Stay tuned for the January Bucket List

With New Year’s around the corner, I’m sure many of you have resolutions in mind. Whether or not you have had success achieving resolutions in the past, it never hurts to set out to improve your life. So throughout the month of January I'll create a bucket list in which I will suggest one New Year’s Practice each day that will give you a taste of living an integrated life for 2011.  Each one is meant to be done in one day. So don’t worry about making them full fledged habits for the year, as we know that a lot of resolutions fade quickly (some studies show that only 12% of people who set resolutions achieve them).  For now, just find a way to work on them the day you read them. My hope is that you’ll start the year well, and maybe pick up a couple of good habits along the way.  Pass them on and even challenge others to do them with you.  And then share about your experience in the comments section if you feel led. Also, I’m not exempt from a little life tune-up, so I’ll be practicing them each day as well.

Stay tuned, I'll begin posting them January 1.

The meaning of Christmas

Santa Claus is not the real reason for the season, but parents, please try to take it easy tonight when you share the true meaning of Christmas with your kids.

How humility can help the church

Apparently Francis Chan has decided to step down from his pastoral role at his church and move his family to Asia.  You can read about it here: "Christian famous” pastor quits his church, moves to Asia.

I like this move. I don't know if it's necessarily for every pastor to model specifically--pastors shouldn't just bail on their churches and move to the middle of nowhere just because Francis Chan did. That would probably not be an intended outcome that Chan desires for people to understand about his choice. But if this is a legit decision, then I like the fact that Chan has reached a humility threshold, recognizing that the ministry isn't about him.  That's what people should get from this.

There is a fine line between being influential and being famous. Influence means that you use your God-given gifts to your greatest potential. Fame means that you've been glorified for it.  When fame enters the picture, it's very hard for pastors to resist the temptation to gloat over "their ministry" in Jesus' name.  Once they cross that line, it's not ministry anymore. And famous pastors might be one of those hypocritical pet peeves that the world has against church.

I don't think Chan will lose his influence after embracing a more obscure ministry. (In fact, he's probably even more "famous" now for doing this.) He will still greatly influence people while keeping his ego in check. He has stepped down so that other capable leaders can fill in, and he has left a place of comfort. That kind of humility can only help the church.  It wouldn't surprise me if Francis Chan habitually prays to God the final lines of the Lord's prayer..."Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever."

Amen!

The Charm of Santa Claus

What would baby Jesus do if he had to sit on Santa's lap?

NBC News Report on House Churches

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Joy of Living

This week's advent theme is Joy. This is a hard topic for me to write about because I just got back from Soldier Field after watching the Patriots annihilate the Bears. Not very joyful about that!

But more seriously, this idea that Christ brings joy to the world is often tough to embrace. It's very easy to say that we have joy in Christ and blah blah blah. But church speak is usually much easier said than done. How do you bring joy down to earth in a practical way, especially when cynicism, complaining, pain, suffering, bitterness, and loss are as accessible to us as a McDonald's drive-thru?

I have my share of problems, and joy doesn't come any easier to me than the next person. But that's the key - joy doesn't come to you. You have to come to joy. To live in joy means not just knowing the promises and victory that you have in Christ, but intentionally practicing the things that God has given you despite your circumstances. So that we can say like Nehemiah, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

I was very encouraged this week by an example of this that I experienced at Breakthrough.  One of our case managers shared an email with us from a former guest who now has a stable job and is living on his own. He is in a much better place in life than where he was before coming to Breakthrough - he had lost both his wife and his daughter, and found himself homeless and depressed.  The joy of the Lord made the difference for him. I am sharing his letter with you here to close. I hope it encourages you to live joyfully this holiday season and beyond.

Good morning,

I hope you are feeling blessed this day--I am! Today my wife would have been 55 years old. She loved to be surprised on her birthday, and I loved to surprise her. Normally, since she passed, this day, along with the short days and cold, bitter winds would send me into deep depression. But today, all I can think about is what a beautiful thing God did when He created her, and gave her life to me.

Yes, the hurt is still there, the gaping hole in my soul and my heart that I thought could never be - repaired, yet, He's done that, not replaced – but repaired. And that's a good thing because my stirring memories of her and my daughter are the most precious feelings I have.

Enough. I suppose I have to get back to work.  I LIKE saying that!

Twista Gives Back at Breakthrough

Rap artist Twista, who is from the west side of Chicago, showed his philanthropic side when he came to volunteer at Breakthrough over Thanksgiving.

2011 Congress on Urban Ministry - Peacemaking in a Culture of Violence (March 1-4)

This week's theme of Advent is Peace.  For a city like Chicago, it's a theme that is always on the hearts and minds of people who experience violence in their families and communities. 

SCUPE is hosting a Congress on peacemaking in March  at the McCormick Center. Speakers include James A. Forbes, Michael Phleger, Mindy Fullilove, Obery Hendricks, Renita Weems, Shane Claiborne, and Walter Brueggeman. It's a great opportunity to engage matters of peace from a faith perspective!

For more information about the Congress, please visit this link: 2011 Congress on Urban Ministry

Advent Fries

This one goes out to my friend Sam.

Advent Conspiracy

This is the first week of Advent. This week's theme is hope.  So...I hope this video helps you get in the right mindset this Christmas!

Now I know that God is not a Bills fan!

Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Steve Johnson blames God for his overtime drop.

Jesus Coming to America

One of my favorite comedies of all time is Coming to America. If you haven't seen it, here's the basic plot. Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy), of the ficticious African country of Zamunda, rebels againtst his parents arranging his marriage. He plots with his servant Semmi (Arsenio Hall) to go on a journey so that he can authentically find a wife who he loves. They look on a map and happen to stumble on a place in New York called Queens. Akeem says, "What better place to find a queen than in the city of Queens?" They come to New York City, and of course they want to blend in, so they try to look and act just like New Yorkers and not reveal their royalty. As you can see in the photo, they look just like the locals, don't they?

Something very similar happens with Christians.  In an attempt to relate to our neighbors, we often come across more as tourists than as locals. We have a hard time sharing the love of Jesus in an authentic and valuable way.  And after seeing that guy with the megaphone on the street corner or that over-the-top televangelist, many mindful Christians tend to shy away from sharing their faith for fear of being inauthentic. If that's what evangelism is all about, then I also would feel better keeping my mouth shut.  But we really are are supposed to be a blessing to the world around us. So what does it look like to share our faith?



In our church, one of our core values is to Be Incarnational. The incarnation of Jesus (God coming to live among us) gives us the best clue as to what "evangelism" should look like. And in Luke 4:14-21, Jesus lets the world know what his "Coming to America" was all about.

He officially innaugurates his ministry by quoting from the prophet Isaiah, saying...

   ¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
   because he has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
   and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
   ¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (bold added)

 ²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

That's Shalom talk.  Shalom is the Old Testament word for peace and it's the major thread that holds the story of the Bible together. It's Jesus' "MO". But it's much richer than a simple English translation of peace. Shalom is what Luke 4:18-19 is all about - restoration, wholeness, reconciliation, healing, justice, freedom, fulfillment, and a fresh start. It's the vision of hope for how God is going to make the world right.  So Jesus (aka Immanuel) shows us what it's like for God to be among us.

Now here is where the rubber hits the road. The church as the "body of Christ" displays what Christ is about to the world. The church shares the good news of Jesus by being Jesus, by rubbing off shalom on the world around them.  It's an integrated evangelism that is more about actions and posture, than it is about talking. It's about about letting people experience God by being with them, building relationships, and adding that shalom value to their lives.

I think that we'd be able to fit in with our neighbors really well if we practiced that a little.

Breakthrough's Christmas Store, 2010

 Breakthrough is hosting its annual Christmas Store on December 18 where families are able to come to Breakthrough to get affordable gifts for their loved ones.

I love the Christmas Store - not just what we do, but how we do it. Basically, we ask people to donate brand new toys to Breakthrough, and then we set up this rockin' store where community members can buy gifts at about 10 cents to the dollar, and then we just turn the proceeds back into blessing the community through our ministry.  It's just so much more dignifying than if a strange family comes into the neighborhood from out of town and gives presents to a poor family. No handouts, but definitely a hand up. We didn't come up with the idea, but it's genius and that's why we use it.

If you'd like to get involved, check out this link: Breakthrough's Christmas Store. We want to serve about 300 families this year!

No More Mr. Nice Guy

This last week's episode of The Office (The Christening) was about Jim and Pam baptizing their baby girl Cece. It was an ok episode, humor wise. But it was interesting, for me at least, because most of the episode was set in a church and it really drew out some churchy/religious themes. Knowing Michael Scott's character, that he is almost desparate for relationships, it was funny to see how the church people were so nice to him and how he started responding favorably to them. For a moment it left you wondering if he finally found a place that would accept him for who he was - Michael Scott is going to church!

But really, everyone in the church was really nice. Really, really nice. Everyone said hello, and had great manners, and were just so agreeable. And the youth group was so enthusiastic and well behaved, and they were fired up about going to serve in Mexico, and the parents were all so proud of them, and everything was just so "Hey, Alright!"

It's a little unsettling to me that the perception of Christians is that they are nice people. Think Ned Flanders. It's not so much that being a nice person is a bad thing, but it's this perception that "being nice" is the only real value that Christianity offers.

I don't think Jesus was nice. He was good, he was well-mannered, he was gentle and compassionate, yes. But the lasting image of Jesus that his followers should emulate is not nice. Like this image that we have of him cuddling babies and toting lambs. Aww. 

But nice doesn't confront injustices. Nice doesn't battle addictions and abusive relationships. Nice doesn't hit the streets to reach prostitutes, drug dealers, and gangbangers. Nice doesn't get the job done. And nice doesn't capture Jesus.

I think Jesus was more like my friend Juan. He is a pastor in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. He's an old school guy who grew up in that area, lived a very rough street life, and eventually began following Jesus. One time after a service at his church he went to take out some trash in the alley and a guy was waiting there to mug him. When he attacked, Juan manhandled the guy and then threw him to the ground and pinned him there.  The mugger was stunned and yelled at him, "Man, I thought you were a Christian!"  Juan replied, "It's because I'm a Christian that you're not dead right now."

See, now that was nice of him.

Is it ironic for a church to be a polling site for voters?

During this last Tuesday's election day I noticed an interesting post on Facebook by one of my friends. She commented on how ironic it was for her to see a church as a polling site for elections. I'm going to take the bait on this one.

I'm wondering if it really is that ironic for a church to be a polling site. I guess the real question is - is it constitutional? Let's think through it. One major objection is that there is a governmental stance about separating the interests of the state and the church.  And a related objection is that people who end up having to vote at a church may feel compelled to vote based on the interests of the church. I'm not really sure how that follows, unless church members are actually standing outside telling you how to vote. But even if that were the case, is that really any different at any other polling site?

So I'm wondering if there are more people out there up in arms about church buildings being used as polling sites?  Or is it a cultural thing for a more diverse city like Chicago? (I've voted in other small towns in Illinois where polling sites were churches, and I never heard anyone complain.) Or is it just a couple of people out there who are ticked off at church?  Either way, this situation brings up an interesting scenario about the separation of church and state that I'd like to discuss. Granted, I'm much more of a theologian than I am a political scientist, so consider all my thoughts accordingly. Nevertheless, three questions come to mind for me.

1. What is the true scope of separation of church and state?
What originally inspired separation of church and state were circumstances in which politics and religion were so entangled that citizens were discriminated or tortured if they did not adhere to denominational stipulations supported by those in office.  The fathers of the constitution, however, held that the freedom of conscience is an inalienable right to every individual. So with respect to religion, people should have the right to exercise their religion according to the dictates of their conscience, without coercion from the government.  So the separation was a way to prevent government from souring the authentic expression of religion.  And so the policy evolved to where it is now understood that government and religion work best if they just stay out of each other's hair. (A couple of good reads about this are Michael Sandel, Democracy's Discontent, and Paul Griffiths, Problems of Religious Diversity).

But it seems that the government assumed a passive stance toward religion, preventing itself from engaging in religion (i.e., it is "neutral" and doesn't take a religious view). However, it does not follow to me that government initially took an active stance to prevent religion from engaging in politics. I think the founding fathers assumed that religion would necessarily be part of society, and that even "religious" citizens would have to voice citizenship through things like voting. But that in public, religious citizens and faith abiding political figures should have the sophistication to harness their religious view for the sake of political and civic dialogue. 

However, I think the modern interpretation of separation of church and state, that religion should be privatized and out of public sphere, is false.  I've written at length in other places for why this is so, but I won't get into it here. (Although, it's not very exciting reading.) I'll just say that if we privatize religion and prevent a community center, like a church, from participating in civic duties like being a voting center, then we discriminate our citizens who have inalienable rights to participate in government according to the dictates of their conscience, and offer their place for public use. Using a church as a polling site does not violate the constitution. The contrary is actually unconsitutional.

2. Are there really neutral, non-religious places?
So maybe you're upset that you had to go to an agenda-laden religious center to vote. But when you think about it, everyone and everything has some kind of religious stripe. Based off of my adventures in studying sociology, my understanding of religion is that it is anything that is comprehensive, centrally important, and that help helps a human being transcend his or her biological nature.  I don't believe that there is anything in life that is really "neutral" or "non-religious", except for the base functions of our biology. So sports, athiests, politicians, and public buildings are technically just as "religious" as church goers and church buildings themselves.  And, therefore, a statement like "there should be a separation between church and state" is technically a religious statement.  And when people say that others should keep their religious views to themselves, they are actually making a religious statement which they are (ironically) promoting others to believe.

