Jonah Christians

With apologies to the fellow to the left, I humbly submit that a lot of Christians are "Jonahesque" in their attitudes both toward fellow believers and "others."

What do I mean?

Remember Jonah? Not just the fish part, but the reason he was sent to Ninevah in the first place?

Jonah was sent as a bearer of some good/bad news. He was told by God that his mission was to announce to the people of Ninevah that they would get a serious hurt put on them by THE LORD if they did not do an about-face and put their lives in order.

Jonah, of course, tried to get out of the job. Why? We find out at the end of the book. But let's not go there just yet.

Johan ends up in Ninevah after being belched up onto the beach by a God-used fish. He calls the folks to repentance. AND THEY REPENT!

Jonah goes immediately from being a reluctant prophet to being a disgruntled, complaining prophet. He's not happy.

Push pause.

I think a lot of Christians are like Jonah.

First, they don't really want to go where God sends them. (Always into messy situations)

Second, they find ways to justify their disobedience.

Third, they are always complaining, never satisfied, EVEN IF THINGS GO WELL!

Fourth, they are in the "faith" business for themselves and are not that pleased that others would join them.

Summary, how do you think most Christians would feel if the people of the world turned to Jesus in faith and aligned their hearts, minds, bodies, spirits and lives with His purposes?

My answer: They would still be unhappy, judgmental and the complaining wouldn't stop!

Why?

Look at Jonah.

Jonah pulled off a very successful mission. That would/should be cause for rejoicing.

Instead we read:

Jonah 3:10-4:3 (NIV) When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. [4:1] But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. [2] He prayed to the Lord, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. [3] Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

WHAT?!

Jonah is "displeased and angry" because the people repented (changed their heart-orientation) and his mission was successful.

Jonah's so bent out of shape that he says, "It is better for me to die than to live."

Now there's someone who is on God's side!

Why was Jonah so upset (that's a mild description of his condition and attitude!)?

Because God was gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and relented from sending calamity.

I get the feeling, don't you, that Jonah would prefer that the Ninevites had not repented and that God had destroyed them (or at least made them suffer--a lot!).

Frankly, I find some Christians to be a lot like Jonah.

They've got their "me-and-Jesus" thing going, but they surely don't want to share the wealth. Even more, they wouldn't be satisfied if people did turn their lives over to Jesus. A gracious, compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love God doesn't fit in with their agenda of always being dissatisfied and angry about all that's going on.

God may let people off the hook, but Jonah Christians would never do so. Grace is fine for them, but let's not get too carried away and give grace to just anyone.

The book of Jonah ends up with Jonah with these words:

Jonah 4:10-11 (NIV) But the Lord said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. [11] But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

Don't those words just slay you? "Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

How about: "Should I not be concerned about that neighbor/fellow citizen/brother/co-worker/fellow student/enemy?"

We know that our answer and God's answer to that question should line up.

Does our answer line up?

Does yours?

Jonah Christians.

Not looking good for the Kingdom.

Visioneering

It's one thing to have a grand idea--a vision.

It's another thing to achieve the vision.

Most of the time, the "vision thing" is the work of God in and through one individual. In my experience, visions are not given to groups. Visions are communicated to groups (who then either buy-in or don't) but they are not given to groups (except through the communication of the vision by the one who has received it).

The achieving of the vision, making the vision concrete, is usually God working through a team made up of people who are either captured by the vision or are willing to follow the person to whom the vision has been given.

Those who are given a vision and then effectively communicate it to others so it can become reality, engage in the practice I call visioneering.

The church building above is located in Hato Mayor, a barrio outside Santiago in the Dominican Republic (which is a very interesting name when you stop and think about it!).

It is the concrete expression of a vision that was given to a man named Pedrito Marmolejos, who lives in the barrio of Hato Mayor and would not live anywhere else. Pedrito has a ministry, as well as a vision. He has a burden, placed on his heart by the Lord, for the people of his community--that they would have a place that represents the Good News of Jesus right in their midst.

