Don't Look Back!

Seth Godin says to "ignore the sunk costs", meaning "When making a choice between two options, only consider what's going to happen in the future, not which investments you've made in the past. The past investments are over, lost, gone forever. They are irrelevant to the future."

While his direct application is to marketing and the business world, it seems this also has application to the "church world". If more of us would release our grip on the aspects of "doing church" that we're "used to" and "comfortable with", and focus more on what's ahead and how we can accomplish God's mission, we would have fewer cases of "friendly fire". If we could ignore the "past investment" each of us has made, especially in the light of Christ's investment in the lost souls of this world, we might be better equipped to see the world as He does! Are our past investments holding us back from moving forward in fulfillment of God's calling for the church?

The world is watching!

Torture? OK. Taxes? No way!

That's embarrassing! Larry James reports that the latest polling data from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life states that "White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified -- more than six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only four in 10 of them did."

I'm guessing the East Texas numbers would have been even higher; but don't raise our taxes or we'll protest in the streets!

Really?!? Being 50% more likely to support some use of torture on prisoners - is that who we want to be? The world is watching - what are they seeing?

I understand the wine, but no hugs?

Corpus Christi Bishop bans communion wine; says offer only the bread, and only in the hand, not on the tongue.

Time to go to multiple cups, Bishop!

And no more sick people coming to worship, either! Wonder what Jesus's instruction would be if a sick person or a leper walked in? I think Jesus would touch them.

CDC Flu Update Widget

All the Blind Squirrels

I love reading Seth Godin's blog. Its like having a conversation with a friend who sees things very differently than I do, but might still be right! HA!

Today's post fits in well with the conversations I had yesterday about Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers. One of the main points is that talent is overrated; what's needed for success in our culture is hard, hard work and a little blind luck!

Homeless Man Leads Police to Suspected Burglar

A Tyler homeless man camped out near a shopping center witnessed a burglary in progress, scared off the burglar and provided police with an accurate description and even the license plate number of the getaway vehicle he had scrawled in the dirt. The suspect was arrested a short time later and a short distance away.
This story raises more questions than it answers, and its difficult to write about it without getting bitter and cynical about the policies that are perpetuating the invisible homeless tragedy. But I hope some stereotypes are shaken, if not toppled, by this incident. I hope this eyewitness is treated like the hero he is!

UPDATE: perhaps there is hope. The Tyler newspaper reporter did a nice job with the story, even asking the hero what he wanted!

It's 2009, Do You Know Where Your Soul Is?

You need to read Bono's op-ed piece in Saturday's New York Times. It's his reflection on Easter, including this paragraph:
"I come to lowly church halls and lofty cathedrals for what purpose? I search the Scriptures to what end? To check my head? My heart? No, my soul. For me these meditations are like a plumb line dropped by a master builder — to see if the walls are straight or crooked. I check my emotional life with music, my intellectual life with writing, but religion is where I soul-search." (Thanks to another prophet, Larry James for pointing me to this article!)

As we prepare for Pentecost, let's ready ourselves for the coming of God's Spirit with power! How will this change our lives? Will we be open to asking the question, "What shall we do?"

The world is watching!

A Faith That is Based on the Testimony of Women

I don't have a thing to add to Bishop Willimon's blog entry, but felt like sharing it with anyone who reads this one.

Here's a notable quote from it:
"By the way, in that time and in that place, the testimony of women was suspect, inadmissible in a court of law, ridiculed as being worthless. So why would the early church have staked everything on the testimony of these women at the tomb? You can be sure that if the men (hunkered down back in Jerusalem, I remind you) could have told the story of Jesus’ resurrection another way they would have – unless it happened exactly that way."

Peace to all! The world is watching!

Easter Thoughts

Once again, Mike Cope says it so well in this post titled "Following Jesus, Not US!". The bottom line is: "But here’s the catch: I don’t think you have to agree with me on everything in order to follow Jesus. He is clearly working in the lives of people who drastically disagree with what I believe on some issues."

Extending the embrace of fellowship to folks with whom I have significant doctrinal disagreement is challenging, but very freeing, too. By focusing more on the evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, I can quiz people less and love more. We can unite in good works and worship, loving our God and our neighbors above all, following the footsteps of Jesus, our LORD, with his simple message ringing in our ears, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

Hallelujah! Peace to all! He is risen!

The Coming Evangelical Collapse

"We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith."
This article in the Christian Science Monitor may be overstating the case, but there seems to be some truth there as the author looks at the USAmerican Protestant church. Will we really see that "Denominations will shrink, even vanish, while fewer and fewer evangelical churches will survive and thrive."? I don't know, but given the current landscape, I think it is likely. What is the cause of this coming collapse? Is it "Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community." as he says? Maybe so; this certainly points out one of the huge tasks our families and churches have ahead of us. Teaching our children (meaning all the children of our community) the gospel story must always be of first importance!

Camryn Joy

We're back!

We made it home safely after an amazing trip to Israel! More details later....

To the Mountaintop

Last night, as we began our meal at Karing Kitchen, I read the last 8 minutes or so of Dr. King's final speech, one of his greatest. It's especially poignant in that he expresses such courage and dedication to doing God's will, while evil men were plotting his assassination and killed him the very next day! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the LORD! Enjoy!

Karing Kitchen, Christmas, 2008

Dana and her crew did a great job of making this Monday a special night at Karing Kitchen. We had live music, gifts, decorations, gifts, cupcake decorating, gifts, and, of course, Santa, who made his grand entrance just as the singers were belting out "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"!






