One Week Later...

Taylor and I left around 7:15 CST last Sunday morning, and approximately 900 miles later stopped for the night about 8:30 PST in Tucson. We hit some pretty heavy rain about 50 miles this side of El Paso, and saw some pretty amazing lightning in Arizona. Also one of the more magnificent sunsets I have ever seen.

I had made this trip once before with Lauren, and everything was brown and dry then. I was amazed at how green everything was in west Texas and all the way across southern New Mexico. Arizona was pretty rugged, but we didn't truly hit desert until mid-Monday morning as we crossed into California. From the state line to well past Palm Springs, it was hot, dry, and desolate. The temperature ranged from 108-111. There was one gas station about halfway between Blythe and Palm Springs, and regular undleaded cost $3.99 per gallon. Fortunately, we didn't need gas at that point. Prices that we saw in the Los Angeles area ranged from $3.07 - $3.39.

After crossing the desert, we initiated Royce II and Royce III to the delights of the In and Out Burger in Loma Linda. We reached the end of the interstate at Santa Monica, took a right, and rolled into Malibu around 4:30 Monday afternoon. Barbara had flown in earlier that afternoon and was already checked in to our hotel. After dinner we discovered, to her dismay, that there is no longer a Ben and Jerry's in Malibu.

The next morning Taylor and Royce got checked in for New Student Orientation, got their student IDs, and checked into their dorm. The rest of the day was spent moving their stuff and setting up their room. Although there are a couple of palm trees impeding their view slightly, you can see the Pacific from their window. Promises to be a tough semester...After a trip to Target, Orientation officially began that evening...

Emptying the Nest

Taylor and I will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning to make the 22 hour drive from Richardson to Malibu. It's hard to believe that the time has come, but he seems ready to go. His Explorer is all packed and he is enjoying Dave Matthews tonight. Time surely does not slow down as it passes.

I just checked the weather forecast for Malibu - it looks like they are expecting a heat wave. The highs this past week have been in the mid 70's, but for next week it looks like they are going to get up into the low 80's. I'll try to survive...

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It has been 6 weeks since my knee surgery. My knee looks pretty normal now, with the addition of 5 little scars and a couple of lumpy places. It feels pretty good, and I am able to extend it to within a couple of degrees of straight. I've been bicycling for a couple of weeks now, and have added small doses of the elliptical trainer. We took an easy hour ride this morning with no ill effects. It does look like I will have to forego rollerblading at the beach on this trip. Maybe next time...
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I probably won't have much opportunity to post this week, so until next week may the Lord bless you and keep you.

There but for the Grace of God...

There was an excellent column in the Religion section of the Morning News yesterday about Mel Gibson's drunken tirade and the backlash that it has sparked. One line in that column specifically grabbed my attention:

The episode could be a moment of conversion, too, for all of us high-minded commentators who take comfort in not being like that booze-addled anti-Semite.

I thought about that statement; I thought about Chuck Adair and his story as he related it last week; I thought about a former president who was ridiculed with such relish by the 'right'eous for his moral failings; I thought about about a number of people whose shortcomings have been exposed in a public or not so public way.

I was reminded again that while I am very much the sinner in need of mercy, in my own mind's eye I am more often the pharisee thankful that I am not like those sinners or others that I encounter on a daily basis. In reality, I just haven't been so publicly exposed. My lust, my pride, my selfishness, my arrogance, my deceit, my lack of trust - these are all my hidden secrets.

Only they are not hidden from the One who knows my heart. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The World Is Flat

In the first chapter of The World Is Flat Thomas Friedman identifies what he describes as 3 eras of globalization. Globalization 1.0 was characterized by political and economic relationships among and between governments. Globalization 2.o was characterized by international collaboration and competition among businesses and corporations. The first half of this era was driven by advances in transportation; the second half by advances in technology, especially telecommunications. The current era, Globalization 3.0, is characterized by individuals having the power to compete and collaborate on a global level.

In one illustration, he uses the example of airline reservations/ticketing. In a globalization 1.0 era, all ticketing is done manually and is on paper. In a globalization 2.o era, ticketing may be done electronically, but is still controlled by the airline or travel agent. In globalization 3.0 the passenger makes his reservations, pays, and prints his own boarding pass all from the convenience of his own home.

Thinking about how to do church and missions, there may be some parallels to consider as the world around us changes ever more rapidly. I'm not sure what missions looks like in a globalization 3.0 era, but I have the feeling it is much more about individual interactions than organized, structured efforts.

30 Days

The FX network is featuring a series called Thirty Days, where a person with a strong belief or opinion spends 30 days living with a family who holds the opposite view. The concept is that the participants will get beyond stereotypes and develop a deeper understanding and mutual respect for each other. The phrase "walk a mile in my shoes" might be applicable.

One of the greatest benefits for both youth and adults who participate in mission trips is the opening of their eyes that occurs from living for a short while in another environment. As I ponder what I can apply from these concepts, this recent gracemail from Edward Fudge comes to mind.
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(gracEmail) natural evangelism
Edward Fudge
Aug 08, 2006

NATURAL EVANGELISM

One gracEmail subscriber draws back from the thought of approaching strangers to distribute evangelistic leaflets. Another subscriber feels unable to engage in door-to-door "cold campaigning" such as is done by Jehovah's Witnesses but also feels guilty in this regard. A third subscriber rejects such outreach methods as impersonal, insisting that evangelism requires a personal relationship to be genuinely authentic. And a fourth subscriber suggests that not every Christian is gifted to be an evangelist, just as not all are teachers, pastors or prophets.
* * *
Clearly the "E-word" has fallen into disrepute among many Christians today. This demise of evangelism has resulted partly from fear and cowardice, partly because of the church's infection by a popular culture which abhors religious conviction, and partly in reaction to t he distasteful antics of some whose zeal exceeds their knowledge and good manners. Not all believers are called to be evangelists (Eph. 4:11-13), but all have a part in the evangelistic mission of the church. Indeed, the apostle Paul in Colossians 4:2-6 offers a series of guidelines for everyday living which result in a natural process of evangelism that is respectful, winsome and effective.

"Devote yourselves to prayer," he says first, "keeping alert," always "praying that God will open a door for the word." God himself prepares lives to receive the gospel, opens hearts to hear it, and gives faith to receive it. We ask him to do all that, then we watch to see where he is working so we can join in what he is doing. "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders," the apostle continues. Our own daily lives usually provide the connection with others whom God will touch through our efforts. Our consistent, observable conduct also len ds credibility to our conversation when the time comes to speak a gospel word about Jesus and God's love revealed in him.

"Making the most of the opportunity," Paul concludes. "Let your speech always be with grace." When God provides an open door and an open heart, we need to speak clearly and courageously, but also graciously and with sincere respect for each individual we address. As we regularly do these things, God uses us in his great saving purpose. This is about God's agenda and he is responsible for the results.
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Copyright 2006 by Edward Fudge. Permission hereby granted to reprint this gracEmail in its entirety without change, with credit given and not for financial profit. To visit our multimedia website, click here.

Central Dallas Opportunity

If you haven't kept up with what's been happening at Central Dallas Ministries, you have missed out on some exciting news. CDM recently received a $12 million tax credit from the Texas Department of Housing and Urban Affairs to help offset the cost of renovating CityWalk @ Akard, a 15 story downtown building that has been vacant for several years. As Larry James has described it in his blog,

"We plan to develop 200 high-quality, affordable apartments for low-income, working people in the 15-story building that has been vacant for almost 15 years.

Fifty of these units will be reserved for formerly homeless persons. Nine of the units will be offered at market rate. We also plan for some light retail on the ground floor and approximately 35-40 Central Dallas Ministries' staff members will office in the building daily.

The building also contains a 300-seat auditorium that we will restore for use by arts, music, dance and theater groups, as well as faith communities and groups who reside in the building."

This project has the potential to help transform a community that is desparately in need and to greatly expand the reach of service provided by Central Dallas Ministries. In today's post on his blog, Larry has taken the uncharacteristic step of asking readers for financial support for this project. I believe this project will be good for Dallas, and even better for God's kingdom. I have already responded, and hope that you will to. You can make a secure online donation here.

The Prodigal

Dwight was on vacation today. Chuck Adair preached this morning in his absence. His text was Luke 15. I can't think of anyone more suited to speak from the perspective of the prodigal son. Chuck's openness in taking responsibility for his actions, his brokenness, and his subsequent recognition of and acceptance of God's grace are the embodiment of the reconciliation Jesus describes in this parable. I have confidence that God will do great things through Chuck in ministry to those who are in prison and those who are transitioning out of prison.

