Citizen Bezner

The Disparity Between Intellect and Character

2012-01-05T08:43:00.006-06:00

Today my Ethics course begins. In its honor, an essay by Harvard professor Robert Coles who understands that intelligence is not necessarily linked to ethical behavior. Below is the full text of his essay, "The Disparity Between Intellect and Character."

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"The Disparity between Intellect and Character"

by Robert Coles

Over 150 years ago, Ralph Waldo Emerson gave a lecture at Harvard University, which he ended with the terse assertion: "Character is higher than intellect." Even then this prominent man of letters was worried (as many other writers and thinkers of succeeding generations would be) about the limits of knowledge and the nature of a college's mission. The intellect can grow and grow, he knew in a person who is smug, ungenerous, even cruel. Institutions originally founded to teach their students how to become good and decent, as well as broadly and deeply literate, may abandon the first mission to concentrate on a driven, narrow book learning--a course of study in no way intent on making a connection between ideas and theories on one hand and, on the other, our lives as we actually live them.

Students have their own way of realizing and trying to come to terms with the split that Emerson addressed. A few years ago, a sophomore student of mine came to see me in great anguish. She had arrived at Harvard from a Midwestern, working-class background. She was trying hard to work her way through college, and, in doing so, cleaned the rooms of some of her fellow students. Again and again, she encountered classmates who apparently had forgotten the meaning of

please, or thank you--no matter how high their Scholastic Assessment Test scores--students who did not hesitate to be rude, even crude toward her.

One day she was not so subtly propositioned by a young man she knew to be a very bright, successful pre-med student and already an accomplished journalist. This was not the first time he had made such an overture, but now she had reached a breaking point. She had quit her job and was preparing to quit college in what she called "fancy, phony Cambridge."

The student had been part of a seminar I teach, which links Raymond Carver's fiction and poetry with Edward Hopper's paintings and drawings--the thematic convergence of literary and artistic sensibility in exploring American loneliness, both its social and its personal aspects. As she expressed her anxiety and anger to me, she soon was sobbing hard. After her sobs quieted, we began to remember the old days of that class. But she had some weightier matters on her mind and began to give me a detailed, sardonic account of college life, as viewed by someone vulnerable and hard pressed by it. At on point, she observed of the student who had propositioned her: "That guy gets all A's. He tells people he's in Group I [the top academic category]. I've taken two moral-reasoning courses with him, and I'm sure he's gotten A's in both of them--and look at how he behaves with me, and I'm sure with others."

She stopped for a moment to let me take that in. I happened to know the young man and could only acknowledge the irony of his behavior, even as I wasn't totally surprised by what she'd experienced. But I was at a loss to know what to say to her. A philosophy major, with a strong interest in literature, she had taken a course on the Holocaust and described for me the ironies she also saw in that tragedy--mass murder of unparalleled historical proportion in a nation hitherto known as one of the most civilized in the world, with the citizenry as well educated as that of any country at the time.

Drawing on her education, the student put before me names such as Martin Heidegger, Carl Jung, Paul De Man, Ezra Pound--brilliant and accomplished men (a philosopher, a psychoanalyst, a literary critic, a poet) who nonetheless had linked themselves with the hate that was Nazism and Fascism during the 1930s. She reminded me of the willingness of the leaders of German and Italian universities to embrace Nazi and Fascist ideas, of the countless doctors and lawyers and judges and journalists and schoolteachers, and yes, even members of the clergy--who were able to accommodate themselves to murderous thugs because the thugs had political power. She pointedly mentioned, too, the Soviet Gulag, that expanse of prisons to which millions of honorable people were sent by Stalin and his brutish accomplices--prisons commonly staffed by psychiatrists quite eager to label those victims of vicious totalitarian state with an assortment of psychiatric names, then shoot them up with drugs meant to reduce them to zombies.

I tried hard, toward the end of the conversation that lasted almost two hours, to salvage something for her, for myself, and, not least, for a university that I much respect, even as I know its failings. I suggested that if she had learned what she just shared with me at Harvard--why, that was itself a valuable education acquired. She smiled, gave me credit for a "nice try," but remained unconvinced. Then she put this though, pointed, unnerving question to me: "I've been taking all these philosophy courses, and we talk about what's true, what's important, what's good. Well, how do you teach people to be good?" And she added: "What's the point of knowing good, if you don't keep trying to become a good person?"

I suddenly found myself on the defensive, although all along I had been sympathetic to her, to the indignation she had been directing toward some of her fellow students, and to her critical examination of the limits of abstract knowledge. Schools are schools, colleges are colleges, I averred, a complaisant and smug accommodation in my voice. Thereby I meant to say that our schools and colleges theses days don't take major responsibility for the moral values of their students, but, rather, assume that their students acquire those values at home. I topped off my surrender to the status quo with a shrug of my shoulders, to which she responded with an unspoken but barely concealed anger. This she expressed through a knowing look that announced that she'd taken the full moral measure of me.

Suddenly, she was on her feet preparing to leave. I realized that I'd stumbled badly. I wanted to pursue the discussion, applaud her for taking on a large subject in a forthright, incisive manner, and tell her she was right in understanding that moral reasoning is not be equated with moral conduct. I wanted, really, to explain my shrug--point out that there is only so much that any of us can do to affect others' behavior, that institutional life has its own momentum. But she had no interest in that kind of self-justification--as she let me know in a n unforgettable aside as she was departing my office: "I wonder whether Emerson was just being 'smart' in that lecture he gave here. I wonder if he ever had any ideas about what to do about what was worrying him--or did he think he'd done enough because he'd spelled the problem out to those Harvard professors?"

She was demonstrating that she understood two levels of irony: One was that the study of philosophy--even moral philosophy of moral reasoning--doesn't necessarily prompt in either the teacher or the student a determination to act in accordance with moral principles. And, further, a discussion of that very irony can prove equally sterile--again carrying no apparent consequences as far as one's everyday action go.

When that student left my office (she would soon leave Harvard for good), I was exhausted and saddened-- and brought up short. All to often those of us who read books or teach don't think to pose for ourselves the kind of ironic dilemma she had posed to me. How might we teachers encourage our students (encourage ourselves) to take that big step from thought to action, from moral analysis to fulfilled moral commitments? Rather obviously, community service offers us all a chance to put our money where our mouths are; and, of course, such service can enrich our understanding of the disciplines we study. A reading of Invisible Man (literature), Tally's Corners (sociology and anthropology), or Childhood and Society (psychology and psychoanalysis) takes on new meaning after some time spent in a ghetto school or a clinic. By the same token, such books can prompt us to think pragmatically about, say, how the wisdom that Ralph Ellison worked into his fiction might shape the way we get along with the children we're tutoring--affect our attitudes toward them, the things we say and do with them.

Yet I wonder whether classroom discussion, per se, can't also be of help, the skepticism of my student notwithstanding. She had pushed me hard, and I started referring again and again in my classes on moral introspection to what she had observed and learned, and my students more than got the message. Her moral righteousness, her shrewd eye and ear for hypocrisy hovered over us, made us uneasy, goaded us.

She challenged us to prove that what we think intellectually can be connected to our daily deeds. For some of us, the connection was established through community service. But that is not the only possible way. I asked students to write papers that told of particular efforts to honor through action the high thoughts we were discussing. Thus goaded to acertain self-consciousness, I suppose, students made various efforts. I felt that the best of them were small victories, brief epiphanies that might otherwise have been overlooked, but had great significance for the students in question.

"I thanked someone serving me food in the college cafeteria, and then we got to talking, the first time," one student wrote. For her, this was a decisive break with her former indifference to others she abstractly regarded as "the people who work on the serving line." She felt that she had learned something about another's life and had tried to show respect for that life.

