Again, I recommend that you read the latest eNews.
Lance's title is, Don't Rush by Good Friday."
I have no interest in commenting on the blog, but two thoughts occurred to me even from simply reading the title. Here are some of my musings:
1. In our blessed, thriving movement days, I think Maundy Thursday was a huuuuuge deal. And, I don't think we gave any thought to observing Good Friday.
I'm convinced that it's the reason why we were into Thursday and not Friday that separates our blessedness in that day from the fact that, today, the Lord of all authority and power and blessing no longer blesses us.
For our founders, Jesus commanded that we wash each others feet, hence our Maundy Thursday gathering.
For our founders, the example and teachings and, especially, the commands of Jesus meant EVERYTHING.
Certainly, there's no evidence that Jesus commanded a Good Friday observance and there's no evidence that early disciples did it.
But, Jesus did say, "Now that I your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, so you must wash one another's feet."
For our founders, what we do comes directly from Jesus and the New Testament plan.
For us, today? Where does what we do come from? Not there.
2. The way we "worship" is devastating us spiritually.
To be clear, Lance isn't suggesting necessarily advocating that we attend Good Friday services. He's suggesting that we recall the suffering, the humiliation of Jesus.
Lance says, "It's in His suffering that we find the full expression of His love for us."
When New Testament disciples gathered, it was impossible for them to forget His suffering.
In every gathering, they took the Lord's Supper and recalled that He said, "This is my body which is broken for you..."
And, I don't think we realize how important the simple proclamation of the gospel was in the New Testament gathering.
They focused every time they gathered on what we highlight on Good Friday.
Early in our movement in particular, Good Friday was every Sunday.
So, please, don't rush by Good Friday but, better still, be people of the gospel.
Sunday, April 21, 2019
One Place Where Holy Week is Hell Week
A super market.
It's Sunday morning. For me, the Holy Week hubbub is over.
I'm a year older than I was the last time I endured so-called Holy Week and I don't remember ever being this exhausted. It's probably that I'm wearing out and not that the Easter frenzy is so much more intense than it's been, though I worked more hours and held more responsibility than in the past.
Truly, for me, Holy Week is hell week.
-----------------
I've been noticing the mentions of Holy Week activities in the congregations of my high-church-envying, low church Facebook friends and I'm thinking, from a real-world perspective, that its a silly little game they're playing at. And, a fruitless game, as well.
(Or, perhaps it's actually fruitful but the fruit is rotten.)
In a sense, my job in a super market puts me in a place where real world thinking bears fruit.
And, I work for a super market owned by a family of committed Christians who hire many people who are sincere churchgoers, if not genuine disciples. And, I observe my coworkers carefully. Then, of course, I come into contact with the hundreds upon hundreds of customers who, unwittingly, I'm certain, reveal their true Holy Week rituals by the purchases they make.
Certainly, many of these people will "go to church" today, and perhaps even at sunrise. Perhaps they went even on Thursday and/or on Friday, but, based on what I see people buy, and what I hear my churchgoing coworkers talk about, Easter in the real world has church...and, especially Jesus...being an add-on at the absolute best.
In the store, Easter's a consuming frenzy and of the sort that signifies any secular celebration.
People buy lots of the traditional meat of the holiday. It's ham here. And, lots of snacky stuff to go with the meat when it's eaten as leftovers in sandwiches.
And, lots and lots of candy...so we can all be sure to raise up our children in the way they should go...and, so they know that this holiday is about the visit of the Easter Bunny.
I'm certain that many of my preacher/pastor/parish priest friends worked hard on planning the, uh, "services" for the special days of Holy Week but, based on the place I occupy in the world, what my clergy friends did this past week meant less in real-world terms than it meant last year or the year before.
There's nothing that they're doing now that will begin to reverse the trend for next year. In fact, if anything, they're adding fuel to an already raging fire.
-----------------
Based on what I'm seeing, my friends in the clergy worked on an increasingly high church level, grooving on a Holy Week celebration that would have gagged the founders of the movement I'm a part of...
...and which is becoming less central to the lives of real people with each passing year.
----------------
So, folks, enjoy the spicy mustard on your ham sandwiches and watch the kids do their Easter egg hunting and, when the yung'nes aren't looking, grab some of that candy for yourselves.
