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!

The Greatest Sermon!

The last several weeks at The Gathering we've been working our way through the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7. The discussion has been quite good and the questions have been honest. Jesus is making some folks, including me, a little uncomfortable with his bold preaching! Hallelujah, your kingdom come, LORD!
Here's Shane Claiborne reading it.

All We Are Saying, Is Give Peace a Chance!

This is not a new idea...
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children . . . Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

-Dwight D Eisenhower, April 16, 1953, from "The Chance for Peace" address delivered before the American Society of Newspaper Editors
http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/chance.htm

BOYCOTT BEIJING!

I've decided to boycott the Beijing Olympics. I could try to be spiritual and call it a fast, but actually I'm just so disappointed with the IOC and so upset over China's ongoing human rights travesty and their international meddling and empire-building that I'm just boycotting. SAVE DARFUR!

'54

It has been 54 years since 1954, Willie Mays' first full year in the majors. After returning from the Army he was named Most Valuable Player and led the Giants to the World Series victory.As I celebrate #54 today, I wonder what else 54 brings to mind:

Wikipedia says that "54 is a 19-gonal number. Twice the third power of three, 54 is a Leyland number. 54 can be written as the sum of three squares in three different ways: 7 squared + 2 squared + 1 squared = 6 squared + 2(3 squared) = 2(5 squared) + 2 squared = 54. It is the smallest number with this property."
Also, 54 is the atomic number of xenon.

1954 was the year of the first hydrogen bomb, the first color TV, the first nuclear submarine, the running of the first four-minute mile and the first edition of Sports Illustrated. In 1954, the US Supreme Court issued the landmark desegregation ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, the words "under God" were added to the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Dow Jones Industrial average finally surpassed the 1929 high of 381.17.

Wow, that makes me feel REALLY old! Oh well, birthday greetings to the "class of 1954", including Howard Stern, Oprah Winfrey, John Travolta, Patty Hearst, Ron Howard, Dennis Quaid, Tony Dorsett, Willie Randolph, Jackie Chan, Jim Belushi, Elvis Costello, Brad Spradlin, Don Edwards, Roger Bellar, and me!

Forgiveness?

Within hours of writing the last post (see below), I received a phone call from a one-time friend who just got out of jail. DD was an intimate and important part of "The Gathering" from its inception, and we had great plans for him. We each invested money, time, encouragement and personal contacts in this "rising star". But instead of shining, he fell, losing his job, all his possessions and our respect along the way.

So, he called Friday night, not asking for anything but our forgiveness, still proclaiming his innocence of the charges filed against him, but confessing and admitting his mistakes and poor choices which headed him in that direction. I don't know if he'll follow up and return to us, eventually, but his return will test our (my) capacity to forgive. The world is watching!

Everything You Do Is Important!

I joined the masses and read "The Shack". I was very skeptical, not because the premise was too radical, but because of the fervent evangelical mindset of some of those recommending it. You see, I've become very jaded in my opinion of the USAmerican Protestant Church, with its emphasis on maintaining the institution, watering down the "Cost of Discipleship", and its emphasis on "good management" (yes, that is too harsh a perspective, and I repent, on my better days, anyway). This book was a quick & easy read, but struck me as being too "preachy" at times in the manner of the "Left Behind" books.

But, here's a paragraph from near the end of The Shack which is beautiful, to me. Here the main character is getting final instructions from the voice of God:
“Everything you do is important. Every time you forgive, the universe changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again.” The Shack, p. 235, by William P. Young

That, my friends, will preach!

Bishop Wright on Colbert

One of my new favorite religious authors, Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright, appeared on the Colbert Report (the "t"'s are silent) on Comedy Central last week. This is a tough gig for anyone trying to make a serious point, but Bishop Wright made a solid attempt at it. He had some valuable things to say to an audience that needs to hear them. I fear that most are more likely to remember Cookie Monster's appearance on the show, however.

When God Speaks (3)

BONUS TIME!
I should be dead! That was my thought (and that's still my thought) as I laid on the ground Memorial Day weekend, 2000. I had just been up in a tree in our backyard, about 20' up, I guess, with my trusty hammer tearing down an aging treehouse. Its condition was questionable enough that I had attempted to keep everyone out of it, and I finally found the time that holiday weekend to climb up and tear it down, so no one would get hurt. I was kneeling on the treehouse floor, I reached and knocked loose an outer board, and the entire structure collapsed. I turned a 1/2 somersault on the way down and landed on my neck.
I found that I could move, and other than having the wind knocked out of me and being unable to breathe right, I seemed OK. I stumbled into the house and let Dana know I had fallen, still not breathing right. She called the ambulance, and they arrived quickly and strapped me to the backboard and hauled me to the ER. After the X-rays, they put a neck brace on me and sent me home with some Celebrex. When I went to see the neurosurgeon that week, he said I had a compression fracture of a Thoracic vertebra and several chipped ones in my neck. He also said there wasn't anything they could do about it until it degenerates further.
I took all this as a gift from God; that every subsequent minute of life was BONUS TIME, to which I was not entitled, but was still being given. So, I determined to go on with my life in a manner that will be a blessing to others and to not hide or deny my leading by the steady hand of the Holy Spirit. Our youngest daughter graduated from her high school and youth group that same week, so we went ahead and made the switch of church congregations we had been postponing. We found a grace-filled group of Christians who took us in and accepted us with our faults and baggage and whose worldview was much closer to our own. I don't think I ever did adequately explain to our dear friends at the previous congregation all the factors that went into our move. Some thought I was angry, some thought I was jealous of not being selected as an elder, and many were just puzzled. After all, we had been members there for 13 years and had raised our kids there! After all, my Dad was still a member there, so we were splitting up the family!
Some asked if we found anything that was really different there. My answer has been that Yes, we felt a breath of fresh air within Glenwood. For one thing, the predominant perspective of the members is that, if someone comes in and claims to be a follower of Christ, then they are accepted as such, until and unless they prove otherwise by their actions. At the previous congregation, no one from the outside was accepted as a fellow Christ-follower unless their history and actions led the members to believe their claim. Neither of these two views were unanimous, but my perception was that they were predominant.
So, that is why I no longer care what others think about me, as long as I'm being led by the Spirit. I refuse to be judged by anyone, even myself. I AM the Dead Man Walking! I AM crucified with Christ. I AM dead to the old way of life. I AM a new creation. I AM redeemed!
Peace to all!

