Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Living Water International


View Larger Map

At Christmas last year, Story Church participated in the Advent Conspiracy. Many of us decided to spend less at Christmas on stuff we didn't need, and instead to give toward clean water wells for people that really needed it most. This week I was notified by Living Water International that the well we helped to build has been built. The well is in Bozoubolo in the Central African Republic (see the map above of the exact location of the well). It serves more than 600 people. I can't tell you how excited that makes me! The fact that as a church, before we even officially launched, we had helped to build a well that provides clean water for 600 people is amazing to me. And I think this news came at a great time. For me, its a reminder that what happened at Christmas matters most because of what happened at Easter. The baby who was proclaimed by angels at Christmas was good news to the world because he would one die and free us from sin and death and usher in a new kingdom. It's a kingdom of life and love and grace and hope. It's why Jesus not only proclaimed truth, but he demonstrated the fruit of the present kingdom through miracles of healing. For us as a church, we celebrate the baby Jesus as well as the risen Lord, and we embrace the role we play in the resurrection story. My desire for us is that while we proclaim good news to the world, we are also demonstrating it through acts of justice and mercy. And today, 600 people are experiencing life giving water as a result.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Isaiah James


Today my son entered the world, but it wasn't an easy ride. At 8 lbs. and 10 oz. he's a big little guy. We had praying and planning all week to get through the weekend, past my wife's baby shower on Saturday, and past church on Sunday morning. So when Kimi began having contractions Sunday afternoon, all I can say is the timing couldn't have been more perfect. After a couple of hours at the house, we decided to head into the hospital. Once we got checked in and Kimi got checked out, we realized that her contractions were between two and three minutes apart. It seemed that this baby wasn't going to wait long. But once Kimi got hydrated a bit things slowed down and we settled in for a long night. All together it took about 12 hours, and at 7:05am Isaiah was born. However, like I said before, he didn't come easily.

As it turned out, his shoulders were too wide, and with the combination of the cord around his neck, things got really scary there for a few minutes. He seemed to be stuck. I'm pretty sure we witnessed the closest a doctor gets to being panicked. By the time Isaiah was finally born, around a dozen doctors and nurses were in the room and busily working on both mom and baby. It was close to two minutes before Isaiah made even a single sound. He was silent, and from our perspective lifeless. Kimi and I knew that things weren't going well. It was a very scary moment. I don't know if you've ever been in one of those moments of total helplessness but it was tough. I began praying out loud for Jesus to breathe life into him, and for him to cry, to do anything. And then it happened - we heard his little cry. At that moment I felt like I began to breathe too. We knew that he would be ok.

The doctors continued to work on him for a good 15-20 minutes until his color normalized and he began to respond the way he should. In the end, he didn't even need to go to NICU and was able to just stay with us.

I am so thankful to the many that were praying for us. I believe that today your prayers literally saved Isaiah's life. Every birth is a miracle, and the gift of life is the most mysterious awe inspiring thing I've ever experienced. But today was a miracle of a different kind and I will never forget the gift we received today.

Now, off to teach this little guy how to throw a curveball.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Distractions


Here's some thoughts from today's message at STORYCHURCH. You can find it online here if you'd like to listen.

What happens when following Jesus leads down a path you weren’t expecting? John 21 starts out with the disciples deciding to go back to fishing. These are men who spent three years with Jesus, with a certain sense of where this whole thing was leading. They didn’t know when, but at some point Jesus was going to establish a kingdom and they were going to be a big part of that. But then Jesus is crucified. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Not in their version of the story. By the time we get to John 21, Jesus has risen from the dead and already appeared to the disciples. But still, it’s different now. They aren’t spending every waking moment with him. In fact, it’s all mysterious and uncertain now. Jesus comes and goes - and he even looks different than before. Everything has changed. What now? The disciples aren’t sure. They don’t seem to have any sense of purpose for their own lives now. So they return to the one thing they know - fishing. They go back to the boats. It’s interesting to me that Peter is the one who goes first. “I’m going out to fish” he says. The other disciples say “we’ll go with you.” Peter is a leader. Jesus has pinned him as a leader from day one. But in the absence of Jesus, Peter doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know where to lead. But it’s clear that people want to follow him.

The last time we saw the disciples fishing, they had had a pretty unsuccessful night of fishing. They haven’t yet met Jesus. He asks Peter if he can get in his boat and teach from the water. Peter agrees. A little while later, Jesus tells Peter to go throw his nets into the deep water. Peter reluctantly agrees. As a result, they catch so many fish that it nearly sinks two boats. Peter’s response is amazing - “Go away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.” This is the beginning of a new life for Peter and the disciples. Jesus calls them away from fishing, and they leave everything to follow him.

Now back to John 21. Peter and the disciples go back to fishing. Again, they have a pretty unsuccessful night. Jesus is standing on the shore, about a hundred yards away. He asks how the fishing is going - and it isn’t going well. Jesus tells them to throw the net on the right side of the boat, because that’s where the fish are. It seems like about this time the disciples would have been having flashbacks. I can almost picture them squinting toward the shore - “Is it him?” For whatever reason, they listen to the stranger’s advice. When the net begins to overflow, their suspicions are confirmed. John says it first - “It is the Lord.” Peter immediately jumps in the water and swims to shore. He can’t even wait for them to row in. When he gets to shore he finds Jesus cooking breakfast, fish and bread. Where did Jesus get the fish?

