Unsettled, Part 2

I was thinking about "church" and I decided to do something I have wanted to do for a long time, but was to lazy to do...find out where the word "church" came from. I mean, it's currently the english translation for the greek work ekklesia which means "the called out" or "the assembly or gathering." Originally, ekklesia was just a word used for a crowd of people who gathered. So where did we get the word church? Was a it an english word that meant "assembly?"

Here is what I found. Our word church is derived from the middle english chirche which came from the old english cirice which came from the late greek word kuriakan which came from the greek word kuriakos which was derived from the greek word kurios. And as any fan of the '80s band Mr. Mister can tell you, kurios means lord.

So what we have is a word that originally meant of the lord being carried into english to translate the word ekklesia or assembly. In some ways that is kind of cool. But not if we don't recognize that connection. And the way in which it's not cool is that we have basically made up an english word that has taken on institutional and hierarchal implications that I don't think were ever intended in being called the assembly, the gathering, or the called out.

In some ways I feel that we have "made up" the church in its 21st century version. I don't think God ever intended for the ekklessia or the kuriakos to be a place, building, religious service, or clergy. We need to go back to the Bible and see the instructions, principles, and examples there and bring them fully to bear on our 20th and 21st century culture. I think we need to go back and learn what it means to be a called out gathering of people that belong to the Lord. For disciples, there is no separation of church and state, because our state is the Kingdom of God. And ekklesia or kuriakos is our identity, not where we meet. Could we call the church the assembly. Or the gathering? Or the called out? In the words of a 90 year old brother I respect greatly: If not, why not? It might change our view of the place of God in our life.

Unsettled

I'm feeling unsettled today. Kinda like the whole world has gone wrong. I've been thinking about"church" lately. I know I get on peoples' nerves and I get my fair share of eye-rolling, but I'm just flat out tired of "church" being defined by a building and an hour on Sunday. I believe with all my heart that the Sunday assembly REALLY matters. But I'm so exasperated by the whole mindset in my culture that what happens in that one hour is the definition of "church" and that we can "go to church" as if we weren't the "church" 24/7. And I just don't know what to do about it. It's not just new christians that have a problem with this misunderstanding of what it means to be the church, but almost everyone. We have so separated our "daily lives" from "church" that they hardly ever intersect. What ever happened to being the covenant people of God and being His hands and feet right where we live? When did "evangelism" become inviting people to a building? God never said "reach out" He said to GO OUT!

Enough rambling. If you have any encouragement, I could sure use it right now.

End of the Spear - What would (do) I do?

This past weekend I finally had (made?) the time to watch End of the Spear. It's the story of a group of young missionaries in the 1950s who were trying to reach the "most violent" tribe in Ecuador. They were intent on reaching them with the gospel, not just for personal salvation but to ultimately change a systemically violent culture.

I watched the movie. I was already familiar with the story through reading. At one point Nate Saint tells his son Steve that they can't shoot the indigenous Waodani because they aren't ready for heaven yet.

I thought about that a lot. What would (do) I give up for others? Would I (Am I) willing to sacrifice my safety so others can know Jesus?

Yeah...it hurts to be honest about it, doesn't it?

So watch the movie and be encouraged and confronted. It's worth it!

Long Time Gone

So it's been forever. I got an email the other day that told me to update my blog. So it will be updated. No more lazy excuses.

Our students went back to the coast a couple of weeks ago. Once again they worked with joy and with the spirit of God showing in them. They sang as they worked and did it all for the glory of the One who rescues.

At least he did something...

I have had the rankest headache the past couple of days. I think it comes from having cleaned out the garage this past weekend. Okay, in reality, my wife cleaned the garage. But I breathed in all the dust and junk that was stirred up.

Anyway, I think it turned out to be a good thing. I finally got to stay home and watch the documentary "Grizzly Man" about Timothy Treadwell last night.

Treadwell spent 13 summers going up to Alaska and living with grizzlies. He camped where they were and interacted with them. He thought he was their protector and friend. He named them and talked to them and interacted with them.

This film is made up mainly of footage taken by Treadwell himself. He would set up a camera and narrate or act out in front of it. He captured some of the most beautiful and amazing nature footage ever seen. He also came across in the film as a bit off in the head.

Treadwell would spend the rest of his time making talks at schools and ecological conferences. He loved to tell kids about his friends, the bears. Finally, inevitably I think, Treadwell and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by one of the bears.

There has been a lot of discussion about the validity of what Treadwell did. Some have said he was a hero. Others have said he was crazy. Or worse.

I don't really know what to think of him. Was he as unbalanced as the film made it seem? I don't know.

But I do envy him.

He refused to play it safe and did what he wanted to do in life. He felt like he was doing something important. And he loved doing it. How many people do you know that can say that? It may have killed him after 13 years, but I think it saved him for those 13 years.

