What is the Bible?

What is the Bible?

Through the course of my life, I have adopted and lived out many different beliefs and world views. Several I left unarticulated. I had not yet claimed what I was living. I am excited to lift to the surface one such belief by exploring my understanding of the Bible. The Bible is God’s eternal presence, and love in written form with the purpose of making new creations in us and help us to enter into the kingdom of God now and yet to come. This statement will be broken down into its parts so as to explain how I come to this conclusion.

The Bible is the Word, Jesus. I take seriously that the explanation given in The Gospel of John of just what Jesus is, the Word made flesh.[1] I then see the Bible as an extension of Jesus. It is the continuation of Jesus’ incarnational ministry in our lives.

Fowler points out that the incarnation has lead to a theological understanding of Scripture through a Christological analogy. "Confession that Christ has two natures, human and divine, Scripture is taken to be both human and divine".[2] The human audiences and cultural practices dictate the need to understand the historical or human aspect. For example, I have no firsthand knowledge of what it means to produce wine or crops. Thus when Jesus tells a parable about seeds or using farming imagery I need to research what these practices are to catch crucial points that Jesus is making. This background is not a goal in and of itself, but a support to understanding what God is saying through the Word. The primary precept of the Bible will always rest in it being God’s holy Word. As a result God’s presence is in and with the Bible as we read, interpret, and teach.

The Bible is eternal. In thinking about the Bible as being God’s Word that brings about creation, as seen in Genesis, and is God incarnate, Jesus, then I arrive at the conclusion that the Bible is eternal as God is. This is supported by Jesus’ claim “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”.[3]

As eternal, the Bible then is the universal history as well as alive today. While the text may follow specific people, or culture, the Bible is God’s universal story. This story is really about God and the reconciliation of the world and God. The constant invitation within the Bible, and beyond, are a call to come into relationship with God, and be reconciled to our Creator. As a result, I have developed the practice of reading, praying and reflecting on passages before I ever look at any commentary, or historical research, because God is still speaking today through the Word.

The Bible, as a result of the relentless reconciliation, is God’s love. As a result of God’s love poured out in the Son, we see love for all. It is in this love that we see God more clearly as the triune God who wishes a relationship with us.

"If one has a grasp of what God's Ultimate desires for us are and how Scripture fits into God's plans ultimately to bring those desires to fruition, then theological interpretation will need to be closely tied both to our proper end in God". [4]

The Bible is part of the missio Dei, as it explains how God is “putting forth the power of his spirit to bring the universal work of Christ for the salvation of the world nearer to its completion”.[5] As we read the Bible, God’s love reconciles us and invites us to enter the kingdom of God.

The Bible has many characteristics, but one that I find most fascinating is the diversity present within the text. “The original texts that comprise the Bible were written by a variety of human authors (known and unknown) in diverse historical, linguistic, and cultural settings".[6] This diversity in the literary genres, settings, and linguistics. Literary diversity includes many genres: letters, genealogies, apocalyptic, wisdom, legal codes, laments, proverbs, songs, sermons, epistles, discourse, narrative and more. Historical settings vary over thousands of years, distant lands, like Egypt and Rome, situations like battles, famines, and exile. We see the focus on those in power and slaves. Diverse linguistics in the Bible includes Hebrew, Greek, and other spoken languages like Aramaic. This diversity indeed makes the Bible unique.

In the end we can see that many things make the Bible a special, unique text. Its diversity is one of the characteristics that draw our attention. Ultimately as we read the text and become new creations, the Word becomes more than just a book. It is holy.

Bibliography

1) Fowl, Stephen E. Theological Interpretation of Scripture. Eugene: Cascade Books, 2009.

2) Newbigin, Lesslie. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission. Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978.

---

[1] John 1:1-2, 14 NRSV

[2] Stephen E. Fowl. Theological Interpretation of Scripture. (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2009), 2.

