mid-week
Last night at our Mid-Week Teaching someone asked about the use of the word ekklesia in the Bible. There are more references than there was time for, and I forgot the one specifically asked about in Matthew. Here is a link to the Blue Letter Bible website that tracks its usage throughout the New Testament. Next week we will gather to discuss Spiritual Gifts. Remember next week we will meet on Thursday the 15th! See you there!
derasha: movement
This Wednesday, we will have our first Mid-Week Teaching. We will ask the question, "Did Jesus Come to Start a Non-Porfit?" Below is an excerpt from Chapter 01 of Derasha: This Thing Called Church Vol. 002. If you would like more information on how to get a full copy of Derasha, please email me. 01 Movement
Somewhere between where I was and the mountains on the horizon, the buildings of Sao Paulo, Brazil faded into the smog that blanketed the city. Our group was standing on the roof of the tallest building in Sao Paulo. We were on one of many stops on our tour. We hit four cities all together in our two weeks of travel.
We walked back inside and took the long elevator ride down. On the way down we stopped on the eighteenth floor. The doors opened and a well-dressed businessman looked at the faces of twenty or so hyper American teens. He smiled politely and wisely chose to wait for another elevator. We reached the ground floor and made our way outside.
Our leader told us we had two hours to do some shopping before dinner. My friends Ben and Peter decided to take off together. They went looking for soccer stores where they could buy some shoes. They headed down a street, and as they rounded a corner were met with a rotten smell. One hundred feet in front of them was a massive pile of trash. Someone had obviously not paid their bill.
They crossed the street to avoid the pile of dirty diapers, empty bags of chips, rotting fruit and half eaten burgers. As they crossed the street Ben saw three kids on the trash heap. They weren’t playing; they were shopping. They walked on a little further and saw two more people. It was the mother of the children nursing their new sibling. Ben and Peter could not help but stare. They were two American, Midwest, suburbanites who did not know people lived like this. They asked the mother if they could buy the family dinner, and she agreed. Minutes later they were eating like royalty at McDonald’s.
They met up with the rest of our group two hours later, and we all went to dinner. We went to a Churrascheria. This is a Brazilian style place where they bring slabs of meat out on swords. The servers put slabs of animal carcass impaled by a sword on your plate, and at your bidding they slice off big chunks that land with a thud-slap on your plate. It was like something out of a vegetarian’s nightmare. Needless to say, we were well fed that night.
We returned to our hotel, and a few of us went to the hot tub on the hotel roof. Ben told us about what he and Peter saw that day on the garbage heap. All of us began to wonder out loud what in the world we were doing twenty floors up in a hot tub when kids were digging in garbage heaps below us.
The trip seemed to be more about entertaining a group of American students than about serving people living in Brazil. To think that we went all that way to go to soccer games, tour soccer stadiums, stay in beautiful hotels, shop in the cities and eat exotic foods is in some way unbelievable. But this is what we spent most of our time doing.
derasha: introduction
This weekend, we release Derasha: This Thing Called Church Vol. 002. Next Wednesday we begin our Mid-Weeks again, spending four weeks exploring the Church. What follows is an excerpt of the introduction. If you would like more information on how to get a full copy of Derasha, please email me.
Introduction
The morning air was crisp and cool. Frost covered my lawn and my breath crystallized into a small cloud. I walked toward the garage, got into my car, started it up and backed out of the driveway. My kids were watching and waving to me from the front window as I pulled away from the house. After a quick stop at Starbucks I was on my way. It was the first day of my new job. Part of me was excited for what would be, and part of me was nervous about what could be.
Music played in the CD player, but I was not listening to whatever was playing. It was just noise to accompany my mind as it wandered into the future trying to see what was around the corner. Sunlight was streaming through my car’s windows with a golden, brown-sugar color. The landscape gave off an eerie glow as I drove past frost covered fields that reflected the sunlight. Most of the time was spent between praying, reflecting on my life over the last ten months, and thanking God for the opportunity he had given me. Then it happened.
The building where the people of Ridge Point Church meet came into view as I crested a hill heading west on I-196. Today was my first day as a pastor of that faith community. Though I had been there many times I was unsure where to go upon walking into the building.
