Missional Living

I‘ve finished Dick Staub’s The Culturally Savvy Christian. I picked it up for a couple of reasons: the title and the introduction. Granted, even with the endorsements of N.T. Wright and slick cover, what reeled me in was the introduction that spoke of us living in an ‘intellectually and aesthetically impoverished age of Christianity Lite’, and how Christians used to be known for their intellectual, artistic, and spiritual contributions to society. Bach. Mendelsson, Dante, Dostoevsky, Newton, Pascal, Rembrant, CS Lewis, Tolkien… Unfortunately, today’s culturally creative impact is made by the likes of Michael Stipe and Chuck Palahnuik. And, yes, he quotes my all-time favorite scene from Fight Club, the iChing of our culture: the basement scene where Tyler gives his ‘middle children of history’ speech. And he’s right. As Walker Percy put it, "You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because in spite of great scientific and technological advances, amn has not the faintest idea of who he is or what he’s doing."

His point is that the absence of a robust, rich Christian presence in today’s culture means that the very idea of a culturallly savvy Christian is oxymoronic, like saying ‘jumbo shrimp’ or ‘military intelligence’ or ‘a literal interpretation’. What a mess. Pop culture has become a diversonary entertainment, more ‘amusement’ (lit. ‘no thinking’) than just ‘entertainment’ (lit. ‘to hold one’s attention). But I didn’t need an entire book to convince me of that. As much as I love entertainment and amusement, much of it I love for the ‘mindless’ value it posesses. I watch Seinfeld when I want to unplug. Then King of the Hill. Then the world is at rest.

However, there are some great quotes and insights that you’ll see on Quotable Mondays in the near future. For instance, can you identify with Rich Mullins here?

"I really struggle with American Christianity. I’m not really sure that people wth our cultural disabilities, people who grow up in a culture that worships pleasure, leisure, and affluence, are capable of having souls, or being saved."

Ouch. Christians are called to be the Light of the World, not the Lite of the World. And if we are going to create a subculture, why create one so boring, immitative, and uninspiring?

Staub does a great job in talking about God’s transforming presence in our lives and in our culture. Jose Miguel Bonino once said, ‘Theology has to stop explaing the world and start transforming it.’ Amen, hermano. God so loved the world that he didn’t send a proposition, but a person. And if the God of the universe has truly taken up residence in us, the shouldn’t radical change in us be inescapable? Further, doesn’t it stand to reason that God’s presence in our lives will change us, not so we can change the world, but so we can experience God’s transformation in us and be restored to His image more completely?

The more I think about it the more I am beginning to belive that Jesus did not come into the world to change it. Jesus came to earth to do the will of the Father. It was Jesus’ daily obedience to God’s will that gave birth to this global movement we call Christianity. The ‘daily obedience’ has changed the world. When we, as people fully focused on God’s will, begin to live with an obsessive obedience to the Father, He will transform us into a loving, transforming presence like that of Jesus. Maybe God intends to transform us from ‘fallen humans’ to ‘fully human’ as Jesus was ‘fully human and fully divine’.

As  culturally savvy Christians, you and I need to be serious about faith, savvy about the relationship between faith and culture, and skilled in relating the two. Although this book didn’t necessarily change my life in any (yet) dramatic way, it’s would be a great resource for small groups and ministry leaders in furthering the conversation on Missional Living. Definitely something to have on your shelf.

What to do?

Although lately  I’ve been loaded/bombarded with TONS of cool stuff that seem to demand my attention and devotion, I thought I’d pass along a random list of links that have caught my attention lately:

YS Underground  -cool resources from Marko and company…

Hard Music Magazine (I never knew editor Doug Van Pelt was right here in Hutto!) 

Steel Roots Magazine -skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, and Jesus. 

The Work Of The People- visual literugy for sacred spaces (i.e., cool vids) 

No One Underground- AMAZING nontraditional Christian artwork by Eric Timm. He’s currently in the process of uploading things to the web (as of yet, there is only a small sampling of work online), but this guy’s stuff is incredible.

If you’ve ever seen ‘A Thief In the Night’, listened to Larry Norman, or are even vaguely familiar with the mediocre Left Behind series, you GOTTA check out the Rapture Song. It’s pre-trib theology at its best…and worst. ( I TOTALLY should have written this song…dang it!)

It was one of ‘those calls’. During lunch last week, I could sense the urgency in the voice on the other end of the phone. Some dear friends of ours were in a car accident. They had loaded up the SUV for vacation, decided to head to one of our favorite deli spots on their way out of town, and were hit by a truck and trailer less than 4 miles from their home. Everything happened so fast…in a handful of seconds, their lives were forever changed.

Just last Sunday, we spent the day at the lake with Larry and DeNetta and their two amazing kids. They are a faithful family of youthworkers, teachers, servants, and Jesus-lovers. We cooked hot dogs, swam, and dragged each other around the lake on tubes that day. Heather and DeNetta sat in the shade by the shore and talked about being moms, about how hot it was, and about how they were ready for school to start. And just past noon on Wednesday, their car was hit and DeNetta stepped into the presence of Jesus. In the following hours, our church was amazing. We flooded the hospital with friends, parents, teens, and family members. We flooded it with prayers and tears. We prayed with hospital staff and strangers alike. (It doesn’t hurt to have some connections with the hospital director… ) In fact, one sweet Spanish-speaking elderly lady prayed with me in a waiting room. I prayed in English; she prayed in Spanish. She talked so fast I could only pick out a few things here and there. "…Thank you, Lord for your love….bless the family…we love you….make us strong….in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit…."

