Moving On

In an effort to re-energize my blogging, I've set up a new blog site. See you there! Grace and peace to all!

The Soul Who Sins Shall Die

You have heard it said, "The soul that sins, it shall die!" in a very prooftext-ish, condemning sort of voice, right? I've heard that most of my life as proof that certain eternal punishment awaits anyone who sins, even once. But, once again, upon reading the text in its context, that's not what it says, at all! Check this out, Ezekiel 18:20, "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." So, this whole chapter in Ezekiel is an argument against the prevailing wisdom among his culture, the Jewish exiles in Babylon, that the punishment for the sins of the father carry on to his progeny. And they have Scripture for that, too! Right there in the middle of the Ten Commandments, Exodus 20:5-6 says, "You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments." But God (my favorite phrase in Scripture), desires repentance and reconciliation, so He makes it clear that no one is condemned for the actions of anyone else, even their own family! His grace is extended to all! And we haven't even touched on the fact that the verse in question talks about death, not eternal punishment! But, I need to save that thought for later... So God's Good News to Ezekiel's generation, and to ours, is expressed in the final verse of Ezekiel 18, "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live." The world is watching!

The Walker - He Has a Name

"Even though virtually all of us have seen him as he wanders relentlessly, day and night, across and beyond his home town, few know his name.
Those of us who know him call him the Walker. That’s what he does. He is well over fifty years old and has not had an established home for years...
He has a name. A family. A history. A history that intersects – more than we would like to acknowledge – with many of us."
from Morf Morford's blog post on Red Letter Christians


Responding and reaching out to "The Walkers" of our community is the most godly and the most human thing we can do. These men, women and children are not problems ... they are PEOPLE, children of God, our fellow residents of God's creation!

The world is watching!

Death, Interrupted

Shane Claiborne's post, Celebrating the Interruption of Death, brought some clarity to my thinking about the death penalty. Since it is in the news, again, as it should be, I think we all have to find a way to reconcile our views on the death penalty with our other pro-life and Christ-following beliefs.

I love the way he ends this message:
"This is the good news - mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). Death has been interrupted by grace. No one is beyond redemption - no one - not King David or Saul of Tarsus, not Duane Buck or you or me. Their stories, and our own, remind us that we should never write any one off. God's grace is bigger than our mistakes. Death Thou Art Dead.

May the interruptions of death continue. And may our lives become a part of the interruption."

The world is watching!

The high cost of poverty

The urban prophet Larry James passed along this column from the NY Times' Charles Blow. There is indeed a huge cost in terms of emotional, spiritual and psychological resources for the poor!

His concluding sentence rings true:
"Until more politicians understand — or remember — what it means to be poor in this country, we are destined to fail the least among us, and all of us will pay a heavy price for that failure."

The world is watching!

Brian Fikkert coming to Tyler!

Fourth Partner Foundation is bringing to Tyler the author of an important new book on dealing with poverty issues, Brian Fikkert, co-author of When Helping Hurts. He will be here on May 10 and everyone is invited to a "Leadership Luncheon" at Christ Episcopal Church. Pre-registration is required at http://gcc.org/event/when-helping-hurts.php






I'm currently reading this book and highly encourage anyone interested in these issues to attend!

Hard Times Generation

This segment on the March 6 broadcast of CBS 60 Minutes is called "Hard Times Generation". It is about the "new breed" of homeless people, the families with children living in cheap motels; trapped there by their minimum wage jobs, having lost their homes and their possessions due to the recession. Can the poverty rate among children be 25%?!?


Its a little long, but you need to watch the whole video.


What is the church's response to this crisis right here in USAmerica? One church's response is noted here in Larry James' blog: $5.6 MILLION! What is the potential good that can be done by the USAmerican church, empowered by the Holy Spirit of God? It is limitless!

What does this mean for us in beautiful East Texas? Does this same issue exist here? Are there families renting cheap motel rooms, using nearly all the income they can generate? Absolutely! When the opportunity presents itself to be a part of the solution, please be generous, be ready, be Jesus to this generation! The world is watching!

Love Wins!

Recently there has been much said, way too much, about Rob Bell and his upcoming book, Love Wins! Here's the video that set off the firestorm.


One of the best responses I've read has been Scot McKnight's blog post, especially the concluding paragraph:

"I find some people can get intoxicated on wrath and it can lead them in a triumphalist dance of anger. And I find some who get intoxicated with a flabby sense of grace. Isn’t it better to get lost in the dance of God’s good and triumphant grace and of making things right? If we are to be intoxicated, let it be from imbibing the hope and grace of God’s love which will both win and be right in the End."

