Example

Taste

Underrated

One of America's under-rated places.

I decided it was time for a bit of a mid-winter road trip this past weekend. We packed up the truck and headed west towards the Colorado National Monument in the western part of the state hoping to be freed from the confines of the city. With so many large and impressive National Parks in America's west, this one had skipped my attention. It's one of those places that barely get a mention in the books I've read on National Parks and sights of interest. Even the National Park Service's own website is lack-luster in it's promotion of the park, and since they only charge a mere seven bucks to get into the thing, I didn't figure it was much of a big tourist draw.

Despite the lack of information on CNM, I made the assumption that there must be something to it since the Federal government went through all the trouble to make it a National Monument in 1911. My assumptions were correct.

This place is an underrated gem.

My first impressions of the place were made in the dark since we arrived around 7:30 p.m. We couldn't see beyond the reach of my highbeams, but we were impressed with the glimpses of red rock and the road that meandered and coiled its way up the canyon walls and through unforeseen tunnels. As we reached our campground and turned off the truck, we were awestruck at the blanket of stars over our heads and amused by the soft, red soil beneath our feet that was fine as flour. Already, I was impressed. I fell asleep with the anticipation of seeing something great in the morning. It didn't disappoint.

In the earliest years of the 20th century, Mr. John Otto saw something special in these rocks and formations on the Colorado Plateau, and he fought to have the land recognized and protected. He became it's first ranger after it gained National Monument status in 1911. I'm not sure how many people have explored it since then, but there were times when we felt like we had the place to ourselves. We only expected to spend a few hours there but ended up staying the better part of the weekend hiking, photographing, and exploring. By comparison to other National Parks and Monuments, CNM is very small and undervisited but it certainly packs a punch.

I couldn't help thinking about other things that have slipped my attention...those hidden little gems out there. I started thinking about the "least of these" and all the other hidden treasures there must be in this great country. The small places seem to get overshadowed by the mega, but there is always depth and life to be found among the least and the last. I'm sure that's why Jesus spent so much of his time with the least and the last. He seemed to prefer their company and said that the Kingdom belonged to them. I can appreciate that.

I love the overlooked places (and the overlooked people), but don't take my word for it. You'll have to go see for yourself.

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field."

Practice Hospitality

Practice hospitality.

(Romans 12:13)

The Company We Keep

"Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2).

We are known by the company we keep.

While the implication of this sentence is that we should avoid those who might tarnish our reputation and hurt our witness, I prefer to take a different spin on it. Many of us who grew up in church having echoes of "oh be careful little ears what you hear" ringing in our head might be inclined to think that all sinners and nonChristians should be avoided. Perhaps they might rub off on us.

These are good lessons for children, perhaps. When I was a child, I needed to be taught like a child. The problem is when we never grow up into more mature thinking. Children who grow up avoiding the "bad" kids can easily become adult separatists who avoid anyone who doesn't believe or live like themselves. I am sure we can read 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 and justify our separatism...but in the spirit of Christ, I cannot.

We are known by the company we keep.

Jesus really and truly challenges my perceptions. He loved the people the Old Testament scriptures -- His scriptures -- condemned to death. His associations and camaraderie with adulterors, prostitutes, tax collectors, outcasts, Gentiles, Roman officials (and women) made him scandalous in the eyes of the religious establishment. The people he chose to bring into his circle of association evoked so much irk and ire from the religious as to inspire hatred and consipiracy to murder. Jesus was blasphemous in their eyes.

We are known by the company we keep.

Jesus was not at all concerned about his reputation or about scandalizing the reputation of his Father. He was setting things right. Sometimes, in order to set things right, we need to turn things upside down in order to make them right-side up. This is something even the disciples of Christ struggled to come to grips with. He delighted in the company he kept.

