Surprised By Hope by N.T. Wright

I recently (and finally!) finished N.T. Wright's Surprised By Hope. The book's subtitle is Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. With this book, Wright is now my favorite theologian.

Those familiar with McLaren's writings on the kingdom of God/heaven will be familiar with the first section of Wright's book. Both writers are "on the same page" with their interpretations of the kingdom of God and the reality of heaven being present and overlapping with creation, not something off in the distance within our space/time continuum. But Wright takes it further....

Wright then ties that with the resurrection of Christ that points to the future of creation, when heaven and earth become one as God intended his creation to be redeemed. I had not thought too much about the bodily resurrection when Jesus returns, so what Wright says about the resurrection of Christ being a "the future brought into the present" really blew me away. Wright has little patience for "left behind" theology and deftly takes it apart using solid Biblical interpretation.

Finally, Wright concludes with how the church should respond knowing the future hope revealed in the gospel of Christ. Our kingdom work today will be redeemed and come to fruition in the redemption of all creation when Christ returns. What we practice today prepares us for the reality of God's promised future.

Wright also tackles the "where do we go when we die" question, and the media attention given to his book seems to focus on that, but the book is about so much more and puts forth an important vision and mission for today's church. I don't want to try to state Wright's complete position on life after death here because I don't want to misstate it. I will say that he talks about a "life after life after death" (the resurrection of the dead) as being much more important than where our spirit may happen to dwell right after we die. Wright says that the Bible doesn't talk too much about the latter, and says a whole lot more about the former. Wright admits that he just can't fathom how a redeemed creation where God dwells with his people can exist with a "concentration camp" in the middle where people are being tortured for their sins. You really must read the book if you're interested in more about this and don't take what I've just written as a complete summation.

Reading N.T. Wright is not easy. He's challenging to read, even for this book which is supposed to be more accessible than his other books. But this is worth it, along with Simply Christian which came out a few years ago. If you like reading McLaren, I think you will like reading this, but Wright goes much deeper into Scripture than McLaren.

Thanks Giving

I give thanks...
for the gift of each day,
for my wife, children, family, and friends,
for books,
laughter,
challenges,
community,
health,
connection to God,
and breakfast cereal (Ok, I'm writing at breakfast time!)
and so much more.

I'm also very grateful that we can continue to do our part
in joining God to bless the lives of the broken.(Which we all take turns being!)
Amen....and Yes.

It's His Business...And Ours

He's about changing lives.....again and again.

I know he set me free from drugs a long time ago, and he keeps forgiving me and setting me free.

The other night I met with a few churches, and there were some testimonies shared.
One woman lived across the street from the little church. She finally went into the building and ended up staying because she was shown hospitality. She is now seeking to follow Christ and hasn't drank for 9 months. This is his business...and ours.

Another testimony was from a man who had found Christ in the church about four years ago. He went down to Mississippi for a work trip this last summer. He testified that he didn't much like the folks whose home they were fixing up. He says that right there in the woods Jesus told him that he needed to learn now as a disciple to stop being so judgmental.

The last testimony was how the church was helping to feed hungry neighbors.

Jesus, change our lives. Set us free. Set us on fire. Change lives and communities through us.

It's your business...and ours.

Grant Park.
November 4th.
Thousands upon thousands.
America, A VERY DIVERSE NATION, speaks clearly and loudly and elects as our President
Barak Hussein Obama.
I wonder if the church of Jesus will be able to hear, include, speak to, and love them
as did he.

VOTING!

What a privilege to vote in America......and I'm leading the way!
God's kingdom and way come to our land and our world...whoever wins.

P.S. I went to Chicago's Grant Park with son David and 250,000 others. Felt like a revolution of hope.

Make Good Our Intentions

The book that we are using a lot in our churches is called The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations by Bishop Schnase. It's a powerful book. One of the practices is Intentional Faith Development.

Being "intentional" about things that matter to us and the kingdom is a good thing...things like:
Staying connected to old friends;
Staying connected to God;
Keeping the love relationship strong in one's family;
Doing something to care for the poor;

The good news is that Christ is very intentional about how to further God's ways of love in our lives and in this world. May he that lives in us make good our intentions.

