True Grit thoughts

I promised earlier that I would pen my thoughts about the movie True Grit (which I enjoyed). I have seen both the old version and the new. Both have their merit but what makes the new different is that it breaks out of the typical western genre. Here the modern version, while a period piece, uses the western as a modern exploration of virtue and morality in a seemingly cruel and unforgiving universe.

My suspicion is that the Coen's are relying on their Jewish upbringing to use their craft as a dialogue about the nature of life. The movie, rather than feeling overtly nihilistic (as some charged that No Country For Old Men was), actually is getting us to explore morality. Hence, you have Mattie who has religious leanings and a deep sense of conviction about justice (and Matt Damon's character as a noble Texas Ranger) juxtaposed against the morally ambiguous Rooster Cogburn. He's neither completely virtuous nor completely vicious. This is the stage that the Coen's use to explore virtue in this life much like a young man would ask a Rabbi about the moral nature of the universe. While it might be unsettling because it's not black and white (like the old westerns), it leaves us with great questions to explore.
What makes up a person who is truly heroic?
Is God's grace really free? It seems like everything else in life is "deserved".
is revenge ever justified? Under what circumstances?
When it's all said and done, what role does religion have in our lives? In particular, what is the point of the old hymn "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" at the end?

I'm keeping it short here because a friend of mine posted this article from the NY Times written by Stanley Fish. I thought I should share it with you because it contains some wonderful thoughts. If you have the time take a read!

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/27/narrative-and-the-grace-of-god-the-new-true-grit/

Missions and Haiti

I am convinced that missions trip based on both compassion and evangelism are critical to college ministry. If missions are not grounded in the gospel then they can easily become disconnected with God's redemptive work. I sense that as evangelicalism seeks to regain credibility that it's lost over the years, it's easy to swing the other way entirely and travel to other countries just to do good works with no thought looking for opportunities to communicate the radical life-giving message of the gospel.

College students eagerly desire to take part in missions. In fact, if a college ministry is not actively involved with partnering in mission around the world where the needs are great then I don't think it's too strong to say that is a college ministry that will become so internally focused that it dies. Missions is God's heartbeat not only around the world but here in our own communities. We don't necessarily need to travel around the world to be involved missionally. However, that being said, I do not think it's entirely just to conclude, "We don't need to go anywhere in the world when there are people here." In my thinking, there is room for both. We ought to be mingling with the marginalized here as well as around the world. We ought to be living out the gospel and speaking the gospel to those here as well as going to places around the world where some (if not most) have never heard.

So when the opportunity came up to travel to Haiti this January, I was thrilled! A team of twelve of us were handpicked by God ready to head out to offer both relief work and words of relief - that God has broken into this world and offers new life and the resources to be able to experience this in a way that, as some would say, causes us to flourish. We were ready not only to give our all to help an orphanage in Leogane with new building projects but also to give our all in living the gospel and sharing it with kids.

That said, I'm sad that our trip has been postponed because of political unrest in the country. I was preparing my heart with God to be with the kids for a week helping them see and experience the deep love that Christ has for them. I was assured that the project will be there when we try it again sometime hopefully this spring. While I am disappointed, all I can conclude is that God certainly is guiding this process and He's not caught off guard. It's part of what happens when you send teams to really hard places. Now this is a time for me to continue to process the importance of missions in the lives of college students, helping them connect their hearts to God's heart. And when disappointments happen, together we trust that God is still at work in the lives of people as we rally to pray for Haiti and other hard parts of the world that God sends us.

Busyness of Life and the Sabbath

Yes, even pastors are not exempt from staying busy. But what makes it even harder to bear is my automatic bodily responses. Let me give you an example. I was having my time with God this morning - to let His Word speak into my life and to share with Him the heavy concerns that were on my heart. There is something about sharing these with God that takes the heaviness and puts the weight on Him. It is the abiding life where, in yoking myself to Him, He bears the majority of the weight. The one who upholds the universe by the word of His power can surely uphold my life with His Word.

