STAYING UNDER THE UMBRELLA“Can two walk together unless they be agreed?” Amos 3.3 If you have ever tried walking in the rain under an umbrella with another person then you know that it takes a bit of care and intentionality to actually share it. One has to work at keeping both of you under the umbrella otherwise someone is hanging out a little too much. The “guest” who is being included may not realize that the “host” who is holding the umbrella may be actually sacrificing themselves while trying to keep the guest under cover. The closer the two people get to the handle, and to each other, the more protected each will be. There can be a bit of awkwardness to sharing an umbrella. You might not be sure about how close you want to get to the other person. Will you be forced to put your arm around them, touch hands, shoulders, or hips? People are not always the same height, they don’t always walk at the same pace. How does this …
Core Values
I WANT TO BE FAMOUS
“I want to be famous,” he told me. Now this was in a prayer session, and he obviously saw it as a struggle, but nevertheless it was a vivid and naked confession and I think it is right on target for many young men in ministry. How many times have I sung the hymn, “Father I Know That All My Life” and in it is the phrase, “content to fill a little space if Thou be glorified?” I sing it with conviction and passion because that is not a normal part of my desire. I think I was actually saying, “Lord, I want this to be true of me but I don’t think I am content to fill a little space.” I wanted to be famous too. I have a firm theological conviction that our mission is to make Jesus famous, not ourselves. Yet, as with many pastors and church planters, my conviction is not always as the same or consistent with my emotion, personality, and nature. We struggle with ambition, with ego, with competition. Our identity is tied up …
RECONCILIATION AND THE LAW OF PRAYER
Lex Talionis versus Lex Orandi. Say what? These are Latin phrases standing for the Law of Retaliation versus the Law of Prayer. I had never really thought about them in regard to racial reconciliation until I was listening to a lecture about Cyprian, a Bishop from North Africa, who had to deal with whether or not the Church should forgive those who had betrayed their faith (lapsi) during a time of persecution and made sacrifice or burned incense to the Emperor of Rome. We know the Law of Retaliation in terms of “An eye for an eye.” The Law of Prayer is the one found in Mark 11:25. In this passage Jesus is teaching about prayer. “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Or, as when Jesus taught his disciples to pray what we call “The Lord’s Prayer,” he adds, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father …
THERE HAS GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS…
I feel caught between a rock and a hard place in the conflict between sympathy for the victims of sexual assault or abuse and the rule of law. Many of my friends cast this current conflict at the hearing for the Supreme Court in the light of power versus victims. Many people are simply saying, “believe the victim!” Others are reminding us that a person is considered innocent until “proven” guilty. I want to do both. If someone is indeed a victim I want to believe them, love on them, protect them, and even avenge them. Whatever in my feeble and inept ways I can I want to be there for them, try to understand, listen, and weep with those who weep. In my own family I have seen someone ripped apart by the abuse they suffered, and I admit that I will never adequately know how that has affected their fears, feelings, self-image, confidence, sense of security, and ability to trust. I have marveled at how …
ENTANGLING ALLIANCES
Someone has asked my opinion on local churches cooperating or interacting with other organizations, and possibly other ministries. What principles should we keep in mind, what practical issues might develop, and what are some of the perplexing perils in fulfilling our mission? I will try to integrate some of the “perplexing perils” (PP) as I articulate principles and practical issues. Here is a start to discussion.PRINCIPLES I write from the perspective of someone who was an urban pastor trying to reach and minister to poor people, and in a cross-cultural context.1. Know your own identity and mission as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is unique, it is essential, and it must not be compromised as to its Gospel message, call to conversion and discipleship, and moral and ethical integrity. (PP-If you care about the social conditions surrounding you the temptation might be to think the Church and its message are neither relevant …
GOD BLESS THE DEACONS!
I like Deacons. I honor the office of Deacon. I love the men and women who serve in the ministry of mercy throughout our churches. May the Lord bless them and give them a reward for what they do. Pastors and Elders need to value the ministry of Deacons, and they need to be thankful that they have them. Pastors need to brag on them and give them honor, encourage the congregation to hold the Deacons up in prayer, and to give them their cooperation as well as the physical and financial resources to do effective work. Some pastors simply want the Deacons to protect them from facility surprises, as in maintaining roofs, heating and air conditioners, grounds keeping, snow removal, clean bathrooms, etc. Some churches want them to make sure there are ushers, money counting, good budgeting, security, and parking lot attendants. All of these things are important, and the larger and more middle-class the congregation is than …
MALPRACTICE IN CROSS CULTURAL MINISTRY
FAILINGThere are ways we can fail in our pursuit of cross-cultural ministry. I refer to this as “malpractice.” I am not speaking simply of not achieving our goals but of going about ministry in ways that actually hurt people, hurt the reputation of the church, and possibly bring slander to the name of Christ. Cross cultural ministry has to be defined by the cultures one is trying to cross or bridge. There are ministries that are multi-ethnic, and that is (merely, or only) what they want to be. Sometimes these groups think of themselves as “multi-cultural.” That is they don’t really want to “cross” over into someone else’s culture but they do want to have a mixture of kinds of people in their group or church. They would prefer everybody to be comfortable in “their own skin” and not force anyone to “walk in someone else’s shoes.” MISSIONAL VERSUS DOMINANCE To settle for this model usually …
The Danger of Following an Ideological Line
It is hard not to say something about this latest activity by our President, and I speak of the comments President Trump made in Finland about Russia. I recently heard a lecture by Professor Peter C. Mancall of the University of Southern California (Audible –The Teaching Company) in a lecture on the American Revolution. In it he spoke about political ideology. He described it as a road map, a bunch of street signs, which guide our thinking. It explains and seems to reflect a reality we desire. I picture it as one of those single line maps someone draws on a table napkin which seems to correspond to reality but it certainly is not an above the earth view like GPS. Nor is it like a biblical world view which gives you godly principles. I am afraid way too many people are following line maps drawn on a napkin, and they get angry with anyone saying there might be other factors to consider before one continues in this …
WHAT IS YOUR POLITICAL POSITION?
Where do I stand? I don’t think the middle is a proper understanding of my position. I am trying to stand on the Rock, on the Word of God, from his “fixed” position. This is opposed to partisans in America, whose positions shift, though they are often referred to as “being on the right,” or “being on the left.” “Being in the middle” is often dismissed as a real position because people think that to oppose their point of view means you are siding with their opponents, so in an election you are declared to have hurt the vote if you don’t vote for their side, even if you can’t in good conscience vote for either side. Most political partisans hate the people in the middle and seek either to radicalize them or to dismiss their legitimacy. Ideology despises compromise. I don’t think my position is the “middle.” Though at times, for political understanding, it might seem that way. I want to be in the correct …
MISTER BIG STUFF, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Do you ever get bothered by pictures of young white people surrounded by little black children, whether American or African, as they send out stories and messages of their latest mission trip or urban experience? I’m all in favor of “best practices” when it comes to community development and ministry. I am in favor of a discerning and growing “cultural intelligence” while working in cross cultural contexts and across economic strata. This sounds a bit stupid but I, in a very simple way, am in favor of justice. That leads me to being against paternalism. Consequently, I am opposed to exploiting the poor for the purpose of fund raising, marketing, and publicity whether it be for the aggrandizement of my personal name or the enrichment of my organization. The bottom line in analyzing my behavior is of course love; to be continuously asking the question of myself and my organization, "are we, am I, showing love to the the very people I …