Coincidentally, I had chosen Luke 15 to discuss in the Covenant class this morning. I believe that the primary group Jesus is speaking to in these three parables is the pharisees and teachers who were mumbling about his associating with sinners. I think that we sometimes focus so much on the repentance of the younger brother and the acceptance of the father that we overlook the character that I think was Jesus' main point - the older brother and his attitude. I am proud of Skillman and how we have responded to Chuck since his release from prison.

Nonconformed but Engaged

One of the ways that we have described a missional church is that it is one where there is a balance between being not conformed to the world and and at the same time engaged with it. We are called to be both set apart from the world and to be in it; to be different but to relate or connect with the world. On one end of the continuum nonconformity might take the form of a monastery or an Amish community; on the other end it is impossible to distinguish the church from the world around it. To be missional means finding a balance.

This morning Matt Luna was speaking to the Men's Breakfast group about the weeks he had spent in China earlier this summer. He was describing what it was like to live for a short time in a foreign culture, and that the group of 12 college students and staff members from Campus Crusade became very close almost by necessity. They learned to trust one another and depended upon each other. It struck me that he was describing something very similar to what we had been talking about. He was with a group of exchange students in a Chinese university. They were surrounded by a different culture, different language, different food, different people. They were obviously different (nonconformed) from the world in which they were living, but were deliberately engaged with the people they encountered each day. Not a bad model...

Minimum Wage

This past weekend the US House passed a bill raising the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25, to be phased in over a period of 2 years. This evening the Senate rejected the bill. Without getting into a discussion on the various tax cuts that were also a part of the bill and the political motives that led to its defeat, and without considering the percentage that congressional salaries have increased in the 9 years since the last minimum wage increase, I want to focus for just a bit on the minimum wage itself.

Consider a full time worker, working 40 hours per week for 52 weeks a year. At the current minimum wage level of $5.15 per hour, that worker would earn $10,712 annually. At a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, the annual earnings would increase to $15,080. He or she might also be eligible for a tax credit of between $400 and $4000. For the sake of argument, let's assume our worker is married with 2 small children, is never absent from work, and is eligible for the maximum tax credit. At the current $5.15 per hour the family income would be approximately $15,000; at $7.25 it would be slightly more than $19,000. The 2006 federal poverty level for a family of 4 is $20,000.

The current minimum wage leaves an earner well below the poverty level, and a proposed 40% increase would almost get a worker up to the poverty level. To help put that in context, take the Poverty Tour.

Pro Life...

Sunday's Morning News featured an interview with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. I was impressed by his response to a question on how his agenda, as a Republican and an evangelical, differed from that of a standard Christian conservative...

I'm not sure that it differs. I think it may expand, in that sometimes Christian conservatives are perceived only to care about a child prior to his birth. I think if we're truly going to be faithful to an evangelical worldview, our concern for the child only starts before his birth. I'm pro-life, which means I care about the child not only before he's born, but I want to make sure after he's born that he's going to be healthy, well-educated, that he'll live in a safe neighborhood, that he'll be able one day to get a good job and provide for himself. For me, that's an equally important part of being pro-life as to say I don't want to see him get aborted. Also, I don't want to abort his opportunities by policies that will be an impediment to him after he's born.

That's a definition of pro-life that I can live with.

In Jesus' Name We Pray...

Many people have a very strangely childish notion, that "praying in the name of Christ" means simply the addition of the words "through Jesus Christ our Lord" at the end of their prayers. But depend upon it, they do not by adding these words, or any words, bring it about that their prayers should be in the name of Christ. To pray in the name of Christ means to pray in such a way as represents Christ. The representative always must speak in the spirit and meaning of those for whom he speaks. If Christ is our representative, that must be because He speaks our wishes, or what we ought to make our wishes; and if we are to pray in the name of Christ, that means that we are, however far off, expressing His wishes and intentions. ... Charles Gore (1853-1932), The Sermon on the Mount [1910]

Doc "Barnabas" Cornutt

At a reception at Skillman this afternoon ACU honored Doc Cornutt as one of it's Distinguished Alumni. The reception was originally to have taken place in May - below is the the post I wrote at that time...
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ACU’s Distinguished Alumni Citation recognizes distinctive personal or professional achievement that has merited the honor and praise of peers and colleagues. This year 12 ACU Distinguished Alumni have been chosen as part of ACU’s Centennial Celebration. We are blessed at Skillman to have 2 of the 12 recipients in our midst. Charme Robarts was honored at a reception at Skillman in March, and this Sunday Doc Cornutt will be honored in Abilene.

We have been acquainted with the Cornutt's since we moved to the Dallas area and came to Skillman in 1989. Their daughter Shelley and Lauren are the same age and have been friends since the first grade. I got to know Doc and Linda better when Shelley played with Lauren on the basketball team that I coached during the springs and summers when they were in high school, and I have gotten to know Doc even better during the time we have served together as elders.

The highest compliment Doc expresses for someone is to call them a Barnabus. He values the trait of being an encourager, and looks for it in others. Because he looks for encouraging behavior, he often sees it. But more importantly, he embodies it. Doc truly is more like Barnabus than anyone I know, and this award is well-deserved.

This and That

Most of the swelling is gone from my knee. I got on a stationary bike yesterday and today; my range of motion is improving. Still not completely able to straighten, but it's straighter than it has been for the past couple of years...
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I pass a DART station on my way home from work each day. Today I saw a brown DART bus with the word Hungerectomy on the side. Since the problem of hunger has been on my mind, I immediately thought that maybe that it referred to some campaign or program to help solve the problem - idealistic me; turns out it was part of a new ad campaign for Snickers...
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Tonight was the Dallas area send off party for incoming freshman to Pepperdine. Pepperdine's Freshman class consists of 740 students selected from over 8000 applicants. Around 20 of those are from around the Dallas area.
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Taylor and I will head west one month from tomorrow. This is a time of ambivalence. I am happy for Taylor and excited that he is beginning this phase of his life; I am pleased with his choice of schools - Pepperdine offers a quality education in a beautiful environment with a faculty that actively nurtures and supports growth among its students in the 4 areas that Luke attributed to Jesus: academic growth, physical wellness, spiritual growth, and social responsibility (wisdom, stature, favor with God and man).

At the same time, the house will seem empty, and Malibu is 1500 miles away. It is a great place to visit, though.

Quote of the Day

Receive every day as a resurrection from death, as a new enjoyment of life; meet every rising sun with such sentiments of God's goodness, as if you had seen it, and all things, new-created upon your account: and under the sense of so great a blessing, let your joyful heart praise and magnify so good and glorious a Creator. ... William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life [1728]

Heal the Sick

Since we have begun participating in the Partnership for Missional Church, one discipline we are practicing on a more regular basis is Dwelling in the Word. This morning in class we were dwelling in Luke 10, where Jesus sends 70 disciples out ahead of him. Among the instructions he gives them are "Heal the sick and tell them that the Kingdom of God is near".

I don't have much trouble understanding that these disciples had the power to actually heal the sick that they encountered. I have a little more difficulty trying to comprehend what that means for me today. I am fairly certain that I do not have the power to heal the sick as the disciples did. As I reflect on the implications of the imperative to heal the sick in today's world, I think one response may be providing access to health care for those who don't have it or can't afford it.

Medical missions to Africa (like the annual trip to Zambia that some of our people participate in), Mexico, Central America, and other places where the people have little or no access to modern health care may be one way to respond. Another is the Community Health Services program operated by Central Dallas Ministries. There are undoubtedly others. I don't know for certain that these are what Jesus meant for today's world when he said to heal the sick, but I'm fairly certain that it is a part of loving my neighbor.

Recovery, Week 1; The Worthy Poor

A week after surgery and doing pretty well. I've had 2 physical therapy sessions and have put away the crutches. Not too much pain, still some swelling. After limping for 2 years, I am having to retrain myself to walk with a normal gate. The exercises are focused on regaining range of motion, and I am hopeful that I will be able to fully straighten my leg.
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There is a chapter in Robert Lupton's Theirs Is The Kingdom entitled "The Truly Worthy Poor". I was reminded of this chapter this week as I was finishing Growing Up Empty. Here is an excerpt from "The Truly Worthy Poor"...

A truly worthy poor woman: Is a widow more than sixty-five years old living alone in substandard housing; does not have a family or relatives to care for her. Has no savings and cannot work; has an income inadequate for her needs. Is a woman of prayer and faith, never asks anyone for anything but only accepts with gratitude what people bring her; is not cranky...

A truly worth poor family: Is devout, close-knit. Has a responsible father working long hours at minimum wage wherever he can find work. Has a mother who makes the kids obey, washes clothes by hand, and will not buy any junk food. Lives in overcrowded housing; will not accept welfare or food stamps even when neither parent can find work. Always pays the bills on time; has no automobile. Has kids who do not whine or tell lies.

