New

Remember

"God sets the lonely in families..." (Psalm 68:6).

We have a very broad view of home and family at the Ray house.

There are reasons for it, I suppose.

I'll start off with a biblical perspective. The scriptures teach us that taking up the cause of the fatherless, the stranger, and the widow is something the Father of fathers seems to value in His children. The author of the book of James says that pure and faultless religion means looking after orphans and widows (James 1:27). Jesus took it a step further. Rather than serving a cause, he says that whenever we feed the hungry or welcome the stranger we are actually doing that for him. The author of Hebrews says that by making hospitality our practice, we may be entertaining angels unaware (13:2).

I suppose the verses I've come to appreciate the most in this regard is found in Deuteronomy 24:17-18 which says, "Do not deprive the stranger or the fatherless of justice or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this."

Remember...

I remember. I was the fatherless child.

And I remember being redeemed from that place, and I am grateful for the rescue. So how can I not do the same? The core of my faith...that place where Christ met me...demands it from me. I will glady spend myself, open our home, and share our life to right the injustice that fatherlessness brings.

I remember.

Merry Christmas

Emmanuel

Me, Two

"When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package" (John Ruskin).

I confess that my previous post "Me" was nothing but pure, intentional sarcasm. One could hardly take it seriously, but there is a point.

I have questions...

Just how much does our culture influence the church in America? How much of our understanding of the Christian faith is formed by our capitalistic zeal, consumerism, and greed?

I wonder how we could read the scriptures -- especially Jesus -- and come to the conclusion that Jesus died for our happiness, our prosperity, our success, and our American dream?

Donald Kraybill, professor at Elizabethtown College, says, "Modern culture produces individualists whose prime objective is personal fulfillment." One need not look to hard before finding the Christian bookstore specializing in some of the latests "it's all about me" products or a local church marketing itself to the spiritual consumer with promises of self-improvement and personal fulfillment. Personally, I believe there is more to the message of Christ than this "Jesus in a bottle".

Much more.

I believe we are called "out" and into a radical attachment to Jesus, not where we simply believe things about Jesus or even believe in Jesus but where we love Jesus, follow Jesus, and imitate Jesus. We value the Sermon on the Mount and hang onto his words as words of life. The teachings of Jesus challenges us (and even terrifies us) but yet we know he is right. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."

A radical understanding of Jesus teaches us to say "no" to our sense of entitlement. I will never forget the moment one of my youth in Northern Ireland told me that because she was a daughter of the King, God wanted her to have all good things...and that included the Mercedez she wanted (and apparently deserved). It's fascinating to me that we are already the most prosperous people on the planet and yet we think we are entitled to more. Perhaps one of the biggest weaknesses of our age is our inability to see the difference between our need and our old-fashioned greed.

A radical understanding of Jesus teaches us to say "no" to self-agrandizement. I recently received an email from an popular youth-oriented ministry promoting their new summer missions campaign they've called "One Million Acts of Service". "What if the world saw us do one million acts of sacrificial service?" the email asked. But should we be keeping score? Whatever happened to the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing, quietly serving in love and humility? What room is there for boasting and bragging about our "good works", even if they are for Jesus? "Service whose goal is to elevate the servant is no service at all. It is egocentric at best and exploitive at its worst" (David Augsburger, "Dissident Discipleship"). When we "serve", what is our motive?

A radical understanding of Jesus teach us to cease from assessing value to other people's lives based on their usefulness to us (or to "the cause" for that matter). Our culture teaches us to assign worth to people based on what they can do for us. Jesus teaches us to see the value of every life. Period. I cease to be a loving husband when I only value my wife for what she can do for me. I cease to be a loving friend when I base my friendships on what they can provide for me. I cease to be a loving teacher when I only appreciate the student who is cooperative and productive. I cease to be a loving neighbor when I place conditions on how I treat them. I cease to represent Christ when I judge, dismiss, ignore...

I may be branded a heretic for writing this, but the point of the Christian faith is not simply my salvation. I don't know how one could seriously consider the words of Jesus and come to that conclusion. Jesus challenges me to re-think my selfish ambition and vain conceit. It changes our lives to read about this Jesus who washed feet and asked us to do the same.

David Augsburger, from his book "Dissident Discipleship" asks some good questions: "If the goal of life is not to be better, bigger, more perfect, more capable, more competitive, more admired, or more famous, then what is it? If the signs of God's blessing are not prosperity, sweeping success, wealth, mega-spirituality, mega-acclaim, leadership in a mega church, or being remembered in generations that follow, then what are they?" (p. 97).

Really good questions...

I think Jesus will always challenge our cultural dispositions and norms...even our religious ones. He calls us to re-consider all things, and I think we must consider them often. We must, even, reconsider ourselves.

Gift

Me

Me me me me.

Me me me me me me me me me me me me. Me me me me me me me me me me. Me me me me. Me me me me me me me. Me me me me me me me me. Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. Me me me me.

Me me.

Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me. Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me.

Me!

Me!

Me!

Me!

Me!

Me me me me. Me me me. Me me me me me me me me me me me me me.

Love

Face

Present

"When mindfulness and attention embrace those we love, they will bloom like flowers."

A few years back, I was asked to teach a seminar in Ireland on youth ministry. In preparation for the event, I sent a quick email to many of my former youth asking them what was the single-most impacting part of my work with them. My former students were unanimous in their response: You gave us time.