When God Speaks (2)........

AND SOMETIMES HE SAYS "NO"!
Continuing from the March 2 post:
Ten years later, our youngest daughter was about to graduate from high school. Dana and I had been growing more dissatisfied with our church – mostly with the leadership’s reluctance to implement or even allow Spirit-led changes in methods, practices and ministries, and I frequently found myself out on the “edge of orthodoxy” and being increasingly marginalized. My role as a deacon, Bible class teacher and as a frequent participant in the public worship was being reduced continually, and we felt the need to move on and change congregations, but we stayed due to some good friends and to allow our girls to complete their Youth Group experience. Our attitude and our words were increasingly negative. The church was entering the process of selecting additional elders that spring, and several friends wanted to submit my name. It seemed like I would be a controversial nomination, but I was praying for guidance. The weekend we were out in Midland attending the Stream in the Desert worship conference, I got my guidance in the middle of the night, as I clearly understood that I should not allow my name to be introduced into the elder selection process. I did not fully understand why, at that time.
More later....

The Best Show on Television!

Battlestar Galactica has begun its fourth and final season. Even non-science fiction fans can appreciate it, if you dare to watch the SciFi Channel. The show has plenty of action, but also plenty of drama, with well-developed, interesting and complex characters galore, and storylines that constantly explore the boundaries between faith and doubt, parent-child relationships which haunt both, good works being done through really bad individuals, the nature of revelation and worship and prayer and true believers. If you want to get caught up on the history of the first three seasons, try this.

And what a class act to point the story to a definite conclusion, revealing answers and pieces of the puzzle along the way! Enjoy!

Why Do We Have the Gospels?

"Imagining that the point of Christianity was to enable people to go to heaven, most Western Christians supposed that the mechanism by which this happened was the one they found in the writings of Paul . . . and that the four gospels were simply there to give backup information about Jesus, his teaching, his moral example, and his atoning death. This long tradition screened out the possibility that when Jesus spoke of God’s kingdom, he was talking not about a heaven for which he was preparing his followers but about something that was happening in and on this earth.." N.T. Wright

My religious tradition certainly fits this description. We joked that you could tell a good COC'er when their Bible showed signs of overuse at Acts 2. I've even heard it argued that Jesus's teachings didn't apply to us since they were given under the Mosaic Covenant! LORD, help us, or strike us down! N.T. Wright is becoming one of my favorite Christian writers. I'm currently reading his book "Paul in Fresh Perspective." Mike Cope quotes him further here.
Peace to all, He is risen!

Time out for David!

Last Sunday, The Gathering was blessed to get to know David and La'Tice. They arrived on foot: tired, weak, hungry, smelly and homeless. But during "share time", David wanted us to know the gratitude that was on his heart. In spite of his abusive childhood, two prison terms, former dependency on illegal drugs, inability to read or write, and his conversion to Islam, he discovered God's love and had turned his life back to the awesome Creator! This tale of redemption reminded us why it is that we continue to take part in this ministry. God is at work in this world and is looking for people to join Him. Sometimes that looks like a smile or a hug, sometimes that looks like a plateful of sandwiches, sometimes that looks like a ride in our vehicle, and sometimes that looks like something much greater or smaller. But, God (one of my favorite phrases) is truly at work! HALLELUJAH!

When God speaks.............

My experience has been that sometimes God's calling or direction comes through in a very clear, direct and personal way. I have usually been blessed by these special times of clarity during prolonged and intense periods of worship.

On one occasion, in 1990, I was in a time of uncertainty and disquiet about my job. I had survived the downturn in the oil industry, but had been forced to move twice due to office closings and transfers. We had ended up in Tyler, Texas, a beautiful small town that seemed to be a great place to raise a family. As my employer was in the midst of a merger with a larger entity, I was looking at a near-certain transfer later in the year, probably to Houston.

One day while checking the Dallas Classified ads in the Sunday newspaper, I saw an ad for an oil & gas Engineering position. I responded to the ad that week and discovered that it was for a privately-owned independent whose only Operations office was in Tyler! I was a good match for their needs, and I made the switch, even though it meant a significant pay cut, since it seemed to assure me the ability to remain in Tyler.