I want to serve truly worthy poor people. The problem is they are hard to find. Someone on our staff thought he remembered seeing one back in '76, but couldn't remember for sure...

As I read the stories of individuals and families in Growing Up Empty I couldn't help but think that many of them came close to fitting the tongue-in-cheek profile that Lupton described. One of the people interviewed for this book put it this way...

But there is a belief in our culture that if you work you will not be poor or hungry, and the truth is that many of the people who work, even the people who work full-time are very often poor and often very hungry. They never get above the poverty line... A lot of the people we see here simply can't make ends meet no matter how hard they work or how well they manage... Most have no medical benefits, so they have to choose between medicine, food and housing.

Roberto Clemente

The major league all-star game was held in Pittsburgh tonight and fittingly, Roberto Clemente was honored. Clemente, one of my boyhood heroes, played for the Pirates from the mid 50's until 1972. He died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve, 1972 while taking supplies to the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. Clemente was a great player, a hero both on and off the field. He was known for playing the game of baseball with a great passion that could only be matched by his unrelenting commitment to making a difference in the lives of those in need.

I grew up a Pirates fan and remember countless nights lying in bed listening to Bob Prince and Nellie King announce the Pirate games on the radio. My favorites were Clemente, Bill Mazeroski (who escorted Vera Clemente onto the field to receive tonight's award), and Willie Stargell. I was 14 when Clemente died, and will always remember the moment when I learned of his death. I had a paper route at that time, and had decided to deliver the New Year's Day papers before I went to bed so I wouldn't have to get up early to deliver them the next morning. The truck dropped off my bundle of papers around 1 am and there was the headline: Clemente Plane Missing. The next day the news was confirmed; we had lost a hero.

In 1973 baseball began awarding the annual Roberto Clemente award to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team. Tonight baseball remembered a true hero.

That's Not OK...

Patrick Mead preaches for the Rochester, Michigan church. This post from his blog last week is worth reading. (Reposted with permission)

That's Not Okay With Me...

According to the last census, Detroit is the most African-American city in the US. Bordering Detroit is Livonia, declared the whitest city in the US by that same census. Eight Mile Road is a border land inhabited by Chaledeans (Iraqis, mainly Christian) who have their own closed community. I could go on and on because the tribal lines everywhere here and those lines are walls; and woe be unto anyone who wants to breach them.

That's not okay with me.

Jesus launched a revolution where he replaced 600+ laws on religion with a new rule: "The only thing that matters is faith expressing itself in love" (Galatians 5). Since that time Christians have scurried to make new laws, new walls, new barriers.

That's not okay with me.

We sit in worship with people who look like us, who like the things we like, and with whom we are comfortable. Outside are single mothers, rockers, slackers, addicts, the divorced, the slaves of consumerism, gray minions of corporate America, skateboarders and.... you get the idea. None of them will ever feel comfortable with our ways or in our buildings. In those rare instances in which they want to be a part of us, we force them to become us first! They have to be more like us, agree with our preferences, and behave themselves.... then and only then are they allowed access to the Kingdom.

That's not okay with me.

My neighborhood is full of young couples with children. Toys, bikes, swingsets, and forts are in every yard but ours. We are the old folk here. On Sundays, only a couple families from this subdivision go to worship. None go with us and none will consider driving the 20-30 minutes it takes to get to Rochester Hills from our home. They won't go with me, so should I leave them to their fate?

That's not okay with me.

Dearborn Heights, an area about a forty minute drive from my house, has the largest concentration of Muslims of any place in the US. Drive another hour south and, just as you leave Toledo and enter the flat northwest corner of Ohio, there is a huge and opulent mosque reminding you of who has congregated here. Reaching Muslims is difficult (always) and can be dangerous (rarely). Chances of success are small. Most people write them off, turn slightly away from the swarthy man boarding the bus or the plane, stand next to them in line at Meijers, saying nothing, and then go to a segregated, safe place on Sunday and sing "Anywhere with Jesus."

That's not okay with me.

If I have to form evangelistic small groups to target each of these people for Jesus, I'm okay with that. If that makes some of my brethren nervous because their comfortable, predictable church order is changed around and their preferences (and ease) are no longer the greatest priority, I'm saddened by their attitude, but I'm okay with that, knowing that doors swing both ways and keeping them in and happy means keeping out everybody else. I will not trade one soul for a million, not if it is over a matter of taste and tradition rather than a plainly stated "thus sayeth the Lord."

I'm just not okay with that.

Will we fail? Yes. Probably several times. But the greatest failure of all would be to keep doing what we have always been doing and expect God to change everybody else in the world so that they will look, like, and think like us... and then magically come in and sit quietly with us at church. It would require ignoring the Great Commission, the Revolution of Jesus, and the facts of the gospel. It would require us to shrug our shoulders and consign the rest of the world to hell.

That's not okay with me. Is it with you?

Hunger in America

One of the benefits to sitting with my leg propped up is that I have time to get caught up on some reading. One of the drawbacks to getting caught up on some reading is that the content can be troublesome. One of my catch-up books is Loretta Schwartz-Nobel's Growing Up Empty - this month's selection for the Urban Engagement Book Club.

Growing Up Empty is a series of stories of people in America who face hunger on a daily basis. The auther tells their stories in their own words - from the wife of the doctor who left her and 3 children for another woman to the soldier's family living in military housing to the janitor working for minimum wage - These are the stories of people who cannot afford to feed themselves and their dependents.

Some fast facts about hunger (from the Center on Poverty and Hunger - Brandeis University)

• Nearly one in eight US households do not have access to enough food to meet their basic needs. Over 38 million people live in these food-insecure households, including 13.9 million children.
• More than ten million people live in households that go hungry; close to one-third of these are children.
• Over 40% of low-income children live in households that are hungry or at risk of hunger.
• One-third of female-headed households and more than 20% of Black and Hispanic households are uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the basic needs of their members because of insufficient money to buy food.
• More Texans are at risk of going hungry than anywhere else in the country. Every day, one in six Texans is food insecure, meaning they aren’t sure where they’ll get their next meal.

Food security refers to assured access to enough food at all times for an active and healthy life. At a minimum, food security includes: the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, and a guaranteed ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways (without resorting to emergency food supplies, scavenging or stealing, for example).
Food insecurity occurs whenever the availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food, or the ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways, is limited or uncertain.

As we talk about politics and religion or becoming missional, somehow feeding the hungry must be a part of that conversation. "For as you have done to the least of these, so have you done to me also."

Recovery Day 2; More Politics and Religion

Not much change today - movement hurts, but I mostly sit with my leg propped up. Still quite swollen and one of my incisions seeps when I do my bending and straightening exercises. Ice helps. According to the Dr. tomorrow should be the day it begins to start feeling a little better. Don't know how long I'll be on crutches...
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Last Sunday morning we acknowledged the 4th of July by singing 3 patriotic songs and participating in a unison congregational prayer for our country and our elected leaders. I have to admit to a level of ambivalance and some degree of discomfort for a number of reasons.

On one hand I am greatful to have been born into the greatest country in the world. I am greatful for the courage and the sacrifices that have been made by so many from signers of the Declaration of Independence to all those who have fought for freedom; to the framers of our constitution and to all those who have protected it over the past two centuries; for the Bill of Rights and, as Lincoln phrased it, government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

On the other hand, the United States is not the kingdom of God on earth, and Americans are not the chosen people. I wonder if sometimes we don't get that confused.

Recovery; Religion and Politics

Slept ok, still not much pain. Changed the dressing this morning and was surprised to see how swollen and purple the knee is. I have 5 small incisions. I've begun straightening and bending exercises and there is some soreness associated with that. Getting a little tired of sitting/laying with my leg up, but it could be worse...
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Gerald Britt wrote an excellent editorial in the Morning News this morning on politics and religion - here are a couple of excerpts...

Participation in our electoral process is a great privilege and responsibility for all citizens, including people of faith. Increasingly, however, politicians are intruding upon our houses of worship to appeal for our votes.
When they do so, they demonstrate that people of faith are little more than a bullet point in their partisan campaign strategy....
We do not intend houses of worship to be "politics-free" zones. Clergy cannot be silent in political debates. Indeed, we have a responsibility to speak out about moral issues and should encourage the faithful to join in the great public debates of our day.
We also aren't asking politicians to deny the role their own faith plays in guiding their work.
But we must not blur the line between faith and partisan politics. Our houses of worship cannot be used as campaign props, nor our congregations deemed a "political base." We cannot allow those who disagree to be stigmatized. Religion should not be used to divide communities to win votes....
We should provide a perspective as free as possible from partisan ideology. We must not allow our churches to be tools of any political party. But we must see to it that our congregants are active citizens informed by a faith that has spiritual, cultural and, yes, political integrity and viability....
We do that when we recognize that there is no such thing as a Democratic or Republican theology.
There is, however, a justice that we are called to seek that is nonpartisan and a God who is free of our political entanglements.

