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!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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
Read more!
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!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Seeking perfection…
Forgive me, please. I’m about to regale y’all with another summer camp story (that makes three in one week- 1 sermon, 2 letters). But I think you’ll find this interesting, and besides, those who’ve been to summer camp know that it sticks with you after you leave; if you had a good time at camp, at least, it’s hard to get off the mind. Which is another reason we do camp.
Anyway, on Wednesday of last week, the camp I was directing explored the question, “How do I see God in nature?” We did this throughout the day in many ways, but my favorite was that evening’s nature walk. Our instructions were simple- Walk together through the woods and fields surrounding camp, and search for things that help you see God in Nature. We, then, collected those items, and thanks to the artistic talents of a few campers, created a quite beautiful collage.
To be honest, I’m not sure the campers had nearly as much fun on this as I did! Not that they didn’t enjoy themselves, but nature walks combined with theological thinking plays quite naturally to my strengths and interests (fyi, I didn’t plan the event...no really, I promise). So while it was neat and relaxing to these young women and man, to me it was beyond wonderful. And since my counselor led most of this event, I just floated in back of the group, looking at rocks and trees, dreaming up as much about God-in-nature as possible. Serene.
At one point, we wandered near some rocks. I bent over, looking more closely, and noticed a small, fragile green bud of some sort. It struck me as something God would endorse- Vulnerability in the midst of power. Remember 2 Corinthians 12:10? St. Paul claims of Christ’s presence in his life, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Another discovery was a yellow flower, also tiny and delicate, seemingly destined for immediate destruction. But the subtlety of its stem and elegance of its minute petals helped me remember God. It reminded me that God locates beauty not only in the grandness and grace of rolling thunderclouds, the dynamic brilliance of lightning flashes, or the majestic strength of mountain ranges. God also pays close attention to the details of life, the simplest places- a glance of support when you see another struggling with packages at the store, the simple kindness of holding open a door, the unseen love of picking up a piece of trash left behind by someone else. Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Whatsoever you did this to the greatest among you…” Jesus said, “Whatsoever you did unto my children, even the least, you did so unto me.”
My favorite insight on this nature walk, though, happened near the beginning. Nearly ten minutes in, and I hadn’t yet collected anything for our collage. I wasn’t yet willing, you see, to choose one leaf or flower over another, because I wanted to find the perfect leaf. Not any-ol’ leaf, with caterpillar bites leaving strange-shaped holes, or stunted growth due to high winds. Most of the leaves were that way, so I walked on, waiting. “After all,” I told myself, “I’m looking for God in nature, so I can’t choose any of these imperfect options.”
Until it struck me- Since when is God in nature, or anywhere else, about perfection?! Yes, in Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” But no one, not even Jesus, thought that was more than an ideal- worth striving for, but impossible to achieve. Otherwise, why would forgiveness matter? Instead, God has always excelled at putting imperfect people in the perfect situation (Moses, Esther, Abraham, Deborah, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Peter); helping God’s children turn their limitations into limitless magnificence and love. Why look for God in nature by searching for the perfect leaf, when that’s not how God searches for us? So I picked a broken leaf, with caterpillar holes and a stunted stem. And I thanked God for always being present in my imperfect life. God’s design in nature, indeed!
What about you? Where do you see God in nature?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Anyway, on Wednesday of last week, the camp I was directing explored the question, “How do I see God in nature?” We did this throughout the day in many ways, but my favorite was that evening’s nature walk. Our instructions were simple- Walk together through the woods and fields surrounding camp, and search for things that help you see God in Nature. We, then, collected those items, and thanks to the artistic talents of a few campers, created a quite beautiful collage.
To be honest, I’m not sure the campers had nearly as much fun on this as I did! Not that they didn’t enjoy themselves, but nature walks combined with theological thinking plays quite naturally to my strengths and interests (fyi, I didn’t plan the event...no really, I promise). So while it was neat and relaxing to these young women and man, to me it was beyond wonderful. And since my counselor led most of this event, I just floated in back of the group, looking at rocks and trees, dreaming up as much about God-in-nature as possible. Serene.
At one point, we wandered near some rocks. I bent over, looking more closely, and noticed a small, fragile green bud of some sort. It struck me as something God would endorse- Vulnerability in the midst of power. Remember 2 Corinthians 12:10? St. Paul claims of Christ’s presence in his life, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Another discovery was a yellow flower, also tiny and delicate, seemingly destined for immediate destruction. But the subtlety of its stem and elegance of its minute petals helped me remember God. It reminded me that God locates beauty not only in the grandness and grace of rolling thunderclouds, the dynamic brilliance of lightning flashes, or the majestic strength of mountain ranges. God also pays close attention to the details of life, the simplest places- a glance of support when you see another struggling with packages at the store, the simple kindness of holding open a door, the unseen love of picking up a piece of trash left behind by someone else. Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Whatsoever you did this to the greatest among you…” Jesus said, “Whatsoever you did unto my children, even the least, you did so unto me.”
My favorite insight on this nature walk, though, happened near the beginning. Nearly ten minutes in, and I hadn’t yet collected anything for our collage. I wasn’t yet willing, you see, to choose one leaf or flower over another, because I wanted to find the perfect leaf. Not any-ol’ leaf, with caterpillar bites leaving strange-shaped holes, or stunted growth due to high winds. Most of the leaves were that way, so I walked on, waiting. “After all,” I told myself, “I’m looking for God in nature, so I can’t choose any of these imperfect options.”
Until it struck me- Since when is God in nature, or anywhere else, about perfection?! Yes, in Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.” But no one, not even Jesus, thought that was more than an ideal- worth striving for, but impossible to achieve. Otherwise, why would forgiveness matter? Instead, God has always excelled at putting imperfect people in the perfect situation (Moses, Esther, Abraham, Deborah, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Peter); helping God’s children turn their limitations into limitless magnificence and love. Why look for God in nature by searching for the perfect leaf, when that’s not how God searches for us? So I picked a broken leaf, with caterpillar holes and a stunted stem. And I thanked God for always being present in my imperfect life. God’s design in nature, indeed!
What about you? Where do you see God in nature?
Grace and Peace,
Shane
Read more!
Friday, June 18, 2010
God is bigger…
I’m writing this at summer camp, which is both exhilarating and exhausting. As you may know, our church’s Regional Camp Ministry asked me to direct this week’s Equestrian Camp- my first ‘directing’ experience (I’ve counseled and camped before, but never been the head honcho). Before you ask, no, I know next to nothing about horses. But I’m learning…
In fact, that’s what I want to write about this week- learning; more particularly, learning about God. It is, after all, the theme of our Camp- God! We began on Monday by talking about who we already imagine God to be, and for the remaining days will explore what more we can learn about God through certain unique, important area of life: ourselves, nature, those different then us, and our neighbors. It promises to be a broad, deep and hopefully life-impacting experience. And these young women and man have some incredible, profound things to say. As expected.
And it’s got me remembering how I’ve learned about God in my life. For example, like many, I think my first tutorials in “who God is” came from my parents. Because God is often (too often?) called Father, in both Scripture and church teaching, I learned a LOT about God’s character and love by watching my dad. He was a remarkable tutor in this subject. Pops was patient in loving me, always wanting what was best for me. He went out of his way, repeatedly, to show up for events I found important, simply showing me that he wanted to be involved in my life. I think that describes some important things about who God is.
And while we don’t often call God Mother (we could do that more- it’s in the Bible, after all), I learned LOTS about God from her too. Mom has this incredible ability to love people, all people, and I do mean all. When we hung out with millionaires, Mom loved earnestly. When people we knew were in trouble- kicked out of their home, dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, recovering from addiction- Mom opened our home to help them out. My mother was always my strongest defender, and challenged me constantly to be better than I thought I was, because she believed in me that much. I think that, too, describes some of who God is. Long story short, I have parents who exquisitely modeled God’s character to me. Thanks Mom and Pops!
But, of course, we can’t learn everything we might about God from just one or two sources. For instance, Mom and Dad weren’t always perfect, which they readily admit, and I learned from that too. Likewise, I had friends, mentors, pastors, and teachers who did things differently, but they were important things that reflected what the Bible’s best stories communicate about God’s character.
I remember a classmate in Middle School- Mike- who, for two years, was my enemy. Real jerk, so I thought. He thought the same of me. We’d go out of our way to insult one another, or just be pests to each other. Then, one summer, we attended the same summer camp. And while, at first, we continued our rivalry, after a few days of singing, playing, and learning about God, a thawing of tensions seemed possible.
He reached out first. I don’t recall the exact situation, but I remember walking with a group of guys, Mike included, when he reached his arm out, and put it around my shoulders. I took a double-take, but I saw in his eyes that he meant it. It wasn’t a fake gesture, meant to please the counselors. He was offering to be my friend. Suddenly, I realized that Mike thought I was a good guy, and it changed how I saw him too. I think God works that way for some people, and would love to do so for many, many more.
And that’s just a small sampling. I’ve learned about God in more ways that I could write. Probably more than I could ever know. And hopefully, after this week, I’ll have a few more stories to tell. But what about you? How have you learned about God?
Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!
In fact, that’s what I want to write about this week- learning; more particularly, learning about God. It is, after all, the theme of our Camp- God! We began on Monday by talking about who we already imagine God to be, and for the remaining days will explore what more we can learn about God through certain unique, important area of life: ourselves, nature, those different then us, and our neighbors. It promises to be a broad, deep and hopefully life-impacting experience. And these young women and man have some incredible, profound things to say. As expected.
And it’s got me remembering how I’ve learned about God in my life. For example, like many, I think my first tutorials in “who God is” came from my parents. Because God is often (too often?) called Father, in both Scripture and church teaching, I learned a LOT about God’s character and love by watching my dad. He was a remarkable tutor in this subject. Pops was patient in loving me, always wanting what was best for me. He went out of his way, repeatedly, to show up for events I found important, simply showing me that he wanted to be involved in my life. I think that describes some important things about who God is.
And while we don’t often call God Mother (we could do that more- it’s in the Bible, after all), I learned LOTS about God from her too. Mom has this incredible ability to love people, all people, and I do mean all. When we hung out with millionaires, Mom loved earnestly. When people we knew were in trouble- kicked out of their home, dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, recovering from addiction- Mom opened our home to help them out. My mother was always my strongest defender, and challenged me constantly to be better than I thought I was, because she believed in me that much. I think that, too, describes some of who God is. Long story short, I have parents who exquisitely modeled God’s character to me. Thanks Mom and Pops!
But, of course, we can’t learn everything we might about God from just one or two sources. For instance, Mom and Dad weren’t always perfect, which they readily admit, and I learned from that too. Likewise, I had friends, mentors, pastors, and teachers who did things differently, but they were important things that reflected what the Bible’s best stories communicate about God’s character.
I remember a classmate in Middle School- Mike- who, for two years, was my enemy. Real jerk, so I thought. He thought the same of me. We’d go out of our way to insult one another, or just be pests to each other. Then, one summer, we attended the same summer camp. And while, at first, we continued our rivalry, after a few days of singing, playing, and learning about God, a thawing of tensions seemed possible.
He reached out first. I don’t recall the exact situation, but I remember walking with a group of guys, Mike included, when he reached his arm out, and put it around my shoulders. I took a double-take, but I saw in his eyes that he meant it. It wasn’t a fake gesture, meant to please the counselors. He was offering to be my friend. Suddenly, I realized that Mike thought I was a good guy, and it changed how I saw him too. I think God works that way for some people, and would love to do so for many, many more.
And that’s just a small sampling. I’ve learned about God in more ways that I could write. Probably more than I could ever know. And hopefully, after this week, I’ll have a few more stories to tell. But what about you? How have you learned about God?
Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!
Friday, June 11, 2010
The olden days…
Last Sunday, a sizable group of Plymouth Creekers saw an exhibit on the Dead Sea Scrolls. First impression: Wow, the term ‘scrolls’ is rather generous. I’d have gone with “Dead Sea Puzzle Pieces”…
But before I go further, some context. In the 1940’s, some Bedouin teenagers were goofing around cliffs along the Dead Sea’s coast, in what’s currently known as the West Bank (or Judea, Israel, or the Occupied Territories- depending on your political/ethnic heritage; life is less than simple in that geographic locale nowadays…as ever). Soon, they found caves in these cliffs, and as you might expect when goofing-around-teenagers discover caves, someone fell in, landing on ancient clay pots.
Things got very interesting. It took awhile for folk to grasp fully the impact of the boys’ discovery, but we soon learned many of these ancient pots held scrolls of Jewish Scripture, written in Hebrew. There were other artifacts, testifying to a once-significant community on that Dead Sea Shore. But the scrolls are what stood out. Because once analyzed and dated- 150 BCE-70 CE- it turns out these scrolls were the oldest written (Hebrew) copies of the Hebrew Bible in existence. By over 1000 years.
Now they’re in Minnesota, at the Science Museum. Well, some are. They didn’t bring any actual ‘scrolls,’ simply 6-7 pieces of ancient parchment/papyrus (with tiny text) that had once been part of larger scrolls (other artifacts found in the caves- pots, utensils, fabrics- made the journey). The Dead Sea caves did contain full scrolls, of course, but those don’t travel. Such ancient, important, delicate documents must be handled carefully in sensitive environments. Still, I’d hoped they’d bring at least one section of scroll bigger than pieces of paper you get at the DMV when asked to ‘take a number’.
Enough whining, though, because I enjoyed the trip. In fact, it was an honor to see such an important discovery up close. Sure, they’re not as captivating as, say, if a professor discovered a living descendant of Jesus’ love affair with Mary Magdalene. Nevertheless, these scrolls and many artifacts have given us crucial, unexpected insights into Jesus’ cultural milieu, and the varieties of religious conviction he dealt with. The basic lesson- Jesus’ world was very different than ours.
For instance, one scroll fragment was from Deuteronomy. Now, most texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls match word-for-word with other ancient sources (indeed, that’s one of the remarkable parts of this discovery- textual consistency in Scripture across time), but sometimes they differ. In significant ways. Like in this Deuteronomy passage, the author refers to the gods. Plural. In our Bible, the same passage, based on writings from the 900s, talks about God. Singular. Seems there were editorial changes made to the Bible over the years, and that this scripture’s original writer didn’t believe in only One God.
That might seem shocking to some, but Bible teachers have long claimed that Biblical and non-Biblical sources show that monotheism- the awareness of One God- developed slowly, over centuries. In Jesus’ day, this idea wasn’t fully accepted, among Romans, of course, and as we now know, among some Jewish leaders. But doesn’t that mean the Bible’s untrustworthy? No! Rather, I believe it shows that God knows us well enough to reveal Godself slowly, according the limitations of our time and culture. That some Biblical authors didn’t know God as One God, but rather one god among many, doesn’t prove their religious impotence. It proves God’s patience- i.e. they did their faithful best. Hopefully, after millennia, we’ve come to know God better, but that process hasn’t ended. We’ll never know God fully, this side of paradise, even though “we’re fully known (1 Cor. 13).” As our sisters and brothers in the United Church of Christ put it, “God is still speaking.”
Amen! God didn’t stop revealing Godself before Jesus came. God didn’t stop with Jesus. And hopefully, when our faith descendants look back on our time and the artifacts they find (Dead Sea iPod?), they’ll- a) know God better than we do, but b) believe we did our faithful best when we had the chance. I think that’s a Dead Sea Scrolls Legacy worth promoting.
Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!
But before I go further, some context. In the 1940’s, some Bedouin teenagers were goofing around cliffs along the Dead Sea’s coast, in what’s currently known as the West Bank (or Judea, Israel, or the Occupied Territories- depending on your political/ethnic heritage; life is less than simple in that geographic locale nowadays…as ever). Soon, they found caves in these cliffs, and as you might expect when goofing-around-teenagers discover caves, someone fell in, landing on ancient clay pots.
Things got very interesting. It took awhile for folk to grasp fully the impact of the boys’ discovery, but we soon learned many of these ancient pots held scrolls of Jewish Scripture, written in Hebrew. There were other artifacts, testifying to a once-significant community on that Dead Sea Shore. But the scrolls are what stood out. Because once analyzed and dated- 150 BCE-70 CE- it turns out these scrolls were the oldest written (Hebrew) copies of the Hebrew Bible in existence. By over 1000 years.
Now they’re in Minnesota, at the Science Museum. Well, some are. They didn’t bring any actual ‘scrolls,’ simply 6-7 pieces of ancient parchment/papyrus (with tiny text) that had once been part of larger scrolls (other artifacts found in the caves- pots, utensils, fabrics- made the journey). The Dead Sea caves did contain full scrolls, of course, but those don’t travel. Such ancient, important, delicate documents must be handled carefully in sensitive environments. Still, I’d hoped they’d bring at least one section of scroll bigger than pieces of paper you get at the DMV when asked to ‘take a number’.
Enough whining, though, because I enjoyed the trip. In fact, it was an honor to see such an important discovery up close. Sure, they’re not as captivating as, say, if a professor discovered a living descendant of Jesus’ love affair with Mary Magdalene. Nevertheless, these scrolls and many artifacts have given us crucial, unexpected insights into Jesus’ cultural milieu, and the varieties of religious conviction he dealt with. The basic lesson- Jesus’ world was very different than ours.
For instance, one scroll fragment was from Deuteronomy. Now, most texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls match word-for-word with other ancient sources (indeed, that’s one of the remarkable parts of this discovery- textual consistency in Scripture across time), but sometimes they differ. In significant ways. Like in this Deuteronomy passage, the author refers to the gods. Plural. In our Bible, the same passage, based on writings from the 900s, talks about God. Singular. Seems there were editorial changes made to the Bible over the years, and that this scripture’s original writer didn’t believe in only One God.
That might seem shocking to some, but Bible teachers have long claimed that Biblical and non-Biblical sources show that monotheism- the awareness of One God- developed slowly, over centuries. In Jesus’ day, this idea wasn’t fully accepted, among Romans, of course, and as we now know, among some Jewish leaders. But doesn’t that mean the Bible’s untrustworthy? No! Rather, I believe it shows that God knows us well enough to reveal Godself slowly, according the limitations of our time and culture. That some Biblical authors didn’t know God as One God, but rather one god among many, doesn’t prove their religious impotence. It proves God’s patience- i.e. they did their faithful best. Hopefully, after millennia, we’ve come to know God better, but that process hasn’t ended. We’ll never know God fully, this side of paradise, even though “we’re fully known (1 Cor. 13).” As our sisters and brothers in the United Church of Christ put it, “God is still speaking.”
Amen! God didn’t stop revealing Godself before Jesus came. God didn’t stop with Jesus. And hopefully, when our faith descendants look back on our time and the artifacts they find (Dead Sea iPod?), they’ll- a) know God better than we do, but b) believe we did our faithful best when we had the chance. I think that’s a Dead Sea Scrolls Legacy worth promoting.
Grace and Peace,
Shane Read more!
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