The student who challenged me with her angry, melancholy story had pushed me to teach differently. Now, I make an explicit issue of the more than occasional disparity between thinking and doing, and I ask my students to consider how we all might bridge that disparity. To be sure, the task of connecting intellect to character is daunting, as Emerson and others well knew. And any of us can lapse into cynicism, turn the moral challenge of a seminar into yet another moment of opportunism: I'll get an A this time, by writing a paper cannily extolling myself as a doer of this or that "good deed"!

Still, I know that college administrators and faculty members everywhere are struggling with the same issues that I was faced with, and I can testify that many students will respond seriously, in at least small ways, if we make clear that we really believe that the link between moral reasoning and action is important to us. My experience has given me at least a measure of hope that moral reasoning and reflection can somehow be integrated into students'--and teachers'--lives as they actually live them.

F.lux For The Win

2012-01-04T06:59:00.000-06:00

I'm making a small change in 2012. Rather than exercising in the mornings, I'm going to exercise in the afternoons after school. The reason for the change? I want to spend some time writing (not necessarily on the blog) each day, and my house is at its quietest around 6:00 a.m. each morning.

Of course, when I look at my computer at 6:00 a.m., my eyes have difficulty adjusting to the harsh light of the monitor. They're sleepy and barely aroused, and my computer shoots out light like the noonday sun.

So when I heard about F.lux, I was interested. F.lux is a program that automatically runs on your computer and adjusts the light of your monitor depending on the time of day. Right now it's dark outside, and my monitor's hue resembles that of a sunrise. By midday it will change to normal. And tonight it will gradually ease again.

I'm digging it. You might, too.

Click here to check out F.lux.

Iowa Isn't Enough

2012-01-03T18:53:00.005-06:00

Love him or hate him, you've gotta admire the moxie of Ron Paul's anti-war ad, "Imagine."

But even the exceptionally consistent Paul and his zealous followers need reminding: No matter how this thing in Iowa turns out, every single human leader is flawed and fallen. During this season of attacks and polemics, I can speak one unequivocal truth: There is no perfect candidate.

So don't get too excited about the results in Iowa tonight. And don't get too depressed, either.

People of the Way are to take their knowledge that the church is a different polis with a different King.

Love, peacemaking, and forgiveness will never be part of an electable platform.

It got Jesus killed.

I'd rather live (and die) for that platform than anything with corporate sponsors.

The Year in Review

2012-01-02T16:10:00.002-06:00

Early in December I started writing a post regarding the lessons we learned at The Commons in 2011. I decided to wait until the year ended to publish it, but Blogger has it filed a few posts earlier. If you're interested, click here.

After Hitch

2011-12-16T17:18:00.001-06:00

"If I have not love, I am nothing."—1 Corinthians 13:2

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Christopher Hitchens, world-renowned critic and outspoken atheist, died yesterday from complications surrounding cancer. Several writers have spilled a great deal of ink about him and his influence. (NYT obit here.)

As I read over Hitch's Vanity Fair piece regarding the maxim, "Whatever does not kill us makes us stronger," I could not shake the irony of his passing taking place in the same spot as my friend Beth.

Hitchens loved to write more than anything. I suspect he would disagree with my previous post regarding identity, vocation, and craft. Consequently, he envisioned that a life in which he could not write would be pointless. I appreciate his dedication to his work, but continue to believe that such a viewpoint is, at its base, deeply flawed.

As I stood at Beth's side days before she passed, she was at peace. She continued to love and to minister to those around her. She poured her energy into building the lives of her fellow travelers. Beth was no weakling. Her spirit and attitude was, frankly, stubborn at times. But she was most definitely loving.

Opposite that is Hitchens, a brilliant man who, nevertheless found it difficult to appreciate anyone or anything more than himself. My reading of his work leads me to imagine him leaving this world the way he spent much of his time here—confident and cocksure. He was the best at what he did. His methodology, however, was troubling.

Two people who loved their craft died in the same place. One left as a critic. The other left as lover of people.

One had a global following. One impacted a small town.

One may be read for generations. One may be forgotten in a generation or two.

But only one, from my perspective, genuinely loved.

I may be a simpleton, but I know which path I choose.

As Hans Urs von Balthasar said, "Love alone is credible."

Working Hard

2011-12-13T17:31:00.002-06:00

I have been a pastor, in one form or another, since I was nineteen years old. I have had other jobs, as well. I sold shoes; I dug ditches. I waited tables; I washed dishes. I taught seminary; I now teach high school students. But, through the majority of that time, I have been a pastor to a group of people while working those other jobs.

My parents were (and continue to be) hard-working. They typically rose before the sun and went to bed long after I was fast asleep. I am thankful for the example my parents provided. My dad was a small-business owner, and he embodied the simple truth that one's ability to work often led to one's ability to eat. Or purchase clothes. Or vacation. When he worked; money arrived. When he was ill or we were on vacation, income ceased. There were no investments providing passive income. Sustenance arrived based on work. Work was necessary, and, to an understandable degree, good.

I suppose that is why, at least in part, I never begrudged work as an adult. I understood the connection between work and provision. Much like a farmer knows that the harvest depends upon working months in advance, I had been trained to work so that I might see results.

Generally speaking, this sort of mindset served me well. I worked hard at my studies, so I typically received good grades. I was a good employee at my side jobs, so I was often promoted or received raises. The formula seemed really simple: work hard; get rewarded.

Of course, pastoring is similar. It demands hard work. And, like other jobs, when you work hard, good things tend to happen.

Pastoring is also quite different. Where my shoe-selling, ditch-digging, and dish-washing had definite hours, the schedule of a pastor is much more amorphous. It leans toward those who are entrepreneurial, those who are self-starters. In other words, you can work as much as you want to. So, as my family and other demands have allowed, I've worked a good deal. I think about church every day, perhaps too much. But I enjoy it. Like an artist fashioning a new painting or a builder framing a house, I take pride in thinking through the processes, functions, sermons, and intricacies of church. It has, in a manner of speaking, become my craft. I enjoy my craft, and I want to do it well.

My trouble lately has been my temptation to see my craft as the primary source of my identity. I am a pastor; that is certainly true. But sometime in the last eighteen months, I began to think of myself as a pastor, above all other traits. I am not certain how this began; perhaps it started with The Commons. Perhaps it started when I was nineteen. Nevertheless, I started to notice that my mood and self-worth were increasingly connected with my perception of how the church was performing. When we had spiritual victories or high attendance, I was elated. When we had spiritual failings in the congregation or people left the church, I struggled with sadness. To be sure, some of this is normal for any sort of job; what salesman wouldn't despair over losing a big account and what shopkeeper wouldn't worry about the amount of foot traffic in the store? But within in my heart, I knew that I had crossed a line.

I had begun to identify with the church, not with Christ.

I've confessed and repented of this, both with JB and with my Community Group. I imagine I will struggle with this from time to time, but identifying the issue has been liberating. I'm finding new freedom in remembering that it is Jesus who builds the church, and I am grateful that my ability is not the bedrock upon which The Commons is founded.

I am sharing this story today because, as I have processed and prayed, I've discovered that my craft is not the only to perform identity lobotomy. I've had friends confess that they find their identity in family, children, salary, position, friends, popularity, and the like.

I was feeling as if I was the only one who made my craft my identity, when, in fact, many others struggled with the same thing.

I've landed here: I am a pastor, and I love being one. It is my delight and joy to build a healthy church that points toward Jesus. But I am many other things first. Among those: I am a husband; I am a father; I am a child of God.