And, don't stop until we all can say, of that giant chocolate Easter Bunny, "He is eaten, he is eaten, indeed."
Happy Easter!
It's Sunday morning. For me, the Holy Week hubbub is over.
I'm a year older than I was the last time I endured so-called Holy Week and I don't remember ever being this exhausted. It's probably that I'm wearing out and not that the Easter frenzy is so much more intense than it's been, though I worked more hours and held more responsibility than in the past.
Truly, for me, Holy Week is hell week.
-----------------
I've been noticing the mentions of Holy Week activities in the congregations of my high-church-envying, low church Facebook friends and I'm thinking, from a real-world perspective, that its a silly little game they're playing at. And, a fruitless game, as well.
(Or, perhaps it's actually fruitful but the fruit is rotten.)
In a sense, my job in a super market puts me in a place where real world thinking bears fruit.
And, I work for a super market owned by a family of committed Christians who hire many people who are sincere churchgoers, if not genuine disciples. And, I observe my coworkers carefully. Then, of course, I come into contact with the hundreds upon hundreds of customers who, unwittingly, I'm certain, reveal their true Holy Week rituals by the purchases they make.
Certainly, many of these people will "go to church" today, and perhaps even at sunrise. Perhaps they went even on Thursday and/or on Friday, but, based on what I see people buy, and what I hear my churchgoing coworkers talk about, Easter in the real world has church...and, especially Jesus...being an add-on at the absolute best.
In the store, Easter's a consuming frenzy and of the sort that signifies any secular celebration.
People buy lots of the traditional meat of the holiday. It's ham here. And, lots of snacky stuff to go with the meat when it's eaten as leftovers in sandwiches.
And, lots and lots of candy...so we can all be sure to raise up our children in the way they should go...and, so they know that this holiday is about the visit of the Easter Bunny.
I'm certain that many of my preacher/pastor/parish priest friends worked hard on planning the, uh, "services" for the special days of Holy Week but, based on the place I occupy in the world, what my clergy friends did this past week meant less in real-world terms than it meant last year or the year before.
There's nothing that they're doing now that will begin to reverse the trend for next year. In fact, if anything, they're adding fuel to an already raging fire.
-----------------
Based on what I'm seeing, my friends in the clergy worked on an increasingly high church level, grooving on a Holy Week celebration that would have gagged the founders of the movement I'm a part of...
...and which is becoming less central to the lives of real people with each passing year.
----------------
So, folks, enjoy the spicy mustard on your ham sandwiches and watch the kids do their Easter egg hunting and, when the yung'nes aren't looking, grab some of that candy for yourselves.
And, don't stop until we all can say, of that giant chocolate Easter Bunny, "He is eaten, he is eaten, indeed."
Happy Easter!
Sunday, April 14, 2019
A CONTAGIOUS Blog non-Post
I tried twice to enter a comment on Lance's latest eNews article.
Both times, apparently due to technical difficulties, the article didn't submit for moderation.
In the past, I've always taken that to be a, well, word from the Lord signifying either no, or not now.
Too bad. I thought both times that what I'd written was as good as anything I'd written since the days of Brian Miller's Emerging CGGC blog.
It was steeped in Scripture references and references to Church of God history. And, I think it made important points.
But, perhaps later...
One point I skimmed through, and only implied really, that was certainly not central, but is a point I also made recently off of any blog, is that people who resist the change being promoted by CGGC leaders at any given moment are not necessarily prejudiced or narrow-minded.
Those people often have definite and positive reasons to think what they think and to do what they do.
And, that should be taken seriously.
Both times, apparently due to technical difficulties, the article didn't submit for moderation.
In the past, I've always taken that to be a, well, word from the Lord signifying either no, or not now.
Too bad. I thought both times that what I'd written was as good as anything I'd written since the days of Brian Miller's Emerging CGGC blog.
It was steeped in Scripture references and references to Church of God history. And, I think it made important points.
But, perhaps later...
One point I skimmed through, and only implied really, that was certainly not central, but is a point I also made recently off of any blog, is that people who resist the change being promoted by CGGC leaders at any given moment are not necessarily prejudiced or narrow-minded.