The vision is for a place where children learn that they are valued and valuable; where adults experience the restoration that comes through Jesus; where songs are sung and lives are changed; and where hope abounds.

The photo above shows some of the work that was done since last July, when some Horizonites (along with some other -ites) joined Pedrito's visioneering efforts. He spoke of the walkway that would bring people to the door of the building. When he told me about it last summer, I could only see it in my mind, sure that my vision was not the same as the one Pedrito was trying to communicate. Now that I've seen his vision literally expressed in concrete, all of the pieces have fallen into place and Pedrito's words make so much more sense.

Last summer I walked by faith. Now I walk by sight, with my faith strengthened.

Because we are made in the image of our Creator and wired with creativity that springs from His Spirit, I believe every person is called to engage, to some degree, in visioneering--taking a God-given idea and finding a way to birth it, bring it into being. Every one of us is called to a unique visioneering task, contributing to the mosaic of life that sings in worship to our Creator.

Now that's a vision, too.

It's time to do some visioneering, don't you think?

We are all fellow visioneers. May our visioneering honor the Visioneer who makes it all possible.

Producing Fruit

That's my daughter, Jordan, on the right, standing next to a trunk full of grapefruit we had picked from the trees behind my mother's house in Sun City West, Arizona, in mid-March. Maybe 200+ pounds of grapefruit that we brought to the local food bank in Surprise. There were 5-6 bins like the one on the right, filled with grapefruit, oranges and other kinds of tree-fruit.

Jordan's smile and T-shirt are sending a mixed message--don't you think? But it's hard to frown when it's in the 80s and you've just flown from northern Indiana at a time when the temperature is in the 30s. Trading snow for sand, bare-branched trees for cacti.

My mother's two trees produced a banner crop this spring. Might have had something to do with the box of fertilizer I sprinkled under each tree a year ago! And to think that I spread another box under each tree this year. We'll have to make two trips to the food bank next spring.

Jesus spoke about being a fruit-producer. He said that you can tell the nature and health of a tree by the fruit it produces. Of course, Jesus wasn't just talking about fruit. He was making the point that who we are on the inside is going to be revealed by the "fruit" we produce on the outside. That fruit will include the nature of our relationships, our deeds and the motives that drive them, and the "aroma" we leave behind us, both while living and after we have drawn our last breath.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7), Jesus threw out a lot of clues about what it means to be a fruit producer in His kingdom. He talked about forgiveness, being blessed even when we don't think we are, judging others, holding grudges, loving others, being in the center of God's will, and much more.

The important thing for me is this: that these "marks" of kingdom-living reveal the whole "what it's all about" of Christianity. If Christianity is all about following Jesus, then we, as His disciples, ought to be leaving a wake that looks a lot like His. After encountering us, others should say they have rubbed up against someone who has "the eternal kind of life" (Jn. 3:16). The glow of glory ought to warm their face and gladden their heart. The glimpse of the holy in us should create, at the least, a mini-defining moment for them, a decision-point where they know that the "more" of being a human being goes beyond good and all the way to holy.

Whew! Who knew so much was going on?! Who knew so much was at stake?

All this from grapefuit in Arizona?

Yes, as followers of Jesus we live with joy-filled smiles on our faces while living in a "Bah humbug" world. All because of the "life of the Eternal" who lives in us, making all of the difference.

By the way, the grapefruit was delicious!

Weighty Matters

That's my friend Mike in the weight room at Bremen High School. He's contemplating whether or not to continue the "sweat fest" this morning, March 31, 2008. He did. He liked it. A lot. His smile is bigger now.

This photo was taken at 6:30 in the morning. Not the time to be half awake when handling the weight plates. Sore toes. Broken toes.

If this is your first time to this blog, then welcome. As you'll find, I can be on the serious side more often than not as I offer my takes on what's going on around me as I try to follow Jesus as best as I can. Not an easy task. Lots of struggles along the Way.

I've got two friends whose blogs also deserve your attention--Todd Huff and Trent Miles. I will need their help setting things up so you can go directly from here to their blogs--not something I can do right now. Technologically-challenged. On the way, however. It won't be long.