And besides, you know that elections are not neutral. On election day you can't even walk 5 feet out of your car without being bombarded by someone telling you which way to vote.  Election seasons are the most "proselytizing" times of the year!

3. What is the appropriate way for a church to host a polling site?
So really, what this boils down to for me is two things:
a. Since religion is inevitably part of life, then people have to practice proper etiquette to engage their politics with respectful dialogue. We are entitled to have our own views of things, but we live in a pluralist and democratic society where others actually have views too.

b. Since we live in a consumeristic and marketing driven culture, we possess both the skill and the responsibility to make choices on our own, and not complain about who's telling you what to believe. It happens all the time and everywhere - it's how you end up eating at Burger King, buying a pair of jeans, or drinking your favorite beer. But fortunately we still live in a country where no one forces you to believe or choose one way or the other. At least that's what the founding fathers meant.

Hey, but I'd love your thoughts too. Anyone want to take the bait?

Are your roots wide enough for the branches in your life?

Today we had a Breakthrough staff retreat at a nearby arboretum. It was a great way to get out of the city and experience nature for a change. (I don't have trees on my block!). One of our staff members even said that she felt more spiritual and at peace being out in a place like that, almost as if she belonged there. You can definitely feel the change from the city to the woods - strangely feeling closer to God in a way. Ok, but I'm digressing.

One focus of our retreat was to have some time alone and reflect on our leadership from a spiritual perspective. So we all scattered throughout the trees and chartered our reflection time.

I was drawn to the immensity of many of the trees there. There were such huge trees that towered over me. And as part of my own exercise, I decided to journey through the groves to find the largest trees, and when I found one, I would try to push it over. Of course, it wasn't going to move. The point was, I actually wanted to feel what it was like to push something that was so well rooted. Those trees didn't budge.  Even on a really windy day like it was in the Chicago area today - those trees are solid and immovable.  So I began meditating on the connection between the roots underground, and the large branches above ground, and how that might speak to my life. But I don't know a lot about trees and plants, so I fortunately found a couple of the arboretum staff out working in a grove, transplanting some trees. I stopped by and asked them about what role roots play with trees and how deep do they have to grow.

One thing that she said amazed me (probably because I don't know much about trees!). She said that tree roots don't actually grow that deep, but they do have to grow long and wide in order to keep the tree stable. In fact, she explained that a tree's roots are usually twice as long as its branches.

Picture that. When we look at a tree, we see its many branches, with its beautiful leaves, stretching far out into the sky. But there's twice as much tree underground, stretching wide across the earth.

So that got me to asking some rhetorical questions. Do I need to be twice as rooted underground as the branches that I lead above ground? Do I need to invest twice as much energy into working on my character as I actually do when I perform the many facets of my life?

In life we have a lot of branches that extend out from us, showing the kind of fruit we're bearing and the direction in which we're growing. Our branches represent the things that we do on a regular basis, roles that we serve, projects or initiatives that we're working on, responsibilities that we maintain, new things we want to do, and the pressures we face. Our branches are the things that we lead and invest our energy in. And everyone around us sees us perform these things. But they don't usually see or care about what goes on inside, or behind the scenes, that allows us to do and be those things. Sadly, most times neither do we.

Is it no surprise,then, that a lot of people don't finish well? Husbands, wives, parents, pastors, polticians, athletes, teachers...

So again, for the time that I spend doing the things of my life, have I spent double the time rooting my character? If I haven't, will I be able to sustain new branches that want to grow? Will I even be able to maintain the current branches that I do? Will I be able to withstand the demanding winds of life that come so often?

It takes twice as much time for something like that, but I will be a much better, stronger person who will not be pushed over by the pressures of life, and who will be able to grow far into the sky with many branches.

To close, it reminded me of what the prophet Jeremiah said:

“...Blessed are those who trust in the Lord
      and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
      with roots that reach deep into the water.
   Such trees are not bothered by the heat
      or worried by long months of drought.
   Their leaves stay green,
      and they never stop producing fruit.

A heart to heart with my future teenage grandson

One day I'll be a crotchety old man trying to pass on some values to my grandson, and I imagine our conversation might be something like this...

You know son, when I was your age, times were different.

How do you kids even make friends these days?  In my day, all we had to keep in touch with each other was a Facebook, or a Twitter, an email, or a text message from our phone. Now you have all these complicated ways of communicating with each other. It's a wonder if you have any deep or meaningful relationships. Life was much easier back then.

And don't get me started about phones. You think your phone is big? Ha! We had to stuff these things the size of a cigarette box in our pockets, can you believe that? And our phones back then didn't have all that junk on it. Just what we needed - a camera, internet access, maybe a few apps or games if we were lucky. And you know, we had to touch and drag the screen and do all kinds of things just to work the thing. But we didn't need all that fancy stuff. It's a phone for Christ's sake. Use it for what it was made for. What a distraction!

You just don't appreciate your life these days. You know son, I used to have to drive 2 hours to work and to hours back, in bumper to bumper traffic, and we didn't have all these fancy luxuries you kids have. We had just the basics to get from point A to point B - just simple power windows, AC, maybe a sunroof,  and we had to sit in leather seats with old electronic seat warmers. Yeah...they don't make 'em like they used to. But that's all we needed.  And it wasn't like we could just pick up and go around like you do now. Most of us only had 3 or 4 cars in the house to go around. And when you think about the big families back then, 2 or 3 siblings fighting over a car wasn't pretty.  You take so many things for granted.

And parking, good grief. Why do you even drive? It's a rip off. It's like this mayor of ours doesn't want people comin' into town. When I was your age, we had these meters out on the street, and we could put a credit card in there and get an hour for just 2 or 3 bucks. One whole hour! Right downtown. The dollar just doesn't go that far anymore.

And we could take the train too.  Did you know that $2.25 would get you anywhere in the city you wanted to go in just one ride. And if you rode often, you could get a monthly pass for only 90 bucks. Not these days.

Your grandmother and I would ride the train down to the ball park and catch a game whenever we could. We could sit right there down by the players for only $100, and you could get a hot dog and a beer for only $11 or $12. But look, I can't even afford to take my own grandson to see my team these days. The whole sport lost its way.

It's all about money now. Business, son. That's all that matters. Back then, we valued our sport, and our players were loyal to their city. I mean, we had greats like Lebron James, who was willing to play in his own hometown for years before deciding to go somewhere else. You don't got guys like that anymore. And our athletes were role models, people kids could actually look up to. They would make mistakes and would patch it up right away. But these guys these days do whatever the heck they want and don't care. Don't get your hopes up for these guys, son.

