sentience

Day #2 Fellowship of Presbyterians Covenanting Conference

2012-01-19T15:28:00.002-06:00

John Ortberg told us this morning that, while he's relatively new to the Presbyterian Church, he thinks it has been a long time since we've dreamed. Perhaps it takes a converted Baptist - someone joining us from beyond the ranks of the predestined - to help us see ourselves better.

The Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO, not ECOOP) is an attempt to begin dreaming again, to imagine a movement - more than an institution - that is "in love with the church that Jesus started," as Ortberg put it. He said that our current denomination is dying from "internal strife and external irrelevance." ECO hopes to create an environment of 'high trust and low control.'ECO and the Fellowship of Presbyterians have the singular purpose to "build flourishing churches that make disciples of Jesus Christ."

ECO is the name for the new Reformed body that the Fellowship of Presbyterians is attempting to birth tomorrow evening. The Fellowship of Presbyterians will stay in place as a connecting organization but ECO will be a separate and distinct Reformed body which churches can join when they leave the PCUSA. It's unclear to me still, if churches that do not wish to leave the PCUSA can also formally affiliate with ECO. It sounded to me today like ECO is only for those who want to be part of a completely new denomination (albeit with close relationship and working partnerships, where conscience allows, with the PCUSA).

Clear Lake Presbyterian Church is not alone here. There are plenty of congregations represented who, like us, are not feeling any immediate need to disaffiliate with the PCUSA. But there are some here who are very anxious to depart. In fact, they are not sure they can wait around much longer for the ECO to take shape. They may need to choose another existing denomination instead.

I love these people here. The vision being cast is compelling. I want to make disciples of Jesus Christ. I want to lead my congregation in taking the wildly-alive Gospel to our neighbors and our world. Practically speaking, for us, I think that has very little to do with the denominational name on our church sign but everything to do with who lives in our hearts.

Orlando - Fellowship of Presbyterians

2012-01-18T20:48:00.004-06:00

I will try to post some comments here about my experience with the Fellowship of Presbyterians Covenanting Conference in Orlando, Florida. You can learn more about the Fellowship of Presbyterians at http://www.fellowship-pres.org/. Basically this is a group of Presbyterians who share varying degrees of concern about the state of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Some are hopp'n mad about our denomination and are convinced, not without reason, that it has abandoned core essentials of the Christian faith. Others simply have a concern that our denomination lacks vision and structure relevant for today's world - the world we actually live in. (If you're keeping score, I probably fall more into the second kind of concern than the first.)

On the way down here I listened to a podcast of Rob Bell's December 18 farewell address to Mars Hill church. (It's a better listen than a read, by the way.) I was intrigued by this part of Rob's letter in light of this Covenanting Conference I'm attending. Rob writes...

i write this to you because of how many of you have been challenged about your participation in the life of this church, often with the accusation: but what do they believe over there at mars hill?

as if belief, getting the words right, is the highest form of faith.
Jesus came to give us life. a living, breathing, throbbing, pulsating blow your hair back/tingle your spine/roll the windows down and drive fast/experience of God right here, right now.

word taking on flesh and blood.

and so you've found yourself defending and explaining and trying to find the words for your experience which is fundamentally about a reality that is beyond and more than words.

so when you find yourselves tied up in knots, having long discussions about who believes what, a bit like dogs doing that sniff circle when they meet on the sidewalk, do this:

take out a cup
and some bread
and put it in the middle of the table,
and say a prayer and examine yourselves
and then make sure everybody's rent is paid and there's food in their fridge and clothes on their backs
and then invite everybody to say 'yes' to the resurrected Christ with whatever 'yes' they can muster in the moment and then you take that bread and you dip it in that cup in the ancient/future hope and trust that there is a new creation bursting forth right here right now and then together taste that new life and liberation and forgiveness and as you look those people in the eyes gathered around that table from all walks of life and you see the new humanity, sinners saved by grace, beggars who have found bread showing the others beggars where they found it and in that moment
space
place
remind yourselves that
this
is
what
you
believe.

remember, the movement is word to flesh.
beware of those who will take the flesh and want to turn it back into words

Bell seems to delight in tip-toeing right up to the line of orthodoxy and then deliberately trampling over it. However, I can't help but wonder if there's some appropriate caution for us here as we carry on about what ails the PCUSA - as we respond to challenges about our "participation in the life of this church, often with the accusation: but what do they actually believe over there...?" It's not that I think doctrine and orthodoxy do not matter matter. They do. But they matter only because of the One to whom we belong. It's easy for me to forget that I am not my own. It's easy to forget that I, and my church, and my denomination, have been bought at a price and that Jesus did the purchasing, not me (1 Cor 6:19-20). His blood does the owning, not mine. I don't keep the church, the church keeps me.

100%

2011-10-21T07:29:00.002-05:00

The 'Occupy' movement is gaining momentum by attracting self-proclaimed 1%ers who think they should be taxed more. (Check out tumblr.) Meanwhile, the NBA lockout continues with players and owners arguing about how they can make more money.

Same planet. Two different worlds.

New and Improved?

2011-10-13T17:15:00.002-05:00

A generous life flows from a contented life.

Think about it. What keeps you and me from being generous? It's the restlessness, fear, or worry that what we are giving away might result in missing something we think we need. Put another way, generosity is stifled when I am more focused on the thing(s) I lack than on the abundance I possess.

Capitalism, which drives our society, survives on its ability to create need. We're not taught to be greedy. (We all know that would be wrong.) But we are taught that we would be more fulfilled, happier, more efficient, or have a better family life if we had just one more thing. Excess is not cool today. In fact, it's despised. What is cool is upgrading. Upgrading sounds responsible and reasonable. But the 'upgrade' is always predicated on convincing us that the thing we have now is somehow lacking or out of date. It's last year's model, the clunkier operating system, the lower resolution display, the less fuel efficient model.

Perhaps the apostle Paul's words to Timothy some 2,000 plus years ago are not so out-of-date. Paul insists there is richness and wealth apart from the restless desire for the upgrade. Rather, abundance is found in contentment. Paul says, "but godliness with contentment is great gain… if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." (1Timothy 6:6, 8)

In this year's stewardship journey we'll discover that contentment is grounded in gratitude, revealed in prayer, and lived in faith. For three weeks we'll study Paul's timeless advice in 1Timothy 6:6-19. This series is for anyone who wants to escape the rat race of desire. It's for anyone who longs to live in the wide-open freedom of lavish generosity.

The last Word to Live By of the Ten Commandments is a word about Contentment. It provides the perfect launch point for this three week adventure beginning the last weekend in October. I encourage you to join us for every step along the way.

Song for "10 Words to Live By"

2011-08-29T16:07:00.003-05:00

Here are the lyrics for the song we're learning during this series. Start practicing. I can't wait to hear you!

Number one, we’ve just begun, God should be first in your life.
Number two’s the idol rule: those graven images aren’t nice.
Number three, God’s name should be never spoken in jest.
Number four, the Sabbath’s for our worship and for rest.
Number five, we all should strive to honor father and mother.
Number six, don’t get your kicks from killing one another.
Number seven, life is heaven when you’re true to your mate.
Number eight, don’t steal and break this rule for goodness sake!
Number nine, don’t be the kind who goes around telling lies.
Number ten, don’t covet when you see your neighbor’s house or wife.
That’s the list and God insists we stay away from these sins;
That is why we memorize commandments one thru ten.

~ Words & Music by Kathie Hill and Janet McMahan

"Allegiance" message follow-up

2011-08-28T21:07:00.002-05:00

We're off to a great start in our study on the 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments are God's curriculum for living as truly free people. These are words to live by!

Here are the two quotes I used at the end of the message today. The first is attributed to C.S. Lewis:

"When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving toward the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased."

The last quote is John Wesley's Covenant Prayer. It appears in the Methodist Hymnal (I did not use the last phrase):

"I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,
Exalted for thee or brought low by thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen."