Surgery and Planning Worship

I reported to the surgery center at 7 am this morning, and was home by 10. I remember telling the nurse something about where I work as I was being taken to the operating room and the next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room. The anesthesia left me a little groggy, but after napping for an hour after I got home, I'm feeling ok. My knee is still numb - we'll see how I feel when that wears off. Doing ok so far - more to come...
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The following excerpt is from an article on worship planning in Christianity Today.

On one of the hottest days of the summer, we worked when the sun was at its peak. My dad stopped and said, "Hey, Mark, let me show you something." We came to a spot where there were boards on the ground. Dad knelt by the boards and began to move them aside to reveal a hole. When the hole was cleared my father laid on his stomach, with his shoulders and head over the hole. "Mark, this is the spring. When I was your age, after we worked all day, I'd come with my brothers out to this spring." He reached down into the hole and brought up water. He said, "This is the best water I've ever had." I lay on my stomach beside my father, reached down into the hole, and cupped my hands. I drank that same ice-cold water my dad drank years ago, and he was right. It was the best water I've ever had.

In Genesis 26:18, Isaac reopened the wells his father had dug. Isaac went back when he was parched, thirsty, and in need. He went to wells that had satisfied his father, Abraham, and found refreshment.

Our churches aren't trying to create some new thing. When we innovate, we're simply coming back to the same source, the same Jesus, and we're drinking that water. Jesus said, "I'm the living water; come to me, all you who are thirsty." When we plan a worship service, we simply find ways to help people connect with Jesus, the living water.

To Dress or Not to Dress

Today's Dear Abby consisted of 4 letters - 2 from writers who expressed a belief that one should dress up for church and 2 who expressed a belief that what was in the heart was more important than what was on the body.

Essentially, the "pro" dress writers felt that it is a matter of respect and reverence, that one should dress appropriately for the occasion, just as one would for a job interview or to meet someone of importance. They felt that it is disrespectful to wear less than one's "sunday best".

The "anti" dress writers felt that clothes were not so important as attitude, that dressing up is often a way of covering up or hiding one's true self; or that it can be a means of distinguishing class, of identifying who is like us and who is different.

I think that to some degree it is a generational mindset - that each generation has a tendancy to want to be different from the previous generation. To some degree it is a cultural mindset - this is how we do it here, and to belong, one is expected to conform. To some degree it is a matter of conscience - people truly believe that they should dress up or dress down to be faithful.

It is, to me, a small thing. And yet, if we think missionally, it may be one of those small things that should be approached intentionally, so that within our time and place we place one less barrier between people and the gospel.
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At 7 am tomorrow morning I will be undergoing arthroscopic surgery on my knee. I've never had surgery before, and never anything other than a local anesthetic. I've done all the pre-op stuff that I'm supposed to...we'll see how it goes.

Willard's New Dictionary

Sometime in the recent past I ran across an article in which Dallas Willard suggested the possibility that some of the language we frequently use has developed a popular understanding that does not necessarily communicate the true intent of the language. He suggests developing a "new dictionary" to help us refocus on the meaning of several words. While one may not personally use what he describes as the popular definition, one would be hard pressed to deny that this is the meaning much of the world ascribes. Below are 5 words that he suggests need to be redefined, with the popular definition in italics followed by his revised definition:

Discipleship
Popular - One who is serious about church involvement.
Willard - One learning to live their life as Jesus would if he were they. An apprentice of Jesus.

Salvation
Popular - Going to heaven, not hell, after death.
Willard - Being caught up into the life that Jesus is living right now on the earth.

Grace
Popular - God's forgiveness for our sins that takes away our guilt.
Willard - God acting in our life to accomplish what we cannot do on our own.

Love
Popular - A feeling of desire for, or to act nicely toward, another.
Willard - To will the good of another.

Kingdom of God
Popular - Heaven, or the perfect realm that will exist at the end of history.
Willard - The present range of God's effective will, where what he wants done is done.

The Kingdom of God

As we have begun the Partnership for Missional Church, one of the disciplines that we have begun practicing is "Dwelling in the Word". We regularly dwell in Luke 10, which refers twice to the Kingdom of God being near. Yesterday, Mike Cope wrote a terrific post on the kingdom in his blog - www.preachermike.com .

New Orleans Report

At the Elders' Meeting Monday evening the kids in the youth group and the sponsors who went to New Orleans reported on their trip. They each spoke about their experience and related a specific story or impression from the trip. Some of the stories recounted interactions with adults or children and the hope they displayed; some were of the overwhelming devastation that remains nearly a year later; many expressed how greatful they are for their homes and families; all conveyed that the experience would remain with them and shape their lives.

As I listened to their stories a number of thoughts ran through my head. First, was that I am proud of our kids for giving not only a week of their summer, but their hearts in service to others. I am thankful for the adults that went with them, and especially so that Dwight went. What an example and blessing for those kids to spend a week with their preacher in that setting. It can't help but give them a different perspective on Sunday mornings.

I was struck by the observation that so many of the kids told of the sense of hope that was expressed by so many of the people they interacted with. I wondered if I would be hopeful in the same situation. I also wondered whether it would take the loss of home, livelihood, or even family to make me recognize that when I put my hope anywhere but in God, I am trusting in sinking sand and drifting wind.

A final thought was that I don't have to go to New Orleans to see people who have suffered or are suffering through their own devasting events, who are struggling, who need the hope that comes only from God. They are all around if I can only learn to see them.

More Good News

Yesterday's Austin American-Statesman reported a study showing that Texas has a higher percentage of children living in poverty than 41 other states. According to the annual Kids Count study:

• Twenty-three percent of the state's children live in poverty, compared with the national average of 18 percent.
• Texas has the highest percentage of uninsured children in the country, 21 percent. The national average is 11 percent.
• Almost half of Texas children lived in low-income families in 2004. That's an income below $38,314 for a family of four.
• Texas' infant mortality rate and the percentage of babies with low birth weights increased between 2000 and 2003. The state ranks 22nd in the nation on both.
• Twenty-nine percent of Texas children are in immigrant families, compared with 20 percent of children in the country.
• One in 10 Texas children lives in extreme poverty (below $9,579 a year for a family of four in 2004).
• Texas had the second-lowest percentage of immunized children in 2004, 75 percent. Only Nevada had a lower percentage, 71 percent.

Not to be concerned, though, Texas can add a couple of more accountability tests and that will more than make up for the deficit that these kids enter school with.

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This morning's Dallas Morning News reported that the 2 high school seniors who delivered the marijuana muffins to Lake Highlands HS as a senior prank are each being charged with 5 counts of felony assault on a public servant. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison. Is it possible that someone is over-reacting just a tad?

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One of my colleagues commented today that education has become a field where thinking is no longer welcome...

Been Awhile...

It's been a while since my last post. Partly due to traveling; partly due to getting into some genealogical research; partly due to not having much to say. I usually write at night, but lately when I get online at night I get absorbed tracing family history.

A few weeks ago I was in West Virginia for the weekend to surprise my parents and my aunt. It had been 5 years since my last trip there, and I wanted to see the old family cemetery but there wasn't time on this trip. My great grandparents and my great-great grandparents are among those buried here. Since that trip, I have discovered the obituary of my great-great grandfather, and have been able to trace back to his grandfather, John Gray - a Revolutionary War veteran who was born in Pennsylania in 1761.

Below is the obituary of my great-great grandfather:

Francis M. GRAY - One of the oldest soldiers and citizens of this community was laid to rest on 6 May 1923 in the Gray Cemetery near Kausooth. He was 82 years and 26 days old. He had walked with a painful limb for about sixty years, the result of a wound received from a rebel bullet in the years of 1862 to 1865. His wife preceded him in death over 16 years ago. He lived with his son Jason on the home farm for a while & from there he went to this daughter's home. She was Mrs. Melvin Siburt & he lived there until she died. He came to his daughter, Lucinda Burge & stayed until death called him home. He was united in marriage to Miss Jane McCollough on 4 Jul 1862 & to them were born eight children, four girls & four boys. One boy died in infancy. Andrew died when about 35 years of age. Mrs. Melvin Siburt & Mrs. Andrew McCardle died several years ago. Those living are: Jason Gray of Kausooth; Mrs. Lucinda Burge, Cameron, WV; Ben Gray, Freeport, OH & Mrs. Cora Snedeker of Washington, PA. Funeral services were conducted at the home by Rev. J. M. Rine. Pallbearers were his two sons, Jason & Ben Gray; two grandsons, Chester & John Gray & two nephews, J. B. Gray & Madison Gray of Moundsville, WV. Interment was in the family burial ground on the home farm near Kausooth, Marshall Co, WV.