Speaking of business. Look what they've done to music. Do they even make music anymore? I mean, real music? What's that you're listening to, eh? Whatever happened to the Lady Gaga's, the Jay Z's, the Beyonce's? They were artists, they had something to say back then. I can't even understand what these people  are singing these days. And you think that music player is big, son? We had to download what they called MP3's, digital songs, one by one onto these Ipods that we had to keep track of.  Everything we did digitally. That's all we had.  

Yes son, times were different. Times were different. Just be thankful for what you got, you hear son? 

Lead your family first

The Fall is usually the busiest time of year for me. The looming holiday season makes life at Breatkhrough busy, but also it makes family life busy, of course, with traveling and all. Also, Breakthrough has its Annual Benefit in the Fall, which is our most important event of the year.  And, yes, the Chicago Bears.  And this Fall has proven to be no less busy. I've just added new staff to my team at Breakthrough, and our leadership team is finishing up a strategic planning process.  And on the church side, we've started a new church community with some neighborhood initiatives attached to it. And at home we're refinancing, and I have work to do around the house. And I want to keep up with my music, and go to the gym...and...and [*KABOOM*]

I already tend to juggle a lot in life. Although I don't consider myself a workaholic, very rarely am I only working on one thing.  So it's been a lot on me this season already, keeping me up at night thinking about staying on top of those things.

But the most important thing of all just happened to me and my wife - we welcomed our baby girl Evangeline into the world. And we have been pouring all our love into her these last few weeks.

So yesterday I come home from work. and I'm totally exhausted. I haven't slept for two weeks. I've got all that stuff on my mind, and it's Friday evening. I don't have anything really to do that evening, but my mind wants me to work on something. And I think I'm hungry, but nothing seems appetizing to me. I was a wreck.

Then I start talking with a buddy from church on the phone, and he recognizes that I'm just not myself. I admit to him that I'm adjusting to my new schedule with the baby and all, and I'm wondering how I'm going to keep up with all this other stuff, and I need to be plugged better into the Spirit to do that, but my prayer routine is off and I'm not feeling powerful spiritually...blah blah blah.

But he stops me and tells me no! "You don't have to worry about any of that," he says. "God has got all that stuff covered, and he's got lots of people besides you.  And remember, all this stuff depends on God anyway, not you." Then reminds me about a story in the Bible in which a guy named Uzzah dies because he irreverently touches the Ark of the Covenant to save it from falling down, even though God told the people never to touch the Ark.

"Don't be like that dude and destroy yourself by trying to do what you're really not supposed to do right now," he says. "What you have to do right now is be a father."

And I stop him and say yes!

He's so right. In an instant it dawned on me how easy it is to forget that your first and foremost career is your family.  Sure, the workaholic business guys in the movies get the bad rap for putting their families aside, but it's no different for people who work in non-profit, ministry environments.  No matter what field they're in, leaders constantly have so much on their minds as they try to accomplish the mission before them that it's easy to take their families for granted. Somehow we behave as if our families don't need that kind of leadership energy. They kind of run themselves, right?

But the best leaders are the ones who lead their families first. Who pray and strategize constantly on how to love their spouse and kids better. Who innovate ways to make their the home the best one on earth. Who capitalize on every opportunity to make the most of their lives together.

I've already been married for several years, so this is not entirely a new lesson for me. I've always worked at putting my marriage before everything. But it certainly is a renewed lesson now with our daughter, and I'm certainly not perfect at it. So I am really excited to learn and practice this more. Thankfully, I have a lot of good role models at work, at church, and in my own family to coach me through it.

What should keep me up at night is how I can be a better husband and father.  Evangeline has already got the keeping me up part down. The rest is on me.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

The most incredible things happen all the time when you are caught up in the kingdom of God.  Have you ever noticed that?

Breakthrough's Annual Benefit is next week.  And for this year's event, we are presenting a series of vignettes that illustrate the stories of guests from each program who have experienced transformation at Breakthrough, and who have in turn given back as a result. 

So yesterday I was working with my man Donald, our video producer (I know, fancy, right?), to shoot the footage that would accompany the story I will be telling about my friend Andre.  But before I continue, this will slightly be a spoiler warning, but I have to tell you this amazing story that happens within a story, because this is not stuff that you can make up. Maybe it will picque your interest enough to attend our Benefit next week!

Andre arrives, and Donald and I are explaining to him the kind of footage that we will be shooting of him. One part of the story involves Andre carrying a sick man back to his home from Breakthrough. So Donald and I tell Andre that we will be getting some shots of him reenacting that.  Andre, of course, is up for it, no matter who he carries. He's a strong guy and is ready for about 10-15 takes, easy. But I look at Donald and ask him blankly..."Have we found someone for him to carry?"  Donald says, "No."  I say, "I should probably get someone, huh?" Donald says, "Yeah."

So I go and find a gentleman from our men's program to volunteer for the shoot who more or less fit the orignal man's profile (Think kind of like those cut-in doubles on the Windows 7 commercials).

Then we go outside, and we start doing a couple takes. And suddenly, during the third or fourth take, this voice on my left says, "Yeah, that's the guy who saved my life. Just like that. He carried me home."

I look over and there's an older gentleman standing next to me, pointing at Andre. "That guy is a Godsend. I don't know what I would have done without him. He carried me just like that."

At that moment, Andre and our double return to the camera. "Hey, that's the guy right there!" points Andre. "That's Mr. Johnson. That's the man I carried." And they warmly reunite and greet each other with a handshake and a hug.

Meanwhile, the double says, "That's the real guy? Even better! You don't need me anymore, right?"

Donald and I look at each other a little dumbfounded and don't really know what to say or do? Was this really happening?  Should we put the real guy in the shoot?  How is it that he is even here right now?  Is he even healthy enough for it?

I give Donald a what-should-we-do look. "It's up to you, man," he replies.

Turning to the man, I ask, "Well, what do you think, do you want to be in your own story? Are you well enough to do a few takes?"

"Oh yeah," he says. "That guy saved my life. Of course, I'll do anything!"

So the double takes off, and we start shooting the story with the real characters. And surprisingly, Mr. Johnson does a fantastic job. To our delight, a natural for dramatic theater!

But midway, something else extraordinary happens. A group of about 4 other older gentlemen are walking down the street, who happen to be Mr. Johnson's friends. They recognize him, and they stop and interrupt the shoot because apparently their buddy is a movie star now!  But then they realize what's happening and say, "Oh, this is the guy who carried you home that one day?"  And Mr. Johnson glowingly introduces them to Andre and says again, "Yeah, this is the guy who saved my life. Thank God!"

We just let the camera roll.

What I haven't shared yet is that the major hook in Andre's story is about being at the right place at the right time, right where God needs you.

I'm telling you. You can't make this stuff up. Stories like this happen all the time at places like Breakthrough. If you want to hear more stories like this, you really should come to this Benefit Dinner.

