What the Church Has to Learn From Alcoholics Anonymous

In my spiritual journey, there are lessons that I return to time and time again.  They are milestones in my walk that mark a major paradigm shift and because of the combative world I live in, as well as my own personal resistance to change, I like to return to them and remember.

One such lesson that changed my vision of "Christian community" is an article called What the Church Has To Learn From Alcoholics Anonymous.  When I first read it there was a stirring for authentic belonging and life transformation that still challenges me today.  Here's a taste...

"Now perhaps the time has come for the church to be re-awakened and re-vitalized by those insights and practices found in AA.

I think some of you may be a little horrified at this suggestion.  I fear you will be saying to yourself, 'What have we, who have always been decent people, to learn from a lot of reconstructed drunks?'  And perhaps you may thereby reveal to yourself how very far you are from the Spirit of Christ and the Gospel, and how very much in need of precisely the kind of check-up that may come to us from AA."

For the full article CLICK HERE.

The longing for and lost art of connecting...

Over the holidays I began reading Larry Crabb's book "Connecting".  I've become a fan of Crabb's over the last few months and have really enjoyed his insights and focus on the importance of soul-to-soul interactions.

As I've read and reflected I've swayed between encouragement and discouragement.  Encouragement at the centrality of "connecting" to the Gospel, discouraged at how rare the experience really is.  In "Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places" Eugene Peterson says "If the Scriptures teach us anything it is that we are people in relationship"...I couldn't agree more.  Yet there is a nagging fear that I find in myself and in others that being known at a soul level is out of our reach.  It may be possible for others but not for us.  So believing the lie we continue our little masquerade and further isolate ourselves from the thing we need the most, to know the truth that we are not alone.

I read a beautiful post this morning from the Internet Monk (you can read the whole article here).  What struck me was the honesty.  Life is hard, and no one escapes it's difficulty...no one has it figured out...we all need to receive and extend more grace than we realize.  And so, quoting the monk...

"We do the best with what we have given to us, or what we have left over or with what still works after the latest wreck. And God forms Christ in us, brings Christ through us, glorifies Christ in us and all in all."

"Light" & Incarnational Living

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

- Jesus

It's amazing to me how Jesus can be encouraging and convicting in the same breath.  As I continue to deal with the reality of this verse in my life I'm left undone by its simplicity, beauty, and challenge.  In these few sentences Jesus gives an empowering declaration of identity, two illustrations of boldness grounded in that identity, and finally a call to a life of demonstration where the end goal is that which matters most...the glory of God.  This three-fold movement of declaration, illustration, and demonstration bring clarity to the incarnational reality of following Christ.  Jesus' teachings are not abstract ideals, but rather divine truth grounded in the dust of the earth and enshrined in flesh and blood.  Identity and responsibility are inseparable. 

"To pray as a Christian demands concrete involvement in trying to bring about what is pleaded for in prayer."

- Roland Rolheiser, The Holy Longing

I can't help but be left with the question...what "light" am I shining?  Is it a blinding light that repels, or a warm glow that welcomes?  What "works" are displayed by my light?  Do I ask for more than I am willing to be and do?  Once again I am left breathless at the adventure that Jesus' calls us to, and grateful for the grace He provides that carries me.

Propositional Christianity

This is today's devotional from Ransomed Heart...

A “Propositional” Christianity

We have lived for so long with a “propositional” approach to Christianity, we have nearly lost its true meaning. As Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen says,
"Much of it hinges on your view of scripture. Are you playing proof-text poker with Genesis plus the Gospels and Paul’s epistles, with everything else just sort of a big mystery in between—except maybe Psalms and Proverbs, which you use devotionally? Or do you see scripture as being a cosmic drama—creation, fall, redemption, future hope—dramatic narratives that you can apply to all areas of life?" (Prism interview)

For centuries prior to our Modern Era, the church viewed the gospel as a Romance, a cosmic drama whose themes permeated our own stories and drew together all the random scenes in a redemptive wholeness. But our rationalistic approach to life, which has dominated Western culture for hundreds of years, has stripped us of that, leaving a faith that is barely more than mere fact-telling. Modern evangelicalism reads like an IRS 1040 form: It’s true, all the data is there, but it doesn’t take your breath away. As British theologian Alister McGrath warns, the Bible is not primarily a doctrinal sourcebook: “To reduce revelation to principles or concepts is to suppress the element of mystery, holiness and wonder to God’s self-disclosure. ‘First principles’ may enlighten and inform; they do not force us to our knees in reverence and awe, as with Moses at the burning bush, or the disciples in the presence of the risen Christ” (A Passion for Truth).

