Back to School

This morning I dropped our 5 year old off for her first day of Kindergarten. As she got out of the van I uttered the same blessing over her that I have offered to our children each school day for 11 years now, "God bless you at school today!" I usually add a few more lines, but Karlie was so excited that she practically jumped out of the van when the door opened. She has been ready for school for two weeks, each morning longingly asking, "is summer over yet?" She has packed and repacked her purple Little Mermaid "packpack" multiple times to make sure she has everything in it.

After I watched her skip to the smiling teacher waiting on the curb in front of her school, tears filled my eyes. My emotions were a strange mix of sadness and joy. Driving away my mind slowly shifted and I began to get excited about the busy day I have ahead. A record number of collegians are arriving in Athens over the next few days. Our leadership team just completed four days of training and is returning to Athens today to begin engaging their peers, recruiting them to join "DawgPack" groups and telling them about the new ministry model we will roll out next week at our Open House. Karlie's excitement is contagious. I am beginning to feel the buzz deep in my chest when I think about the possibilities for ministry in the next few days. The first two weeks of school are always crazy and exhausting. We have multiple activities most days this week - from early in the morning to late at night. There are still a lot of preparations yet to be done. But I'm excited!

Let's do this!

Decluttering

I finally managed to find some time today to begin the process of decluttering my office. I was going to start simple - just clean off my desk - it's been quite a while since I have been able to see wood grain or the pictures under my blotter. Alas, as with all of the projects I undertake, this simple task got complicated quickly. After filing a few of the papers on top of the stacks I found a book, and another, and another. Before long I had almost 20 books stacked beside my desk. When I began to transfer them to the one of the four bookcases in my office, I noted that there was no room. In fact, I had other books on the floor in front of the bookcases and slipped in horizontally on top of the rows of properly shelved books. Thus, I began the process of culling the books on the shelves. I stacked the first cull into a nearby chair. Before long that chair was full, so I pulled another over. When it filled up I began putting books on the floor. When I could no longer walk around the room I went in search of boxes, realizing that I was going to have to part with many of these beloved treasures.

Now if you know me very well at all, you will recall that I hate to part with books, unless the parting is "loaning" a book to a student or a friend for a season. Many times I don't get those books back, but that makes room for more on my shelves! Most of the books in my collection were acquired at a specific time for a specific purpose - there are memories tied with many of them. Others were given to me from my father (or "borrowed" from his vast library) or from other ministers. Many are still hanging around from seminary days. Though I have not opened most of the books on my shelves for many years I find it almost impossible to part with them! My wife has gone from telling people that I am an avid reader to "Nathan is an avid buyer of books!" Our finances would confirm that assesment!

I have only culled my books once before, just before I moved to Athens. I gave away many of the books I used in my former job (missions coordinator). When I unpacked my books here many years ago I had lots of shelf space for trinkets and mission trip memorabilia. However, between normal book buying, gifts from friends and colleagues, and the masses of books I purchased during the past five years for my PhD work, I have many more books than my shelves can contain. Thus, this cull was needed (I know Karen, I need to cull at home too!).

I also took the time to reorganize the shelves. There used to be a system in place - a section each for counseling books, marriage prep books, missional books, emerging church books, evangelism books, discipleship books (and materials), leadership books, and general inspirational books. Then on the other side of the room, nearer to my desk, were shelves with sections for theology, commentaries, bibles, and Bible study materials. Before today divisions between types of books were virtually non-existent. It took forever to find a specific book because things were so disorganized. It is beginning to look presentable again. I know, there are stacks of books in chairs and on the floor. Some of these books are going home with me. But most of them are going on a table outside of my office with a sign that proclaims, "free books!" Others will be appearing on Amazon's site. Others will be headed to the local library for the annual book sale. It makes the pain of culling a bit better to think that many will be headed to a good home.

Here and Now

Brian McLaren, in his new book Naked Spirituality, says that one of the initial (and recurring) stages of faith is recognizing that God is here and learning to tune into God's presence in all of our life. Last week when I was in the mountains of Tennessee I sought to let go of my busyness and let the clean mountain air and incredible vistas slowly penetrate into my soul, into the core of myself, into that place that tends to get buried in the act of living (and even in the act of ministering to others). For me the mountains (almost any mountains) are thin places, places where it is easier for me to feel, see, and listen to God. As I've come home, back to the business of prepping for the new year at work, working around the house, and, of course, paying bills, I am trying to keep the windows to my soul open. If you have been reading my last few posts, it is easy to see that I have allowed busyness to get the best of me.