When the rest of the disciples make it to shore, it says that “none of the disciples dared ask him ‘Who are you?’ Then knew it was the Lord.” They knew it, but how? Apparently not because they recognized him by his appearance, but by his miracle. It’s an interesting thought. Jesus has physically changed. He doesn’t even look the same. Or he does, and they still couldn’t convince themselves that he was alive.

After eating, Jesus asks Peter an important question. What’s interesting is that he doesn’t ask all the disciples. He asks Peter. “Peter, do you love me more than these?” I used to think he meant, “do you love me more than these guys love me?” But I think he’s actually saying “Do you love me more than these - these fish.” It’s as if Jesus wants to know Peter’s commitment level. But he’s also affirming Peter I believe. Peter is, after all, the one who denied Jesus three times. And so here, three times he gets to tell Jesus that he loves him. In the process, Jesus delivers a divine calling to Peter. Feed my sheep, take care of my sheep, feed my lambs. Peter is singled out amongst all the disciples as the one Jesus wants to take care of his sheep. Who are Jesus’ sheep? The other disciples in this context I suppose. But leadership is costly. Jesus tells him that it will eventually cost him his life. And he ends it with a call to “Follow me.”

Peter receives a divine calling from Jesus, that includes a pretty hefty cost. Things have certainly changed haven’t they? The last time Peter left fishing to follow Jesus, it was for something greater. He had a sense that something great was coming his way. In fact, something great was coming his way, but not the way he expected it to happen. This time, the call to follow Jesus comes with a vision of how it will end - with Peter’s crucifixion and death. It’s no surprise that Peter is looking over his shoulder at this point. It’s then that he notices John following closely behind.

“What about him?”

It’s an honest question. I mean, if following Jesus means my death, at least tell me I’m not alone. Let me know that someone else will be in it with me. There may also have been a bit of wonder in that question as well. What about him? What is his calling? What will happen to him? It too is a natural question. How does my calling compare to his calling? Maybe his is better. Maybe it’s worse. I wonder how my calling stacks up against his. Where does my calling rank in the hierarchy of calling?

Jesus’ answer is difficult. “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

Your calling leads to a brutal death. What if his calling leads to immortality? So what? You must follow me. Peter, you must embrace your own story. You are not John. You are not anyone else. I’m calling you to lead. Your calling is unique.

There’s this false idea we have in church world that says that one’s value and worth is based on the outward things we can see - the blessings. He’s rich, so God must love him more. They are way more talented than me, so their purpose must be more important than mine. They seem to have it easy, my life is hard - God must not love me as much. And that causes us to covet each other’s calling. We believe that to be them would be so much better. To live their story would be way more satisfying than my own.

Somewhere along the line, as followers of Jesus, we must come to understand that each of us has a purpose. God has uniquely shaped us to accomplish his will. For some of us that will mean great wealth. For some of us that will mean poverty. For some of us that may mean a beautiful family, for others it may mean a single life, or a childless life.

The danger in comparing our lives to those around us is this - the only life that will fulfill us is the one that follows Jesus. Living their life will leave you hopeless. Living their story will not satisfy you. The question Jesus asks of Peter should echo in our ears all the time - “What is that to you? You must follow me.” Your calling is unique. Your story is the best life you can live. Embrace it.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

OK Go does it again

OK Go is one of those bands that I learned about first from their treadmill video. Then it was the marching band in a field. Today I saw this. Wow. Their videos must take weeks or even months to set up and choreograph. I'm impressed.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The blog that wasn't...

Yesterday I posted a blog, that I then immediately deleted. Here's why - it wasn't anything controversial really, I wasn't calling anyone out, and I wasn't going on a theological rant or anything like that. Actually, it was quite the opposite - it was a short video from the Office, previewing this week's episode. This week Pam and Jim are having their baby, and there was a funny scene where Jim is freaking out. I resonated with his emotions - as my wife is probably going to have a baby in the next two weeks. Of course, in the middle of this clip was some pretty typical Office humor, which by the way I laughed at.

However, the reason for deleting it was not out of a legalism that this was somehow bad or evil (in fact I posted the link above), but that it suddenly occurred to me that not everyone finds that funny. In fact, to some people it may have even been offensive. And as a leader of an organization, a pastor of a church, I suddenly felt the weight of that.

Now, the specifics of the Office aside, I find myself today wrestling with the bigger issue here. How do wisdom and authenticity interact and relate, particularly for a leader? I long to be inwardly exactly who I am outwardly. But here's the deal - as a pastor and a leader I don't simply represent myself. I know of other leaders who have said things publicly that made things difficult for their organization and/or the people associated with it. My guess is that those leaders would probably have guarded their words a little more if they had it to do over again. And particularly with the internet, once it's out there, it's out there forever.

I'm a pretty big fan of the book of Proverbs in the Bible. All throughout this ancient text are warnings about controlling your tongue, holding back, guarding your words. Here are a few:

He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. - 13:3

Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly. - 13:16

He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. - 21:23


Where do you come down on this? Do you "just be you" and let the chips fall where they may in the name of authenticity, or is there a responsibility that rests upon a leader to show a little prudence? Is it being inauthentic to filter yourself, or is it wisdom?

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More