Let the Light of Unity Shine

I've been thinking about the merger of The Lord's Church (TLC) with the Bowie Church of Christ. Of course many did not come. Most of the research I have read said that mergers don't work. I would consider this church merger a success if better than 50% of the folks that came from TLC are still with the "merged" church a year after it has begun (which was January 2010).

It is really a great thing that two churches can come together. Being humans, it is more common for churches to fight and split - especially in certain denominations and those with certain spiritual heritages. Yet, Unity is MUCH BETTER than Disunity. We know this but it is still difficult. Just as 27 years of marriage can end in divorce or a mother and daughter can stop talking to each other for 50 years - right into the grave, or best friends can become enemies as depicted in the fictional story of Judah Ben-Hur and his child-hood friend Messala. These things happen all the time.

Yet, my prayer is that people - especially those that call on the name of Jesus Christ - can learn to not just get along, but to show the world through love and solid friendships and relationships, that there is efficacy and real impact to the message of the cross of Jesus Christ. As it is written, God said, "Let light shine out of darkness", and this same God " made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (2 Cor 4:6). This light must shine in our lives and I hope and pray the unity and example of a successfully merged church can be a small part of the light to the world.

Snow and Reason

Today we begin to dig out for the second time! The DC Metro area has been hit with two snow storms in less than one week - both dumping lots of snow for a combined total of almost 4 feet. The winter of 2010 will definitely be remembered in this region.

The wonder and beauty is only dampened by the back-breaking digging and the complexities of getting to and from work... for those that must work during this time. Schools, churches, businesses, and local governments have all shut down because the roads can be hazardous. My little car (see photo) can't even get out to the main roads.

People have all kinds of silly reactions to the snow. Some people will drive irresponsibly - I helped a young lady who got stuck in the community who had BALD TIRES! What was she thinking? Many people will show their altruistic side - helping their fellow snowbound friends and neighbors. This is a great opportunity for the young and strong to make a few dollars digging out others.

Yet, some people inevitably will get spiritual or philosophical about the snow. Some will blame global warming. Others will say this is evidence that there is no such thing as global warming. Some will analyze the short-term impact on the local economy due to the great cost of snow removal, missed days at work, damaged power lines and caved in roofs. As a Christian, I would rather just accept the snow and deal with all the realities that accompany it. The rich and poor, weak and powerful, healthy and ill are all effected by the storm, As the scripture says, "time and chance happen to them all" (Eccl 9:11).

So, have a positive attitude - for those with faith in God, let your faith keep you focused on doing good, helping others, and encouraging others on their faith journey as you dig out of the snow. If you don't believe in God, let the wonder and the beauty of the snow open your heart and mind to the possibility that there is more to life and to death than we we see and experience!

This is Not What I Meant!

God has a way of getting us to do stuff we don't want to do.

As of January 3rd, 2010. I am no longer a part of the core leadership team of the Lord's Church. God has a way of taking us down paths we do not choose. So now, I am a part of the leadership team of the Bowie Church of Christ. We merged churches. Merging churches is MUCH better than a church split. It is also a little better than disbanding a church. I have been a part of both and they are not fun. For me personally, I went down the merge path kicking and screaming.... only a few people would fully understand this childish, emotional reaction, and I really do appreciate those few people!

What is my exact leadership role? Well, basically, I simply want to do what I would do and have done since I became a Christian many years ago: Love God and Love people. However, the people I want to focus on in ministry are young people - more specifically young adults; people between the ages of say 17 and 25 years old - including those that attend the local college and universities. I work at a University so it is logical since I have the opportunity to interact with these young, idealistic, energetic age group. I consider it a great privilege to be able to serve and love any of these young people - any that God will allow me to.

I know myself - I will work hard for God in whatever task he gives me to do. And yet, this is NOT the exact path I would have chosen. If you have ever had this experience, then you know what I mean. Since we all only have one shot through life, then my encouragement is to live and embrace whatever God gives you to do with all your heart. This is what I plan to do and if anyone cares to help, please let me know. If you are undergoing your own unplanned and unanticipated future, then embrace it, embrace those that God used to bring about the change (Read the story of Joseph, Genesis chapters 37 - 50) because they probably were not trying to cause you or anyone else any stress. (It is true that Joseph's brothers did mean to cause stress, but my basic point is to embrace the change that you did not plan.)

