Missional Living

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

Mythology says that when the bird felt its death was near (every 500 to 1,461 years) it would build a nest of aromatic wood and set it on fire…and then die among the flames. Then, a new phoenix would spring forth from the pyre, reborn.

Reborn. Ahhhh…..

After an insane summer, and 9 days of vacation, I am feeling reborn. Sunday was a great day with the return of By Design, our worship band, and it felt good to be back in the saddle. Unfortunately (?) we played both services, so I missed out on hanging with our students in the youth center that morning. (But Overhaulin’ is just around the corner this Wednesday…)

On Monday, Stan and I began our 10-day Diet of Daniel to help jumpstart our bodies and minds to a healthier us. It’s basically a 10-day fast of anything with water, sugar, flour, or red meat…so bring on the grilled chicken salad. And lots of it. I’ll be sure and update my progress regularly. (Last time, I lost about 12 pounds in ten days, and, while it’s more of a detox eating plan, the weightloss is definitely a bonus!)

Also, Monday kicked off my training for the Scott and White Half Marathon. I’m shooting for going to Waco on October 28 and spending 2.5 hours trying to cover 13.1 miles with my iPod and a smile. (The smile is optional; the iPod is not.) Since it’ll be my first 13.1 miler (I had some IT band problems training with the ATT marathon—primarily because I forgot I’m human…) I’m not shooting for any particular PR time (personal record), …I’m just hoping to finish and finish well. So, I’m in for some pretty intense training in the next 11 weeks–long runs, intervals, speed work, lots of water…and TONS of rest. Me and my Sauconys are going to be logging quite a few miles together. It’s always good therapy: I can worship, I can pray, I can think…and there’s no phone, so, for anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour and a half, I’m basically untouchable. See why it’s addictive?

Meanwhile, I’ve got an inbox full of items that need attention, current events and theological insights that are awaiting their blogworthiness, and a Moleskin journal scribbled with song lyrics, quotable thoughts and ramblings on deck for your insight and contribution. Unfortunately, I also have a load of calendar requests, promotional projects, end-of-summer send-offs and back-to-school ramp-ups to attend to…

So…the question is how do we balance our lives successfully in order to not burn out like our buddy, the Phoenix? What are things you do to incorporate a regular Sabbath rest into your life? How, especially in ministry (which is designed by God Himself to kill you), do you not become a statistic of burnout? Of breakdown? How do you balance yourself? Remember, this journey is a marathon, not a 50-yard dash…and we’ve got to finish well. 

Watch the video here of our kickoff of our summer project. And tune in each week as we transform this hooptie and ask God to transform us in the process…

I've just about finished Boyd's God At War …finally. It's been an awesome book. And, although I've already blogged about it here and here , things are seeming to come to a head.

The focus of our mid-week small group last Wednesday was the proverbial question of 'if God is all-powerful and all-loving,why do bad things happen?' And, although mankind has wrestled with that question (perhaps since the fall), I think there is one vitally important fact we didn't fully touch on in our groups: We are at war.

Granted, I know that the topic war is about as popular as a Carmen concert these days. Nevertheless, Boyd makes a pretty compelling argument that Jesus' ministry on earth was foremost an act of war. Jesus came to overthrow Satan and his kingdom/dominion/rule over this earth, and set up a new Kingdom/dominion/rule over this earth. Everything He did was an act of mutiny. An act of overthrowing the current ruler of this world (Satan) and establishing a new Ruler. From casting out demons, to healing the sick, to eating and drinking with outcasts…all of which was a revolutionary bucking of the system, upsetting the current rule.

Of course, this battle cry is not what you'd expect. It's not 'gear up with your carbine gas-powered, semi-automatic AK47 and take the palace' kind of marching order. It is 'take up your cross and follow me'. 'Feed my sheep.' 'Love God and love your enemy.' It's establishing a rule of Kingdom living. It's a war in which love and peace reigns and, as Don Miller says, we are called to hold our hands agains the wounds of a broken world and stop the bleeding.

But it is still war. A war in which Satan and all of Hell are fighting against the armies of Heaven. A war which we have simultaneously 'already won' and 'not yet won'. It's a war of rescuing those that have been wounded by the Enemy, loading them in the MediVac, and LifeFlight-ing them to the Great Physician. It is a war in which we are called to put on the armor the God Himself wears…which sounds like pretty serious business.

