing nothing but Christmas music, except for the nauseating amount of advertisements you must endure to get the commercial - the music! Less than 1 in 10, less than 10%, of the music is about Christ's birth. The ones they play are the old stand by's for which no one stops and thinks about the words, they simply sing what's been played through their lifetime. Don't get me wrong, they are great songs and I'm down with it. Yet, the 90% of the songs are frivolous nothing, like Cotton Candy (Fairy bread) - no tangible substance. They are all "feel good" faux sentimentality. And you know what - nothing is wrong with the songs - if they were not overlaid on top of Jesus' birth. It's like 1 part coffee, 10 parts water... there is a color to the water, but you can't tell what it is and it's not very appetizing in appearance.

So sadly, we all celebrate the commercial spending spree, make merry over nothing but shallow trite faux merriment for merriment's sake, and throw in enough Jesus to make the guilt numb a bit. I actually wish Christmas was about Jesus and Him alone - then we could have St. Nicholas day and do the rest of the crap. What do you think? I'm proposing we take back Christmas. Either that, or "bring on the 12th day of Christmas and let's start carnival season. Now there's a merry making season and holiday for the celebration of life and relationships - and it's done better than the colluding of Christ's birth with the merriment.











In closing - don't get me wrong. I think the merriment is great. I think focusing on Jesus is better. BUT, I'm not proposing making Jesus' birth celebration a somber sad moment. Though,once when speaking at a Christmas Service (we used to call that preaching), I spoke on "Behold the lamb that takes away the sins of the world and pointed to the manger... there lies your propitiation of sin. Jesus was born for one reason - to brutally be murdered for our sins. There lies the one the Father will deny as He endures the condemnation for sin on our behalf". Let me tell you how that was a "fart in church"! I had people furious with me - I had ruined Christmas for them because I took off the flocking and showed them the real reason for the season.




























So this year, inbetween football, toys, over sugared over stimulated and overtired kids; between the merry making and the clean up, the days off work and the movies you'll go see, the sales and returns, the nice dinners and time with your family - stop! - Stop, look in that manger and remember what I just wrote... Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!"

May we be a people who celebrate Advent, Latin for "the arrival or coming". May we anticipate and celebrate the love of the Living Personal God who knows our name and loves us enough to suffer the His own justice for our sins. That is a love to celebrate and be merry over! Our Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox brothers and sisters do this so much better than most of us. They make Advent a huge deal - mark it, light the candles and celebrate intentionally the coming arrival of Christ, remembering and anticipating His coming again. Then our merriment is not faux - not merriment for the sake of merriment - which is empty and does not warm the cold tired heart at all.

Joyeaux Nöel!

Surprised... or maybe not

Here are the 50 U.S. states (and the District of Columbia) in order of their well-being:

1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. Mississippi
7. Montana
8. South Carolina
9. Alabama
10. Maine
11. Alaska
12. North Carolina
13. Wyoming
14. Idaho
15. South Dakota
16. Texas
17. Arkansas
18. Vermont
19. Georgia
20. Oklahoma
21. Colorado
22. Delaware
23. Utah
24. New Mexico
25. North Dakota
26. Minnesota
27. New Hampshire
28. Virginia
29. Wisconsin
30. Oregon
31. Iowa
32. Kansas
33. Nebraska
34. West Virginia
35. Kentucky
36. Washington
37. District of Columbia
38. Missouri
39. Nevada
40. Maryland
41. Pennsylvania
42. Rhode Island
43. Massachusetts
44. Ohio
45. Illinois
46. California
47. Indiana
48. Michigan
49. New Jersey
50. Connecticut
51. New York

Global Climate Change

Living in New Orleans, one is very aware of the changing environment. Besides the cataclysmic loss of coast due to erosion from a century of the Mississippi River being controlled by levees, which have brought about the loss of thousands of miles of coast line, we've watched environmental disasters be reversed, bringing two significant species back from the verge of extinction (the brown pelican and the alligator). We've also watched the erosion, and rising seas levels bring disaster on historic scales and continue to live with it daily.

So, as the wars on the climate wage, we're not idle bystanders watching with casual interest. This is a crucial debate and we tend to stay informed more than more people.






















The white noise...
I watch the political gang argue over climate change. I watch one side lambasting the other, accusing the other of ulterior motives, etc. At the end of the day, I'm watching the climate change. I know... "climate gate". Being one of the very few who actually investigated the accusations of climate gate indictments, I found there to be an effort to shape the message, communicate clearly and arrive at some consensus of what it is being said, I didn't find malice or undermining lies. I do see those denying it having absolutely everything to gain at the status quo. Sort of reminds me of those who fought against every other advance. I seem to remember the people in Ephesus causing a riot because Paul was about to bring their business to ruin - their words of why they were upset are recorded for us. So, really - we'll destroy the planet because it will be economically more complex for a while? What about the economy in the long run, like NO dependence upon the crazy and unstable Middle East? What about a future where we can allow them to return to their primitive existence because we don't need their fossil fuels, "we have our own, thanks."?
























But more - what about our children, our grandchildren, their children? Do we not care? We've watched so much become destroyed in our life time. Do we want to let it go further? The arguments against change are ridiculous from everything I've read. Sure, there are natural climate rhythms, but gang, the change right now is enormous. And, while we may not be the total reason for the shift, we're part of it.

















The real rub...
What amazes me is how and why the evangelical church is so against stewarding our environment? I've actually been given the "Calvinist" defense. This argument is a fatalist diatribe that condemns the earth because "Christ is returning and it'll all burn" approach, "so, why bother?" Okay, I can play Bible Trivia too. I seem to remember God ordaining the people created in His image to be stewards of the creation. I never seem to remember Him releasing that command, even after the fall of Adam. I also seem to remember, "He'll make all things new" (the word used there is "return to former state...as in "as it was intended to begin with".