Do you recall the story in Acts 10 of Peter in a trance-like state on the rooftop? In his vision, a sheet was lowered before him full of unclean and profane foods that a good Jew was prohibited from eating. The voice told him to eat, but Peter replied three times that he could not eat what was unclean. On the third denial (a common theme with Peter!), the voice replied "Do not call unclean what I have made pure". With that vision, God was shaking loose his old way of thinking in order to prod him forward to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. So hardened in Peter's thinking was this required avoidance of Gentiles that he continued to struggle with it until his death. God called another apostle, Paul, to take the good news to Gentile communities.

We are known by the company we keep.

I am not willing to be separated from sinful people. I delight in those who are within our circle of association, many of whom I call my friends. I cherish their presence in my life and I see them as loving gifts from the Father. I reject the notion that Jesus calls his people to circle up the wagons and form protectionist and separatist camps. Instead, I want to pioneer...to take the love of God found in Jesus to forbidden people and places. The kind of believer I am is, indeed, determined by the company I keep.

We are also known by the company we don't keep.

Chains by Choice

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. -- Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:19

I Heart You

Ooey, gooey.

Do you remember those Valentine's Day parties we always had in elementary school? We'd spend hours making our envelope or box from red and pink construction paper which would be placed on the front of our desk in eager anticipation of the delivery of little Valentines from our classmates. I always held onto hope that someone's parents would drop a little extra cash and buy those conversation hearts instead.

I don't remember many of those Valentine's Day parties, but fifth grade seems to stand out to me the most. Fifth grade is when -- at least in my day -- we lost our innocence and Valentine's Day became political! I wasn't very happy about giving Valentines to the students I didn't like, and I wondered ahead of time whether or not I was going to receive one from everyone in the class. My sense of juvenile justice made me cynical of the whole thing, and my suspicions were confirmed when I got stiffed by Suzie (her name is being concealed to protect her identity!). To my delight, however, I recall there being an abundance of boxes of conversation hearts that year.

Looking back on it, I probably began to lose my innocence around the fifth grade and started to open my eyes to how the world works. It was in fifth grade that I began to question people's motives and to be cynical of the disingenuous giving of those little Valentine cards. Perhaps it was the first time I began to see "love" as competition and personal gain. Where did that fourth grade excitement of dropping a little card into everyone's boxes go just one year later?

To be honest with you, I am not much of a fan of Valentine's Day. I find the whole thing rather contrived...put on...sort of a capitalistic conspiracy to force people to buy over-priced gooey things. I see my female students and friends agonizingly looking for validation as if this day determines their net worth, and I see my male students and friends folding under the pressure to buy whatever they can to "prove their love". Rather than genuine love, it seems like insecurity too often wins the day.

I don't want to poo poo on your goo goo if Valentine's Day is something extra special for you and your loved one. Love -- genuine love -- should be celebrated. I, for one, love my wife deeply, and I am so thankful to have her in my life. I bought her a box of chocolates and a card in which I wrote a few sentences. I didn't buy her flowers (and hardly ever do), because loving my wife takes into account that she is allergic to them.

Because I love her, she doesn't need derive her source of validation or proof of my love from this one day as commanded by the calendar. I love her in the promise of our marriage -- for better or worse, for richer or poorer. I love her everyday. She is my greatest gift!

We don't know much about the origins of St. Valentine's Day, but we do know that it is a feast day to celebrate the martyrdom (yes, martyrdom) of a saint (or saints) who did not renounce their faith and were put to death at the hands of Emperor Claudius in the year 280. I am not sure just how St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers, but to give up your life for another is the greatest demonstration of love (John 15:13). His was a love that was loyal, genuine, and self-less. That's the kind of love worth celebrating.

I'll be spending the day with some people that I truly love: my wife, my brother, my friends. I will be saying farewell to a new friend who is moving to San Diego and go out for some ribs with my extended family tonight. Nothing says "I love you" like ribs (remember, it was a rib that was taken from Adam's side to create Eve!). I am reminded of my love for all those around us, and I am happy to celebrate love -- genuine love -- wherever I see it.