Father's Day Quotes

The most important thing that a father can do for his children is to love their mother...Theodore M. Hesburgh

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it...Clarence B. Kelland

It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father...Pope John XXIII

My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. "We're raising boys."...Harmon Killebrew

Small boys become big men through the influence of big men who care about small boys...Anonymous

If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right...Bill Cosby

One night a father overheard his son pray: Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is. Later that night, the Father prayed, Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be...Anonymous

By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder – infinitely prouder – to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battle field but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, 'Our Father who art in Heaven.'...Douglas MacArthur

When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years...Mark Twain

Fathers do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord...Ephesians 6:4

Missional Worship

In a recent Daily Heartlight article Phil Ware describes worship in missional terms...

I'm convinced that much of our sense of worship is well-intentioned wrong-headedness. We've confined worship to what we do in our daily quiet times, in our church building sanctuaries, and our small group Bible studies. In other words, worship takes place away from the everyday world where we live, the jobs where we work, the leisure activities we enjoy, and the activities where our children play. In other words, worship is what occurs at the margins, fringes, and short moments of time where we are isolated from "real life."

While worship with Christians is great and necessary, it is private worship with our church family. Occasionally someone from the "outside"may come in and be blessed (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). But Jesus left the incredible worship world of Heaven to enter the everyday world of fallen humanity to do the will of God, show the love of God, and bring God glory -- in other words, Jesus' life was a life of worship! God wants us to follow our Lord's example. He wants us to take our worship out into the "real world" where we work, play, go to school, and watch our children in their activities. Worship must be what we do in our daily lives out in the world around us (Romans 12:1). We meet together for worship to "stimulate one another to love and good deeds" in our daily worship lived out daily in the world around us (Hebrews 10:24-25NAS).

Our power to change the character of our culture will be found in the compassion and quality of our daily lives, not in the political clout we can marshal at the polls or in the power of our Christian assemblies(1 Peter 2:11-12). The way we conduct ourselves in our daily lives, openly living our faith but not shoving it down everyone's throat, will give us the opportunity to share the real basis of our hope in Jesus even in the most hostile situations (1 Peter 3:13-17).

Once we grab hold of this concept, we're in for quite a surprise. We learn that our lives will be heard by the skeptical world around us more than our words. We will discover that each day is a day holy to God. How we treat our family, the way we conduct ourselves at work, the kind of person we are at school, the way we carry ourselves at our children's events, the way we help those around us who are in need, andthe kind of neighbor we are when we are at home all are a crucial parts of worship. Rather than God being a tack on part of our day-to-day lives, he will inhabit all spaces and places of each day.

1 Corinthians 13

As we continue the conversation on what it means to become missional, I recently came across a post where the author personalized Paul's description of love in 1 Corinthians 13. As we seek to listen to God, to discern His plans for us, to be transformed into His image, this reading gives some perspective as to what that would look like:

I am patient, I am kind and not jealous. I do not brag and am not arrogant, do not act unbecomingly. I do not seek my own, am not provoked, do not take into account a wrong suffered, do not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoice with the truth. I bear all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things. I never fail.

I have a ways to go....
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In contrast is this story recounted by Rubel Shelley in this week's Fax of Life...

A good citizen was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy street. Suddenly, the light at the intersection just in front of them turned yellow. The good citizen did the right thing by stopping at the crosswalk – even though he could have beaten the red light by gunning it through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof – and her horn. She was screaming in frustration because she had missed her chance to get through the intersection. As she was still in mid-rant – alternately pounding the steering wheel and gesturing to the fellow in front of her – she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He put handcuffs on her. He took her to the police station, where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a holding cell.

After a couple of hours, a police captain approached the cell and opened the door. The woman was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects. He said, "I'm very sorry for my mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cursing a blue streak. Then I noticed the ‘Choose Life' license plate holder, the ‘What Would Jesus Do?' bumper sticker, the ‘Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

A couple of weeks ago my sisters and I had a surprise reception for my parents 50th anniversary. Their actual anniversary was this past Friday, and it was spent like most of their lives - serving.

Since their retirement they have lived in Mountain Home, Arkansas and have been active in their support of the children's home in Paragould. They travel to Paragould several times each year to do maintenance, construction, cleaning and renovation work on the facilities of the home. A couple of years ago, they helped open a thrift store in Mountain Home to help raise funds for the children's home and on their 50th anniversary they were volunteering at the thrift store. (They did go out to dinner that evening)

This is not a pattern that began after retirement. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad doing things at the church building - printing the bulletin, painting, maintaining the mowers, shoveling snow - and doing things to help others - roofing Elmer's house, mowing Mr. Denney's lawn, cleaning up Aunt Rene's basement after the creek had flooded. Both of my parents figuratively washed the feet of the people they encountered in their lives.

Retirement did not bring a decline in their service - to the contrary, it provided more time for service. Mom works a regular volunteer schedule at the hospital in Mountain Home. Dad drives a van route from Mountain Home to Little Rock, picking up veterans and taking them to the VA hospital, and then bringing them back home. They both work at the thrift store and still make trips to Paragould.

I think their servant attitudes are one of the contributing factors to the 50 successful years of marriage. They both put the interests of others, including each other, before their own interests. Another factor is their commitement to one another. In the 48 years that I have known them I have never doubted or questioned their commitment and devotion to one another. Barbara and I are both fortunate in having that kind of commitment modeled by our parents.

Mom and Dad - I am proud of you. Congratulations on 50 years and I hope you have dozens more.

PMC - Random Reflections

Several of us spent all day and evening yesterday and most of today in the first of several cluster meetings with other partner congregations, ACU staff, and consultants from Church Innovations. In no particular order here are some reflections:

Trust - Trust is based on two basic elements: Character (Trustworthiness), and Competence in the field of action. If either character or competence is lacking, trust is damaged. We are beginning a process where as leaders we don't presume that we necessarily have a great deal of competence. Character therefore becomes even more imperative...

Dying or Pregnant? A woman who goes to the doctor displaying the symptoms of being sick and tired may be dying or she may be pregnant. A church that is sick and tired may be dying...or it may be pregnant. If it is God's will that a congregation die, then no program or personality will be able to save it. But a pregnant church, although it may go through considerable pain, gives birth to new life.

Trust (part 2) - In Genesis 12 God tells Abraham to leave his home and move to a land that he would reveal to him. As we embark on this journey, we don't know our ultimate destination, but we trust God to reveal it to us as we go through the process.

Spirit - The Spirit of God is present among the people of God. If we, as God's people, can learn better to listen to His Spirit, then collectively we will be better able to discern His will for us as a church.

Making disciples in an age of consumerism - as we transform into a missional church, we will see people as disciples rather than as customers.

Success?

The following excerpt from yesterday's Dallas Morning News Viewpoints section contains a profound insight into the challenges faced by many in our community in attempting to achieve the American Dream...

On Sunday, The Washington Post ran an extensive poll delving into the experiences of black men and their attitudes toward themselves, as well as other Americans' attitudes toward them. Here, two employees of the Dallas-based Foundation for Community Empowerment – an African-American man and a white woman – mull the implications of the sometimes surprising findings on this highly charged subject.

Victoria Loe Hicks: So, Marcus, what jumped out for you in the poll? For me it was that black men are their own toughest critics. For instance, a majority of all respondents said that black men are too focused on sports and sex and not focused enough on getting a good education, but black men were much stronger in those critiques than black women, white men or white women. Of course, no one knows us as well as we know ourselves.

Marcus Martin: I think what surprised me most is how many black men have internalized the obstacles and hardships that many black men across America face. They blame themselves, just as others blame them, for not overcoming those obstacles and hardships.

Hicks: So what I interpreted as self-awareness, you interpret as something more like internalized oppression?

Martin: Exactly. And part of this, I believe, is rooted in the way we measure whether a person has achieved the American dream – typically, we look only at the end result. I believe that is a flawed measure.

Hicks: But what is there to measure, other than the end result?

Martin: Well, I as a black man and you as a white woman have the same goals: a good education, good job, nice home, etc. However, because of my starting place – poverty, single-parent home, racism, etc. – I have 50 obstacles to overcome, where you have five. You manage to overcome those five and achieve the dream. I manage to overcome 30, but if the other 20 leave me by the wayside, society is ready to tell me I did not try hard enough. The African-American single mother who manages to get her three kids to graduate from high school has been just as successful as the upper-middle-class family that managed to get their three kids through Harvard – although society won't agree.

There is a lot to think about in this short excerpt, but 3 thoughts come immediately to mind:

First, starting place, while not the only factor, is one of the most significant factors in determining one's opportunity to achieve "success".

