Last week, I wrote about my beliefs regarding the point of worship. Is it to make the pastor feel better by boosting numbers? Sure, but only in part. Shortly put- I believe worship is training for living better, perhaps the best there is. When worship works, you should experience a ‘laying down’ of all your heart, soul, mind and strength before God’s loving presence, which according to Jesus, is the first and best commandment for living well. But how can worship teach that, practically speaking? Glad you asked! The Worship Team has given it some thought, and identified possible answers, which we wanted to pass along. And that’s what I’ll do for the next couple letters.
It begins with brains. And a conversation I had with an old organ player. I’ve mentioned this story before, but I beg your indulgence, because this man changed my thinking about worship. As a former big church Music Minister, he’d spent a career helping large groups get more out of worship. In retirement, though, he became a consultant and interim musician for small churches, places that often, he said, “Had difficulty mustering the energy for vibrant congregational singing.” This was a problem, he claimed, but also offered a solution. He made every church member memorize 25 hymns. He passed out tapes and lyrics, and literally gave worshippers homework, promising them that their worship would improve when they’d memorized this music.
Odd? Perhaps not… According to his research, one major problem many old-line churches like ours (still use hymnals, organs, etc.) experience is that we leave too much of ourselves out of worship. According to his theory, as we stare at the notes in our hymnals, straining to link five densely written verses with complex music, we rely too much on our ‘thinking brain.’ But this leaves the ‘emotional/creative brain’ on the sidelines. Until, that is, we sing songs we know and love, i.e. ones we don’t have to work hard to follow. Then, we experience our thinking and emotional brains integrating with our creative passions and memories, in effect bringing our entire ‘self’ together through worship.
You ever notice how most big evangelical churches use worship bands that play repetitive, simple songs? In part, they’re intentionally reaching out to young families via rock music, but it goes deeper. These worship bands specialize in simple songs with simple melodies- music that’s easy-to-sing and remember. Alas, the theology of their lyrics is often feather-light, sometimes even woefully misguided. But the experience of singing this music is more important than the content. It takes a worshiper out of her head, into her heart, and directs all that energy to the Lord through song. When the lyrics are good, the song combines the head with the heart, all to the glory of God. And notice the main point: The music facilitates that process; it doesn’t get in the way. So there’s a reason people keep worshiping in these churches more than just, “I like Christian Soft Rock.” They experience the fullness of God’s love through worship, even if taught to understand that love in overly restrictive ways.
But what about churches who don’t like that music, or think more inclusively about God’s love? My church musician friend tried the “memorize the music” approach, and claimed it worked. So at Plymouth Creek, we’ve tried limiting our music selections over the last year to increase our collective familiarity with certain songs. Let me know if it’s helped! We might also try using “contemporary music” sources that are more contemplative than Evangelical Soft Rock, but also utilize simple, easy-to-sing melodies. For instance, we now sing songs- Eat This Bread, Live In Charity, Jesus, Remember Me- from the Taize tradition. They’re easy to learn, very repetitive, tranquil, such that within two verses, we’ve stopped ‘learning the song,’ and have begun actually to sing it; contemplating all the vast meanings a lyric like, “Trust in me and you will not thirst,” could hold.
So, “How can worship train us for better living?” One answer- Integrate your whole self by experiencing God’s Love. And simple songs with simple melodies is one way to learn that. Others?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
All of yourself…
For most sports teams, coaches will inevitably trot out a certain speech during particularly critical moments. The coach will say- and really, s/he’s required to by the sports gods- something almost exactly like this: “Listen close. This final (play/period/half/whatever) is all we got left. And you don’t want to regret, the rest of your life, not trying your hardest right here, right now. So get out there, give it your all, and when you’re done, you’ll know you left everything on the field!!!” Presumably, hockey coaches say, “Iiiiiiice!!!!!”
Oh, the hairs on my neck still tingle from all the times that speech roused me to work harder to help my team win. And coach was right- However tired I was at the game’s end, it felt real good. Especially when we won.
Throughout his life, Jesus spoke about being his follower in similar language. Not that we should buy uniforms and choose church mascots (though the Plymouth Creek Christian Church Walleye sounds fun…The PCCC Hotdishes? Broncos?). Still, there’s something in his vision for discipleship that echoes the coach’s creed. Jesus is quoted as saying, “Whomsoever loses her life for me will find it.” “Seek first God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness.” “Love the LORD your God with all your...” I can almost hear Jesus saying, “Listen up. You only got one shot at this. Give it all you got; leave it all on earth!”
I’ve long been drawn to such a description of Christian faith; makes life seem…consequential, in a culture filled with frivolity. But the practical dimensions of ‘giving it all to God’ are tricky. Do I pray all day long? Probably not. Can’t I buy the occasional ‘toy’ for my dog or myself? Sure, that’s okay. So how do I, ‘Give it my all; leave it on all on the field,’ in ways that make practical sense?
Shocking confession: I can’t answer that for you. Some pastors might think that’s their job, but they’re wrong. What I can offer, though, is some wisdom (that isn’t mine!) to help you find your own answer. Indeed, it’s the most basic wisdom religious folk of all traditions rely on- Worship.