If you get a chance to watch "Grizzly Man" take it. It is a good investment of 3 hours. And before you decide he was looney and, as one guy says, deserved his fate, remember that at least he did something and he loved the doing of it.

May God help us all to find the thing He wants us to do in His kingdom and to love the doing of it.

Teens Working Hard on the Gulf Coast

This past week, my wife and I took 8 teens from our church down to the Gulf Coast to work in the relief effort. We met up with about 700 other teens in Hattiesburg, MS and were spread out all across the area. Our group was sent to Waveland, MS where we worked to clear a house that was only 2/3 mile from the coast. Our house was possibly the only salvageable house on the street. All the rest were moved from their foundations or completely destroyed.

We were told the storm surge was nearly 30 feet when it came through this area. The ceiling had fallen in. The contents of the house were whipped around as if they were in a washing machine. The picture you are seeing here is not of the floor, but of the contents of the living room. The top is about 3-4 feet high. It was like this throughout the entire house! We only had 2 days to work but we were able to clear all the debris and demo all the drywall, doors, cabinets, and appliances. We felt as if we had done an incredible amount of work in 2 days. But the scale of what NEEDS to be done dwarfs our meager contribution. We are certain, however, that God was worshipped by the servant attitude and work ethic of all involved. As we said many times, there are millions of people, and thousands of houses, but this one is ours! God sustained our diminishing strength and gave us patience and endurance to finish our assigned task. It wasn't much, but it was a huge jump start for a lady who has so far to go to restore her home. Please pray for the Gulf coast and the people there. And please find the time to go give a few days of work. Do it in the name of God, without being a jerk about it, of course, and help out those who desperately need it right now.





Do it ... not because you are an American, but because you are a disciple of Christ!

Making whips? (or how would Jesus feel about Christian bookstores?)

¹³When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" - John 2:13-16

It's Christmastime!! I really do love Christmas! I love the carols. I love to give gifts. And even though I am fully aware that we have no real idea as to what day or even month that Jesus was born (springtime maybe? Doubtful that it was December 25. Just do some research!), I love the chance to remember the birth of Jesus and the place that it holds in the story of God and His people. I love what it says about God that Jesus was born in a barn and I struggle with what it means for my life since I am supposed to imitate Him.

My frustration with Christmas is the same thing that everyone complains about: commercialization! Or to term it more accurately, crass commercialization.

Lately it seems to be about getting more stuff and making more money for the retailers. The lead stories on the news are about the economic impact of Black Friday. It's about lines of people pushing for the latest must-have item. And the marketing departments do their best work.

But lately I have started to think that the most blatant acts of commercialization of Christmas take place in Christian bookstores (henceforth known as CBS). This week I saw displays of snowmen and angel gift wrap while in a local CBS. I had a hard time seeing what any of the display had to do with Jesus and faith. Which is alright, I guess. Not everything has to say Jesus on it.

Actually, my problem with CBS's goes much back a few years. I jumped in wholeheartedly to the WWJD bracelet thing. I had 5 or 6 as I remember. I wore them all at the same time. If one is good, 5 is better, right? But then I realized that no one asked me what they were about and I never told.

Then a popular book came out which will remain nameless. I read it. It was extremely shallow. But it was followed up by a marketing frenzy that was unbelievable. You could by journals from the book. You could by coins. Bookmarks. T-shirts. Plaques. Keychains.

You get the idea.

And then I noticed that although we live in a culture of debt, impulse buying, and selfish spending, every CBS followed worldly practice of putting the impulse-buy merchandise right by the register. As if Christians weren't having enough trouble staying out of debt without our CBS's luring us to quickly spend another $5 at the checkout. And by the way, eating Testamints doesn't count as internalizing the word!

And then I realized that we don't just have bibles anymore. It seems like every demographic subset in the world now has to have it's own special version and devotional journal. Women's, men's. Teen study, 37 year old soccer players that are male and out of shape. Why? I didn't find a lot of extra good spiritual helps there. Maybe it's just marketing?

But more and more I am frustrated with the shallowness I seem to find in CBS (and yes, I am well aware of my arrogance as I write this sentence:)

There are no five steps to overcoming fear in witnessing. There is no step by step generic formula that will guarantee no more sinning in your life. God seems to care about the poor in a special way and yet our CBS's are full of books telling us how to be rich in Christ. And they aren't talking about the same riches Paul talked about in the New Testament. Re-create your church. Double your Sunday school attendance. Grow your church beyond belief. Live long and prosper.

I'm not against people earning their living from books, curriculum, or preaching. I am a descendant of a long line of preachers. I'm just wondering if we are trying to formulize what can't be formulaic and in the process if we are "peddling the gospel."

I'm really interested in your feedback. I am certain that I am too cynical. But answer this question for me: How would Jesus react to CBS's if He were walking around today? Would He be proud of all that's in them? Or would He tell us to get our head out of the books, get it in THE BOOK, and live like we believe it?