facing the homeless, the down-and-out, the hurting, the ...

I recently had a discussion with a friend which reminded me of how naive I am. This friend is highly intelligent and is well-versed in politics, economics, and religion. I figure they're one of the most intelligent people I've met.

I told the person my dream - my top-of-the-bucket-list thing. I want to spend whatever useful life I have left helping the homeless and others in hurt. The response was ..... flabbergasting. They said that I would have to leave this country to do that; go somewhere like the Philippines or S America .........

I was so taken back and thrown off that it took me a while to recover while trying to hide my flabbergosity. I ... I really didn't know how to respond. It was like ... I was processing this comment - the person that said it, the content, the tone, the environment.. - trying to figure where I went wrong, what i missed, where on Earth could they be coming from, etc.

I let it pass. On the way home this thing kept hitting me. Am I really that daft? Have I absolutely missed the boat? Did I draw a short deck or a manipulated deck of cards? Am I that stupid? But most of all, are you really trying to tell me that there's no significant homeless (let's leave the other categories out for now) population in these United States of America? Really?! Really??!

wow ...

God has given me a desire to help those people, and that from long ago. I wanted to go to Africa with my Pastor, I wanted to be in Haiti, I looked into Nicaragua (poorest country in Central Am.). I realize I'm not in any of those countries; I'm here. But I have given myself to finding the church that Jesus built, and in the process have aligned myself with a community of Jesus-people who are very much concerned with the homeless, especially in the county I live, where there's no homeless shelter, and where they have only in the last 4 or so years made any significant effort to enumerate/estimate the number of homeless (presumably because they, like my good friend, are in denial). Recent figures reveal about 800+.

And I'm doing this why? Even if I diss' the rest of the country, there are 800+ people right here that need assistance, including children .... what am I missing???

It may well be obvious from the 'tone' of this piece that I am kerfuffled. I am. I damned well am. I refute that. I diss' that. I dispute that. I reprove that. ... I resent that.

Jesus' heart was a heart for the hurting. It is repeatedly remarked-on in the Gospels of Jesus Messiah, all 4 versions of them, that he spent his ministry going about doing good. Period. He healed, and chased off the demons, fed and comforted and chatted and dined-with the ordinary, and even raised up the dead! His mind and heart were for the 'sinner' (not the 'righteous), the wayward, the hurting, those that mourn, and the meek and humble, and peacepushers, and the poor in spirit (emotionally hurting), and ... Those are the people he was concerned with; that was their defining characteristic, not their name, or family, or career, or ...

So I'm offended. Not by my friend; that's my friend. I am offended that we, the church that belongs to Creator/Messiah/Redeemer Jesus, have so failed to make us all aware of the dreadness of being a hurter, and absolutely pushed us in the direction of healing that. I'm offended at that precisely because it was his passion. And too, it is well worth mentioning that the social media has been quite quiet about it. Where are the 'news' agencies that report? Whence the 'investigative reports' and 'documentaries'?

I have given my life in all its paucity to that Jesus, and I am trying to be molded after his example and after any exemplars that reflect him.

I want to be helping hurting people; I cannot put it any simpler or clearer. So when you diss that, you diss me.

I want to put a face on the hurting, and this event slammed that home on the order of a Lebron James slam.

I will persevere in finding them and helping them in any way I can ...
God helping me.

shalom

finding my way

This blog came into being over my personal disappointment in the church in the west – ‘where on Earth is the church that Jesus built?’. I don’t believe that what we have in Christianity today is representative of his motivation, or of him. I end the blog introduction with “For me, the Way of Jesus is opposed to Christianity as it exists today.”

Over recent years, I have disavowed the Protestant label, the Fundamentalist label, and most recently the Christian label. I don’t regret those decisions, and am persistently pursuing the real church.

I may (or not) have mentioned in a past blog my spiritual affiliation with the Anabaptists. I noticed them a couple decades ago, and had an immediate affinity with them. Last year they came to my attention again. I am more than ever finding myself in their spiritual genealogy.