Second, we need to reconsider our definition of success. I was reading Ecclesiastes earlier today and was reminded again about what is important in life.

Third, I was reminded again how much I admire and appreciate Don Williams.

Partnership for Missional Church

This weekend we formally kick off our participation in the Partnership for Missional Church. Over the next several months I anticipate that we will be engaged in significant conversation regarding what the PMC is, what are the implications for Skillman, and eventually what impact it is having.

Starting the conversation about what it is, I want to look at the three main words in the title:

Partnership - We will be engaged in prayer, study, and sharing of ideas, successes, and failures with about a dozen other churches of Christ, staff from ACU, and consultants from Church Innovations. Church Innovations is "a non-profit organization devoted to renewing the Church’s focus on God’s mission in the world. Rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and wholly committed to following God’s leading for every congregation, we provide research and consulting tools, products and processes that increase your church’s capacities to experience God’s renewal and transformation."

Missional - We will be engaged in discovery of what it means - what it looks like - to fulfill Jesus' commission in our specific circumstances, time, culture, and community.

Church - We will be inviting the entire congregation to join in the conversation and to particpate in a transformation from a model where we are consumers of religious goods and services and where we typically pay someone else to carry out the mission that Jesus gave us to a model where we each take on the responsibility of carrying out the mission.

QUOTABLE

"In His messages to these seven churches [in Revelation 2-3] Jesus, for some reason, omits any reference to how many people attend church, how many people are saved, or how much money is donated and collected. Jesus does not seem to be interested in their architecture or furnishings of the edifice in which His people gather for worship. As we study these seven churches, it becomes abundantly clear that Jesus does not measure spiritual success by statistics and size. Jesus' fundamental and essential focus in every message is about new life in Him, given by God's grace."
--Greg Albrecht, Revelation Revolution: The Overlooked Message of the Apocalypse (World Publishing: Nashville, Tenn., 2005), p. 51.

Quotation of the Day

The great danger facing all of us... is not that we shall make an absolute failure of life, nor that we shall fall into outright viciousness, nor that we shall be terribly unhappy, nor that we shall feel that life has no meaning at all--not these things. The danger is that we may fail to perceive life's greatest meaning, fall short of its highest good, miss its deepest and most abiding happiness, be unable to tender the most needed service, be unconscious of life ablaze with the light of the Presence of God--and be content to have it so--that is the danger: that some day we may wake up and find that always we have been busy with husks and trappings of life and have really missed life itself. For life without God, to one who has known the richness and joy of life with Him, is unthinkable, impossible. That is what one prays one's friends may be spared--satisfaction with a life that falls short of the best, that has in it no tingle or thrill that comes from a friendship with the Father. ... Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), Sermons [1878]

Memorial Day

I have a box of my grandfather's sermons and speeches. Below is the text of a speech he gave on Memorial Day in Cameron, WVa, in 1953.
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Mr. Chairman, Beloved and respected defenders of our America in the struggles of the past and in the present bloody war. Ladies and gentlemen - It is not necessary that I explain the object of our service today. Its purpose is engrafted on your memory as one of our most cherished privileges. The privilege of a free people, scattering the tokens of undying love upon the graves of those who made the supreme sacrifice and honoring the memories of those whose bodies are in the embrace of mother earth in foreign lands or sleeping in the bosom of the mighty deep.

And although it is not possible to erase from our memories the terrible realities of war, yet we can raise our hearts in thanksgiving and appreciation. And as we bow our heads in honor of our brave boys and girls, we feel at the same time the tenderest sentiment of a great sorrow. And the gladness of a greatful heart.

We mourn and yet we rejoice. We uncover our heads as a token of true solemnity, and yet we bless the courage of these defenders of the Grandest Nation on earth America.

Who can point to a more noble purpose than to meet as we meet today?

And as I look over this audience I see the same true spirit outlined in your countenance as they manifest in their service. I see the same sentiment of loyalty. I see in the flush of the cheek your willingness to do and to dare in defence of the flag we love.

We are all endowed with the same loyalty to our government, the same determination to protect it and the same courage to defend it. As a people we are grand in government, grand in prosperity, and grand in achievement. Alone we stand upon the foundation of our greatness. But it is not enough that we proclaim our greatness. There is more for all of us to do. And as we meet together on this Memorial Day, let us renew our devotion to our government and so educate our people that our American form of government will never decay.

May we ever appreciate the heritage bequeathed to us on the altar of sacrifice. And may we realize the sacredness of that loyalty which binds us together up on the plain of equal rights. We know our greatness and let us, by a just and righteous conduct, cherish it.

The strength of true greatness depends upon the basic principles of honesty and justice. It was these principles that won for us the glorious independence of this nation. It was these that governed the makers of our constitution, and it is these same principles which must govern our future acts if we would maintain the proud position we hold among other nations. Only five remain who fought in the civil war. They range in age from 105 to 110 years. But later, thirty-five years ago there went forth from their homes thousands of fine young men. They crossed the rolling deep and pitched their tents in Flanders fields and in theValley of the Argonne.

They lived in dugouts. They marched and ate and slept in mud. They rushed into living hells. They were cold, weary and homesick, no one but Almighty God knows the length and breadth and the depth of the awful anguish and suffering of those who fought and died on those European battle fields.

Then again in world war two the call came for defenders of our sacred rights, and your boys and mine answered that call with the same undaunted courage and the same unquenchable spirit that characterized the brave lads of 76, of the Spanish American war, and the boys of world war one - They went forth, met and conquered the enemy in the skys over Europe, in the mud of Italy, in the jungled islands of the Pacific, and in the frozen north land. And today our brave boys are fighting in the jungles of Korea against the most barbarous and uncivilized enemy we can imagine.

Why do young men postpone the day of marriage, print the last long lingering kiss on the lips of a loved one and rush into war with its uncertain future? Why do fathers and mothers bid their boys and girls a fond goodbye and send them forth to the many battle fronts? I am sure they did it for a principle.

There has never been an upward movement in the history of the world for the liberation of the people of the earth that has not been achieved by the shedding of precious blood. Mans forward march from lower to higher ideals is written on the roadways of history in foot prints of blood. And today the souls of men and women are being tried all because the power seeking dictators of the world would regiment and enslave the peoples of the entire world. And turn their God ordained libery into slavery.

Religious liberty, domestic security, social welfare, and political independence are all thrown into the balance. And our boys have cast their lives in the scales to maintain these blessings. These blessings can only be enjoyed so long as we have proper regard for a divine being. God is on the ocean, on the desert, on the isles of the sea and in the frigid north land. As well as in the U.S. For the nations and kingdoms that will not serve Thee shall perish. Yea these nations shall be utterly wasted. Isa 60:12

We make the sacrifice because we love our country and her institutions. And when our eyes behold that emblem of our national existence, we feel as though we could clasp its folds in our dearest embrace, and kiss each star that bedecks its field of blue. Flag of our fathers. Flag of our Washington, our Lincoln, our Douglas, our Grant. Flag of our brave men in their present conflict. As we see it floating on the wind of Heaven we feel and know what it represents.

We stand before you in awe and admiration while in our hearts we thank God that you still float over us the emblem of liberty and freedom - God bless America.

Grandma and Grandpa Gray

In the post on my recent family reunion I mentioned the common heritage we shared as descendents of my grandparents. Chester Arthur Gray was born in Kausooth, along upper Fish Creek in rural Marshall County West Virginia, in 1889. (His grandfather had been born in Kausooth in the 1830's.) He died in 1965 when I was in the first grade.

He married Katherine McWhorter in 1912. They had five daughters and four sons - my dad is the youngest of these. Grandpa Gray was a farmer, a preacher, and a bit of a politician. He actually served as the WVa State Highway Commissioner in the 1930's. I don't have many clear memories of him, but there are two images that do come to mind.

Sometime in the early 60's he and grandma moved from the family farm into town - Cameron. We would frequently make the hour drive from Wheeling to Cameron (it was only about 30 miles as the crow flies, but those are truly winding and twisty country roads). We would spend the weekend so my dad could drive grandma and grandpa out to Fish Creek (another 30 minute drive with some really cool switchbacks going from the ridge down to the creek) where he would preach at the little church in Kausooth. The image I recall is of him sitting on the front row next to the heater in the little church building while we sang and then standing up to preach. I don't remember what he said, but he said it forcefully.

The second image is of him sitting in his rocker in the apartment they moved to. He would have a tin can to spit his tobacco juice into, and always had these pink mints. He taught me to play checkers sitting in that rocker.