In Romans 12:1, St. Paul writes, “Present your whole lives as living sacrifices unto to the Lord; holy and pleasing to God. That is your spiritual act of worship.” In other words, if you make what happens in worship a metaphor for your Monday-Saturday journey, you’re well on your way to living as God desires, i.e. receiving, as Jesus said in John 10:10, “life abundant.” “But Shane,” you might ask, “Sunday worship isn’t that important. It’s nice, calming, good naptime occasionally, but training for everyday life! No way…”
In the words of my generation, “Yes way.” Indeed, worship should be the one time weekly you can expect your whole being to be enveloped by the power of God’s presence and love. And the hope is, for the faithful, to infuse our daily lives with such joyful, sacred mindfulness. Indeed, my goal as pastor is to help make that true every Sunday. A lofty ideal, I know, that doesn’t always work. But our worship leadership and I keep trying because we owe it to y’all. Worship should be that important.
The question is, then, how does a church get there? How can you trust that every worship experience we have offers every worshipper the chance to bring everything in her/his life into contact with the love of our Creator? And don’t answer, “You can’t,” because that’s just giving up. Truth be told- We do some great stuff, and yet have some definite challenges, to achieve that. But the Worship Team has worked on this for awhile, and made progress in both understanding and practice. So for the next couple weeks, every letter I write will address their work, and so explore one dimension of this fundamental Christian practice (get it…practice).
But first, I want to hear from you. What helps you ‘give it your all’ in worship? Assuming at least once in your life you’ve walked out of worship having just ‘left it all behind,’ what happened? And how did it change you?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Oh, the hairs on my neck still tingle from all the times that speech roused me to work harder to help my team win. And coach was right- However tired I was at the game’s end, it felt real good. Especially when we won.
Throughout his life, Jesus spoke about being his follower in similar language. Not that we should buy uniforms and choose church mascots (though the Plymouth Creek Christian Church Walleye sounds fun…The PCCC Hotdishes? Broncos?). Still, there’s something in his vision for discipleship that echoes the coach’s creed. Jesus is quoted as saying, “Whomsoever loses her life for me will find it.” “Seek first God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness.” “Love the LORD your God with all your...” I can almost hear Jesus saying, “Listen up. You only got one shot at this. Give it all you got; leave it all on earth!”
I’ve long been drawn to such a description of Christian faith; makes life seem…consequential, in a culture filled with frivolity. But the practical dimensions of ‘giving it all to God’ are tricky. Do I pray all day long? Probably not. Can’t I buy the occasional ‘toy’ for my dog or myself? Sure, that’s okay. So how do I, ‘Give it my all; leave it on all on the field,’ in ways that make practical sense?
Shocking confession: I can’t answer that for you. Some pastors might think that’s their job, but they’re wrong. What I can offer, though, is some wisdom (that isn’t mine!) to help you find your own answer. Indeed, it’s the most basic wisdom religious folk of all traditions rely on- Worship.
In Romans 12:1, St. Paul writes, “Present your whole lives as living sacrifices unto to the Lord; holy and pleasing to God. That is your spiritual act of worship.” In other words, if you make what happens in worship a metaphor for your Monday-Saturday journey, you’re well on your way to living as God desires, i.e. receiving, as Jesus said in John 10:10, “life abundant.” “But Shane,” you might ask, “Sunday worship isn’t that important. It’s nice, calming, good naptime occasionally, but training for everyday life! No way…”
In the words of my generation, “Yes way.” Indeed, worship should be the one time weekly you can expect your whole being to be enveloped by the power of God’s presence and love. And the hope is, for the faithful, to infuse our daily lives with such joyful, sacred mindfulness. Indeed, my goal as pastor is to help make that true every Sunday. A lofty ideal, I know, that doesn’t always work. But our worship leadership and I keep trying because we owe it to y’all. Worship should be that important.
The question is, then, how does a church get there? How can you trust that every worship experience we have offers every worshipper the chance to bring everything in her/his life into contact with the love of our Creator? And don’t answer, “You can’t,” because that’s just giving up. Truth be told- We do some great stuff, and yet have some definite challenges, to achieve that. But the Worship Team has worked on this for awhile, and made progress in both understanding and practice. So for the next couple weeks, every letter I write will address their work, and so explore one dimension of this fundamental Christian practice (get it…practice).
But first, I want to hear from you. What helps you ‘give it your all’ in worship? Assuming at least once in your life you’ve walked out of worship having just ‘left it all behind,’ what happened? And how did it change you?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Friday, July 30, 2010
Clearing the table…
As far as victories go, throwing stuff away doesn’t seem major. Unless you’re church feels overcrowded. In which case, victory is ours!
As you might know, last weekend we held a Work Day, and it went great. More than great- Amazing. I’m still excited. Coming into it, I wasn’t sure who’d show up, for how long, etc. So we created a multi-tiered wish list/work plan, with three categories:
1. What needs to get done
2. What I hope gets done
3. What would be really cool if it actually happened, but don’t hold your breath cause you never, ever finish your list, right?