- (The Sacred Romance , 45)

Missional Living....Trying to Figure It Out

This past Sunday we started a series on Sunday mornings focused on missional living.  It is another step in a long process of creating a missional culture.  An ethos that is warm and encouraging, but also empowers and propels people to be transforming agents in their world.  Helping people make the transition from an "attractional" model to a "missional" model is humbling, especially in suburbia.

As I was reflecting on our kickoff yesterday and ideas for the next couple of weeks I began to ponder the relationship between mission, sanctification, and story.  I sense they are symbiotically connected, but find them to be disconnected in the church at large.  Without the concept of mission, sanctification can become nothing more than glorified narcissism.  Without sanctification, mission can become another cause that has no impact on our lives.  Both of these without story is more noise in an already deafening life.  Another set of "to dos" that squelches our longing for transcendence.  But...to marry these three together, to see them actually fuel each other rather than be at odds, is transformational.  Integration of these tree "strands" would make a powerful "cord" that would rescue us from the mundane and trivial and call us up to impact our world, actually make a difference.  Not a bad way to spend a life.

Simplicity & Single-mindedness

When you're in the car for 13 hours there is ample time for reflection. Sunday, as we made our way from Dallas to Knoxville, my heart rambled in open fields of thought that are usually restricted due to the demands of everyday life. That's when I thought...man, I need to simplify.

As much as I long for simplicity I am forced to recognize the "simple" truth that life is complex. Maybe it's a function of our culture, maybe it's my own disillusionment with broad-stroked, over-generalized answers to life's difficulties, but "simple" is an illusion. Well...maybe illusion is a strong word, but if by "simplify" I mean to reduce demands in life the only way I can see to do that is to retreat up into the Smokie's. I do not believe retreat is not an option for followers of Christ. We are called to engage, interact, join Him in the story of missio dei. As the dashed lines raced by pulling me closer to life back in Knoxville I prayed for understanding. With sweet grace I felt the answer wash over me...I was praying for the wrong thing.

Simplicity is not the end goal, single-mindedness is!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

- Jesus, Matt 6.33 (ESV)

What if simplicity is an effect of a greater cause, a natural outcome of a heart that chooses the limitation of Christ alone. There is discipline required, but discipline isn't the fuel, divine beauty is. Funny enough...this thought alone has already made my day sweeter. Maybe that was the point all along.

Living Into Reality :: Abiding (Part 2)

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples."

Jesus, John 15:4-8

The second concept (first concept of perspective) I'm exploring with regard to abiding is uniting. By "uniting" I mean joining with Jesus in His mission of redemption and restoration of this world. As I've reflected on this topic I'm amazed at how much I've 1.) never really thought about it, and 2.) misunderstood it.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I've always equated abiding with resting. I know understand this to be part of it, but far from the totality. Inherent in Jesus' call to "follow" is action, effort, and participation. I'm amazed at how easily this is lost in a world that prefers a "self-centered gospel" over the "self-sacrifice gospel" offered by Jesus. Using Jesus' words, as the branch abides (unites, gives itself to) the vine fruit is produced. The branch is not a passive bystander, but an integrated part of the process of fruit bearing. For some reason I've never seen this before. It actually hit me as I was watching my wife braid our oldest daughter's hair. Three separate strands working together for a common end; being directed by knowing, loving hands. The importance of abiding made sense. As the Word of God works with the Spirit of God partnered with the people of God ... lives are transformed.

I know these are fresh thoughts that need some more work, but as I look ahead to this week through this lens I find renewed purpose and anticipation. As you reflect on abiding, what images stir you?