A Kingdom Weekend

Joy and I just got back from Bloomington where we visited Theresa and Frank. Theresa had helped Joy years ago in the classroom in Lafayette. Joy had always told me how kind she thought Theresa was and the fact that she was a Buddhist only made Joy admire not only Theresa but also her faith practice.

So we spent a couple of days with our new friends who are originally from Taiwan. Frank is a chemist. They are very nice people. We shared with each other about our different faiths, we learned from each other, and always focused on the common ground we hold. We shared meals, walked in the woods, and got to know their daughter Olivia. Both Olivia and their son Jon are students at IU.

This was a kingdom weekend...an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to come together in love and living. It was a true blessing. I believe the world God desires to see begins with weekends and ways such as these.

Once Again

My mom and dad have now been in Heritage Pointe United Methodist Home for almost 3 months.
It is a good thing, and it is a God thing.
They are adjusting.
My dad talks to, kids with, and makes the staff laugh.
They are cared for:
Cleaned, dressed, well fed, given medication, and given great respect and love.
The other night the family took them out for the first time. We drove to Decatur, ate in a restaurant called The Back 40, and had a wonderful evening. When we got back to the home, they were confused and thought they should be going to their old house. But then my papa said, "Well, if I can't remember I'm living here, I guess I need to live here!"
I praise the God of the universe and the God of our lives for making this miracle.
I am thankful for the prayers of the community.
I am extremely grateful for and pray God's blessings on the workers in the home.
And once again the Lord takes his people from death to resurrection.

Not the end of America, but it's time to change.

The End of America?
Consumerism, expansionism undermine democratic way of life, Bacevich says


A Boston University professor of history and international relations has interesting things to say about how America must change its approach to economic and foreign policy. I hear echos of McLaren in what he is saying. Our consumerist, expansionist, growth-at-any-cost way of life must change. We are seeing the negative effects today. We no longer have the luxury of enjoying the fruits now and putting of the cost later. The end of those days is now. I'm not being gloom or doom. This will be a change for the better for all Americans.

The Path I Choose

I have been a district superintendent for 2 years and 4 months now.
(Not that I'm counting!)
It has been a blessing.
But I have often shared with my colleagues that I have missed having a close community. I do have community, but not to the extent I did in the local church.
(By the way, sometimes you can have too much community...but not enough isn't good either.)
I finally figured out that what I truly miss in the local Jesus community is
all the ways I was able to stay connected to the God of my life and the God of The Story we find ourselves in.
I stayed connected through small groups like the men's group, the Bible studies, seeking to preach God's Word each week, and worshiping with passion and creativity.
(I also miss being in mission with my church friends, but I am in mission with my new friends.)
So, I am now being more intentional about my faith development and relationship with the Lord.
I desire to pray more.
I am reading The Book of God by Walter Wangerin. (The Bible written beautifully in narrative form.)
I am doing these things because it is written that we are to love God with all our heart,mind, soul, and strength. And despite being one ordinary, ornery, and often sinful human, this is the path I choose.

God Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell

if you have not grabbed a copy of this book yet .....

do yourself a favor and go out and get a copy and read it, mediate on the words.

Francis of Assisi Meditation

Then go to Surely We Can Change.

Hola my friends.
I hope you're still connecting to and trusting the beautiful, loving, and power-full Papa.
It is also my prayer that Christ might continue to bring to us
the Cause(s) which stir the soul and make a difference.
Joy and I stayed with our boy David for two days in Chicago. We met three of his best friends and fellow students at the university. These young people are committed to studying and learning the skills needed to help the people on the margins of society. I'm telling you their lives give me great hope for this world. And yet, if we are seeking,we all do our part to further the way.
And just imagine that...God working from generation to generation to further God's way for the broken of the world.
Plus the music group from Iceland, Sigur Ros, was in town and some of the boys went to see and hear them perform. The music is wonder-full.
Adios friends. I love you.