I remain convinced that one of the most important gifts you can give someone is your presence. To "be there" is a rare thing these days, and just showing up can have tremendous and life-changing effects on a kid. It's quite humbling to know that nothing I ever taught, no program I ever created, no event I ever coordinated or overseas mission trip I ever organized made the impact that intentional time did. I've given a lot of sweat, energy, and time to program but time made all the difference.

Instead of spending so much time creating youth programming to compete with the world for their attention, I learned that the greatest asset I had was to simply be present in their lives.

Thinking back to my own childhood, it wasn't the advice of a father I missed; it was his presence. By and large, it's the absence of present people that seems to have the most significant detrimental impact on many of the teens I work with.

Authentic presence is a real gift to people. It's like giving the gift of you. Presence made one of the biggest differences in my life when growing up. There once was a man that God gave me as a gift. He was my pastor. Whenever I showed up, he dropped what he was doing and gave me countless, uninterrupted hours of his time. I don't remember much of what he ever said to me, but his time made all the difference. I thank God for Paul's presence. It's what I needed to get me through those years relatively intact!

We need to value being present with people. What we say when we're not screams volumes. We need to learn to turn off the cell phone and television and lay aside our schedules for those whose lives need our presence.

It is the perfect gift.

Word

Death

"Death is more universal than life; everyone dies, but not everyone lives" (A. Sachs).

Recently, we lost one of our students through death. In the weeks following the tragic incident that led to his ultimate passing, I spent a considerable amount of time with his family. It caused me to think a lot about death and recall some of my own losses and experiences. It's not a subject we tend to approach with comfort or face with ease.

While visiting my student and his family, I noticed that the waiting room of the Intensive Care Unit was packed daily with friends and family who were there to offer mutual support. Of course, because of his delicate condition, very few people were allowed into ICU to see him in person. When the family made the agonizing decision to remove him from life support and move him to hospice, there was increased freedom for visitation. People were able to come and go as they pleased, offering support in person or keeping a beside vigil.

But they didn't come.

The throngs that packed the hospital waiting room for a week or more were noticeably absent during the two weeks that followed at the hospice. They could have come. They could have visited. They could have said their goodbye's to their friend. But something wouldn't allow it. When the opportunity came to be close, the proximity to death was too much for some...and they stayed away.

I don't blame them.

I think death is very difficult for us to handle in this culture. All cultures grieve, but some cultures seem to take a more personal, earthy, hands-on approach to that grief and the rituals that surround death and dying.

In this country, people tend to die in isolated hospital rooms under the care of professional providers. Funeral directors remove the body and embalm it to delay decay and then seal it in a casket and vault to preserve it for years. The grave diggers arrive before the burial and then finish the task after the family has left. The casket is beautiful and pricey, and the hair and make up are so professional that we can approach the body for the 30 seconds we have to face it and utter the words "doesn't she look nice?". And then we have a potluck.

I knew quite a different experience in Ireland. The family gathers at the hospital morgue to be with the body before the undertaker removes it and embalms it just enough to keep the air fresh during the wake and funeral but not too long to delay decomposition. When they "bring him home", the body is placed in the dining room or a bedroom for family and friends to gather around, pay their respects, and mutually comfort. Usually, the men of the parish dig the grave before attending the funeral. The body is carried in a primitive coffin of wood on the shoulders of friends and family in and out of the church and to the burial site. After being lowered into the ground in the presence of all gathered, the priest and family take turns shoveling dirt onto the naked coffin resting on the clay. In Ireland, I saw the community embracing the death of their loved ones and neighbors, and they didn't make it pretty.

In primitive cultures, they would wash the body of their brother, sister, father, and mother before wrapping it and burying it in a shallow grave. They nursed their sick, wounded, and aged. They had to deal with the smell of death and bore with each other their naked grief. It was real. It was messy. It was life.

For many of us, the end care of our loved ones is no longer our responsibility, and we are seldom afforded the opportunity of walking with our loved ones into the valley of the shadow of death. Although the pain of my student's family was intense, I believe those weeks that they had at the bedside of their son was a precious gift. They sat with him, held his hand, spoke to him, and did not leave his side. They were with him when he entered this life, and they were with him the moment he entered the next.

I've spent a bit of time comparing and contrasting the death of my own parents. My father died alone, suddenly, in a laundromat as he waited for his clothes to finish washing. He died in a seated position, and for almost a half hour, people just thought he was sleeping. My mother, on the other hand, suffered with all sorts of health issues that left my brother and I with an awful and terrible decision that we had to make regarding how she was going to die. So we made the difficult decisions and spent the next week and a half at her bedside until the inevitable happened. She was surrounded by her boys, and I felt she was at peace. Those were precious moments spent by her bedside, and I know they contain memories I will not easily forget.

None of us get to choose our exit, but if I could, I'd prefer to be surrounded by those who loved me in life and who love me in death. I believe in the importance of sharing life with others, and there are few times as precious and foundationally real as those moments our loved ones make their transition from this life to the next.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15).

Grace

Thankful

"Silent gratitude isn't very much use to anyone" (Gertrude Stein).

I am thankful for 40 years of life and all those who have shared in it and filled it.

I am thankful our definition of “family” is broad and the doors of our home and heart open.

Particularly…

I am thankful for my wife -- loving partner, gracious host, generous spirit, valued companion, beautiful.

I am thankful for Forest, my brother, my elder – who chose to move to Denver so we could live near each other for the first time in our adult lives, for those times when he can pop in, share a meal, and enjoy the seemingly insignificant things most brothers who grew up together take for granted.