My mentor, Ed, once told me that on his first day at the church where he and I served together, he went into the auditorium of his church and spent time praying. This seemed like a good idea. I walked into the auditorium and sat on the edge of the platform to pray for the people who would fill that room over the next years of my life. I asked that God would use me to lead others into a deeper relationship with his Son Jesus. I sat and prayed for the church called Ridge Point.
I am in love with this group of people, trying in the power of the Holy Spirit to change the world. I am crazy enough to believe we can. My hope as you read this book is that you would find the same love, joy, hope and vision that Jesus has for his group of followers. As we journey together may you fall in love with this thing called Church.
supra partisan
If you did not catch the State of the Union address, you missed something wonderful. George Bush highlighted extreme poverty as a national priority. This is amazing. In the past, presidents have sometimes failed to even mention the fight against extreme poverty.
Some would call this a Bi-Partisan accord. However, it seems to me to be "Supra-Partisan" (all those from the Green Party may applaud). I say this because this is something far above politics, power, or voting. This is about men, women, and children made in the image of God. So often we frame things with an elephant or an ass to sway opinions or thoughts. We must make no mistake, the fight against the evil Extreme Poverty must never be tied to a political party. It must be tied to us as people recognizing that our those who are equal to us are dying everyday from treatable illnesses, and lack of clean water. This is indeed Supra-Partisan.
The attention being given to Extreme Poverty is due in part because of the work of the One Campaign. Our voices are being heard, and those in power are responding. We saw this on Tuesday when President Bush reaffirmed his commitment to the fight against extreme poverty and global AIDS.
Now we need to make sure that the White House takes the next step for this bold vision by fully funding poverty-focused development assistance in his 2008 budget request. As Congress and the president work together in the coming year, we have an opportunity to make real progress. Congress agrees that development assistance is one of the most cost-effective and powerful tools we have to create a better, safer world. Yet, the United States is ranked next to last amongst wealthy countries in terms of how much we spend on lifting up developing nations. The amount of money it takes to save lives and help developing countries is tiny -- just an additional 1% -- compared to our massive 2.8 trillion dollar federal budget.
This is one of our best opportunities to change that. When the president submits his budget request to Congress in the next two weeks, it will shape the conversation for the coming year. At this moment, a letter from you means so much more, because the president so rarely hears from constituents about global poverty.
Please take a moment and SEND A LETTER TO OUR PRESIDENT asking him to fully fund poverty-focused development assistance in his 2008 budget request. We have come a long way in the last two years, imagine what we can achieve in two more.
one returnee
Yesterday I went out to lunch with a brother and sister who live in Uganda. On the way to lunch I asked Harriet about her work in Uganda. She works with the Anglican Church educating women about reading, parenting, basic hygiene, and energy saving stoves. She was a well educated women, who spent her time taking care of others.
Her friend Michael spoke about his work with those who have escaped after being kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Some may have heard of the LRA through the movie Invisible Children. The LRA is based in southern Sudan. They have committed numerous abuses and atrocities, including the abduction, rape, maiming, and killing of civilians, including children. In particular, the LRA abducts numerous children, and force them into slavery as guards, sex slaves, and soldiers. The children are beaten, raped, and forced to march until exhausted, abducted children are forced to participate in the killing of other children who had attempted to escape. Everyday these children live with the threat of being killed by their oppressors.
Those who manage to escape, called returnees, often are rejected by their villages. This is because some are forced to go back and abduct children from their own village. Some, in the words of Michael, are “killing machines.” He explained that from the age of 9 until they escaped at the age of 19 they have been taught to kill and destroy.
These are the sons and daughters with whom Michael (who works withWorld Vision) works. He helps them reorient their world. He helps them understand what normal is. He spoke of these returnees as though they were his own children. It was amazing to be sitting with two such people.
When Michael finished speaking to us about his work, Harriet said, “I was a returnee.” I looked at this woman, who was so loving, gentle and humble unable to wrap my mind around what her words meant. Before I could say anything she continued, “I will not tell you about all the things that happened there. But I know that God had his hand on me. Now I can be used for his glory.” Harriet had been made inhuman by the LRA. Harriet knew pain, terror, humiliation and fear in ways that no human should. Yet here she was giving herself to the poor.