"Gracias, hermana." I said through my tears.

"Por supuesto, papi." she replied, kissing my cheek. We hugged. There is no language barrier in the Kingdom.

We prayed. We cried. We thanked God for protecting Larry, Ashley, and Weston. Our hearts broke in grief that DeNetta was gone.

On Saturday, our pastor conducted the most beautiful funeral service in history. In a standing-room-only crowd, we grieved…but not like those with no hope. God  reminded us that our life is such a vapor, such a whisper, that it will only be a blink in history before we are together again. I get the feeling that our lives are like a 2-second bit part in the midst of watching the unedited, extended edition of the Lord of the Rings boxed set. We are here, strutting and fretting our hour upon the stage, and then are heard no more. For in one more blink, we’ll be joining her.

Sunday in our ministry was tough. We are still crying. Still grieving…but not without hope. In John 14, Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us, and, when things are ready, He’ll be back to get us. I trust Him. And I’m beginning to rejoice–for DeNetta’s gain.

St. Augustine put it this way: "God has made us for himself, and our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him."

The way I understand the Biblical narrative is this: Genesis 1 &2 and Revelation 21 & 22 seem to serve as ‘bookends’ of the story. Our history started with the union of God and man and ends with the union of God and man. Everything else is commentary. God provides a way. Man fails. God redeems man. They live happily ever after. Our original purpose is union with God, who has gone to great, painstaking lengths to provide restoration/reconciliation to that end. If the original purpose of our lives is union with God, DeNetta is more fully alive, more perfected (lit. "complete") than at any other time in her existence.

Yea, for her!

But we still grieve. Our hearts still feel the pain of unexpectedly tearing away part of the Body. But God will heal. And the Body will be stronger. (Suffering is a beautiful hermeneutic.) So, I’m still crying today, but knowing that Hope has come.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I’m going there to prepare a place for you, and I will come back and take you to be with me so we can be together. You know the Way to where I am going….

I Am the Way."

    -Jesus

Why do I like QM’s? Because after a week like this last one, my brain is oatmeal, and sometimes I can only handle one thought at a time. Like today. I started reading ‘The Culturally Savvy Christian’ last Wednesday, and although I’m just about done with it (through a hellish week, in fact) there has been one thing that has stuck in my brain like a pebble in my shoe.

"The Christian ideal has not been ‘tried and found wanting’; it has been found difficult and left untried."

-GK Chesterton

Taste and see…

Today our ministry officially says goodbye to the second member of our team, Stefanie Rasco. Stef is headed back to College Station to finish her masters degree at A&M (whoop!) this December. Stefanie has touched our lives and done some incredible ministry for the Kingdom and has invested herself (and Jesus) into the lives of all of us in P-ville.

One of the things I admire about Stef is her keen wit. (You thought I was going to say her love for Jesus or her passion for ice cream, huh? ) So, while today’s QM is not particularly reflective of some spooky smart (and dead) theologian of world renown, it’s pretty appropriate that the truth of Stef’s insighful words kick off the week:

"This is not a pony ride."

-Stefanie Rasco

Here’s a pic of our youngest (almost 4) chillin’ on vacation last week. We were swimming and he disappeared. You know that frantic feeling when you can’t find your child? Then I looked over towards our beach chairs and umbrella and saw this.

It says it all.

I just got word that there’s a new STARBUCKS being built nearby. It’ll be located .6 miles from where I park my truck at the office, to be exact.

Coffee Claus is coming to town!

I know…I know…I’m behind on this. It hit the presses while I was out on vacation, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it…

Surely by now, you’ve seen the story of Southwestern Seminary’s new degree plan to teach women how to stay home and cook, sew, clean, and keep their man happy. 

Well…sort of, at least. They’re not calling it ’sewing’. Instead, it’s Clothing Construction. In an effort to establish ‘biblical gender and family roles’,i will offer a bachelor of arts in humanities degree with a 23-hour concentration in homemaking. (It’s ONLY open to women…sorry, Jimmie, you and the rest of the stay-at-home-dads are on your own. Best of luck to ya.)

Coursework will include seven hours of nutrition and meal preparation, seven hours of textile design and "clothing construction," three hours of general homemaking, three hours on "the value of a child,"  (because women don’t value children???) and three hours on the "biblical model for the home and family." The main focus on the course is hospitality in the home.

Whew…I am relieved. Paige says that if they (SWBTS) don’t take this action, then our denomination and our nation ‘will be destroyed’. Glad he’s on watch…

Maybe it’s because Grandma’s not around anymore to teach women (who are interested) how to sew. Or maybe it’s because we can BUY a new blouse from Wal-Mart or Target cheaper than sewing one. Or maybe I’m just totally missing the point and women don’t value children as much now that they can vote and have their own shoes.

Granted, in our family, my wife works only in the home. That’s the way we see God’s plan for our family. It’s financially tough, but so what? It’s what God wants for us right now. Even so, all this still seems a little weird.

Any explanations?