After three years of essentially running my own small company, without the financial risk of going without a paycheck, my relationship with the absentee owner soured and I planned to branch out on my own. I couldn’t actually make the “leap”, however, as I was trying to reduce the risks. One weekend Dana and I were attending an intensely uplifting worship conference Ken Young was leading in Irving, Texas, and I was perusing the Dallas newspaper classifieds at breakfast. I saw a “blind ad” for an engineer, and I knew immediately that it was for my replacement! The ad listed no company or person's name, and the response address was to a UPS Store box. This was the only day I read those ads, and this was the only day that the ad appeared in the newspaper! This was God saying to me, “Get out of this situation, now!” It took a week of investigating to confirm (I actually saw the newspaper's invoice for running the ad), but it was true that the owner was preparing to fire me as soon as he found a replacement. I quit the job that week and became an independent oilman with lots of ideas, but no income. Talk about significant pay cuts! More later.......

Thank you, LORD, for your steadfast love!

When is enough going to be enough?

The prophet Larry James reports:
"President Bush unveiled his proposed budget, another recording setting development: the largest budget in our nation's history totals $3.1 trillion.

The plan seeks to cut spending on Medicare and Medicaid, boosts military spending and projects the deficit this year and next will hit near-record levels. Pentagon spending would rise 7.5 per cent to $515 billion, the 11th consecutive year of increases."

Seems to me there are moral and spiritual decisions being made along with the obvious fiscal ones in a budget document. If there's one thing history has shown us, it is that the constant escalation of military spending will not bring us (or anyone else) peace! It is time to stop this death spiral! Bring the troops home!

Homeless in Tyler

Glenwood's Trent Spradlin did a great job with this special report for the local CBS TV station.

A Whole 'Nother Country

Being a proud Texan, though admittedly not a native, it is difficult to get "a discouraging word" about this State. But the prophet Larry James quotes these statistics from a recent Dallas Morning News article. Looks like we have much work left to do!

"Consider the facts, just the facts, about Texas:

* A child is born in poverty every 7 minutes
* A child is abused or neglected every 10 minutes
* First in teen births and the most repeat teen births in the U. S.
* 25% of Texas' children are born into poverty
* 49th in the number of working poor (that is, Texas is second in the number of people who work and remain poor)
* $14,700--the average annual income of the poorest 20% of Texas families
* $203,200--average annual income of the richest 5% of Texas families (13.8 times as high as the poorest 20%)
* 16% of Texans live with hunger or in fear of starvation, just ahead of New Mexico and Mississippi
* 48th in the nation in state and local government expenditures for public welfare--$808 per capita
* Second highest Gross Domestic Product in the U. S.
* Number 1 in cancerous emissions into the air and toxic chemicals into the water.
* Ranks 50th in the number of insured people in the nation--5.5 million Texans are not covered by health insurance or 24% of the population (compared to 15.7% for the U. S.)
* 1st in the U. S. in executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976
* 2nd highest incarceration rate
* 60% of children under Texas Youth Commission supervision come from low-income families
* 83% of these children have IQs below 100
* 41% experience serious mental health issues
* 52% come from families with a history of criminal behavior
* 76% have parents who are separated or never married
* 34% of Texas high school students drop out--8th highest in the U. S.
* 49th in verbal SAT scores and 46th in math
* Texas ranks 41st in per capita spending on students in public schools, compared to 25th in 1999. [Did I hear someone say, "No child left behind"?]
* 8th largest GDP in the world--$1.1 trillion in 2006
* 1st in number of shopping malls in the nation
* 12th in church or synagogue attendance

Not a pretty picture.

If I'm a Texas preacher today, I figure I have a few things to bring up with my congregation.

If I'm a Texas legislator, after I take a long look at myself in the mirror, I figure I've got a few things to work on.

If I'm a citizen of the state, and I am, I figure I need to be engaged at several levels."

I'm Back!

Just a short note to document my return from the hospital yesterday. This recovery from the hip resurfacing surgery has been harder than I anticipated (slight understatement there). I'm trying not to let my disappointment and surprise influence my attitude going forward, knowing that won't help, so I'll just try to celebrate the milestones and enjoy(?) each day. There'll be plenty of time for analysis, later.
Grace and peace to all!

Ebola

I received the horrific news tonight that there is an outbreak of a new strain of Ebola virus in western Uganda! For updates from the front lines, check out the Drs. Myhre's blog. Lord God, please stop this horrible disease which targets those caring for the ill!

The End of Homelessness

The prophet Larry James says the solution for homelessness in America is to provide permanent, private residences.... duh!
"Housing First" Works!

By Larry James

Newsflash: homeless people are not criminals, nor are they deserving of the treatment they usually receive. What people who lack homes need is decent, permanent housing.

As I've related here before, lots of national research and numerous case studies document the fact that once given a place to call home, an overwhelming majority of formerly homeless persons manage their lives very well without much additional intervention (87%, to reference one major study).

Well, we now have our own experience to report in validation of the reports from other cities.

Thanks to a grant from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Central Dallas Ministries is placing homeless persons in permanent housing in two undisclosed Dallas locations.

We have funding for 50 apartments. We have secured these housing units through an agreement with one property owner. We control 25 one-bedroom apartment units in each of two different locations. In each location our living units are part of a much larger, multi-family development.