That was the plan, and on Saturday morning, I drove in to church with work shoes on. I was a little late, though, perhaps fifteen minutes, thinking others would be late too, and we wouldn’t get organized and working for awhile anyway. I was wrong. When I arrived, groups were already hard at work on both categories one and two, at 9:45 in the morning. Whoa! And that continued through the afternoon, meaning we finished all three categories.
That’s right, All Three! Or at least we got as far with them as could in one day. Here’s a rundown on what we accomplished with your help last Saturday:
* The Library is no more, and all the books (except Bibles) have either been sold, donated to United Theological Seminary, taken to Church members’ homes, or added to my collection
* The bookshelves, and other unused equipment and furniture, have been sold/given away via craigslist (which, for the non-techno savvy, is like an internet Flea Market mixed with Goodwill)
* That room’s remaining furniture has migrated across the hall, and now stands empty, except…
* The Children’s Sunday School stuff was organized, and moved into the old library
* I.e. Adult and Children’s Sunday School has switched places
* Many old or broken items that have cluttered storage spaces for years have been thrown away- even the sofa in the youth room, which made me weep
* All storage spaces have become organized and uncluttered
* I mean, ALL!
* The women’s bathroom had wallpaper removed, new trim applied, the walls primed and prepared for new paint application
* Much of the building grounds were weeded (i.e. we removed a forest full of organic material)
In case you’re wondering, yes, this has happened before. And let’s be honest, it’ll happen again, but hopefully not for years. So to maintain organizational orderliness, we’ve instituted a new system- The Room Steward Program. We understand that not only is the physical building a gift that requires good Christian Stewardship, but so also is the work people (especially Al Johnson, Chana Weaver and Donna Jarvi!) have put into making those spaces ready for ministry. And we all have a responsibility to practice that stewardship, i.e. no dumping junk into various rooms, thereby undercutting the hard work another PCCCer put into the facility.
So to accomplish that stewardship, we’ve assigned Stewards for every room in the building, and charged them with an important responsibility- maintain order and cleanliness in their assigned space. And to ensure they have tools to do that, we’ve empowered the Stewards to remove any items that appear in those rooms, which they did not explicitly approve. So if you want to give something to the church to further our ministry, by all means, do it! But bring it up first to the Room Steward assigned to the appropriate space. Otherwise, if it’s simply left in the Youth Room or Storage Closet, we’ll put it in the Lost and Found, recycle bin or announce to the church that something needs a new home. Sound good? That list of Stewards will soon be posted in the hallway, as well as on signs outside each room.
In any event, I’m very excited for your hard work this past weekend. And not simply because it looks nice and pretty. But mostly because I believe that an organized building leads to a more effective church. And now that we’re better organized, we can fill that empty space with more and more ministry-in-action, right? Thought so.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
As you might know, last weekend we held a Work Day, and it went great. More than great- Amazing. I’m still excited. Coming into it, I wasn’t sure who’d show up, for how long, etc. So we created a multi-tiered wish list/work plan, with three categories:
1. What needs to get done
2. What I hope gets done
3. What would be really cool if it actually happened, but don’t hold your breath cause you never, ever finish your list, right?
That was the plan, and on Saturday morning, I drove in to church with work shoes on. I was a little late, though, perhaps fifteen minutes, thinking others would be late too, and we wouldn’t get organized and working for awhile anyway. I was wrong. When I arrived, groups were already hard at work on both categories one and two, at 9:45 in the morning. Whoa! And that continued through the afternoon, meaning we finished all three categories.
That’s right, All Three! Or at least we got as far with them as could in one day. Here’s a rundown on what we accomplished with your help last Saturday:
* The Library is no more, and all the books (except Bibles) have either been sold, donated to United Theological Seminary, taken to Church members’ homes, or added to my collection
* The bookshelves, and other unused equipment and furniture, have been sold/given away via craigslist (which, for the non-techno savvy, is like an internet Flea Market mixed with Goodwill)
* That room’s remaining furniture has migrated across the hall, and now stands empty, except…
* The Children’s Sunday School stuff was organized, and moved into the old library
* I.e. Adult and Children’s Sunday School has switched places
* Many old or broken items that have cluttered storage spaces for years have been thrown away- even the sofa in the youth room, which made me weep
* All storage spaces have become organized and uncluttered
* I mean, ALL!
* The women’s bathroom had wallpaper removed, new trim applied, the walls primed and prepared for new paint application
* Much of the building grounds were weeded (i.e. we removed a forest full of organic material)
In case you’re wondering, yes, this has happened before. And let’s be honest, it’ll happen again, but hopefully not for years. So to maintain organizational orderliness, we’ve instituted a new system- The Room Steward Program. We understand that not only is the physical building a gift that requires good Christian Stewardship, but so also is the work people (especially Al Johnson, Chana Weaver and Donna Jarvi!) have put into making those spaces ready for ministry. And we all have a responsibility to practice that stewardship, i.e. no dumping junk into various rooms, thereby undercutting the hard work another PCCCer put into the facility.
