Everything Must Change

Last weekend (May 9-10) I attended Brian McLaren's Everything Must Change Event in Goshen, IN with my friend Aaron. We met up with Craig and Joy, and their friends and family there. There is so much I could write about our trip - driving to Shipshewana, visiting the Menno-Hof Center, a museum of the history of the Mennonite church, having dinner with Tim Lichti, who founded the center and was its first director, and the McLaren event itself. For now I'll just write about the McLaren event.

On Friday night, McLaren outlined the global crisis we are in. He says that our global society has become a "suicide machine" that has only one outcome - desctruction. The machine exists inside the ecosystem, from which it draws resources and deposits waste. The machine is made up of a prosperity system, an equity system, and a security system, and all three overlap and are connected within the "suicide machine." The reason these systems don't work is because of the framing story that exists, that is based on consumption, greed, lack of concern for consequences, the gap between the rich and poor, spread of violence and war to achieve economic results, etc.

He compares the political/religious situation of today to be similar to the political/religious situation in Jesus' day. Different groups have their own framing stories that they operate with in response to, or in concert with, the "suicide machine." But Jesus had a different way of living - a new framing story - that was different from the framing stories of his day, and different from the framing stories of our time.

This is where I get overwhelmed. I'm just a guy trying to raise a family. In a way I feel that any positive impact I can have on my children's lives will have impact later on as they live their adult lives, hopefully in the way of Jesus. I do some things. I recycle. I buy free trade coffee when I can. I've planted trees in my yard. I donate my time to my church not only on "church work" but also "the work of the church." (McLaren made a distinction between the two.) I donate to good causes. I also do some things I should do, but I could change. I could reduce the amount of electricity I use (which is difficult to do with two teens in the house.) I could clean up the trash pit that's behind the garage. I could consume less "things."

Towards the end of the event, McLaren discussed things the average person could do in their lives, including some of the things I've mentioned above. In my journal I wrote, "We can't do everything, but we can do something."

McLaren took some time to dissect what the current Christian answer seems to be - just worry about getting yourself into heaven, because Jesus is coming soon, and you need to make sure you're taken up into heaven before Jesus destroys the world and everybody in it. Of course that's a fatalistic and self-fulfilling view of the restoration of creation, but it is a belief that many, many Christians hold to. McLaren notes that there seems to be two Jesus' - the meek and loving Jesus in the gospels, and the conquering King Jesus who comes again. McLaren pointed to the verse in Revelations 19, where the sword comes from Jesus' mouth, not in his hand, to bring truth, not violence. (In the Left Behind books, Jesus quotes Scripture while the armies of the anti-Christ explode in blood and guts.)

McLaren called for a revolution in the church. He says that churches need to start teaching the good news of the kingdom of God (read Secret Message of Jesus for more on that). There should be a maximum number of people doing the work of the church in the community (which he describes as "living out faith in the community") and a minimum number of people doing "church work" (which he says is important, but should not be the primary work).

In the book, McLaren put the differences between "the world" and Jesus like this:

The world says, "We can engage in pleasurable or profitable behaviors with undesired consequences and either avoid the consequences or clean them up later."

Jesus says, "The fulfillment of your desires can destroy you. You'd be better off cutting off your hand or plucking your eye out than taking everything you see? What good would it be to gain every possible desire, but lose your soul?"

McLaren ended with this:

We must awaken to a better dream - God's dream. The dream must deepen in our hearts and minds. We must embody the dream. We must live the dream.

I have to mention the wonderful worship times with great music written just for this event.

One thing I must mention - because God seems to be in this. I am heading up a group of people at my church who are part of what we call a "Dream Team" that is dreaming about the future of our church. I'm heading up a group to talk about Spirtual Transformation. A lot of what I heard McLaren say fits what we will be discussing.

The Message?!

The Message that I believe in, proclaim, and seek to live out is
that God loves us and this world...and that God is like a King bringing about God Kingdom in our lives and this world...and that we can join God in this Revolution of Hope.
But this Message is in the midst of times of utter devastation in China and Myanmar...the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives.
In China a middle school collapses and 900 children die.
I have trouble embracing the good news in the midst of so much pain. I cannot fully understand how God has the final say...the ultimate "Yes!" of Love and Hope for the lives of those children and families and so many more who have walked the beautiful yet shaky paths on this earth.
But I have no other choice. I must continue to believe...to proclaim...and to do my little part to make the Message so.