Last night at the BCM I led a discussion of 1 John 4:1-6. We were talking about the essentials of faith. For John, those essentials are acknowledging Jesus as divine and loving others. Peter Rhea Jones deems these two "interrelated convictions" to be "a durable duet" that must exist for a healthy Christian faith (p. 159). I challenged the collegians who were present (a few first semester students all the way up to 4th years) to take their college years to determine the essentials of their faith. For me my essentials vary from time to time. Like John, I divide my essentials into beliefs and practices. One essential that spans both is the incarnational presence of Jesus in my life. This requires belief, but it also required my attention to the presence and activity of God in and around me. It requires me to invoke God's presence into my day when I awaken. It requires me to set reminders during the day to slow down, to pay attention, and usually, to simply be present to God and to others. If I remember to do that life is so much better for me. I have so much less stress, and as a result, do not get nearly as tired or frustrated.

Basically, I am trying to declutter my head so that there is a clear path between God and my soul. So far I'm doing pretty well. Now if I can just get my desk decluttered.....

Home

It has taken most of this week, but this morning as I emerged from the bedroom in search of coffee and looked out over the mountains I felt a deep, inner sigh, a sigh of deep peace and contentment, the sigh of feeling at home, at rest. Brian McLaren, in his newest book, Naked Spirituality, deems this place the experience of "here," one of the early stages in the recurring spiral of spiritual growth, development, and experience. It is the re-realization of God's constant presence and the ensuing peace that such knowledge brings.
For me the experience of "here" is accompanied by a drive to do something. Much like the disciples of Jesus who experienced a mountaintop experience with him wanted to build an altar to commemorate the event, I want to get to work, prepping sermons or writing devotions or talking to students...but I know that what I need to do is rest in this moment, to allow God to minister to me as he did to Elijah (in the Old Testament story after the prophet had successfully battled the prophets of Baal). I need to stay in this place until the reality of God's abiding presence is firmly rooted in my conscience and until God moves me to the next place, like Elijah, with a deeper understanding of who God is and who I am in God's eyes.
And so I rest...and so I wait...and so I listen.

Ah, the mountains!

We are in the mountains for a few days of family vacation.  I am realizing that I have needed this trip for quite awhile. We had a week of vacation at the beach earlier in the summer. While it was fun, my soul comes alive in the mountains. Everyone has a place our two that rejuvenates them. For me, God lives in the midst of the mountains. By that I mean I feel more connected in the higher elevations, more alive, more relaxed, and more able to recognize my stresses. Like many ENFP's, I don't often notice when I am stressed until I get sick, have crazy aches and pains, lash out at someone, suffer from insomnia, or forget something important. Though I have only begun to notice, all of those have occured this week. The past few mornings my wife has told me that I had talked in my sleep and/or sat bolt upright in the middle of the night, waking her up. I don't remember any of it.
I guess I need this trip.
As I look out of the big glass windows, I feel my soul beginning to stir. The magic of the Smoky Mountains is starting to have it's expected - and needed - effect.
"Awake my soul and sing....."

Sometimes we all need a vacation

Sometimes it's good to get away for awhile. I usually realize that I need a break long after the effects of exhaustion have set it, and set in deep. There two main ways I know I'm tired. The first is when I have trouble sitting still. I feel I have too much to do to pause, even for a moment, even for a good thing. I hear myself saying, "just a minute" or "let me finish this one thing," way too often. When that ramped up attitude is paired with the second sign - a hyper cynicism - I know i need to step back for awhile and regroup.

It's been a very busy semester. Today I realized just how exhausted I have become. It hit me as i was restlessly sitting in a meeting today, inwardly complaining about every minute detail, thinking, "this is such a waste of time." I was still thinking such thoughts when the director of th camp began his devotional. He rambled a bit, told a story, rambled some more, then read this scripture:

"Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.' So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place" (Mark 6:31-32 NIV).