Grandma was a gentle woman. She lived for nearly 20 years after grandpa died. I never heard her complain or speak an unkind word. I didn't realize at the time how strong she was to keep up the farm and raise nine kids while my grandpa was frequently gone preaching at gospel meetings all over WVa and eastern Ohio. She lost 2 sons and 3 grandchildren that I can remember during her lifetime. During her latter years she came to live with my aunt. She loved to have visitors to sit and talk, and I wish I had spent more time listening to her when I had the chance.

Graduation Day

It is now official - my baby boy is a high school graduate. These 12 years since he entered the first grade have passed so quickly. I'm sure that it has seemed like a much longer time to Taylor - 2/3 of his life so far - but I can still remember his first day of school like it was last week. He and Barbara got their picture in the Richardson News as she was picking him up after school and hugging him. The caption in the paper said she was comforting him, but I think it was the other way around. He has constantly been a comfort and a source of joy to us, and always a source of pride. He has a compassionate spirit, a wry sense of humor, and is affectionate towards his parents and grandparents. He has a good heart and a tender conscience, he is trustworthy and has grown into a young man of character. We are proud of his accomplishments, but even more proud of the person he is. Richardson High School has been a better place because of his presence, and Pepperdine will be, too. Congratulations, son. I am proud of you.

Obvious Inferences (gracEmail)

I occasionally post items I have read that are written by someone else, and I give credit to the author when I do so. Generally it is because it caught my attention or I thought it was worth repeating. Such is the case with today's gracEmail....

OBVIOUS INFERENCES

A gracEmail subscriber asks whether we are capable of correctly concluding from the Bible what God intended to convey. "I believe we can," he says, "and that's why I think obvious conclusions from the Bible are so clear that all other people should also see them."
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Yes, it is possible to draw correct conclusions from the Bible using our God-blessed thinking. However, Thomas Campbell, a founder of my own modern-day Churches of Christ, had some wise advice on that point. We must be careful, he warned, not to attempt to bind such deductions on the consciences of others, "farther than they see the connection and evidently perceive that they are so," otherwise their faith will rest in the wisdom of men and not in the wisdom of God.

What is "obvious" to you or to me is not necessarily "obvious" to everyone else. God does not hold others accountable to what you or I understand, but to what each of them understands. A person cannot "see" further than his or her own mind understands. A person cannot obey God further than she or he "sees." God looks at the heart, and he regards what he sees there as if it were the deed itself -- both for good (2 Chron. 30:18-20) and for ill (Matt. 5:22, 28).

Jesus does not call us to be debaters but disciples. He seeks learners, not logicians. We should love the Lord with all our minds, but that is not the same as trusting in our intellectual prowess to get us to glory. We are no more saved by our right thinking than we are saved by our right conduct or behavior. Justification is by grace through faith, not by logic through syllogisms. The gospel is not a puzzle to be deciphered but an announcement to be believed. Studiousness is one proper response to God's gift of salvation. It is not a route to eternal life apart from trusting in Jesus Christ.

Copyright 2006 by Edward Fudge. Used by permission.

We Are Family

This past weekend I was briefly reunited with some people who profoundly influenced my life. Alice Riley was my Sunday school teacher in the first grade; Mary Singer and Hazel Sonnenwald, Doris Kerns, Edie Roberts, Opal Thomas - all were Sunday school or Vacation Bible School teachers when I was growing up in Wheeling. I honestly couldn't tell you anything specific that I learned from any of them in terms of Bible knowledge (although some of the flannelgraph stories are still embedded in my mind) but each of them were women of faith, and collectively they helped form the village that raised this child.

Dick and Carol Thomas were close friends of my parents and were like a second family to me. They lived across the street from the playground where there were ball fields and a basketball court. When I wasn't playing ball I was at their house, eating their food, drinking their koolaide, cokes, or whatever they happened to have available. This weekend Carol helped organize the surprise for my parents and ensured that everything was in place. She spent most of her time Saturday evening in the kitchen with another family friend, Donna Parsons, preparing food, cleaning up, and taking joy in blessing my family through their service. These ladies' servant behavior Saturday was typical of what I witnessed with regularity as a boy.

It has been nearly 30 years since I regularly attended church in Wheeling. Many of the people I remember are now gone, and some of those that are still there have aged in that time - others don't look much different. Sunday morning's singing, prayers, sermon didn't seem too much different from what I recall. (3 songs, a prayer, a song, communion....) Theologically, philosophically, educationally, experientially - I may not have as much in common with the church in Wheeling as I did 30 years ago, but there is one thing that has not changed - We are family. With all the idiosyncracies and human shortcomings we may have, with whatever differences in opinion we may have, we are family.

Family Reunion

Family Reunion - the words conjure up a variety of images for different people, sometimes positive and sometimes not. This past Sunday a few dozen members of the Gray family gathered in Wheeling, WVa to celebrate the 90th birthday of my Aunt Irene. We came together from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Illinois, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Ohio, and West Virginia. There were relatives that I had not seen in more than 25 years, but we all share a common heritage.

My dad is the youngest of the nine children of Chester and Katherine Gray, of Cameron, WVa. My Aunt Rene is the oldest of the five remaining siblings. She is a gentle woman who has known more than her share of pain; she has buried 2 of her sons and 2 husbands, 2 brothers and 2 sisters. My grandmother and my great-grandmother spent the last years of their lives in her care. She delights in her family and it was good to be able to gather together and celebrate with her.
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My parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on June 9th. My sisters and I took advantage of the gathering of family and friends to surprise them with a reception Saturday evening. We were somehow able to plan by email (from Tx, OK, and New Hampshire) and pull off a complete surprise with the help of my cousin Jan (Aunt Rene's daughter) and Wheeling friend Carol Thomas. My parents may be the best exemplars of lives of service that I have known. Even though they have been gone from Wheeling for more than 20 years, the number of people who remembered them and came to the reception was gratifying, and was indicative of the example they lived. I am fortunate to have them as my parents.

Vendor vs Missional

I'm not sure where I came across this definition distinguishing between evangelism from a vendor perspective vs evangelism with a missional perspective, but as the kickoff for the Partnership for Missional Church draws near, it is worth consideration...
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In vendor churches, evangelism appeals to seekers focusing on their individual needs. Salvation is portrayed as a personal experience where God is invited to become a part of “my life.” In contrast, evangelism rooted in notions of the mission of God invites persons to abandon lives focused on their own interests to join the work of God for the sake of the world. Instead of viewing salvation as inviting God into “my life,” missional evangelism invites participants into God’s life—a life that is communal by its very nature.

A Betrayal of Work

For the past several months I have been participating in the Urban Engagment Book Club, a monthly book review sponsored by Central Dallas Ministries. This month's book is A Betrayal of Work by Beth Shulman. Below is an excerpt....
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For generations, Americans shared a tacit understanding that if you worked hard, you could earn a livable income and provide basic security for yourself and your family. That promise has been broken. More than 30 million Americans--one in four workers--are stuck in low-wage jobs that do not provide the basics for a decent life.....

Cynthia Porter works full time as a certified nursing assistant at a nursing home in Marion, Alabama. When she comes on duty at 11 pm, she makes rounds, checking the residents for skin tears and helping them go to the toilet or use a bedpan. She has to make sure she turns the bedridden every two hours, or they will get bedsores. And if bedsores are left unattended, she tells me, they can get so bad you can put your fist in them. But there aren't enough people on her shift. Often only two nursing assistants are on duty to take care of forty-five residents. And Cynthia must also wash the wheelchairs, clean up the dining rooms, mop the floors and scrub out the refrigerator, drawers and closets during her shift. Before she leaves, she helps the residents get dressed for breakfast.

For all this, Cynthia makes $350 every two weeks. She is separated from her husband, who gives her no child support. The first two weeks each month she pays her $150 rent. The next two weeks, she pays her water and her electric bills. It is difficult to afford Clorox or shampoo. Insuring that her children are fed properly is a stretch. She is still paying off the bicycles she bought for them last Christmas.

She can't afford a car, so she pays someone to drive her the twenty-five miles to work. There have been a few days when she couldn't find a ride. "I walked at 12 o'clock at night," she said. "I'd rather walk and be a little late than call in. I'd rather make the effort. I couldn't just sit here. I don't want to miss a day--otherwise, I might be fired." No public transportation is available that could take her all the way to work.

Cynthia lives with her three children in a small maroon-colored shack. It is miles from a main road. Inside, the plywood floor is so thin and worn that the ground can be seen below. In the next room, a toilet sinks into the floor. There is no phone. A broken heater sits against the wall; the landlord refuses to fix it.

Keeping her children's clothes clean requires great effort because Cynthia has no washing machine. Instead, she fills her bathtub halfway and gets on her hands and knees to scrub the clothes. Then she hangs them out to dry.