As I was getting really comfortable just being with Him, my phone started buzzing uncontrollably (the ringer was off). Why it was on I have no idea but it was my bodily reaction that threw me off. I found myself drifting away from God and wondering who was emailing or texting me! I couldn't just sit with God in silence. I had to find out who needed me or wanted to contact me! It was simply a Pavlovian response where the buzzer went off and my automatic response was to reach for the phone to see who it was.

This is a powerful reminder that it’s hard to turn off life. How do I get far enough away from the distractions of life to pay attention to God? How do I get to the place where the urgent things of life can simply wait? We are so conditioned to “take care of stuff” and as a result my soul has no chance to rest, to catch a breath. My soul needs space to rest in God. While it’s something natural, the pace of life, the demands of life seem to take priority. They are habituated bodily responses created by a need to be wanted, to be important.

So here we go with a Sabbath Experiment. Read Psalm 46:10. Instead we are to rest, to cease from striving and know that He is God. The created order in Genesis is finished and we are not essential to it running. God has it all under control. And in following Sabbath, we redeem time by making it holy.

Sabbath is not intended for us to do what we want. Sabbath is not about going to church and checking it off. The break that Sabbath provides is intended for us to pause, reflect, and enjoy God. It can include other people. It can be done alone. However, the end result is that God is the focus of it. It’s providing an intentional break for us to remind us that our sense of trying to get ahead reflects how deeply insecure we are and how little self-control we have. We are related to Him and that is enough.

Let’s risk something together. For a 24-hour period cease striving and know that He is God. You might take the day to go to the mountains or the beach. You might spend it alone or spend it with friends. You might go hiking, you might sit and watch the waves, or you might have friends over for a meal. You might read a book about God. But the intended break is not primarily about your refreshment and restoration. It might have that as a side effect but the focus of Sabbath is on God.

Try this. Go to church on Sunday and ask this as you are sitting there: “God, how have I made this into something that it’s not? Would you speak to me during this time? Cause my soul to rest in the accomplished work of Christ on the Cross.” Then whatever you decide to do for the rest of the day, make it a prayer time where you purposefully invite God right into what you are doing. Speak to Him as you are hiking or driving or reading. It might include taking a nap but even then do something crazy like dedicate the nap to the Lord thanking Him for this great gift. Whatever, you do, avoid activities that either catch you up with something or get you ahead.

Cease from activities like video games, computers, cell phones, and ipods especially if they are providing noise or there is an incredible dependence upon them. I would also encourage you not to shop no matter how much you like shopping. Avoiding consumeristic tendencies is a great way to reject the need to find your identity in what you have or wear. And be honest about your lack of self-control. And please, the twelve-hour period is not meant to be done at night when you normally sleep.

For those of you that come to Paradigm Shift, let's gather at 7 pm and we’ll share with one another how the experience was. By faith, let's try this together.

Inception and the Gospel

This will be a different sort of blog... Have you noticed how many people are watching the movie "Inception"? By the way, if you haven't seen it, you should probably be warned not to read on so the plot is not ruined. The buzz has been big with college students. Why? For one, it's not a movie filled with gratuitous special effects and an inane plot.

For those who have seen the movie the ending has sparked all sorts of discussions as to the nature of reality and non-reality. Was it a dream or reality? Great discussions! Here are my thoughts... the movie addresses the two core issues that everyone struggles with. There are two "issues" that become apparent in the movie as the plot progresses toward inception (planting a thought in someone's mind). Cobb's primary issue (DiCaprio's character) was the guilt that he carried with him regarding a previous thought he planted in his wife's mind. He had been carrying this with him and it comes to light as he progresses deeper and deeper into the subconscious. Fischer (the young businessman set to inherit his father's empire) is struggling with something just as profound... shame. It's apparent that what haunts this young man is the broken nature of his relationship with his father and the need for approval and love driven by this sense that he could never meet his father's expectations. Isn't that what shame is? If guilt is "I've done bad", shame is "I am bad."