[3] Matthew 24: 35 NRSV

[4] Stephen E. Fowl. Theological Interpretation of Scripture. (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2009), XI.

[5] Lesslie Newbigin. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids: William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978), 60.

[6] Stephen E. Fowl. Theological Interpretation of Scripture. (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2009), 2.

Missio Dei

It is not our Mission. This may seem self evident, but it is hard for us to truly accept as we strive for control over all that is in our world. We want to have control over our money, our schedules, and our relationships. We want control over our God. It is at this point in which we try to control mission in Church. Not to glorify God, but to command where and what we are called to. Through our struggles, through our failure, we become humbled to finally confess that we are not in control. “That the mission is not ours but God’s.”[1]

We are part of God’s mission. We are sent people, but we must remember that is because of Jesus’ death and resurrection that we are sent to bear witness that the reign of God is and draws near.[2] It is through this act and the nature of our triune God that we are forgiven and invited to enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus was sent so that we might know God. It is then through the apostolic people, the sinful community, that God has chosen to continue to reveal this open secret of the cross.[3] We are then called as apostles to witness to and enter into the kingdom of God. We are only able to do this as a result of Jesus’ work to reconcile us to God through the cross. Our God is a triune God whom desires relationship with us. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the sacrifice of Jesus, and the grace of God we participate in the Missio Dei through spiritual disciplines, Christian community, and social holiness.

Spiritual practices are one vehicle of reconciliation with to God. Through these disciplines we can become more of a disciple and focus our lives toward God. John Wesley dedicated himself to various spiritual disciplines throughout his life. He created groups to delve into spiritual matters. He rigorously pursued sanctification throughout his college years and beyond, and became known as a Methodist because of his strict methods. [4]

While disciplined in his study, service, and prayer, Wesley never felt justified to God. He tried to earn his justification through his strict methods.[5] I have felt the same pressure to earn God’s grace though acts of piety. As Wesley did, I wanted to sanctify myself through works. The Moravians came into Wesley’s life and gave him a glimpse of what it was to be reconciled to God. “Moravians” have passed through in my life also, demonstrating relationship with God that I have failed to enter fully. It was not until the Holy Spirit opened Wesley’s heart to accept God’s grace at Aldersgate that he finally could submit and realize he was justified.[6] We have been commissioned by God “to bring the forgiveness of God to actual men and women in their concrete situations in the only way that it can be done so long as we are in the flesh-by the word and act and gesture of another human being.”[7] Free grace and forgiveness are the hardest to accept for me, which is why I need Christian brothers and sisters.

Christian community is a gift from God. It is in our fellow brothers and sisters that we experience the physical presence of God.[8] The powerful implications of this let us offer Christ to one another. Not a human love, but a spiritual love. This love is strong enough to love enemies and loves others not for their sake, but for Christ’s.[9] This love helps us avoid seeking our own justification. “The Christian no longer lives of himself, by his own claims and his own justification, but by God’s claims and God’s justification”.[10] Our justification and reconciliation are not our own, but are given freely through Christ. “Christ opened up the way to God and to our brother”.[11] Fellow Christians bring the message of salvation so that we become reconciled and accept the grace that God has already given us.[12] It is through Christian community that we are able to move beyond ourselves.

Through spiritual disciplines my relationship with God will be strengthened. At this point, true Christian community will become available as it will be easier to see Christ in the brothers and sisters we encounter. There may be moments when this is revealed to me, but never has it permeated my whole heart. With the support of community, through accountability, class meetings, small groups, and regularly engaging in spiritual disciplines I have already seen my relationship with God growing. This is a continual journey of becoming reconciled to truly accept God’s grace and to know I am justified in the Lord’s sight.

There are hindrances to forming a community like this that I have experienced such as wish dreams and domination by the strong.[13] These idealistic wish dreams of Christian community can lead us to try and make Christian community what we want or imagine it to be. The domination of the strong is at expense of the weak, and as a result excludes Christ from the community.[14] These hindrances have been at the forefront of most Christian communities I have been a part of.