So to accomplish that stewardship, we’ve assigned Stewards for every room in the building, and charged them with an important responsibility- maintain order and cleanliness in their assigned space. And to ensure they have tools to do that, we’ve empowered the Stewards to remove any items that appear in those rooms, which they did not explicitly approve. So if you want to give something to the church to further our ministry, by all means, do it! But bring it up first to the Room Steward assigned to the appropriate space. Otherwise, if it’s simply left in the Youth Room or Storage Closet, we’ll put it in the Lost and Found, recycle bin or announce to the church that something needs a new home. Sound good? That list of Stewards will soon be posted in the hallway, as well as on signs outside each room.
In any event, I’m very excited for your hard work this past weekend. And not simply because it looks nice and pretty. But mostly because I believe that an organized building leads to a more effective church. And now that we’re better organized, we can fill that empty space with more and more ministry-in-action, right? Thought so.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Smelling the roses…
Ever since arriving in Minnesota, folk have said, “Shane, go to Duluth!” “Sure, I’ll get there…” But I didn’t understand the hang-up. As an ignorant outsider- Colorado born and raised- I assumed northeast Minnesota was unwelcoming; frigid in winter, rather campy in summer. I imagined something like many Colorado mountain towns- good access to National/State Parks/Forests and a small ‘Main Street’ catering to cabin owners, hikers and flyfisher-folk. But in terms of robust local industry or culture (beyond what catered to big city tourists), nothing doing.
I now know why folk were so adamant. And how ignorant my assumptions were! My family spent last weekend camping near Duluth, and, WOW, I loved it. Thursday night, we pitched tent in the midst of a beautiful forest, just fifteen minutes from downtown Duluth (though, it felt more isolated, thankfully). The next day, we took Fawkes the Dog to Duluth proper. Ate a tasty brunch of locally grown food. Wandered the wooden boardwalk along Lake Superior, dodging bikes and surreys-with-a-fringe-on-top. Again, we ate. Then, took a scenic drive along the North Shore. Magnificent. I loved the unique blend of seaside culture and Pine Trees, especially in eighty-degree sunshine. During the drive home Saturday, we hiked in Jay Cooke State Park. I couldn’t have been happier.
When I worked in Lexington, KY, my boss told me something memorable. “Shane, at every church, the context is very important. The Gospel always comes alive through the local environment.” To make his point, we attended an important local venue- Keeneland Thoroughbred Racing Track (yes, to make me a better pastor, my boss took me gambling). I lost five dollars, but the point was made. In Lexington, many jobs and activities revolve around horse breeding and racing. So not understanding those industries meant ignorance about the lives of our people at church. And if you don’t understand another’s life, it’s hard to say, authentically, how the Good News of Jesus Christ can make a difference.
Sometimes, Christians forget that, right? Have you ever heard someone describe Christian faith as a one-size-fits-all religion? I have. Usually, the idea goes like this- All fall short of God’s glory, so the only thing Jesus cared about was getting us to Heaven by forgiving Sin. Nothing else matters.
And that’s a good idea. But it’s incomplete! Yes, God’s grace will wrap us in God’s loving arms into eternity. But I believe that’s something God offers all people, so to my mind, it wasn’t Jesus’ main message. The New Testament, in fact, talks much more about building God’s Kingdom and receiving New Life than it does Heaven. They’re related, but primarily, Jesus was concerned with God’s desire to make a huge difference in our lives now. New Life is a gift for this life; Jesus asked us to pray, and work for, God’s will be done on earth. And while that will always have Everlasting, Unconditional Love at its core, how that plays out changes from town-to-town, and person-to-person. It’s not one-size-fits-all.
For instance, I imagine that many in Duluth suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder. Summer seems wonderful, but sunlight is limited in winter, and some probably don’t get out much. I’d like to hope Christian communities in Duluth make efforts to keep people connected with fun activities during winter, so that “Light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). Or how about Twin Harbors, just north of Duluth? I only drove through there briefly, so perhaps I’m way wrong here. But it seemed that the Twin Harbors economy has seen better days. Downtown appears more vacant than it had once been. If it’s like many American small towns, trains probably run less often; less youth stick around because less jobs are available. I’d like to hope churches in that area remind each other that, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,” (Lamentations 3:22), and that Jesus’ final promise was “Lo, I will be with you always…” (Matthew 28:20). Or think about this: What’s Good News to an addicted woman? An unemployed manager? God’s Kingdom for a homeless child? Context always matters.
Or put differently- God is always in the details, if we have eyes to see.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
I now know why folk were so adamant. And how ignorant my assumptions were! My family spent last weekend camping near Duluth, and, WOW, I loved it. Thursday night, we pitched tent in the midst of a beautiful forest, just fifteen minutes from downtown Duluth (though, it felt more isolated, thankfully). The next day, we took Fawkes the Dog to Duluth proper. Ate a tasty brunch of locally grown food. Wandered the wooden boardwalk along Lake Superior, dodging bikes and surreys-with-a-fringe-on-top. Again, we ate. Then, took a scenic drive along the North Shore. Magnificent. I loved the unique blend of seaside culture and Pine Trees, especially in eighty-degree sunshine. During the drive home Saturday, we hiked in Jay Cooke State Park. I couldn’t have been happier.