Finally, if you have faith in God, I ask that you pray for this next era in my life. I don't know what God will do with it, but I hope to be open and fully available to God for his purposes.

Political Identity - A Conservative Democrat?

I do not like the terms liberal or conservative, but they are simply handles that give us a basic place to start when trying to figure out where someone is coming from. In addition, the "party" system of government isn't the greatest - it was not created by the constitution, but simply a way people have chosen/invented in order to organize themselves for the electoral process. I choose the Democratic Party because it more overtly expresses values such as caring for people who can't care for themselves and racial equality that I agree with. (Also, it is practical in the State of Maryland to be a registered Democrat.)

Unfortunately, along with such values are side-effects which I disagree with such as equating sexual orientation with biological ethnicity or "race" -and- fighting for a woman’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy. These are things that I strongly disagree with for biological reasons as well as for reasons of personal faith... but I digress.

So Yes, I am both a conservative and a democrat. Here are three areas that explain why:

1. Family: I see the core building-blocks of a family as a married couple - that is, a father and a mother, and their immediate children: adopted or by birth. Extended family includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, nieces and nephews and cousins that the primary adults in the family may need to support. My mother raised a niece and she herself was raised by an aunt. I would even include in the extended family minors that you end up raising because of extenuating circumstances. For example, my wife and I have had teenagers live with us because their home life was... shall I say - difficult.
   
   
2. Work: Personal financial responsibility is important if you are able. Ultimately if a person has general physical and mental health, they should work for a living and learn to accept authority both at work and in society. They must NOT expect a hand-out and should be willing to work from the bottom up. Whats wrong with working in fast-food and mopping floors and washing dishes and dumping trash and doing what you are told with a good and positive and hard-working attitude? If a person has the mental and physical ability to function in society and hold a job, then they should do so. However, if you cannot, then society can help you survive. Help can be from the government as well as the private sector. Caring for people who cannot care for themselves is important, and giving people a second chance is also important.
   
   
3. Right and Wrong: There is such a thing as absolute truth. Truth is not relative for many, many things. However, there are complexities in life that make such declarations difficult to determine. Yet, problems with ethics in areas of cheating, stealing, lying and sexual scandals in government and corporate America exist because people do not stand on the obvious absolute truths. I’m not talking about military espionage or intelligence gathering, police investigation work or other covert operations needed for certain jobs. I’m talking about basic truth – don’t lie, cheat, or steal. Don’t exploit children. Don’t use your position of power to gain sexual or financial favors. Do what is right. Be honest and tell the truth. Have integrity. Work hard on behalf of your constituency. But of course, for something to be defined as right or wrong, some standard has to be chosen. My faith is a major factor in defining such things.
   

So, this is who I am; a Conservative Democrat. I feel strongly about social justice, while also accepting that right and wrong, good and evil exists. I am not a pacifist – I’m still working on my views regarding war but I am clear that physical force is a necessity if evil exists and justice is remotely possible. The Bush doctrine of preemptive strikes is not the moral high-ground and so I’m not sure it is right - I mean this pejoratively, although I have nothing personally against the former President and respect him and the decisions he felt compelled to make.

Finally, I am interested in others thoughts on such things. Feel free to comment or just send me a note.

Thoughts About Truth

What is Truth?
These are the famous words said by Pontius Pilate (seemingly more to himself than to anyone else) in the Gospel of John 18:38. It's a good question for the 21st century. Many call this time period "postmodern". As far at terms go, it's OK. Postmodernism as a literary, political or social philosophical handle is fine - just so we have a simple word to generally refer to an idea that says, "anything goes". And in deed, anything goes seems to be the philosophy that people follow when it comes to various aspects of lifestyle, morality, and personal beliefs.