So far we have placed 18 homeless men in permanent housing. These guys now have a key to the place they call home. Thanks to a couple of area churches, they also have what they need to set up housekeeping.

We've been at this for several weeks now. Before too much longer we will have filled all 50 of our apartments.

Guess what?

No problems whatsoever from our tenants. They are so grateful for the housing and for the freedom, you should hear them talk. Without a doubt, these gentlemen will become some of these developments' best residents.

Their stories are all a bit different.

All are dealing with various disabilities.

All are capable of life on their own. They proved that surviving on our mean streets, some of them for several years.

What they share in common is an extremely positive, appreciative response to having a home of their own.

Here's the chief solution for our Downtown "problems with the homeless." Develop the housing. Provide the support to move folks from the street to a quality, decent home. The problem can be solved. We are kidding ourselves if we say otherwise.

If I was a Downtown, upscale developer, I'd call CDM and ask how to make an investment in our future development plans.*

I'm just wondering if we have the will, the smarts and the vision as a community to simply practice the Golden Rule? If we do, the outcome will be wonderful for everyone.

(*By the way, my phone number is 214.823.8710 ext 116!)


.
Posted on www.UrbanDaily.org

The River

The chorus is:
"Baptized in the river
I've seen a vision of my life
And I wanna be delivered
In the city was a sinner
I've done a lot of things wrong
But I swear I'm a believer
Like the prodigal son
I was out on my own
Now I'm trying to find my way back home
Baptized in the river
I'm delivered
I'm delivered"
Enjoy "The River" from Good Charlotte-

Good Charlotte - The River

Posted Feb 08, 2007

Good Charlotte and M. Shadows baptize themselves in the concrete LA River.

Spelling R-E-L-I-E-F

Remembering the old Rolaids commercials, I'm looking for relief from my hip pain and have decided on hip resurfacing surgery. The date is now set for December 10, and can be done in Tyler with the arrival of Dr. Volatile (yes, that's his real name!). The doctor believes I'm a good candidate for this procedure, but will leave the option open for total hip replacement if they encounter a problem or worse-than-expected conditions during the surgery. So, we're down to four weeks, and counting!

In a white room, with black curtains, near the station....

Salon's book review says "...it's also a redemption narrative, in which a wastrel is saved by grace after hitting bottom." Here's a rare, beautiful confession from an aging rock star who had been given everything this world has to offer:
"Nevertheless, I stumbled through my month in treatment much as I had done the first time, just ticking off the days, hoping that something would change in me without my having to do much about it. Then one day, as my visit was drawing to an end, a panic hit me, and I realized that in fact nothing had changed in me and that I was going back out into the world again completely unprotected. The noise in my head was deafening, and drinking was in my thoughts all the time. It shocked me to realize that here I was in a treatment center, a supposedly safe environment, and I was in serious danger. I was absolutely terrified, in complete despair.
Almost of their own accord, my legs gave way and I fell to my knees. In the privacy of my room I begged for help. I had no notion of whom I thought I was talking to - I just knew that I had come to the end of my tether, and I had nothing left to fight with. Then I remembered what I had heard about surrender, something I thought I could never do, that my pride just wouldn't allow it. But I knew that on my own I wasn't going to make it, so I asked for help, and, getting down on my knees, I surrendered.
Within a few days, I realized that something had happened for me. An atheist would probably say it was just a change of attitude, and to a certain extent that's true, but there was much more to it than that. I had found a place to turn to, a place I'd always known was there but never really wanted, or needed, to believe in. From that day until this, I have never failed to pray in the morning, on my knees, asking for help, and at night, to express gratitude for my life and, most of all, for my sobriety. I choose to kneel because I feel I need to humble myself when I pray, and, with my ego, this is the most I can do... In some way, in some form, my God was always there, but now I have learned to talk to him." Eric Clapton, Clapton: The Autobiography.

Scrambling for Pennies

I confess; I have just not been too interested in the "budget process" within our Big Church. I have been wearied by all the talk and planning and meetings and meetings and meetings leading up to the day when a large group would spend all day in a marathon meeting to try to figure out how to split up the 10% of the budget that was deemed discretionary. I have serious questions about our priorities when all our "benevolence ministry" is deemed discretionary (meaning optional and subject to being eliminated in times of financial crunch).

But in the midst of that meeting a beautiful thing occurred. As further cuts were being discussed and negotiated, an uprising broke out from the crowd and a roomful of people who had been bargaining, begging, justifying, cajoling and pleading their own causes (all of which are GOOD WORKS) turned their eyes toward the Benevolence Center Ministry and requested, no demanded, that its funding be restored to the full, proposed level, even at the expense of their own budgets! This was an act of God and a sure sign of the purity of hearts in that room, representing the pure hearts in this church. It was the highlight of the day, in my eyes! HALLELUJAH! God is at work, even on budget Sunday!

Fall Out Boy

New video from Fall Out Boy was shot on location in Gulu, northern Uganda and is based on the plight of the Invisible Children:

Time Waster

Need to get mesmerized and waste some time on the net? Try this. I can't stop watching!
Blogger Play will show you a never-ending stream of images that were just uploaded to public Blogger blogs. You can click the image to be taken directly to the blog post it was uploaded to, or click “show info” to see an overlay with the post title, a snippet of the body, and some profile information about the blogger who uploaded it.