When I worked in Lexington, KY, my boss told me something memorable. “Shane, at every church, the context is very important. The Gospel always comes alive through the local environment.” To make his point, we attended an important local venue- Keeneland Thoroughbred Racing Track (yes, to make me a better pastor, my boss took me gambling). I lost five dollars, but the point was made. In Lexington, many jobs and activities revolve around horse breeding and racing. So not understanding those industries meant ignorance about the lives of our people at church. And if you don’t understand another’s life, it’s hard to say, authentically, how the Good News of Jesus Christ can make a difference.
Sometimes, Christians forget that, right? Have you ever heard someone describe Christian faith as a one-size-fits-all religion? I have. Usually, the idea goes like this- All fall short of God’s glory, so the only thing Jesus cared about was getting us to Heaven by forgiving Sin. Nothing else matters.
And that’s a good idea. But it’s incomplete! Yes, God’s grace will wrap us in God’s loving arms into eternity. But I believe that’s something God offers all people, so to my mind, it wasn’t Jesus’ main message. The New Testament, in fact, talks much more about building God’s Kingdom and receiving New Life than it does Heaven. They’re related, but primarily, Jesus was concerned with God’s desire to make a huge difference in our lives now. New Life is a gift for this life; Jesus asked us to pray, and work for, God’s will be done on earth. And while that will always have Everlasting, Unconditional Love at its core, how that plays out changes from town-to-town, and person-to-person. It’s not one-size-fits-all.
For instance, I imagine that many in Duluth suffer Seasonal Affective Disorder. Summer seems wonderful, but sunlight is limited in winter, and some probably don’t get out much. I’d like to hope Christian communities in Duluth make efforts to keep people connected with fun activities during winter, so that “Light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5). Or how about Twin Harbors, just north of Duluth? I only drove through there briefly, so perhaps I’m way wrong here. But it seemed that the Twin Harbors economy has seen better days. Downtown appears more vacant than it had once been. If it’s like many American small towns, trains probably run less often; less youth stick around because less jobs are available. I’d like to hope churches in that area remind each other that, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,” (Lamentations 3:22), and that Jesus’ final promise was “Lo, I will be with you always…” (Matthew 28:20). Or think about this: What’s Good News to an addicted woman? An unemployed manager? God’s Kingdom for a homeless child? Context always matters.
Or put differently- God is always in the details, if we have eyes to see.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Come on over…
For various reasons, I’ve been reminiscing about college recently. Good memories. Mostly. Although, I must admit I’m glad how life has since changed - wife, dog, responsible job, no finals. Still, we had fun in college, and some classmates remain close, meaningful friends.
As you might remember, one source of those friendships was my fraternity house, Sigma Chi. All my non-frat pals teased me about “paying for friends,” but (I tell myself) the value has held up over time. Of course, at our school, which had few fraternities or sororities, it was abnormal behavior to “Go Greek.” So we had to work hard to attract and retain new members; a yearly process called Recruitment. Often, this was led by an outgoing, creative third-year (preferably, a responsible one). He organized fun activities and social events (parties) so members and potential recruits could interact, learn about each other, etc. And during my four years, we did quite well.
Here’s why I bring that up. I was chatting the other day with another friend - a Jewish buddy raised in the Reform branch of that religious tradition- when he asked me a familiar question in an unfamiliar way. He said, “Shane, here’s my biggest issue with Christianity. You talk about love and that, but it seems you have a tension at the heart of your faith: Recruitment. Isn’t it a problem you’re required to recruit people? Is that really loving?” Sounds like something I’ve talked about before (with you and others), but I’ve never used the term, “Recruitment,” for what churchfolk call “Evangelism.” It made me pause…
After all, when I hear ‘recruitment,’ I think of…1) My fraternity days, obviously. A group of young guys trying to show other young guys that it’s worth their time and money to join our club, learn our rituals, attend our events- you know- associate with us. Or 2) The military, which is different, but not by much. Soldiers try to show civilians that it’s worth their time and sacrifice to do what they do, learn what they learn, serve their country and- you know- associate with them.
But when my buddy told me his problem with ‘Christian recruitment,’ he associated that idea with something besides simply associating with Jesus. He thought our ‘recruitment’ was about, well, brainwash. Convincing others that we had the (only) right answers. You know the drill. Indeed, you’ve perhaps attended churches who spoke of Evangelism in exactly that way. And my friend, rightly so, took issue with that notion. “How can you love people, Shane, if your overriding goal is to convince them you’re right and they’re not?”
But what if Christians thought about “Evangelism” differently? Heck, I do already! What if rather than making it about “Believing the Truth” (i.e. presuming ours is best, and the only religious truth worth knowing), we talked about association? I’ve told you before that I think ‘belief’ is secondary in Christian faith to other things- Love, Trust in God, Worship, Serving the Poor. After all, beliefs change over a person’s life. At least, they should, if you’re willing to grow. But regardless what you ‘believe’ is true about Jesus, our church tradition claims that as long as you agree to associate with Jesus, come to the Table, then you’re in a good place. In fact, you’re probably nearer to something Christians call salvation than you might be otherwise.