Of course we cannot throw logic and reason out the window when it comes to practical engineering, construction, electronics, physics, chemistry, etc. (I say "practical" because that is what is needed to build things that work and are usable). However, the American society (and I do love my country) easily accepts things as relative when it comes to marriage, family, business, politics, and most importantly faith.

I understand why. These ideas are hard to pin down, but the truth is - all morality cannot be correct. To be sure, social and political context must be appropriately considered (killing an enemy in a war for example is not considered murder) but in principle, how do you tell another person that what they believe is WRONG?

As our country enters into a new era with our first black president, major economic changes, huge national debt, furloughs and layoffs in the office (I'm being furloughed 5 days), etc, etc.. we still have real issues to tackle in the Church. Christians need to love people, help people find real purpose and meaning based on truth, and help people build strong families, again based on an absolute truth. This truth is revealed (for those looking honestly) in the sacred text of the Christian Faith. We still have the great task of helping others find and experience the beauty and peace that comes from mercy, grace, and forgiveness without compromising spiritual reality or truth. We need to practice and help others practice the self-control and forgiveness needed to live according to the precepts and principles of the Christian faith which make a life of contentment possible.

The Winds of Change

Right now I'm in the Windy City - Chicago, Ill. I'm here on a business trip for the University of Maryland, but it is fascinating because this is Obama country - not that I have seen any hats, bumper stickers, or banners - it's just that Barak Obama is the Junior Senator from Illinois.

Barak is a very intelligent man - gifted by God, I'm sure. But many, many evangelical are scared that he may become the next president of the United States. Why are they scared? Primarily because he is very pro-choice and support abortion, seemingly on demand.

However, what many evangelical Christians from the United States fail to understand (or they simply forget or don't think about) is that our citizenship is in Heaven - not earth. The USA is not God's gift to humanity, Jesus Christ is that gift. Don't get me wrong - I think abortion is a terrible wrong, but the ultimate sin is some form of rejection of God. If a person dies without knowing the love and the grace of God - this is the real tragedy. God offers love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control. Why live life without these wonderful blessings from God? Not to mention, death without God is worse than life without God.

When Christians merge their faith with their patriotism, it waters down the gospel of Jesus Christ and equates national values with divine truth. (I know this is an oversimplification - I'm sure I will write about this later) As a Christian, my faith will definitely impact how I execute my job - whether it be food service, construction, childcare, education, engineering, or public service. Therefore, what Christians should be doing - and this is what the scriptures tell us to do - is influence people on an individual bases to fall in love with and follow God with all of their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Yes, just like Timothy, in our own way, we are to preach the word of God.

You see, Jesus never said fix the culture or the society. No! Jesus asked us to reach the hearts and minds of people.

I think I would like to write a lot more on this topic. For now, I will enjoy the windy city and see where the "winds of change" will take this country. I do pray that those that call on the name of Jesus Christ would stop panicking over the things of this world. After all, how many Christians fully understand all the aspects of the Christian faith - even important things like abortion, marriage, and war are not fully understood by most Christians. I for one only have clarity on two of these issues based on biblical principles (Which two? Care to guess) and I think I can give some OK guidelines on the third.

Grace, Forgivness and Authenticity - Part 2

It's not much of a blog when you don't write that often!

Forgiveness in the body of Christ is painful, especially within the context of a church. Forgiveness is required by God, as it is written,

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you

(Col 3:13). However, we also must maintain Authenticity. This means the consequences of our actions are real and must be taken into account. When David sinned, violence never left his house as promised by God (2 Sam 12:11-14). When leaders have a moral failure, they generally should step down. However, what about poor judgment - for example, spending too much money on a church project or not following through on a request?

As Christians, many of us easily get hurt when someone in the church lets us down or does not meet our desired expectation - they should visit me, or they should help me in this way, or they should do things in a particular way. In these cases, although the expectation may be incorrectly placed, the pain is real. Ideally, believers should not place unrealistic or unreasonable expectations on each other, however, if there is no blatant egregious sin involved, then not only forgive the person but continue in high spirits to work together as the family of God.