May you find your craft. But may you also know that it is only a craft. May you know that your craft is part of who you are, but it is not you in entirety. You are something else. You are the Lord's.

More Advent Goodies

2011-12-13T16:37:00.001-06:00

More on Science and Religion

2011-12-09T13:02:00.001-06:00

Interesting article over at Q Ideas today concerining the interaction of people of faith and the scientific community. I encourage you to read the entire post, but this excerpt caught my attention.

Contrary to the popular opinion that those who are regular readers of Scripture are diametrically opposed to scientific inquiry:

"Another study showing that religiosity leads to harmony between science and religion comes from Baylor University, where researcher Aaron Franzen finds that increased frequency of Bible reading is tied to, among other things, improved attitudes toward science. “Respondents were 22 percent less likely to view religion and science as incompatible at each step toward more frequent Bible reading,” according to David Briggs, who reported the Baylor study for Association of Religion Data Archives. (Interestingly, higher rates of Bible reading were also correlated with greater support for social and economic justice, simple lifestyles, humane treatment of criminals, and with lower support for abortion, same-sex unions, the death penalty, and the expansion of the war on terrorism.)"

I Think This Is Advent Poetry

2011-12-08T20:29:00.001-06:00

Berry is a Christian. Which makes the final line of this poem all the more powerful.

It certainly seems fitting for Advent.

"A Warning to My Readers"
by Wendell Berry

Do not think me gentle
because I speak in praise
of gentleness, or elegant
because I honor the grace
that keeps this world. I am
a man crude as any,
gross of speech, intolerant,
stubborn, angry, full
of fits and furies. That I
may have spoken well
at times, is not natural.
A wonder is what it is.

Commons Lessons in 2011

2011-12-08T17:39:00.001-06:00

2011 was the first complete calendar year we spent at The Commons. Yesterday we spent our worship time sharing stories of what God had done in our midst. The stories were powerful, evoking tears, laughter, and even applause at what God had done. In short, it was a tremendous year filled with successes. Those successes are a testimony to the God we follow, but I want to share a few of the themes that emerged in yesterday's stories and across the lessons that we gleaned from the past twelve months.

1. Community. At least half of the people who are part of The Commons did not actively participate in a church-community a year ago. They each have different reasons for deciding to join The Commons, but one common denominator for them deciding to join is the rich community they encountered at our church. When people visit for the first time, we get out of our seats and meet them. We hug their children, shake their hands, and get to know them. There are some people who want to be anonymous; they do not last long at The Commons. Our church is small and welcoming, making it difficult to hide.

A few practical things we do to build community:

A. Confession. Community does not simply mean welcoming. Our Community Groups are forging real relationships in which real confession of sin and confrontation of issues is happening at a regular rate. Consequently, bonds are made as relationships are strengthened through the weathering of difficult circumstances.

B. Regular communication. I do not want to act as if all who attend The Commons are best friends. That would be false. Some are quite close; others only talk to one another on Sundays or at Community Group. But the relationships are real and intentional, and people notice if they are missed. Each Sunday we have a time in our weekly gathering where we text those who are missing. It started as a one-shot occurrence. Now it happens every single week. People are noticed when they are gone, and it makes our church-community tighter.

C. Serving each other. Additionally, the people truly love one another. They cook for one another, call one another, and serve on another. You cannot really teach this, but as our church has heard the New Testament, they have lived it. The Commons has quickly turned into a richly relational community.

2. Simplicity. I have two jobs. I'm a high school teacher as well as Pastor of The Commons. As I mentioned elsewhere, this makes my job difficult from time to time. Rather than attempting to add staff we can't afford, we've taken a different approach. Our church has decided to ask its members to run the majority of the ministry. We have volunteers leading worship, running sound, editing the website, running the children's ministry, organizing the nursery, strategizing, organizing our Community Groups, etc. In a sense, our entire church is bi-vocational. Consequently, we have to keep everything very simple. We can't have a lot of meetings; we can't have a huge structure slowing things down.

We meet on Sunday mornings for worship and Common Kids (about to become Common Families) and our Community Groups meet during the week. Aside from our serving in the neighborhood, that's all we do. The reasoning is simple: That's all we have time for.

Our structure is simple, and, for some reason, our people have embraced it. I hesitate to say it's "the right way" to do things. But it is how we've done things. And it has worked well for us thus far. We continually have to resist the urge to pile things on, but resisting that urge has proven healthy thus far.

3. Discipling. We had two Community Groups on January 1, 2011. Now we have six. Few experts would call that growth "explosive," but it has been steady. When we get together we always do a few things: 1) We read the Bible together, 2) we pray for one another, and 3) we eat together (sometimes it is only Communion we eat). But around our discussion of the Word, praying for one another, and eating together, relationships have been formed and disciples have been made. And disciples attract other people. And then groups have to multiply. There's really nothing else to it. People like studying the Bible, learning how to follow Jesus, praying for one another, and seeing God answer those prayers. But God continues to bless it.

4. Serving. In 2011 The Commons baptized six people in the YMCA swimming pool. Our church growth was almost exclusively because of the three things listed above and our desire to serve in the neighborhood. We served the teachers of Sue Crouch by feeding them, giving them gifts, and loving them. We loved our neighborhood by working neighborhood events and serving breakfast at the Neighborhood Garage Sales. We loved our city by serving and giving to Cornerstone Assistance Network. We loved our immediate neighbors by prayer walking the neighborhood and just talking to the people we live around. And God blessed it all.

In retrospect, it all seems pretty mundane. We loved one another, kept it simple, studied the Word, and served. But it all added up.

5. Listened. The final thing is, of course, the most important. We worked to listen to the Holy Spirit. Bob Roberts challenged me to give an hour to God every morning. He told me to read the entire Bible each year and to listen for the leadership of Christ. So I started. I missed a few days here and there, but through 2011 I spent more time with Christ first thing in the morning than I ever had before.

Later in the year Bob invited me to meet Terry Virgo and to read Terry's book, The Spirit-Filled Church. The book challenged me, but we began to work to incorporate the Holy Spirit and His leadership into as much of our church as we could. So now we regularly stop in worship and listen for God's voice. Our groups stop to hear from God. We have stopped during worship to lay our hands on people and to pray for their healing.

As I've told my church, I'm a recovering Southern Baptist, so much of this is difficult for me to comprehend, but I'm convinced it's biblical, as the book of Acts demonstrates. And God continues to show up and show that it is not only biblical, it's also effective.

If I could challenge you to do one thing in 2012, it's to start each morning reading the Scripture and listening for God's leadership. Sounds basic, but it's huge. It's beyond huge. It's transformational. You can't understand it until you do it, but you need to do so immediately.

The Glory

2011-12-07T17:50:00.001-06:00

The Glory
by Madeleine L’Engle

Without any rhyme
without any reason
my heart lifts to light
in this bleak season

Believer and wanderer
caught by salvation
stumbler and blunderer
into Creation

In this cold blight
where marrow is frozen
it is God’s time
my heart has chosen

In paradox and story
parable and laughter
find I the glory
here in hereafter

JB Will Love This. Promise.

2011-12-07T17:14:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Amy for continually improving my Christmas. First, she told me about Random Acts of Christmas Kindness (RACK'd). Now, this. She's on a roll.Little known fact: JB loves to laugh at people dancing. I don't know why. But she does. Remember that movie, Nothing to Lose, with Tim Robbins and Martin Lawrence where Robbins thinks his wife (Kelly Preston) has cheated on him (she hasn't) and he goes crazy? There's a scene where the security guard dances. It's pretty simple. But JB loves it. Laughs herself silly. (Skip to the 2:15 mark for JB's favorite part.)This is comic gold in my house, Amy.Thanks.