The following are the “core convictions” as laid out by the Anabaptist Network, and represent the result of learning the history and principles they embraced in the face of severe persecution at the hands of Roman Catholicism and Protestantism both, beginning in the 15th century. They are also found in the recent book, The Naked Anabaptist by Stuart Murray. When I read these I penned “WOW! That's me!” in the margin. I list them for your consideration, and maybe your “WOW!”.

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer and Lord. He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church and our engagement with society. We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshipping him.

2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation. We are committed to a Jesus-centred approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship.

3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian. Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalised Jesus, and has left the churches ill-equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture. As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving.

4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness. We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.

5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability and multi-voiced worship. As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together. We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender and baptism is for believers.

6. Spirituality and economics are inter-connected. In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.

7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding non-violent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between nations.

This i think is where I hang my spiritual hat.

shalom

back to the Bible thingy ..

Sometime ago I made a case/plea for reading Scripture regularly ... http://asthekingdomturns.blogspot.com/2013/02/read-ye-all-of-it.html

To me, we're lost without it.

I meet in a study group where we share what we got out of the same passage. Tonight we were in Mark 6. And I was reminded of the importance of humility and persistence in Scripture reading.

There are those out there who will say "I've read the Bible.", or "I know what the Bible says." I've been reading the Bible on and off for 45 years (moreso in the last 25), and am still amazed at the things I never saw, or saw and never understood, or saw in a different light ... The more I read, the more I realize how much more there is for me there. ('Course it may just be that I'm daft...; there's always that.)

In Mark 6, the first section deals with Jesus being restricted in his hood; he was too familiar, and they were offended that he was teaching and healing, even his family. He was amazed at that. The upshot of that was that he couldn't heal many people there. They didn't believe him.

Meanwhile he sends out the Twelve and they have great results: demonic forces were challenged and many sick people were healed.

Later in the chapter he is found teaching late iinto the day, and the people are hungry. The disciples tell him to let them go to find food. Jesus' response: "Why? You feed them." He ends up feeeding thousands with very little because his followers did not faith it.

Right after this, Jesus heads out alone to pray and the disciples take a boat to cross the water. A storm moves in. Jesus 'sees' them struggling to battle the contrary winds, and he goes to them -  he walks ... on the water. I quote 6.48: he came toward them walking on the sea, and wanted to pass by them. That last clause always tickled my mind. I never could figure out why Jesus was going to walk right by them? That's crazy! He went out there because they were being battered by the weather. Why would he just walk by??

They cry out because they figure they're seeing a ghost. Jesus calms them, gets into the boat, and calms the storm. And the comment is made that the disciples were amazed for they had not understood about the loaves. See, they had seen Jesus feed 20,000 people, and they should have seen their faithlessness in that. And here it is later the same day and he has to show them again.

I actually think Jesus wanted them to get out of the boat and follow him on the water. I think that's why the text states he was about to pass them. He wanted them to follow, in faith, even on the water. Either that or he wanted them to still the wind on their own. Regardless, he wanted them to do something about it, in faith.

This re-reading of the text I've read too many times to remember reminds me: don't ever assume you know what's there, mate. Read with an open mind, an attitude of humility, asking the Spirit to illuminate my spirit, and read. Read.

... for God's sake, read!

reconciliation, again .. .

when God created
he created human like him
in his own image {Gen. 1,2}
not like any other

in reconciling everything
(redeem, reclaim, renew)
God re-creates humanity to be like the God-Son {Rom. 8.29}
who is himself the outshining of the Godhead
the perfect expression of his being {Heb 1.3}

the ways of God are inscrutable

but wonderful

breathtaking
lifegiving
life changing

praise the name of the Lord God of Hosts
who alone deserves majesty, glory and honour

let everything that hath breath praise the Lord

sometimes

sometimes
i don't want to

don't want to go there
don't want to do the open-heart thing
to pause
selah
reflect
journal ...