Women in Church Leadership

Here's a link to a sermon from one of our sister congregations' website which sets out their attempt to explain their current stance and policy on this hot topic. It is included in a two-pronged statement of "Core Beliefs" and "Heritage Commitments", listed here. If the audio link above doesn't work for you, try this.
(For the completely opposite effect, check out this public "lynching" conducted by Church of Christ icon Guy N. Woods. The link is included on a tribute website, honoring his life and work!)

Wade Hodges' sermon is a valiant attempt at encouraging dialogue; at declaring the truth of the gospel, the freedom in Christ we all hold so dear, and applying it to our USAmerican church culture. I love that he ended the sermon with the Galatians 3 passage! Its our history and tradition of the "church as organization" that causes such difficulties, it seems to me. We get so wrapped up in "our comfort zones" and how we "do church", that the grand mission of the Kingdom of God gets left behind. If Jesus were here, it strikes me that I would want to be "sitting at his feet" with Mary, and I would not be concerned that she was there beside me or leading me, as long as we were getting closer to Jesus! How should we balance the appreciation for our heritage and our love for each other with the need of the church for the use of the God-given gifts of ALL of its members? Perhaps we should search for ways like this to be relevant to our egalitarian society, recognizing the equality of men and women as one of the basic tenets of the gospel, the "mystery of the gospel" for our age! The world is watching!

Same Kind of Different As Me

.

The authors, Ron Hall and Denver Moore, are coming to Tyler to speak at two events during PATH Week! This is a great book and a powerful story of redemption and friendship. Everyone should read it to get an inside view into the issues of homelessness.

Love Thy Neighbor is not a piece of Advice

Bono receives the NAACP Chairman's Award and gets some pulpit time. Enjoy!

Transcript is here.

How good and pleasant it is!

We were blessed to have the Ben Wall family stay with us this week. On Thursday night we had a gathering of supporters.

Reminded me of Psalm 133!

1 How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.

3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.

A Song on My Heart

What do you do without a songleader or even your standard music material? Tonight I just asked, "Does anyone have a song to share?" And we were blessed with beautiful impromptu solos from Juanita and Roy! Juanita said the LORD had placed her song on her heart this morning, and she didn't know why, but was grateful for the chance to share it with The Gathering.
And then the blessing we received from Kelly's testimony! She confessed that she had fallen back into her drug habit recently, but was again on the way out of it and looking for a better life. I'm glad she and Victor found a way to come share with us tonight! The world is watching!

Where Are The Women?

This post by Heather Hodges has got me thinking. Here's an excerpt:
"From the time I was a child I heard the names of Sarah, Rachael, Leah, Jochebed, Miriam, Abigail, Tamar, Deborah, Jael, Rahab, Esther, Ruth, Hannah, Elizabeth, Anna, Mary, Martha, Dorcas (Tabitha), Lydia, Phoebe, Chloe, Priscilla, Junias, Lois, and Eunice. These women served in every roll imaginable in the kingdom. There was a mother of nations, a song leader, a ruler, a warrior, a hero, a determined convert, a rescuer, a faithful mom, a loyal wife, a prophetess, a hostess, a church planter, a teacher, an apostle, a philanthropist, a business woman, a devout Christian, and a woman honored above all other woman as the mother of Christ.

Throughout Scripture we read story after story of these great women who had distinct roles in the kingdom of God. Whether they were pious or not, they were used for the glory of the Lord. Unfortunately, many Christian churches today have let two culturally restrictive Scriptures (1 Co 14:34 and 1 Tim 2:12) over shadow the rich history of women in the Bible. Scholars agree that these two Scriptures were cultural directions that dealt with specific situations and are not to be directives to all churches for all times. However, many churches have applied these two restrictions to all women for all times. Other churches have softened their stance for women’s roles but have kept women in the background because of “heritage values.”

It is time for a better understanding of Scripture and a better understanding of how the Lord has used and plans to use women in his kingdom. So, where are the women in churches today? They are where they have always been. They are behind the scenes planning, coordinating, and organizing. They are in the kitchen, nursery, and classrooms. They are on their knees in prayer. They are battling the enemy head-on in their homes, at work, the community and the mission field. They are raising-up generations of faithful believers."

Good points and well written! I'm not even sure how we have a dialogue about this topic in my faith community without people feeling alarmed and threatened. We are probably in that group of churches that "have softened their stance for women’s roles but have kept women in the background because of “heritage values".” But, I'm also distressed that many believers' giftedness lies dormant due to the restrictions we're placing on them, especially when the needs of the church are so great! Yes, I know the Scriptures, but I'm no longer a "flatlander", viewing all Scripture as of equal height and weight and literal relevance to this culture, to be read in the same manner and with the same "lenses". Honestly, who can read Job and John in the same way? Or Psalms and Philemon? Or Ruth and Revelation?

My goal is not change for change's sake; my goal is honoring God and loving people as He does. I have questions; I am seeking Truth. I would love to have some healthy discussion on this, and soon.