Then he began to say that he believed we were all tired and were in need of deep rest. He hoped that this place, this camp, could provide some restful rejuvenation or each of us. That's when it hit me. I sighed, and realized I have been sighing for months now. I have been bouncing from one ramped up state to the next with a few crashes in between. I have not really rested at all lately. Though my to-do list is not going to shrink, my attention to it can change. I can, and will, determine not to let my lists and activities control me, but that I can and will control them. Now that I have seen my need for rest I am determined to find it, relax in it, and return home in a better state to serve my family, do my job, and cover all of the items piling up on my lists. 

Perhaps that's why Nora Jones' line has been so compelling; "come away with me," she pleads.   That song has been stuck in my head for months. Now that I am away, I'm going to pause, reflect, pray, meditate, write, and enjoy the quiet. 

Conflicted...

This morning I find my muddy emotions of the past few days a bit less murky - at least I am able to see the disparate divisions of thought in my mind more clearly. The posts, tweets, and blogs of others have helped the mud settle back to the bottom. I stayed up on Sunday night waiting for the "announcement" from our President. All the while I was following Twitter and Facebook, speculating like everyone else what the news would be. After the announcement I was shocked at the unapologetic hatred and elation over Ben Ladin's death being expressed by many of my Christian friends. However, at that time I didn't have words to express my thoughts.

I am proud to be an USAmerican. I too am tired of this ten year war we have been waging against terrorism. I too feared the evil plots and schemes of Ben Ladin and the other leaders of terrorist organizations around the world. I too was horrified when the twin towers were attacked in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Part of me was proud that our special forces were able to "take out" this mastermind of terror, or as our Governor deemed him, this "embodiment of evil" in a surgical strike, much like we have grown to expect from movies like Mission Impossible or like we role play in Halo or Black Opps. With Jim Wallis, I am glad this was not another bombing that might have resulted in the death of many civilians. However.....

As I watched Twitter explode with posts of rejoicing, several thoughts and quotes began swirling in my mind. Over the past few days those thoughts have grown louder, while the patriotic thoughts have quieted:

"Love your enemies; pray for those who persecute you." - Jesus

"I've been tryin' to get down to the heart of the matter, but my will gets weak, and my thoughts seem to scatter, But I think its about forgiveness, forgiveness, even if you don't love me anymore. Ah...these times are so uncertain. There's a yearning undefined and people filled with rage. We all need a little tenderness; how can love survive in such a graceless age. Ah the trust and self-assurance that lead to happiness, they're the very things we kill, I guess...." Don Henley, Heart of the Matter

"Joyfully celebrating the killing of a killer who joyfully celebrated killing carries an irony that I hope will not be lost on us. Are we learning anything, or simply spinning harder in the cycle of violence?" - Brian McLaren

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Perhaps over the next few days and weeks better theologians than I will suggest a "Christian response" to this that will be easy to understand that will end my befuddlement and give me the clarity to easily explain my thoughts to others.

Perhaps mine is not the best, most thought through response. Perhaps it is not the most patriotic reaction. Perhaps it is not the most manly response. But today,

I choose life.

I choose grace.

I choose forgiveness.

I choose love.

Holy Week Reading

Each year during Lent my wife puts away her usual novels and reads non-fiction Christian books. She usually chooses something I've recently added to my library and have recommended to her. This year I took a cue from her. For the past several years I have been stockpiling books that I want to read. However, because of the demands of grad school, most of my acquisitions have gone unread. Stacked not so neatly on my desk, on my bedside table, or stuffed into open spaces on my bookshelves at home or at the office, the tomes have been patiently waiting to be picked up and read. Now that my dissertation is done and done I have a bit more time. After reading "for fun" over the past few weeks I finally made it down in my bedside table stack to Anne Rice's two book Christ the Lord series. I started the first one, Out of Egypt, on Wednesday of Holy Week. I finished it on Good Friday and started The Road to Cana.

I love Rice's writing style. Several summers ago I read all of the Vampire Chronicles (When vampire books were cool the last go round). She is a great story teller. It was nice to be able to immerse my imagination into the first century world of Jesus childhood and then young adulthood as he struggled to figure out the birth stories told about him. The books became my devotional reading for the weekend. Between family activities and chores I nestled into the couch or a chair on the porch and traveled back in time to the dusty roads of Nazereth. As they say, "I laughed, I cried."