I am thankful for my community of friends who do life with us, specifically…


I am thankful for Jonathon, my friend, my challenger and brother – for his tough choices, his willingness to live transparently, his sacrificial love for those who aren’t his, his audacity to walk across America.

I am thankful for Sput, a young man I am proud to know and count among my friends – for his hunger for learning, for his sense of humor, for his acceptance to college, for his search for purpose and significance, for his discovery of life, for his growing faith.

I am thankful for Jolene, a gem, a jewel, a Ruby – for the laughter she brings to our home, for her beauty, for her female presence among our male-majority (and because she hasn’t broken any of our stuff lately).

I am thankful for Ben, our son in grace and resident artist – for persistent creativity, for coming to grips with grace, for pursuit of life, for becoming his own person, for walking towards his future.

I am thankful for Corey, an unexpected import into our lives – for his risk-taking, for his success in career, and a fresh new start in Denver.

I am thankful for Curtis who shares our Thanksgiving Day with us – the stranger welcomed to our table and to our home, Jesus at our table.

I am thankful for our Irish friends – for special memories of Thanksgivings past and cherished, missed times in their homes.

And more…

I am thankful for the Rocky Mountains and the beauty of America’s West.

I am thankful for employment because we are not one of the 7 percent of Colorado workers and 10 percent of American workers without work this Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for my students who constantly remind me of the limits of my grace and who teach me to look beyond behavior and appearance to understand the reasons why.

I am thankful for the time I had with a dying student and his family, to witness their love and commitment to their son and experience their honesty in loss and grief…and to be thankful for the time we have with one another, even if that time is short.

I am thankful for books whose words I consume and thoughts I digest, books that both challenge my thinking and affirm it. I am thankful for Nouwen, Manning, Jethani, Boyd, Young, Petersen, Miller, Hunter, and Brown who have written some of my favorites.

I am thankful for dissatisfaction that pushes me toward change, anger which pushes me toward justice, pain which pushes me toward grace, and empathy which pushes me toward mercy.

I am thankful for Jesus.

Response

Walk Humbly

"Christ labored for thirty years in a humble carpenter's shop to fulfill God's will. And God wills that in imitation of Christ, man should live and walk humbly on earth, not reaching for the sky, but bowing to humble things, learning from the Gospels to be meek and humble of heart."

Vincent van Gogh

Re-Think: Evangelicalism

"Movements born in hatred very quickly take on the characteristics of the thing they oppose" (J.S. Habgood).

Trying to describe American evangelicalism is complicated. Let’s face it, placing Baptist, Reformed-Confessional, Pentecostal-Holiness, and Anabaptist traditions under the same umbrella wouldn’t be easy. Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals, and Mennonites look very different from one another. I suppose in the broadest sense, evangelicals would agree on some of these basic points: the need for personal conversion (although with different understandings of what “conversion” is), the respect for biblical authority (although with different views on Scripture), the delivery of the message of the Gospel (although with different approaches), and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (although with slightly different theology). We’ll leave the narrower definitions to the fundamentalists. In general, however, “evangelical” is a term for anyone who agrees with biblical tradition and is committed to the good news that we can be participants in God’s redemptive grace in Jesus.


I believe that Christ calls us from our way of living into a new Way. I believe in expressing the good news of the Gospel of Christ, but I also think that expression must go beyond mere words. I believe in the authority of Scripture and particularly the teachings of Jesus whom I follow. I also believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his great mission to redeem humanity.

I am evangelical.

While I identify with what it means to be evangelical, I have difficulty with evangelicalism and what the movement has come to represent in American life. I believe the impact of fundamentalism on American Christianity, coupled with our love of Civil Religion, has had a profound influence on what evangelicalism has become and the cultural context in which it has taken root. As an organization and movement, I believe it was hijacked by fundamentalism. While there are many other voices under the evangelical umbrella, the fundamentalist ideology is the voice that gets heard. Evangelical has come to be associated with a socially conservative, anti-Catholic, politically active, GOP supporting, pro-war, pro-capital punishment, red-white-and-blue, anti-anyone-who-doesn’t-think-like-us, defenders of the right wing movement asserting its “power and influence” in American political and cultural life. The movement has become political and has been an active participant in the American culture war.

The movement seems to have embraced a “message” that isn’t necessarily evangelical at all but is political and cultural. You might be hard-pressed to be able to see the difference between their political and spiritual agendas. In some circles, if one chooses not to engage in the culture war, he or she could be questioned as to whether they are even truly evangelical at all. I’m sure many of them are convinced that they are doing “God’s work” and standing up for righteousness…but I’m not convinced. I simply don’t see the correlation between Jesus and how the movement presents itself in American life.

Evangelicalism, as a movement, doesn’t look much different to me than the world that surrounds it. It’s as shaped by politics, culture, society, and consumerism as much as any other secular movement. The Kingdom of God should be different. While our governments and officials should receive my honor and prayers, my loyalty is to the Kingdom of God, not to a political or social agenda that wages war against my flesh and blood neighbors I am called to love.

One of the principal shapers of my Christian thought is found in the Anabaptists. Among other things, the Anabaptists possess an appreciation for the separation of church and state, nonconformity, simplicity, justice, and peace as well as personal discipleship. Unlike other Christian traditions that arose out of Europe, the Anabaptists did not inter-marry church with the state or advocate political power. Instead of pursuing political power or influence, they quietly lived out the Kingdom of God in the presence of their neighbors, expressing the Gospel in both words and with their lives. Their allegiance was to God’s Kingdom rather than to movements or political boundaries. Sounds of patriotic hymns were not heard in Anabaptist meetinghouses nor were their platforms decorated with national banners. They took great care not to blur the line between Civil Religion and the Kingdom of God.