Even though the title of this entry said it would be about "weighty matters," it was really just a way to connect the title to the photo. Nothing more, nothing less.

Check back. I should have new stuff to share regularly.

Politicians, War and Generosity

I had a conversation this morning about a friend of our family who is a soldier and just left for a stint in Iraq. I can't remember why, but I related our conversation to the discourse that is coming out of the mouths of the frontrunners in the race for President of the United States.

The pervasive self-interest of our leading politicians disturbs me. Why? Because, while our country is often viewed as an oddity when it comes to our generosity and charitable giving, we are a people who hold dear the value of giving to others in need, often sacrificially.

It is my hope that this spirit of generosity and sacrifice reflects our orientation and a deeply-held value as a nation toward helping those in need.

I see our soldiers, as representatives of our country, as helping the Iraqi people. Sure, it's dangerous. It is absolutely risky. But it is indicative of a societal value (I hope) that we will give to others and offer ourselves and our resources where and when needed.

So, what do I find disturbing in the political talk?

Those vying for the Democratic candidacy frame the war as something that is wrong and distasteful, appealing to the loss of life and the pain that gives the families and loved ones of those who have given their lives in Iraq. When they do this, they imply that such an impetus is morally wrong and misguided. They say that our young men and women should be fighting and dying in Iraq and that they will do everything they can to get them home as soon as possible.

I don't have a problem with our soldiers coming home. But I do have a problem with rhetoric that is blatantly self-interested and implies that generosity of spirit and giving to/for others is wrong-headed and wrong-hearted. When did it become wrong for Americans to send soldiers to aid people and countries around the world? It has always been painful to lose loved ones in conflict-ridden zones. But does the value of helping those who cannot help themselves trump such sacrifice any more?

Turning to the Republican frontrunner; he proposes the same self-interest, but with a different twist. He says our troops are in Iraq so the terrorists are not on our soil here in America. Again, to me, that is also self-interested and has little to indicate that he is really interested in the well-being of the Iraqi people and other people of that region.

The bottom line for me is this: As a follower of Jesus, there come times when the value of giving, generosity and offering oneself and one's resources for the sake of others trumps self-interest.

I realize that we could leave Iraq, whether it is next month, next year or 20 years from now, and they might say something like: "Glad to see you go. Didn't want you here in the first place. Good riddance!"

As much as such an attitude would stick in my throat and the throat of the American people, it merely indicates the risk you take when you give yourself for someone else's sake. Jesus asked, when only one healed leper returned to thank him, "Were not ten healed? Where are the other nine?"

The French are an example of a nation we helped and who then didn't want anything to do with us as a nation and as a people. Try traveling to France and see what happens when you speak English or are identified as an American. Same in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Not pretty.

When politicians appeal to our self-interest in order to get us vote for them, they call us to our worst places, not our best. The value of generosity is worth keeping alive. We lose sight of that value at our own peril.

As Christians, we should listen closely to what aspect of our collective character our politicians are appealing--and then decide if they truly represent what's best for us, and for our nation.

This is prayer?

Believe it or not, this is me at prayer--praying that I will have both the energy and the expertise to float this newly laid concrete floor in the church in Hato Major, which is located on the outskirts of Santiago, the Dominican Republic.

The temperature was about 95 degrees that day and my knees are not too receptive to being knelt upon much anymore, due to putting in sidewalks 30 years before. But, strengthened by the Lord, I made it to the end--and the floor came out great!

It underscores the point that the Lord is both good and will indeed strengthen us when necessary (Phil. 4:13).

This is my first time back to my blog is a long time. But, along with Trent and some others, we are going to make a foray into this realm--all in the hope that we can tell as many people as possible about the One who makes all things real, unbelievably real and relevant.

We want to explore ways Jesus can be known and followed, all with the hope that others will also endeavor to get the dust of Rabbi Jesus on their robes.