If good psychology is simply theology as applied to the deep core of a person, the movie asserts that there are two fundamental psychological drives in human life - guilt and shame. Both produce great anxiety in a person leading them to hide and cover and blame others in order to protect the self. What does this sound like?

The first two people in the Garden! Adam and Eve experienced unbroken friendship with God. They sensed God present around them and in them, filling the deepest eternal part inside of them. Pascal was correct although he didn't say it like he's quoted today. There is something like a God-shaped vacuum in each of us that cannot be filled with anything temporal. It is an eternal hole that can only be filled with an eternal person. When Adam and Eve asserted their independence and opted for self-righteousness they experienced something so deep that it's hard for us to get the full import. To know God intimately and then to feel empty was psychologically dizzying! In their now broken state they reached for anything to grapple with this new sense of emptiness where God had been. Their response? Covering, hiding, and blaming. Their profound sense of guilt and shame led them to do anything they could to deal with the accompanying sense that they had violated God's one law and that they were now unlovable. Think about the normal neurotic ways that we deal with guilt and shame!

But what does the Gospel say? As it relates to guilt, Christ has taken upon Himself the penalty that was due you. Your guilt was placed upon Christ when He went to the cross. Most Christian college students understand this. But what about shame? The additional action was that Christ's righteousness was given to the believer. In other words, God now sees the believer as having lived the life that Christ lived. This is remarkable and it's what theologians call, "Double Imputation" (2 Cor 5:21). Your sins and guilt are placed on Christ - He is treated like you should have been treated. And His righteousness (right standing with God) is given to you - you are treated as Christ is treated. In love, God says to the believer, "Why then are you saddled with shame? If I have done this for you, then you can now be honest with me. Take off the masks and learn to be honest with Me, yourself, and others. No more hiding and covering because you think you're a bad person."

What's amazing about the movie is the director, someone who apparently is not religious, gets religion at the core of what it should be. Every religion should have to deal with this incredible, deep sense of the guilt and shame that plagues everyone. I would go as far to say that this is a wonderful form or art. If art's function is to lead us to the Beauty of God, even a movie like Inception can have a profound effect on us by moving us toward the Beauty of God as demonstrated in the Gospel. And it provides a great opportunity to bring up the subject with those who don't know Christ (what do you do with guilt and shame?).

High School seniors pt. 3

How do you communicate who your group in a very informal setting? One of the biggest challenges is helping high school students transition to college is helping them identify with a new group of people. This is incredibly difficult because frankly, it's intimidating. Not many people, unless they are very outgoing, like being in a brand new group where they don't know anyone or know anything about the values of the group. Often we make the mistake of thinking that people are looking for good teaching, worship, etc. While these are important, what new people are looking for the most are relationships. Are these the kinds of people that I want to be around? Does your group value relationships? Does your group allow new people to move from the perimeter to being a part of the circle? What hoops do people need to jump through in order to be accepted?

Our use of the word "community" often betrays us. We like the word and the concept and use it as a buzzword to let people know it's important. However, if it's not demonstrated before people with no words then I would say that it's not a value. It drives me crazy to no end when young pastors use the word. But unless there is something in place to relationally invite people into the group (assuming that people acknowledge their need for it), then it's an empty word. I would say, don't use the word unless you know what it means and care enough to see community instantiated.

All that to say last night we tried something that hopefully demonstrated our commitment to community. There was nothing preachy about it. I said nothing to people about it. Last night, we "kidnapped" the high school seniors and took them to Chuck E. Cheese where they met about fifteen of our college students. The college students split themselves up and sat in different groups to get to know these new students. Then they took their tokens and went and played games with them for about two hours. The comment I received from many students is, "I have not been here in years!" They had a blast...