Faith and Science

2011-11-30T20:13:00.001-06:00

If you're an educated person of faith, you've spent some time mulling the questions that invariably arrive when science enters the discussion. I have these sorts of conversations weekly with students, and they are (pleasantly) surprised when they discover that faith, in my estimation, does not mean turning a blind eye to science.

If all truth is God's truth, this includes the truth scientists uncover about our universe. I do not fear scientific inquiry or discovery; I relish it. Such discovery awakens my wonder in the universe. It bolsters my faith in God; it does not challenge it. (I am in the midst of reading Kevin Kelly's What Technology Wants and am looking forward to theologically discussing it.)

I mention these things because I was pleased to see the creation of The Colossian Forum, a group of thoughtful Christians (including James K.A. Smith, whom I am increasingly convinced is the most important American intellectual alive) allowing faith and science to have an honest conversation.

Take a look at their promotional video, and I think you'll agree that some good discoveries are in the near future.

Colossian Forum Trailer from The Colossian Forum on Vimeo.

Black Friday Blues

2011-11-25T21:20:00.001-06:00

I've never shopped on Black Friday.

That's not meant as a condemnatory statement; it's a glimpse into the way I view shopping. Some people find fighting the hordes exciting. I generally despise shopping, so the idea of dealing with crowds makes it even more unlikely I will find shopping appealing. This is one of the reasons JB and I have done our Christmas shopping on the day before Thanksgiving for the last ten years.

But this year I almost caved. I looked at the ads in our local paper and thought about plunging into the madness, just to see what it was all about. I had nothing I needed to buy; I simply wanted to examine the sociological event known as Black Friday. After all, Wal-Mart was offering a waffle maker for $2.84. I texted Farky and briefly considered going. But, wisely, he replied: "I don't think anyone needs a two dollar waffle maker."

Awakened from my near delusion, I went to bed and left Black Friday to the masses.

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My morning ritual involves my Bible, prayer, and black coffee. But, since it was a holiday, this morning I had extra time to read the news on the Web. Black Friday stories were front and center. Major news outlets presented a laundry list of shopping incidents involving violence, from pepper spray to shootings to fistfights. And, yes, even a chaotic video surfaced regarding those two dollar waffle makers:

I'm a pastor, so I'm accustomed to speaking words that are often ignored. Nevertheless, I feel that this year's Black Friday madness has reached a new level. I'm not sure if it's my old age, some level of spiritual maturity, or if I'm simply aware of a reality that has existed for my lifetime. But with the risk of being ignored fully realized, I am compelled to speak these words:

We are truly and deeply depraved.

In 1863, President Lincoln wrote the following proclamation to a country embroiled in Civil War and facing the greatest violence and poverty we had ever known:

"They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

And so, this most magnificent of holidays, set aside to thank God for what He has given us, has been forgotten. We've been running right past it for years now, putting up the lights and playing the Christmas music the day after Halloween.

And so we betray what we are.

We are people that stomp one another for Cabbage Patch Kids. We are the people who fight for cheap electronics. We are those who wrestle for two dollar waffle makers.

And we do it all on the day after we profess to be thankful.

Truthfully, we are not thankful. Thankfulness implies contentment. And we are not content. We are far from it. We demand more, and we worship at the altar of endless consumption.

I write this post as much in confession as in chiding. I, too, have been guilty of such discontent.

But tonight I'm penitent.

I spent a weekend with my family. I did not find a single bargain. I ate a bountiful meal. I laughed. I shared stories. I hugged. I prayed. I gave thanks. I finished the weekend with a parade and a city Christmas tree lighting. And I didn't need to buy a thing. Because it was enough to be with my family, to be thankful, and to just be.

It was enough.

And it still is enough.

It is enough, for my happiness is not in anything else I might purchase, no matter what Madison Avenue might throw my way.

I am thankful, for I have been given the greatest gifts of all, and my God has seen fit to do so.

May we always remember that Jesus has given us enough.

Advent Before Christmas

2011-11-22T08:36:00.001-06:00

"The world is welcome to Christmas; we Christians hardly have any claim on it at all anymore; but Advent and its expectations, its call for patience, its earnest waiting—that belongs to us, and how we reconcile the patience of Advent with the impatience of human, modern living is the problem and the opportunity of the moment."—from "The Art of Impatient Living," Advent sermon by the late Dr. Peter Gomes

Why Are You Doing Such Nice Things?

2011-10-15T11:30:00.001-05:00

Our neighborhood holds garage sales twice a year, once in March and once in October. Today was that day. The weather was gorgeous, and our community was packed with visitors. There were at least 30 sales taking place all through the streets surrounding our house.

On garage sale days, The Commons packs up Starbucks coffee, Minute Maid orange juice, fresh doughnuts, and hot kolaches, along with all the condiments. We then split into teams and make surprise breakfast deliveries to all the garage sales, offering free food to any and all takers.

It's always fun to see the reaction of folks.

When you offer free doughnuts and coffee, people are immediately skeptical. We've been conditioned to refuse free offers, because we always know there is a catch. We also always have been conditioned to be skeptical of churches. They tend to be nice, but they usually have a trick up their sleeve. At the very first garage sale we went to this morning, I opened with, "Anybody here want some free breakfast?" The man running the sale looked afraid of us. Who were these strange people in church t-shirts giving away food? Surely they belong to a cult and have spiked the doughnuts with poisoned frosting. He declined. But then one of his customers took a cup of coffee. And a small child (it's always the kids who break the ice) took a doughnut. Suddenly he realized this was no trick. It was just love.

In the blink of an eye, he had a kolache in his hand. (Jennifer was quite convincing in her presentation of the kolaches.)

All morning people were surprised. And all morning things went well.

One woman asked, "Why are you doing such nice things?"

So I got to tell her.

One of the boys walking with us had on a shirt that said, "Don't go to church. Be the church."

I think that just about sums it up.

May we be the church today.

Why in the Wor(l)d?

2011-10-13T09:29:00.003-05:00

On Sunday The Commons embarked on an ambitious project: Reading through the entire New Testament in 40 days.

We are doing this for several reasons, but the primary one is simple: Most Christians have never taken the time to simply read the New Testament and know what Jesus said. They have heard it taught in snippets and sections. They have listened to various sermons. But they have never received the Scripture as it was intended: unfiltered, bracing, surprising.

We began our reading adventure on Sunday and have already seen a host of terrific conversations play out as a result. Some are reading the Bible for the very first time despite a lifetime in church. Others are seeing new things. I am continually reminded that Jesus was all about the Kingdom--a movement of God that would take place in and among everyday people just like you and me.

Of course, some may ask what difference Bible reading makes.

Simply stated, I believe that reading the New Testament gives us a close view of the Jesus we worship. If we are to be Jesus to our city and our community, we must know Him, His words, His deeds, and His heart. And we cannot know Him until we read His Word.

As E. Stanley Jones said, "If we are to speak with His emphasis, we must saturate ourselves with the New Testament."

We were blessed to baptize three people on Sunday. My hunch? As the words of Jesus begin to take root in The Commons, we'll see many more to follow.

The Scripture brings transformation.

May we read it and then live it.

(Wanna join us? You can find our reading plan here.)

O Captain, My Captain

2011-10-12T16:23:00.001-05:00

Showed this clip in class today. This film came out in 1989, but based on the way my students are drawn into this section of the film, I think you could say it holds up.

Make your lives extraordinary.

Steve Jobs and Spirituality

2011-10-06T09:39:00.001-05:00

I think this article on the spirituality of Steve Jobs is worth a look.