In and beyond college I have had many different ministry experiences within church communities. These worshiping communities have demolished and formed my ideas of what it means to be the Body of Christ. These experiences have spurred tension for me as I contemplated what it means to be the Body while ministering in Baptist, United Methodist, and Roman Catholic Churches. These local churches have provided me concrete examples of different church models: Corporate, Christendom, and Missional.

Functional Christendom is a church model that has arisen in Western cultures as the church and state have distanced themselves. The churches often still operate as though they have a position of power in society. This reality has changed as Enlightenment values have made church participation voluntary and placed science, individuality, and reason as core values above moral and spiritual values.[15] As a result “People no longer assumed that the church had anything relevant to say on matters beyond personal faith”.[16] This model has lessened the importance of the community and has lead many churches to live in past glory.

Over the last two years as the Youth and Family Director at a small church in north Seattle, I have heard many reminisce about the glory days of their church. This is relayed in how many kids were in Sunday school, the programs that were run, or the trophies that lined the walls from the 1970s. The church wants to operate as though it still has influence and power in the community. When the pastor asks what the church has to offer, the discussion quickly shifts to survival of the institution. This example demonstrates the church’s prime desire is for what others can do for them and not how the church can participate in the Missio Dei.

At the turn of the century, led by the development of organizational management, the church began to function as a corporation by employing business like practices. This developed a modern organizational structure around “key functions and managed by administrative committees”.[17] Focus on effectiveness and organization within the denomination led to more sophisticated versions of the same solutions. This mindset can often lead to the “illusion that managing the organization is equivalent to being the church”.[18]

The largest church I worked in was a Catholic Church with roughly 6,000 members. When a new issue arose, so did a new policy, structure, and ways to document. The most powerful leader of the church was not the priest, but the administrator. The church has policies on who can talk to what students and utilizes programs to solve any communal or spiritual issue. Corporate America is the standard by which the church and its leaders functioned.

A missional church gives us a vastly different view from the models before. This church is grounded in the Missio Dei and missional ecclesiology. The church becomes apostolic and lives out the call to teach, preach, and reconcile. Through these three callings the church becomes a place to cultivate relationship with God. The church does not stay static and is always “becoming a reconciled and reconciling community itself”.[19] The journey of the missional church becomes that of a pilgrim people toward the reign of God. The leadership within the missional church will not be about a solo pastor, but a place where all can be ministered to and with along the journey.[20] The ministry of the church is always as a witness to God’s reign and in support of the Missio Dei.

One church I have worked at, Faith United Methodist Church, lived as a missional church. The youth leader modeled this best as he guided the church into deep spiritual practices that formed a community of Christians that became a source “incomparable joy and strength to the believer”.[21] Theological discussion and questions like, “What’s the state of your Soul?” were common practice. He saw Christ in others and as a result others began to see Christ in one another. As a result of his leadership the church reached out to the marginalized in the community. Students that were rejected by other youth groups, because of status or socially stratifying identifications like homosexuality, were accepted and embraced by all within the ministry. The church followed suit and built relationships with those in prisons and other marginalized populations.

Work and relationship with the marginalized and powerless are a great mark of an apostolic church. Throughout the scriptures it is apparent that we are called, above all, to serve the poor. We are given a Holy Triad, the widow, orphan and foreigner, that we are called to.[22] Jesus makes it a point to communicate that we are to minister to those who have become marginalized in society. This is made clear when Jesus sets a standard for participation in the Missio Dei is whether or not the hungry, thirsty, foreigner, or any in need are taken care of.[23] It is clear that call to the poor is crucial for the Missio Dei.

Christ has drawn us to himself. As a result we have become the Elect, sent to spread the Good News of God’s reign.[24] This is not so much a privilege as it is an extreme responsibility to witness to what it is that God has done, is doing, and will do. Through the fulfillment of incarnational ministry, witnessing to the marginalized, we are reconciled by proclaiming the Good News.