Because I am deeply concerned with how the church behaves itself, I have been re-thinking what it means to be evangelical, and I am learning to distance myself from the movement that has moved from the message. Their war is not my war.

Noise

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal" (1 Corinthians 13:1). Stop the noise. The Great Commission without the Great Commandment is only just a Great Commotion.

Believing

Quote by David Augsburger, "Dissident Discipleship"

Re-Think

"...be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." (Romans 12:2).

When Michelangelo was 87 years old, the great Italian renaissance artist was quoted as saying, “I am still learning.” What is remarkable to me is that he made this statement long after the completion of such masterpieces as the Sistine Chapel, David, the Pieta and countless other works of the world’s most magnificent art. His creations are among the best I’ve ever seen…truly created by an artist that had arrived! Michelangelo, apparently, still thought he had a long way to go.

I once heard a Christian speaker implore to a large gathering of youth the importance of knowing what one believes, digging in one’s heels, and standing one’s ground at all costs. He described a virtuous faith as one that did not waiver in its opinion, standing for God against the onslaught of the world. Changing one’s mind was considered weakness. Of course, he later described the variety of Christian faith that he wanted these young people to accept and not waiver from, so I doubted if he would have wanted someone who disagreed with him to be as unwavering and unflinching as he was.

While it may sound quite virtuous to not change one’s mind, I think that may not be a healthy mindset. To assume that we’ve arrived, got it all figured out, and that God is done teaching us is just a bit arrogant. Well, it’s very arrogant, actually. I believe we are life-long learners on this journey until we see Jesus face-to-face. “Now we know in part; then we will know in full.”

Personally, I have enjoyed the life-long discipleship process and all that the Lord continues to teach me. The last several years have given me the opportunity to re-think a lot of what I believe about the Christian faith and the role of the believer in the world. I have learned a lot about myself in the process. While the Lord certainly “changeth not”, I certainly do, and I thank God for the transformation and occasional rebuke!

There have been several influences that have shaped my understanding of the Kingdom of God and some that have caused me to re-think a few things. Here’s a few of them:

1. My Anabaptist heritage: I cannot deny the role the Anabaptists have had in shaping my faith, understanding of Scripture, and way of life. I was raised Brethren and influenced by Mennonites and have spent much of my adult life studying Anabaptist theology and history. I learned to love the Scriptures, value simplicity, trust Christ, serve my neighbor, enjoy community, and practice peace from by Brethren and Mennonite mentors. I appreciate the different voice that the Anabaptists have in the Christian faith in America, and I value the role they have had in my life.

2. I was raised by the church: I wasn’t simply raised in the church but raised by the church. The local congregation I was nurtured in profoundly shaped my life and “saved” me from much of the crisis that consumed my early years. It was there I discovered a sense of belonging and found purpose and meaning to my life. I was given opportunities to grow, practice, and fail all within the safe confines of a small congregation. They called me to ministry and I followed the path all the way from being “called” to studying for ministry to licensure to ordination. Beyond the usual marrying and burying, I found joy in the discipleship of young people, the ministry to the sick, the baptism of believers, and the teaching of God’s Word.

3. I have had varied Christian experiences: While my upbringing may have been Anabaptist and Evangelical, my adult experiences were quite varied as I participated in missions with charismatic believers, partnered with Pentecostals, attended Mass with Catholics, broke bread with cultural conservatives, held revival meetings with Appalachian believers who “got religion”, preached in Anglican youth gatherings, engaged the Emergents, fellowshipped with house churches, worked for an independent church, and even offended a few Presbyterians in Northern Ireland. I gained an appreciation for each (well, most) and learned just how diverse the church is. I learned that the way I was used to wasn’t the only way, and I came to the conclusion that some ways aren’t necessarily his Way.

4. International life and ministry: I spent the better part of a decade living in two distinctly different cultures which afforded me the opportunity to see the Christian faith stripped away from an American cultural context. Of course, I witnessed firsthand the Irish and British cultural influence but never before had the opportunity to see my Americanisms challenged like I did living among Northern Ireland Protestants and Republic of Ireland Catholics. I also felt the tension of American church expectations to do things the American way with a propensity towards buildings, programs, numbers, sustainability, and frontier revivalism-style evangelism (all reflecting our cultural value of consumerism). Living in Ireland gave me my first real experiences with the Kingdom of God rather than sectarianism, institutionalism, and denominationalism. I began to enjoy the freedom that comes with a missionary’s adaptation and adoption of other lands, cultures, and peoples. It is an experience that profoundly changed me, and it is something I miss terribly.

5. My love for those outside the church: While I value my church experiences (and my present faith community), I love it “out there”. I will gladly spend my time with the salt of the earth, but the saltier the better. I know there are many in the church who would counsel (or condemn) anyone who spent their time with the “worst of all sinners”, but I heartily count myself in their number and am happy to bring the Kingdom of God with me wherever I go. I am as at home with the gang member as I am with the middle class family. The truth is, when you understand the love and grace of God, loving people becomes much easier and judging them much more difficult. Every day, my public school students teach me more about myself and the limits of my love (patience, mercy, etc) all while I try to be the living presence of Christ in their lives. It’s a relationship and dynamic that I really enjoy.