Lastly, be sure to check out my friend's website that has all the study materials for this series (10 Words to Live By). Greg is a special friend of mine and a great Bible scholar. You'll find lots of material to enrich your personal study.

(Tomorrow I'll post the lyrics to the 10 Commandments song that we're singing each week. You may even get a YouTube video out of me. Who knows!?)

I Don't Want to Be Thin

2011-08-22T10:33:00.003-05:00

Ever since I began trying to lose a few pounds using the iPhone "Lose-It" app, I've been thinking about our culture's obsession with thin.

In our world, thinner is better.

How do you know the iPhone 4 is better than the iPhone 3? It's thinner. Same with the iPad 2. It's clearly superior because it's thinner than the original iPad. New TV's are better than older TV's because they're thinner. Same goes with computer laptops. We want thinner electronics, appliances, kitchen gadgets, and camping gear because thinner is better.

Or is it?

Our culture's obsession with thin also begs us to live thinly. The "thinner is better" myth stretches our schedules and flattens our lives. We are losing weight and getting thinner but can anyone see us when we turn sideways? Do our lives count for anything that really matters?

In contrast to our thin-obsessed culture, the Scripture invites us to live thick with purpose and meaning. The Apostle Paul invites us to stop "wasting away" (2 Cor 4:16) and begin preparing for "an eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor 4:17).

The Ten Commandments of the Old Testament are a kind of weight-gaining program for life. More than being a mere list of things to not do, the Ten Commandments are live-giving words by which we can learn to really live. Starting this weekend (August 27-28) I'll be leading us through a 10-week series on these "Ten Words to Live By." My hope and prayer is that we'll all gain some weight ("weight of glory") as we make these words our own.

Check out clpc.org for more information.

Throwing Stones at Casey

2011-07-07T18:10:00.001-05:00

USA Today reports that Judge Belvin Perry will sentence Casey Antony today at 9:00 a.m. Her conviction is for lying to police, not for murdering her daughter. The majority of the nation would very much like to have had the latter. Over the last several months we have become experts in the psychology of the criminal mind and are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that she is guilty. So if the jury and Judge Perry won't do it, we will – we will do the sentencing. Some have taken this more literally than others. Only moments after her acquittal, Antony began receiving death threats. NBA basketball star Vince Carter offered advice on his Twitter account that Casey "might want to move out of Florida like ASAP!!!" We just can't grasp how in the world this lying, conniving, and self-centered young woman can get off so easy.

Casey reminds me of another woman discovered clearly in her guilt. She was brought before the jury and tried for her crime – only this time they got the verdict right. But when it came time for sentencing, a different ethic ruled. A woman caught in adultery deserved to be stoned to death. But Jesus invited the one without sin to go first. One by one her accusers dropped their stones and walked away leaving Jesus alone with the guilty woman. "Neither do I condemn you," Jesus said; "go, and from now on sin no more" (John 8:11).

I started this blog in the morning and by now we all know that Casey will stay in jail until next Wednesday. Conversation on the TV news and at the company water cooler is all about what she'll do when she gets out. Perhaps we could use the time between now and next Wednesday to pray for Casey and to interject a different voice to these conversations. Perhaps we could talk about a God who offers grace and forgiveness no matter how big the crime and who invites his followers to do the same.

Our Citizenship

2011-06-23T09:49:00.002-05:00

Here's a touching story from Kay Warren to reflect on as we celebrate our Nation's independence this July:

Heading home to California … a friend and I passed through the Dallas–Fort Worth airport. On the way to the connecting gate, we heard loud patriotic music playing and saw a group, mostly women, wearing colorful hats, cheering, and waving American flags. The troops were coming home, and here was their welcoming committee.

Two women encouraged us to grab flags and join in. We were early for our next flight, so we took places in the makeshift greeting line. At first, a few soldiers just dribbled by. We whooped and waved our flags furiously. Then the pace picked up as dozens of men and women in uniform came barreling through. We kept repeating: "Welcome home! We're glad you're back! We appreciate you!" Some soldiers wiped away tears, while others displayed huge, self-conscious smiles...

After 45 minutes, it was time to catch our flight. We hugged the organizers and thanked the vets who had come to honor this generation of soldiers. As we sank into our seats for the flight, we felt humbled by participating in this sweet moment of coming home. It was impossible not to draw the obvious spiritual parallels. These men and women had taken oaths of faithfulness and service. They had fought courageously, lived with deprivation, danger, and disease, and took unbelievable risks, all for the good of our nation.

But as great as America is, it is a temporary place. No nation lives forever. As believers in Christ, we are all soldiers in the Lord's army. We, too, take oaths of fidelity, sacrifice, and service. Our oaths of allegiance are to a kingdom that shall never end—a country where there is never a mistake in leadership, where justice flows down like a river, where poverty, disease, terror, hunger, and greed hold no power.

Scripture teaches us about the welcome and rewards we will receive when our battle on earth is over. Artists, writers, and theologians have all taken stabs at imagining what those moments of heavenly welcome will look like. … That afternoon … we were visualizing the very moment when we would step into eternity.

As my friend Elizabeth and I looked at each other, the same thought crossed our minds. Through misty eyes, she said, "If I get there first, I'll be on your welcoming committee. I'll be jumping up and down, screaming, 'You made it! I'm so proud of you!'"

I laughed and said, "Oh, you're not going to beat me. I'll be there before you. I'm older. I'll be at the head of the line to greet you!" In that moment, heaven was more real than the smell of the stale coffee in our foam cups.

What I'm really wondering about is this: Will we be surprised at who gets the biggest welcome? I'm not coveting more high-fives, but I am dimly aware of something so profound and holy that I can barely put it into words.

All of us fight unseen battles every day, each believer a secret soldier locked in battle with forces no one else can see. The bravest among us are not necessarily those who fight with guns or tanks. The bravest person you know might be your husband or wife or neighbor or coworker who goes on living one more day when every bone in his or her body says it's no use...http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

How much could we lighten the load for another just by telling him how brave we think he is? Oh, to be so merciful with fellow soldiers fighting their personal, hidden wars.

Best of all, how much better when we bring undisclosed struggles into community, where victories can be celebrated together, great losses mourned together, and where whoops of encouragement can provide even the most weary soldier the courage it takes to keep on keeping on, one more day.

Kay's husband is Rick Warren, the senior pastor of Saddleback Community Church in California. She shared this story in a 5-28-09 article on www.christianitytoday.com. May we all cherish and celebrate our earthly and heavenly citizenship well this Fourth of July.

ESV Bibles in the Pews

2011-06-01T17:12:00.002-05:00

CLPC has new bibles in our pews. Several months ago the session and I began exploring replacing our New International Version (NIV) bibles with the English Standard Version (ESV). There are many fine bible versions on the market today and our corporate study of the scripture is enhanced by using a variety of translations. With that said, here are a few reasons why the session concurred with my recommendation to update our pew bibles.

First, the ESV, first published in 2001, takes a more literal approach to translation than the NIV. While the NIV seeks to translate thought-for-thought, the ESV translates the original Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) more closely word-for-word. An essentially literal translation, like the ESV, allows students of the scripture to draw conclusions independent of the bias of the translators. For instance, in Romans chapter eight the NIV translators consistently use the English phrase "sinful nature" to translate the single Greek word sarx,which literally means "flesh." While the NIV draws the interpretive conclusion that sarx (flesh) means "sinful nature," the ESV allows readers to draw their own conclusions by translating the word as simply "flesh."

Secondly, the ESV cleans up some of the unnecessary male gender bias reflected in the NIV. For instance, compare the way each bible version translates 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

(NIV) ¹²If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, ¹³his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. ¹⁴If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

(ESV)¹²Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— ¹³each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

At other points, the ESV intentionally maintains the male language of the original languages so the reader, again, is invited to take Scripture on its own terms rather than depending on the assumptions of the translators.