Here’s how I answered my buddy: “For me, it’s not about convincing others our religion is better or best. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, all have profound ideas about God, the Divine, which could help me know God better, if I took time to learn. But I think there’s lots of folk these days with nothing to believe in, nor any community of support to rely on. Some folk are just confused, even painfully lost. And I’m convinced that Jesus may not be the only way for them to ‘get found,’ but he’s a good way. Best way I know.” “So it’s about serving others in need?” he asked. “Yep,” I answered. “Cool,” he said, and that was that.
What about you? What do you think about Christian ‘recruitment’?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
As you might remember, one source of those friendships was my fraternity house, Sigma Chi. All my non-frat pals teased me about “paying for friends,” but (I tell myself) the value has held up over time. Of course, at our school, which had few fraternities or sororities, it was abnormal behavior to “Go Greek.” So we had to work hard to attract and retain new members; a yearly process called Recruitment. Often, this was led by an outgoing, creative third-year (preferably, a responsible one). He organized fun activities and social events (parties) so members and potential recruits could interact, learn about each other, etc. And during my four years, we did quite well.
Here’s why I bring that up. I was chatting the other day with another friend - a Jewish buddy raised in the Reform branch of that religious tradition- when he asked me a familiar question in an unfamiliar way. He said, “Shane, here’s my biggest issue with Christianity. You talk about love and that, but it seems you have a tension at the heart of your faith: Recruitment. Isn’t it a problem you’re required to recruit people? Is that really loving?” Sounds like something I’ve talked about before (with you and others), but I’ve never used the term, “Recruitment,” for what churchfolk call “Evangelism.” It made me pause…
After all, when I hear ‘recruitment,’ I think of…1) My fraternity days, obviously. A group of young guys trying to show other young guys that it’s worth their time and money to join our club, learn our rituals, attend our events- you know- associate with us. Or 2) The military, which is different, but not by much. Soldiers try to show civilians that it’s worth their time and sacrifice to do what they do, learn what they learn, serve their country and- you know- associate with them.
But when my buddy told me his problem with ‘Christian recruitment,’ he associated that idea with something besides simply associating with Jesus. He thought our ‘recruitment’ was about, well, brainwash. Convincing others that we had the (only) right answers. You know the drill. Indeed, you’ve perhaps attended churches who spoke of Evangelism in exactly that way. And my friend, rightly so, took issue with that notion. “How can you love people, Shane, if your overriding goal is to convince them you’re right and they’re not?”
But what if Christians thought about “Evangelism” differently? Heck, I do already! What if rather than making it about “Believing the Truth” (i.e. presuming ours is best, and the only religious truth worth knowing), we talked about association? I’ve told you before that I think ‘belief’ is secondary in Christian faith to other things- Love, Trust in God, Worship, Serving the Poor. After all, beliefs change over a person’s life. At least, they should, if you’re willing to grow. But regardless what you ‘believe’ is true about Jesus, our church tradition claims that as long as you agree to associate with Jesus, come to the Table, then you’re in a good place. In fact, you’re probably nearer to something Christians call salvation than you might be otherwise.
Here’s how I answered my buddy: “For me, it’s not about convincing others our religion is better or best. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, all have profound ideas about God, the Divine, which could help me know God better, if I took time to learn. But I think there’s lots of folk these days with nothing to believe in, nor any community of support to rely on. Some folk are just confused, even painfully lost. And I’m convinced that Jesus may not be the only way for them to ‘get found,’ but he’s a good way. Best way I know.” “So it’s about serving others in need?” he asked. “Yep,” I answered. “Cool,” he said, and that was that.
What about you? What do you think about Christian ‘recruitment’?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
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Friday, July 2, 2010
Letters from the Pacific…
I’ve told you before about my Master’s Thesis in Seminary- a study of letters written by Military Chaplains during World War II. I focused mainly on one chaplain, Rev. Russell Stroup, who served both combat and non-combat units in the Pacific Theatre. Given that this Sunday is July Fourth, I thought it might be interesting not to write you myself, but instead to share one of my favorite passages from what he wrote, in the midst of terrible violence. FYI, this isn’t one of his letters, but from an essay he’d written from the frontlines, which was printed in The Atlantic (I’ll share with you some of his great letters later…). Nevertheless, I find his perspective on faith profound, challenging and as inspiring as it gets; I hope you feel something similar. At the very least, he makes you think deeper about the fullest meanings of Independence and Liberty.
So here it is, from the book (pages 134-5), Letters from the Pacific: A Combat Chaplain in World War II by Russell Stroup:
In the valley of the shadow of death there are chaplains, God forgive them, preaching the “gospel” of fear. Fortunately, they are few; but some there are, as in the churches back home, who raise the grim specter of death and fan the fires of hell, hoping to compel the men to seek the Father who has assured us that in that dark valley we need not be afraid…
Fear is an evil thing. You do not inspire that which is high and holy by appealing to that which is low and base. Soldiers know that, for they have been afraid. Facing agony and death, they have met the coward that lies hidden in the heart of every (person) and have hated (that coward). Their one noble fear is that they may be afraid. How, then, can they have patience with preaching that is based on an emotion they loathe for its shameful power to degrade a (person)?