A few thoughts:

1. It's interesting that Jobs's move toward Buddhism was grounded in a search for "rebirth."

2. I also can't help but notice his rejection of karma, at least on the business level.

3. Finally, I think his choice to embrace Buddhism coupled with his choice to reject overtly Christian apps (on the App Store) and Christian ideals in statements prior to the App Store reveals something about his understanding of what spirituality included and what it did not. Obviously, I disagree with his conclusion, but I think it's interesting that (one of) the most influential minds of the last 30 years was, on some level, openly spiritual. Seems like a commentary on Americans, if not humanity in general.

For Beth: Lament for a Friend

2011-09-29T21:49:00.001-05:00

We celebrated the life and death of one of my lifelong friends yesterday. Beth James was an amazing woman, and no words could ever completely describe her. Nevertheless, I share my eulogy below. You can hear the entire service, featuring audio from my eulogy, her husband—Dave—sharing thoughts, and Brent's sermon here.

****************************

For Beth
September 28, 2011

If you only hear me say two things today, hear these: First, Beth James loved Jesus more than anything else in this world, and second, she dedicated every waking minute of her life to Him and his glory.

But, of course, there is so much more to Beth than just those two things.

Elizabeth Ann James was born on February 4, 1974 at Flo Memorial Hospital in Denton, Texas.

Beth grew up and spent her entire childhood in the same house on Dover Drive in Gainesville, Texas. She lived with her mom and two sisters, all of whom she loved deeply. She attended Thomas Edison Elementary, became a Camp Fire girl, spent 2nd grade as a Gainesville junior cheerleader (where she was the loudest cheerer, by the way), went to Gainesville Junior High, and graduated as a National Honors Society graduate from Gainesville High School.

As a young girl, Beth began displaying character traits that would become her lifelong marks. For example, some might call Beth “determined.” Her mom, on the other hand, simply said she was “stubborn.” Whatever the case may be, as a small girl, Beth knew what she wanted, how she wanted it, and how it should best be carried out. Her family told me a story in which Beth, as an eighteen-month-old girl refused to hold hands while shopping at the Galleria in Dallas, because she was big enough and knew exactly where she wanted to go. Despite all of the efforts of holding her back, she would wrest free and head in her own direction. Few people could know just how much that incident would foretell much of her life.

Beth’s determination (or stubbornness, depending on your point of view), would lead her to be a fiery competitor and exceptional team player in multiple facets of life. She simply refused to give up. In her studies, she would accept nothing less than an A. As a varsity volleyball player, when she was spending the majority of her time on the bench, she would make appointments with the coach asking for ways in which she might improve. As a high school employee at the local Bealls department store, her determination always put her in the top ranks of monthly salespeople for the store.

Once she put her mind to something, she would not give up.

Of course, her determination (or stubbornness) could sometimes frustrate family members and co-workers. Like the time young Beth grew so weary of her mom playing her favorite Elvis Christmas cassette over and over, she decided to hide it. For five years. It wasn’t until Beth moved out to head to Hardin-Simmons University that she removed the cassette from its hiding place and gave it back.

But Beth’s determination led her to be fiercely loyal to those whom she loved. If you were her friend, you were her friend for life. If you had wronged her, she would doggedly work for reconciliation and forgiveness. If you were in her immediate family, it meant that you were loved with an unconditional love that could not be broken.

Which meant that Dave had no idea just how good of a gift he was in for when on October 17th, 1993, he he asked Beth out on their first date. As Beth discovered just how much she loved Dave (and he loved her), she became determined again. This time she was determined to love him with a deep and abiding love, to make an excellent wife, and to demonstrate her love through all sorts of circumstances.

For those of you who didn’t happen to be in attendance on that perfect January weekend when Beth and Dave were married, another of Beth (and Dave’s) qualities were on full display. Simply put: Beth loved to have fun.

The rehearsal dinner was unlike any other I’ve ever attended. It was a luau. We had straw hats, grass skirts, leis, Hawaiian music, games, and all kinds of craziness. This was not too surprising for anyone who knew Beth or Dave, because when they got together, they loved to laugh and celebrate together.

You don’t have to look at too many old pictures of Beth to see just how much she loved to laugh and have fun. In fact, Beth loved to throw a good party. Coupled with her determination, this could become a dangerous thing. She’d cook up a storm, decorate the entire house in whatever theme she had set her mind upon, invite over friends, and the party was on. I can’t tell you how many times she’s played practical jokes, put on crazy costumes, or made us all crack up at some sort of nutty joke. All in the name of having a good time.

Dave commented that when Beth’s determination and fun came together, it was always interesting. They took a family vacation to Disney World a few years back, and Beth was determined that they were going to have the maximum amount of fun that Disney could offer. Which, of course, meant that she had a minute-by-minute plan for enjoying Disney World. She became, simply put, the Drill Sergeant of fun. “We are at the Happiest Place on Earth, and by golly, we are gonna have some fun!” Becky told me she finally had to tell Beth, “Just leave me here at this bench. This is too much fun.”

Beth determination and fun were top qualities, but they couldn’t quite match another one of her traits: her love of her family.

From her mother to her sisters, to her father, to her extended family, Beth believed strongly in the sanctity and centrality of the family as part of God’s plan.

When Dave and Beth were married on January 4th, 1997, she set out on a lifelong quest to be the most excellent wife she could be. She worked with incredible effort to create the perfect home. She became an excellent cook, to which my waistline can happily testify. She constantly thought about the way that her home looked, both inside and out. Dave, as only a good husband can understand, knew that just about every six months he would come home from work and find his wife ready to have him move the furniture around. Sometimes her office furniture, too. And this wasn’t just limited to the furniture. It was also the color of the rooms in her homes. Dave has joked that if he ever is unable to teach one day, he knows that he can always get a job on a paint crew. When he would walk in the door and see the paint cans, he didn’t even have to ask. He knew what was about to happen.

And, of course, Beth loved to organize her home. For those of you who don’t know what this is...it’s a labelmaker. Beth loved to organize and label her home. Things are in alphabetical order. Closets have particular places for things to be. The shelves in her laundry room have labels. The bookshelves in her office have labels. “Detergent.” “Baskets.” “Books About Children.” When I went to get the labelmaker out of Beth’s office it was in the same drawer and same basket she always kept it in. Somewhat surprisingly, it was not labelled, “Labelmaker.”

Some people might call this obsessive compulsive. Beth called it normal. If she was ever stressed, she did what all of us would do on a particularly tough day: she would reorganize a closet.

Beth has now been in Heaven for four days now.

Which means Heaven is more organized and more clearly labeled than it has ever been.

I imagine right now the banquet room is clearly labeled, and the food for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb has been put in its appropriate, alphabetized space. On a labelled shelf, of course. “Manna.” “New Wineskins.” “New Wine.”

While she’s at it, I’m sure she’s recruiting some of the saints, because there’s a lot of furniture to rearrange. Not to mention she needs a paint crew.

All joking aside, Beth loved making her home like that, because she loved being a wife to Dave more than just about anything in the world.

And just as she loved Dave she loved her children, Brian and Emily. You may not be aware, but both of Beth’s pregnancies were exceptionally difficult. But, somehow, those difficult pregnancies seemed to make her that much more determined to love Brian and Emily with an unconditional love that only a mother can give. She would sneak out of the office at school pick up times and take the kids to Sonic to get a treat. She would plan family game nights. She would have family camp-outs in the living room complete with movies and popcorn. She planned family vacations. She would be at every event possible. She helped with homework, made cookies, and took care of the hundreds of details only a mother can take care of. She loved her children with a depth that only a mother can give.

I hope that I can be half of the parent that Beth James was to her children in her lifetime.