Lastly, the ESV is widely available in a variety of platforms and study bible formats. You can easily find the ESV for your iPhone, iPad, smart phone and Kindle. The ESV Study Bible (which I personally use on my Kindle) is a solid resource for bible students.

You can find other resources and read more about the translation philosophy of the ESV on their website at www.esv.org.

Houston Chronicle Ad

2011-05-25T21:01:00.002-05:00

If I were going to pay $8,000-$12,000^* for a half page ad in the Houston Chronicle I think I'd want to talk about something else; like maybe the hundreds of people suffering tonight in Joplin in the wake of this nation's deadliest tornado in 50 years; or those still recovering in Arkansas; or Haiti; or Japan. I think I'd use my advertising power to communicate a different kind of message to a world, that sadly, cares less and less what the church has to say about anything let alone what the latest revision to our church constitution is.

I'm not very proud tonight to be a Houstonian Presbyterian follower of Jesus Christ. I may just stay home tomorrow and hope than none of my non-church going friends read the newspaper today. How in the world is that newspaper ad a conversation starter about the good news of Jesus Christ?

I'm not very proud tonight be a conservative evangelical follower of Jesus Christ. The real kicker is, I agree theologically with the Layman. I agree that God's design for human sexual intimacy is in the context of a lifelong covenant of marriage between a man and woman. I believe that our culture is tremendously confused when it comes to what constitutes good and beautiful sexual relationships. I believe there are a myriad of ways sin leads us away from God's good and beautiful design. And I believe that Jesus Christ purchased redemption from each and every one of those ways on the cross.

But I would much rather others be confused about my stance on homosexuality than that they would be confused about my love for Jesus Christ. In fact, I really don't think God is sitting in heaven right now wringing his hands over lifelong monogamous relationships just because they happen to be homosexual. I gotta believe there are other concerns topping God's list. Perhaps one of them is how irrelevant the world perceives the church? Perhaps one of them is why the church is squabbling using the world's language of power and politics rather than communicating with the language of love, mercy and grace?

"All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give."

^*I have no idea how much the Layman paid for the ad. I just read on "Yahoo! Answers" somewhere that a half-page ad in the Sun Times is about $9,000.

little hassles and eternal glory

2011-05-21T23:04:00.004-05:00

All I wanted to do was pick up my laundry and head home for lunch.

Simple. Right?

It wasn't until I was parked in front of Don's Cleaners that I realized I had used the last check in the checkbook yesterday for my haircut. 'No problem,' I thought, 'I'll just run over to the ATM and pick up some cash.' (My wallet was empty too and Don does not take plastic.) I get to the ATM and the guy in front of me is doing his semi-annual banking. When he was finally finished and it was my turn, the ATM didn't work anymore. I tried to get my $20 but whatever the guy in front of me had done broke the ATM!!! How does that even happen??? 'No problem,' I told myself again. 'I'll just go inside to the teller and get my cash,' except there's only one teller and the couple in front me is from some business and their transactions are also taking forever! Finally, the teller from the drive through came over and at last I got my Andrew Jackson.

Then it was back to the cleaners.

I picked up my laundry.

By now I'm twenty minutes past when I told my wife I'd be home for lunch.

As I was driving home, now thoroughly irritated my mind flashed to the passage I'd read this morning: "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory." (2 Corinthians 4:17). Now, I'm pretty sure that Paul is talking about things bigger than empty checkbooks and mal-functioning ATM's. But what if it includes this stuff? What if in the minor irritations and little hassles of the day God is actually preparing us for an eternal weight of glory? What if what seem to us like moments of disruption and chaos in our day are really God-events training our spiritual beings for eternity?

Youth Sunday Bragging

2011-05-15T16:10:00.002-05:00

May I brag for a moment about my congregation? Today was Clear Lake Presbyterian Church's annual "Youth Sunday." This is the weekend that youth take over and lead all the parts of the worship service. This includes the call to worship, offering, sermon, and of course, the music. I have to admit, I always sort of hold my breath when it comes to youth Sunday, especially at our traditional 11:15 worship service. Our 11:15 worshippers are used to organ, choir, hymns, and clergy robes. But on youth Sunday they get drums, guitar praise choruses, and jeans!

Once again, my congregation proved no reason to hold my breath. When the youth band started into their second song ("Marvelous Light" by Charlie Hall) I could hear the eighty-five year old gentleman behind me singing along. It was obvious he'd never heard the song before – but he was sure giving it his best shot, singing as loud as he knew how; "Your love it beckons deeply, a call to come and die. By grace now I will come And take this life, take your life…"

I began to weep.

The more he sang the more I could not.

I was too choked up.

You see, somewhere lodged deep in the DNA of the oldest members of this precious congregation is an awareness that faith is to be passed on. Our faith in Christ only makes sense if it is given away to the next generation just like it was given away to us. Our oldest members are pleased to have teenagers leading worship because they recognize in these kids' newfangled songs and unfamiliar music is the same old familiar gospel. Faith is being passed on. It's taking root. Jesus is changing lives. Still. And that's something worth bragging about.

FAQ Regarding Yesterday's Vote in the PCUSA

2011-05-11T15:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a FAQ sheet distributed by the Presbytery of New Covenant regarding the change to our denomination's constitution:

Frequently Asked Questions
The Change in Ordination Standards of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

1. How is the change in ordination standards happening?
It appears likely that during the week of May 8 a majority of the 173 presbyteries will have approved a change in language for ordination standards recommended by The General Assembly in 2010. In all, since the General Assembly meeting, 55% of the total number of commissioners voting in presbyteries is approving the amendment.

2. Specifically, what language is being changed?
The following old language will be replaced by new language:
Those who are called to office in the church are to lead a life in obedience to Scripture and in conformity to the historic confessional standards of the church. Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman (W‐4.9001), or chastity in singleness. Persons refusing to repent of any self‐acknowledged practice which the confessions call sin shall not be ordained and/or installed as deacons, elders, or ministers of the Word and Sacrament.
The new language (Amendment 10-A):
Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G‐1.0000). The governing body responsible for ordination and/or installation (G.14.0240; G‐ 14.0450) shall examine each candidate’s calling, gifts, preparation, and suitability for the responsibilities of office. The examination shall include, but not be limited to, a determination of the candidate’s ability and commitment to fulfill all requirements as expressed in the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W‐4.4003). Governing bodies shall be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying standards to individual candidates.

3. What does the change in ordination standards mean?
The ordination standards have changed from “living in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” to “joyfully submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.” This removes a national standard categorically prohibiting the ordination of persons in sexual relationships outside of marriage between a man and a woman.

4. What does the change in ordination standards represent?
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has shifted the authority for applying its ordination standards from the national level to the local presbytery and session level. This represents a de-centralization of the church and puts more discernment in the hands of people at the local level.

5. May congregations now ordain people who are openly gay?
The previous standards were never based on a person’s orientation, but on their behavior. The new standards do not list specific behaviors that automatically exclude someone for consideration for ordination. Each examining body is responsible to look at all possible factors to determine if someone is being called into ordained ministry.

6. Specifically, what was changed?
The primary change is the removal of language requiring those ordained “to live either in fidelity in the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness.” It also adds language referring to obedience to Christ, and indicates that fidelity to church standards is judged case by case by the examining body.

7. What practical changes will we see?
If pastors, elders, and deacons who are ordained in one area move to another location, they shall be examined by that ordaining body before being able to take up their office. That body may choose to apply ordination standards differently from the officer’s previous body.

8. Is the ordination of sexually active gays and lesbians mandated?
No, it is not required, but it is no longer prohibited by specific Constitutional language.

9. Will a congregation be required to change anything?
A congregation cannot be forced to ordain or receive pastors or elders or deacons of whom they do not approve. The congregation retains the right to determine who will serve as officers.