Yesterday, Easter Sunday, was a perfect day. I read before church and after we got home from dinner (at Chef Mings). I read sitting outside on the porch, feeling the cool breezes and hearing the laughter of my children as I read of Jesus walking the roads between Cana and Nazereth. As I got sleepy I moved to the couch in the den. I wandered with Jesus in the wilderness after his Baptism by his cousin John. As the afternoon turned to evening, I journeyed with Jesus and his disciples to the wedding at Cana. When I read the last lines, with tears in my eyes, I could not wait to begin the next chapter. The only question now is which version, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John?

A simple thing....

When I openned Karlie's "pack-pack" after school yesterday I found a treasure. Her "best friend" had given her a letter sometime during the school day. Karlie quickly tucked the note securly into her backpack so as not to lose it or have it "collected" by the teacher for an example of her friend's writing ability. When I asked Karlie about the note, she beamed, "It's from my friend Kim! She wrote me a letter! Let me read it for you, "You are my BEST friend Karlie!"
Such a simple note. Such a tiny chore. Such a treasured gift.
I know the power that words of encouragement can play in the lives of those around us. However, most times, even if I think about how important,
special,
talented,
gifted,
loved,
someone is, it is rare that I take the brief seconds to send a text, jot a note, or write a letter. How silly of me. I hope & pray that Karlie's treasured letter will stay in my mind for a long time, urging me to take the time to do such a simple thing that might make someone's day.

Spring has sprung....

Yesterday afternoon I found myself doing something I have not done in a long time. I was staring out of the window, thinking about - nothing. I had been reading one of the many books-for-pleasure that have piled up on my bedside table, my desk, or my bookshelves over the past six years of school. I paused for a few minutes because I was about to fall asleep mid-sentence. After about five minutes of staring out of the huge plate glass window at church, I noticed that I was looking past or through the most amazing dogwood blossoms. I sat for another few minutes lost in wonder of the beauty that I had not noticed. Then I began to realize that over the past six years there are a lot of things I have placed on the back burner of life in order to stay focused on the added responsibility of school. There are things at work that I have left undone or half done. There are great students that have come and gone that I never took the time to know on a deeper level. There are parts of my kids' lives that I have missed or watched from a disengaged distance. There are seasons, like this one, that I have seen come and go, but have not really noticed them.

The transition to post-graduate student is going to take awhile, but I am determined to rediscover the joys of simple things - like doing nothing. Like letting the beauty of the seasons envelope me with mindless wonder. Like playing simple, silly games with Karlie. Like listening to music with Nick (even if it is rap that I don't understand). Like taking long walks with Natalie and talking about the most recent book she is reading or new story she is writing. Like going on dates with my wife. Like taking out pencil and paper and drawing again. Like posting in this blog on a regular basis.

This is going to be fun!

It doesn't take long to spend the night in New Orleans!

After a full day of work followed by a late night of meetings and worship I've realized that it doesn't take long to spend the night in New Orleans! I need much more sleep than I got last night. In other words, I'm old.
It is inspiring to work alongside these amazing collegians! Not only are we having fun, we are having great conversations as we work. The church construction teams 4 & 5 are working in is Williams Boulevard Baptist. For the past six years this congregation has hosted the State Police, the National Guard, as well as countless teams who have come to NoLa to do relief work. Many rooms have been converted to storage space. We are reclaiming the space by cleaning out, washing walls, painting and repairing, and doing some light construction (pictures are on facebook). It feels good to be doing some physical labor after sitting at the computer for months working on my dissertation.
It will be fun to see what the rest of the week holds!

Reflecting

I'm sitting alone in my hotel room in New Orleans after driving all day with 5 students from UGA for a mission trip. We start work tomorrow. The team I'm on will be assisting a church to remodel after hosting the National Guard for the past 5 years. It's horrible to think that there is still so much work left to do here as we are just starting to get reports of the destruction and loss off life in Japan following the Earthquake there last week. I hope they are able to recover more quickly than NoLa; but the devastation appears much worse, if that is possible.
I feel excited about this week, yet I also am feeling a bit out of sorts, a surreal numbness after turning in my dissertation on Thursday. I won't allow myself to get too excited. I still have my defense in a week and a half. It simultaneously feels like a monkey has jumped off my back while another, unknown monkey has climbed aboard. There is excitement about getting to actually spend time with my family each evening and on weekends & hanging out with students without worrying about writing our reading. It's exciting to be able to read for fun again! I need to take some time for reflection this week, to find a mirror to try to catch a glimpse of the new critter that has taken up residence on my shoulders.
Perhaps it is that old feeling that God is up to something, that feeling of expectancy that I am both doing what I need to be doing while believing that God is at work ahead of me, preparing me for the next thing. Whatever it is, it should be an adventure!