Living Into Reality :: Abiding (Part 1)

"By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him"

- John the Apostle, 1 John 4:13-16

"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'"

- Jesus, John 8:31-32

Abiding is a word I hear Christians say, but don't fully understand or practice (myself included). The Webster's definition of abide is "to wait for; to endure without yielding; to bear patiently; to remain stable or fixed in a state; to continue in a place". While this may be the definition of the word "abide", I think it's inadequate to describe the full message both John and Jesus are giving. One mistake that has become apparent for me is my equating of abiding with rest. Rest is a part of abiding, but an overemphasis of rest leads to passivity. To the concept or rest I would add perspective and uniting.

A realization of the power of perspective has shed new light on abiding. I've found I operate from two basic perspectives contentment and consumerism. My working definitions are:

• Contentment - viewing life from the perspective of what you have
• Consumerism - viewing life from the perspective of what you don't have

Contentment seem inherent to abiding, consumerism stands in contradiction to it. The impact of this on my understanding of abiding is simply this ... I've realized it is impossible to have all that I want, I have been given more than I realize (or deserve), and in Christ I have all that I need. To know this as true is crucial, to commit and live this truth is transformational.

More on the uniting idea later. If asked the question "what is abiding", what is your response?

Slow and Steady...

Earlier this spring we planted some flowers along our walkway. In the past we've stopped by Home Depot, picked up some potted flowers, planted, and enjoyed. This year we planted seeds. It's funny how the excitement of planting drifts into "what's taking so long!" To be honest, I sort of forgot about them. Then this weekend I was amazed to see how the little seeds buried weeks ago have birth this promising "new life" growing strong tall. Still no flowers, but in some ways the anticipation is sweeter.

This morning as I reflected on our humble flowerbed I felt Love gently teaching me from the living parable outside my window. I enjoy the surprising "instant" victories and revelations God brings in His grace, but there is also divine beauty in the slow and steady pace of grace's work in my life and the lives of those around me.

"The ordinary purification and healing, whether of the body or of the mind, takes place only little by little, by passing from one degree to another with labor and patience. ... The soul that rises from sin to devotion may be compared to the dawning of the day, which at its approach does not expel the darkness instantaneously but only little by little."

Francis de Sales

Stations on the Road to Freedom :: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Discipline

If you set out to seek freedom, then learn above all discipline of soul and your senses, so that your passions and limbs might not lead you confusedly hither and yon. Chaste be your spirit and body, subject to your own will, and obedient to seek out the goal that they have given. No one discovers the secret of freedom but through self-control.

Action

Dare to do what is just, not what fancy may call for; lose not time with what may be, but boldly grasp what is real. The world of thought is escape; freedom comes only through action.
Step out beyond anxious waiting and into the storm of events, carried only by God's command and by your own faith; then will freedom exultantly cry out to welcome you spirit.

Suffering

Wondrous transformation! Your strong and active hands are tied now. Powerless, alone, you see the end of your action. Still, you take a deep breath and lay your struggle for justice, quietly and in faith, into a mightier hand.
Just for one blissful moment, you tasted the sweetness of freedom, then you handed it over to God, that he might make it whole.

Death

Come now, highest moment on the road to freedom eternal, Death, put down the ponderous chains and demolish the walls of our mortal bodies, the walls of our blinded souls, that we might finally see what mortals have kept us from seeing. Freedom, how long we have sought you through discipline, action, and suffering.
Dying, now we behold your face in the countenance of God.

Integration

Overwhelmed, uninformed, and inadequate. Don't worry...I'm not about to do the backstroke through a pity pool, just recognizing reality. Life feels like this sometimes and right now is one of those times. I'm not experiencing any severe "trials" or anything, in fact most of what is going on is good. But sometimes the shear volume of activities is more life-thwarting than life-giving. Multiple worlds or responsibility rightfully demanding attention, but no sense of cohesion or priority to guide my next step. It's too easy to focus on one area to the neglect (or even the abuse) of others. My assumption is your world, while different in specifics, is fundamentally the same.