it's just too much
there's too much stuff
too many foreboding rooms
dark places
scary places
places full of mirrors
and memories

places i live
in secret
detestable places
hidden
down cold spiraling staircases
unlit
dank
damp mossy places
where things slither
and hiss
and there's no sunlight
no music
no flowers or birds

just me
in my dark hours
scrambling
splashing about
in my own stuff

sometimes
i wonder
how jesus could love me
in all my stuff
my filth

my shoes caked with mud
eyes bloodshot
hands dripping blood
as i murder
in my heart
lie
to my soul
steal
slander
fornicate
idolize
blaspheme

....

who wants to go there
it's a nightmare
complete with all the trappings
trapping me
in my own horror
locking me in
killing the light
burning the house down
around me

sometimes i run

...

turn the volume way up
assail the senses
with sound
and colour
and scent
and slam that damned dark heavy cold door
that leads to me

escape
flee
run !

...

but i'll be back
sometime

with a new pair of shoes
and a candle

...

have i moved at all?

“walking the rebellion

embracing the doubt

diss’ing the tradition

doing re-think

undoing theology

… seeking the Way of Jesus

… penduluming  

still … “

- a note i wrote to me in the flyleaf of a book i was reading Nov '11.

guess i haven't gotten far ...

faith is the key

So, somebody quotes Hebrews 11.1 using words I ... don't agree with.

There's a point being made at this stage of the letter, and the words they used degrade, or lessen the impact.

Here are 4 versions:-

ESV - Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen

HCS - Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

NIV - Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

NKJV - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The coloured words are my concern.

Read them and see if you pick up a difference in meaning.

I do.

Faith is virtually everything with God, right 'behind' love (1Cor 13.13). Hebrews 11.6 - without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

God has made faith the key (check Romans 4). The point (I think) the author is making is that faith is the substance of our hope (NKJ), it makes it real (HCS).

That is not the same as 'assurance' or 'confidence'.

Likewise, it is the evidence (NKJ), the proof (HCS) of the things we can't see. That's not the same as 'conviction' or 'assurance'. It's much stronger than that. It says although i cannot physically see these things, I know they are real. My faith makes it so.

Faith is what allowed those in the list (Heb 11) to do what they did. It made their vision real, it gave life to their beliefs, to their convictions, it energized their lives, even to the point of death. Faith did that. Rephrased, they could not have done what they did without faith.

Faith is the umbilical cord that connects us to God. Without it, we live in make-believe, we struggle in the dream, we walk in darkness. 

Faith substantiates. It makes real, and proves.

It's important to me. Think on it.

what am i worth?

A thought … where do I get my value of myself?

We tend to value ourselves based on our accomplishments, or our relationships, our careers, our wealth, our popularity, our whatever.

Put another way, what defines me?

The Biblical book Hebrews is my favourite. I read and read and am amazed at all that is there. Seems to me it encapsulated the entire Scriptures. In the second chapter the author speaks to the significance of humanity in God’s view. He has given man authority over ‘the world to come’…, although we don’t see that happening yet. But we do see Jesus. And this person, who chapter 1 describes as the outshining of the Godhead and the perfect representation of his being, is seen as becoming one of us, for us, for reconciliation. He became lower than the angels (whom he created) for a while that he might defeat the devil through death, and that for everyone. 

God has embraced all people in Jesus. Jesus calls us ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’. He’s my elder brother. Do I get that? Jesus, son of God, is my brother.

That is where I have to find my value, meaning, significance, worth … my definition. Fact is there can be no greater value placed on me.

When the career fails, the wealth dwindles, the relationships fracture, the popularity declines, the health goes  … I am Jesus’ brother, son of God. Regardless.

That, my friend is the pure grace of God.

And I am so in.

That’s where I hang my hat, where I define me.

Every thing else is but a shadow.

shalom

reconciliation .. again ... more ...