Those people often have definite and positive reasons to think what they think and to do what they do.
And, that should be taken seriously.
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Lance Admits to CGGC "Talk-ism" in the eNews
The April 12, 2019 CGGC eNews is monumental.
In it, Lance all but quotes my Sixteen Characteristics of the CGGC Brand.
In particular, he alludes to characteristic number 10: To Talk is to Walk-ism.
Lance says, in part,
"We can be confusing. Sometimes it's because our walk doesn't match our talk and at other times it may be that our 'walking' is inconsistent at best...There are times that what we put on paper looks better than what we actually live out."
Where have those thoughts appeared before...ABOUT A THOUSAND TIMES!?!?!?!!!!!
In the eNews article, Lance goes on to describe one way in which, in his opinion, the CGGC is guilty of Talk-ism.
And, I will, no doubt, offer a comment or two on Lance's specific point on the CONTAGIOUS Blog itself when the prophetic fire storm about it in my brain calms down.
Please, PLEASE, read this week's article. I know that most of you usually don't.
For now, here, in this forum, I'll say this:
It's all well and good that Lance acknowledges Talk-ism but the CGGC will never repent of Talk-ism, nor will it turn from it, until it begins to take two actions,
1. To begin to uproot and tear down and destroy and overthrow its shepherd dominated leadership culture, otherwise known here as the Shepherd Mafia, and
2. To integrate apostolic and prophetic (and evangelistic) functions into the way it behaves.
----------------
The reason we are a declining and decaying band of Talk-ists in the twenty first century is that, beginning more than 80 years ago, we empowered the creation of a shepherd dominated leadership culture that is killing us. The power of CGGC shepherd dominated ministry has increased...and is still increasing. And, the stench of our decay increases.
Yet, in our movement days, while we didn't have APEST jargon, we practiced APEST in the most practical way. That is, what we actually did was, humanly speaking, driven by the actions of men...and women...who were gifted to be apostles and prophets and evangelists. In those days, shepherds and teachers were present in the Church of God. Shepherds and teachers balanced our ministry but their role was less important than that of our apostles and prophets who are, according to Ephesians 2, the foundation of the household of God.
One function of apostles is to innovate...to serve the cause of Spirit-empowered change.
Two functions of prophets are to agitate for repentance and to demand a walk that matches talk.
We need all three of those things.
We have absolutely no hope without all of them.
----------------
One final thought about the eNews article.
Lance admits to Talk-ism in reference to one particular issue. Use this issue as a benchmark.
His article appeared exactly six months ahead of the real Columbus day, October 12.
Set in your mind that date in 2019. The pattern of Lance's behavior as CGGC Executive Director suggests to me that, by Columbus day in 2019, he won't be walking in a way consistent with his talk on April 12. He will have talked, but he won't walk. I hope I'm proved wrong.
My guess is that this eNews, will turn out to be an act of self-condemnation for Lance.
Lance will have talked...
...but not walked.
And, I'll say this: In a way, Lance won't be to blame.
Matching Spirit-driven talk with walk takes place when, humanly speaking, apostles and prophets are given their foundational roles in God's household.
Our sin is that we have excluded apostles and prophets from what we do.
As is often the case, for our shepherd dominated gang of Talk-ists, APEST will be our remedy.
We must repent...
...and turn.
In it, Lance all but quotes my Sixteen Characteristics of the CGGC Brand.
In particular, he alludes to characteristic number 10: To Talk is to Walk-ism.
Lance says, in part,
"We can be confusing. Sometimes it's because our walk doesn't match our talk and at other times it may be that our 'walking' is inconsistent at best...There are times that what we put on paper looks better than what we actually live out."
Where have those thoughts appeared before...ABOUT A THOUSAND TIMES!?!?!?!!!!!
In the eNews article, Lance goes on to describe one way in which, in his opinion, the CGGC is guilty of Talk-ism.
And, I will, no doubt, offer a comment or two on Lance's specific point on the CONTAGIOUS Blog itself when the prophetic fire storm about it in my brain calms down.
Please, PLEASE, read this week's article. I know that most of you usually don't.