6. I believe in challenging the church: While many are content to preach at the world, a lot of my words are aimed at those who claim to follow Christ. I believe our most thorough examination must be of ourselves. If we follow Christ and believe he is the Way, then shouldn’t we listen to his voice and follow his example? I have a deep longing to see things turned upside down so that they may be right side up. Even though I credit the church with so much of my personal and spiritual formation, I find myself dissatisfied (even dismayed) with our representation of Christ among our neighbors, communities, and nations. I think we are extremely distracted with our collective self.

7. I love to read: I am an avid reader, something my high school teachers might find amusing (if they had any recollection of my quiet, mediocre presence in their classrooms at all!). The only book I recall reading in high school was Lord of the Flies, and that probably had a lot to do with the fact that the story was morbidly bizarre enough to hold my attention. Since then, my reading habits have improved, and I have spent a considerable amount of time with my nose in a book (or two). Amazon.com is one of my favorite websites, and I’ve recently discovered the joy of reading books out loud with friends. Reading, for me, satisfies my hunger for informal education and the exploration of ideas. In fact, one of the most transformational experiences I’ve had in my adult life came from reading. I “fasted” from the entire Bible with the exception of the Gospels for almost a year, focusing my Scripture reading completely on Christ…and I began to find my mind being renewed. As I read Jesus, Jesus began reading me, and I was convicted. I committed to being a student of Christ, and I am enjoying the journey.

While I am happy with the place I now find myself in, I realize I have not arrived, and I am still learning.

Next article: “Re-Thinking Evangelicalism”.

Enlarged

Intrinsic

"If you really do put a small value upon yourself, rest assured the world will not raise your price" (Annonymus).

Occasionally, I come across a book that expresses what I haven't been able to put into words. "The Divine Commodity" by Skye Jethani is one of those books. In it, Jethani describes America's Consumer Culture and its effect on the church. As I read it, I soaked it in, hearing the echo of my own heart. It's not one of those books that have changed my mind; my mind had already been changed as I've wrestled with the effects of culture on the American church. I felt refreshed to read this author sound a very well written "amen" to my soul.

Commodity: an article of trade or commerce; a product; something of use, advantage, or value.

Jethani wrote, "In a commodity culture, we have been conditioned to believe nothing carries intrinsic value. Instead, value is found only in a thing's usefulness to us, and tragically, this belief has been applied to people as well" (p.87). Instrinsic is defined as "belonging to a thing by its very nature". Intrinsic value simple means that something (or someone) has value just by its very nature without having value assigned to it.

And there's the conflict.

In a consumer culture, it seems as though everything can be given an assigned value. Even people. Perhaps especially people, and that's what makes it so tragic. We assign value to objects based on its usefulness to us and our demand for it. The lessons of history teach us that humanity has been commodified (exploited) for as long as people and nations have seen the profitability in it. Men, women, and children have been given an assigned value and sold on our street corners (slave auctions) and back alleys (prostitution and child exploitation). Entire races of people have been annihilated because those in power convinced the masses of their lack of intrinsic value.

We need not look far to see the commodification of people right in front of our own eyes, in our own neighborhoods, in our own workplaces. Our consuming culture assigns value to people everyday based on what is in demand and what is more useful to us. Of course, these values change like the wind. We assign worth to people based on their bodies, based on their politics, based on their beliefs, based on their race, based on their income, or based on their convenience and usefulness to us.

It's everywhere.

What's worse is when we accept the assigned value that our culture places on us and forget who we really are. We are not cheap! We are not what our culture says we are but are instead who the Creator says we are. As believers, we must see ourselves as He sees us...and we must, we must see humanity as God sees us all.

Our relationships also reflect our consumer culture. Rather than building our relationships based on mutual trust, love, and commitment, we tend to see people for what they can offer us. Our people-as-commodity mindset enables us to trade, exchange, and dispose of with relative ease. We date those who fulfill our needs and base friendships on what we can get from others.

We offer ourselves to the highest bidder -- whoever pays what we think we are worth. For some, that price is little more than whoever gives us a little attention, nice words, or even the false sense of meaning that comes with an orgasm. Whatever our "price", many of us seem to be pursuing what keeps us empty. As products of our culture, we exchange ourselves as a commodity for the smallest thing our low assigned value will accept.

I apologize for the frankness of my writing, but I see this in the lives of my students everyday. I see their pain as they move from broken relationship to broken relationship and accept whatever crumbs seem to fall from the table. It causes me to want to scream, "For the love of God! Stop selling yourself out to the lies! You are worth so much more! You are worth more than what the culture that consumes you says you are worth!"

People who follow Christ must be different in both how they see others and in how they see themselves. We are certainly not worth more than others. That arrogant belief only damages people and destroys lives. We are, however, definitely worth more than the value our culture assigns to us.

Exceedingly more.

Infinitely more.

And that goes for everybody.

Solitude

All Saints Day

Others

Transformed, Renewed

"I want to love wildly and live recklessly..."

"Let it never be about numbers and what the world calls success. Let is instead be about Jesus and about love. May I be transformed by my mind being renewed. May I step out of the mindset that I filled with greed and self-satisfaction and in the one that is marked by selflessness. May the opinion of man feel as empty and meaningless as it really is, and may I care only about Your opinion of me. May I never carry my accomplishments on my sleeve knowing that my failures far outweigh them and both are worthless in Your perception. I want to follow You wherever You go- not go wherever I want and ask You to follow me. I want to know the communion of Your suffering that I may better know the joy You bring in times of mourning. I want too experience You just how You are, not how I want You to be. I want to love wildly and live recklessly and tell the world to shove it while I pursue a breath of life and become alive

by finding You in the mountains

and the oceans

and in the homeless

and sick.