Beauty Salon

Yesterday afternoon on one of my normal "Dad's Taxi" runs I had a cross-cultural experience. Karen had an appointment to get her hair trimmed and decided that Natalie could also use some professional TLC on her blond locks. Karen asked me to bring Karen to the salon to save a bit of time. On the way Natalie and I picked Karlie up from Pre-K. When we got to Bonnie & Clyde's Salon in Watkinsville Karlie was enthralled, looking around at every detail. Karen had not arrived before Natalie was invited to have her hair shampooed. Karlie's interest was peaked as Natalie went around the corner but she was too shy to follow. She wanted to move closer after Natalie was seated in a styling chair. However, when Karen arrived and was escorted back to have her hair washed Karlie could not resist seeing what went on in the next room. She made several trips back and forth between the sinks and the styling chairs until Karen emerged.

"I want to have my hair cut too," Karlie whispered to me. "Only I still want to be able to put it up in a ponytail," she clarified. I laughed. I told her that today only Natalie and mom were getting their hair done. She would have to come back another day for her turn.

At times I felt like an interloper as Karen and the two stylists discussed hairstyles and haircare. Natalie even began to add her two cents. Karlie was a pinball between the two chairs and the one I was occupying off to the side. She was fascinated at all of the attention lavished on her sister and mom. She was learning a culture that I knew I would only observe, that I could never really understand.

Sensing the afternoon slipping away, I told Karen I needed to head home and get supper started. Karlie begged to stay with the girls. As I left the lyrical laughter of my three girls sang to me all the way to my car. That is a sound I will never forget and will treasure always.

18 degrees....

Its cold this morning, really cold. Here it is 18 degrees. And according to the Today Show, it is only 20 degrees in NYC!

I woke up at 5 am. I know, right! As I rolled over in bed i tweaked my CPAP mask and pulled it apart. I had to get up & turn on a light to get it fixed. By the time I got it all back together, I was wide awake. So I got up.

It was nice to be up alonw this morning. I've been able to complet day 11 of my Bible reading plan on www.youversion.com, do my push-ups & sit-ups from www.hundredpushups.com, read a few blogs that I follow (www.fatcyclist.com), and get my head together for work this week. To be honest, I'm not ready to go back to work today for a few reasons. First, I have loved hanging with my family - especially with Karen. In the busyness of life moments alone can be hard to find. We have had several days of shopping together, eating together, working on projects together and being parents together. I'm afraid the normal grind will steal that from us - as it usually does.

Secondly, I would love to stay home or go to the library to do some writing today. I'm not as far along on my first three chapters of my dissertation as I wanted to be. I'm hoping to carve out a few hours each day to write over the next few weeks to get it done.

I am looking forward to work too. There are some cool things happening with our students. They are catching a renewed vision for leadership and are inspiring a new vision for leading BCM this year in our quest to become community and to model Christian community in all we do. The worship series for this semester has me really excited! More on that later as it develops!
This should be a great year. I hope to finish my degree - or at least get my dissertation done - graduating in December of 2010 or May of 2011.

So its off to the office I go, before others wake up and I get distracted! It's gonna be really cold out!

The light has come!

Last night at the Christmas Eve service I was surprised by a wave of emotion. I’m a sap who frequently tears-up during movies and at Hallmark commercials, so waves of emotion are not new to me. But this one caught me off guard.

All day I had been looking forward to the evening’s events, to be spent sitting with my children and in-laws while my wife accompanied the hymns and carols on the organ. I had prepared a big pot of potato soup, left simmering in the Crockpot to be enjoyed on the rainy night after the service. Each year I enjoy watching my children become overwhelmed by the various events of the Christmas season. Sometimes the Christmas Eve service is an interruption into the family fun. But this year we had prepared everyone for the afternoon and evening. We traveled home from my mother’s house, cleaned up a bit before Karen’s parents arrived to go with us to the service. It was a busy, but fun afternoon.