IRL + 1

It was one year ago today that Brenda and I left Ireland to return to the States. Our departure was tearful and our arrival in America was full of uncertainty. We have traveled far in that year and are getting on well in Denver, Colorado, USA. We are grateful for our circle of friends and the satisfaction we have in our work. Most of all, we are thankful for the faithfulness of God even when our hearts didn't allow us to find hope. To all our Irish friends and the youth we have the great privilege of knowing, we miss you all very much and we eagerly anticipate the moment we will be able to return to visit you once again!

Expressed

We're Equals

Time

Some of my peeps.

We were having a discussion on Wednesday night at the gathering in our home about who has been the most significant influence in our lives. Without a doubt, I knew that my person was Paul, my pastor in my youth. As we went around the room, there was a common thread that seemed to link all of our people of influence together: they gave us time. Whenever I stopped by Paul's office or he and Judy's home, they stopped what they were doing just to shoot the breeze. Their generosity of time made quite a difference in the life of this kid from Milford, Indiana.

A few years ago, I was preparing a youth worker seminar for some Christian workers in Ireland. I decided to do a little digging into my own youth ministry experience and wrote an email to several of my former youth in Indiana, Florida, and Northern Ireland. I asked them this simple question: what was the single most influential part of my youth ministry with you? The answers were unanimous: they felt loved because I gave them time.

Imagine my dismay when I realized that all those countless hours of teaching preparation, clever deliveries, and programming that brought shock and awe didn't top the list! It was the campouts, the two-week road trips, the Saturday nights playing cards, and the countless hours spent just "hanging around" that seemed to make the difference. And did my students learn? You bet they did! They learned because of the relationship that they had with their teacher.

I learned a lot from Paul, and apart from one sermon in particular, I couldn't tell you one thing he ever preached! I learned from his life much more than from his words. Whenever a student today walks into my classroom, I stop what I am doing and give them my full attention -- no matter the amount of work on my desk. That student is more important than my task. I learned that from Paul.

The day my task becomes more important than my student is the day I need to move on to something else!

The time we give to others communicates a great deal to them, and it accomplishes more than words ever could. Leo Buscaglia (some guru of sorts) said that "time has no meaning in itself unless we choose to give it significance." I wonder how much time I have spent insignificantly? Time given to others -- no matter the task -- is never wasted.

For many years, the Great Commission found in Matthew's Gospel has profoundly influenced my thinking. Over the last few years, my understanding of Christ's words have evolved into a very completely different view. Jesus said, "Go into all the world and make disciples..." How often have I heard these words used to urge us into evangelism! I have learned there is a tremendous difference between discipleship (as modelled by Jesus) and evangelism (as seen in our modern churches). Evangelism seems to be more about passing on information (words) about God to move people into some sort of confession of faith. But it's the word "discipleship" that pops out of the text to me.

For three years, Jesus lived, breathed, ate, taught, socialized, and served with those who were his disciples. They did life together, and in that experience, Jesus showed them how to believe and how to live. The implication of discipleship in the Gospels seems to be much deeper than our Sunday Schools and seminars and other Christian education programs. It certainly seems to be more profound than passing on information, laying down a tract as a tip at a restaurant, or reciting a few bible verses when talking with our next door neighbor. One of the key elements in discipleship seems to be time.

We cannot underestimate the significance of those small moments of interaction or those hours "frittered away" in the presence of people. I am sure Jesus delighted in those meal-time conversations or those brief encounters with the stranger on the street. I know my favorite moments have been time spent with my wife, my extended family, and my students both past and present.

My life has been profoundly changed by generosity of time and the love of God I discovered in those moments. I choose a lifestyle that is generous in giving time not out of obligation or duty but out of gratitude to God and a love for the people he has brought into my life.

Funny thing about time...I don't miss it when I give it. I do when I waste it.

"Freely you have received. Freely give" (Jesus in Matthew 10:8).

Grace