Nor are they moved by threats. It is not a question of whether or not they believe in hell. They have lived, many of them, in its borderland. But a threat is no less odious because it is backed by reality… I have known many more men who rejected Christ because they faced death than I have men who accepted him for that reason. Rightly or wrongly, they refused to be moved by the threat of danger to do what they had not done before. Again and again soldiers have said to me, “After I get out of this, I’ll be a Christian; but not now.”…
I heard a lot of tommyrot in the States about men accepting God in foxholes because they were afraid. Someone who knows these men should kill that damnable lie. I have seen many men give themselves to Christ in the combat zone, but they were not driven by fear or compelled by threats. They were sobered by reality, chastened by adversity, challenged by Divinity. Had an attempt been made to frighten or threaten, they would have turned away. The true appeal of Christ is not to men’s craven fears but to their highest courage. He does not speak to the coward that crouches in every man’s heart, but to the hero that lives in every man’s soul… When we say to men, “God needs you and his Kingdom tarries on your coming,” they will leave all and follow him. When we approach them not with threats but a challenge we will be talking their language. When we offer them not security but sacrifice- a sacrifice of themselves for humanity- then they will deny themselves and take up a cross…
They are eager for a faith to live by, but it must be a faith for life and not for death. They know how to die! We must show them how to live…
Next time anyone asks, “Why be Christian?” Just quote that. Happy Independence Day.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Ps- Thanks to all in our church who served our country, especially those who served in, or cared for those who served in WWII. Untold gratitude is yours.
Read more!
So here it is, from the book (pages 134-5), Letters from the Pacific: A Combat Chaplain in World War II by Russell Stroup:
In the valley of the shadow of death there are chaplains, God forgive them, preaching the “gospel” of fear. Fortunately, they are few; but some there are, as in the churches back home, who raise the grim specter of death and fan the fires of hell, hoping to compel the men to seek the Father who has assured us that in that dark valley we need not be afraid…
Fear is an evil thing. You do not inspire that which is high and holy by appealing to that which is low and base. Soldiers know that, for they have been afraid. Facing agony and death, they have met the coward that lies hidden in the heart of every (person) and have hated (that coward). Their one noble fear is that they may be afraid. How, then, can they have patience with preaching that is based on an emotion they loathe for its shameful power to degrade a (person)?
Nor are they moved by threats. It is not a question of whether or not they believe in hell. They have lived, many of them, in its borderland. But a threat is no less odious because it is backed by reality… I have known many more men who rejected Christ because they faced death than I have men who accepted him for that reason. Rightly or wrongly, they refused to be moved by the threat of danger to do what they had not done before. Again and again soldiers have said to me, “After I get out of this, I’ll be a Christian; but not now.”…
I heard a lot of tommyrot in the States about men accepting God in foxholes because they were afraid. Someone who knows these men should kill that damnable lie. I have seen many men give themselves to Christ in the combat zone, but they were not driven by fear or compelled by threats. They were sobered by reality, chastened by adversity, challenged by Divinity. Had an attempt been made to frighten or threaten, they would have turned away. The true appeal of Christ is not to men’s craven fears but to their highest courage. He does not speak to the coward that crouches in every man’s heart, but to the hero that lives in every man’s soul… When we say to men, “God needs you and his Kingdom tarries on your coming,” they will leave all and follow him. When we approach them not with threats but a challenge we will be talking their language. When we offer them not security but sacrifice- a sacrifice of themselves for humanity- then they will deny themselves and take up a cross…
They are eager for a faith to live by, but it must be a faith for life and not for death. They know how to die! We must show them how to live…
Next time anyone asks, “Why be Christian?” Just quote that. Happy Independence Day.
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Ps- Thanks to all in our church who served our country, especially those who served in, or cared for those who served in WWII. Untold gratitude is yours.
Read more!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Moving Day...
I had a college buddy named Patrick, who was as free a soul as I’ve ever met. Hailing from New York City, Patrick invariably infused any conversation he entered with hilarity and unpredictability, whether you wanted him to or not. And let’s be honest- mostly, you wanted him to.
One day, though, I learned something surprising about my chaotic, rambunctious friend. It was nearing winter break. People were preparing to head home, and I found Patrick outside his car in the parking lot near our house, smiling his triumphant smile we all knew so well. Assuming he’d successfully caused mischief (again), I said something like, “Hey Patrick! You didn’t just get us in trouble, did you?” He looked over, confused, “Shane, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, and probably wouldn’t like it if I did.” “Fair Enough. But what’s with the stupid grin?”
And he waved his hands at his open car trunk, showcasing what he obviously considered a great achievement. “Look!! Beautiful, isn’t it?” I looked, saw lots of stuff neatly stuffed into his vehicle, but…“Patrick, help me understand what I’m seeing.” “Are you kidding?!” he screamed, “This is a masterpiece! Can’t you see just how much I fit into this trunk!?” He then explained his unifying theory of trunkpacking- how learning to pack your own trunk well is a crucial step in the development from adolescence into manhood. So I looked again, and yes, it was impressive. Though I admit, I was more surprised that Patrick could be organized about anything, trunkpacking included. Which I decided not share with him. I simply said, “Good work, man.”