All I kept thinking when I left was, “What can a person possibly say as to why they are not serving others?” The answer is nothing. There is no excuse that one can give. Harriet is serving others. She is saving lives. The time to act is now. We have opportunities all around us, and around the world. Please stop making excuses, and get busy changing the world one person at a time.
this thing called church
As of now, we are in the fifth draft of Derasha: This Thing Called Church. Derasha is a book series that I write for our community at Ridge Point. We call the books Derasha because it is the Hebrew word for discourse. Its roots are as ancient as the Prophets. This series of books is designed to promote dialogue, raise questions, and act as a subject for conversation. Our discourse is not intended to be for the purpose of dialogue alone, rather it is intended to lead us to action. Our prayer is that our discourse would lead us to act on what we have learned in the name of Jesus, for the good of the world .
Derasha is released in connection with our Mid-Week Teaching at Ridge Point. We will gather each Wednesday in The Commons at Ridge Point at 5:45 PM for dinner. We will begin our discussion at 6:30 PM. Feel free to join us for Mid-Week Teaching a place where everyone there is able to speak and be heard.
Volume 2 will be released the weekend of February 3/4 and will be available for purchase at The Source at Ridge Point. Next week I will preview the introduction of This Thing Called Church.
judging a goalkeeper
There is something that needs to be said. I am judgmental. This is hard to admit as it flies in the face of who I like to think I am. However, it is true. The only thing that comforts me is the fact that most everyone else is judgmental too (is that a judgmental statement?).
My brother-in-law roped me into playing indoor soccer. Having not played for over four years I was mildly hesitant to play, until he said that it was men’s rec league. Last night we played our third game. When I walked onto the field I saw two old acquaintances Jeremy and Christian. I have played with and against these guys in years past. To be honest, both of them are jerks. They trash talk, cheap shot and taunt their opponents.
I greeted them and chatted a little before we played. Throughout the game Jeremy would make a save in goal (he is a goalkeeper) and roll the ball out to a teammate. He never said anything to those on the opposing side. At one point I fired a shot on goal, and he made a brilliant save. He bounced back up with a smile, and said, “Nice shot bro!”
What was happening? Jeremy is a jerk. My worldview was crumbling. While it has been some four years since I last played, it has been seven or eight since I played with Jeremy or Christian. They both played hard, smiled, and complimented the opponent. They were different, yet in many ways I was the one who stayed the same.
After the match Christian said to me, “Do you remember when I used to have to take you off the field and warn you about your temper?” Christian remembered me when I was fifteen. He remembered a hot-headed teenager who once ran across the field during a dead ball, and kicked a defender as hard as he could in the knee. He smiled, put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Now you have kids … we all grow up.”
Indeed we had all grown up.
I was judging. Christian was remembering the past, and celebrating newness (probably because I did not kick him in the knee). Jeremy told me after the match that he was playing less because he was coaching his daughter’s team. Another guy I ran into told me how he and his wife had spent two years in Africa serving the poor and needy. Like me, these guys had changed.
On the way home I wondered if they thought, “Wow Michael didn’t kick anyone, curse, or lose his cool. That is amazing!” I walked out onto the field knowing how I have changed over the last fifteen years since I kicked that guy in the leg. Yet so often I keep others where they are in my memory. I judge them and at the same time exonerate myself.
On the way home I said out loud, “God thank you for allowing people to change.” So often it is easier to keep people in a category or a box so that we can be comfortable with who we are. When we grow alongside others our strengths and weaknesses tend to remain our strengths and weaknesses. The things that we would rather not recognize about ourselves are still visible.
As we left the field Jeremy, Christian, Dave and I spoke about playing together again. Glory days have long since past us by, and we are out-of-shape but we still love to play. And we will play together as a team of people who have changed and are changing.
one billion dollars
Please take a moment to send a letter your representatives and urge them to co-sign the Brownback-Durbin letter in the Senate and the Lee-Shays letter in the House of Representatives, urging Congress to fund some of the crucial poverty fighting measures that were passed in 2006.
To learn more about this bill and how it will affect those suffering from senseless poverty and AIDS or to send a letter to your rep please click here. The need is urgent, and the time for action is now.