My prayer was simply this. That they would experience the beginnings of community with us. We want our students to go deep with each other. We want to learn together and have each other's back in ministry. But just as important, we want to have fun together. There was nothing like yelling together with a bunch of them as we played a group video game of "Deal or No Deal". I hope that it put to rest any thoughts that the college group is not welcoming or stuffy. All this to say, when it comes to fostering community in your group and attracting new people, don't think that it has to start with something really serious or deeply spiritual. What appears to be spontaneous as well as fun (yes, we can use that word) can be the entry point to people sharing their lives together. There's nothing like yelling and laughing together that begins the process of bonding people together.

High school seniors pt. 2

I journaled this morning that this spring I have felt very much tugged in every direction. As a result, I haven't updated this blog as often as I should have. Here is a second part to the previous blog that was written (embarrassingly) last month.

I just returned from a weekend waterski trip to Lake Havasu with this years' high school senior class. This is probably the fifth year we have done this. Here's how this developed... both the high school pastor and I realized that come June students face this incredible transition. They go from years of attending at 9 am in the morning to nothing since we have college group at night (and that's by design). In addition, there was really nothing in place other than a banquet to serve as their last hurrah together in high school. So we decided to have a waterski trip held before they graduate in June, inviting me to come and along (as the cook) with a few of our college leadership.

In the midst of this great weekend of fun and relationships, it really represents their last time together as well introducing me as their new pastor. I only speak to them once but most of it is relational, just getting to know them. I ask for the list of students attending early so that I can start memorizing their names (believe me, that gets hard). When I meet them at the retreat I write down on the sheet of paper a simple fact about them to help me remember. What blows their minds sometimes is that when I hear their first name I already know their last name or when I meet them for the second time and I remember their names. All of this is to help soften the blow of the transition that is rapidly approaching.These people really are the most important people in the church!

But what's most important is this: whether they are going away to school or staying in the area, I want them to see my heart for God and for them. They are not pawns to get to a greater end (like more people to bump numbers up). Rather, they are people, young adults that need someone to shepherd them into a greater relationship with Jesus. I realized early on that credibility is one of the most important factors in a relationship because it leads to trust.

The point of all of this is that if it's true that your freshmen class is the most important class to focus on, then it's important that you as a pastor are intentional and helping with the transition process. The jump from high school to college is threatening enough. If you build small bridges like this to build trust with them, the whole process will feel much easier. Give me your thoughts on this and any ideas that you have tried. I'm sure open to trying different things!

"Wooing" High School Seniors

One lesson that stood out to me from my Campus Crusade staff days was that one measurement of how well the fall semester went was the number of freshmen the ministry attracted. The college football analogy fit perfectly... successful programs don't rebuild... successful programs reload. We went after the freshmen hard knowing that initial foray into college would leave them with all sort of choices, some good, some bad. We wanted them to jump right into a ministry that welcomed them and helped them grow.
But now that I'm with a church college ministry the approach is a bit different. Now the big issue is how do you attract high school seniors into the ministry? The good news is that you have a captive audience. I mean they are already coming on Sunday morning so how do you tap into what they are doing and give them a picture of college ministry? But here's the reality of recruiting seniors... they are all over the map when it comes to staying in a church. For many the bottom line is that they've grown up in the church and they are ready to explore elsewhere. For others, they see the "bright shiny" churches where the Spirit of God seems to be working. They look at their church where the Spirit is working but in their minds, it's not as dynamic. And so they are off to another church. The big problem that I'm seeing is that this attractional emerging postmodern church is simply re-dividing the pie. They are either not reaching a large segment that currently remains unreached and they are not training and shepherding young adults through this time in their lives.
So how do we reach this segment of graduating seniors? First, I would always encourage college pastors to pray for the upcoming class. Pray Luke 10:2 that God would raise up laborers for the harvest. Second, I would say, don't wait for them to come to you. Go to them. For instance, in a few weeks we are actually taking up the high school time to offer a college meeting for the high school students. We want them to see up close what it looks like to come on Sunday nights. Third, don't wait until the late spring to start "wooing". Start early, even as early as their junior year when many start to think about moving on. Get to know them by name. Start working with the high school department to make the transition as easy as possible. Fourth, feed them, do anything to attract them to finally come. The bottom line is that these students need a push, a reason to come. Realize that it's hard to step out into a new arena where you aren't the "top dog" anymore. Other than the ones who are adventurous or are really looking for something different, most high school seniors need to come in a pack. So give them a reason to come! And when they come make sure that you and other students take the time to get to welcome and get to know them. If you begin now, you will be surprised at how different the group will look after four years of going hard after seniors.