The God of Second (and Third) Chances

Well, Carl did it again. He didn't have his rent money, again, since he went with some friends to Shreveport and drank and gambled it all away! (But at one point he was $2500 ahead! sigh....) So now he comes to The Gathering very contritely and cries and pleads for help. The father and rule-keeper in me wants to punish him and "teach him a lesson", and something does need to change, and quickly, for his own good. But then I have to wonder how this God of second chances I've been talking about looks at Carl, and me. Has he been faithful to forgive us (me) each time I've made a poor choice and then returned to him on my knees? I told The Gathering that a proper view of the nature of God allows and empowers us to live a life in the Kingdom, so, Greg, is he the "Great Rule-Keeper in the Sky" or is he the Father who loves me SO MUCH? Is my faith strong enough to allow me to forgive and sacrificially give? I don't get many opportunities like that, so I decided to give it a try this time, for "His steadfast love endures forever." The world is watching! HALLELUJAH!

Camping Inside the House

From Barbara Brown Taylor's "Leaving Church",
"I have learned to prize holy ignorance more highly than religious certainty and to seek companions who have arrived at the same place. We are a motley crew, distinguished not only by our inability to explain ourselves to those who are more certain of their beliefs than we are but in many cases by our distance from the centers of our faith communities as well. Like campers who have bonded over cook fires far from home, we remain grateful for the provisions that we have brought with us from those cupboards, but we also find them more delicious when we share them with one another under the stars.
This wilderness experience sets up a real dilemma for some of us, since we know how much we owe to the traditions that shaped us. We would not be who we are without them, and we continue to draw real sustenance from them, but insofar as those same traditions discourage us from being with one another, we cannot go home again. In one way or another, every one of us has gotten the message that God made us different that we might know one another, and that how we treat one another is the best expression of our beliefs."
Well said! As I struggle with some of those same issues, I often feel like I'm a "camper" while still in the center of my faith community! Ever raise your tent in the middle of your own room? And that is the great blessing I've found at Glenwood; my "campiness" is accepted, and even embraced, at a level that allows me some peace with the situation, even as I continually search out fellow "campers", often near the edges of the community, as they are in the process of easing into or out of the household.

I Lied!

As we were discussing Acts 13 last night, Sharon cried out, "I lied!" She had already shared with us about her car wreck last week which totaled the old, uninsured vehicle she had been about to sell, and we were thankful with her that she wasn't seriously hurt. She had said that she didn't know why those kind of bad things seem to happen to her. But later in the evening, her heart was touched and she cried out, "I lied!" She went on to confess that she had not disclosed the many problems the old vehicle had to her potential buyer, and that she had even told him that it ran fine, which we all knew was not true. So now, she was convinced and convicted that God had taken the car from her because of her sin, and she asked for forgiveness.
So, as our crowd continues to grow, and a few new folks like Kelly and Victor continue to join us each week, I give thanks for moldable, breakable hearts like Sharon's that set an example of what our lives in the Kingdom look like. As I shared with Don later, when spontaneous, public confession like Sharon's breaks out, I'm convinced we're doing something right and God is truly leading us.
We were all touched by her transparency and her willingness to share with The Gathering! She feels safe enough there to expose her brokenness. This is real church! HALLELUJAH! The world is watching!

Take This Bread

From Sara Miles' book:
"I think that we're being called to something harder than being conventional 'Good Samaritans.' To understand ourselves, individually and as a church, being rescued by strangers and foreigners, by the wrong people. To understand ourselves, individually and as a church, as beaten, hungry, hurting, lost at the side of the road. Called to touch parts of ourselves that are strange and damaged and needy. Called to receive love from people we don't know and have no reason to trust. And only then, in turn, being called to the second part: to go and do the same thing -- knowing it will change us in ways we didn't plan and may not like. And both receiving and giving mean really opening ourselves to strangers -- in whose bodies we find, and upon whose being depends, our own salvation."
"O God of abundance, you feed us every day.
Rise in us now, make us into your bread,
That we may share your gifts with a hungry world,
And join in love with all people, through
Jesus Christ our Lord."
AMEN!

Real church

What a joy it is to leave a meeting about church matters (like insurance, defibrillators, and personnel issues) and race downtown to The Gathering, where the response to the open question of "How have you seen God working this week?" is a chorus of smiles and raised hands eager to share! Thanks, friends, I needed that encouragement from the time spent with you! To share tears with Pam, and jokes with Carl, and songs with Don and Sanna, and birthday cake with Grace, and Bible knowledge with Dixianna and Don, and smiles with Kristin and Dana, and life lessons with Brian, and wild rambling stories with Rick, and food and love with all - now that's real church! Hallelujah!

But our church is different!

I didn't write this, but it sounds eerily like my thoughts. With a tip of the hat to [rhymes with kerouac]:
"For reasons that even I don't understand, I've been serving as an elder in our church. I really believe God wanted me here, but have no idea why (yet). Our church has all the same flaws that I've already mentioned, and some that I haven't. What I've learned is that churches are complicated, unwieldy beasts with multiple layers of politics, history (personal and corporate) a diversity of theological stances on any one issue, petty ugliness and occasional glimpses of poetic beauty. It is possible that church can indeed propel good folks in their journey with Christ, can help to mold and shape them, can even liberate them. Friends - true friends can be found. Real ministry - in the finest sense of the word - can and does happen, but all of these things seem to happen in spite of the organization and not because of it. Good, bad, ugly, beautiful - church has it all. It's just that we absolutely must not mistake going to church for following Jesus."