This is where the value of Scripture as both mirror and map is so evident in my life. Specifically the life of Christ and it's impact on me...here and now. There is a holistic reality to His life that convicts, encourages, and spurs me on. The weaving of the 3 strands of Christ as means, model, and message of salvation serving as a tether to connect me to what matters. I don't think the secret of Jesus' life is simplicity (though simplicity is a virtue worthy of pursuit), but rather integration, the seamless melding of all things in to the sacred rhythms of life connected to God the Father. Maybe that's part of what we lost in the garden...in our quest to know "good and evil" our eyes were clouded to the divine and we've been groping around ever sense trying to make sense of things we have no capacity to fully understand. This definitely puts the arguments and philosophies of men in perspective (Colossians 2:8-10). More than anything I find myself grateful and humbled by the work of Christ in life. And oddly enough...that makes things not so overwhelming. I have to think living missionally is as much helping people experience that as it is anything else.

The Joy of the Moment (Part 2 - Sweet Lesson Learned)

My oldest daughter, Avery (6), was in her class and I was there to pick her up for lunch. As I waited outside her classroom I couldn't help but watch all the little faces walking by. It's fun to watch children when they don't know your watching. As I stood waiting something strange happened. As each child skipped by there was a gentle voice speaking in my soul..."repent". Repent...from what? No answer. To be honest I was a little offended. I don't know about you but "repent" carries a little baggage for me. Images of being beat down for all the bad things I've done. I certainly have never connected the simple innocence of children playing with repentance. Yet it was the only word willing to keep me company. Normally this is the point where I look for a distraction to recalibrate my mind, but this time I decided to just listen. Rather than trying to understand I waited for understanding. Slowly a question arose, could it be that repentance is simply a return to innocence? With that thought a gentle wave of emotion washed over me and I remembered for just a moment what it was like to be six and innocent. Not ignorant, but innocent.

I have a new understanding of the cost of that forbidden fruit that holds the knowledge of "good and evil", and a fresh view of repentance that has left my heart a little softer. I love when God shows up in unexpected places.

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Jesus, Matthew 4:17

"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

Jesus, Mark 10:15

The Joy of the Moment

The ultimate insight is the outcome of moments when we are stirred beyond words, of instants of wonder, awe, praise, fear, trembling and radical armament; of awareness of grandeur, of perceptions we can grasp but are unable to convey, of discoveries of the unknown, of moments in which we abandon the pretense of being acquainted with the world, of knowledge by inacquaintance. It is at the climax of such moments that we attain the certainty that life has meaning, that time is more than evanescence, that beyond all being there is someone who cares.

- Abraham Heschel, God in Search of Man

There are times when life seems to be defined not by events, but by my frantic movement from one event to the next. I realized this morning that I have allowed schedule and efficiency to rob me of moments meant to be enjoyed as gifts.

There is a point where maturity is not measured by mastery of material but mastery of time. Where efficiency gives way to simply experiencing the moment. This is not a promotion of laziness, just an awareness that each moment matters. If God intentionally identified Himself as the "I Am" (i.e. not "I was" or "I will be", but the every present now) I must be mindful of the moment if I'm going to be mindful of Him. I must also be present to reality, not fantasy. Living in the moment is not and escape from responsibility, but rather an embracing of it. The beauty of the sovereignty of God is that it infuses every moment with meaning and significance.

Today...I'm striving to live in the moment and the present...not in what was or what might be, but what is.

Longing For Change...

"Storytelling creates a world of presuppositions, assumptions, and relations into which we enter. Stories invite us into a world other than ourselves, and, if they are good and true stories, a world larger than ourselves."

"It is significant, I think, that in the presence of a story, whether we are telling it or listening to it, we never have the feeling of being experts - there is too much we don't yet know, too many possibilities available, too much mystery and glory. Even the most sophisticated of stores tends to bring out the childlike in us - expectant, wondering, responsive, delighted - which, of course, is why the story is the child's favorite form of speech; why it is the Holy Spirit's dominant form of revelation; and why we adults, who like to pose as experts and mangers of life, so often prefer explanation and information."