Overlooking the Caribbean

Here's a photo of my wife and I on the southern shore of the Dominican Republic this past summer, not far from the amazingly untouched hamlet of Los Patos (which may or may not mean, "the ducks").

We went to the DR with about a dozen other intrepid Christian travelers to help build a church and lend a financial hand to three other indigenous missionaries.

Scrapping the Sunday Service

Horizon is going to abandon its Sunday morning service and move to a Saturday-Only weekend service later this summer.

We're going to have a trial run on Saturday, June 16.

We thought about adding a Saturday service and keeping our Sunday service, but it soon became apparent that adding a Saturday service would add more than twice the amount of work, something Mark Beeson, pastor of Granger Community Church, warned me about this past fall.

So I prayed and told our Management Team that I thought a Saturday-Only service would be the way to go.

Lots of reasons, but mostly because our culture has shifted and most people aren't going to add something to their already-busy weekends on Sunday mornings. Folks already have Sunday morning habits that add to their rest and relaxation (call it Sabbath-keeping for the time being), and aren't likely to change those habits to include going to church. If that was the case, then it would already be happening.

Even church-going people are being squeezed by the increase of Sunday morning activities that are being added to their schedules.

I'm going to journal our journey to Saturdays-Only and beyond. I'm sure there will be plenty of learnings to pass on.

As I said in a congregational meeting a little while back when we introduced the change, there are two good reasons why going to Saturday-Only is a bad idea: First, it's change and, second, "What will people think (especially other Christians)?"

But our goal is to join the Lord in His redemptive mission of having everyone participating in the "eternal kind of life" and we will do what it takes to get the message out. If that means meeting on Saturday nights so more people will come, then that's what we'll do. If the culture shifts again and Sunday mornings become again the time when the most people will come, then we'll move back to Sundays.

"Keeping Sabbath," a day of rest, is a lost practice for most Christians. We are just as consumed by busy-ness as those who do not follow Jesus. Something's amiss about that.

By going to Saturdays-Only our hope is to give a Sabbath back to those who follow Jesus. Sunday becomes a time to build relationships, rather than strain them. Husbands and wives spend some time together (going to church and then dinner or a movie on Saturday night and then spending Sunday morning talking and relaxing together). Children get to sleep in (and parents, too, maybe!). We get to have a conversation with our neighbor, rather than spending Sunday morning in church. The possibilities are endless.

We'll see how the journey to Saturday-Only goes. Hang on for the ride.

May the Lord be glorified; and may more and more people enter "the eternal kind of life" that is given through Jesus.

Just Asking

James wrote in, James 4:2 (TEV), "You do not have what you want because you do not ask God for it."

I've always told people they should ask for what they need (or want), but to do so with freedom attached; freedom for the other person to say no.

But why do I find it so hard to ask for what I need or want? What is there inside of me that hesitates to ask somebody for something, be it large or small?

Perhaps the answer lies in a couple of areas.

First, I don't want to hear a no. Noes are hard to hear. No fun. No way. No how. AND I might just hear the no being aimed not at my request, but at me. Weird, I know, but I'll wager you've been there yourself.

Second, asking means that I am depending on someone else. And I want to be independent. Or, more honestly, self-dependent.

Third, who wants to be thought of as being "needy?" Not me.

BUT . . . the truth is that noes will come when you do some asking (and it's not all about you if you do it with some freedom attached), I AM dependent on others (God, family, friends, etc.) and I AM needy (for love, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, etc.).

I'm traveling to the Dominican Republic with some friends in July to do some "mission" work. We're going to help build a small church building. We're also going to "build" some relationships. Lots of building--as I/we get "built-up" in the Lord.

I will be sending out a "support letter" in the next few days, asking for prayers and money. I expect to get some support--of both kinds--and I expect to get some noes.

But I've gotten over the "feeling needy" or "feeling dependent" stuff. So I'm being bold in asking for the support I need, both prayer and financial.

I guess I think about asking differently these days. I only ask when I need something. I try not to make requests for trivial stuff (like a riding lawnmower or a new bike), but for big, hairy things; God-sized things.

