Christian Service

Sometimes we call it charity. This word connotes a fairly negative image to many in American culture and even considered taboo. But why? Being rugged, individualistic, and independent is a status symbol. And even reading II Thessalonians 3:10 tells you "If a man does not work, he shall not eat." But we seem to forget to ask, what if he is working, but not earning enough to feed, house, and clothe his family? The answer is clear! And yet too often we hear the cry of the activist spurning God in our ears saying "Where are all of you Christians?" Why do our buildings grow alongside the slums of our towns? Why shouldn't we not rob our sanctuaries in order to paint and repair our "Projects"?

Many are asking these questions. Christianity Today suggests there have been many projects where unbelievers examine us. Take a look at one such story. If you know of other such stories, please, let me know.

However, the question I ask myself is "Who is receiving more?" My outlook on serving others has change dramatically over the last several years. I use to dread it. A feeling of panic would explode in my stomach. But that's because my heart wasn't there. I had no relationship and wanted none with those I "served". It's different now. I'm the one who benefits from the time I spend with those in the projects. Granted, I don't know many and it's still tough starting those friendships, but at least I know what's on the other side now. I know that I need them. Maybe that's why Christ promised "you will always have the poor with you." (Mark 14:1-11) Remember, sacrifice is key, and yet once done, it no longer is a sacrifice because you are the one to receive charity's reward.

Links:
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2007/07/an_excursion_in.html
http://drewmarshall.ca/blog.html

Vacation

"How I spent my vacation" by Craig Copeland.

Just got back from vacation. It was wonderful this year. We took a long trip to camp at Fall Creek Falls in East Tennessee, an old stompin' ground for me and some old friends. We did lots of biking, hiking, baseball (well, wiffleball), and tons of swimming and creek walking. There's nothing quite as satisfying as cooking and eating outdoors, esp. when mom's doing the cooking. THANKS mom! Oh yeah, and my whole side of the family was there (Mom and Dad, my sister and her family, and my brother and his) along with a couple of our dearest friends. We spent a day at the Georgia Aquarium. Then on top of it all, Tamara and I started and finished "The Golden Compass" together on the drive out and back reading to each other much of the way. (I set the TV up and split the sound to 4 headphones for the kids.)

So, what's up out there? Or maybe no ones reading cause you got better things to do! (I see Kenaz started to Blog about Phuket, but quickly gave up the ghost or changed to another site. And Kirsten hasn't checked-in for a while.)

Christian Unity

I remember shortly after my baptism "getting serious" about paying attention during the worship service. Miss Bodiford (6th grade) was teaching me to take notes, so why couldn't it enrich the Sunday sermon for me? Amazingly, it did! That year Dr. Jim Howard brought a message of Christian unity and specifically expressed disappointment concerning the obvious lack of brotherhood and even continuing animosity with Baptist assemblies. (It was 6th grade! I can't quote him, though this is what I've taken from the message. Also, I'm sure he received all kinds of flack for that one!) Obviously, it stuck with me.

This last Sunday, an amazing thing happened. The Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, and the Disciples of Christ gathered together in downtown Austin, Texas at the Central Christian Church. It was the first joint worship service of the heirs of the Stone-Campbell Movement* in 120 years in the Greater Austin Area. I was there. We sang together, heard 3 sermons, and took Communion together. Typically, it took ~45 minutes longer than the 1.5 hrs set for it. Probably 300 were there. And typically, I cried through some of it. And not-so-typically, I said "Amen" without prompting many times.

How should Jesus' prayer for unity be fulfilled? (John 17) Though many condemn people like Martin Luther for this transgression, he never wanted a separation to occur. He wanted change within: "Reformation". (Today, the Lutheran Church probably stands closer to the Catholic church than any other body of believers.) The early 1800's heard a similar call in America, restore Christian unity. As the message of "Restoration" gained baggage, soon unity was lost among the grievances. Though my heart cries against the separation among Christian congregations, what can I do? What can we do?

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

*NOTES: The Stone-Campbell Movement spawned the 3 groups above. Each look back to a tent revival at Cane Ridge, KY in 1801, and 2 primary men: Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell. But during the end of the 1800's and early 1900's these 3 groups broke fellowship with each other. In my amateur opinion, the US Civil War and our lack of compassion during the South's reconstruction created the first split. Inevitably, this set the precedence for the next tragic split. A hero of mine is a man named TB Larimore. During those dark days of disunity, he would preach in any church that asked him. He never took sides, never ranted about issues, and always simply spoke of Jesus. And he suffered for it at the hands of his own people.

Dream Wedding

Did you every expect Walmart to fulfill your every need? Evidently that's what's on the executives minds at the super store giant. Billed as the "Lucky in Love Wedding Search", Walmart is giving seven couples the break of a lifetime on the day of their lives on the wedding day of the millennium. There's (at least) one catch: the ceremony is performed in your local Walmart Lawn and Garden Center.

I think Walmart's marketing crew has made some decent, positive arguments positioning this contest in the best of light. Personally, I find a lot of redeeming value in their statements concerning the better utilization of ones finances. Shoot, that's why they stay in business now. (I use to enjoy their better-than-average store management and gracious return policies. There are also many arguments now against their global buying practices as it relates to human rights.)