May I be a man marked by love and by grace. One who loves because he is loved, and gives grace because he has received it."

This was written by Luke Miller from Gilbert, Arizona. He posted it on Facebook, and with his permission, I have posted it on The Wayfarer. My heart screamed "Yes!" when I read it. I hope your does too.

Do Also

"Jesus said, 'He who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also' (John 14:12). We assume He meant that we would work His miracles, but Jesus did not limit His definition of 'works' for the miraculous. The works He did -- the redemptive life, the mercy cry, the identification with sinners, rendering Himself a guilt offering -- all the works He did, we shall 'do also'."

-- Francis Frangipane, "Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment"

Cathedral

Blessed

Reflecting on 40.

I hit 40 today. Weird.

I don't have to look very far to realize what this birthday means to me. I am grateful for the life I've had to this point.

Today, through various means of modern day communication, I heard from people in California, Indiana, Texas, Florida, Utah, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and Colorado as well as Ireland, Panama, Canada, England, Germany, Greece, and Northern Ireland. I received texts, calls, visits, cards, emails, IM's, and Facebook wall posts. I spoke with friends, family, and former youth, heard from cousins, classmates, and students, and received warm wishes, cards, and gifts from co-workers and those in my "inner circle". I spoke with Adam and Mike, had dinner with Brenda, Forest, Jon, Ben, Jolene, Sput, and Corey, and chatted for a while on the internet with Brendan in Ireland. In addition, I enjoyed all the little surprises my wife did to make this birthday special.

I enjoyed the company and contact with so many people these last few days, and as contemplative as 40 may cause me to be, I simply come up with the same conclusion: life is better with people in it.

Older

Self-Serving Fictions

"Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully" (F.M. Lappe).

There are few things in my life that I find as refreshing and renewing as doing life with those who share my appreciation for authenticity and transparency. I find that I am more at peace when I am honest with myself and with others about my life, my struggles, my pain, and my quiet hopes and dreams. In authentic community, transparency gives us the opportunity to be met with a richness of grace and love that we otherwise might not ever experience.

For many of us, from the time we are very young, we begin the art of hiding, becoming actors on the world stage and masters of fiction. We take great care to display to those around us only those things they may find good and acceptable, and we disguise and conceal those things that might earn us disapproval or out-right rejection. Our fear keeps us hidden, and our obscurity keeps us from experiencing transformative grace, love, and acceptance...from God and from others!

Our protective masks and self-serving fictions bury us in shame and add to our despair. Within the confines of our own heads, we wrestle with our thoughts, agonize over our inadequacies, and lament over our losses. Instead of finding the holy, life-giving Spirit of God, we spiral into darkness and death.

What are we afraid of?

Perhaps many of us are not yet part of a truly redemptive community where mercy abounds and the Spirit of Christ reigns. Perhaps we stick to ourselves because we believe that such independence is a good thing, or perhaps we've never known anything different. With self-reliance as our banner, we march further and further into ourselves, and we quietly suffer from the loss of never having been known.

We must be authentic with each other, to voice our authentic sorrow, our authentic fear, our authentic doubts, our authentic struggles. Perhaps then, we will experience authentic community, authentic grace, authentic love.

Outrageous

"...grace and truth came through Jesus..." (John 1:17).

"There's a lot of pain -- but a lot more healing.

There's a lot of trouble -- but a lot more peace.

There's a lot of hate -- but a lot more loving.

There's a lot of sin -- but a lot more grace.

Outrageous grace!

Outrageous grace!

Love unfurled by heaven's hand!

Outrageous grace!

Outrageous grace!

Through my Jesus I can stand!

There's a lot of fear -- but a lot more freedom.

There's a lot of darkness -- but a lot more light.

There's a lot of doubt -- but a lot more vision.

There's a lot of perishing -- but a lot more life."

Lyrics by Robin Mark

Kindness

Addiction

"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, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me" (Mt. 25:35-36). I can't help but see my friends and students who struggle with addiction when I read these verses. For many of them, their addiction has left them hungry, thirsty, alone, dirty and unkempt, sick, and in chains of one sort or another. I recently was given this poem by one of my students. It's about meth addiction, and the message is powerful. Be merciful, just as Christ is merciful.

"I destroy homes -- I tear families apart.

I take your children and that's just a start.

I'm more valued than diamonds, more precious than gold.

The sorrow I bring is a sight to behold.

If you need me, remember, I'm easily found.

I live all around you, in school and in town.

I live with the rich, I live with the poor.

I live just down the street and maybe next door.

I'm made in a lab, but not one like you think.

I can be made under the kitchen sink,

In your child's closet, and even out in the woods.

If this scares you to death, then it certainly should.

I have many names, but there's one you know the best.

I'm sure you've heard of me, my name is Crystal Meth.

My power is awesome, try me, you'll see.

But if you do, you may never break free.

Just try me once and I might let you go.

But if you try me twice, then I'll own your soul.

When I possess you, you'll steal and lie.

You'll do what you have to do just to get high.

The crimes you commit for my narcotic charms

Will be worth the pleasures you feel in my arms.

You'll lie to your mother; you'll steal from your dad.

When you see their tears, you must feel sad.

Just forget your morals and how you were raised.

I'll be your conscience, I'll teach you my ways.