10. May a congregation continue to consider sexual activity outside marriage between a man and a woman as impermissible for its officers?
Yes, as long as the application is on a case by case basis. The authority for ordaining elders and deacons is fully vested in the local congregation. The new language calls the ordaining body to be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying ordination standards to individual candidates.

11. May a congregation or presbytery now ordain or install a sexually active homosexual?
Yes, if after a thorough examination, the congregation or presbytery believes the person to be called by God to serve as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament, elder or deacon and not to be living in violation of the church’s ordination standard, its Confessions, or Scripture.

12. Does the new language give candidates who are sexually active outside the covenant of marriage between a woman and a man the “right” to be ordained?
Nobody has a “right” to be ordained. Ordination is based on a sense of God’s call as confirmed by the ordaining body.

13. May a presbytery continue to function with the standard of “fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” when examining candidates for ordination?
Yes, as long as the application is on a case by case basis. The new language calls the ordaining body to be guided by Scripture and the confessions in applying ordination standards to each candidate.

14. Is a presbytery required to receive, by transfer of membership, an ordained sexually active gay or lesbian minister?
No, each presbytery determines which ministers to receive into its membership.

15. May questions about a candidate’s sexuality be asked or are such questions forbidden?
All questions are allowed during an examination. The acknowledgment of being sexually active outside the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman does not automatically disqualify a person from being ordained.

16. Is a congregation required to call a pastor who is openly gay or lesbian?
No.

Changes in the PCUSA

2011-04-28T21:52:00.003-05:00

Sometime this month the newspapers will be reporting on an important change to the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Amendment 10-A replaces language that to this point expressly excluded from ordination those sexually active outside the covenant of marriage. Whereas the previous constitutional standard for ordination was “living faithfully within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness” the new language calls for “joyfully submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life.” The amendment seeks to broaden the call for obedience beyond the arena of sexuality and to allow individual ordaining bodies greater freedom in interpreting specific standards.

As for Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, nothing much will change in our life and ministry because of this. We’ll continue to reach out into our community with the good news of Jesus Christ, inviting others into personal relationship with him, seeking corporately and individually to grow in Christ’s grace and Lordship as we visibly demonstrate the Kingdom of God.

In my own preaching and teaching, I will continue to affirm God’s design for human sexual intimacy within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. And, even more important, I will continue to preach and teach God’s amazing forgiveness and life-changing grace which free us from all kinds of sexual anarchy.

Undoubtedly, some sessions and Presbyteries will welcome this constitutional change as opportunity to ordain practicing gays and lesbians. However, it is important to understand that the new wording actually underscores the right and responsibility of each ordaining body to thoughtfully and prayerfully examine every candidate for ordination. This means CLPC has autonomy to define and maintain our particular standards according to Scripture for ordained pastors, elders, and deacons.

I welcome your comments and questions here and for others to join in on the conversation. In subsequent posts I will offer some more thoughts and resources on the topic.

End of Lent

2011-04-23T20:30:00.002-05:00

Well, Lenten experiment of ironing my own shirts and praying for the countries on the tags has ended. Next week I'll start taking my shirts to the cleaners... whew!

The experiment has been interesting. I had no idea that my clothing came from so many places around the world. And I couldn't help but think about what a luxury it is for me to even have the option of having someone else wash and iron my shirts. I would sort of grouse to myself every time the stack of clean un-ironed shirts started piling up. It felt like such an inconvenience to have to break out the iron and ironing board... Until I remembered that surely most of the people making the shirts I whining about would not have that option.

As you'll recall, part of my commitment was to save up the money I would have normally spent on laundering and give it away. I had imagined giving it to some particular ministry in one of the countries of my shirts. I haven't exactly decided where to send my meager contribution (I'm open to suggestions!) but I am intrigued by Kelsey Timmerman's blog. Kelsey is the author of a book entitled "Where Am I Wearing" in which he chronicles his travels to the countries where his clothes were made.

Thanks to all of you who are following my blog. I really am trying to do a better job of keeping it up! Stay tuned for some posts about the upcoming change to the PCUSA's Book of Order regarding ordination standards.

Join the "Rat Race"

2011-03-30T10:01:00.002-05:00

Our North American culture is a "context of persistent denial of grace" (Peterson) and sadly the church is often the biggest culprit. As I was driving this morning I passed a large electronic marquee in front of a church that read: "Hard work brings prosperity and success." This is the North American gospel, isn't it? "Join the rat race!" Is that the best we can offer? Never mind the implication that if you are poor or homeless you are basically lazy. How about Jesus followers offering some alternative definition for what constitutes "prosperity and success?" Anyone care for a cross instead?

Swimming by Grace

2011-03-29T09:51:00.005-05:00

In his recent work Practice Resurrection, Eugene Peterson captures a wonderful analogy about the relationship between the believer in Christ and grace. He borrows the analogy from William Stafford's book on creative writing (William Stafford, Writing the Australian Crawl [Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1978], pp. 23-25).

Stafford observed that any reasonable person who looks at water [grace], and passes a hand through it, can see that it would not hold a person up.... But swimmers [followers of Jesus] know that if they relax on the water [grace] it will prove to be miraculously buoyant; and writers [followers of Jesus] know that a succession of little strokes on the material nearest them - without any prejudgments about the specific gravity of the topic or the reasonableness of their expectations -will result in creative progress [growing up in Christ: maturity]. Writers are persons who write; swimmers [believers] are ... persons who relax in the water, let their heads go down, and reach out with ease and confidence.... Just as the swimmer [believer] does not have a succession of handholds hidden in the water, but instead simply sweeps that yielding medium and finds it hurrying him along, so the swimmer and writer [follower of Jesus] passes his attention through what is at hand, and is propelled by a medium [grace] too thin and all-pervasive for the perceptions of nonbelievers who try to stay on the bank and fathom his accomplishment. (Kindle loc. 1070)

This is helpful because most of us tend to treat grace as something of a commodity dispensed by God to the believer through faith, rather than a realm in which we live (abide) through faith. Peterson calls for a "willed passivity" in order to embrace grace. "Faith in Christ is an act of abandoning the shores of self, where we think we know where we stand and where if we just try hard enough we can be in control. Faith in Christ is a plunge into grace." (Kindle loc. 1081).

Lenten Ironing #2

2011-03-25T09:55:00.002-05:00

Sorry, guys, this isn't too exciting so far. I ironed Honduras, two Egypts and then a shirt I didn't iron on the first go-round. This one is from a country called "Maubitius." Never heard of it. A Google search turned up "Mauritius" which makes me wonder if the tag on the shirt is misspelled. I need to do some more research.

As I was ironing this morning and thinking about how *inconvenient* this is, I found myself wondering about the lives of the people who make the shirts that I wear. I wonder what inconvenience looks like for them?

Lenten Ironing - Session #1

2011-03-09T21:52:00.008-06:00

If my shirts look a little wrinkled over the next several weeks, here's why. I decided after Pastor Rachel's sermon series on Amos to iron my own shirts during Lent. (Usually I just drop my shirts off at the dry-cleaners and a few days later, voilà! - they're washed and neatly pressed.) I'm combining my desire to slow down during Lent with the hope of learning more about the "vulnerable" in our world. So as I iron each shirt I'll take a peek at the tag and see what country it was made in. I'll make my ironing time prayer time for each of those countries.

I decided to get started last night after the Ash Wednesday service. (If I didn't start right away I could easily let this one slide.) So here's what I discovered.

The eight shirts I ironed were made in six different countries. The green dress shirt was from Egypt. (Egypt was easy to pray for since it was in the news recently... at least until the titillating street fighting subsided.) But then came the brown shirt from Indonesia, the green striped one from Sri Lanka and the orange checkered shirt from Malaysia. I'm embarrassed to say I only know vaguely where these country are on the map. The last two countries, Korea and China, were obviously more familiar. But, I had no idea my meager wardrobe was so international!