For now, here, in this forum, I'll say this:
It's all well and good that Lance acknowledges Talk-ism but the CGGC will never repent of Talk-ism, nor will it turn from it, until it begins to take two actions,
1. To begin to uproot and tear down and destroy and overthrow its shepherd dominated leadership culture, otherwise known here as the Shepherd Mafia, and
2. To integrate apostolic and prophetic (and evangelistic) functions into the way it behaves.
----------------
The reason we are a declining and decaying band of Talk-ists in the twenty first century is that, beginning more than 80 years ago, we empowered the creation of a shepherd dominated leadership culture that is killing us. The power of CGGC shepherd dominated ministry has increased...and is still increasing. And, the stench of our decay increases.
Yet, in our movement days, while we didn't have APEST jargon, we practiced APEST in the most practical way. That is, what we actually did was, humanly speaking, driven by the actions of men...and women...who were gifted to be apostles and prophets and evangelists. In those days, shepherds and teachers were present in the Church of God. Shepherds and teachers balanced our ministry but their role was less important than that of our apostles and prophets who are, according to Ephesians 2, the foundation of the household of God.
One function of apostles is to innovate...to serve the cause of Spirit-empowered change.
Two functions of prophets are to agitate for repentance and to demand a walk that matches talk.
We need all three of those things.
We have absolutely no hope without all of them.
----------------
One final thought about the eNews article.
Lance admits to Talk-ism in reference to one particular issue. Use this issue as a benchmark.
His article appeared exactly six months ahead of the real Columbus day, October 12.
Set in your mind that date in 2019. The pattern of Lance's behavior as CGGC Executive Director suggests to me that, by Columbus day in 2019, he won't be walking in a way consistent with his talk on April 12. He will have talked, but he won't walk. I hope I'm proved wrong.
My guess is that this eNews, will turn out to be an act of self-condemnation for Lance.
Lance will have talked...
...but not walked.
And, I'll say this: In a way, Lance won't be to blame.
Matching Spirit-driven talk with walk takes place when, humanly speaking, apostles and prophets are given their foundational roles in God's household.
Our sin is that we have excluded apostles and prophets from what we do.
As is often the case, for our shepherd dominated gang of Talk-ists, APEST will be our remedy.
We must repent...
...and turn.
Monday, April 8, 2019
We're not Writing on a Blank Slate
A while back, I responded to Lance's eNews, Where are We Now, Part 8, which was about the fact that our denominational body doesn't do "leadership" transitions well.
The primary points I made in the response I entered on the blog are that we've been doing transition poorly for a long time and that we're wrong in thinking about transition taking place in "leadership." This one is a soap box I stand on frequently.
I pointed out that the word "ministry" refers to someone serving, not to someone leading.
Not so long ago, we still thought of people in congregational ministry as serving the church, not leading it.
And, that is, of course, an undeniable historical fact.
One other thought was in my mind as I read Lance's post.
Lance said, early on in his article, that part of our problem in transitioning is, "probably related to our lack of embracing APEST callings..."
I have two comments on Lance's statement:
1. It's certainly accurate. For generations, we've focused on people called to be shepherd/teachers. What's more, we've not empowered those people to function in their APEST callings, as actual shepherds and teachers. Instead, we've foisted on them the role of the low-church parish priest, or provider of religious products and services to be consumed by a passive laity.
2. Lance is being naive. The naivete is common among CGGCers and it's, also, dangerous and destructive: a primary cause, I believe, of our decades long numerical decline and spiritual decay.
Lance seems to be assuming that, within the CGGC, there's a representative universe of people with all of the APEST gifts.
There ain't. Not these days, anyway.
There hasn't been, in fact, for generations...
...and, not because the Lord has broken His promise to give APESTs "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God..."
There ain't because long before Lance was BORN, yikes!, quite a while before even I was born, the CGGC had created and embraced a institutional culture that may not have been openly hostile to apostles and prophets and evangelists...
...but which...
1. Made it uncomfortable for APEs to function in their gifts in the CGGC, and,
2. Failed to reward APEs when they did walk in the Spirit and exercise their gifts.
How this has been done in the CGGC could be the focus of a fairly lengthy book, a book this geezer is too old and tired to write.