AMEN! The world is watching!

It's Hard, It's Very Hard

Invisiblepeople.tv's latest interview with Angie and Matt rings very true. There are folks in this exact same situation here in Tyler; people who are using all their available income, whether that's from a minimum wage job, or a disability check, or panhandling, to pay the $190-$220 per week required to stay in an old motel. For these folks who are likely doing all they can to acquire income, the motel is an acceptable opportunity for shelter, especially in winter, but it is also a trap in that it is impossible to save enough funds required for the deposits, rent, and move-in expenses for a safe, decent, affordable place to live.

Their simple wishlist of a job, a car, an apartment, and getting their kids back is very touching and also one that I've heard repeatedly here in beautiful East Texas. There is a great need for temporary, supportive, transitional housing! Anybody know of an old motel we can buy to start dealing with this need? The world is watching!

Sometimes Its Personal

It is interesting to me that some of us are quite sure and even adamant about the correctness of our opinions; until our world is rocked by a close personal encounter which forces us to re-think. I have certainly been there enough that I am now open to that occurring on nearly every topic. A true "post-modernist", I guess. There are a very few "core" tenets that I will cling to and defend at this point; I think it is a similar list to one that we would get from Jesus and the apostles, based on my reading of Scripture.

Another example came to my RSS reader today, as another Church of Christ preacher decides its time to openly discuss the "issue" we have with women in public and leadership roles. I don't know his previous conviction on the subject or if he has ever discussed it before, but his blog post says he has been silent. And what has brought about this epiphany, this "coming out"? His wife is expecting a little girl! Having an injustice affect your own children is a great motivator! Its time to repent and right some wrongs. Its kingdom work! The world is watching!

We Need Housing!

Check out this interview with Kevin, a homeless man, and note the comment:

"Please, before your church or bowling team goes out to feed homeless people do a little research. We have food – WE NEED HOUSING! Support homeless service organizations that are helping people with housing, jobs and health services!"




The world is watching!

Lovin' on the Kids

Do you know about the website invisiblepeople.tv? Its a powerful effort at putting a face and a voice to the homeless. This quote is from the recent entry Zaq and Friends:
"If you happen to run into street kids, maybe even these 15 hippie kids in a bus, please love on them. Many have already lived horrible lives and are just trying to survive in our crazy world. Yes, street kids can be obnoxious. But remember they are kids. I’m sure we all had our dumb youthful moments. Please don’t try and be a parent – just be a friend. Treat them with love and respect, ask them what they need, and if you can help than please do. A little love can make a world of difference."

We met Shasta and her friends at The Downtown Gathering last month. They are so hungry for respect, attention and food! A little love can make a world of difference!
The world is watching!

Christmas Charity Isn't the Answer

Here's an insightful article on Relevant magazine about the habit many of us have of making a special act of charity during this season. I think rather than saying that it "isn't the answer", maybe it should be stated that it "isn't the end, but the beginning". Hopefully any special act of grace we engage in during this blessed season will be the catalyst for us to engage the poor, needy, hurting, grieving, outcast, oppressed of our society on a more regular basis. As the devoted followers of the homeless man, Jesus, how can we ignore these children of God during the other 11 months of the year?

The world is watching!

Half the Church

This is one of those topics that is relevant for my religious tribe, the southern Churches of Christ, but not for everyone. Here's a link to Part One of Dr. Ken Cukrowski's speech at ACU's Summit 2010 titled "What Elders Are Thinking in Gender Inclusive Congregations". Its a good, thoughtful perspective on women's roles in the church. He starts with a review of New Testament scriptures that mention women as co-worker, teacher, deacon, apostle, prophet, patron, prayer, host of house church, laborer, and member of a ministry team. There are five parts to the YouTube file.



On a more heart-rending note, Half the Church contains an audio recording of an interview with some women who are engaged in and training for ministry. Their bravery in following their calling and in sharing their story is inspiring and sad, due to the obstacles placed before them in our church fellowship. My personal opinion is that its time for us all to openly discuss this issue and find a way to encourage, empower and equip the women who are called and gifted to minister in our churches. The world is watching!

Glenwood Night @ Spring Creek

Come to Spring Creek restaurant in Tyler Monday night for our fundraiser benefiting our downtown ministries!
http://glenwoodchurchblog.com/2010/09/16/spring-creek/

What is Poverty?

