The Irresistible Revolution

If you haven't read The Irresistible Revolution, I highly recommend you do so.
Here's a blurb about it:
"Many of us find ourselves caught somewhere between unbelieving activists and inactive believers. We can write a check to feed starving children or hold signs in the streets and feel like we've made a difference without ever encountering the faces of the suffering masses. In this book, Shane Claiborne describes an authentic faith rooted in belief, action, and love, inviting us into a movement of the Spirit that begins inside each of us and extends into a broken world. Shane's faith led him to dress the wounds of lepers with Mother Teresa, visit families in Iraq amidst bombings, and dump $10,000 in coins and bills on Wall Street to redistribute wealth. Shane lives out this revolution each day in his local neighborhood, an impoverished community in North Philadelphia, by living among the homeless, helping local kids with homework, and "practicing resurrection" in the forgotten places of our world.Shane's message will comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable . . . but will also invite us into an irresistible revolution. His is a vision for ordinary radicals ready to change the world with little acts of love."

You can find more of his stuff at this link.

a few moments of entertainment from the week

Kendra and Keen had their first soccer practice this week. They were really excited about it and had a good time.

Kendra is the only girl on a 15 player team. It's interesting watching how kids react differently to the opposite gender. While Kendra used pink shoe strings, a pony tail and sweaty competition, Heidi, on the other hand, did her hair, put on a cute jean skirt and showed up at the practice with Freddie on a leash.

Keen was having trouble walking, so we prayed for his foot that night. They've been hurting for some time now, and it seemed to be getting worse. I was afraid he might have a bone spur or something serious like that. The next day we went shopping for soccer cleats and I think the Lord answered our prayer. I found that the shoes Keen had been given from his cousin were 2 sizes too big. No wonder his feet were sore; the arch was hitting him in the wrong place. We bought him new shoes that fit.

Heidi made an interesting observation at church this morning. She had put a lot of effort getting ready and perfecting her look, and she did look good, nice hair, cute shoes, fun bag, trendy note book. She was happening. Then she realized that her bag said, "not listening" across the side, and her notebook said, "blah" boldly on the front. She decided that they might not be conveying the best message for church. I was impressed that she reached her realizations without my coaching.

Sunday Stress

I'm so right, and I'm so wrong. I can't sort them out. The church seems so lost, so out of focus, so misguided, so fluffy, so non-threatening,... so my tendency is to be negative, to disconnect, to get cynical and bitter. This is wrong.

My anger comes from the frustration of a problem greater than me, but it threatens to influence me and my children. Sundays stress me for a number of reasons, but I think I'm growing in patience (I hope it's not complacency).

Last Sunday, I stood in the back of the balcony overlooking a beautiful new sanctuary filled with beautiful, well dressed people. My mind and emotions raced, and I felt the Spirit remind me to love them and not be bitter. It was as if God invited me to weep with Him over His dysfunctional family.

One of the themes of my summer has been that the NT stresses unity. The church is the body of Christ, and I want to love, cooperate and support. I don't want to be a trouble-maker and cause more confusion, but I also don't want to be a part of the numbing disease. I want to be an instrument of change, but the monsters of materialism, ritualism, political-correctness, and "me-based-worship" are just so big.

How does one step back and get a clear view of the problem and still stay united?
How does one stay united without getting infected?
How does one develop and maintain a godly anger and disgust with the problems and not attack the people or the ministry?

a bigger picture of reality

Here's a sweet quote the pastor used this morning. I regret that it is so trendy as to come from "The Shack," but regardless of mainstream, consumer-based Christianity, it is a pretty good book.

"There are times when you choose to believe something that would normally be considered absolutely irrational. It doesn't mean that it is actually irrational, but it surely is not rational. Perhaps there is suprarationality: reason beyond the normal definitions of fact or data-based logic; something that only makes sense if you can see a bigger picture of reality. Maybe that is where faith fits in." -William P. Young

a divinely inspired sermon

I've been attending my brother's church lately. It's Assembly of God with an average attendance of 200 (guestimation) on a Sunday morning. It's a modern building, contemporary worship, and a middle-to-upper class congregation. The people seem friendly, warm and welcoming, and the pastor seems humble and down-to-earth.

Let me give a little back ground. Over the past year God has taken me back to the Greatest Commandments (Love God; Love Others) and the Great Commission (Go) as a life theme.

When I was in Asia this summer, I was asked (told / expected) to preach a number of times. Each time I felt that I didn't really have anything to say. I could sum up the Word God had given me in one word, "Love."

There are many many verses to enforce this lesson, but anything I said beyond that just seemed empty and fluffy. My first sermon in Burma quoted a bunch of references to love, and I was almost apologetic to my missionary friends that I had such a "shallow" sermon. One of them spoke up and corrected me, "Preaching Scripture is never shallow." When I tried to explain my problem to the pastor in Thailand he said, "Just read the Scriptures and speak from your heart... The Scriptures don't need a bunch of salt and flowers."

I was inspired and disappointed by last week's sermon. I was back in the states at a new church and the pastor was starting a new sermon series that went back to the basics, the Greatest Commandments and the Great Commission! I was encouraged that a pastor that preaches every Sunday was still able to point to the basics. The foundational truths never get old. And I was encouraged that he had combined the two "Greats." If you love God and love others, go!

I believe this was a divinely inspired sermon (that I expect to preach myself someday), but I'm afraid the man of God cut it short. He stressed the loving God and loving others, but he just spent a few minutes on the go, and his "go" was like, "get involved in the community." What!?

The Great Commission was to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. It wasn't to just become a scout leader or a soccer coach.

Today he spoke about loving God. Next week is about loving others, and the final week of the series is the "Go." I really hope he redeems last week's sermon by not cutting the Great Commission short this time and instead, calling his congregation to a global perspective and ministry.