So, I'm trying (note) to get to running again. Right now it's a mix of walk/jog intervals. It's pretty sad. I used to run a bit. That was back there, wayyyyy back there. And I dislike it. A lot. Only reason I ever did it was I'm lazy. I figured I got the most workout for the least time/effort by running; there was too much effort involved in doing anything else after a work-day. So I ran.    

For a loooong while now I've been having this chat with me, sorta like "K, dude. You have to get back into some kinda shape. Got to." "True. I need it badly." and so on. Tried this and that, but I'm too lazy and indisciplined. Can't get it done. Made a resolution this year (only 2: I guess I figured if I kept it simple a simpleton like me might actually get it): get in shape.

So then, I figured if the only thing I could ever get done was jogging/running I might as well give it another shot. So I are .... and it's painful. Aside from an old back issue, my body keeps telling me this is absolutely abnormal. Running was meant for aminals, like cheeeetahhhhs, and antylopes, and stuff. Not for humaners. There's the leg/hip thing, where they just don't want to go another step. And then my lungs are like threatening me: "either quit this or we resign". And my energymeters are red-lining. They're freakin' my brain!

Why on earth am i going to keep this up, especially when i'm hardly getting anywhere, even after 8 ridiculous sessions?? I must be an absolute dwingly.

And  then I was thinking a while ago ... there may be some correlation here with the spiritual... may be. When we exercise the spirit we progress spiritually, get stronger. When we neglect it, we atrophy. Simple rule: use it or lose it. You get injured and operated-on, and the doc wants you back in action asap. That broken bone needs to heal, and then you need to get back using that limb rapido. If you don't the associated joints will lock-up = frozen, and the longer you wait to get moving, the harder and more painful it is going to be. Period.

When I go spiritual God gets an invitation to be in charge. He loves that kind of thing. But... he's Dad. And he has this dadly thing about wanting me to mature. Either "Pick this up and make it a part of your life", or "Drop that. It's slowing you down, distracting you." Or : "You know, son, I hate that. It hurts me. You need to stop." And, if I'm a good son (or when I'm good) I take note, I listen. And then if I'm really being good I actually try to do what he wants. But it hurts me. It hurts him when I'm dissin' him; but it hurts me when I try to obey him and quit hurting him, because the things he wants usually isn't what I want. There's pain involved.

It hurts. It hurts because my 'flesh'/body likes the things I do, or don't do. It likes lazy. It don't want to work at much. Because it hurts. Who wants to hurt? Let's chill, do the computer thingy, the tv thingy, the read thingy ... stuff like that. - Why you got to exercise?! It absolutely stinks! Why you worrying about 'spirit' stuff? God knows you, bro. Relaxicate and chilliate. All is cool, mate. Don't get so bent out of shape ...

God operates. He cuts open this flesh. He goes in. Sometimes deep in. He's working to get that thingy out before it injures me, or kills me. He wants me well. I'm his son.

But that scalpel sure is sharp, and it sure hurts. Hurts like hell. It's de-fleshing ...

There's this verse that always gets to me.  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Heb 4.12,13). I see myself lying on my back, and my chest cut open, and God looking inside me - all the dark, hidden places, some of them places even I dread to trod. God gets to see it all, in all it's horror and nastiness and revolting crud. Astonishing.

That's pain.

And the truth of it isn't mitigated just because I don't go there, I don't allow myself to look into those dungeons of my soul; that's pretense. God sees me, period. And that's painful.

Fact is, I think, fixing my body and fixing my spirit are both painful endeavours that call for being 'real', for willingness to face that reality, and for submission. That too is painful, that submit thing. It takes away from my control, makes me vulnerable.

... and the older I get the more ingrained the laziness/weakness/dwindling health/unfit/out-of-shape/energy-sapping/heading-for-the-walker stuff. It's a whole lot harder to fix if I leave it for long; it creeps up as I lie around eating chips and drinking low calorie crap. And it's more painful.

I want to try to be in good physical shape, and I'm going to try not to give up, even though it hurts, a lot. And (God help me) I want to be trying to be in good spiritual shape, and I'm going to try my hardest not to give up.

now, perspective ..

