Take part in helping with Katrina Relief

I encourage all my fellow bloggers to participate and use their influence to encourage people to participate in helping with the relief effort in AL, LA, and MS. Many of you are pastors, and christian leaders. It is your job to spur your people to come to the aid of those suffering. No matter where you are geographically, you can help. I put a few buttons on the bottom right part of this blog to give you connections about how to help. Lets join together and do what we can...what Jesus would have us do.

What is Really Needed.

I knew this was coming. As soon as I heard that Katrina was going to probably hit New Orleans I could already begin to predict some of the horrible comments that would be made by Christians about it. You know, the comments like, "Well, New Orleans is full of a lot of bad stuff, God just wanted to get their attention and punish them." This statement is akin to Jerry Falwell's unbelievable quote about 9/11 being because of the homosexuals in NYC.

Why do we do this? I say "we", because unfortunately when christians standup and make stupid, insensitive, and judgmental statments like this, they are not only representing themselves, they are misrepresenting the cause of Christ and all who call themselves Christian. It is our charge, I believe, to help correct Christians thinkings on issues like this. It doesn't matter what natural disaster or other catastrophe it is, there have been Christians who use it to say God was trying to punish someone for something. People said the tsunami was a result of the people in southeast asia being Islamic. It makes me sick.

First, these acts are not from God, for he is not the author of evil and pain, rather, they are the result of a world that we live in that is not what it was supposed to be. This world was cursed by our sin, and because of that, it is "groaning to return to its original state". Things like hurricanes, tornadoes, and tsunamis are not God's rod of correction, rather, they are a result of our world being under the cusre of sin and death.

Second, there were too many people who are living in relationship with God that were affected by Katrina, and the other disasters, to say that God was punishing people for their sin. Too many children and innocent bystanders were involved.

Third, it is just not how God works. I know, this might sound arrogant to say that I know how God works. I am not saying that I understand his thoughts and his ways, for I don't, I accept the mystery of him. However, He has revealed himself and part of his character to us through his word and through his Son Jesus Christ. If Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God, what about Jesus and who he is would tell us that God would do something like this? I challenge each of us to read the gospels and see for ourselves what attributes God chose to reveal to us through Jesus, and how they fit with this question. We shouldn't say that God sent a hurricane to New Orleans to punish the city for its sins because it is contrary to what we know of God and his character. Jesus went to the sinners and rather than punishing them, he welcomed them, ate with them, and spoke to them. He stood by the prostitute while the Jewish men had stones to stone her, not defending her in the sense that he was explaining away her sins, but accepting her and helping others to realize their own sins and to no judge.

It totally alludes me how Christians, (especially Christian Leaders), can claim to be a follower of Jesus of Nazareth and make statements like these. THIS IS NOT WHAT IS NEEDED! What is really needed is for us to not use our mouths to condemn, for we ourselves are sinners, but to use our hands to reach out and to comfort the hurting, house the homeless, and feed the hungry. We need to help rebuild the city of New Orleans, not stand over the destruction and say "I told you so". Christ is not in that.

I spent about an hour this morning looking at the videos and the pictures of the devastation in Lousiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It is unbelievable. Thousands and thousands of people are homeless. I am at a loss for words.

Some pics of our recent camping trip are up on the Pics page...enjoy.

A Few Days in the Woods

My wife and I just got done packing the car for a trip to the Smoky Mnt. National Park. We are going to tent camp for a few days. This will be the first time we have tried tent camping with our son Cole. He is only 8 months old. We'll see how it goes.

I am going to take along with me, Thomas Merton's "The Sign of Jonas". I have been wanting to read more of it, but never have had the time. Merton and the woods, sounds like a good fit.

I have been having some thoughts for the last few weeks about a series of posts I want to write. I haven't finished my thoughts on catechism, but I will come back to that. This new series is on the church and its attempts to be relevant to the culture it is in. To give away my thoughts before I go deeper; I believe that God desires for us first to be authentic, and in authenticity, true relevance comes out. More later.