Closing thoughts on sabbatical

Maybe you’ve had this thought…”What if I had an extra million dollars? What would I do with it?” Ok, honestly, I’ve had that thought more than once!! After I think about all the fun things I’d like to do, I remember that I also have to steward the resources well. It really doesn’t take the fun out of dreaming – it’s just a reminder that with an abundance of any precious resource, one must steward it with wisdom, partnering with God in how its “spent.”
So what would you do if you had eight weeks of negotiable time? Your “job” was to take the time and spend it wisely. Can I just be equally honest and say what a great church this is to work for? Recently, the leadership of the church allowed me an extended period of time (a precious resource) to “sabbatical” (which is related to the word “Sabbath”). The purpose of the sabbatical is to provide an intentional break from the demands of ministry not only for refreshment but to actually pay attention to God in His leading, affirmation, instruction, and the gracious revealing of what’s in my heart.
With children still in the house, I knew that this sabbatical was going to look different than if Kay and I were empty nesters. So I simply entered in with a flexible spirit that said, “Lord, lead me in this intentional time off. Let me remain open and attentive to your Spirit.” What I found was that God took me on an incredible journey that restored my soul.
Each day during the week, I spent the morning hours reading Galatians in reflection and contemplation, praying back to God what He had stirred in my heart. Like many of you who are participating each day in “The Word of the Lord”, it was such an honest time of renewing my desire to hear from God’s Word. The time was less of analyzing the text I was reading looking for principles, but reading and letting my mind “settle” on the reality of God and praying this back to Him in gratitude.
The balance then of the morning was spent in an activity that was incredibly refreshing! I used the time to study about a past saint, who, in my opinion, might be the finest Christian preacher/shepherd/philosopher in the history of our country. I had always had this initial impression of Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) as an uptight “hell, fire, and brimstone” preacher. In fact, when high school students are required to read the sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” I think that a certain injustice is done to Edwards and to God. Most students read it and walk away with a sense that both Edwards and God are angry, ticked off at people confirming all the biases people have against religion. Christianity in general appears stifling, heavy handed, focusing purely on obedience to a code and performance.
What I discovered was a whole different side to Edwards as a caring shepherd of his Northampton, MA flock. But there was another side to Edwards that emerged. I remember J.P Moreland in a seminary class describing how there was a day when the local pastor was the preacher and shepherd as well as the local philosopher and theologian. It was studying Edwards that I began to see his absolute theological and philosophical brilliance. Much of my sabbatical was spent reading and working to understand Edwards’ thoughts on the centrality of the heart and the will in life, human freedom, and “revival” or “awakening”. I was captured by the history of the First Great Awakening here in the U.S. and the role young adults played in its emergence!
How am I returning to ministry? As I reflect back on the past eight weeks, I feel reinvigorated with a new sense of energy for a group of people in our church that are absolutely critical to the well-being of our church but more important in God’s Kingdom. Edwards models this picture of the pastor/shepherd/teacher who was very comfortable not only with the subjects of theology and philosophy but also an awareness that everything flows out of the heart. A good picture of what pastors of college ministry should concern themselves with as it relates to their "flock."