(I have since become Patrick; ask my wife. I get inordinate pleasure from seeing how much I can cram, without breaking stuff, into one space- trunks, backseats, closets. We all need hobbies, right?)
Well, soon enough Plymouth Creek will need to put its organizing skills to the test again (and not just for another re-re-reorganizing of the Storage Closet). On Saturday, July 24, we’re having an All-Church Workday to flip-flop the Library/Adult SS Room/YBR Office and the Children’s Sunday School Space; start time, 9:30 AM. I’ve mentioned this change before, but the time to act is now upon us. What’s happening is that Yellow Brick Road Childcare needed to lease more space to keep their operations going in our facility, and thus, provide more kids the impressively loving, educational style of childcare that they do. So we offered to open our doors wider to these partners in mission, and switch the function of a couple rooms in the process. Room 2 (Children’s Sunday School, currently) will become the Library/Adult SS/YBR Office, while the current Library will become Children’s Sunday School and the new YBR Toddler Room. Youth and Choir Rooms are unaffected. YBR will use their ‘new’ space Mon-Fri, packing things up on the weekends, like they already do in Fellowship Hall (a packing job to make Patrick and me jealous!). Then, we’ll have space to love on and teach faith to children during weekends. Got that?
I’m beginning to think of our building like a trunk. With two major building partners, and the occasional Brownie Troop or special function, things can get tight in the hallways and storage spaces. Fitting these all together without breaking or doing damage to things is challenging, to be sure, and I hope we’ll all work harder to support the organizational efforts of our members and leaders (i.e. pick up after ourselves and others, don’t dump old stuff into random rooms, keep spaces looking inviting and uncluttered). But just as the mission of a car trunk is to help get as much as possible from one place to another, so the mission of our church building is to help us provide others with God’s love as much as possible. Which means we need people and stuff in it, using the facilities! And as stewards of the building’s mission, we all need to help it stay organized and effective. For then more love will be shared.
So see you July 24 (if not sooner)! And until then, may your lives be as full of grace and love as our church!
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
One day, though, I learned something surprising about my chaotic, rambunctious friend. It was nearing winter break. People were preparing to head home, and I found Patrick outside his car in the parking lot near our house, smiling his triumphant smile we all knew so well. Assuming he’d successfully caused mischief (again), I said something like, “Hey Patrick! You didn’t just get us in trouble, did you?” He looked over, confused, “Shane, I’m not sure what you’re talking about, and probably wouldn’t like it if I did.” “Fair Enough. But what’s with the stupid grin?”
And he waved his hands at his open car trunk, showcasing what he obviously considered a great achievement. “Look!! Beautiful, isn’t it?” I looked, saw lots of stuff neatly stuffed into his vehicle, but…“Patrick, help me understand what I’m seeing.” “Are you kidding?!” he screamed, “This is a masterpiece! Can’t you see just how much I fit into this trunk!?” He then explained his unifying theory of trunkpacking- how learning to pack your own trunk well is a crucial step in the development from adolescence into manhood. So I looked again, and yes, it was impressive. Though I admit, I was more surprised that Patrick could be organized about anything, trunkpacking included. Which I decided not share with him. I simply said, “Good work, man.”
(I have since become Patrick; ask my wife. I get inordinate pleasure from seeing how much I can cram, without breaking stuff, into one space- trunks, backseats, closets. We all need hobbies, right?)
Well, soon enough Plymouth Creek will need to put its organizing skills to the test again (and not just for another re-re-reorganizing of the Storage Closet). On Saturday, July 24, we’re having an All-Church Workday to flip-flop the Library/Adult SS Room/YBR Office and the Children’s Sunday School Space; start time, 9:30 AM. I’ve mentioned this change before, but the time to act is now upon us. What’s happening is that Yellow Brick Road Childcare needed to lease more space to keep their operations going in our facility, and thus, provide more kids the impressively loving, educational style of childcare that they do. So we offered to open our doors wider to these partners in mission, and switch the function of a couple rooms in the process. Room 2 (Children’s Sunday School, currently) will become the Library/Adult SS/YBR Office, while the current Library will become Children’s Sunday School and the new YBR Toddler Room. Youth and Choir Rooms are unaffected. YBR will use their ‘new’ space Mon-Fri, packing things up on the weekends, like they already do in Fellowship Hall (a packing job to make Patrick and me jealous!). Then, we’ll have space to love on and teach faith to children during weekends. Got that?
I’m beginning to think of our building like a trunk. With two major building partners, and the occasional Brownie Troop or special function, things can get tight in the hallways and storage spaces. Fitting these all together without breaking or doing damage to things is challenging, to be sure, and I hope we’ll all work harder to support the organizational efforts of our members and leaders (i.e. pick up after ourselves and others, don’t dump old stuff into random rooms, keep spaces looking inviting and uncluttered). But just as the mission of a car trunk is to help get as much as possible from one place to another, so the mission of our church building is to help us provide others with God’s love as much as possible. Which means we need people and stuff in it, using the facilities! And as stewards of the building’s mission, we all need to help it stay organized and effective. For then more love will be shared.
So see you July 24 (if not sooner)! And until then, may your lives be as full of grace and love as our church!
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
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