Each of Us Bears His Own Burdens

Wednesday as I sat listening to a gracious Muslim man describe his view of grace and salvation, I was thinking how familiar some of his statements sounded. The church of my childhood had some very similar views; God's grace only goes so far - you must work hard and pray hard and perform every righteous act and follow every religious rule and then pray for further forgiveness on your death bed in the "hope" that God will grant you mercy and you will spend eternity with him in the "non-smoking section".
Sorry, I left that church behind, and if that is a widespread view of the teachings of Islam, then friends, have we got some good news for you!
GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases!
His mercies never come to an end!
They are new every morning!
Great is thy faithfulness!
The LORD is my portion says my soul!
Therefore I will hope in Him!

A blind man searching for a black cat...

OUCH! Once again, Steve over at Ragamuffin Ramblings has stepped on my toes about how out-of-touch much of our organized religion has become. My daughter bought me the book, Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion, for my birthday, and it is probably next on my reading list. I want to be a part of a community of faith that is loving enough and gracious enough to connect and teach and learn from radicals like Steve. The world is watching!

53 is....

Fifty-three is:
(courtesy of Wikipedia)

* the natural number following 52 and preceding 54. (duh!)
* the 16th prime number. It is also an Eisenstein prime.
* written in hexadecimal is 35, that is, the same characters used in the decimal representation, but reversed. Three multiples of 53 share this property: 371 = 173, 5141 = 1415, 99481 = 18499. But 53 can not be expressed as the sum of any integer and its base 10 digits, making 53 a self number.
* The atomic number of iodine.
* The code for international direct dial phone calls to Cuba

* The racing number of Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of his own, first appearing in the 1968 movie The Love Bug
* Part of the title of the 1912 movie North of Fifty Three, remade in 1917
* "53 Days" a novel by Georges Perec

* Ringo Starr’s book "Postcards From the Boys" (2003) contains 53 postcards from fellow Beatles
* Fictional 53rd Precinct in the Bronx was found in the TV comedy "Car 54, Where Are You?"
* Tony Baretta also worked out of the fictitious 53rd precinct
* "53rd & 3rd" a song by the Ramones
* "53 Miles West of Venus” by The B52's
* Levi's 53 children's sneakers
* George Washington was born on the 53rd day of the year: February 22, 1732

* At Age 53:

--Samuel Morse sent first message by electric telegraph (1844)


--Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves (1863)

--French engineer Gustave Eiffel designed internal supporting structure of Statue of Liberty (1885)

--Charles Bronson starred in "Death Wish" (1974)

--Johnny Carson renewed his "Tonight Show" contract at $5 million/year (1979)

Sports
* Football field: width: 53 1/3 yards (150 feet)
* Pitchers Jim Palmer and Gaylord Perry each had 53 career shutouts
* Dodger pitcher Don Drysdale wore #53
* Most goals scored by a NHL rookie: 53 by Islander Mike Bossy (1977-78)
* Most points by a rookie in a NBA Playoff game: 53 by Philadelphia's Wilt Chamberlain, 1960
* Most field goals (3-games series, NBA Playoff), 53 by Michael Jordan, 1992

So, along with Herbie, Ringo, Abe and MJ, I say bring on #53! (Thursday is my 53rd birthday)

Frankly speaking.....

Frank is one of those mysteries of our downtown ministry. He has taught me a lot, and I must always be ready to learn from him. A few years ago when we first met, he was loud, combative, demanding and unfriendly. He would come in to Karing Kitchen, sit down at a table off in the corner of the room by himself, sometimes one that wasn't even set up to eat at, and start making loud demands for service. He's a big, working man and can be very intimidating. He was hard to love!
But over the years, after some consistent attempts at conversation and friendship, his heart has softened and his smile has become more and more apparent. He still tries to put on that gruff exterior, but a smile and a wave from across the room is now enough to bring that big smile to his face. He regularly praises the LORD and will readily testify to His goodness.
This week he showed up at The Gathering on Sunday night for the first time. He was there early and took up a seat at a table by himself at the very back of the big room. He didn't say a word to anyone all night and left without comment. Oh well, I thought, I'm glad he made the attempt, at least, but chalked the experience up as one more failed effort at outreach.
On Monday night, in more familiar surroundings, he told me how much he appreciated that time of worship and Bible study, especially the singing, and was recruiting the other guys at his table to come join "us" next week! He feels like he fits in well there, and expressed how much he is looking forward to coming back! I was amazed! But, I should not have been; I have seen God act so many times, even in the life of this one big man. Thank you LORD, for this stunning reminder of your power and love! The world is watching!

Life In The City

This really makes me mad! Carl was robbed at gunpoint last week while walking to the store in his neighborhood and can't pay his rent for this month. This raises many questions; Why was he carrying around all his money? (He has no bank account and no safe place to stash it.) Why didn't he pay his rent earlier, rather than carry around the money? (He tried, but the manager was out of the office.) Why does he stay in such an unsafe and insecure place? (A form of robbery in itself.) Why would anyone do this to such a nice, weak old man? (See above.)
There are no easy answers, so I'm left with my anger and outrage and I must act. It is unfair and unhealthy, but it is a "normal" part of life in the city. Everyone down here knows someone who has been robbed, mugged, or worse. It is a constant reminder that God's love is desperately needed. LORD come quickly!

May God's love be with you

Jeff and Jen did a great job with "In The Sun" last night at our Celebrate Freedom event. Michael Stipe and Chris Martin's version is also good!

The Trumpet Child

The new Over The Rhine CD releases August 21!