So, why do bad things happen? Unfortunately, there will be casualties in every war. And we are still in jihad over the Kingdom (yes, every war is about what someone believes about God). Divorce? Rape? Abuse? Neglect? Pain? Hunger? Murder? Guilt? Shame? All part of the war we are in. Sometimes, we are even shot by 'friendly fire' from our own 'soldiers'.

But the good new is this: the King is coming… 

In the next 48 hours, our family will celebrate the births of two babies who changed my life and my world. It's just another reason I love this time of year. 

Being with family and friends (sometimes, those are one in the same–sometimes not.) is awesome. So is chillaxin on the couch with the boys and watching 'Santa Claus is Coming To Town' for the upteenth time. Having time to let the body catch up with the soul. And heading off to our Christmas Eve service (in an hour). 

A beautiful young girl in our ministry gave birth to a little boy last week. She named him Elijah. (How awesome is that?) It has been a profound reminder of what Christmas is about. In our tech-riddled community, the simplest things are quite often the most profound. While society rushes frantically to purchase gifts to give others, Victoria was laboring away to give life to a beautiful, precious, and delicate little boy who will change her world forever. An unmarried teen mother not so very different from a girl named Mary we read about. Scared. Excited. Trusting. Filled with wonder and awe and hope.  

And unto us another child is born. A symbol of hope and love. An ikon of the Father. A reminder that God has not given up on us yet.  

Last Thursday, Steve and I made the trek to the campus of my alma mater, SWBTS, in Ft. Worth to listen in on a Youth Ministry Symposium. Although the WiFi nazis wouldn't let me online, I was able to take lots of notes on my Mac. I'll try to post/digest them here. 

So…what's the deal with youth ministry? What has it gotten us? Where is it going? And is there even a Biblical basis for it? Those are the questions each of the panel members addressed…sort of.

First up, was Alvin Reid, SEBTS, and author of 'Raising the Bar', who threw out some interesting statistics from his book.

There are more teens today than EVER in history. In the last 30 years, American Student Ministry has produced more youth ministers than ever before. According to research, many youth ministers expect teens to be immature, sow their wild oats, etc., during their turbulent teen years. We are not even preparing them for their first year of college, much less their life. He recommended th following books for consideration:

Millenials Rising-  although I haven't read the book yet, the website is fairly interesting.

God on the Quad

Body Piercing Saved My life: InsideThe Phenomenon of Christian Rock (…would make a nice stocking stuffer…)

Righteous, By Lauren Sandler. It was interesting to note that Sandler, a self-proclaimed agnostic, claims that "young people have been so liberated, they now want to be liberated from liberation." Students in the 12-18-year-old range still desire to believe that at least *some* absolute truth exists and that it can effectively govern their lives.

(Actually, in the spring, I'm going to pick up all four of these and run through them…) 

Reid went on to say that in the realm of Christian/family education, yes, the Deutoronomy 6 mandate still applies to us today: " Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Parents are the primary spiritual, emotional, intellectual, and psychological developer of their children. Not the church. Not the youth ministry. 

According to Reid, parents are the missing ingredient. Youth Ministry should challenge parents, as well as students. Challenge them to share their faith, to pray, to worship, to go deep.  We should partner with parents to challenge students. "And we should change the paradigm of youth ministry from programs to passion. From institution to mission. From protecting children to building an army to assault the culture."

Thoughts?  

Good times today.

Heather left early this morning to take our older son on his first Kindegarten field trip, so I brought our younger son in to Wee Ones (think: Mother's Day Out…) at 9am. I figured I'd drop him off, run to the office and catch up on some phone calls, emails, and event promo material, and then slip out at 10:15 to take some pics of him at his little 'carnival' on campus.

But at 10:00 my phone went nuts. Like it had digital turrets. Megan. Corey. Laci. Tori. Eric. Susan. James. Big Joe the Aztec. Assorted parents. Text messages and a dozen different ringtones and beeps.

Evidently, a block away at Pflugerville High School (where they've been filming Friday Night Lights) the administration was emptying out the school because of a bomb threat. So the entire west side of campus flooded into our parking lots. As a guy who loves hanging out with teenagers, it was awesome.

Not because of the bomb threat. But because I got to spend time with students who'd otherwise never come to our youth center. Some who've had horrible experiences with 'Christians'. Some who are pretty convinced that church/God/Christianity is a complete waste of time. Or at least the church/God/Christianity that they've encountered… Yet they all were sent here in the name of shelter. Safety. Sanctuary.