As I pray my way through Lent, ironing and asking God for more of his heart for the world, I'll keep you posted on my blog. Perhaps you'll want to also share how God is leading you this Lenten season.

It's about the training (not the trying)

2011-02-28T18:59:00.004-06:00

For any college basketball fan this month means “March Madness”! On March 15 sixty-eight college basketball teams will begin their quest for a National Championship. This year’s “Final Four” will be played right here in Houston.

Of course no one knows yet for sure who will be in the Final Four, but I do have a prediction. (In fact, if I were a betting man I’d be willing to put money on it!) I predict every Final Four team will know how to practice. Raw talent, strategy and a bit of ‘luck’ will come into play, but each team appearing at Houston’s Final Four will be deeply committed to rigorous practice. Relentless practice enables each player to perform naturally and easily in the field of play.

The church season of Lent is all about practice. During Lent we practice our way toward the cross and in doing so take on the life of Christ for ourselves. During Lent we practice the ‘small’ things like prayer, fasting, reading Scripture in order to become champions in Christ.

As Lent begins, we are again encouraging everyone to join a “Lent in the Living Room” group. This year’s all church study will be The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith. This first book in a series of three introduces the concept of soul training exercises which are ways you and I practice our way into new life in Christ. To complement the Good and Beautiful Life study, we’ll be studying the book of Ephesians during worship. As we dig into the epistle we’ll see Paul untangling false narratives about our relationship with God. Ephesians invites us into a life of soul practice as we “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [we] have been called.” (Ephesians 4:1) Lastly, Ephesians presents a compelling view of the community in Christ called the church.

So, stretch your arms and legs, put on those warm-ups and get ready to practice! Lent begins with Ash Wednesday worship on March 9.

Facebook instead

2011-02-16T08:25:00.002-06:00

I've decided I'm more of a Facebook guy than I am a blogger guy. I'll still keep this blog active and will post to it from time to time. When I do, I'll be sure and add a link at the bottom of my emails to let you know in case you'd like to see what I've written.

What I've realized, aside from the time involved in keeping a blog effectively updated, is that philosophically I'm more interested in sharing my person than I am my thoughts. I know those two things are closely related. But I do think one of the fascinating things about Facebook is the ability to understand more of who a person is. Obviously, it's just as easy to "pose" on Facebook as it is in real life. But Facebook at least gives the ability to share more dimensions of person's life.

Besides, in another year or two Facebook will be so 10's and we'll be on to something else. That's okay. Jesus will still be the same, right?

Fear of Life's Final Moments

2010-10-14T18:51:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I preached on "Fear of Life's Final Moments," borrowing the title from chapter 10 of Max Lucado's book Fearless. You can find a link to the message here.

Toward the end of the message I quote from a book by longtime missionary to India, Amy Carmichael. While the quoted passage is from the Gold Chord, I also commend to your reading A Chance to Die. Amy Carmichael once described missionary life as 'a chance to die.' Elisabeth Elliot borrows that phrase for the title of her biography of Ms. Carmichael.

Earthly Good

2010-07-28T07:26:00.003-05:00

You've heard the expression "he's so heavenly minded that he's no earthly good." Yesterday as I was praying through the third petition of the Lord's Prayer ('your will be done on earth as in heaven') a different kind of prayer came to mind: "Lord make me so very heavenly minded that I am of great earthly good."

This is what Jesus talks about when he says the kingdom of heaven is at hand. God's kingdom life is immediately available to you and me here on earth - and extends into eternity. But the kingdom life in Jesus Christ isn't some sort of private head/soul trip. Rather it's living in the cross-hairs where earthly and heavenly realities intersect. It was precisely in Jesus' heavenly mindedness that the sick were healed, the lame walked, the blind saw, the hungry fed, and prisoners were set free.

John Wooden

2010-06-06T15:42:00.005-05:00

Here's the poem that John Wooden reads in the piece I showed in worship today. It seems that it was written by a former player of Wooden's.

Yonder
by Swen Nader:

Once I was afraid of dying,
terrified of ever-lying,
petrified of leaving family, home and friends.

Thoughts of absence from my dear ones,
brought a melancholy tear once,
and a dredful fear of when life ends.

But those days are long behind me,
fear of leaving does not bind me,
and departure does not hold a single care.

Peace does comfort as I ponder,
a reunion in the yonder,
with my dearest one who is waiting for me there

Another of Nater's poems in honor of his coach is called Beyond The Basketball. I especially appreciate the closing lines of the poem referring to "The Teacher" (capital "T"). I can't help but wonder if he has in mind another teacher whom disciples called Rabbi. When our lives are lived in service of the Kingdom in the name of the master teacher of life, whatever we do has lasting consequence beyond the thing itself.

Beyond the grand Pavilion,
Where Bruin banners span,
Beyond the accolades, I learned
To be a champion man.

Far beyond material,
Or book on any shelf,
Beyond the break, the pass or play,
I learned about myself.

Beyond the fundamentals,
Or how to work the task,
Beyond the "how," I learned the "why"
And learned to think and ask.

Beyond the Bruin uniform,
Beyond the Blue and Gold,
I gained a pride in who I am,
That lasts until I'm old.

And far beyond instruction,
Beyond the hardwood class,
Beyond the game and all the tests,
Beyond the fail or pass,

The Teacher loved me, so he coached
Beyond gymnasium wall.
I thank my God, The Teacher taught,
Beyond the basketball

the Gift of Listen

2010-04-13T20:41:00.003-05:00

Since graduating from seminary 18 years ago (whew!) a handful of my classmates and I have met every year as a "covenant group." We take turns playing host and typically spend about four days together. Again, we've been doing this every year for the past 18. Pretty amazing, I think. We've experimented with various formats and content. We've critiqued one another's sermons, studied books together, and have met with mentor pastors and church leaders around the country. But from the very beginning one staple of our time together has been the "hot seat." No matter what format our covenant group takes on a given year it always includes a "hot seat" for each of us.

We take turns putting the focus of our attention one person at a time and we listen. We listen to what's going in our jobs, with our kids, and in our marriages. The focus stays exclusively on that one person until the group decides we're done.

What makes the "hot seat" such a great gift is that my friends' listening isn't just polite head nods and occasional clarifying statements ("what I hear you saying is…"). I mean they do that too. But their listening more real. It's the kind of listening that plunges between the words and peels back your soul. When I'm in the "hot seat" they know when to listen in silence while I ramble around to the deeper truth of my own words. But they also know when to listen to me with their own words. (Sometimes they talk at me a lot when I'm in the "hot seat.") But oddly enough, I need that kind of listening too. I guess it's the artful dance between listening in silence and listening with words that makes the gift of listen meaningful.

Uncertain times, really?

2010-03-29T10:28:00.003-05:00

Saturday night a couple hundred folks gathered to pray for those in our community impacted by the upcoming changes at NASA. The news reports say as many as 7,000 people in our area could lose their jobs. Add to that a sagging economy, health care reform and a just all the personal stuff people are facing these days and you get a feeling of insecurity. It's hard to predict what the future holds for us. What will happen to our economy, our churches, our schools, and our families if things continue the way they seem headed now? Will we have jobs? More importantly, those who have given their lives to human space flight are wondering even if they have a "job" will it be for anything that remotely matters. Questions abound. Uncertainty looms.

As I was praying Saturday night for all of us facing these "uncertain times" I had a startling revelation: Isn't all our time uncertain?

James 4:13-14 pokes at our well intentioned plans for the future and reminds us that all of life is a mist.

Perhaps God has us living in such a time of overt uncertainty to remind us that all of life is uncertain except for the life which we find in our sovereign and loving God?

I'm not going to give up planning for and working toward the future. I don't think James is asking us to sit on our hands and just let life happen. But I do think he's inviting us to hold our illusions of certainty in an open hand before a God who is the only one we can really count on for sure.