Incarnational ministry has taken on a different context through the work of those like Ray Bakke and John B. Hayes. They have taken the commandment given by Jesus “Go and make disciples of all the nations” and put it into practice.[25] Instead of leaving for a foreign country they noticed that the world comes together in the diversity of cities. They both wanted to get beyond study and engaged relationally with the poor. “Poverty, we know about. It’s poor people we do not know”.[26] As a result both men took their families and became incarnational in poor neighborhoods of the cities. Through the experiences that they share it becomes apparent that living incarnationally has helped them to enter the kingdom of God.

It is not only the poor who need us, we need the poor. When we enter into relationship with the poor we become more aware of our brokenness. We become aware of how selfish and sinful we truly are. We become aware of where we are storing our treasure as we collect material goods. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven”.[27] Without the poor we seclude ourselves and leave community and reconciliation behind. It is easy then to fall into the same behavior of Israel. “Israel’s election means that it is called to be the servant and witness of the Lord for all the nations, not to be ruler of the nations”.[28] When we take being elect as we are perfected and no longer need the cultivation of community to constantly reconcile, convert and be made new in Christ then we will become comfortable in our brokenness.

Social Holiness, as John Wesley called it, is a term that has reinvigorated my understanding of God’s call for us with the poor. Justice has a great biblical sense from the Hebrew word Mishpat. This word takes on meaning as we see it tied to how we treat the holy triad of orphan, widow, and foreigner and put into practice the second triad of steadfast love, justice and righteousness.[29] While this should have been my understanding, culture has hijacked the word justice to go within a judiciary system that is not about justice, but about laws that those in power had created.[30] God’s justice is more than that. Hence social Holiness reminds me that with our interactions, ministry, vocations, and service, it must all point back to the Biblical sense of Justice. Justice must once again become holy.

Holy Justice founded in caring for the poor is something all Christians are called to. “All Christians , regardless of geography, are called to be missional in the image of the Missio Dei.”[31] We will be sent out into our community to become incarnational and offer love through reconciliation with God and humanity.

We are a part of God’s Mission. We enter the reign of God through spiritual practices. Christian community is a gift from God that helps us worship, honor, and become witnesses to what God is doing. Reconciliation, healing, and justice come through entering into community and relationships, especially with the poor. Through spiritual disciplines, community, and justice we accept God’s grace and invitation to become a part of the mission. Not our mission, but God’s mission of reconciliation.

Bibliography

1) Bakke, Ray. “Christian Formation in Ministry: Acts of Mercy and Justice.” Seattle Pacific University. Rainer Avenue Church. September 8, 2010.

2) Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together: A Discussion of Christian Fellowship. San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1954.

3) Guder, Darrell L., Editor. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1998.

4) Hayes, John. Sub-merge. Ventura, CA, Regal Books, 2006.

5) Leong, David. “Christian Formation in Ministry: Acts of Mercy and Justice.” Seattle Pacific University. September 7, 2010.

6) Leong, David. “Christian Formation in Ministry: Acts of Mercy and Justice.” Seattle Pacific University. September 9, 2010.

7) Newbigin, Lesslie. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1978.

8) Strong, Doug. “John Wesley.” Seattle Pacific University. Camp Casey. August 31, 2010.

9) Strong, Doug. “John Wesley’s Sermons and Conversion.” Seattle Pacific University. Camp Casey. September 1, 2010.

---

[1] Lesslie Newbigin. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1978), 55.

[2] Ibid., 37.

[3] Ibid., 53.

[4] Doug Strong, “John Wesley.”(Seattle Pacific University. Camp Casey. August 31, 2010).

[5] Ibid.

[6] Doug Strong, “John Wesley’s Sermons and Conversion.” (Seattle Pacific University. Camp Casey. September 1, 2010).

[7] Lesslie Newbigin. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1978), 48.