- Eugene Peterson, Christ Plays in
Ten Thousand Places

I can't help but ponder how things should be different in light of the "story" we as followers of Christ celebrated this past week. It is both convicting and sad at how little I let the events of that week affect the events of my week. Yet there is the promise of renewed grace with each appearance of the Sun's warming light. New opportunities to walk in His Presence and in doing so be a conduit of His Presence. Maybe the quest isn't expertise, but merely practicing what we already know.

Friday Examen (Week 13)

Examen - the practice of discerning the voice and activity of God within the flow of the day. The practice is simply to ask yourself two questions and then reflect on your answers asking God to reveal His presence and guidance.

This week's questions are:

• When did I receive more than I gave?
• When did I give more than I received?

Symbol & Imagery

"The Judeo-Christian Scriptures are at once the repository and the great guardian of the Christian world picture - that is, the incarnational symbolic system."

"We are mythic beings: we live by and in our symbols."

Leanne Payne - Healing Presence

I can't explain why these phrases grabbed me, but they did.  Maybe because they speak to the "see-do-get" cycle of life.  The life we get flows from the way we live (our actions...what we do) which originates in how we see life (our world view).

There is a sense that all of life is alluding to something more, something bigger than what is immediately in front of me.  Then there are moments when I'm sitting alone with the Scriptures that seem to elevate my sense of reality.  I can't conjure them up, nor adequately explain them...simply be grateful.  In those moments I'm reminded how small, limited, and frail I am and how wondrous and incomprehensible God's love is.

This Sunday (Palm Sunday) we enter into the heart of one of our most powerful "symbolic" seasons as followers of Christ...Easter.  May God grant all of us a renewed sense of His glory and our role in His story. 

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.  For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Paul, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

The Weekly Examen (Week 12)

Examen - the practice of discerning the voice and activity of God within the flow of the day. This week's questions are:

• When did I exercise the most courage this week?
• When did I lack courage this week?

The Beauty of Mystery

"Most of what goes on in salvation is beyond us; we live a mystery. We make our way through in a 'cloud of unknowing.'"

- Eugene Peterson

I forget how miraculous Spring is. We have these huge Bradford Pear trees in our front yard. Their transformation from bear branches to being covered in a blanket of beautiful white flowers reminds me of how little I understand and how inexhaustible God is.

We seem to live in such a curious age. We are witnessing the passing of "modernity", with it's foolish belief that man can "know all", and the rising of "postmodernity", with the potentially equally as foolish belief that man can "know nothing". So where is the middle ground to stand in these confusing times? I am finding peace in one simple word...humility. Humility to accept that I am limited, and God is not. Humility to accept that I can't know everything, but I am responsible for what is revealed. Spring is God's gentle, beautiful reminder that there is more going on that we are aware of. He is present and active, able to awaken the dormant life hidden in the seemingly lifeless earth. That is an encouraging thought for a Monday morning...encouraging indeed.

1The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4Their measuring line goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
8the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.

14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19 (ESV)

The Weekly Examen (Week 11)

Examen - the practice of discerning the voice and activity of God within the flow of the day. This week's questions are:

• When did I give and receive the most love this week?
• When did I give and receive the least love this week?

Looking for God...and finding Him

Last night our small group gathered in our home. We've just started walking together through Adele Calhoun's book Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us. Walking through something as a fellowship versus alone opens up whole new worlds of experience.

Last night we walked as a group through the discipline of Examen. Examen is "a practice for discerning the voice and activity of God within the flow of the day." We asked 2 questions:

• For what moment today am I most grateful?
• For what moment today am I least grateful?

We simply went around the room and shared our answers and it was an incredibly eye opening time. It not only opened our eyes to each other's world, but opened our own heart to God's involvement in our lives. (The moment I was most grateful for was Tracie signing me and Aidan, our 4 yr old son, up for karate! The moment I was most ungrateful for...the "Check Engine" light coming on in my car...I hate when that happens.) It was a great time. The good things were sweeter, and the tough things not so bad...even funny. I left humbled by how similar we all really are as humans.

With that said...how about you...what would your answers be?