Some of the "kids" participated eagerly!




















But for some, this old white man was a scary thing!


























And then some of us felt like this by the end of the evening!










Did I mention we had lots of gifts?!?!
Merry Christmas and PEACE to the city!

The Cremation Story

This week, one of my friends from the Karing Kitchen called with a huge problem. He had recently moved to Dallas to stay with some relatives, and his wife died this week. She wanted to be cremated, but the family had no money and no local contacts. They did not want to donate her body to medical research, which would have been free.


We worked on the problem together and found a Dallas funeral home that offered basic, but complete, cremation service at a very reasonable cost. One catch was that the best price was available only if you downloaded the forms off the internet and faxed the completed forms to their office. So, I downloaded the forms, marked where they needed to be signed, arranged for someone to receive the fax and notarize the signature, and sent them on to Dallas. I then had to arrange payment for the service, but that was also easily set up.

So, what at first seemed to be a huge problem (insurmountable for my friend alone or with the help of his immediate family), was all taken care of. Now the family can grieve the loss of Betty Bagwell, and we have been able to express God's love to another neighbor. I look forward to seeing what our LORD will accomplish in this family. Hallelujah! The world is watching.....

Food Insecurity

It's a national crisis in the making - the wealthiest and most powerful nation on earth cannot feed its people. Today's report from the advocacy group Food Research and Action Center says:
"In other words, the nation had years of economic growth concentrated on the affluent, at the end of which period several million more people lived in households struggling with hunger. For the worst-off households, the picture was even bleaker: the number of people living in households suffering from "very low food security" (until two years ago USDA called this "food insecurity with hunger") rose from 8.5 million in 2000 to 11.9 million in 2007 – a 40 percent increase in the number living in the hungriest households.

The official 2008 hunger numbers from the Census Bureau and USDA won’t be released until late 2009, but every report from food stamp offices, WIC programs, school meals programs, social service agencies, religious congregations and emergency food providers portrays a rising tide of increasingly desperate need. If the recession is as long and deep as many experts predict, we are likely to see an epidemic of hunger, among children and adults alike, unlike any we have seen for decades."

That's exactly what is happening here in Tyler, too. We have seen a huge increase in need for food assistance over the last two months! We need everyone who is able to open their eyes to the needs around us and take action. The world is watching!

To Kara......

To Kara and your generation of our family,

I greatly appreciate your strong interest in this election, and I understand being disappointed. Don't despair, dear one, if this election did not go as you had hoped. I think you'll find that our country is extremely resilient, and that its good qualities will shine through during the next four years. It seems to me that we may be entering a period of great peril as well as great potential for positive change. As people of faith we will need to stay engaged, and not abandon our culture in retreat.

What I'll ask of you is that you not completely buy into the extreme negativity which will continue to flow from the new President's detractors, but will continue to cautiously weigh the information available and will give him the benefit of the doubt, where possible. Like many Southern families, mine missed out on recognizing the blessings of the monumental change which occurred during the Civil Rights movement and the Kennedy Administration, preferring to disengage and to villainize the key figures of the era. It wasn't until adulthood that I realized that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a national hero, not a Communist bent on destroying the government. His vocal opposition to the Viet Nam war, for example, was an act of ethics not treason!

I'm looking forward to seeing how your generation will impact us all and make us a better nation for the sake of your families! The world is watching!
Peace,
Greg

"Justice is what love looks like in public!"

"Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Atlanta, August 16, 1967.

But When Do You Share the Gospel?

I've frequently struggled with how to answer this question from some well-meaning (I hope) person asking about my ministries with the poor. I believe I am sharing the Gospel of Christ with each and every person I encounter throughout the day, especially during my work and conversations with the poor.

What they're really asking, however, is "When do you share the five-step plan of salvation and tell these poor people they must be baptized so they won't go to hell?" My belief and my response is usually similar to "I do not claim to be bringing Jesus into this neighborhood. I've found that God is already hard at work here, and I just want to join Him." Instead, I want to "be" Jesus to the needy, the poor, the oppressed, the humble, the oft-ignored residents of the streets, alleys, and rented shacks of our city, engaging in the kind of incarnational ministry He did. (see John 1:14) I have frequently found more faith among the poor than among my own socio-economic group.

The prophet Larry James shares how he reacts to such inquiries here and here and here.
Enjoy! The world is watching.....

Karing Kitchen update

After 10-1/2 years, Karing Kitchen is still an unpredictable series of ups and downs. That's life in the City, folks!

This week, the main refrigerator in the kitchen went out, spoiling all the food stored there, including the meat for Monday's meal. But our industrious volunteers just took it in stride, went shopping and prepared a wholesome meal for all who arrived. Although, I think everyone was relieved the crowd was smaller due to the holiday and the rainy weather.

Three older white women have been coming regularly the past month or two. They have been pleasant, but a little reserved. Monday, they approached Dana and asked if it would be OK if they made a small monetary donation! They said they enjoyed the meal, but mostly came for the devotional message and to get out and share fellowship time with each other regularly. That's humbling and encouraging!

This week, Kelly & Victor showed back up after being away for several weeks, but Kelly was sporting a broken arm. She explained that she had fallen down their steps, but couldn't look me in the eye when she said it. Rumor has it that they had a fight. We need to monitor that situation as closely as possible!

And finally, Janet's daughter and elementary school aged nieces volunteered to help with the cleanup, probably inspired by the amazing Robinsons. Madelyn, especially, was diligent in serving all evening long and probably has no idea what a great example she was setting. I tell you, the world is watching!