[8] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: A Discussion of Christian Fellowship (San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1954), 20.

[9] Ibid., 34.

[10] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: A Discussion of Christian Fellowship (San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1954), 22.

[11] Ibid., 23.

[12]Ibid., 23.

[13] Ibid., 26.

[14] Ibid., 36.

[15] Darrell L. Guder, Editor. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1998), 43.

[16] Ibid., 54.

[17] Darrell L. Guder, Editor. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1998), 65.

[18] Ibid., 72.

[19] Ibid., 135.

[20] Ibid., 186.

[21] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: A Discussion of Christian Fellowship (San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1954), 19.

[22] David Leong, “Christian Formation in Ministry: Acts of Mercy and Justice.” (Seattle Pacific University. Emerald City Bible Church. September 9, 2010).

[23] Matthew 25:31-46 NRSV

[24] Lesslie Newbigin. The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1978), 71.

[25] Matthew 28:18-20 NRSV

[26] John Hayes. Sub-merge. (Ventura, CA, Regal Books, 2006), 71.

[27] Matthew 6:19-20 NRSV

[28] Darrell L. Guder, Editor. Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eedmans Publishing Company, 1998), 73.

[29] David Leong, “Christian Formation in Ministry: Acts of Mercy and Justice.” (Seattle Pacific University. September 9, 2010).

[30] Ray Bakke, “Christian Formation in Ministry: Acts of Mercy and Justice.” (Seattle Pacific University. Rainer Avenue Church. September 8, 2010).

[31] David Leong, “Christian Formation in Ministry: Acts of Mercy and Justice.” Seattle Pacific University. September 7, 2010.

An article that made me cringe

I am a big video game fan. There is something magical about entering a world and being able to be apart of a story. Over the years I have rescued princesses, stopped the world from being destroyed, defeated evil doctors, explored vast lands, and even raced a few cars at breakneck speeds. Through it all I have noticed how a game effects me. I wanted to deny this when I was in high school. "There is no way the game changes who I am or how I act!" I would retort.

It became obvious to me that this was not the truth. After racing games I would drive faster on the roads and take corners harder. After Grand Theft Auto I kept looking at cars as something take (press X) and even made a goal of learning how to hot wire a car. After shooting games my anxiety went through the roof and I became irritable and agitated towards minor transgressions of others. As psychological studies and tests have shown, I was changed by what I played.

It is with this maturity and understanding that I worry about small children playing Mature games. Every church I have been to elementary age children talk about how they have killed others, seen the blood, caused the damage. I pray that their parents rethink the choice of allowing Mature games in their house. I pray that we find other ways to have fun, especially at such an impressionable age. Then I read this article: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1104146p1.html

IGN is one of my regular reads. I love the site and the information I get about upcoming games and movies. I find myself at odds with the game community every now and then when a "government wants to make it harder to get M games" article gets posted. This article goes beyond and calls for complete immersion into the emotional side of killing within games. It is already dangerous that we have desensitized ourselves to death so much in games and society.

The writer goes into detail of how he killed a chicken. As he describes this I wondered "Do I really think this would be a good thing to expose children to hundreds or thousands of times?" Here are his words and maybe you can tell me:

"I was wracked with predictable doubts of the justness of taking the life of an animal when there were other foods easily available. These doubts are irresolvable and they either prevent you from acting, or must be forced away into a drawer of silence."

To kill this chicken, he had to learn to force away his doubts and fears to do something unnecessary. I hope when it comes to violence among children, youth and adults, we never ever learn to force away doubts into a drawer of silence.

Lonely in Ministry

There is an assumption out there that ministry is for the extroverts. That church ministry is a lively, social profession that has you constantly around people. There might be some truth to this, but more often I have had severe moments of loneliness when in ministry. This feeling is not isolated to me, but is actually very common in ministry. What leads to it? Why do we end up with this feeling? While, I might not be able to answer these questions for the majority, I can shed some light on my experiences and what has lead me to feel lonely.