I take kids from their parents; I take parents from their kids.

I turn people from God. I separate friends.

I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride.

I'll be with you always, right by your side.

You'll give up everything, your family, your home,

Your money, your true friend, then you'll be alone.

I'll take and take til you have no more to give.

When I finish with you, you'll be lucky to live.

If you try me, be warned, this is not a game.

If I'm given the chance, I'll drive you insane.

I'll ravage your body; I'll control your mind.

I'll own you completely; your soul will be mine.

The nightmares I'll give you when you you're laying in bed,

And the voice you'll hear from inside your head,

The sweats, the shakes, the visions from me,

I want you to know they're gifts from me.

But then it's too late, and you'll know in your heart

That you are now mine and we shall not part.

You'll regret that you tried me (they always do),

But you came to me, not I to you.

You knew this would happen.

Many times you've been told.

But you challenged my power.

You chose to be bold.

You could have said no then walked away.

If you could live that day over now, what would you say?

My power is awesome, as I told you before.

I can take your life and make it dim and sore.

I'll be your master and you'll be my slave.

I'll even go with you when you go to your grave.

Now that you've met me, what will you do?

Will you try me or not? It's all up to you.

I can show you more misery than words can tell.

Come, take my hand, let me lead you to hell.

By Alicia VanDavis, a 21 year old who lost her life due to an overdose on meth.

Explained

A wee bit of an explanation may be required...

If you've spent any time in either mainstream or evangelical Christianity in America, you've no doubt heard the phrase "Love the sinner. Hate the sin." I must confess...I've never really liked the saying. We like to repeat catchy little phrases like this and have a pocket full of quips ready to use when the opportunity arises. I just don't find them truly helpful in meaningful dialogue.

Time and time again, I've heard "Love the sin. Hate the sinner" to justify a whole range of attitudes and behaviors against other people and other people's sin. We use such phrases to justify our judgment of others and highlight the sins that particularly stick out to us.

It's our own sin that should appall us, I think.

It's just easier for us to focus on other people's sin.

And it makes us feel better about ourselves.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we should pretend like sin doesn't exist. It is a subject clearly addressed in the narrative of the scriptures. But if we're going to be appalled and disappointed by sin, it needs to start with ourselves. My sin is as foul as "theirs" or yours. In fact, I suppose I could say that I am "the worst of sinners" (1 Tim 1:16).

His mercy is sweet.

I do like the idea of loving sinners. This remarkable idea seemed to start with the Father, and He seems to want us to do the same. He doesn't love because of our lack of sin, so it only seems right that we should do the same.

And another thing...

Loving sinners is good. Loving yourself is good. We can be appalled by our own sin, but we cannot justify the self-loathing, self-hating, self-flagellating mindset we get ourselves into. Even at our worst, we are loved by God.

Go ahead...love the sinner.

Prohibition

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat it, you will surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

Eden must have been a wonderful place. It was there that we lived in the love, provision, and unity of God. Things were as the Creator had intended, and in this present world we find ourselves in, I can find very few places and circumstances that offer me a glimpse of what it might have been like to walk the Garden as Adam and Eve did.

Genesis 2 gives us a very brief view of what this place must have been like, a place where man was truly free. In that place, there was only one prohibition: do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. From the very beginning, the temptation to "be like God, knowing good and evil" was too seductive to refuse. The moment Adam and Eve acquired what they desired, judgment entered our world. All that they had enjoyed was lost with the arrival of this new and hideous knowledge.

The first prohibition in scripture is against seeking or possessing the knowledge of what is good or evil. It is prohibition to judge. Adam and Eve were created to live in the love and security of God -- and nothing else. They were not to judge themselves, each other, or God. Even the idea of possessing this knowledge caused Eve to begin to question God's motives, and from the moment they began to judge, shame entered the world.

This command against judging is a central prohibition in scripture. Jesus spoke against judgment very directly in the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 7. Although Lord, Jesus said of himself that he did not come to judge the world (John 12:47). He must have come with some other motive! Even the Apostle Paul, who so many Christians love to quote in their judgment of others, asked, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside of the church?" (1 Corinthians 5:12). He went so far as to say that he didn't think it was appropriate to even judge himself (1 Corinthians 4:3).

With all the explicit warnings against judgment found in scripture, why do so many professed followers of Christ continually justify the practice of it? Why do we continue to make excuses to justify our judgment of the world around us? Despite what the scriptures clearly state, why do we continue to offer exclusion, condemnation, and play-by-play analysis of all those living within the scope of our judgment?

The answer, I believe, is too painful for most of us to acknowledge.

We want to be like God.

I know when I judge, there is something about it that makes me feel good at that moment. It feels satisfying to stand over others in judgment, and I enjoy that position of self-imposed superiority. My focus on the sin of others gives me momentary reprieve from the awareness of the stench of my own sin and brings me a sense of gratification that I am not "as bad as that man". In my mind, I deliver the verdict that separates them from me, and I feel so justified in the process. And, of course, God is always on my side.

Forgive me, Lord...

Just as this "knowledge" brought death to Adam and Eve, when the church tries to be like God, death comes knocking. How many people do I know who are like walking dead, having been destroyed by the judgment of those claiming to speak for God? Why do so many people equate Christianity with judgment? Why are we known for something that should run opposite to who we are and how we live in this world? We turn the order of the entire world upside down when the creation tries to be the Creator, when the created judge the created. No life comes from it.

