Unite

I am 23 years old, which means that I'm half the age of half the people making decisions for our local churches, but it also means that I'm postmodern, not by choice, but because I've grown up in it.  I work at a North Texas church-planting mission organization and I have seen churches come up with more buzzwords than many businesses: missional, emergent, seeker-sensitive, communal, relevant....and I'm not against any of that; these church models are great and they reach different people.  But that's just it: no church can reach everybody - that goes against everything that business marketing experts have known for years and churches are slow to catch on.  Therefore, my idea is that churches would partner together for the sake of the Kingdom.  They need to do what they do, then come together and be collaborative for the sake of the city.  I believe that church leaders should be regularly gathering with other local church leaders, from other denominations too, to get on their knees with their faces in the rug asking God for wisdom and power to carry out His work.  Out of that gathering will come ideas for new directions to outreach and new plans for being the Church in that city.

Here in Dallas, we have some of the biggest churches around.  It seems that the bigger a church gets, the more self-sufficient it gets, and the less it feels like it needs anybody else.  This is counter to the work of the Kingdom.  I had an interesting thought one night: what if God is waiting to bring revival to our land until our local churches are first willing to do what it takes and second capable of discipling the huge numbers that would be coming: young and old, wealthy and poor, the corporate moguls and the drug dealers.  We have to all do our own different ministries, then we have to collaborate together.  That is my idea.

Favorite Moments from The Rescue

If the Greatest Generation sacrificed for war, what will our generation be known as if we sacrifice for PEACE?

If being a voice for the voiceless only requires a few miles' walk, one sleepless night in a park in Uptown with no comfort, and a few video shoots, why are not more people here?

Injustice in northern Uganda is as vile a blight on humanity as injustice in Dallas.  Lord let us be a generation who feels rage and stands up for what is right....everywhere!

• Silent dance party, complete with silent breakdancing
• Meeting so many awesome people: shout-outs to Kyle, Krysten, Kelli, Carmen, Nicole, Dr. Brown, Chelsea, Sarita, Paul, all the volunteers, and more that I can't remember your names!
• The sprinklers coming on closer and closer toward the sleeping crowd
• Running toward the boom camera and everyone falling over
• People honking at us on Woodall Rogers as we walked overhead
• Dance competition between the two boys from Fort Worth
• Ridiculous conversation behind us while George and I are trying to sleep
• Never-ending drizzle on our faces
• Prince of Peace folk praying on our faces for Uganda

And, my favorite:

• Gathering with Dr. Brown's Mighty Men to pray, and suddenly people gathering until well over a hundred people are linked arms praying at once

Coming Together

As I write this I am watching a live broadcast over the Internet of OneCry.  A guy that I knew at UT, Jeremy Story, had a vision.  He and Justin Christopher, another friend of mine, created a ministry at UT  Austin called Campus Renewal Ministries.  They are not a ministry that does direct ministry, they are a ministry that unites the ministries!  At UT they connected all the different campus ministries together, who had different doctrines, different cultural makeups, different focuses, and different goals, and united them....without changing them!  The body of Christ is all different and God has made them all different in order to reach different people and to represent different aspects of him and his church!  At UT they demographically separated UT into hundreds of separate "communities" and all the campus ministries began going out to plant "authentic faith communities" in each so that everyone at UT would have direct contact with true Christians living out their faith publicly.  Once a year they all united in one week-long event called RezWeek that brought in big speakers, big worship bands, and served coffee and had an art gallery and a "free speech wall" right in the middle of campus.  It was a beautiful thing.

Well tonight Jeremy is up in New York City, putting on OneCry.  A bunch of people are gathered in Times Square Church praying and worshipping, but the amazing thing is that it is broadcast live over the internet and people on tons of college campuses all over the nation are gathering together in rooms and apartments to watch.  People are being united for the purpose of repentance, prayer, and worship.  The goal is reconnection with God and revival in our land.  It's very cool.

I live in Dallas.  Dallas is a city of megachurches.  Dallas churches are independent.  Whether large or small, churches in Dallas have an attitude of being self-sufficient and not needing a thing.  They operate on their own, almost in competition with other churches even right across the street.  It's a disgusting attitude that limits the Kingdom of God in this city.  If Dallas churches could come together and worship together, pray together, and be unified in vision and purpose, this city could be changed.

Jesus Pops Up Everywhere

Why does Jesus seem to pop up everywhere?  Why have we associated him with so many things?  We have asked the question: "Jesus, is it at this time that you are going to restore the kingdom to Americans?"

Jesus says, "No.  My kingdom is not of this world.  If my kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm."

The first was teaching evolution in schools.  We attached Jesus to this social issue and hoped that we could legislate Christianity into America.  I am not talking about legislating morality, nobody is questioning that.  What do you think laws prohibiting murder and theft are?  I am talking about legislating Jesus.  It's not that Jesus isn't concerned about teaching evolution or creationism in schools, it's that he isn't fighting the battle.  We are fighting the battle and I think that Jesus wishes we wouldn't involve him in it.  You see, the problem is that the battle of evolution in schools was lost, and Jesus doesn't like to lose.  In fact, he has never lost, and never will.  He always wins, and when we attach him to issues like evolution in school, it looks to the world like he loses.