Do yourself a favor - Don't go to Church! (Part 2)

In my previous post I talked about the tension between "being church" and "going to church." And I said that Jesus would tell us not to "go to church," because the greatest commandment of loving God and loving people must be lived out as the community of God, and not simply attended.  Instead, he would tell us to be church.


The religious teachers had a chance to fire some tough questions at Jesus, so in like manner, let's throw some tough questions at this topic of being church vs. going to church.


1. What's the difference between being church and going to church?
When we "go to church," we tend to think of church as an object...a building, a set of programs, an event we attend once or twice a week, a set of rituals, an organization or denomination, or (God forbid) a TV show. Granted, those may be legitimate outcomes or expressions of church, but in themselves they are not "the church."   The Bible's language about church is more akin to words that describe "being"... like an organism (body of Christ), a family, a community, a relationship, a lifestyle, or a cause.  At the core, the difference is a heart issue.  We cannot "be" a lifeless object. And if we prioritize those objects over "being the church," then we will never experience the Kingdom of God. More on that below.


2. Why does there even have to be a church?
Maybe you don't think any of this is worth the trouble. Maybe church is something that should just be optional for people, whether to be church, go to church, or no church at all. I think that's fair.  Many people have seen a lot of hypocrisy and have been burned by church. For others, church is really boring and irrelevant. So perhaps church is something that we can just as well do without if we choose?  Well, I can't do much to fix the way people have expressed or experienced church. But here's why we have to have it...


Church starts with God's personality. You know me, I'm one for stretches, so I'm going to say here that God as Trinity (three persons in one) shows that God is in a sense the first church. I'm still not 100% sure how the Trinity works, but I know that it implies "community." God's own personality is a dynamic community of Father, Son, and Spirit that mutually loves and honors one another, and that also loves the world.  And so you should naturally find that God would express himself through “community initiatives,” as you actually do find throughout scripture:

…to the Heavenly Host - "Let us make man in our image."

…to Adam - "It’s not good for you to be alone, I will make you a helper."

…to Abraham – "I will bless you into a great nation."

…to Pharaoh – “Let my people go.”

…to Israel – "You are a chosen, treasured people, set apart from the nations."

…to the disciples – "Come follow me."

...to the World - "Come eat at the banquet table."

All this is to say that God wants people to live in intentional community (as a "church") to bring honor to him and to show love to one another – because it’s what he already does (or “is”) on a daily basis. It’s the reality and purpose for the world.
 

3. Ok, so then why can’t I just “go to church?”

Here we should be careful to check our motivations for why we even want to go to church to begin with. If you're compelled to go to church because of fear, guilt, obligation, manipulation, or spiritual entertainment, then you should NOT go. On the other hand, if you're looking for good things like a sense of community or to find some meaning in life then you also should NOT go to church. The Trinity thing already shows that church is a state of being, not going. So you will only find true church when you be it, not go to it.  I know that sounds all like Yoda talk, but it's for real.

But let's consider another reason why we shouldn't simply "go to church."  Remember from the last post that Jesus' reply came from the Torah (the community handbook of Israel).  Have you ever read through some of those laws and wondered if the author had ADD? Just take an example from Exodus 23 - in no particular order, the people are instructed on treating foreigners fairly, harvesting crops, refusing bribes, and managing donkeys.   How the heck are all these things tied together?

I think this shows us that God wants us to have an integrated, holistic faith, where we don’t compartmentalize our life into church, work, friends, family, or donkey. It all belongs under the umbrella of a lifestyle that is centered on loving God and loving people - being church.  We’re not just supposed to show up to church and then go about our lives the rest of the week. Everything we are and do is an expression of our "church" life.

So when the religious teacher agrees, in so many words, that it is more imporant to be church than simply to go to church, Jesus affirmed that he was not far from the Kingdom of God, from the life that God has set up for us. Hence, we are closer to the Kingdom of God (to peace, justice, healing, community, love, celebration, creativity, hope, etc.) when we "be" church.

4. What does it mean to be church?
Very simply, being church means living out Mark 12:28-34 together.  It means growing spiritually on your own and helping others grow, using your spiritual gifts to bless others, being a blessing to your neighbors and friends, and sharing life together.  So when we take “church” seriously as a community of people intentionally loving God, loving people together, then we can see how our communion with God, our fellowship with each other, and our service to the world around us all make up what it means to “be church.” And so in a sense, we have a refreshed concept of “going” to church and even to "inviting people to church." When you are meeting for worship…that’s church. When you are getting together for dinner…that’s church. When you are doing service and outreach together…that’s church. When you bundle all those things together, you are not just going to church, but you're being church.

Do yourself a favor - Don't go to church! (part 1)

What's one of the first things you do when you find out that your friend is a Christian? You probably ask them, "What church do you go to?"  I'm not going to get into all the sociology of why we ask a question like that, but trust me, I've thought of it.  But I do want to pick on that question a little bit. But not so much the question itself, but the prevalence of this idea in our culture of church as a place that we "go to."

I'm going to upset you up front and try to win you back by the end of this talk. Here it goes - I think Jesus would tell us not to "go to church."

Ok, this is going to be an exercise in semantics, I understand. Overall I'm definitely going to support going to church, especially over, say, going to the strip club. My point is simply that I think the language we use tells us a lot about our values and consequently our behavior. (There's my sociology for you.)  In this case, I believe that, for many of us, the phrase "going to church" betrays the reality within our thinking that there is a duality between church and the rest of our lives.

This topic comes up in conversation between Jesus and a religious teacher in Mark 12:28-34. Some disgruntled religious leaders are after Jesus again. They send some of their teachers to bombard him with a series of tough religious questions in order to discredit and arrest him. They picked the most critical and culturally/religiously defining questions, that you just better not get wrong. They were questions kind of like, "MJ or Kobe?", or "Greatest rock band of all time?" You better know this, Jesus or you're dead. Basically.

Jesus stuns them and gets the first two questions right - MJ and Led Zeppelin. Finally, a religious teacher comes up to him with the mother of all tough questions, and says, "All right, what's the greatest commandment of all?"  Jesus doesn't flinch - "Love God, and love people." Next.

But I’m going to take a stretch here and suggest that the teacher was asking Jesus - "Where do you go to church?” 

Here’s why I am taking that stretch. Jesus answers him from Deuteronomy 6:4, from the Torah, which was essentially the handbook for spiritual and communal life of ancient Israel.  Their practices were supposed to be observed as a community of God, or to take my stretch, as a "church." So Jesus' answer carries communal implications.  Loving God and loving people is something, the most important thing, done in intentional community. This thought is the backbone of the Bible. Even if you look at the structure of the 10 Commandments, you’ll see it…God and People. And that's why you see the entire nation of Israel punished in the OT whenever they fail to love God and love people.

Ok, so far so good.

And the religious teacher knew that Jesus nailed it, and his reply is very interesting. He agrees and says that this commandment is more important than simply offering all the burnt offerings and sacrifices in the book of law (the Torah).

Now he’s referring to those spiritual rituals (sacrifices, practices, offerings, etc.) listed in the Torah that the Israelites were supposed to observe in order to maintain their relationship with God.  Unfortunately, as you see often throughout the story of the Old Testament, that people’s hearts often checked out of God – they lived how they wanted, and kind of checked off their penance. They were doing the things of God, they were “going to the temple,” but their hearts weren’t in it.  And so you find the Lord speaking against his people through Isaiah by saying,

“These people say they are mine, they honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” (Isa. 29:13)

Can you relate? Have you ever gone through the motions of obligatory bible reading and praying, mindless singing in church, throwing in a token offering, or endless church hopping…and you’re heart is really not in it? You’re not really that involved or connected? Your life is not really changed?

So I think this teacher of the law is basically recognizing that loving God and loving people is more important than simply “going to church.”  Because loving God and loving people, as a community and as an individual, is a heart issue. It's something that we have to be, and not just attend. It's more important to "be church" than it is simply to "go to church."

Jesus pats him on the shoulder, winks, and says "You got it buddy."

To be continued...

Looking to give back this holiday season? Look a little further.

Since retail stores are already putting holiday stuff on the shelves, I'm going to follow suit here and roll out my first holiday blog product.  So, seasons greetings!

Within the last few weeks at Breakthrough, people have already started inquiring about holiday volunteer opportunities.  Since we have a sampling of all the classic urban ministry programs (homeless shelter, food pantry, and youth program) we usually anticipate a high volume of requests to "give back" during the holidays.  In fact, over the last couple of years, we started getting so many requests that we decided to create several special holiday volunteer opportunities to accommodate the seasonal interest.  And this same thing is happening in community centers across America. The spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas beckons people to flock to food pantries, shelters, and toy drives to "give back" to those in need.

I think generally it's a good spirit. But what happens on December 26 is of interest to me.  By this time, many are probably reflecting back on their holiday season, hoping that they had a solid holiday experience.  You know, were they able to get in all the standard serendipitous stuff that is supposed to happen this time of year: quality time with family, good eating, catching a holiday program or two, more eating, watching It's a Wonderful Life, giving and receiving great gifts, watching It's a Wonderful Life again, and getting out to the community center to give back to the less fortunate?  But usually by that day, people are also returning unwanted gifts back to stores, and quietly returning their volunteer spirit back into the storage closets along with the other holiday decorations, not to be needed again for another 12 months.

And so I fear that during the holidays people reserve a spot volunteering at the soup kitchen with the same motivation that they reserve a seat at the local Christmas musical. 

The reason why I fear this is because it makes me wonder if the itch to "give back" during the holidays is really more an itch to satisfy our own needs than the needs of the needy. You get me?

I'm not poo-pooing holiday volunteering. Serving and giving anytime are good and needed.  So I do want to bless holiday volunteer opportunities, but my point is that if you desire to give back and help the less fortunate, then you'll need to look a little further if you want to make a lasting difference.

Here are some ways to look a little further this holiday season, and hopefully begin a meaningful volunteer journey:

1. Look past the holidays
Once you find a place to volunteer this Thanksgiving or Christmas, stick around for a little while. Try volunteering there at least once a month for about 3-4 months. And see if it sticks. (And also know that nothing would delight a Volunteer Coordinator more to learn that you'd like to commit to volunteer for a little while!)

Spending just a little more time volunteering in the same place becomes an experience of discovery. You'll discover people's stories, you'll discover difficult structural problems with society, you'll discover ugliness, and you'll discover beauty. Most importantly, eventually you'll discover what the needy really need.

You may object that you don't have time for that.  But science has shown that time is no longer an effective excuse. Most of us will live to be 80, and we will look back and wish that we had spent less time on ourselves and more time making a difference in the lives of others.  And many of us are already halfway there.

2. Look for dignity
When you really think about the volunteer opportunities that are out there, would you really want to be on the receiving end of them? If you were the unemployed father who couldn't afford Christmas toys for your kids, how would you feel when the happy suburban family comes out to deliver gifts to your kids? Or if you were the woman who lived on the streets, how would you feel after hearing 100 well-to-do people over the course of two weeks saying "Happy Holidays" to you while they served you your meal each night, knowing that they would be gone by December 26, and that you would still be hungry on the street?

Looking for dignifying volunteer opportunities means looking for places that treat people like people, not like "the homeless," or "inner city youth" or "the less fortunate." Look for places that care about people's stories, people's dreams, and people's names. Look for opportunities that seek to build relationships with and to empower those they serve, that flatten out that "giving back" posture into a "giving reciprocally" posture, that embrace a motto like "giving a hand up, not a hand out," and that are committed to the long haul in people's lives.

3. Look inside yourself 
This is the cheesiest one of all, but it's true.  Serving and volunteering regularly is a transformational experience. It's a spiritual discipline. And it is also humbling because it shows you that you are really no different then the people you serve; you can just as easily be less fortunate. And in many ways you already are.

So in your attempt to give back to the less fortunate this holiday season, don't become the unfortunate who forget that poverty and brokenness exist for 363 more days of the year.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas.

Get your life in shape

"I haven't been able to start this yet..." "I haven't felt powerful enough for that..."  "I don't feel really focused..."  "I've been lazy..." "I haven't had time to..."  Ever said any of those before? In our church we recognized ourselves saying these same things over and over again this last summer, and felt like God was trying to tell us something!  So we responded, and this month our church has been focusing on a series about discipline!

What is discipline, you ask? Great question. Maybe it's like what Louis Armstrong said about jazz - "If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know."  But I think we can take a look at a couple of definitions.  Off the top of my head, I can't remember who said these, but they've stuck:

Being able to do what needs to get done, when it needs to get done.


Applying pain or restraint for redemptive purposes.

The Bible, of course, also has a lot to say about discipline.  If I were (and I'm going to) take a stab at defining discipline according to the Bible, I would say that discipline is...

To be corrected, shaped, trained, punished, or restrained from errant behavior, usually in the context of obeying God, living righteously, or accomplishing a calling/purpose.

I'm crafting this definition mostly from the two places that the topic of discipline explicitly occurs the most: in the book of Proverbs and in Hebrews 12.  Proverbs is a book about choosing a life of wisdom. Hebrews is a book about heroes who lived an adventurous faith. So if you take the occurrences of discipline from both these books, you can draw two very powerful conclusions about embracing a disciplined life:

1. It is wise to be disciplined (Proverbs)
2. Discipline is the key to becoming great (Hebrews)

So if you'd like to live a wise life that actually accomplishes the great purposes for which God has called you (albeit in your marriage, your career, your ministry, etc.), then this is for you.  But it takes a little shaping up for us to move in that direction. So I'd like to share some practical keys that we discussed on how to do that. But first, I need to share a couple of rules of thumb to make sense out of those keys.

