The Road Goes Ever On and On

Snow Days

This past Tuesday there was snow in Charlotte.  The day was rich. I quietly woke each of my three kids, one after the other.  I did this on purpose to watch their faces, as wordlessly I opened their blinds.  Irritation gave way to wonder.  Life sparkled in their eyes as they focused on a transformed world. 

It was like watching the Pevensies walk through a wardrobe and find themselves in Narnia. You go to bed with the tired, old familiar world, and wake up in winter wonderland.  It is the closest thing to real magic our world has.

Snow days are so like the grace of God.  In some fundamental way, the kiss of snow on the world transforms not just the world, but you and how you see it.  God's gentle grace is just like that.  It doesn't change your circumstances, it changes you. 

Parenting may suddenly become the greatest privlege and blessing of your life, not just an everyday hassle. You begin to see the people your children are becoming.  Your marriage regains it's spark, not because of something your spouse has done, but because you see them with a new appreciation. And all because God gently changed your heart, your way of seeing and living.

Yes, the same old stuff lies under that blanket of snow:  the mud, the dog droppings, the broken toys.  But somehow, unless the child in you is completely dead, the world still has the power to take your breath away.  No matter how gray the world may be, God works with those whose inner child still lives. (apologies to Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth)

Do I Really Want to be a Pastor?

Poor Rick Warren.  I've read so much controversy surrounding him, you'd think he was a serial killer.  First off, he gets it from the news media because he supported Proposition 8 in California which banned gay marriage.  Not only that, but Richard Cohen in the Washington Post lamented Obama's lack of moral leadership by picking Warren to give the invocation at his inaugural!  Let me get this straight.  The preacher standing for morality is immoral, while those who promote immorality are moral.  Sure sounds like Isaiah 5:20.

Then yesterday I received an unsolicited magazine from a "Christian" organization.  There was an article that really blasted Rick Warren for not being conservative enough.  They targeted his style of building bridges to the culture as wrong; he should just "preach for sinners to repent."   So why did Jesus get crowds of tax collectors and prostitutes following him around?  Maybe because he reached out to them, i.e., built bridges?

Dang!  What is a minister to do nowadays?  It seems to me you'd better have titanium skin, and it better be especially think on your back.  The moment a minister becomes successful, he becomes a target, not just from the rest of the world but from within his own movement as well. 

I'm disturbed by the vitriol against Rick Warren from the news media (check out this example).  Is it a sign that our days of freedom are numbered as conservative Christians?  Will speaking about the dark side of homosexuality be labeled hate speech?  But what bothers me even more are the attacks by preachers against other ministers who are successfully reaching the culture. I feel so saddened and ashamed of the church when I read them; we look so bad.  But my hope is that as messed up as the body of Christ tends to be, somehow we can glorify our Father by reaching the world with the gospel, not preaching our opinions.

Obama Picks Rick Warren to Give Inaugural Invocation

I'm sure you saw the news the past couple of days that Obama asked Southern Baptist pastor Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration this January. Of course Obama also asked Rev. Joseph Lowery to give the benediction.  They pretty much cover the spectrum between conservative and liberal religious belief in America, which is probably why Obama picked them. 

There is so much you could say about Obama asking Warren to pray, but one thing stands out to me; no Billy Graham.  Yes, he is now frail and unable to take part in Obama's inauguration, something he's done many times in his position as spiritual advisor to many presidents.  But it does appear to be a passing of the torch so to speak from one generation of religious leaders to the next. 

From the camp meeting evangelist to purpose driven pastor, it appears that Warren is set to take Billy Graham's place as the figurehead of popular American Christianity.  Whether or not he will have the influence Graham had with several presidents is yet to be seen.  But although I for one will miss seeing Billy Graham in the spotlight, I find comfort in Warren taking his place.  I'm not sure I can think of anyone else who has the recognition and middle-of-the-road appeal that Warren does.

So, what do you think?  Am I reading too much into this?  Who else should Obama have asked?

Praise God for Heretics

One of my favorite bloggers is Seth Godin.  He is one of these guys who seems to be one step ahead of the crowd, anticipating what is coming in terms of cultural change.  He has written several good books on marketing and change, his most recent, Tribes.  For what it's worth, I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to see change in their jobs, businesses, churches or even the world at large.  This book will empower you.

Among the many great observations he makes was one he borrowed from the religious community.  He used the terms of faith, religion and heretic to draw some interesting conclusions on the nature of change and change agents. 

To understand his reasoning, you must first understand the difference he sees between faith and religion.  Faith is the foundational beliefs, the truth that changes lives and gives us direction.  Religion is the institutionalization of the faith.  It is the dogmas, practices and approved activities that are built up around  the faith.  When it helps folks understand and embrace the faith, the religion is good.  The problem with it is that it typically resists change.  When the world around religion changes, the religion doesn't want to.  It tries to engage a world that no longer exists, answering questions no one is asking anymore.  Or it pulls itself away from the culture at large and creates its own sub-culture. 

Enter the heretic.  He embraces the faith, but rejects the religion.  The religion is threatened by him, because the religious equate the religion with the faith.  But the heretic rightly recognizies when the religion has lost touch and is actually hindering the faith.  He offers new ideas, challenging the religion to present the faith in culturally relevant ways.  And  he is persecuted for his efforts.

Godin is writing primarily for the business world, which has its own religious system.  But dang!  He hits the church world squarely on the mark.  This did several things for me.  First, it freed me from bitterness I've held towards churches or denominations that refuse to change.  This is human nature;  we value security over innovation.  It's best not to take it personally.

Second, it helped me to see that change comes when heretics are willing to step up and lead with new ideas, in spite of the persecution the established religion throws at them.  I would go so far as to say no meaningful change can come unless someone is willing to pay the price to see it.  It began with Jesus, it continued with Martin Luther, and continues with those willing to take a risk and see the church become what it needs to be to reach the world.  If that's you, you are in great company.  Praise God for heretics!

When Jesus Brings Offense

I read Mark 6 today during my quiet time.  So much stood out, but one phrase really jarred me.  Verse 3b says ". . . and they took offense at him."  Lest you not catch the enormity of this, Mark is referring to Jesus. 

We don't know exactly who the offended were, but the context indicates they were his neighbors, people who knew him and his family.  Basically, he blew their minds.  The previous verses list their questions.  "Where did he get this wisdom?  How does he do these things?  Isn't this the carpenter's son?"

The previous chapters mention a girl raised from the dead, a demoniac delivered, a withered hand healed (on the sabath no less; how could he lack such decorum), and multitudes following.  Big things, good things are happening.  But they couldn't adjust.  They were stuck.   

Let me bring this home.  We are his family and friends.  We "hang" with him in his hometown (the church).  We get used to how things are.  But what do we do when Jesus shakes things up?  Maybe the worship leader wants to update the music so the young people are more involved.  Maybe the economic downturn is bringing in blue collar families seeking help and comfort.  Maybe the Pastor wants us to reach out to single moms, AIDS victims, or the homeless.  Do we try to hang on to the way things are and take offense, or do we welcome the needed change he wants to bring?  Who does Jesus think he is anyway, trying to change MY church?