What good is a prayer - or even 500 of them???

2010-03-19T16:18:00.005-05:00

The "Friendly Atheist" wonders what good our praying for the NASA community will do? (see blog "How Should We React to Their Prayers.") My atheist friend isn't going to boycott our right to pray and he won't confront anyone face to face with the futility of our praying, but it does make him want to laugh. If I read him correctly, the "Friendly Atheist" would rather we do something that might actually do some good and save jobs.

The "Friendly Atheist" is well of aware of studies that people who are prayed for often "get better" but, according to him, this is due to no more than the person being cared for by another. "But the people doing the praying aren’t thinking that. We know that. They think a god is going to act on their prayers. That’s just silly." (How Should We React to Their Prayers?)

Oh, I LOVE that!! "That's just silly..." "They think a god is going to act on their prayers."

Yup, Mr. "Friendly Atheist" that's exactly what we think happens when the people of God pray.

God acts.

Stuff happens.

Lives change.

And yes, it is silly... just silly amazing to be a part of.

Daylight Saving Time

2010-03-13T21:27:00.004-06:00

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a relatively new thing for us native Hoosiers. All the time growing up we were one of the few states in the Union who did not spring forward or fall back each year. Just a couple of years ago (2007, I believe) Indiana finally joined the rest of the nation with DST. So, even though I've been a Texan now for almost two years there's still considerable confusion in our house when it comes this time of year. Oh, well. Hopefully all the clocks are set correctly tonight as I go to bed and I won't be late (or would it be early??) for church tomorrow!

Ten Commandments

2010-03-08T07:58:00.002-06:00

Several people after worship yesterday asked if I would pass along the Texan/Cowboy version of the Ten Commandments I used in yesterday's message. You Saturday night worshippers didn't get this version either. So, enjoy!

1. Just one God.
2. Honor yer Ma & Pa.
3. No telling tales or gossipin'.
4. Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
5. Put nothin' before God.
6. No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
7. No killin'.
8. Watch yer mouth
9. Don't take what ain't yers.
10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

(...and to give credit where credit is due, I lifted this from an old blog of Rev. Matt Tittle.)

Bad Things

2009-11-04T15:09:00.005-06:00

I just think sometimes we jump too easily to “human choice” and “evil exists” as explanations for why bad things happen without fully considering the implications of what such a belief means about God and the world we live in.

It’s certainly not very comforting or helpful to tell the person who has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer that this is really a “gift from God.” It’s not helpful to tell the person who has just lost a child in an automobile accident that “this was really God’s will... God has a plan.” Truth is, God weeps and aches for the pain and brokenness we experience and God weeps over the pain we inflict on others. And yet if human choice or random evil is the only explanation we have for why bad things happen, then what we are really saying is that we live in a universe that is in large part out of God’s control.

It’s one sort of problem to wonder what kind of a God might cause such awful things as murder, hurricanes, and cancer. But the alternative is a God who sits on his hands and just lets random stuff happen – a clockmaker God who winds up the machine and lets the world spin out of control and only occasionally intervenes. True, we don't believe God is passive all the time. We think that God is in charge lots of the time, or at least some of the time. But is it really any better to have a God who lapses in and out of involvement in the world?

I think the problem is that we believe God is far more impotent than God really is. We’d rather take the world on our own and deal with our “own” problems and just consult God when we get in a pinch. It cramps our style to bow to a God of the universe who is completely sovereign, wholly loving, and ultimately beyond human understanding.

Kingly Identity

2009-10-20T15:11:00.004-05:00

I've been drawn to the story in the paper the last few days about a nurse's aid from Pennsylvania recently crowned king of a small country in Africa. Can you believe it?! One day you're taking orders from a boss, punching a time clock and the next day you're a king! You can read the full story here, but the parallel to the Christian story is remarkable.

Philippians 2 talks about Jesus "being in very nature God" but gave that all up to become a human servant. In other words, Jesus relinquished his rights to the Throne of the Universe to become a human servant of others. The Jesus story of Philippians 2 ends with Jesus re-assuming his rightful royal position but having left an example for us to follow. Paul put it this way, "do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves... your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:3-5)

The Jesus Way is full of upside down logic like this. Jesus says if you want to find yourself, you need to lose yourself. He says the last shall be first. In the Jesus Way the servant way is the kingly way.

Perhaps if I lived with a clearer inner assurance of my true identity as a royal heir of Jesus' kingdom I wouldn't feel so compelled to pound the table and demand my rights. Perhaps if I lived in the daily reality that I am a child of the King, I wouldn't complain so much when I don't get my way.

I suppose it won't be long until Charles Wesley Mumbere's story becomes a Disney movie. And when it does, I'll probably be one of the first in line. In the meantime, I resolve to live more kingly myself - right here in my real life now.

just a fad???

2009-10-02T11:08:00.010-05:00

A friend of mine posted this video on his Twitter account today. As an immigrant to the digital world, I continually struggle to speak the language of social media which is native to my children. While I am grateful for the stabilizing influence the church can, and perhaps should, exercise within a dynamically shifting culture, there seems to be a disconnect between the burgeoning world just outside our door and the kinds of conversations we have within. For the last several weeks I've received angry comment cards from a beloved church member about why I still haven't capitalized the word "god" on my "if god twittered" sermon series PowerPoint slides. Before that it was an outcry week after week over why we were using the words "sin and sinners" in the Lord's Prayer rather than "debts and debtors." No wonder the church is increasingly irrelevant to people who haven't grown up within it. Why does the church always seem to be about five steps behind in the conversation?

Director of Young Family Ministries

2009-09-21T12:42:00.012-05:00

Another "Josh" is joining our staff team! Just days after securing Josh Young (the husband of our new Associate Pastor) as our Director of Student Ministries, I am pleased to announce Josh Trahan as our Director of Young Family Ministries.

This hire brings to a close a year of transition following Kim Corson's departure in order to pursue PhD. studies at Texas Tech. In the interim, Shannan McFarlane energetically and creatively served as our Interim Director of Children and Family Ministry.

Josh and his wife Courtney have four children ages six, five, three and two. They hail originally from Pensacola, Florida but have spent the last few years in North Carolina where Josh recently completed his Master of Divinity at Campbell University Divinity School.

He is a great match for Clear Lake Presbyterian Church as Josh's desire is to serve a congregation that is "Christ centered, biblically based, and outreach focused." Sounds like us, eh!?

Tim Tam Slam (aka T2Slam)

2009-09-15T15:24:00.005-05:00

When I was at Fuller Seminary several weeks ago for one of my Doctor of Ministry classes (my final class, actually!) I met several pastors from Australia. One of the Aussies introduced us to the "Tim Tam Slam." You can do a Google or YouTube search for more information. However, the T2Slam involves biting the ends off of a chocolate wafer cookie (Tim Tam - available only in Australia) and then sucking hot coffee or hot chocolate into the cookie like a straw. As soon as the liquid comes through the cookie you slam the wafer into your mouth before it dissolves. When you do, there's a veritable explosion of flavor in your mouth. (Well, not really, but it sounds more appealing if I put it that way.)

So, this Aussie woman who taught us the Tim Tam Slam sent me two boxes of cookies to use with the church staff. Today was the day. We all did the T2Slam before our staff meeting and devotions. What a hoot!

Can't wait to welcome our new staff members, Rachel and Josh. Maybe I'll have to get some pix of them doing the Tim Tam Slam!!

Real Beauty

2009-08-13T18:59:00.003-05:00

The highlight of my day was visiting an elderly home-bound member of our congregation. Her body was crippled and her speech slow from a stroke, or a series of strokes, years ago. Her mind, however, was sharp and crisp.

Scattered throughout this tiny apartment in the assisted living facility she calls home were pictures of children, grandchildren, and of her beloved husband Bill. It's been more than nine years since he passed away - nine years since she was held in his arms. They were married in 1946 when she was just a freshmen in college.