You reap what you sow
You will only be as capable as the effort you put in, and what you are is what comes out.  So the more you work and maintain an aspect of your life (health, a skill, hobby, career, relationship, walking in the Spirit, etc.), the more effective you will be at it. Transformation and success don't just come to you. You have to work at it intentionally.

No discipline = death
Sorry to be so harsh, but Proverbs 5:21-23 is pretty clear about what happens if you fail to work at the things that are important - they die.  A lack of discipline will result in death to your dreams, opportunities, career, relationships, etc.  But the ones who are the most disciplined in life will experience fuller lives.  Unfortunately, while many people don't "finish" well, especially leaders, it's just as true that many more people don't start well. Or start at all!

Ok, so here are 5 keys of discipline to shape up your life:

1. Have a vision for your life, and write it out.
What is it that you want to do? What do you need to do? What does God want you to do? What is your calling? Where is your life going? What are your opportunities? What are your obstacles? What are your dreams and goals?  The point is, be aware about what your life is about and should be about.  And put that into writing.

2. Have a "Game Day" for your life
Most people don't like discipline because they feel  like they're working hard for nothing. We all know that athletes or musicians practice because they have to perform.  What is it that you're working for? When do you need to "perform". If you aren't already an athlete or performing artist, then maybe your performance is your job, your relationships, your family, your ministry, etc.

3. Have a plan for your vision, and write it out
How will you accomplish your goals? What will it take for you to do that? What are your steps to get there?  When you will work on it? The idea here is to be intentional about prioritizing what needs to get done, when it needs to get done. If you don't have a specific action plan and schedule, then you'll constantly find yourself on dates with Mr. TV or Miss Couch Potato.

4. Have some accountability
Who knows about your goals? Who is going to help you and challenge you?  If you communicate these things to other people, then it greatly increases your chances of being successful at those those important things in your life.

5. No more excuses, just do it.
Actually, most people are good at steps 1-4. It's 5 that is the killer.  But if you want to be a person of integrity, who does what you say want to do, then you'll just do it.

On that note, I'll leave you with this classic Nike commercial of Matt Scott.

Leadership is stepping back to the plate and hitting a home run

 Want to see an example of leadership? You would have seen it in the game the White Sox played against the Twins this last Thursday.

Let me set up the scene for you. Twins' pitcher Carl Pavano hits White Sox captain Paul Konerko with a pitch just under the nose and bloodies Konerko's mouth.  Pause.



Konerko hit by pitch in 1st inning.



 

Now let me set the background for you. All season long the White Sox have been battling back from a poor start in the season. They had an amazing run midway through the season, coming from 9 games behind, to put them in first place. But then their bitter rivals, the Minnesota Twins started playing out of their minds and eventually overtook the Sox in the standings. And they especially did that by outmatching the Sox all season, winning 13 of 18 games against the Good Guys.  The Twins didn't play that well against any other team, and statistically, they're no more talented than the Sox. They should have at least split wins this season. But instead, it just seemed like they had the Sox number mentally all season, even to the point of bullying the Sox with bean pitches. (It kind of reminded me of the rivalry betwen the Bulls and Pistons in late 80's).  So this was the last game of the last series that the Sox would play against the Twins this season. Before the start of this series, the Sox were 6 games back from the Twins with about 20 games left in the season. Their only chance to stay alive was this very series, and they had to sweep the Twins.  But by this game, the Sox had already lost the first two games of the series.  Their season is basically over for them.

Let's give a little more back story. Paul Konerko is a 10 year Sox veteran and World Series hero. But as he ages, he also has been battling for his career over the last few years with the Sox.  Trade rumors have regularly surrounded Konerko. But this guy has always been totally committed to his teammates, always the toughest leader on the field, and always the best player, no matter what. He's the kind of player that makes Chicago a great sports city. He's not the overly vocal type, because his game and his character speak for itself.  Not suprisingly, this season he has been playing out of his mind as well, on track to having one of his best seasons of his career.  But there's a very strong chance he won't be back next season in a White Sox uniform.

So back to the game. The trainers insist that he come out of the game. Why wouldn't they? The season is basically over. Why kill yourself for nothing? But Konerko insists on staying in the game.  At his very next at bat, Konerko allows Pavano to throw him one pitch.  Konerko hits a home run.

Konerko hits home run in 3rd inning.

The Sox lost that game. They needed to sweep the Twins that series. The Twins instead swept them. The Sox aren't going to the playoffs, and for all other intents and purposes, this will be a forgettable season for them. But that moment will be unforgettable for me, and not because of baseball, and not because I'm a Sox fan. (I promise I would have done this if it were a Cubs player - but this just makes me feel better about being a Sox fan).

I just want to be clear about something...this about way more than baseball. So let me take my Sox hat off as I evaluate this.  This is the kind of guy you want to be around. This is the kind of guy that you want in your organization, in your church, in your neighborhood, in your family, in your brigade, in your school. You marry your daughter to this guy. This is the kind of guy that shows you what leadership looks like: you get hit in the mouth, you come right back and hit a home run.  This is the kind of guy you do not get rid of.

A church about nothing...well, hopefully something

Earlier this week we were casting some vision to a group of our friends about our church.  To fill you in, our church is a grassroots/simple style approach - so for some in the room, it was probably a slightly different paradigm. So afterward, my good friend Vince comes up to me and says, "I think I can sum up your church for you with one word: nothing.  You go to a cafe and talk to someone - that's a church!"  And we started laughing. (If you don't know, he was alluding to a classic Seinfeld episode where Jerry and George are giving a pitch for their show "about nothing" to a bunch of NBC executives.)

At first blush, grassroots paradigms of church like ours seem really disorganized and loosy-goosy.  "You don't meet in a centralized building, you don't have classic ministry programs, no lead pastor etc.  What do you do?!  Seems like you just meet anywhere and anything happens and everything is church." Some people misconceive it as that, but in reality, some leaders in those churches also actually do them like that. I think both sides are wrong. When it comes to reimagining new ways of doing and being church, it's important not to throw the baby out with the bath water.

When Jesus taught his disciples the metaphor about renewing wineskins, he was attempting to help them understand the relationship between the substance (wine) and the form (wineskin) of faith. The wine being what's most important. So to imagine refreshment and positive change means doing it in a way where you don't throw out the wine, or the baseline subtance that you're supposed to experience.

But people still have a hard time thinking of church (wine) in a different way (wineskin).  On the one hand, some people have a hard time letting go of the old "wineskin." They can't view church any other way than being in a central building on a Sunday morning, and having neat programs, and being administered with business-like organization, etc. On the other hand, some pioneers are letting go of the "wine" and begin shaping up all these "wineskins" with nothing to fill them. They don't want to be confined to institutional structures of the church, but end up doing...just whatever.  So in an attempt to be more "authentic," they are actually experiencing a church about nothing.