... the training of the body has a limited benefit,

but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life

and also for the life to come.

shalom

he made him to be sin, for us ...

this is a good expression of my take on 2Corinthians 5.21, one of the most incredible statements in scripture ...

i certainly can't express it any better

http://whchurch.org/blog/7731/good-friday-2013-2

what a read !

i post the following because i figure it could bless you in much the same way it blessed me.

it's incredible, and written from the heart for sure

i found a ref to it on greg boyd's blog

it is beautiful ...

http://osheta.blogspot.com/2013/03/washing-feet-of-steubenville-rapists.html

Our mortal enemy

This time of year has always been an up-and-down for me. Living in a society where mainline church was the norm (Roman Catholic and Anglican), the Easter week was a time of personal refection and mastication – wallowing in my sinfulness in the light of Jesus’ death and chewing myself to death, and longing for Easter Sunday and the resurrection.

I missed it this time around. And I miss it … parts of it, anyway. That and the death of a canine friend got me to thinking: it is our lot as humans to “not miss the water ‘till the well runs dry”. Put another way, we float and glide and bounce through life until we find struggle, pain, and face our vulnerability; only then do we reflect on the reality of our mortality, on death.

God often warned Israel about being wealthy and comfortable, and losing sight of him, like if they didn't need him anymore. It seems that when we’re well-off we don’t go deep; we enjoy, entertain ourselves, and fool ourselves into thinking all is well, we got it covered. We gloss. God slowly recedes into our background. (Hence Jesus many, many warnings to the rich).

But there’s this reality lurking in the shadows we so adroitly manoeuver past – the fact that we get sick, we get hurt, we get into an accident, we get old … we die. It’s rather sobering, don’t you think?

I have a healthy, outgoing, exercising friend who is now immobile for 3 months because of injury. I haven’t been in contact with him for some years, but I understand he is open to religious-talk at this point (and he may well have been on that track for some time; as I said, I haven’t been in contact recently). But he’s stuck, and his mind moves to his mortality, and to real-life – “I am mortal. One day I will die.”, and wherever that leads in his mind. I remember being in a hospital bed for 2 days waiting for an operation, and the places my mind went in that short time. I gave serious consideration to ‘meeting my God’, and prepared myself as best I could.

Why is it that we only get serious about life/afterlife when we are faced with death? I mean, there’s the fact of it: we see it every day, especially as we get older, and more and more friends and family die, pets included. But somehow, it’s a passing sorrow and we usually don’t allow it to influence our life, not for very long, anyway.

Death should influence how we live.

Some would say that’s a negative take on it. Maybe. But if it takes negativity to reorient our worldview more towards the real, then so be it. Let’s use it! Don’t live there or wallow in it; but use it.

It’s the suffering man that writes the hymn, the person in a ‘home for the aged’ that longs to see his long-diss’ed family and put things right … Somehow sorrow and hurt and death bring out the deep, the dark, the whatever in us, and we get real with ourselves, because it is then we see clearly that we are but flesh and blood, like a wisp of smoke, a blade of grass, a fading flower…

Some time ago I blogged on the benefits of journaling and the introspection it brings. I guess this blog runs the same street. I need to be more aware of time spent thinking on mortality, spirituality and loving-my-neighbour-ality. Eternity is now, but it takes a lot of guts to face the fact that I may be well, have enough (or more than enough) money, a secure job, etc., and yet fail: I could be run over by a distracted driver … today. I could suffer a heart attack.

While we joy in Easter, and glory be, we should – it’s the linchpin of our faith -, we would do well to balance our optimism with a sobering shot of our mortality. It is a useful tool in bringing us back to the reality of death, and the incredible significance of each moment we live now, today, here, in this place, with that person there, the person I’ll see at the supermarket, the ones I jog past on the street …

One day death itself will be thrown head-first into the Lake of Fire, praise God. Until then, I want to be using that enemy, brought into this sphere by the advent of sin, to remind my self of my mortality and the significance of being …

shalom