I can’t tell time. Clocks still baffle me. They arrive at appointed hours much sooner than does my internal clock. As a result, I am always tardy or downright late. Today was no exception. My wife’s family is always annoyingly prompt. When we finally got to the church, the congregation was already singing the First Noel. Sadly, we had missed my wife’s organ prelude. The music is usually a highpoint for me. But what got me this year was a candle – a simple candle.

Each week of Advent, families come up during the morning service to read appropriate scripture, lead in a responsive reading, and then light the designated candle in the Advent wreath. The wreath was regally seated atop of a sturdy brass stand, elevated enough for everyone in the congregation to see, placed between the podium and the pews. Encircled by evergreens, each candle symbolizes one of the traditional meanings of Christmas – Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. Each week a different candle is illuminated moving around the circle until all are lighted the Sunday before Christmas. On Christmas Eve the large white Center candle is lighted.

Last night I was having trouble following along in the order of service because Karlie absconded my bulletin to use as a doodle pad. She had systematically worked through all available paper – the envelopes and notepaper stuck into the back of the pews. When she saw the woodcut of the angel printed on the cover of my order of worship, she asked to see it. I never got it back. Thus, I was left to follow the service by reading over Karlie’s pencil as she decorated my upside-down bulletin. Every so often she would motion to one of her new drawings and look to me for a nod and smile of approval.

When the family got up to light the Advent candle I was not really paying attention. They read a few scriptures and somehow I caught a few words that grabbed my attention, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who live in a land of deep darkness – on them a light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2). As the words echoed in the fog of my consciousness, I fumbled for the program, trying to get Karlie to let me see the responsive reading. She was not interested in sharing. I gave up just as the family was attempting to light the center candle, the Christ candle. I was seated on the isle. I looked down the corridor of pews to the wreath stand. As the tiny flicker touched the wick of the candle, I gasp.

The light had come. Emmanuel, God is with us.

Though the lights throughout the sanctuary were lit, the wreath seemed to illuminate the entire room. My eyes filled with tears as I thought, “It is complete, finished; THIS is the meaning of Christmas. The light has come. In this helpless tiny baby we find the hope of the world. Through him we find the possibility for hope, love, joy, and peace.” Justice now has a new face, the unexpected powerless, dependant visage of a newborn baby. We look to power and might – politicians and armies – to enforce peace, but this baby shows us that peace comes through humility, powerlessness, and reliance upon the Divine to accomplish the mystical reality of peace in unexpected, even impossible ways.

As people around the world pause today – Christmas Day – may many realize the pregnant truth of the moment; that the birth of Jesus, the light of the world, may give birth to hope, love, joy, peace, and justice in our lives and in our world!

Light a candle today and remember - the light has come!

Emmanuel

Once again my favorite time in the Christian calendar has arrived - Advent, the prelude to Christmas. "Come oh come Emmanuel" we sing, we plead, we pray. Its not so much that we are waiting to place baby Jesus into the Nativity scenes that fill our home, but that we long for Jesus to be more real, more evident, more present in our lives each day. For me, its not so much a focus on "the second coming" or "the last days" longed for in escatological discussions, but the realization that I don't live each moment filled with the reality of Jesus presence and influence in all that I do. This season calls my attention to Jesus presence. Everywhere I look this season I am reminded of Jesus' Kingdom. I am also reminded how I often miss, or worse, ignore the presence of the Kingdom of God in my life. God's kingdom is not relegated to Advent, but it is so much easier to recognize it in the trapping of Advent: the candles, the evergreens, the lights and presents under our Christmas trees.
My hope this year is that I can carry the knowledge of Jesus presence into the new year with the same excitement and anticipation that I have looking forward to Christmas.
Last night Karlie, our three year old, was playing with one of our Nativity sets. Role playing with one of the three kings, in a high pitched voice she announced, "the kingdom is saved!" In itself that is funny, but its also incredibly profound. Advent reminds us that through Jesus life is redeemed. God's Kingdom is here and all is (still) well in light of God's presence. But, his people, those who have seen and accepted his grace & love, must recognize and claim (again) the impact that Jesus can have on our living. We can be the hands and feet of the kingdom. We are the ones who must make the Kingdom a present reality for others. We must live Kingdom community with each other. We must live grace and peace in all of our relationships, thoughts, and actions. But first, we need to be reminded that "Emmanuel, God is with us!"
This Advent, may we each allow God to remind us of the areas of our lives that need to be impacted by the coming of Jesus! May we prepare for his coming! May this Christmas be a time when we each learn to live as more complete citizens of the Kingdom of God!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

John and Drew update

For a really cool update on John and Drew go to the link above, on the panel below the mail picture, locate the small picture with "John and Drew" written on it.