But, bottom line:
There are no men or women that I know of being empowered by the CGGC to function as an apostle, as Paul did in the New Testament or as a prophet, as Agabus did in the Book of Acts or as John did in writing the Book of Revelation or as an evangelist, as Philip did in Acts.
Today in the CGGC, we have parish priests and institutional hierarchs.
In the CGGC today, there are many people who are gifted to be shepherds and many more gifyed to be teachers, most of both operating as parish priests in local congregations. Of course, some of the shepherds and teachers have attained power on the institutional mountaintop.
In the CGGC, we always do have a few APEs.
In the CGGC, there will always, in fact, be a few APEs pressed into the parish priest role. Most of them doing the parish priest job very poorly and uncomfortably, often hurting the churches they're appointed to and, normally, burning out ahead of their time...
...and, in the end, either leaving our body for another ministry, or leaving ministry altogether...
...and, sadly, all too frequently, in the end, in frustration, abandoning the faith completely.
All of this is to say that when Lance suggests that part of our problem in transitioning is our lack of embracing APEST callings, he's being accurate, but naive.
APEST callings are no longer well represented in our body though they most certainly were in our movement days. The CGGC today is unbalanced and out of kilter.
The truth is that, the CGGC has no APEs living as APEs.
Further, we have no means to allow a man or woman, immature in an APE gifting to be discipled by men and women who are practiced and mature in living in those gifts.
All we do have is a denominational culture that, at best, tolerates APEs, but only to the degree that APEs are willing to accept the parish priest-dominated clergy, laity divide.
Si, while, in theory, Lance is correct about APEST, in our real world, his point is meaningless.
We are not writing on a blank slate.
All of these problems are of our own making. We created them generations in our past and have been perfecting our dysfunction ever since.
There is much rethinking, i.e., repenting, we need to do.
Then, after we renew our minds through repentance, we must turn from our sin in diminishing the importance of the APE gifts.
We must uproot and tear down and destroy and overthrow the church's pastor dominated leadership culture and walk in the Spirit and empower APEST. Then we will be able to, as
Lance suggests, embrace APEST callings.
We ain't writing on a blank slate. We need to clean the slate.
Then we can begin, as we once did, to walk in the power of the Spirit.
The primary points I made in the response I entered on the blog are that we've been doing transition poorly for a long time and that we're wrong in thinking about transition taking place in "leadership." This one is a soap box I stand on frequently.
I pointed out that the word "ministry" refers to someone serving, not to someone leading.
Not so long ago, we still thought of people in congregational ministry as serving the church, not leading it.
And, that is, of course, an undeniable historical fact.
One other thought was in my mind as I read Lance's post.
Lance said, early on in his article, that part of our problem in transitioning is, "probably related to our lack of embracing APEST callings..."
I have two comments on Lance's statement:
1. It's certainly accurate. For generations, we've focused on people called to be shepherd/teachers. What's more, we've not empowered those people to function in their APEST callings, as actual shepherds and teachers. Instead, we've foisted on them the role of the low-church parish priest, or provider of religious products and services to be consumed by a passive laity.
2. Lance is being naive. The naivete is common among CGGCers and it's, also, dangerous and destructive: a primary cause, I believe, of our decades long numerical decline and spiritual decay.
Lance seems to be assuming that, within the CGGC, there's a representative universe of people with all of the APEST gifts.
There ain't. Not these days, anyway.
There hasn't been, in fact, for generations...
...and, not because the Lord has broken His promise to give APESTs "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God..."
There ain't because long before Lance was BORN, yikes!, quite a while before even I was born, the CGGC had created and embraced a institutional culture that may not have been openly hostile to apostles and prophets and evangelists...
...but which...
1. Made it uncomfortable for APEs to function in their gifts in the CGGC, and,
2. Failed to reward APEs when they did walk in the Spirit and exercise their gifts.
How this has been done in the CGGC could be the focus of a fairly lengthy book, a book this geezer is too old and tired to write.
But, bottom line:
There are no men or women that I know of being empowered by the CGGC to function as an apostle, as Paul did in the New Testament or as a prophet, as Agabus did in the Book of Acts or as John did in writing the Book of Revelation or as an evangelist, as Philip did in Acts.
Today in the CGGC, we have parish priests and institutional hierarchs.