If you lost everything - home, job, funds, auto - how long would it take to find something to eat, somewhere to spend the night in safety, a new job? If you can put a number to that answer, you are not poor. Claudio Oliver says poverty is not a lack of things, it is a lack of friends - those close, reliable relationships you can count on in a crisis!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGSvDvDZnb4
(Thanks to Kyle Smith for the link!)



"No one has been transformed by receiving money alone."
Sounds like the Gospel is the answer to me. Not the Gospel of "teach and dunk", but the Gospel of "Love your neighbor" and the Gospel of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"! My question, for me and for you, is, "Does my consumption addiction prevent me from being a friend?"
The world is watching!

Chip

Last night at the Downtown Gathering we had one of those "breakthrough" moments with Chip. Chip is a troubled young man with an extremely quick temper and a lot of history in his few years. Chip has been attending regularly for several months now, but frankly I've wondered why. Usually he just sits quietly by himself with his arms crossed, his ear buds in and a look on his face that says, "Leave me alone!" The exception to that has been when he gets provoked, possibly by just a word of greeting, and he starts complaining and yelling and stomps out in a rage. We have been worried about him and have been praying for him. I have also been tempted to ban him from attending due to his threats and outbursts.



But God (my favorite phrase from Scripture), has been working on him and tonight he shared with the group for several minutes; discussing his family and his issues, apologizing to several others present for his raging, and ending with an apology to God and to his deceased mother. It was beautiful and touching and reminded me of the story of a demon-possessed man who was suddenly in his right mind due to his encounter with Jesus.

I don't know what tonight's breakthrough will lead to for Chip or for the rest of us, but I will praise God for that glimpse of healing and repentance and renewal. It thrilled my soul and further confirmed to me that God is at work in our little gatherings, where "everyone who seeks peace is welcome". The world is watching!

Prayer Requests

"I'd like for us to pray for the lost and the blind." That was an unusual and striking prayer request spoken by one with a pure heart and a deep concern for the spiritual well-being and reconciliation of the entire world. This global concern for those who do not yet love Jesus is rarely expressed out loud, in front of a big group of people.

But I heard it and was deeply honored to respond to it this Sunday evening at the Downtown Gathering! Sandra is a poor single mom with three teenagers forced to live with her extended family since she lost her home while serving a recent jail sentence. Many people I know would consider her to be someone who needs to "get their life right", yet she is exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit and is clearly a "person of peace." I am honored to be getting to know her!

When people speak of taking Jesus downtown to the poor of Tyler, Texas, I must disagree. I am more and more convinced that the kingdom of God is already near, and my mission is to BE Jesus to the rich and the poor, the old and the young, those of every race and tribe and tongue and nation. The world is watching!

Worship Evangelism

Not much has changed since '99. Sally Morgenthaler's now-classic work still hits a nerve!

"Our failure to reach lost people for Christ in this country is not so much because of their brokenness, but because of ours. And our failure to impact contemporary culture is not because we have not been relevant enough, but because we have not been real enough. Real faith witnesses. It genuinely cares for people and offers a genuine relationship with a genuine God. We may be able to parrot the phrase "Lost people matter to God," but in many of our churches, lost people do not matter nearly as much as we matter. And the believer's worship we so often prescribe to ensure our own well-being poisons from the inside out. It fosters exclusive attitudes, diametrically opposed to the very evangelism and discipleship it is supposed to empower. The truth is, worship that is supposed to promote spiritual health cannot do so if it has become diseased by separatism, whether stated or functional."

The subtitle is "inviting unbelievers into the presence of God." That's a worthy goal indeed. As my church is currently praying and fasting about God's vision for us, I hope this message finds some receptive hearts. The world is watching!

So, Dr. Nouwen, what is a Christian Community?

"Community has little to do with mutual compatibility. Similarities in educational background, psychological make-up, or social status can bring us together, but they can never be the basis for community. Community is grounded in God, who calls us together, and not in the attractiveness of people to each other. There are many groups that have been formed to protect their own interests, to defend their own status, or to promote their own causes, but none of these is a Christian community. Instead of breaking through the walls of fear and creating new space for God, they close themselves to real or imaginary intruders. The mystery of community is precisely that it embraces all people, whatever their individual differences may be, and allows them to live together as brothers and sisters of Christ and sons and daughters of his heavenly Father."
Making All Things New, 1981

AMEN! The world is watching!