New Rating!

I guess this tool doesn't like me writing about death! Oh well, we all have our biases...



This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

* death (3x)
* dead (2x)

All Is Well

The last paragraph in the collection of writings by Thomas R. Kelly, called A Testament of Devotion, is called the greatest piece of devotional writing of the 20th century, by my teacher, Randy Harris. It is very difficult to argue. It was published after his sudden death in 1941, so he did not have a chance to edit and fine-tune it. Read it slowly. Read it aloud. Enjoy!

"Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power. It is simple. It is serene. It is amazing. It is triumphant. It is radiant. It takes no time, but it occupies all our time. And it makes our life programs new and overcoming. We need not get frantic. He is at the helm. And when our little day is done we lie down quietly in peace, for all is well."

This site is rated....

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

* dead (1x)

Two for One and One for All

Carl (formerly Karl) did it! He followed through with his decision and presented himself for baptism tonight! After our worship, Bible Study and meal, we all hiked over to the big church after they were through with their worship time. We shared Carl stories, including Samuel's "I love you, Mr. Carl!" and he was buried with Christ. He was shaking as he stood up from the immersion and said, "I feel different!" Hallelujah!
One person who was directly impacted by Carl's decision was Troy. Since Carl was doing it, and since his wife was there with us tonight, he also decided to be baptized!
Thank you, LORD, for these two good hearts among many at The Gathering. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The world is watching!

There's a Wideness in God's Mercy

The lyrics to this old hymn struck me with their power as I prayed in the Upper Room Chapel in Nashville last week. As Rich Mullins would say, "Oh, the Love of God!"
Enjoy!

There's a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea;
there's a kindness in his justice, which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner, and more graces for the good;
there is mercy with the Savior; there is healing in his blood.



There is no place where earth's sorrows are more felt than in heaven;
there is no place where earth's failings have such kind judgment given.
There is plentiful redemption in the blood that has been shed;
there is joy for all the members in the sorrows of the Head.


For the love of God is broader than the measure of man's mind;
and the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind.
If our love were but more faithful, we should take him at his word;
and our life would be thanksgiving for the goodness of the Lord.

Statement of Intentions

Being the rebellious baby-boomer that I am, "Rule of Life" just didn't find a spot in my brain that I could work with, so, after a week of contemplation, training and prayer I arrived at this Statement of Intentions for 2007 (at least the last half):
By the grace of God, and as an attempt to prepare myself for a deeper relationship with my Maker, I commit myself to:
1. Daily periods of at least 30 minutes of concentrated, contemplative prayer;
2. Daily periods of at least 30 minutes of Bible study including weekly lectio divina. I will at first attempt to set aside morning time for this study;
3. Weekly fast day (I think Mondays);
4. Weekly time of corporate worship, prayer and Bible study;
5. Weekly instance of personal service to a church member;
6. Weekly instance of personal service to a family member;
7. Weekly instance of personal service to the poor.
In addition, I desire to make headway this year with these three "Big Issues":
a. to find and build relationships with "fellow travelers" in the journey of spiritual growth;
b. to improve my relationship with my wife;
c. to speak only what love requires.
These are offered out of a sense of commitment and dedication, not as a means of bragging, for I fully expect to fail. After the week I've just had, though, I needed to set them out in plain sight. May God have mercy on me, a sinner!

Here I Am to Worship

The way heartfelt corporate worship works on you (and by that I mean me) is a mysterious thing. I've been blessed as my spirit soars amongst a stadium full of strangers, or as I endlessly repeat the same phrase among my dear family of faith, or as a living room full of close friends blends their voices in sweet and stirring harmony. Last night, I had that last experience, again, as our prior "small group" gathered for a reunion of sorts. Lifting our voices and each other up toward the LORD, we sang and sang! What a blessed experience! HALLELUJAH!

He's Aggressive!

My dear friend Phillip, who I've written about before here, greeted me Monday night with a serious look and the words, "I've been labeled as "Aggressive" at work!" Knowing that he works at our local grocery, I responded, "And that's a good thing, right?" He then smiled broadly and giggled and told me that he had won the "Aggressive Hospitality" Award and would receive some kind of great prize with it, too. He then got humble, saying that he hadn't really done anything to win it, but I know better than that, as I've seen him in action, eagerly and consistently greeting, carrying, stocking and helping with a huge smile on his face! It is just such an amazing turnaround from the desperately ill man with no funds, no insurance, no food whom I met and befriended just a few years back! We talk about those days and laugh and praise God together now every time we meet! HALLELUJAH!

Am I Worthy?

Last night one of the regular attenders of The Gathering asked me if he was worthy enough to be baptized! Carl is an older gentleman with many physical and emotional issues, but he has taught me much these last few months. As evidenced by this question, his heart is right! I asked him if he believed that Jesus was the Son of God and if he was willing to dedicate his life to following him, and he said, "Yes, more and more every day." I told him it would be my great honor to baptize him at any time he was ready.
He has already come so far, even these last few weeks, but he is very afraid of falling back into the sins and habits of his past. I hope to walk beside him in this journey for many weeks to come!
Later that evening, my core team gathered and wanted to discuss if we should keep up the efforts of The Gathering. When I related to them Carl's comments, we all rejoiced and the question was emphatically answered! HALLELUJAH! The world is watching!