This last week I had a bout of loneliness. I was setting up for Vacation Bible Camp. After spending 20+ hours decorating and creating a few little backgrounds, I looked around and it felt daunting. See, over the course of those two days there was only one family to help out with the set up. There were two staff members (+ one spouse), and my relatives. After all the advertising, begging, pleading, and crying out for help the only response is from those who are paid to be around or family (almost paid!). There was no support of the ministry that was taking place.

This, I believe, is one of the biggest causes of the loneliness in ministry. Spending hours working on something only to have no one show up, or help make an event possible. This attitude that comes out, in all the churches and settings I have been in, leads to the question of "Am I making a difference?" Or maybe more to the point, "Am I laboring in vain?"

The point that has seemed to have been missed in the church today is that it is not the minister's and paid staffs ministry, but those in the church. Which leaves us with two conclusions, either we are doing the wrong things in church (hence no buy in), or the wrong message is out there. The wrong message would be the idea that you have to be in "leadership" to do anything in the church.

The other perception that could lead to this is the individualistic approach to ministry. This idea that everyone needs to have their cup filled at church so they can go throughout the week leads us to not try to help others, but focus on ourselves.

I have no answers for this, just another plea for help. On behalf of all the youth leaders, pastors, ministers, and other program leaders, please help. It is not our ministry alone. We are only one piece of the body. We need the other hands, feet, heart, eyes, and ears to make us a complete church. Without you, we just have a job and no purpose. We desire so badly to support, guide, help, but we also need care too. Otherwise we burnout fast.

Now, back up to church to set up the rest of Vacation Bible Camp...alone...

Reading Scripture as an Art

I just started reading a book borrowed from a friend called "The Art of Reading Scripture". As I go into graduate school this book is how many of the professors address scripture. I have finished the intro and there are a few things that concerned me.

So far, and this most likely will change as I get deeper into the book, the premise of the book is how we need to have our scripture reading/studying be an art form. It is not just right or wrong, but as an art form can bring about something beautiful. The judgment of readings then becomes the same as are - the standard of beauty. This allows us to be in touch with the imaginative power of God. This is a simplification, but still holds the main thesis as presented so far.

It took me about an hour of rambling with my wife to finally figure out why this bothered me. When I read scripture I am not reading it as a self help book, as the book prods at, nor as a though I am an artist. When, I read the Word of God, I read it to commune with God. While I see my self as a co-creator with God, I do not see myself as creating in interpreting the Bible.

I guess the best way I can put my hesitancy with this concept is that I see God as the artist, and if I am lucky then I am the paint brush. I can possibly serve God in bringing out beauty, but it is not of me and my skill. It is by humbly putting myself in God's hands that I can become a avenue for God's beauty to come forth. None of it is from my hand, but only by the grace of God.

Another piece of the intro stuck with me as a splinter in my side. The author concludes that because reading scripture is an art we must learn this through apprenticeship at the feet of masters. This sounds great, but two logistical problems come forth. Who decides are masters?

By learning how to read scripture from a master we will inherently limit our view of scripture. Teachers, myself included, all have limited view points. We have our own biases and this will come down into the student. For example, if I asked a Presbyterian who a master artist of reading scripture was, they would have a vastly different view than a Catholic. So much so that they may claim that the others' recommendation is not a master at all.

While we may not be able to agree on a current day master, maybe we could agree on a historical one, like Thomas Aquinas. This is where the second logistical problem comes into play. If the master has passed then how can I ask them questions? How can we really learn from them at their feet. All I would be doing is interpreting their interpretations. I maybe able to learn from looking at Da Vinci's works, but that can not teach me how to mix paints properly, or I can not ask him how he achieved this or that in his paintings. It can be very helpful, even crucial, but it can not replace a live, present master/mentor.

I am excited to continue reading this book and see how my understanding grows of how to read scripture as an art. Maybe my opinion will change and I will fully grasp the benefits and embrace this different way. If not, at least it got me to better understand why I believe the things I do.