Addition to Top 10

I suppose that it kind of works like the Academy Awards. If a book is published in 2009 but I don't read it until 2010 then it should count for this year's Top 10 books. I did want to put this out there because of how highly I think of the book and the author.
I know this sounds very much like a "homer" but I think Dallas Willard's book, "Knowing Christ Today", could be one of the finest modern day books I've read (Ok, maybe The Search for God and Guinness was just as good). I've read all of Willard's books but in a strange way this one felt the most "accessible" (even though in the beginning he did say it was going to be difficult sledding). I had heard that he was planning to write a book on the disappearance of moral knowledge for awhile now. But this book goes far beyond what I expected to actually state the case that one can have honest to goodness knowledge as a follower of Christ. I am re-reading it very carefully again.
My quick take is rather than being a book about straight epistemology or even virtue epistemology, what Willard has laid out a pretty strong case for the availability of knowledge for the average Christian. It goes beyond the standard formula that used in epistemology for what counts as knowledge (JTB). Instead he lays out a view close to Jonathan Edwards where knowledge is different than mere belief or even commitment. Consistent with Edwards, it makes no sense to bifurcate head and heart knowledge. Both are connected and vital if we are to understand the will. My sense is that Willard is in agreement.
Oddly enough, I suppose where Willard will receive the most flak is his use of words (and knowing him he does not use words carelessly). He does use the phrase "Christian Pluralism" and I think that might throw a few people off. My guess is that some might accuse him of being a universalist. Actually, he makes it clear that he's not. So obviously, "pluralism" means something different to Willard. In other places He uses the phrase, "Cosmic Christ". It's simply best to read that as the eternal second person of the Trinity.
My only other thoughts are I had hoped that he would also tie knowledge to the internal witness of the Holy Spirit and the connection then of knowledge to the Word of God. Other than that, read the book thoroughly! I think that you will find it challenging and inspiring that Christians need not capitulate to modern day pressure and rhetoric. For any college pastor who reads this, I do think that Willard is on to something that is critical for us to understand in this postmodern age of tolerance as we minister to those in college.

January plans for sabbatical

A few weeks ago I received an email from a friend regarding my post on idols. Particularly, he was interested in what God had opened me up to in terms of my own personal idolatry. Here's a brief answer as it relates to last month.

December for me was a month of decompression. After ministering for over twenty years without a clear break (except after Kay and I got married) the first month was spent gaining my balance. Even with Christmas and New Orleans the task was to actually de-pressurize my life. To that extent, I would say this: I now can understand why people who retire often go crazy. If you spend the majority of your waking hours producing something, once that "thing" is gone there are serious questions of identity that arise. For me it reminded me every day that at the core of "me", I am not a pastor. I do not have to answer to everyone's whims. I cannot please everyone. My "job" is not who I am. It seemed to me that this must be connected to idolatry in some way. Once I take something good and make it ultimate in my life by investing purpose, meaning, and identity, once that thing is gone, it's going to create a sense of existential loneliness and confusion. December can only be described as a month of God revealing to me the depth of how I place my job on the altar thinking that what I do is absolutely necessary to His plan.

Now January! Here's the plan. I'm open to God to lead me in any direction. For instance, even early in the month, while I thought I was going to spend time thinking about ecclesiology (the Church), I ended up reading, thinking and praying about eschatology (future things). I'm ok with meandering a bit because through it God will teach me what He wants. The pull of idolatry in this life is incredible and pervasive. Only when we look at the end are we reminded that even this life has been redeemed by Jesus' work on the Cross and His resurrection.

I'll be studying and praying quite a bit as i'm up in a monastery next week. Since I'm going to a Benedictine monastery it's only appropriate that I spend time looking at St. Benedict (and I might even throw some Henri Nouwen in there) It's during this time of silence and solitude for much of the day that I'm open to God revealing even more about my vices and the virtues make me think I'm doing alright. And finally to spend some long times walking in the gardens and vineyards praying for guidance and for those I love dearly (including you all!). I will see you all in about four weeks!