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"Our task in the present - is to live as resurrection people in between Easter and the final day, with our Christian life, corporate and individual, in both worship and mission, as a sign of the first and a foretaste of the second."

N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope

the "both/and's" of our faith

As I was clicking around YouTube today I ran across a few videos and conversations that really got me thinking, or more reminded me of the constant tension we live in as followers of Jesus.

When someone makes the decision to follow a certain way of life out of a relational, love commitment - things often become clearer... as well as more gray than they used to be. I am very leery of folks who make the commitment to follow Jesus and then suddenly have all the answers, an established world-view and a well rehearsed apologetic to counter any argument thrown their way. Those are the folks to who scare me, especially when given leadership roles in churches.

Speaking of church leadership - back to the instantly accessible worldly-wisdom of Youtube...
I saw something with John MacArthur and Emergent Church in the title, so I clicked and listened. Now, I don't claim to know much of anything about this MacArthur cat, but I recall he is in California at a very large (conservative, IIRC) church. The audio clip had a radio host playing a Brian MacLaren sound-bite for MacArthur to respond to.
and then it got interesting.

[sidenote: what a great cagematch this would be! The epic battle of the "Mac"s. I can see it now in lights: The tall, comb-over conservative taking on the short, bald, theological southpaw]

In the short (and un-contextualized) sound-bite offered, MacLaren addresses the fact that many Christians (especially those arguing over the primacy of Christ and heaven/hell etc.) believe that "the primary purpose of Jesus, the primary message of Christ was about how to get to heaven."
At that point the radio host stops the recording and MacArthur (obviously ruffled and coming out swinging) exclaims that "yes," Jesus did come to get us to heaven and to escape hell - not to end slavery, fix daily life etc. But, to save us from eternal damnation!

Here is where I again took mouse in hand and paused the video. A few things really stood out to me.
a. Here is an educated, intelligent man taking a brief recording of another - out of context - and ripping it apart without even offering some thought to why MacLaren might have said what he said.
b. How twisted is it when we start picking public fights with other believers in order to promote our own agenda in the name of "revealing the 'truth' about Jesus?"
c. How small of a box have many Christians put Christ in? And in the same vain, how central a role have we been duped into thinking that we play in what God does, why and when?

Please do not read on thinking that I am simply backing ol' Brian MacLaren on this and throwing stones at "the man" or established, westernized, evangelical "church" - I am doing neither. But I do this simply to bring out some perspectives on the who's and why's of Jesus.

Listening to MacLaren, it is inferred that Christ came for much more than simply to show us how to get to heaven and bring news of eternal salvation. Christ also came to defeat evil, to triumph over systemic sin. To bring a holistic redemption that speaks to ever fallen and sinful thing.

With big sin comes the need for a big redemption... unless of course we as humans are at the center of the story. (how American of us to think that:)

Here is where the "both/and" comes in, and the answer is "yes."
Yes, we are central to the story - we as humanity are so dearly loved (collectively and individually) by God. He saw our plight and longed for relationship with us and thusly sent Jesus to bridge that gap and bring us to him, and for that relationship to be eternal.

But-

like good Americans, we have taken some things to far, both as individuals and especially as churches and denominations.

It seems to me that over the last couple generations many well intentioned Christians and churches have lost a sense of the larger story of God. I continue to meet many good and sincere people who cling to the idea of the Scriptures as a collection of rules to live by and selected verses used for apologetics and proof-texting. A person's decision to believe in Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins has become the primary focus. And as MacArthur illustrated via Youtube, the Penal Substitution metaphor of the atonement seems to have filled to the scope of our understanding of Jesus, His mission and message.

The short answer remains "yes" and "yes." Christ came both for the salvation of humanity, but also to bring the Kingdom of God that ushers in a redemption that speaks to the far reaches of sin, brokenness and pain in our world; from the simplest white lie to the twisted and complex systems that all too often hold power in the world.

God is a big god and the more I seek to understand and listen to him - the more I realize my smallness and that He has room in his grace and plan for the "both/and."

Ex-thoughts?

So... if you happened to spot an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend when out and about one day, would you rather them be:

a. Hott, confident and looking better than ever

or...

b. Fat and ugly

?


As I pondered this (clearly I have too much time on my hands), I was unsure. If they we're lookin good, you could always smile and say "ah, yeah, I was with that." Or, if the spotted from a distance ex had really let themselves go, you can always say - "man, glad I got outta that, totally made the right choice."

Either way you end up feeling pretty good about having spotted a piece of your romantic history. But, I wonder what it says about someone if they answer in one of the two above ways? or what if they respond to the sighting with something new?

Who knows.... Moral of the story - just don't think too much.

Greenburg

I am not sure when it become cool, marketable, or even OK to simply film regular seeming folks doing regular boring things - put some Emo-meets-NapoleonDynamite music in the background and call it a MOVIE!!!

I recently wasted about one and a half hours of my life (which I will never get back) trying to draw some sort of plot, meaning and enjoyment from the convoluted, everyday cluster-F that was the film "Greenburg." It starred Ben Stiller who must be going through some sort of mid-live/mid-career crisis and trying to connect with the everyday moron. Seriously, some actors stoop far too low at times in their careers (Bruce Willis "Armageddon," or Liam Neesson in "Clash of the Titans") , but that is no excuse - some films should never be stuck in a Redbox!

and then there is Redbox... it is a great invention, but when they are out of movies that you would like to see - how is a guy supposed to psyche himself up to go drop $4+ at Blockbuster!

What is this world coming to?

Netflix I guess...

Musings on W. Mitten

So, over the past few weeks, we have moved from Denver to Holland/Zeeland, Michigan. We really love being here, but it is definitely an adjustment.

First of all... clouds. I have rarely seen a cloud for the past 2 years, and if I did, it was whispy and white and quite high up in the sky. The other day I awoke and figured it must have been early dawn, 5am or something... nope.... it was 9:30am and there were clouds!

Secondly, people here drive wwwwaaaaayyyyyyy too fast!! I have had more cars (especially Grand Cherokees for some reason (usually piloted by 17yr. old blonde girls from Zeeland or Hudsonville, on a cell phone)) riding my bumper than ever before. Granted, I am not the most aggressive accelerator in the world, but I get up to speed and enjoy cruising about 4mph over the posted limit. But, noooo... that is not going to cut it around here - people are in a big ol' hurry to get all over W. Michigan these days.

Lay-off buddy!!

Thirdly... "fancy-ness"
Maybe it was because I felt right at home in the rather casual dress culture of Denver, or maybe I don't see a huge difference in what clothes can do for a person(Ugly is still ugly and good look-ers, usually look good). I am all for dressing for the occasion, but I had no idea that Panera, JP's coffee, modern churches and the grocery store were "occasions." These ladies are poofing, teasing, and bumpin' thier blonde up to go work out!
I miss the land of baseball caps, Patagonia pull-overs and pony-tails.
:(

Beer prices!
Not sure why, maybe it is the relative lack of craft/micro brew options that make even the most mundane of bottled barley juice so pricey, but lets be serious, anything with the word "bud" in the name (wheat, lime or otherwise) should not go for over a buck-a-bottle... ever!

But, New Holland, Bells and the Old Hat brews are quite local and amazing good. So I can't complain too loudly.

And speaking of complaining, this entry is not a complaint at all - I love living here and would do it again in a heart-beat. W. Michigan, with all it's idiosyncrasies and leadfooters, is amazing.

I call it home...

vacation-

So, for the past two weeks Allie and I have been on "vacation" in Michigan. We spent some time visiting my parents and brother Andrew in Saline/Manchester/Ann Arbor area. We had a great time relaxing and catching up on family details and our deep conversations. From there we trekked West for the nuptials of our great friends Seth and Molly Weener! It was a great time seeing friends and celebrating with an awesome couple.

We got a chance to have a Farewell to Mark's Thyroid party - speaking of that... He recently began recovering from kicking cancer's a$$ yesterday in the hospital. (well done buddy).

Now, we reside outside the peaceful hamlet of Lawton, MI with Allie's great parents.

I have had a lot of time to think lately of what a "vacation" is meant to be. Webster designates it as " respite or a time of respite from something" and/or ": a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation."

So, I ask myself, "am I really on vacation?"

Respite is good. I have been getting more sleep and doing more sitting around than usual. But, my spirit does not feel at rest. We are spending time away from out home in Denver, but it is also at "home;" in the places where we grew up and with good, longtime friends. So, that definition may not apply to us.

Let's look at "a period spend away from business." Well, I have been away from 'business' since July 1, when I finished at Hope Church. I must say that dealing with being unemployed (by choice) is more difficult than I had anticipated. I truly sympathize with anyone who has found themselves in this place with no secure end in sight. Sometimes I sing a song in the shower for some encouragement: (just hear the music, think old Bud Light jingle)

Real jobless heroes-
Here's to you - O' 13% of Americans!
To you who find yourself with little to do...
and dwindling reserves of motivation...
I salute you - real jobless heroes!

Anyway, sorry for the tangent. But, I think that I believed that having a short respite from employment would give me pause to think, reflect, and check a few things off long-ignored 'to-do' lists. Eh' maybe I'll get to that point but, I feel that might be a long time coming. Or, might have to happen once we get settled into a new rhythm that includes a job for this cat.

I am realizing that life is often best lived in the midst of... well... life.

Just a few thoughts on a stormy afternoon in W. Michigan.

on transition...

So, a week from today marks my final Sunday on staff at Hope Community Church.
Many people have asked how I am feeling about it all, to them I usually give a variety of answers. I don't want to seem ambiguous about my emotions, but in all honesty, my emotions seem to be changing with every passing hour at times. There are a ton of folks who I will miss dearly from Hope. I would like to think that "of course, I'll see them again," but the truth is, it might be very difficult to do so. I have a mixture of excitement and sadness. Part of me is a little anxious to be stepping out of a secure job and constant paycheck and into something relatively unknown (especially long-term). But, I do believe that God will provide and truly does have bigger plans for my life than I can imagine. This is sometimes hard to see, let alone feel, but that adds to the excitement of it all. All in all, I could not be more thankful for Hope and the way I have been able to serve, grow and learn while being there.

Farewell...

Tomorrow a good friend takes off on a plane for half way around the world... No cell phone, no suitcase, and no set schedule accompany this man - only freedom.

Tomorrow my wife also leaves for the day. She goes off to a job she loves and in a career that she is committed to joyfully because of what she brings to others, and the gift that serving them is to her. Although cell phone, papers, and work bag go along with her... so does a distinct freedom.

What must a man do to be 'free' if it seems like freedom means two nearly diametrically opposed things?

Hopefully the blog entries that follow might offer me (and you) some clarity on these questions.
I just hope that it is not another 6 months before my next post.