A Trip to Cleveland

Hey there. I just wanted to let everyone know that we are making another trip to Cleveland tomorrow to have Stacey checked out. She has been in pain again and it has surpassed the 3-day limit; thus, the surgeon wants to check her out.

We would appreciate any prayers from people who will be checking this blog out from tonight till the meeting 9 am.

Hey

Hey.
Watching Juno tonight with Joy Ellen. Great movie!
Jamie is sleeping on the couch. Tired boy.
Trevor's last(I suppose) Pink Noise gig
and Christ Church worship service is this weekend. We'll be there.
Going to place my beloved mommy and daddy
in the nursing home in a couple of weeks. I love them with all my heart. So does God.
Ate one of my all time favorite deserts tonight
which is Graham Crackers broken up in milk. How sweet it is.
Bunch of us hanging with McLaren this week.
Not too excited but the man did change my life.
Read the story of Jonah tonight in The Message. I think one of the things those theologians and storytellers were trying to get at is for us to remember what "it" is all about...which is the call on our life to be Light to the confused world.(and that the Lord can use us dimwits to get the job done)
I love you all.
God bless you so very richly.

Back from Mayo Clinic. I have been going there since 1972 to be hospitalized and have my skin cared for. It is my sacred healing place. They have knowledge. They work as team. It is a beautiful place where healing and hope happen for people around the world. I go in distress, but when I am there I get well both physically and in other ways, because I take my books and find times and places to read, pray, and just be.

We may be placing my folks in the nursing home this next week. I know I have said this before...so, we'll see. I was walking through the little cemetery next to the facility, and one of the stones had a woman's name, dates of birth and death, and the simple words
Have Faith
Be Happy
I feel like this precious saint was telling me something...to have faith that God will make a way for my parents and, in the midst of the fear and anxiety I am feeling, to seek to be happy. I hear her and am desiring to heed her voice and wisdom.

So whatever your lot right now
Have Faith
Be Happy.

The Question

The old man knew he was nearing the end of his life,
and he gazed into the unknown territory called death.
The old panicky question screamed in his ear, "Is there anything on the other side?"
All his life he had been scared of death...scared of non-existence.
Teaching and theology about heaven made little impression or sense to him.
He loved life and his family so much that he could not imagine some other kind of "life" without them and without the ordinary yet absolute miracle of earthly existence.
But he knew and loved God for so many years now,
and he had lived the Jesus Way the best he knew how.
God had blessed him and proved to be so very real in so many wonderful ways during his days.
But still, was God really going to be there for him in some real way once again
when his body ceased to be.
And then as he lay sick and exhausted and ready to stop the fight for life
he remembered that which his life with God was really about.
It was about standing before the Boss and Beauty of the Universe and saying,
"Well, what's next God? What project do you have for me? How can I make a difference in the Story?
And so one last time, not really knowing how in the world it could be answered,
the tired and dying child of God quietly spoke in his mind,
"What project is next Lord? How can I make a difference? Use me to further Your Way.
And by the way, please, please help me somehow be with my family
and enjoy a fine spring day as well if you will.
Amen."

A Jesus And A Family Thing

This afternoon Joy and I went to visit my folks.
We go once a week to get groceries, hopefully get them out, and lay some love on them.
Today we sat on the porch enjoying the beautiful spring day.
My dad asked why they couldn't drive anymore. I said the boys decided they were done.
He got mad, but I calmly and firmly explained that it is our time in this cycle of life to call the shots. He seemed to accept this...kind of.
Joy went to buy groceries. How I love this woman. She bought lots of good stuff.
One thing she bought was toenail clippers. I cut my folks toenails.
It is a Jesus thing...this holding a foot and clipping the old and long parental nail.
I have come to realize in the last few weeks that, even though these last two years have been pretty damn hard at times, it has also perhaps held the sweetest moments of our life together.
My mom fell tonight as she was getting dressed.
I heard a boom.
My dad yelled for me.
I rushed back.
My mom laid on the floor.
She had hit her head.
I bent down and picked my mama up to her feet.
She sat in a chair and rested for a while.
Finally, we all went to get pizza at Pizza Hut. It was a blast.
PS MY MOM HAS FALLEN AGAIN. WE HAVE DECIDED IT IS TIME FOR THEM TO BE PLACED AT HERITAGE POINT IN WARREN IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. PLEASE PRAY FOR A GOOD AND GOD TRANSITION. THANK YOU.