However, I wonder about the compromises the couples make to accept such an offer. The gotcha with the venue hit me almost immediately. Perhaps the couples registering didn't have a special place in mind, or because of their insistence on using this significant date (7/7/07) lost out on their places of choice. Also, have you seen "A Charlie Brown Christmas"? CB becomes fed up with the commercialization of Christmas; a time for reverence and reflections on His holiness. I feel this intensely for these couples. And execs: DON'T have a contest. Just pick 7 and keep it on the DL. You could bet it would leak out without advertising. Fine! Let you marketing guys plan on company humility and then honor the couples quietly. I guess I wouldn't make a very good marketing guy.

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=30070
http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2007-05-29-ad-track-lucky_N.htm

Ramblings of a Vagabond

“This world is not my home, I'm just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

Chorus
O Lord you know I have no friend like you
If Heaven's not my home, then Lord what will I do?
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.

My family used to sing that old song during long car rides to various destinations. Recently, I’ve been challenged to redefine my concept of home.

It’s funny that question, “Where are you from?” I’ve never really had a problem answering it. I’ve retained the immediate reply of “College Station” for the longest time, since if I’m on a trip with Ags, that answer would suffice for anyone, despite the “hometown” situation of each individual. On the other hand, I’m beginning to adopt Austin as more sufficient answer for the given question since my parents now live in Kansas, which is definitely not home due to the lack of unfamiliarity; and now that pretty much everyone I’ve known and loved (excluding one or two people) has disappeared from College Station, I wouldn’t necessarily consider that once-cherished place home as well anymore. When I hang out with Singaporeans, the obvious answer is Singapore, and yet, I am still illiterate of the cultural nuances and lack a command of fluent Singlish. So after these many “rojak”-like experiences, I’ve realized that my physical home has always been defined through other people, and this somewhat jostles my little utopian world.

Why? Because a) I don’t like thinking things just because other people think them and b) what then do I stand for? Accepting the lifestyle of a vagabond means you never see a glass only half empty or half full. You’re neither pessimistic nor optimistic about the place you inhabit because you know the bad and good of your current situation. In fact, because you can see the positive and the negative, you no longer just look at the glass; you taste the water, or in other words, you just tackle the experience. But in my opinion, that experience always seems to taste lukewarm. Okay, this metaphor has gone long enough…

Basically, my point is that I think I can relate when Jesus says, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” And I think as our society seems to be moving toward an era where physical boundaries no longer define who we are, an increasing number of people will soon go through this “crisis” (for the lack of a better word).

And so the hope that we have is this:

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 5: 1-5)

This Semester, There Was No Spoon

Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Spoon boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

I never really enjoyed The Matrix until I started understanding all the Christian undertones. For the past couple of years, God seems to have reiterated a resounding theme throughout each one of my school semesters. One time it was about being proactive, another time it was about loneliness, another time it was about faith. This semester has undoubtedly been about perspective. Driving a car is different from riding in a car. Flying in a plane is different from jumping out of a plane. Hanging out with Singaporeans has definitely been different from representing Singapore. So in the end, I've come to the conclusion that nothing is truth but Jesus Christ because everything else is just based on human perspective (that in itself is continually changing). I think two major events brought me to this view:

1) Grad school - Turns out teachers know squat about their subject and textbooks only contain perspectives passed off for fact; in other words, that whole 3rd grade English assignment where you had to differentiate the "fact" phrases from the "opinion" phrases is completely and utterly useless
2) That fateful day in 2006 when Pluto disappeared from my solar system

Incidentally, I'm a real sucker for pleasing everyone, which is something I've never really liked about myself. Trying to please too many people tends to produce an outcome that never pleases anyone. But I think this blessing (or curse) has stemmed from the ability (or disability) of being able to relate to or to see multiple viewpoints. So, what's interesting to me is that Jesus never outrightly says, "Change your perspective." You can't even find the word "perspective" in the NIV translation of the Bible (but I'm not sure about the other translations). Instead, he gives parables and instructions such as "Do to others what you would have them to do to you" and "Love your enemies" to show us how to seek, not a different perspective for the sake of getting a different perspective, but Truth. With his parables of withering fig trees, prodigal sons, lost coins, and all other illustrations, I think that he hopes that some day we'll truly realize that "there is no spoon". After all, Jesus did say:

"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light; no one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

A Time to Retreat

If you've ever seen the mini-series "Band of Brothers", you begin to understand the horrors of war. The impact that such times have on your soul can weaken you to the point that the irrational appears right. Of course for the members of Easy Company, that could easily mean death. And so, time away of the front lines, an individual or company retreat, may mean the difference in life and death.

While an undergrad student, I decided to escape some Saturday to spend a day purely in prayer. It only remained an intention. Today, I still regret never doing this.

We often see our Lord retreating early in the morning before anyone else was awake. In fact, it's crazy the number of times the gospel writers mention it. I'm betting they asked Jesus what He was up to so early. And I'd bet that's what prompted them to ask Him how to pray.

I don't like war analogies when it comes to our spiritual life. We too often confuse whom we oppose. But Paul was clear that, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." When engaged in a life and death struggle, don't forget that you have to pray, you need to pray, and He longs for you to pray! (Gal. 6:10-20)