It was the way she talked about him now, in the present, that struck me. She kept saying over and over "Oh, how I love Bill... I love Bill so much."

In my world obsessed with appearance and in a culture that idolizes youth, I saw real beauty today in the life of this woman. Thank you Sarah for that gift.

Great Airports of the World...not

2009-08-04T20:23:00.006-05:00

“Great Airports of the World is not a book that you’ll find on anyone’s coffee table,” Reggie McNeal said yesterday.

I’m at Fuller Seminary taking a class called “Missional Leadership” with Reggie McNeal as part of my Doctor of Ministry degree program. Yesterday Reggie was talking about how the shift between being an internally verses externally focused church is all about the destination.

Airports are not doing their job when airplanes and people are trapped in the terminal. After all, no one hops on a plane to take a trip to an airport! We use airports to get to the places we want to work, play or meet certain people. That’s why no one will ever make one of those fancy coffee table picture books called Great Airports of the World. Airports are not the destination.

In a “church-centric” (vs. “kingdom-centric”) view of the Christian life, the institutional church is understood as the destination. In this view, the objective is to see how many people we can get to come to our church. And so we create programs and jazz up worship to attract the crowd. A kingdom-centric view of the Christian life understands that God is establishing a kingdom on earth and God is using the church to accomplish it. As others have said, “The church does not have a mission. The mission has the church.”

A friend of mine at our church said to me the other day. “Steve, I used to think the point was to try and get people into our church. Now I think the point is to get people out of our church!” My friend Josh isn’t looking to get rid of cantankerous church members. Rather, he understands that the church is in the service of our great missionary God who has a mission to bless and redeem the world God loves.

Can't drink enough coffee

2009-06-29T09:02:00.008-05:00

I'm having one of those mornings when I can't seem to drink enough coffee. My mind feels groggy and my body slow. I keep pumping caffeine in hopes that more synapses will connect. (Which means this probably isn't a great time to be blogging to the world. Who knows what I might end up writing!?)

Memorized Scripture works a similar sort of wonder on the synapses of my soul. Memorizing Bible passages doesn't come easy to me and my personal catalog of mentally accessible Scripture remains painfully thin. However, I can't deny the effect that Scriptural java has on my being. When my soul is groggy, confused or fearful, pumping Colossians 3 or Hebrews 12 (my java du jour) into the veins of my spirit has a way of bringing me to life. Drawing from memorized passages like these (passages, more than just singular random verses) quickens me to another reality in a way that just reading them from the Book does not. Routinely drinking in old favorites like Psalm 23 and the Lord's Prayer feeds my dependence on the Jesus life.

Here's to waking up and smelling the coffee! (My deepest apologies to all you tea drinkers out there...)

Spiritual formation looks like this

2009-06-10T16:02:00.006-05:00

Here's the video we showed in worship last Sunday.
(Click here: God's Chisel)

How is this like or unlike what you experience in relationship with God?

Why it hurts

2009-06-08T14:08:00.011-05:00

I just got back from Makenzie Stocker's funeral... it's funny how that word "funeral" sticks on my fingers as I type. The service was more of a worship event than it was like any sort of "funeral" I've been to before.

For those who don't know, Makenzie Stocker was a promising young ballerina (18 years old) who died in a car accident last Wednesday night. (She's the granddaughter of our choir director and the daughter of a new and dear friend to me personally.) More than a promising dancer, however, Kenzie was a beautiful daughter of God and unashamed follower of Jesus Christ.

One of the things that struck me today (in addition to the hundreds upon hundreds that attended the service) was a quote shared by one of Makenzie's teachers during his 'remembrance.' It's from C.S. Lewis' Four Loves:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

One of the things that troubles me at funerals is all of the curious platitudes we slip off to one another in an effort to avoid the brokenness of our hearts. And then we don't stop at that - we start putting the same words on the lips of God such that he becomes a sort of numb and distant deity who doesn't really have a clue about what life down here is like.

Nothing could be farther than the truth.

I'm glad that the same creator and sustainer of the universe of which Paul speaks in Colossians 1:15-20 is the same One who joins the uncontrollable sobbing outside the tomb of his friend Lazarus (John 11). Ours is a God who loves and in doing so has become vulnerable.

Perhaps in our effort to "get over" grief and help others do the same, we race past a God who would weep along with us in the brokenness of his own heart?

Thanks Lutheran South Academy teacher, whoever you were, for allowing me permission to stand in the mess of my grief and in doing so to be met by God.

Dealing with Guilt

2009-04-08T15:56:00.001-05:00

Speaking of guilt... Have a look at this video.

Canine Apologies

2009-03-31T17:51:00.004-05:00

I'm really sorry I haven't blogged for a while. The longer I went without blogging the more pressure I felt to have something profound to say once I actually did blog... but the profundity never came. That is until the other night when I was tossing my dog ice cubes.

Doogle (the dog) loves ice cubes. Anytime he hears me rustling in the freezer he comes running for an ice cube. On command (he has me well trained) I tossed him one. Only this time I missed. It was just a bad toss. He deftly compensated for my error and caught the ice cube. And I said, "Sorry Doogle."

My 14 year old son was watching the whole thing. "Dad," he said, "do you ever wonder why we tell our dog 'sorry?'" I was caught. Busted. Apologizing to a canine.

Which brings me back to my original apology for not blogging in a while... Am I really? Sorry, that is. Or is that just the polite thing to say? Surely an apology can never be out of order, can it? Even if it is an apology to a dog?

The Houston Chronicle ran a story this morning entitled "Remorseful note near League City hit & run victim." 34-year old Maurice Jones was found dead Sunday morning after an apparent hit & run. Next to the victim was an 'I'm sorry' note left by driver. "If you hit somebody's car you apologize, but when you kill a person that's a totally different story," said the mother of the victim.

For Christians next week marks the culmination of the season we call Lent. Lent is a time of personal and corporate reflection about the things we are sorry for. On Good Friday I'll stare at the cross and ponder my own guilt for another man's death.

I wonder what I'll say...?

Elvis is dead, but Billy Graham is not

2009-02-02T19:55:00.004-06:00

Okay, in my message this week at the 11:15 service I made mention of the "late" Billy Graham. Strangely, at the previous two worship services (Saturday night and Sunday morning) I never said anything like that. Why I suddenly couldn't remember if Billy Graham was actually still with us, I really don't know! I think I just panicked... Sorry. I am grateful for those who gently pointed out my error. For the rest, you'll be glad to know I have carefully researched the matter and Billy Graham is very much still alive.

For those who were interested in the John Piper quote. It comes from his book Hunger for God (Crossway, 1997) pp. 14-15. I have not read the book, but apparently you can download it here. I think I might just have to check it out!

A book I have recently finished which is worth your time is Darrell Guder's Missional Church. The book is ten years old and was among those I've thought I should read "someday." I'm sorry I waited. "Missional" is all the buzz these days. Missional Church is the work that got everyone thinking.

Turkey Day Football Frenzy

2008-11-28T09:12:00.009-06:00

Eleven total gathered at 8:00 a.m. Thanksgiving Day for what I am sure will grow to become a cherished CLPC holiday tradition - the first annual Turkey Day Football Frenzy. (Actually, I just made that name up. Hopefully someone else will have a better one.) Thanks Josh S. for organizing the event - even though everyone who showed up was greatly surprised to learn that you were out of town!! We had a great time. I don't know about any of the other 40+ guys this morning, but I ache in places I didn't know I had...

Intimacy Gone Wild

2008-10-30T13:07:00.004-05:00

Recently our church hosted a mini-weekend on relationships called Intimacy Gone Wild. Our speakers were Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn, authors of "For Women Only" and "For Men Only," among others.