In the CGGC today, there are many people who are gifted to be shepherds and many more gifyed to be teachers, most of both operating as parish priests in local congregations. Of course, some of the shepherds and teachers have attained power on the institutional mountaintop.
In the CGGC, we always do have a few APEs.
In the CGGC, there will always, in fact, be a few APEs pressed into the parish priest role. Most of them doing the parish priest job very poorly and uncomfortably, often hurting the churches they're appointed to and, normally, burning out ahead of their time...
...and, in the end, either leaving our body for another ministry, or leaving ministry altogether...
...and, sadly, all too frequently, in the end, in frustration, abandoning the faith completely.
All of this is to say that when Lance suggests that part of our problem in transitioning is our lack of embracing APEST callings, he's being accurate, but naive.
APEST callings are no longer well represented in our body though they most certainly were in our movement days. The CGGC today is unbalanced and out of kilter.
The truth is that, the CGGC has no APEs living as APEs.
Further, we have no means to allow a man or woman, immature in an APE gifting to be discipled by men and women who are practiced and mature in living in those gifts.
All we do have is a denominational culture that, at best, tolerates APEs, but only to the degree that APEs are willing to accept the parish priest-dominated clergy, laity divide.
Si, while, in theory, Lance is correct about APEST, in our real world, his point is meaningless.
We are not writing on a blank slate.
All of these problems are of our own making. We created them generations in our past and have been perfecting our dysfunction ever since.
There is much rethinking, i.e., repenting, we need to do.
Then, after we renew our minds through repentance, we must turn from our sin in diminishing the importance of the APE gifts.
We must uproot and tear down and destroy and overthrow the church's pastor dominated leadership culture and walk in the Spirit and empower APEST. Then we will be able to, as
Lance suggests, embrace APEST callings.
We ain't writing on a blank slate. We need to clean the slate.
Then we can begin, as we once did, to walk in the power of the Spirit.
More than a Kingdom Ambassador...but What?
I've been working more hours than a geezer probably should work. But, it's the life I've chosen.
I love my job, even if I'm not crazy about the work I do and I consider what I do to be a calling.
I've repeated many times that, while I'm paid to be the manager of the Front End of a Super Market, I consider my calling to be to live as an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, first to my coworkers at the store and, second, to the customers of the store.
I've come to believe that there is inexplicable power in a life in which righteousness is hungered for and thirsted after, even if righteousness is not always achieved.
I know my heart well enough to accept the fact that I don't actually live righteously to the degree I want to in the way Jesus taught and lived righteousness.
But, I really do, moment by moment, seek to be righteous, no matter how pitifully I fall short.
I don't know what I appear to be to others, but what appears must be closer to what I seek than what I struggle against in my heart.
Because,.....
...Saturday something happened like other things that have happened in the past. I'm humbled and, I don't know, gratifed?, certainly mystified.
Saturday is, of course, the big day of the week at the store. Too many Front Enders were given the day off last Saturday. We were understaffed and I was assigned a long and difficult shift.
I was on the job, doing my thing, when a 40ish year old woman walked up to me and said, "Bill. I guess you don't remember me. I'm Cathy ________. I'm Nathan's mother." (Nathan's 17 years old, and one of the people who had off.)
She proceeded to tell me that they were returning from a college visit and she'd stopped by to pick up a few thing and that Nathan was asleep out in the car.
She filled me in on the visit. The visit went well but Nathan's still undecided about the school, or program, he'll choose.
We chatted at length while business was taking place around us.
Nice lady.
I was struck by my sense that she was certain that I'd want to know all the details of what happened that day and that it mattered to her that I should know.
------------------
I'm beginning to realize how powerful a life sincerely lived for Jesus...IN THE WORLD...is, even by someone like me.
I like Nathan. From my perspective, we're comfortable coworkers. He's reasonably conscientious and he's fairly dependable. But, I'm no closer to him than the other, of about 20, kids on the Front End team.
I've noticed that Nathan's dad has sought me out in the past in the way the mother did on Saturday. And, as I say, I'm gratified, but also mystified at the connections I have with my young coworkers...and, often, with their families.
Two thoughts about this.
1. There is power in incarnating the gospel.
As the institutional church increases the size and the power of its hierarchy and as it expands the number of its committees and commissions and conferences, it, at the same time, increases the distance between many of its most gifted people and the people of the world.