Listening

Over Memorial day weekend, I was down at University Puget Sound for the annual CONVO get together for High School United Methodist Students. We had an amazing speaker named Mark Yaconelli. This youth ministry veteran told many incredible stories that captivated the all of us in attendance. One of his stories stuck out to me specifically.

Mark had a student, we will call him John. John could be very difficult and stuck around the church on the edges. One year John ended up getting caught with drugs and for his sentence in court he was ordered to go to a rehab clinic. This was a pretty special program up in the mountains. As a part of the program each students would end their time with a week in solitude out in the back country. This time was almost a spiritual time to think about all they had been through.

Around this time that John comes back to the youth group Mark finally caves into a friend who has been bugging him about doing role playing in youth group. The youth had been struggling with how to talk about their faith with others and share what it means. So Mark sets up a little stage where there are two chairs and a table in between like a lunch room. Then he asks for two volunteers.

The first one to come up and sit in the "Christian" chair was a young woman named Kim. The second student, who was to sit in the "non-christian" chair was a young man named Chris. As they started out the role play Kim started explaining who Jesus is and why that is important in our lives. Chris shoots back about how we know this. Kim answers that the Bible, God's word helps us understand it. Chris rappidly fires again, "I don't believe in the Bible."

At this point Kim raises her hand. This was the groups signal if they got stuck and wanted someone else to come in and try it out. Another youth, Alex, comes up and fills right in. Alex explains that we can see and know God from all creation. We can see all that God has made and know that God is good and loving.

About this time the group all starts to feel this is a little real for Chris and he was not just role playing. Chris responded angrily to Alex's assertion by explaining that he had lost a friend to a stray bullet from a gang. Where had God been then? Does that observation show God's goodness? Quietly, Alex raised his hand.

At this point Mark started to worry and wonder what he had just done to all the youth. How was he going to rescue the situation and figure out some way to take this. That and how great a suggestion it was from his friend! At this point, none other than John, who had just gotten back from rehab, steps up. Mark's worry went into over drive as he imagined the conversation these two were going to have about faith.

John silently walked up and removed the table from between the chairs. He scooted the chair close to Chris and sat down. Chris then in almost a full shout starts firing. "What are you going to tell me? What, that God is good, or that my friend was meant to die?" Chris kept firing and firing in his angry shout.

At this point only those close up could see it, but John had a single tear sliding down his cheek. Chris noticed this and stopped. John then stood up and picked up Chris and held him close. He embraced him tightly for a few moments and then the two of them walked back to their seats. All the while John had never said a single word.

John had shown God's love by listening rather than throwing words at Chris. He had listened with his heart. This is how all of us should respond. We do not need to reason or argue the world into faith, but show what it really means to believe.

I pray we all can preach the Gospel where ever we go and only if ABSOLUTELY necessary, use words.

Where are you looking for love?

I had a great conversation the other day with a friend. They are at a stage in their life where they are beginning to feel the pressure to get married. Their parents have asked if they are meeting enough "people" leaving my friend wondering. They had not felt this pressure till recently and now it is coming in fast.

Through the course of the conversation we talked about a couple of different things. The first was how Paul argues that it is better to be single. I can completely understand this. While I love my wife so much, I also understand how when I hear a call from God I need to check this with her and see if that might be possible with us. There are two making discussions and listening rather than one. This can often inhibit couples from following God's call as one might be hesitant.

My friend brought up a piece of scripture of how two are better than one. It is really frustrating how this piece of scripture gets taken out of context. I have heard it in a wedding where this passage implies that it is better to be with someone than without. That is COMPLETELY false and twisting scripture. The passage is about being in community. It is better to be around others than without. Simply put if we are not in relationship with others how can you ever understand love, trust, and sacrifice? These are communal practices and no individual concepts.