All of those qualities we’ve discussed so far—determination, fun, the lover of her family—they give us a very good picture of who Beth is. But, ultimately, they are incomplete, because they leave out the most important quality.

As I have already said once: Beth James loved Jesus more than anything in this world. More than you, me, her husband, her mother, her sisters, or even her children.

Beth accepted Christ and was baptized as a young girl at First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Texas. She was a part of most every activity offered there. From GAs and Acteens with Karen Wade to children’s choir to Sunday School to youth ministry led by Brent and Julie Gentzel, Beth loved the church and the God she learned of through the church, leading her to proclaim at the age of 10 or so, “Jesus is my Daddy,” to one of the women at FBC.

As a high schooler Beth was discipled by Brent and Julie, and her passion for God began to grow. She became a student of Scripture, a woman of fervent prayer, and a passionate evangelist. She refused to compromise morally as a teenager and led her good friend and foreign exchange student, Rhonda, to know who Jesus was as a senior in high school.

By the time Beth arrived at Hardin-Simmons, she began to sense that her intended major, Psychology, was, in fact, not what she should dedicate her life to. Instead, she entered into the ministry. And it was there that her determination, love of fun, and love of family all came together in a beautiful mosaic that only Jesus Himself could orchestrate.

She volunteered with kids in the Big A Club at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church as a student, sat under the tutelage of long-time Children’s Pastor, Beverly Allen, at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, worked a year as Missions Intern, and began to recognize that God had shaped and called her to minister to children and their parents through local church ministry.

So in 1996, immediately after graduation from Hardin-Simmons, Beth was hired as the first-ever Children’s Minister at First Baptist Church of Gainesville where she unleashed her determination, fun, and passion for family, all so that people might better understand who King Jesus is. While there, Beth began formulating her philosophy of ministry, received her Master’s Degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and learned how to become an effective leader in a local church.

When First Baptist Church of Kaufman called Beth in January of 2001, Beth took all that she had learned in Gainesville and set her determination toward building the best children’s ministry in the state of Texas. And, frankly, I believe she succeeded.

Her resumé is, to put it mildly, impressive. Vacation Bible School has grown from just over 100 kids to a VBS with over 700 kids in attendance (in a town of 6000). She has pushed parents to stop simply dropping off their kids at church and challenged them to become the ones who are teaching their kids about God in their homes through a program she piloted here called KidStuf. She has created a Kids Camp so that the grade schoolers of Kaufman can know more about Jesus. She brought “I’m a Christian Now!” to FBC so that our kids could know more about who Jesus is as they consider baptism. She completely re-organized and remodeled the children’s area of the church (making sure that it was clearly labeled, of course). She has turned the two-day Child Development program into a full-blown five-day Preschool. She has launched Upward leagues in basketball and flag football. She started MOPS so that mothers of preschoolers could get to know one another and grow in Christ. And, through all of this, she faced those who sometimes thought children weren’t worth the time, trouble, or money. There is a model in the foyer of an upcoming children’s building because Beth has worked tirelessly to ensure that the children’s ministry of FBC Kaufman outgrew the physical limitations of this space.
Through it all, there have literally been thousands of children and families who have heard about Jesus because of Beth’s tireless work. There have been hundreds of parents who have begun to take seriously their call to disciple their children. There are hundreds of children who have come to Christ and have been baptized, including 60 who received Christ at VBS this year when she was enduring another round of chemotherapy.

In short, Heaven is going to be a little more crowded because of the fact that Beth loved Jesus more than anything.

She set her determination and focus toward him.

On September 24, 2011, Beth went to be with the One she loves the most: Jesus. And she has left me changed. And I hope she has changed you, as well.

May we all embrace the determination, fun, and love of family she exhibited.

And may we use it to point toward her Daddy.

Life Together

2011-09-10T10:59:00.000-05:00

Reading Bonhoeffer this week.

From Life Together: "The root of all sin is pride. The cross of Jesus Christ shatters all pride."

May I remember that every day.

R.R. Reno and Cosmopolitan Conservatives

2011-09-07T12:50:00.002-05:00

I tend to align myself as a conservative from a fiscal, political, and social perspective, but I think whether one is either liberal or conservative, he or she would do well to read R.R. Reno's article in First Things entitled "Cosmopolitan Conservatives."

Money quote: "As a consequence, sophisticated social and religious conservatives today are aware of the contingent and contested nature of their convictions. I can’t take my faith for granted, which is why, however certain I may be, I also don’t presume that others share my faith. The conservative, especially the religious conservative, recognizes that well-meaning, intelligent people have different beliefs, and they have to be taken seriously."

Follow-Up to Dominionism

2011-09-02T12:15:00.001-05:00

If you read the Michelle Goldberg article on her perceived rise of Christian Dominionism, you would do well to read the counter-point here.

Candy Bar Rating System

2011-09-02T11:10:00.001-05:00

Candy bars. We all love them. Even if you don't eat them much any longer (like myself), you still have fond memories of them. You have your favorite; I have mine.

Interestingly enough, candy bars are a source for passionate discussion. The other day I made an offhand comment about what I felt to be the best candy bar (Payday Avalanche). This led to an eruption of heated debate.

I was attacked rather vehemently to defend my position, so I quickly created the CBCBRS (Citizen Bezner Candy Bar Category Barometer or CB3 for short) and now present it here to my readers:

Taste: Obviously the most important factor. Some claim it to be the only factor that matters since candy is essentially a treat. But these people are wrong. (1 to 5)

Substantiveness: You eat candy as a treat sometimes, but you sometimes eat it because you want a snack, you're between meals, or you're stranded without dinner. Substantiveness matters. (1 to 5)

Accessibility: If you can't get it all year long, it's not the best (Sorry, Reese's Peanut Butter Egg.). If it's regional, it may be the best in that part of the world, but it can't be the nation's best candy bar. (Sorry, Cherry Mash.) For obvious reasons, this is not a global scale. (1 to 5)

Portability: If you can't take your candy with you, it loses some punch. All chocolate loses a point here: it melts. Baby Ruth and Butterfinger lose points here: they crumble. You get the point. (1 to 5)

So, without further ado, the Top 5 Candy Bars, rated using the CB3:

1. Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Reese's wins with full marks in taste (5) and accessibility (5), high marks in substantiveness (4) and the typical chocolate portability score (4) for a grand total of 18.

2. Snickers/PayDay Avalanche (tie). Snickers was the original favorite but lost out after our judges scored it down for a higher melting score and for causing excessive thirst afterwards. The PayDay Avalanche received extra marks for combining salty and sweet along with a ridiculous amount of peanuts. They both received 17.

3. Baby Ruth. A personal favorite of mine, Baby Ruth lost points in its tendency to crumble as you eat it, causing a rise in blood pressure. 15 points.

4. Butterfinger. The judges originally pegged Butterfinger much higher but after eating one suddenly remembered that you lose ten minutes pouring the crumbles out of the wrapper and then picking compacted Butterfinger bits from your teeth. 14 points.

5. Hershey's w/Almonds. A surprise entry that eventually won the judges over with its surprising ability to be shared with the giant letters providing dividing lines for friends. 13.75 points.

Is Waffle House Open?

2011-09-01T15:36:00.000-05:00

This article brought me a great amount of joy. I'm going to begin using this metric to test many other things. Thanks to my friend Egbert for pointing it out.

Secular Ethics

2011-09-01T09:31:00.002-05:00

Spending more time today reading about the new major in secular studies at Pitzer College.

This has me wondering about secularism from a more general perspective.

An honest question to those who are secularists and/or atheists: Without something transcendent or divine, from where do you find a sense of morality and ethics? What I mean is: I ground my ethics in the teachings and actions of Jesus. What is your basis?