The essence of Christian teaching is that God became flesh and lived in the world experiencing human existence.
And, I know I'm not much. In fact, that's the point. Because, it seems to me that much of what I accomplish for the Kingdom is unintentional, and, merely a function of the reality that I'm where people are, doing what they do.
2. As far as Nathan is concerned, we both struggle with vertigo. Big deal, eh? Except, it's a point of commonality. It's a point at which the possibilities of incarnation are strengthened. We share a struggle. And, I think, there is power in that connection. I don't need to have achieved victory. It's enough that I share the struggle, and that I do it transparently, in Nathan's world.
----------------
Anyway,...
Christianity, as we know, is declining in this culture and, I suspect that that's due to the fact, in part, that too many of us are not "there," where people are.
So. What?
The Kingdom ambassador picture is accurate to who I am and what I do, but it's not the whole picture.
That salt and light thing also is important.
I love my job, even if I'm not crazy about the work I do and I consider what I do to be a calling.
I've repeated many times that, while I'm paid to be the manager of the Front End of a Super Market, I consider my calling to be to live as an ambassador of the Kingdom of God, first to my coworkers at the store and, second, to the customers of the store.
I've come to believe that there is inexplicable power in a life in which righteousness is hungered for and thirsted after, even if righteousness is not always achieved.
I know my heart well enough to accept the fact that I don't actually live righteously to the degree I want to in the way Jesus taught and lived righteousness.
But, I really do, moment by moment, seek to be righteous, no matter how pitifully I fall short.
I don't know what I appear to be to others, but what appears must be closer to what I seek than what I struggle against in my heart.
Because,.....
...Saturday something happened like other things that have happened in the past. I'm humbled and, I don't know, gratifed?, certainly mystified.
Saturday is, of course, the big day of the week at the store. Too many Front Enders were given the day off last Saturday. We were understaffed and I was assigned a long and difficult shift.
I was on the job, doing my thing, when a 40ish year old woman walked up to me and said, "Bill. I guess you don't remember me. I'm Cathy ________. I'm Nathan's mother." (Nathan's 17 years old, and one of the people who had off.)
She proceeded to tell me that they were returning from a college visit and she'd stopped by to pick up a few thing and that Nathan was asleep out in the car.
She filled me in on the visit. The visit went well but Nathan's still undecided about the school, or program, he'll choose.
We chatted at length while business was taking place around us.
Nice lady.
I was struck by my sense that she was certain that I'd want to know all the details of what happened that day and that it mattered to her that I should know.
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I'm beginning to realize how powerful a life sincerely lived for Jesus...IN THE WORLD...is, even by someone like me.
I like Nathan. From my perspective, we're comfortable coworkers. He's reasonably conscientious and he's fairly dependable. But, I'm no closer to him than the other, of about 20, kids on the Front End team.
I've noticed that Nathan's dad has sought me out in the past in the way the mother did on Saturday. And, as I say, I'm gratified, but also mystified at the connections I have with my young coworkers...and, often, with their families.
Two thoughts about this.
1. There is power in incarnating the gospel.
As the institutional church increases the size and the power of its hierarchy and as it expands the number of its committees and commissions and conferences, it, at the same time, increases the distance between many of its most gifted people and the people of the world.
The essence of Christian teaching is that God became flesh and lived in the world experiencing human existence.
And, I know I'm not much. In fact, that's the point. Because, it seems to me that much of what I accomplish for the Kingdom is unintentional, and, merely a function of the reality that I'm where people are, doing what they do.
2. As far as Nathan is concerned, we both struggle with vertigo. Big deal, eh? Except, it's a point of commonality. It's a point at which the possibilities of incarnation are strengthened. We share a struggle. And, I think, there is power in that connection. I don't need to have achieved victory. It's enough that I share the struggle, and that I do it transparently, in Nathan's world.
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Anyway,...
Christianity, as we know, is declining in this culture and, I suspect that that's due to the fact, in part, that too many of us are not "there," where people are.
So. What?
The Kingdom ambassador picture is accurate to who I am and what I do, but it's not the whole picture.
That salt and light thing also is important.
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