In the most extreme I have seen this played out in my grandmother. She has lived alone for the last decade and the lack of others around has taken her ability to think. I love her dearly, but without having to think of others we start thinking that the world revolves around us. We place our selves in the God role. Frankly, I know this is something I can never do, live alone, because I will become overly paranoid and self centered.

In the end my friend and I began to talk about where we look for love. I fessed up that even with having "romantic" love I long desperately for friendship love. Every time a friend does not call me back, or leaves me hanging, or does not call I take it very personally. I have the same desires my friend has, but for deep friendships.

We both realized that we are created for Love. The problem we both, and I am sure millions of others, is that we try to fill that need for love with other things rather than with God's unconditional love. It is very difficult to remember, but something that we must constantly ask ourselves. Where are we looking for love? Whom are we looking to for love?

I pray one day I will be able to answer that question honestly and wholeheartedly, God!

Tradition vs Change

You would think growing up in the Catholic church that my first experience of a battle over tradition or change would have happened while at Mass or youth group. Surprisingly the first time I remember starting to ponder over why something has to be done in the traditional way was during a yearbook meeting. I was a freshman in High School and getting briefed on how the yearbook runs. As I listened things seemed to be very inefficient and hierarchical. I challenged those perceptions and traditions. I was instantly shut down by the group and dismissed for not understanding.

It was then I started to wonder why many traditions were not up for debate. I remember ranting and raving at home (possibly in my room listening to really loud rap) about if the tradition was so good and had such a good reason then someone should be able to explain it to me. When the answer came back from the group "that's just how we do it!" I was left with the frustration of not understanding and lack of adjustment to an outdated system.

Jumping ahead I have seen this time and again throughout churches, institutions and groups. I questioned things at the Catholic church. Wondering if the group can learn from outside sources and new ideas in ministry. Instead of getting welcomed into the traditions and had them explained I was dismissed as not knowing enough. Instead of facing the questions and thinking through why we do things they way we do in the catholic church I worked at the leadership tried to find ways to not examine the basis/foundation behind the traditions. Not all were this way at the Catholic church. One co-worker would often discuss the traditions with me and debate and disagree with many of them.

I find myself in the middle of tradition and change, which seems to put me at odds with both sides in any discussion. Any tradition should withstand questioning and have a clear purpose of why we still hold to this custom. If not then it should be up for adjustment or change. Changing systems, operations, practices, or other beliefs should not come easy either. To change things just to try something new lacks the same purpose that keeping a tradition "just cause" does.

While there are millions of examples I have experienced first hand I am going to look at two of them:

The first is a Christmas Eve worship service that we have at my church. This service has been around for decades. Essentially the service is done in all darkness and families come and go as they please. The worship team here has taken a great step in examining this practice and asking the hard questions. For many this is difficult because the tradition has become so important to them. It has become sacred, which is great!

The worship team, just last meeting started asking why do we have this service. Whom and what is this service serving? Does it fit our overall vision for the church? This is exactly the dialogue that I believe all traditions should face. We must be able to understand the purpose, vision, and mission of any tradition. When this dialogue continues the group may decide to keep everything the same. If so they will have done so with a clearer purpose of why and what we are accomplishing with this tradition.

The second one that comes to mind recently is a youth team that I have just joined as a leader. The youth and past leaders have established a many traditions and customs within the group. The biggest one is that the whole groups purpose, as it stands now, is to plan one retreat and that is it. Knowing the mission of the group I have started to raise the question of why are we not aiming for more. The group is open to trying to serve God through leading other aspects but are shy (and exhausted) from planning. We will see how the process of change works here as the group has already agreed to raise the bar, yet very reluctantly.

There are many other places we see this battle played out. Politics is one where this has become a major battle from change to the tradition of keeping "my America" the way I remember it. No matter the tradition being changed or kept I believe we should always, ALWAYS, be able to explain and understand why we have things the way they are. If we don't know why a tradition is in place then its probably time to examine it and adjust to our changing culture.