Off to the woods....

The Absent Pastor

In his book, "The Living Reminder", Henri Nouwen talks of the role of the minister in being used to sustain those in his/her care. In this conversation he makes a point that we have forgotten that it is not only important for a pastor to be present at times, but also absent. As ministers, we must practice purposeful absence from people; an absence that is a presence with God. He tells this story:

" My spiritual director at the abbey of the Genesee spent one day a week in a small hermitage on the property of the abbey. I remeber that his absence had a comforting effect on me. I missed his presence and still I felt grateful that he spent a whole day with God alone. I felt supported and strengthened by the knowledge that God was indeed his only concern, that he brought all the concerns of the people he counseled into his intimate relationship with God, and that while he was absent he was, in fact, closer to me than ever."

I wonder why it is that we pastors don't get this. I believe it is our desire to feel needed, indispensible, and useful to people. We must be at every meeting, at everyone's beckoned call. I know that I feel insecure when I hear that someone is sick, or in need, and I haven't been to see them. My feelings are not a desire to be there for them, but "what are people going to think if I don't go see them?", or "will I be seen as needed if I don't step up here?".

I am beginning to learn that the most important thing I can do for my faith community is to make sure I have times of absence from them and presence with God. I have a long way to go in living this out in my life.

Brother Roger killed

Taize's founder stabbed to death
09:27 AEST Wed Aug 17 2005

Brother Roger, one of the 2Oth century's leading ecumenical figures, was stabbed to death by a woman during a service at the Taize community he founded in eastern France, police said.

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Photo Album

To those that are interested, I added a Photo Blog page to this blog. It is to the right, under Photo Album. This will mainly be used for my parents and Tif's parents to see our son Cole. These grandparents have an addiction, and I am their supplier.

Catechism and Church Membership in the Emerging Paradigm

I am presently beginning to prepare for a junior high catechism class beginning in September. Catechism will be something new to this faith community. As a matter of fact, there has been no formal endorsement of any formal catechism in our denomination until recently. I know, I know, this sounds like we are lite on discipleship...well, to my dismay, we have been. There is no excuse for it really. I believe it comes from a misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian and a part of the church. If all it means to be a Christian is to get a ticket to the gold plated afterlife than there is no need to grow in our understanding of following Christ. Also, if conversion is just a sentence or two that we pray, and not a process, than why would you need to involve yourself in a 6 month period of community learning to accept Jesus Christ and his radical view for your life?

So, anyways, because I have been emersed in this thinking; and because I have been thinking about the future of the emerging church; and because I have been becoming more and more convinced that catechism should not be just for junior highers, but for all ages; I am going to make a suggestion to myself and other emergent folk, that catechism should be embraced as the norm for inviting new members into our churches in this postmodern age.

I don't have time right now to further my reasons, but I will post a series of posts to lay my thinking out. This might be hard to accept for evangelical thinkers, for catechism as the vehicle for all church membership has only gotten lip service, and in reality, has been ignored in many places. So...tell me your initial thoughts...and I will return.

Age and Death.

I have been a lazy blogger the last few days. Ministering to a Parish creates busy times in life, but it is a good business. I have been able to be with a family during the death of one of their members. I know this sounds funny, but It is a pleasure for me to be there during those times. I know that death is painful. However, as a pastor, it is during those times that I might get a chance to show Christ's love most effectively. I grieve with them. I pray with them. I comfort them. It is a pleasure to be there.

It has gotten me thinking about the reality of death. The culture we live in does everything to escape this reality. We are a botox, extreme makeover, fountain of youth type of culture. We might not realize this because we are so immersed in our western mindset, but not all cultures treat aging and death the same way. For example, there are many African cultures that see aging as something to be desired. The oldest members of their society are those most envied and respected. Is this a big change from our culture? On the other hand, we do everything we can to make it look as if we are still in our twenties.

I am not sure where I am going with this, but I wonder where the gospel comes in to transform our cultural misconceptions.