When Christians lost the battle for evolution, they retreated and bifurcated society.  Visualize an elementary school playground and the battle over the basketball game when one kid gets pushed down.  "Fine!  If you won't play by my rules, I'm taking my ball and going home!"  That mindset is what created things like Christian coffee shops, Christian music, Christian bookstores, Christian TV channels, Christian schools, Christian neckties, and even Christian diet plans.  Unfortunately, the Christian subculture can't decide if they want to separate from the secular world or imitate it.

It's happened over and over again since then.  Abortion, prayer in schools, gay marriage, and so on.  It wouldn't be so bad if Christians won a battle from time to time, but Jesus never promised that - in fact he seemed to say that things were going to get worse.  So what's so bad about fighting for these causes?

Nothing - in fact please do fight for them.  Just don't attach Jesus' reputation to them.  The Bible has a heavy theme of God doing things "for his name's sake."  Check it out - the phrase is all over the Bible, and if you ever highlighted it, it's probably only because your hand kept going past what you were aiming for.  What is God's name?  It's his reputation.  God is extremely concerned about his reputation in the world, because that's how people come to know him - check out Joshua 2:10-11 for an example.  Rahab's response is flipped upside down when Jesus keeps "losing" battles....it's more like "We have heard about how your God can't stop abortion and homosexuality and pornography and evolution.  When we heard about it, our hearts were overjoyed because your God is dead."

Christians don't have to lay over and die.  If the Church were really salt and light in the world, bringing the gospel to many people and teaching them to be disciples rather than simply "in the club," the social issues would naturally follow.  Instead, Christianity has only managed to make itself more irrelevant to the world.

For our battle is not against flesh and blood......

Sources: John 18 and Ephesians 2

Storms

Storms conjure up a certain set of emotions in me.  I count myself fortunate to have had a wide range of experiences, but from time to time I can't shake the dramatic flashing of images in my mind when emotions and memories collide with my present circumstances.

There is a huge storm rolling through north Dallas right now.  The awesome display of water, electricity, and wind is impressive and my eyes struggle to take it all in, trying to frantically dash after elusive lightning strikes, usually over before I can look their way.  God's mighty power is evident.....

Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail?  Who has cleft a channel for the flood, or a way for the thunderbolt?  Has the rain a father?  Can you lift up your voice to the clouds so that an abundance of water will cover you?

Like an uninvited phone call during dinner, my mind suddenly turns to Biloxi, Mississippi.  To anyone who has ever participated in hurricane relief work, a set of images is now forming in your mind.  In an instant, my mind is on Obunga.  To anyone who has ever tried to walk the paths of an African slum during the rainy season, you are now remembering a near-impossible task.  I am thinking of Sam.  To anyone who has been privileged to meet and hold a conversation with a homeless person recently, you are now considering the plight of those with no roof during a cold rainstorm.  And of course, Balcones de Palin leaps into my thoughts like a cold dagger.  To anyone who has nearly perished in a flash flood in a foreign country or known the death that a storm brings to people in a community with no flood control, you are now sitting soberly valuing your life.

What is man, that you remember him?  Or the son of man that you are concerned about him?  You have appointed him over the works of your hands, you have put all things in subjection under his feet.  But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

We have not yet inherited the earth.  We do not yet control the elements or have authority over the things of this world.  But Jesus Christ went first, suffering death in order to taste death for everyone.  He is our brother in this world, having experienced what we experience, in order that he might help us in our time of need.  And he has gone before us as the pioneer, declaring that he now has all authority on heaven and on earth.  He will free those who are in slavery to the fear of death and someday welcome us into the same authority over heaven and earth.

Though now we see suffering and death, though now we languish in hopelessness at the oppressive and destructive systems of this world, though we feel lonely and abandoned, one day we will take all authority on heaven and on earth as the rightful heirs of the creation.  It is the free gift of God because he loves us.

Sources: Job 38 and Hebrews 2

Omar Al-Bashir

As important as the economic crisis is around the world, another crisis situation took place recently.  It made front page news, but has since disappeared and I fear that we will not hear another word.  Omar Al-Bashir, the President of the Sudan regime that has been committing genocide and war crimes for years in Darfur, finally has a warrant for his arrest from the International Criminal Court.  The warrant stopped short of mentioning war crimes, but it is a start toward bringing this heinous man to justice.

Unfortunately, if this is the first step, it is more analogous to the first step of a baby.  It is likely to take a few more, then falter.  The ICC has no legitimate power to serve a warrant - it must rely on individuals to either turn themselves in or be found and taken into custody by somebody else's army.  And sadly, while the world is discussing what to do about this warrant, Omar Al-Bashir made the decision to freeze several of the largest humanitarian aid groups in his country.  Oxfam, for one, serves 600,000 people.

From here, there are two options.  One, internationally condemn the arrest warrant and plead with Sudan to re-instate the NGOs.  Two, internationally condemn Al-Bashir and bring him to justice.  Before his election, President Barack Obama had an exemplary track record on genocide.  Now we will see how he does.

More Quotes

My own design: optimized for an 8.5x14 print, cheap at Kinko's.

Neil Cole, author of The Organic Church:

"As leaders and organizations, we have bought into a theology of SAFE:

(S)elf-preservation = mission

(A)voidance of the world/risk = wisdom

(F)inancial security = responsible faith

(E)ducation = maturity

Instead of seeking to be 'safe,' Christians need a theology of DEATH:

(D)ie daily to who you are

(E)mpowerment of others is our life

(A)cceptance of risk is normative

(T)heology is not just knowledge, it is practice

(H)old on to Christ, open your hands for all else."

Frederick Buechner:

"The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet."

Aristotle:

"Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy."