Missio Dei

This post, at dear-god.net really hit me. I was that kid. I remember feeling that way and wondering how God could possibly love me. Forgiveness was not a likely scenario.

I now realize that I was deeply broken and searching for love in so many destructive ways. I was looking for something to heal my heart and found it in the intense sexual pleasure that is porn that was always followed by intense shame. To a great extent, that moment, the one deeply embedded in shame right after pleasure, was one of the closest things to hell on earth that I have experienced.

But what hit me about this post was not about porn, but about being on the outside and seeing that kid and knowing that God loves him no matter what he has done. I wish someone had told me that twenty years ago.

May we be love to those who live in this world and lift them out of shame.

If you would like to participate in this months Missional Synchroblog, let me know below. This months question is: Why Am I Missional?

Feel free to explore this question in your own way. One of the things I loved about the previous responses was the diversity. There is no right answer…just the real answer.

Updated Posting Date: May 19th

This is a four month project. You are welcome to participate as you can. The first round of posts was awesome. You can see the list here.

For a long time this was my favorite song.  It’s probably the song that started my whole journey.

Okay I finally got to watch this movie. Can someone please explain what all the ruckus was about. I don’t get it. It’s clearly fantasy. The Magisterium sounds more like Nazis than the church. Brain operations? And calling the soul “demons”? I just don’t get it.

I actually found the movie a little confusing. The demons are supposed to be souls but they seemed disconnected at times for story effect. They keep having conversations about what the other is thinking feeling. Aren’t they the same?

And the girl is ALWAYS in the right place at the right time to hear the right info. Come on. That’s cheesy storytelling at its finest.

And then the end. What?

I don’t usually say it that way. A friend of mine does. But I was reminded of that when I read his from the Message.

Romans 8:29-30 (The Message)
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.

Eugene Peterson just gets it.

I don’t get it.

Obama wins North Carolina by 233,000 votes and 9 delegates. Clinton wins Indiana by 20,000 votes and 3 delegates. Net total…6 delegates and 2213,000 votes for Obama.

People lambasted Huckabee for staying in the race but Hillary gets a free pass?

I’m reading what I think will be one of the more important books written in the next ten years. My opinion. It’s Walking With God by John Eldredge. For those who haven or haven’t read John before, this is almost a complete departure from his previous works in masculinity and a return to his earlier works. Much broader in terms of spiritual formation. I’ll post a review when I’m done.

But in the Summer section he highlights an intriguing dialog on two traditional camps.

“The first is the the holiness or “righteous” crowd. They are the folks holding up the standard, preaching a message of moral purity. The results have been…mixed. Some morality, and a great deal of guilt and shame.”

This is the group I grew up on. Suck it up, dig in your heals and just do what is right. It was deeply shameful and full of a tremendous amount of hypocrisy. When someone falls (my pastor was caught in an affair) restoration is virtually impossible.

The other camp is the grace camp.

“Their message is that we can’t hope to satisfy a holy God, but we are forgiven. We are under grace. And praise the living God, we are under grace. But what about holiness? What about deep personal change?”

These two camps appear to mimic the fight or flight responses we see throughout humanity. One posits an unreasonable burden that we cannot possible accomplish on our own. The other simple abandons any responsibility for the self.

But as John points out, neither is wholistic. He points to a third way found in whole restoration that embraces grace but seeks wholeness. This is for me true spirituality, a grace that seeks restoration found in surrendering to His Spirit.

Which camp did you grow up in?

Okay this was weird. Craig Detweiler produced a documentary called Purple State of Mind, which looks like a conversation between he (a Christ follower) and his friend (who rejected Christianity). In this deleted scene (and I’d love to know why it was deleted) Craig explores the origins of fundamentalism.

Turns out fundamentalism was started by Lyman Stewart, who founded Biola University, my former school. Lyman was attempting to create a set of 12 fundamentals in response to Darwinism.

I appreciate what Craig “wants” to do. He says, “My job is to put the “fun” back in, to take the “da” out, and restore the mental.”

Good luck Craig.

One of the assumptions we make is that our relationships are defined by beliefs. And this is true to an extent. Much of the tension we experience in relationships is the idea that we must share the Gospel, which over time has been narrowly defined by a single moment of acceptance of faith in Jesus that secures their eternal salvation. And so when we meet someone new, we encounter moments that offer us an opportunity to share the Gospel.

I meet so many people who have such a sense of shame around these brief moments. “I didn’t share the Gospel with them. I’m not living my faith.” As though our relationships becomes defined by this ticket punch.

Much of the tension exists in the assumption that the person we encounter has little or even no knowledge of Jesus. But if we listen, we will likely find this is not true. Most people are aware of who Jesus is. Even in Jewish, Islamic, and Buddhist cultures, Jesus is revered for being an Avatar or prophet. Some might even have an deep understanding of the Gospel.

And even when we share the Gospel story, we’re left with the real question. If this person says, “No,” for whatever reason, will we still choose to love them? Will we still share the Gospel with them? Will we still be love, which is the fullest reflection of Jesus and the call to mission? Or, will will simply treat the person as a transaction that is defined by our duty to get them into heaven? Because real evangelism happens after they say no.