Everything we see about the Living God is one who a) creates and b) really does take serious what He's delegated to us, and c) is about one who is focused on reconciling (read Romans 5-8) the creation to Himself, starting with us. Now, get Webster's or the Oxford dictionaries and look up reconcile/reconciliation.




















Got guts?
I exhort my fellow ones who claim to follow Jesus and emulate Him to stop the political racket and become the prophetic voice we're called to lend in society. I exhort you [plural] to not be lulled into the nationalistic religion, nor the primal urge to be consumers and materialistic, or wanting our wanton affluence more than becoming those we're created to become. I exhort you to stop - look, the changes are obvious, dangerous and we really do need to stop living like we're living. As the developing world begins consuming more and more...grow up to be like us, that is. The destruction is huge and ominous.

We can start with our marketing, our disposable packaging, our trivial use of driving (we simply need to end the commuter culture(!), and support locally produced food. [Do you know how much money would be saved if we bought food produced locally/regionally?]. We need to support the many alternative energy sources, clean sources. No, no one solution will work. But a combination.... Hmmm. Imagine selling energy back to the power companies? Nice. And we need to support the President's efforts to change the carbon emissions we produce. No, not recklessly, but smartly and yet determined.

SERIOUS, no, you don't hear me, I said SERIOUS, S-E-R-I-O-U-S decline in the US church

Our cousins in the other English countries are aware of it already, as they sit ahead of us on the slide... the percentage of decline in the church is at almost irreversible rates save a new historic revival in the West (Europe is gone, save a small remnant) and the English nations are following fast, and yes, Yanks need to embrace a painful truth, so does the US.

Steve Addison, CRM Australia, author of his recently published book, Movements, writes about the decline of the Episcopal (Anglican) church in the US... READ. In his blog, Steve writes why this matters. The consistent decline of the western church denominations is directly related to their socially adapted faiths. We're not talking cultural expression of liturgy, but the theological compromises that consistently have made one denomination after another irrelevant and no longer sustainable. Following them is every other "mainline" (our acquiescing label given to those compromising movements) denominations. I predicted in 2000 that the New Zealand church was on track to lose 1/3 of its churches and hence, percentile of believers in the nation. I am sad to report that it is true. A huge portion of that rapid decline is through biology alone. In 2000 50% of the church was over 60. The same fate is proving true for the US Episcopal church. The only defiant groups are those who have left the Episcopal and aligned themselves directly with the Anglican Communion, abstaining from the US drifting mobs.

Steve points to something interesting, and true, but didn't unpack it to any measure... The 20th century compromise was in all things social, i.e. morality, supernatural nature of God, Jesus as the only path to salvation, etc. Every, every, every movement that surrendered these to remain acceptable and hence, not decline, has sprinted towards oblivion. Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and Acts 29 movement, points to another true point... the compromise to irrelevance for the 21st century is the compromise and cow-tailing to post modernity.

My take is the 20th century compromise on steroids, as it presumes the moral compromises and continues with the compromise of de-emphasis on truth at all, towards a utopic existence. I am by no means advocating for the dig in defend and attack approach our fathers took in defending against the liberal movement, though it did seem to shore of the flanks. Today the thriving movements have been the evangelical movements, save the recent decline of the carefully disguised 'health and well fare' evangelical gospels, where we pedal "10 quick steps to my own narcissistic controlled happy little safe world"... oh yea, and on the side chapel we have this sad dying Christ part, just read it and move on to the next ride.

This boomer mob that sports this is exactly the predecessor to the "emo-evangelical" post modern movement, which has its contribution in some areas, but is blind in its own.

So, if I'm not supporting the "right", what am I saying? Simple - be humble and wary of our own blind spots. Be vigilent to worship and follow the true God. You don't want anyone describing you in a false light, why do we presume to make God our god of what "feels" right to us. Yes, if we dare look at the true God, we WILL encounter some things that we don't want to accept, don't want to like. Stuff like judgment, and even radical grace for those so horrifically undeserving is not popular. Not "getting our way" and being able to be narcissistic consumers is also "out" in our society. Yes, God does want us to radically follow, realigning our lives to be centered on the Kingdom (this is not spiritual speak for wage war with anyone who disagrees with us). It does mean we surrender, sacrifice, mortify (nice for kill) our desires, our need for control, our priorities and embrace in action, heart, thinking and purpose His priorities, in-which is our only lasting satiation. I am saying we are all called to live lives postured to LOVE the world to Him, not win the argument. We've completely, completely failed to be missiologists in our culture and opt to continue a Christendom paradigm where we presuppose everyone knows and believes and the lost are out there, across the blue... and our only adjustment is to take those methods of bringing information to them to save them, here, to the USA. We're horrible missiologists when we fail to recognize that what's missing is encounters with the living Christ, which means us - as we incarnate the very Spirit of God and it is through encounters with us (our behavior, love, acceptance, sacrificial posture that cares enough to act for them and not for ourselves, even when it hurts) is how they'll come to "taste and see" that the Lord is good. This is how they'll come to "hear" the Gospel. They know the facts, they are simply seared shut in their thinking. This is nothing new and Paul told us this in his letter to the church in Rome.

So, in holding ground, I urge that we are humble, teachable and vigilant to actually be transformed into agents, sent to subversively bring the Kingdom into our normal everyday world right where we are. I urge that we do this together, that we learn the delicate balance of completely being dependent upon Christ, trusting hard truths and trusting Him when it yet does not make sense, that we radically love this lost world towards Him. We must keep Jesus, not religion central to our faith, to our purpose, to our practice of following Him. We must emulate Him and not be distracted by the noise of attractional religious behaviors that make us feel good. Sure, practice, but make Jesus the point - not religion.