As best I can tell, the act of loving someone out of compassion is, at its root, unreasonable and illogical.

But most of us, including the secularist, find loving someone to be good.

Will a secular ethics have room for love?

Telling Stories

2011-08-31T19:58:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago it made headlines that the Season 4 premiere of the MTV show "Jersey Shore" drew just short of 9 million viewers. That means 9 million Americans stopped their lives to find out just what, exactly, Mike "The Situation" and Snooki were up to. (Without watching a single bit of the show, I can tell you. They worked out, went to the tanning salon, and made out with other ridiculous people. But that's beside the point.)

Whether it's "Jersey Shore" or the new reality show du jour, we're fascinated by reality TV. And while I'm not sociologist, I'm convinced that on some level it's because we find the story of the people on television to be imminently more compelling than the story that we are living. This, of course, may have some merit. If you punch a clock, come home, eat dinner, and drink a beer, then, yes, the people of "Jersey Shore" do have a more compelling story than you.

The problem does not lie with those who are living like that. The problem instead lies in the fact that too many Christians find "Jersey Shore" to be a more compelling story than the Kingdom.

You see, if you're a Christian, you're not just punching a clock, coming home, eating dinner, and drinking a beer. Sure, you may do one or all of those things. But along the way, you're participating in the Greatest Story Ever Told. You're joining God in His redemptive work. You're living the mission. You are carrying the Kingdom.

Or are you?

Today I read that Pitzer College, a small liberal arts institution in California, is adding a degree in secularism to their catalog. If anything, adding secularism to the catalog simply confesses what thinkers have been saying for some time—we all have a story, whether we choose to admit it or not. With the advent of a secular/humanist major at a college, we see another of the stories taking its place in the academic pantheon alongside other stories.

And that's the point I want to make.

Everybody's telling stories. I am. You are. Your boss is. Your neighbors are.

Democrats (for the most part) tell the story of classic political liberalism. Republicans (for the most part) tell the story of classic political conservativism. Fox News exists because they perceived that there was a group of people who had a different guiding story than the one they perceived that was being portrayed on CNN. When I listen to NPR on my way to school each morning, I have a habit of attempting to pick out the story behind the comments that are being made by both news contributors and those being interviewed.

They are claiming a grand narrative by which they arrange the world in such a way that they might make sense of it. Humans are always giving meaning to the world, and we tend to do so by the story which we tell in order to engage, approach, and understand it.

This week the National Geographic Channel is running a number of programs commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11. (As an aside, I'm recording a number of them and plan to watch them with the boys and explain them.) But as I re-watch the images of the Trade Center Towers crumbling, I can't help but be reminded that those thousands of lives were lost and the world was thrown into a new age because of a small group of men who had an irrevocable faith in their story, their way of seeing the world. That story led them to fly planes into the sides of buildings and kill a host of people on that bright September morning.

So, whether we are militant Muslims, secularists, or even Christians, we are telling a story by the way we engage and understand the world.

The way we live—the words we speak, the decisions we make, the way we order our live—tells others what our guiding story is.

As a Christian, I believe that there are many stories people may use to attempt to understand the world but the only True Story is that of God reconciling the world to Himself in a person named Jesus. I believe that what God did through Him is significant because it trumpets grace over judgment, life over death, justice over injustice, and peace over violence.

In other words, I find there to be a good deal riding on the way that I tell my story.

If there is a fatal flaw in the Western church, it is that we do not take story-telling (and story-living) seriously enough. We have convinced ourselves that there are acts that are devoid of meaning. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everything I do carries meaning, for my choices embody the role I choose to play when I participate in the Body of Christ, whether I be at my 9 to 5, eating supper with my wife and children, or watching a film. If you do not see the meaning in what you are doing then it is simply because you are not looking. Because it is there.

Today we choose a story.

I've chosen a story I find has immensely more depth, meaning, and truth than the vapid existence of "The Situation" and Snooki, more courage than one who might commandeer and airplane, and more truth than one who might claim that meaning is only found within humanity.

And I plan on telling it over and over, both to others and to myself.

Because, after all, I'm telling a story, anyway.

I should at least tell it well.

How To Be Powerful

2011-08-27T17:28:00.001-05:00

Christian politicians are in the news these days. Between Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry, you can hardly follow the Presidential campaign trail without hearing about the intersection of faith and politics. The entire escapade climaxed in an article penned by Michelle Goldberg of The Daily Beast, arguing that Bachmann and Perry are tied to a theological movement known as Dominionism in which Christians seek to control all of culture through strategic leadership moves. In other words, Christians—at those of this variety—are trying to take over the world.

Far be it from me to deny that such a movement exists. It probably does. Theocratic movements have been around forever, and, in the spirit of Plato's philosopher-kings, I suppose that if you could have a benevolent dictator take the reigns of the world, then the world might turn out to be rainbows and unicorns. Of course Goldberg doesn't see the members of Christian Dominionism as benevolent. And, frankly, if they're strategizing the takeover of the government, I'm not sure I can blame her.

Of course, this begs a simple question.

Why wouldn't, I, a Christian, want Christians plotting to take over the government? Don't I want other Christians to be in power?

And, on one hand, the answer is a resounding yes. Of course, I don't see me wanting Christians in particular political offices much differently than many other individuals with their individual interests wanting like-minded people in office. People tend to vote for people who think and act as they do, or at least perceive that they do. So those who are Christians tend to vote for Christians; those who are social progressives tend to vote for social progressives; African-Americans tend to vote for African-Americans; and so on.

Like tends to support like.

But I'm troubled by something like "Christian Dominionism" or any of its derivatives for a much more basic reason.

Plotting world domination seems foreign to the God revealed in Jesus.

If we take the Incarnation seriously, and if we believe that we are to worship the God that is most completely revealed in who Jesus is, then we must take seriously who Jesus is. We cannot flippantly ask the question, "What Would Jesus Do?" and then answer it with a political strategy that tends toward world domination.

The longer I serve in pastoral ministry the more I am convinced that much of what Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his Flossenberg cell was prophetic for the church of the 21st century. Bonhoeffer was emerging from a world in which the church occupied a monolithic position; in the 1930s the state-supported Lutheran church was an almost infallible voice to the everyday Volk of Germany. But the church was co-opted by Hitler and supported the Nazi rise to power. Recognizing that the church had lost the trust of the people, Bonhoeffer argued that the only way the church would be taken seriously would be from a position of service. He used the terms "prayer and righteous action."

Bonhoeffer's point: only a church that cares enough to operate from a position of weakness would gain any validity.

His theological reasoning was simple—if God had taken on the mantle of weakness by becoming human and serving in flesh, even allowing himself to be "pushed out of the world and onto the cross" (as Bonhoeffer put it), then the church should take a similar methodology in its ministry. If the cross is the point of our existence, as we Christians are fond of saying, then we shouldn't be clamoring for power at all. On the contrary, we should be serving.

Such a thought runs counter to our instincts. We've been indoctrinated to think that only those with a bully political pulpit would be able to win hearts and minds. But the longer I've watched politics, the more I'm aware that while politicians talk and compromise, the work of the church happens in relationship. Jesus is given flesh by those believers who are in homes and schools and businesses. And they are rarely those who have the loudest voice or are jockeying for position. Instead the ones who demonstrate Jesus love and listen to their coworkers. They pray for the student with cancer. They take time to know their neighbors. They tell others about Jesus, yes, but they do so when it is appropriate and when they have earned trust or are asked. And they look for ways to serve in love.