Bring It On!

Man, I love fall time.
The cooling of days and nights
and the pure beauty of the changing leaves
are quite a gift.
I cherish the combinations of colors like orange and brown, green and gold, yellow and red.
Fires at night.
Sweaters.
Change.
New Beginnings.
A little bit of the old along with the new.
Bring it on Creator of the seasons
of the earth and in our lives.

The Barbarian Way

I've just finished reading The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus, which was also the basis for a sermon series at my church. McManus writes that the Christian church has become too civilized, and we must return to the barbarian way of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. My favorite part of the book reads:

"Somehow Christianity has become a nonmystical religion. It's about a resonable faith. If we believe the right things, then we are orthodox. Frankly whether we ever actually connect to God or experience his undeniable presence has become incidental, if not irrelevant. We have become believers rather than experiencers. To know God in the Scriptures always went beyond information to intimacy. We may find ourselves uncomfortable with this reality, but the faith of the Scriptures is a mystical faith. It leads us beyond the material world into an invisible reality. We become connected to the God of eternity. Who you are at the core of the spirit. God is Spirit. To walk with God is to journey in the spiritual realm."

God, help me be not just a believer, but an experiencer. I've spent many years (maybe too many) reading the Bible, and reading and hearing what other people think and say about the Bible. I'm done with Believing, I want to Experience! I want to walk with You in the Spirit. Amen.

9-11

So much hurt remains in many hearts from that horrific day.
And so much pain has been inflicted since.
Oh our God, there is so much brokeness and suffering in humanity.
Yet, there was, and also remains, so much nobility amidst the struggle.
Teach us to love, understand, forgive, protect, and carry on with you to bring forth your kingdom.
I hope your Word to those lost and to our world is "I am the God of love and hope, and my way is ultimately in charge."

Amazing Slideshow

A friend shared this slideshow with me. The photography is just amazing! Here is a sample of the incredible images. Go to the link below to see the slideshow.

Reflections of Christ

Saved

We had the best visit yet with my parents in the nursing home.
Joy and I went to see them with our daughter Rachel and our friends Kevin, Jennifer, and their 2 year old girl Pahdmae who is a cute little ball of light.
My mom and dad enjoyed all the company, and I believe and hope that they are beginning to make the adjustment to their new home. I love them so very much.
I praise God for this miracle, and I thank all my friends for their love and prayers.
The kingdom of God is like a family who was saved by Almighty God, the prayers of the community, and the workers in the nursing home who do their daily jobs with skill and kindness and treat the residents like Jesus himself.

Amazing! (At least to me)

Tears flow freely...tears when I'm deeply moved!
Grace sees me through again and again!
Listening to a great audio book...Into The Wild!
Watched a wonderful movie last night...Lars And The Real Girl!
Very cool Labor Day with best friends and our kids!
Start meeting again with Bishop and colleagues tomorrow!
Made a homemade pizza tonight!
My wife turns 54 this month!
My parents are in the nursing home!
The gospel of the kingdom is the one thing!
I SAW A SHOOTING STAR LAST NIGHT WHEN JOY,JAMIE, AND I WERE ON A WALK! AMAZING!!!

Kingdom Hearts

When I think about the kingdom of God, I think about the human "heart"
that spiritual place in the center of our being where God pours God's love.
I believe that place...our hearts...can become more and more like the heart of Jesus who certainly had a kingdom heart.

So as we go through the years and we keep hanging out with and following Jesus and his ways, our hearts become more and more a place where God's love can rule and reign.

Paul talked about having that kind of heart and it becomes filled with love expressed in the forms of gentleness, kindness, joy, peace, forgiveness, serving, and much more.

But the bottom line is that our heart becomes a force directed by the heart of God...
Loving Who God wants us to love,
Loving How God wants us to love,
Loving God first and neighbor, especially the wounded ones, second.

Come Rule. Come Reign. Come Love Through Us. Make Our Hearts Your Home!
And May Your Love... In Our Hearts... Make This... Your World!!!