Despite the frustration and the difficult conditions, Cynthia beams when she talks about her job. "I like helping people," she says. "I like talking with them, and shampooing their hair. I like old people. If they are down, I can really make them feel better. The patients say, 'Nobody loves me or comes to see me.' Sometimes I help the residents play dominoes. Sometimes their hands shake, but I hold them. It's a lot of fun for them. I tell them 'I love you,' and give them a hug. I like being a CNA. I'm doing what I want to be doing."

Quote of the Day

I find that doing the will of God leaves me with no time for disputing about His plans. ... George MacDonald (1824-1905)

Happy Birthday Lauren

23 years ago today, at approximately 4:20 AM, Lauren Ashley Gray entered this world through the portals of Harris Hospital. It was one of those clean Sunday mornings following Saturday evening thunderstorms. According to the nurses in the maternity ward the change in barometric pressure brought on by the thunderstorms would result in several births that day. Fuzzy Zoeller would win the Colonial later that afternoon. But during that pre-dawn hour while her mom was in the recovery room, I was alone in the newborn nursery holding this incredibly beautiful miracle in my arms, and my world would be forever changed. I have been blessed by Daddy's little girl for these 23 years and I am thankful every day for this precious gift from God. Happy Birthday, Lauren. Love, Daddy.

A Mother's Day Blessing

Blessed are you woman of faith: prayerful, confident, fearless and noble;

Blessed are you woman of compassion: joyful, tearful, cleansing and healing;

Blessed are you woman of strength: rooted deep, standing tall, forging new dreams and promised tomorrows;

Blessed are you woman of wisdom: unfolding mystery and revealing truth and light;

Blessed are you woman of God: sculpted from clay and fired by the very breath of God, forming and nurturing new life, reflecting the One who calls you by name.

Barbara Gray, PhD

At 4:23 CST this afternoon, Barbara officially became Dr. Barbara Gray with her hooding at Texas Woman's University's graduation ceremony.
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State Representative Helen Giddings was the speaker and spoke about the responsibility that comes with privilege. She did a good job for a graduation speaker - she had something worth saying, she got to the point, and she sat down. One phrase stuck with me...she said "we all need to pay rent for the space we occupy in life", meaning that we have a responsibility to contribute to making the world a better place.

Some Quotations to Ponder...

The devil is a better theologian than any of us and is a devil still. A.W. Tozer

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again. F. P. Jones

The greatest enemy of Christianity may be people who say they believe in Jesus but who are no longer astonished and amazed. Mike Yaconelli

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once. Jennifer Unlimited

At the end of our lives we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made or how many great things we have done. We will be judged by: I was hungry and you gave me to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless and you took me in. Mother Teresa

The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it. Franklin P. Jones

We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. Albert Einstein

Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image. A.W. Tozer

You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can't possibly live long enough to make them all yourself. Sam Levenson

I have a great diet. You're allowed to eat anything you want, but you must eat it with naked fat people. Ed Bluestone

Dear Bertha

While surfing for Mother's Day thoughts and blessings I came across this. I'm hoping to incorporate some of these attitudes before I reach 88...

Dear Bertha,

I'm reading more and dusting less.

I'm sitting in the yard and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden.

I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time working.

Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not to endure.

I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first Amaryllis blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries.

I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.

"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.

I'm not sure what others would've done had they known they wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted. I think they would have called family members and a few close friends. They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think they would have gone out for a Chinese dinner or for whatever their favorite food was. I'm guessing; I'll never know.

It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew my hours were limited. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write one of these days. Angry and sorry, that I didn't tell my husband and parents often enough how much I truly love them.

I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.

And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.

This was written by an 88 year-old woman to her friend.

A Safe Place

Yesterday our shepherding group met for lunch. We were going around the tables sharing what drew us to Skillman. A 12 year old boy, who is a foster child, commented that at Skillman he felt safe - he could trust the adults here and ask anyone a question. I was struck by a couple of thoughts...

1) What must a 12 year old have experienced to even think in terms of whether a place was safe? As I reflected upon that thought I remembered that this world is far from a perfect place. I am reminded to open my eyes and notice the conditions and the people that are often invisible - to learn to see through the lense of Jesus' eyes rather than the myopic lense of my own eyes.

2) I truly admire foster parents and the selfless way they minister to kids who need a safe place or some stability. They personify servanthood.

3) A safe place - what an apt description of what church should be for all of us. How many of us feel safe enough to disclose our true feelings or our darkest secrets. I know that I don't want to acknowledge even to myself my brokenness, let alone let you see that I am anything less than perfect. Yet church is where we should be able to feel safe enough to be open with one another and accepting of one another. When we recognize that we are all broken, we can begin to create a climate of healing - a place that is truly safe.

C.S. Lewis on the Deity of Jesus

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God." That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Brian McClaren on Judgement

In the current issue of Out of Ur, Brian McClaren is interviewed on his thoughts about heaven, hell, and judgement...

Western Christianity has been overly preoccupied with the question of who’s going to heaven or hell after death, and not focused enough on the question of what kind of life is truly pleasing to God here in the land of the living. We’ve got to look at that. In The Last Word and the Word After That, I wanted to raise the issue of “Judgment,” that all will be judged rightly and fairly by God alone, who weighs the scales rightly, and does this for everyone. Again, when we put ourselves in the position of judge – making pronouncements on the eternal destiny of others – I think it’s pretty dangerous, especially in light of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount.

Tired

Growing up in the 70's in Wheeling, WVa there were not many options when it came to listening to the radio, and they were pretty well limited to the AM side of the dial. There was a country station and a couple of pop stations; occasionally when the weather was just right, you could pick up an FM station or two from Pittsburgh and hear some "good" music.

One of the things I discovered upon moving to Texas was Willie Nelson. I was listening to one of my Willie cds this morning on the way to the men's breakfast and this song just grabbed my attention. Here is the second verse and chorus:

I married Rebecca back in '77
And I still love her, and I guess
she loves me too
We go to church on Sundays
'cause we want to go to Heaven
Me and my family, ain't that how
you're supposed to do

But, I'm tired, Lord, I'm tired
Life is wearin' me smooth down to
the bone
No rest for the weary, you just
move on
And I'm tired, Lord, I'm tired.

I think Willie describes a world without a real sense of hope, and certainly a world where the idea of an abundant life doesn't exist. In the life he describes, you do the best you can to fulfill your duties and responsibilities, and hope it was good enough to earn a reward. How many people wear themselves down struggling through life with little or no sense of hope? With little or no sense of confidence in the grace of God to not only ease their burdens in this life, but to ensure their eternal life in heaven?

Church Shopping?

Some of the reading I have done contrasts a perception of the missional church with a perception of the church as a vendor of religious goods and services to a consumer audience. This clip from "King of the Hill" captures the latter perception...

We Are the Sermon

I think this recent Heartlight column from Phil Ware fits in nicely with our discussion on becoming missional. W.A.T.S. - We Are The Sermon...

W.A.T.S. Happening, by Phil Ware

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1 NRS)

"Did you enjoy the worship service today?"

Seems like a harmless question, doesn't it? However, there are at least two great dangers that lurk beneath this apparently innocent question.

First, there is the consumerist assumption that seems to have invaded every facet of western culture, even our pervasive church culture. "Did you enjoy ...?" Hmm, seems like that is kinda backwards to the way we ought ask that question. "Did God enjoy our ...?" We've made ourselves-- our wants, our needs, and our preferences -- the focus of everything, even our worship of God.

So we ask questions about church like the following:
* Do I like what they are doing?
* Does this church meet my needs?
* Am I comfortable with the people here?
* What benefits do I get from going there?

We often forget the more essential questions about the church's mission, the Bible teaching's faithfulness, the people's spiritual authenticity, and the passion of the members for following the will of God. Shouldn't we be asking a more important question: is our church seeking to live as the presence of Jesus in our community?

Second, how did we ever come up with the phrase "worship service" to mean an hour to two hour slot on Sunday morning? Surely our service of worship dedicated to God is much bigger than a sit down session wherewe stare at the cowlicks in front of us, sing a few religious songs, hear a bunch of religious words, and read from old religious texts. Isn't the whole concept of worship being limited to a place and time counter to Jesus' teaching? (John 4:23-24) Have we largely relegated worship to an hour or two on Sunday and divorced it from our dailylives? Isn't genuine worship a life lived for God in response to his grace? (Romans 12:1)

Assembling with Christians for worship, fellowship, and encouragement is not optional for followers of Jesus. (Hebrews 10:19-23) At the same time, that "getting together" must be a celebration of a whole week ofworship and the anticipation of a whole new week of daily worship that lies ahead. It must come from our appreciation of God's grace generously given us in Jesus and lead to a daily life of worship lived out of our shared mission to be Jesus to our world.
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As a followup to this post see what 4 Abilene churches, including Southern Hills where Phil Ware preaches, did this past Sunday... Click here to read article