If my life is a song

I must be singing it wrong

Cause the beat in my head

Isn’t the trail my feet tread

Like words on a screen

I just parrot what I’ve seen

Cause the world’s chorus is loud

And I’m just a voice in the crowd

So the music in my soul

Isn’t the melody in control

And harmony is hard to find

When there’s just ruckus in my mind

But I am fighting the lost time

Listening for the rhyme

Cause though the song hasn’t been sung

It’s on the tip of my tongue

How much do we believe in others?

When it comes to others’ dreams, talents, roles, visions, goals, abilities, call… do we believe in others?  Do we encourage one another? spur one another on? equip? affirm? bless?

It seems to me that we live in a world that constantly limits and labels people.  People are reduced to job descriptions, social status, and a heirarchy of skill sets.  The world defines people by what they do, their education, their appearence, and personal judgement.  And then this is how we relate to each other.  People become a product of where they live, their job, how much money they make, and a few hobbies (for personal distinction).  The problem, of course, is that most people, when you get to know them, are much more than the sum of their parts.

People are souls who have stories, and passions, and talents, and dreams.  People are icons of God, called to a life that reflects beauty, and redemption, and the Kingdom of God.  But it is my experience that these dreams have been beaten down deep inside of us to the point where they almost never come out.  And so, in the mean time (which turns out to be the rest of our lives), we walk around as a sales representative with a wife and two kids who like to go fishing on the weekends.

So my question is: do we believe in others?  As the church, do we seek out the call of God in others’ lives- help them re-discover God’s voice, nourish the long-beaten dream, and equip them to live into it?

Or do we revert to judgements and limitations?   Do we pigeon-hole our brothers and sisters into certain roles at church?  Do we only bless people in what we think they are called to do (which is a really deceptive way of putting our limitations on others)?  And the questions go on…

What gives me hope are those who still believe.  I am attracted to my brothers and sisters, leaders and pastors, elders and family, who still belive… in me, in God’s Call on my life, in my dreams (as crazy as them may be), in the power of God.  I have hope because of the people who believe, and encourage, and bless, and equip, and affirm, and send.  And I desire to be this person in the lives of others.  The mission is huge.  If we limit each other and weigh one another down with our judgements and small agendas, we will surely fail.  But if we build the dream in others, equip them to live into it, and let them press forward- the Gates of Hades will not prevail.

Who do you believe in?  Are you encouraging them, equipping them, affirming them, blessing them, and freeing them?

Sometimes I assume I know what the gospel means.  What I mean is, that when I read the Bible and see the word “gospel” I gloss over it taking for granted that I understand what Jesus and the biblical writers mean.  However, when I take some time to slow down and study, I realize how little I understand about the gospel Jesus proclaimed.   What I understand is my gospel.  My gospel is small- mostly about individuals getting right with God to secure a place in heaven.  Jesus’ gospel was the proclamation of the Kingdom of God- and it was big, and and mysterious, and world-changing.  It is not that my gospel is wrong or unbiblical.  It is just reduced.  In my gospel, God is out to save a few people that will believe in Him.  In Jesus’ gospel, God is out to save the world!

In C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Waredrobe” some kids stumble into a magical land where it is constantly winter.  The land is under the spell of the White Witch (the satan figure) who has made the land permenantly frigid so there is no Christmas (I believe I am getting the story right).  But as the kids continue on their journey, they experience moments where the winter gives way to spring.  The snow begins to melt, birds sing, flowers begin to bloom.  Confused, the kids ask what is happening.  The answer: “Aslan (the Christ figure) is on the move!”

Maybe this is a glimspe of what Jesus meant when he proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom.  The world as we know it is in one long winter.  There is sin, death, depression, brokenness, war, and hunger.  But in Jesus, spring is on the horizon.  Aslan is on the move.  Through God coming near- through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection- winter has lost its power.  Yes, individuals are set free from their sins and made right with God.  But there is more.  All of creation is yearning to be set free from sin’s winter.  The gospel of the Kingdom seems to hint at it all being made right- all of creation under the reign of God- at harmony with Him, with each other, and with creation.

God is on the move!

This post has been in the back of my mind for awhile.

By “text” I am referring to the Bible. By “context” I am referring to the enviroment we find ourselves in. Scripture is undoubtedly at the core of the Christian faith. It is right there with prayer, the Trinity, communtiy (the church), and the other essential parts of the Christian life. Scriptue is God’s Story, God-breathed, the Word of God, and in it are the truths of God. Still, as much as the church affirms all these things, we realize that there is more to the puzzle. In and outside the church, scripture is used for a variety of reasons. And it does not take an observant person long to realize that as powerful as the Bible is, how it is interpreted and used is critical in determining how it shapes peoples’ lives.

Many people have claimed that THEIR interpretation of scripture is the CORRECT ONE (and by ONE, they mean ONE). In a way, I resonate with this. I truly believe that there is truth in scripture,- not just truth, but God’s truth. I do not question this Story or the truth in it- it is the way in which I narrate my life; it is authoritative, or “my framing story”. (you can descibe this in a variety of ways). But what I am learning is that scripture, God’s Story, is always interpreted. And interpretation is both necessary, but also dangerous. I believe that there are some really bad interpretations of scripture that are quite frankly, wrong. But I also believe that there are a variety of ways to interpret the Bible that are FAITHFUL. God’s truth, the Story, does not vary! But the contexts in which it is read, interpreted, and lived into vary.

All this to say, the life of the church needs to take seriously both the text and the context. What has been especially interesting to me lately is the variety of contexts I have found myself in over the past few years. These differing experiences have really influenced the way I read and interpret scripture. For example, reading scripture while being on staff at predominantly white, middle upper class churches is a very different context than reading scripture while bartending and hanging out with non-Christians, single mothers trying to pay bills, or borderline alcoholics. Reading scripture while building houses for the homeless in Tijuana or while among my fraternity brothers sheds new light on the teachings of Jesus- with each new context comes insights into God’s grace, God’s zeal for justice, or God’s distaste for apathetic religion. Scripture, the gospel, are for all these contexts. And this is what I am wrestling with…

My question is, from what context do we read scripture? And do we need to be more aware of our contexts and interpretations, namely their limitations? And can we do a better job not just reading scripture in church, but rather as we incarnate different contexts and share God’s story in them?