Big Weekend

I'm spending the weekend at a camp with four bus loads of middle schoolers and their counselors, and I happen to be "the speaker." Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. It has been a difficult and tiring couple of weeks leading up to this weekend, but in the midst of it I keep getting little reminders, many of them through friends, that God is still good.

Prayer Dojo and Silent Retreat

N.T. Wright on the church's mission

"For generations the church has been polarized between those who see the main task being the saving of souls for heaven and the nurturing of those souls through the valley of this dark world, on the one hand, and on the other hand those who see the task of improving the lot of human beings and the world, rescuing the poor from their misery.

The longer that I've gone on as a New Testament scholar and wrestled with what the early Christians were actually talking about, the more it's been borne in on me that that distinction is one that we modern Westerners bring to the text rather than finding in the text. Because the great emphasis in the New Testament is that the gospel is not how to escape the world; the gospel is that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Lord of the world. And that his death and Resurrection transform the world, and that transformation can happen to you. You, in turn, can be part of the transforming work. That draws together what we traditionally called evangelism, bringing people to the point where they come to know God in Christ for themselves, with working for God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. That has always been at the heart of the Lord's Prayer, and how we've managed for years to say the Lord's Prayer without realizing that Jesus really meant it is very curious..."

Something happened

I was at a Community Center on Monday, checking in with my friends, sorting through some food to give away, setting up a meeting with the Director to discuss how ReIMAGINE can partner with this Community Center in more helpful ways. We have realized that we were made to be teachers, to teach people about Jesus and how to follow Him. We are hoping to partner with local organizations that are doing good work to allow us to use this passion and gifting. I'm thrilled about this vision and the possibilities that are opening up.

On this particular Monday I took Kayla with me. She loves going on little trips with Daddy, and she quickly becomes the life of the party wherever we go. I've often marveled at her ability to charm any crowd, rich or poor, urban or suburban. I was amazed once again. I was talking to a dear woman who is hoping to move out of state with her husband, a kind man who battles mental illness and lives apart from her by himself in the "ghetto" part of town. We were having a good conversation, and I was hoping God's Spirit would give me the words to speak encouragement and wisdom into her life. Meanwhile, Kayla went down the slide in the parking lot, over and over and over and over, each time with a huge smile on her face. She would smile at her Daddy and the woman he was talking to before cruising down, over and over and over. A peace seemed to settle in. My friend began to smile and laugh. It was as if we had been reminded of hope. Something very good happened, and then it kept happening.

There are some distinct people who stand just outside such community centers, obviously homeless, dirty, smelly, often in some sort of mental haze from drugs or alcohol. They keep on the outside, usually waiting for a friend who is volunteering or getting food. There are a few such faces I know well, but I know only the faces. Communication does not happen, not even a smile or head bob. Suddenly, one of these men smiled an enormous smile and said, "She looks just like you!" We discussed Kayla's incredible good looks :) for a bit, although I was frankly in a state of shock this man had spoken to me. Soon he said, "Wow, it's amazing how much energy she has for that slide! It's great! She has so much enthusiasm!" We smiled together, watching my daughter, in the beginnings of a conversation. This may seem small to some, but God broke down boundaries and began a conversation, hopefully a conversation that will continue as time passes. Who knows where it will lead, but I do know that I sensed something very special happen on Monday, and my smiling daughter was in the middle of it. I believe the Spirit of God made it all happen. I choose to trust that God is at work, and that every good and perfect thing comes from our Creator.