Jesus couldn't have said it more plainly...we will be held to the same standards that we judge others. God forbid!

As the Holy Spirit exposes the true motives of our judgment of others, we have the opportunity to repent and experience God's forgiveness, grace, and mercy in a way that we have never known. To be free of judgment and live in God's mercy and love is the closest we will get to Eden in these bodies!

The opposite of judgment is love. If the central prohibition in scripture is judgment, the central commission is love (Matthew 22:38-39). When we insist on our right to judge others, it brings us (and others) to a place that couldn't be further from God's intention. It couldn't be more destructive.

And yet we justify it.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:37-38).

Attack

Security

"Security is mostly superstition. " (Helen Keller).

I have been writing an article for some while on the competing dreams of what Jesus spoke of in the Kingdom of God verses the American dream. At the top of the list was this idea of security and how much of our lives are lived in the pursuit of it. Safety (or at least the appearance of it) is very important to us. Although we live in a post-9-11 era and America seems much more fearful, I just didn't feel as though I quite had a handle on what I was writing.

Then we got robbed.

I received the phone call yesterday that our home had been invaded and a few things had walked off with our uninvited guests. Of course, it has shaken us. Shock turns to panic which turns to fear which turns to anger. Typical reactions, I'm sure. It's not too difficult, though, to come to grips with the loss of stuff or even the property damage left behind, but a home invasion brings with it a loss of security and feelings of vulnerability.

It's not just stuff that gets stolen.

From time to time, I am reminded that the world is such an insecure place. Perhaps those reality checks can help me to identify with how most of the world really lives most of the time. How many people consistently live with the possibility of the loss of property, loss of security, loss of dignity, or loss of life? Anyone at anytime can take those things away from me, so I suppose it's best not to trust in stuff or even in personal security. Those who trust Christ and live in those parts of the world have a deeper understanding of many of Jesus' teachings then I will ever have! I am learning that my security has to come from some place that no man can touch.

The words of Jesus always seem to run counter to my nature. My desire for economic compensation and justice (or, dare I say it, retribution) compete with what I know he taught on the subject. I suppose it's easy to be nonviolent when you're not the one being aggrieved!

Jesus said in Luke 6:29 that if someone takes from me my cloak, I am not to stop him from taking my tunic as well. The cloak was an outer garment for warmth and protection from the elements while the tunic was an outer garment that covered you up (like a shirt and trousers do for us today). The loss of the cloak would have meant exposure to the elements while the loss of the tunic would have meant exposure and vulnerability of another kind. Giving up your tunic would have left you feeling a bit more exposed in public.

Indeed.

We will struggle for a little while longer with feeling a bit more "exposed" and insecure in our neighborhood. Perhaps it will take even longer to come to grips with how Jesus taught us to love our enemies in context of Luke 6:27-36. One thing I am sure of when I read Jesus...loving our enemies requires us to count the cost, and I am learning that the Way of Christ runs on a very different economy than the American way.

Plank

Above

Making the Grade

"The unexamined life is not worth living." (Socrates).

My high school students are currently completing their big autobiography project, a major part of their grade in the course I teach. Whenever I first introduce the project, I set down the parameters and lay out my expectations and remind them that what they choose to share in their autobiography is their own personal choice. I am always amazed at what these teens choose to share in the confidence of this assignment. Usually, I spend many nights carefully reading the story of their lives as seen through their own eyes while fighting off the tears in mine.

As a teacher, it is my responsibility to help my students have a productive understanding of how the English language works. With red pen in hand, I point out spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and sentence structure nightmares for them to revise for their final copy. Knowing and using the English language well is, of course, for their benefit, so I labor over the text and provide instructions for correction in the margins. At the bottom, I jot a few notes and provide a point total out of 100 for the quality of the content, standards met, and proper use of the English language.

And I feel like a heartless brute for doing it.

It's difficult for me to concentrate on the dotting of I's and crossing of T's and explaining the difference between their, there, and they're in the same sentence that I am reading about a student's nightmare at having been sitting beside her brother when he was shot between the eyes by a rival gang member, leaving her covered in blood. It's hard to focus on the eternal run-on sentence when reading about the lives of each student who is trying to survive their own unique hell.

Then I total up the points and enter the digits into the gradebook.

While I can be conflicted, I know that they must learn. So I take every opportunity to teach them so that they are able to choose a better life for themselves. Yes, that includes learning English well, among other things. It also includes making choices to live their lives differently, and my pity or allowing them take the easy way out probably won't really help.

I feel a bit legalistic, to be honest with you, when grading their autobiography projects and slapping a percentage on the bottom. I care for my students, and I can't help but feel remorse, grief, and anxiety when I read their stories. Their personalities, behaviors, and attitudes begin to make sense as I decipher the codes encrypted in unintelligible handwriting and mind-boggling sentence structure. It's at this point in my class, that the overflow of my heart becomes most apparent to me.

I can't imagine the love the Father has for his children! He knows us well, and it is his love that becomes his motivation for everything he does. God is love, so I believe everything that comes from God (including his instruction) flows from a place of love and is for our benefit. Knowing what he knows about each life, each story, each person is a burden I am glad I do not share with him, but I do ask that my heart would gain just a sliver of his capacity for love. Without his love, I couldn't make the grade.

Up front, I tell my students that their rough draft will be graded for content and proper grammer and spelling and that I will reserve all other comments and commentary for their final copy. I cannot approach this project -- their lives - as merely academic. It demands something more of me. I am proud of the outcome I see in their lives as they examine themselves.