And I see my requests as giving the other person the chance to join me in my "God-stuff." Participating in a vicarious way as I boldly embark on the adventure to which the Lord has called me. The other person is along for the ride, in a way. But they wouldn't be if I didn't make the "ask" in the first place. So I'm doing them a favor. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

It's good to ask. You might get both what you want and what you need.

Weather in Indiana

I am from Vermont, the Green Mountain State, tucked away in the northwest corner of New England.

In Vermont we have a saying that goes like this: "Vermont: 11 months of winter and one month of darn poor sleddin'."

Vermonters are used to winter, but they don't tend to like it. Winter is harsh in Vermont, even with the pristine beauty of snow-capped peaks and frozen rivers that sleepily wind their way through water-carved valleys.

So when it turns hot in my new locale, northern Indiana, I like it. I like the humidity. I like to sweat.

But Indiana has only two settings: hot and cold. The in-between times are short-lived, sometimes a day at most. Spring is a season that comes for a short time, usually too early, and then leaves until the arrival of summer. The temperatures go from too-low to too-high all of a sudden. Overnight, even.

Today is a hot one. And I like it. I rode my bike from my house to the church and the breeze was great. With gas at @3.59 a gallon, it makes sense to ride a bike around town. I'm sure there are some who will look askance at me as I pedal my way through the burg of Bremen, but they don't realize that, when they look at me, they are looking at their own future.

The day will come when many others will be joining me, bike helmets and all.

After all, aren't followers of Jesus supposed to be leaders of the pack?

We are told that Jesus is always going before us to the new places he is working (Mark 16:7 [NIV] "But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' ").

We find Jesus in the new places.

Followers of Jesus are people with new ideas, expressed in their behaviors, their stories, the art they produce and the communities they create and inhabit.

In this new season of high gas prices, hot weather (however temporary), wars near and far, may followers of Jesus be found doing new things as they follow their creative/Creator Lord.

May--The Most Stressful Month of the Year

I think May is the most stress-filled month of the year, more stressful than even December and the dreaded "holiday season."

Why? Because several major streams of life converge in May.

First, May is the month when the "run" that began last August/September is winding down. Another "academic" year is drawing to a close, with its attendant ceremonies and pressures. Students are graduating, be it from Kindergarten, first, fourth, eighth or twelfth grade, along with college and other institutions. Final grades are at stake. Life-trajectories are at stake (or so it seems, even to parents of first graders!).

Second, plans for summer are finalized and the last stages of preparation must be completed in May.

Third, there is the next "academic" season to prepare for, whether it's college, elementary school, high school, or just a job.

Fourth, the weather has finally decided to stay warm and so we've got to get outside and get the yard work done, begin anew the exercise program we fitfully started (and stopped) in the post-holiday days of winter, work around the house, get to T-Ball, soccer, softball, tennis, swimming and do who-knows-what-else because it's not winter anymore.

Exhausted yet?

Of course there are the outings to attend, like weddings, family reunions, and recreational weekends. These need to be planned in May because they will be here before you know it!

Now you can see why May is the most stressful month of the year!

But we don't realize it.

We can't understand why that black mood (could it be depression?) is hovering over our lives like a michievous cloud that sucks the energy out of us. We should be feeling great, we tell ourselves. The weather is finally decent. It's green again. The furnace isn't running and we don't need the air conditioner yet. We can sleep with the windows open (even if we are stuffed up with just a taste of an allergy).

We should be feeling great, but we're on edge and can't seem to break out of it. We snap at people. We want to pull the plug and say, "Time out!" Pushed and pulled in every direction imaginable, we want to get of the merry-go-round that is threatening to spin out of control. And we wonder what's wrong with us? Especially when everyone else is looking so happy.

It's stress.

And there's an alternative, a good one, to all of the stress that we're experiencing.

Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)--"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. [29] Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. [30] Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." --Jesus

I've tried it--the relationship with Jesus. It works. Even for a feeling-type like me, a sponge for all of the feelings and emotions that are swirling around me.

Peace in May. What a concept!