In a postmodern world, they will likely say no until they see the reality of the Gospel in our lives. They are likely reject the Gospel because they want to see if it is “true” in our lives. We can’t hide behind a plastic, intellectual faith that ceases to produce fruit. We must share the Gospel by suffering with them, sharing in their pain, and brokenness. And this is only possible in love.

John 3:16 - “For God so judged the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Oh wait…it doesn’t say that does it. Maybe it really is about love.

This is absurdly funny.

If you didn’t see this presentation by Rob Bell you missed something important.  This was one of the more defining discussions for me in terms of understanding the cultural component of when the Bible was written.  And it means A LOT.

The insights into religion from this discussion still resonate with me today.

My review here.

Get it here.

Be honest. Which side do you tend to see?

I ask because I was recently reading an article and the author said,

“He seems to devote an inordinate amount of time telling the readers why what he calls the “confessional church” is getting it right, instead of picking up on the areas of failure which need to be addressed.”

Are we first approaching things looking for what’s wrong or what is right? I find that people are very open to criticism when we first offer what was valuable or productive about what they did or said.

I prefer a more balanced approach to evaluation as Greg Boyd did here of Echhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth.  Greg first finds what he liked and then provided valid criticism.

When was the last time you did this with your tithe?

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 - 22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.

A friend of mine sent me this but I don’t know who wrote it. Its a sobering reminder that God used broken people to accomplish His mission of restoration and reconciliation. God chose to love, even when we didn’t deserve it.

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The next time you feel like GOD can’t use you, just remember…

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer…

AND

Lazarus was dead!

Jesus helped them all!

One of my favorite stories in Scripture is the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Some call it the parable of the Loving Father. And easily missed is the story of other son.

I don’t think the story is complete without the other son. He provides so much emotion and context for how people can feel when God exhibits profound mercy. The other son is the good son, the son that did it right, the son that did what he was supposed to do. The other son has truth on his side.

And I realized while reading this that grace and mercy are an offense to religion. They are offensive to my carefully constructed attempts to please God on my own. Mercy doesn’t make sense. It requires me to think outside of what I assume is justice.

And this is the journey within the kingdom. Which son do we connect with? Which son do we most feel like?

The other son makes me ask a question. Will we be surprised IF God chooses to restore all of His kingdom in the latter days? Will we be disappointed or even angry if His grace extends beyond our measure, the one that we have constructed? Will we respond, “How could you forgive so and so? How could you let HIM enter?”

And will we have any leg to stand on if He doesn’t do it our way?

BTW: After I wrote this I found this from Tracy.

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Luke 15:11-32

The Parable of the Lost Son

11Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ 20So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “

Every once in a while I get a Spanish comment. This is a simple, cool translator I found.

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7,871 FREE fonts. Yep.

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Brad Cecil explains, Why I am Emergent (By one guy who shouldn’t be)

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The coolest thing I hear this week: Are you living a life that is worth telling stories about?

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One of the more interesting uses of the Wii console hand device. Very cool gaming potential here.

“I think this idea we are to render unto Caesar’s what is Caesar’s is an interesting one. And I think a lot of time we miss the point of what Jesus was doing there. I think Jesus is spinning everything on its head and calling into question what is Caesar’s. Caesar can have his coins, right, Caesar can print a piece of metal with his picture on it. Give it back to him. But I’ve made humanity and Caesar has no right to that.”

Shane Claiborne, speaking to Krista Tippett

That is awesome!

I love this program. Why? Because it gives me a reason to be silly with my kids.

There are some things about being a follower of Jesus that are really hard to deal with. They don’t provide easy answers, even when we want them to be easy. The following passage below of “The Sheep and The Goats” is one of those. This is the one people typically point to in regards to hell.

Honestly I’ve avoided this post for a long time. Why I’m writing it today is a mystery to me. Maybe it’s the hard week I’ve had. Maybe its the reflective music I’m listening to. Maybe its the quiet corner in Starbucks on my personal day.

It’s obvious which side we want to be on. We want to be the sheep. We want to be ushered in wondering what we possibly did that God would accept us.

One of the things that strikes me about this passage is that Jesus doesn’t use typical terms. He uses the metaphor of the sheep and the goats. In some respects this seems like an invitation to try and figure it out, only to find out this is the trick. Those who keep trying are the ones tricked. We like to control don’t we?

The second thing that strikes me about this passage is that it says NOTHING about belief. It’s not wrapped in a pretty little disposable package that we can endlessly design, manufacture and sell. The goats haven’t said the wrong thing in their sinner’s prayer, or even avoided it all together. There’s no long diatribe of incorrect theology or even heresy. There’s no Buddhist, or Universalist, or even a token homosexual for good measure. Jesus refuses to make it easy for us.

Their sin? They forgot to engage love.

It’s likely that we all get this passage wrong. And we don’t like that do we? We don’t like it when we can’t figure out the complete measure of God, as if we really could. But do we really want the mystery of God to cease? Do we really want him to fit into our box?

All He gives us is Jesus, who says “Come follow me.”

And this is the journey of faith. To let go of the judgment process and to trust that we will be the sheep. It’s hard putting our future into the hands of God, as though it weren’t there in the first place. And the only way he’s given us a clue as to which side we are on is to love.

Listening: The Cure For Pain by Jon Foreman

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The Sheep and the Goats

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”