How often does a public school send several hundred students to your church to waste time in the middle of a school day? Not often enough. Evidently, the threat was a false alarm…and the students loved missing their chem test. 

So we sat on the back of tailgates and just hung out. Talked about the day. The dating scene. Introduced each other to new friends. Talked about the recent Stones concert in Austin and about how Jagger has more energy than an 8th grade cheerleader and how Keith Richards looks more and more like the Grim Reaper every day. 

All of them (not just the ones that are involved in our ministry) were great to hang out with. They are full of love and life and energy. I just wish I'd ordered enough Starbucks for the whole class…

In case you’re still reading, here are some statistical findings on the report:

“Scholars at the National Research Council in 2002 estimated that at least one of every four adolescents in the U.S. is currently at serious risk of not achieving productive adulthood.” (i.e., they will end up institutionalized, mental or penal, or worse)

“According to a recent study, about 21 percent of U.S. children ages nine to 17  have a diagnosable mental or addictive disorder associated with at least minimum impairment. These high numbers appear to reflect actual increases in these problems, not changes in methods or rates of treatment.”

“Despite increased ability to treat depression, the current generation of young people is more likely to be depressed and anxious than was its parent’s generation.”

“By the 1980s, U.S. children as a group were reporting more anxiety than did children who were psychiatric patients in the 1950s. 

“Several studies have found that an estimated eight percent of U.S. high school students suffer from clinical depression.”

“About 20 percent of students report having seriously considered suicide in the past year.” (12)

“A recent study of mental health problems among college students at a large 

Midwestern university finds that, over the past 13 years, the number of students being clinically seen for depression doubled; the number of suicidal students tripled; and

 the number of students seen after a sexual assault quadrupled.”

“Since the 1950s, death rates among U.S. young people due to unintentional injuries, cancer, and heart disease have all fallen by about 50 percent.  Death rates overall have dropped by about 53 percent…but during this same period, homicide death rates among U.S. youth rose by more than 130 percent.”

“Suicide rates – the third leading cause of death among U.S. young people, and famously recognized more than a century ago by Emile Durkheim, one of the fathers of modern sociology, as a key indicator of socialconnectedness – rose by nearly 140 percent. More and more, what is harming and killing our children today is mental illness, emotional distress, and behavioral problems.”

Thoughts?

So, what does that mean for those of us who work with/minister to students? 

ahhh…free wifi….Thank you, Jesus. 

Moby: culturally postmodern artist.

*you can be swimming in the water of postmodernity and still reject some major tenets of pm-ism.

 Download his interview at sojo.net

Postmodern tendency to take the old/ancient and synthesize it with the new.

*what can we absolutely know for sure? ….how did we get here?

Theology does not stand on it’s own. You understand God in relationship to how you understand lots of other things.

4-6 BC (The Ancient World)

Aristotle

Plato

Paul

Plotinus

Augustine –hardcore dualism (mind and spirit are good; body and flesh are bad)BIG problems for Augustine: if God is Good, how could Jesus come in a physical form, ob. The body is bad..?) He literally invented the word ‘tri-unitas’, i.e. trinity.

Church Fathers

The Dark Ages (AD 500)

-obviously no great thinkers…

Ancient-Modern Transition (AD1000)

Aquinas

Scholastics

Modern Period (AD 1500)

Descartes-wanted to prove the existience of human beings, so he spent over a year in solitude, thinking and doubting…at the end, he realized he could doubt everything, except the simple fact that he was doubting. He came up with ‘cogito ergo sum’. Gave birth to reductionism and eventually the reformation.

Luther

Calvin

Copernicus/Galileo

Modern-Postmodern Transition (AD2000)

Nietzche

Jacque Derrida

Foucault

Baudrillard

*the real promise of the Elightenment was that we would shed the biggies that divide us, i.e. religion, nation borders, one world money systems and languages and metric system.

In the face of Globalization, 3 things are happening:

One, people are becoming more religious instead of more secularized.

Two, Also on the rise is fundamentalism and ethnocentrism.

Three, Postmodernism emerges and provides an understanding of who I am (as an orthodox Christian) but also understand those who are not, and are aware of the Imago Dei (we are made in the image of God). A very christocentric gospel. There exists a dialetctical tension…without resolution of that tension.

 Jacques Derrida—like most PM philosophers, is European, jewish, and (I think) gay.

Most known for the phrase ‘deconstruction’, to break out of something into new meanings.