The site also features letters from lots of folks who have written about the extent to which they will sacrifice all for the sake of the gospel. Read through the letters. Maybe write your own letter. Give some thought to what you would write if you knew you may never some back from a mission trip....

Lessons learned a million miles away....

Last night at the UGA BCM worship Gathering we had the opportunity to hear from Drew Hooks and John Younker as they related their summer missions excursion to Lesotho in south Africa. Like many who come back from such experiences, John and Drew shared the ways that their encounter with a culture vastly different from their own impacted the way they now see the world. Perhaps the most important lesson they learned in the village where they lived was that the only way to be missional was to actually model their lives and daily activities after that of Jesus. Like Jesus, they had to be incarnational. The Gospel became more about living and less about following rules or trying to live up to someone else's ideas about holiness, oughtness or "Christian living". Each day they attempted to do the things Jesus would did with everyone they encountered. In so doing, they discovered and experienced freedom and grace in new, vibrant ways. Today both men are trying to apply what they learned thousands of miles away in their "normal" lives as students at UGA. They are finding that it really is not as different as they thought it would be.

Song of Peace

This weekend I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be both a USAmerican and a Christian. My wife is the organist at a local church. Holiday weekends such as this always bring about conversations about the appropriateness of bringing songs into worship that celebrate our country and our citizenship. Often it seems that such celebrations are more about self-congratulation or nation worship than about worship of the God of the Bible who transcends our country. Don’t get me wrong – I am proud to be an American. I think we have the best functioning government anywhere and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I do thank God for this country and for those who represent us in our nation's capital. But I often struggle with proper perspective, with keeping my citizenship in God’s Kingdom above my obligations as a US citizen. Though some would disagree, the two citizenships do not always agree in focus, scope, or purpose. I hope that my focus preferences God’s Kingdom, purposes and perspectives where the two disagree.

This weekend I was introduced to Song of Peace, a hymn that captures my current thoughts. There are many different versions of the song, a link to one is above. Listen or read the text – it is profound. What do you think?

Song of Peace

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a prayer that peace transcends in every place;
and yet I pray for my beloved country --
the reassurance of continued grace:
Lord, help us find our one-ness in the Savior,
in spite of differences of age and race.

May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long;
that each may seek to love and build together,
a world united, righting every wrong;
a world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song.

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
thy kingdom come, on earth, thy will be done;
let Christ be lifted up 'til all shall serve him,
and hearts united, learn to live as one:
O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations,
myself I give thee -- let thy will be done

As I pray this weekend - and in the coming days - I hope I may gain God's visions for our country and our world.

Give me your eyes O God: Give me your vision for this world.

a non-reactionary life

This morning I’m pondering if it is possible to live a non-reactionary life. Let me explain: many, if not most, of the people I meet are driven by a particular event that occurred to them in the distant past or they live each day in reaction to external events (activities, people, ideas) instead of being internally motivated. It seems that for most people identity development is prompted by crisis moments. Some people negotiate crises in a healthy way, consciously choosing to adjust their ideology or lifestyle appropriately. Whereas others become bitter or withdraw or are driven by a manic need to somehow achieve revenge or to make up for a perceived loss that occurred as a result of the crisis. Sometimes the result can be positive, but often it is not. In talking to the many collegians and alumni who come my way it seems that some do not even realize the effects crises have on their lives. However, many others are thoughtful, taking the care and time needed to do the deep, often difficult soul-level work needed to choose to have control of who they become.

As a minister and often counselor I have found that many people are resistant to asking questions. Most just want answers without living in and with the tough questions of life. Many times the quick or easy answers are not the most helpful. Even when our faith gives us guidance some inner wrestling needs to take place before we truly understand, appreciate and are able to appropriate the answers gleaned in those rich religious traditions. Most theology did not come about through intellectual study, but through deep soul searching, prayer and wrestling with God. In this vein, Jacob is my hero. For the rest of his life, his night long wrestling match with God left its mark on him. This next year my challenge is to help my students learn to wrestle through the tough issues and not only accept the easy answers others have gained through their own dark nights of the soul!