Frank Viola refers to this latter set of people as "Post Church Christianity:"

This paradigm is rooted in the attempt to practice Christianity without belonging to an identifiable community that regularly meets for worship, prayer, fellowship, and mutual edification. Advocates claim that spontaneous social interaction (like having coffee at Starbucks whenever they wish) and personal friendships embody the New Testament meaning of "church." Those who hold on to this paradigm believe in an amorphous, nebulous, phantom church.

Such a concept is disconnected with what we find in the New Testament. The first-century churches were locatable, identifiable, visitable communities that met regularly in a particular locale. For this reason, Paul could write a letter to these identifiable communities (local churches) with some definite idea of who would be present to hear it. (Reimagning Church, 40)

There are also several others who ponder that same issue of what actually constitutes a church. And if you go to any church and ask any pastor what are the basics of what his or her church does (or should do), you'll likely discover that church basically boils down to three experiences:

1. Communion - people gathering together for discipleship, worship, celebration, etc. It's our connection to God.
2. Community - people gathering together for fellowship and relationship building.  It's our connection to each other.
3. Commission - people gathering together for evangelism, outreach, service, etc. It's our connection to the world.

(Notice that clever alliteration - makes for a good sermon outline!)

So maybe a very simple definition of a church is a set of people who intentionally experience communion, community, and commission together.  That would be the "wine." So as long as people are committed to doing those three things regularly, then...that's a church!  No matter how big or small, or where or how.

If we understand Jesus' wine/wineskin thing correctly, then can we be content to imagine various ways of experiencing church that are both substantive (wine) and creative (wineskin)?

Unfortunately, as my college theology professor always said, the church tends to major in the minors and minor in the majors - we confuse our priorities. For these purposes, we fail to imagine new ways of being church because we put the "wineskins" before the wine - that's a lack of creativity and flexibility. And it's also clear, on the flipside, that there are people who don't major or minor in anything, and try to pass that off as church - that's a lack of substance, commitment, and accountability.

So for us to say that church should Be Organic (that church should happen right where you are in the rhythm of your life) means that people should be gathering intentionally right wherever they are to experience communion, community, and commission together. And that's a church. And I believe that "where you are" is where the richest and most Spirit-empowered experience of Christian community takes place. It's not the only way, but we should validate and bless that expression as another legitimate and powerful way  to experience church.  But it's got to be about something.

Subverting poverty through sharing

The Chicago Tribune just released an article revealing that 1 in 7 Americans live in poverty.  Sometimes it is hard to believe that this is the case for such an "affluent country," and I do agree that sometimes as Americans we throw pity parties for ourselves about being so poor. Many of us don't actually know what it means to be poor - especially if you've been to some really poor countries. But at the same time, I don't think there are enough Americans out there who realize just how poor some of our pockets of America are. Not just that, but how close poverty actually is to us.  That may be something that is surprising to people, and it may also be something that many of us ignore. But that is the exact reality that I hope people would begin to recognize.  Namely, that poverty is much closer to us than we think. That would include poverty being close in proximity (where you live) and relationship (who you know), but also experience (you!).

I'm always floored by people I meet in our Fresh Market Food pantry who would never have thought to find themselves being jobless and unable to buy groceries, and here they are in a food pantry, painfully and pridefully holding back tears of embarrassment and insecurity.  But the thing is, you never know how close poverty is to you.  In this sense, life is very delicate.  And for some people, also despairing and absurd.

What is just as tragic, though, about poverty, is that it just seems like our quality of life and the scope of our service to others depends so much on the economy.  Meaning, it's as if a good economy means we'll be happy and that we can do good things in the world, but a bad economy terrifies us and we restrict the good we do in the world. In the back of my mind, coming from a non-profit/ministry environment, I guess I'm thinking about how sad it is that so many good ministries and non-profit programs (for the poor!) have had to close down because of the economy.  And it seems like we base our entire lives on financial stability. And that our quality of life and our benevolence are directly proportionate to the state of the economy. Granted, while I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, I realize that I have never been that poor, nor have I been laid off from a job, so I say this, as Arloa Sutter would say, with my hand over my mouth. But I just feel like that quality of life:quality of economy proportion is false - that the economy shouldn't paralzye us from living joyfully, and should not determine our ability to keep doing good. 

And it makes me wonder - "Can simple sharing subvert poverty?"

I think the right thing to do to for some immediate poverty relief is not just rely on the government to create programs to stimulate the economy or to increase public welfare programs, but for neighbors, friends and family members to do little things like sharing to subvert the realities of poverty. It's not a democratic or republican issue - at the root I think it's a sharing issue.

When someone you know needs to pay for school, but will need to take out a loan and live in debt to do it - can you help them out? When someone's car breaks down and they can't afford the costs - how can you come alongside of them? When someone needs to work two jobs and still pay for day care - will you be there for them? I can go on.  But what if you become that person in need? Will you let someone help you?

Unfortunately, two things happen that should never happen in a place where they should never happen. In a church, 1) people are too prideful to admit that they have hit rough times - it's that good old American can-do spirit, and 2) there are people who do actually request prayers to others for God to meet tough financial needs, and friends will pray sincerely, but they will not answer that prayer by simply sharing.

So that above-mentioned economic paralysis confronts and threatens sharing in two corresponding ways: 1) Someone who newly experiences poverty is usually ashamed to receive help - so it's hard for them to accept it. 2) People who are not poor (or people who are in a position to help) are often either blind to those in need, or become too tight-fisted (because of money being tight) to help others in need.  So no one gets help.

I know povety is a big issue that needs to be resolved in a multifaceted way. And I know that organizations need money to keep their programs open. But I wonder what difference it would make if we, the regular Joes and Janes, just had a posture to share - just like they did in the old days. (They did that in the old days, right?). Because a posture to share is a currency that we can always control.  Aside from well advised economic development and policies, which are needed, average people like you and me can still make a powerful impact through a simple gesture and posture.

Jesus told his followers, "you will always have the poor among you."  But Jesus also would have said that not everybody is poor. Meaning, there are always going to be people who have and who do not have.  And sometimes those nearest to you are the ones who become poor. And sometimes the one who becomes poor is you.  So what role will sharing play in your life when poverty comes a knocking?

On my way out of here, I will speak to both crowds:
1. If you're in tough times, bon't be ashamed to let someone else share with you, especially from people who are near to you. It's a spiritual practice that helps them draw nearer to God and become a better human being in His image.  And...duh...it helps you. So stop being stubborn!
2. If you're in a stable economic situation, Be prepared and willing to share with those in need, especially those who are near, in whatever way you can.  God has given to you freely, so you should freely give, since...duh...it's not yours anyway. So stop being stingy!

I think it's that simple.