I don't know about you, but there was stuff Shaunti and Jeff said during the mini-weekend that pegged me perfectly. Like the bit about how Shaunti would put books about relationships on Jeff's nightstand only to see them pile up unread and gather dust. Guilty as charged.

However, I appreciated Jeff and Shaunti debunking the myth that women are good at relationships and men are not. The truth is both women and men hunger to connect and we both find ourselves lacking. This is part of the wildness of true intimacy though, right? Intimacy that is worth anything is fraught with risk, danger, and adventure. Unfortunately, too many relationships settle for "good enough."

"Good enough" was never God's design for human intimacy. God made us for the kind of wild intimacy found within God's tri-unity of relationship (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Take a look at the storyline of the Bible and you'll see the interplay between the three persons of the Trinity is filled with creative depth, risk, adventure and love.

I don't want an "okay" marriage, or "pretty good" friends. I want a marriage and friendships that are wild with God's intimacy and goodness.

B-ball

2008-10-09T21:31:00.002-05:00

It sure was fun playing basketball tonight. But dang, my body aches!

A Video

2008-09-28T18:01:00.004-05:00

Thanks youth and adults from one of the CLPC work crews for letting me use your mugs in my video! These guys worked really hard and blessed a number of people with their efforts.

2008-09-26T10:53:00.010-05:00

Today I'm thinking about how hurricanes come in all shapes and sizes... Thankfully, our house all but completely escaped permanent damage from Ike. We had the usual tree limbs and brush in our yard. And we were without electricity for about a week. But in the end, it was not that big of a deal.

A few weeks before, another hurricane of sorts blew through my life. Preaching Sunday morning I found myself unable to concentrate on the words in front of me. After fumbling for a short time I invited the choir to go on without me and sing a few hymns. Just then, a thoughtful and gracious church member sprung out of her pew and whisked me off to the hospital ER. It could have been a stroke, a TIA, or some sort of neurological disorder. I spent two nights in the hospital and endured a battery of tests only to discover that what I've been experiencing is the somewhat rare condition of pain free migraines. I get all the common symptoms, but never get the throbbing head-ache. Weird huh? Hurricane blew through... I experienced a few loose branches, but in the end the house was secure.

I've been reading Jesus' "Talk on the Mount" (Matthew 5-7) every day. On most days, when I can find a quiet, out of the way corner in the house, I've been reading Jesus' Talk out loud. It's amazing what I pick up when I allow myself to hear Jesus' words rather than just reading them in my head. I've been struck with two things. First, there's a persistent repetitive promise that the Heavenly Father will give us what we need. He knows what we need and gives it to us freely and continually. He doesn't give us stones when we ask for bread. We ask the Heavenly Father and we receive. We knock, the Heavenly Father answers. The other part of Jesus' talk that keeps after me is this stuff about doing and practicing Jesus' words. He starts his talk with it and ends it there. 'Anyone who keeps these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called great in the kingdom...' And then in Jesus' conclusion he talks about the wise person who 'hears these words... and puts them into practice...' Jesus says this person will be like a person in a hurricane (my word) whose house doesn't blow over.

My physical house didn't receive any real damage from Hurricane Ike. My physical body seems to be pretty well in tact following my hurranical (is that a word?) Sunday episode that landed me in the hospital. But I've gotta confess. Hurricanes mess with my life! They blow again the house of my heart and their winds beat against the walls of my soul. But if Jesus is right, there's a way of making my life in his Way that will stand up to hurricanes. A Way that will not only bless me, but will bless my family, my neighbors and the world I live in.

So, I'm giving it a 'go.' I'm strapping on my sandals and am trying to follow as close as I can in the dust of Jesus' path.

Disclaimer

2008-09-03T16:02:00.003-05:00

On Sunday I talked about five "do's and don'ts of relational conflict" using Joshua 22 as a case study. My premise was that if we apply these practices to conflicts in our families, workplaces and church, God will show up. We and those we interact with will be blessed.

But here's a disclaimer. It doesn't always work.

The Israelite tribes on the west side of the Jordan were able to successfully resolve their conflict with the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (I love that, by the way… the "half-tribe."). I identified five principles of conflict resolution from the passage:

DON'T draw your sword. (vv. 9-12). In other words, be patient in conflict. Don't go to battle right away like the Israelites were ready to do against their eastern brothers. Assume a posture of 'relaxed concern' that honors the seriousness of the matter while not becoming embroiled in it.
DO talk directly to the person(s) involved. (vv. 13-14). Jesus prescribes this approach in Matthew 18:15-16. It's never helpful take your problems to other people while avoiding the one with whom you are in conflict. Triangulation is poisonous to healthy relationships.
DON'T accuse (vv. 15-18). Assume a posture of inquiry rather than accusation. Rather than saying "how could you do such a thing!?" Say "help me better understand what you meant when you said or did such and such…"
DO offer possible solutions (vv. 19-20). Relationships get tense and out of whack when people feel trapped, threatened and out of options.
DON'T respond defensively (vv. 21-22). The Gadites, Ruebenites and half-tribe of Manasseh don't immediately defend their actions. Beautifully, they first place themselves in a posture of submission to God and humility toward their sister and brother Israelites. They are genuinely open to learning more about how they may have offended God or betrayed others.

The disclaimer is that these principles only work in relatively healthy relationships where there is a mutual commitment to one another's deepest good. It does not work when one side is committed more deeply to dominance. The above principles do not work, for instance, for a spouse trapped in an abusive relationship. In this sort of poisonous climate, asking your spouse yet again to "help you understand…" or offering possible solutions, will only be an invitation to hear that you always get it wrong and will never understand. If you are in a verbally or physically abusive relationship it is entirely appropriate (and wise) to seek the counsel of a godly third party without consulting your abuser.

Bay Area Turning Point (http://www.bayareaturningpoint.org/) is a wonderful resource in our community if you find yourself in such a situation.

Scripture Memory

2008-08-04T11:49:00.003-05:00

After this week’s message perhaps some of you we’re encouraged to step up a notch (or start for the first time) your Scripture memory. Maybe this is a place we could share with one another what works and give suggestions.

I suggested beginning with Psalm 23. This is one of those passages that most people have a pretty good feel for but don’t actually have memorized. If you’re new at this whole deal, make sure that you’re memorizing Scripture from a readable translation. The Bibles in the pews at our church (http://www.clpc.org/) are the New International Version (NIV). On the continuum between readability and literal translation, NIV falls more to the readable. On the literal translation end, the New American Standard Bible is very hard to beat. Striking a balance between literal and readable are the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) and the New King James version. The NRSV is also a translation that uses gender inclusive language for humanity.

After choosing a good translation, I often type the passage I’m memorizing. Of course, repeating the passage out loud, over and over, is a good practice. For a while I carried a small pocket size Bible in my car that I could whip out while waiting in traffic or at a stoplight. Be sure to practice you Scripture memory out loud with a friend or family member. It’s one thing to have it memorized ‘to yourself.’ It’s another to be able to recite it out loud in front of another person – that’s when I know I really have it down.

Here’s my last suggestion. Use those awake at night times as an opportunity to work on Scripture memory rather than watching TV or checking your email. There’s nothing better than falling asleep with the life-giving words of Scripture bouncing off the walls of your brain!

What works for you?

Finally...

2008-05-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

Finally, I've entered the outer space called blogging. The most difficult part of setting up this blog for me was deciding on a name. I thought about putting something elemental like "thoughts from Steve," or "Steve's blog." But then I had the brilliant idea to see what the word of the day was on dictionary.com. 'Sentient'... never heard of it... You either? Well, here you go:

sentient \SEN-shee-uhnt; -tee-; -shuhnt\, adjective:
1. Capable of perceiving by the senses; conscious.
2. Experiencing sensation or feeling.

Sentience seems like the perfect name for a blog in a world where experience has become the arbiter of truth. I make no promise of profundity here. Just reflections on what I'm thinking, experiencing, and sensing in my small corner of the universe.