That's where trust comes from. And, frankly, that's where it always has come from. Jesus' kingdom was never intended to be a purely political movement. It was always about a subversive, underground, shocking display of God's power through the counterintuitive methods of love, grace, forgiveness, and reconciliation through who Jesus is. When we chase power for the sake of power (even in the name of God), we demonstrate that we never understood what the Incarnation meant in the first place.

My prayer for The Commons—and the church at large—is that we would stop acting like those without hope. Instead may we serve boldly, knowing that in service we will open hearts, minds, and ears to the good news of who Jesus is.

Distracted

2011-08-20T22:03:00.001-05:00

My children play too many video games. At least that's my opinion on the topic. Granted, they play less than many of their peers, since we only allow video games on the weekend. But when Friday evening rolls around, they're waiting on permission in a manner which I imagine to not be unlike that of an addict of some sort. So over the last few months I've been working to curb their video game hunger. I'm not doing so because I have some sort of grudge against video games or technology. I simply want them to be able to interact with the world.

In some respects my fear is a bit unfounded. There's nothing that unusual about children wanting to play a lot, whether they be video games or any other sort of game. My primary concern comes from the fact that I have a desire for my boys to be able to carry on a conversation with an adult so that when they are an adult themselves, they are capable of doing such. And I think that most of the mediated screen entertainment in my children's life (particularly television and video games) captivates them in a way that isolates or distracts them so that they are, for the most part, unaware of what's going on around them.

So, to be clear, I don't care if they play video games or watch TV. I simply want them to be able to engage people in addition to doing these things. (Anyone who has ever attempted talking to me while I'm watching the Cowboys game understands my worry.)

So we've been reading more books, playing more Legos, petting more cats, and the like around Chez Bezner these days. The hope is that as they get a little bit older we'll be mixing in more hiking, camping, and the like.

Call me old-fashioned, but I'm convinced that what you do repeatedly has a direct correlation with who you become.

Lately I've been thinking the same thing about churches.

If what we do directly correlates with who we become, then I hope you'll forgive my obsession with what churches do. At The Commons I've become obsessed with how we run worship. We like to keep it very simple and straightforward, but we focus on some pretty central things. Every week we read the Scripture and the church opens their Bibles. Every week we sing together, and at least two of our songs are hymns. Every week greet one another. Every week we have a time where we pull out our phones and text those who aren't in attendance. And every week we take Communion.

Sure, we'll mix in something different from time to time, but we are convinced that there are some things we have to do so that we can become who we ought to be.

That's why I'm also concerned that we are serving in our city every month. Last month we raised money for FWISD kids to get school supplies and helped at an HOA event. In June we had a neighborhood block party. Next week we're taking gifts to local teachers. Different people participate in each event, but, at the end of the day, we're becoming a little more like what the New Testament describes. We're becoming more like Jesus.

We have to intentionally worship, preach, love one another, serve the poor, love the city, and share the Gospel, because, if we don't, we'll forget how to engage the world.

I've talked a good deal lately with friends whose churches have forgotten how to engage the world. They have become so enamored with a peripheral issue that they have lost sight of what they are supposed to be. And what they are supposed to become.

As I encouraged Ben to read instead of play video games, I noticed that he still was able to tune out the world. I would sit inches from him and say his name and he'd never hear me. That kid has quite the ability to concentrate.

Then again, maybe that's our natural tendency. Maybe we tend to get so focused on our own lives, our own concerns that we fail to see those around us.

And maybe that's why Jesus insisted that we love our neighbors.

Because he knew it would be unnatural.

And it would surprise others.

So tomorrow I hope our church worships intentionally. But beyond that, I hope we will love our co-workers, students, friends, and neighbors in a way that is truly surprising.

Because I think that's what makes us how we're supposed to be.

Like Jesus.

How To Be A Poet

2011-08-15T20:38:00.002-05:00

How To Be a Poet
by Wendell Berry

(to remind myself)

i

Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill—more of each
than you have—inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your poems,
doubt their judgment.

ii

Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.

iii

Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.

Theology's Business

2011-08-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

"The old parlor stereopticon set two pictures before the viewer, who would then see the depth dimension in otherwise flat photographs. Authentic Christian faith is prophetic faith; it sees the present in correct persepctive only when it construes the present by means of the prefiguring past (God's past) while at the same time construing it by means of the prophetic future (God's future). "This is that" declares the present relevance of what God has previously done, while "then is now" does not abolish the future but declares the present relevance of what God will assuredly do. Moreover, these two, typical past and prophetic future, are not alternative visions between which to choose; they are and must remain one vision; one faith, one hope. Theology's business is to say how this is so."—Jim McClendon

How Deep The Father's Love For Us

2011-07-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

This song has become a congregational favorite at The Commons.

So, in lieu of a poem this week, enjoy.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

One Year

2011-07-18T10:17:00.001-05:00

A lot can happen in one year.

One year ago we packed up, left the life we knew and moved to Fort Worth. We bought a house. We installed floors. We painted.

And we started meeting as a church in our living room.

That was one year ago, yesterday.

And so we celebrated like crazy yesterday. We ate a huge meal, reflected on all that God has done, told stories, and worshipped together. The church surprised me and put together a very cool blog sharing the stories of each individual who has joined The Commons this year. They even had it printed into a book.

By the time we began singing the final refrain of "How Deep The Father's Love For Us," I was pretty choked up.

I wrote something to share yesterday in worship, but we had so many good things to do and say, I left it unsaid.

So I'll share it here:

It's been a year.

A lot has happened.

We have:

Gone from a discussion to a meeting to a group around a kitchen table to a weekly worship gathering.

Gone from a church meeting in a living room to a church meeting in a school.

Held a monthly meal to raise money for missions in our neighborhood and city.

We have used those funds to:
Purchase Christmas gifts for underresourced children in Fort Worth.
Purchase school supplies, uniforms, shoes, backpacks for underresourced children in Fort Worth.
Purchase a bed for a woman who graduated job training but was sleeping on an air mattress.
Helped move a woman who was starting over after getting a new job through Cornerstone.

Held a block party that hosted eighty of our friends and neighbors, feeding them hot dogs, floats, featured a bounce house, and helped bring community into the community.

Helped serve at five different HOA events, volunteering simply to volunteer.

Served breakfast at two different HOA Garage Sales, meeting several neighbors and having opportunity to share the Gospel.

Held our very first baptism party and celebrated the new spiritual life of several friends.

Held our very first membership class, welcoming 25 new people into The Commons.

Held our very first Christmas Eve service, packing out the living room with people who heard the Gospel.

Held our very first Easter service and egg hunt, having our highest attendance, and celebrating all God has done.

Moved from one Community Group on one day to several groups meeting on multiple days.

Watched our Commons Kids ministry expand from seven kids to over twenty kids.

Held our very first Commons Kids Club in the neighborhood where we met several new families and taught the Scriptures, played games, and shared the love of God.

Sang to an awkwardly smallish group at the local nursing home, but laughed it off and had fun in spite of ourselves.

Handed out hundreds of flyers to our neighbors, telling them about The Commons.

Went bowling together for no other reason than to have fun and attempt to concentrate under a high-definition screen of Katy Perry singing “California Gurls.”

Celebrated Advent together, experiencing the love, hope, joy, and peace of Christmas.

Fasted together during Lent as we asked the Lord to bring us new families to our church, a prayer that He has answered faithfully since Easter.

Taken our first trip to the Middle East to explore a possibility of us doing ministry globally.

Coached and partnered with multiple other individuals thinking about starting churches, seeing one church, Commons Church Lake Travis, start this month.

Donated approximately $6000 to church planting efforts in the state of Texas and the globe through our giving to Texas Baptists and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Watched families, marriages, finances, and children restored as God continues to answer prayers faithfully through our church.

Watched our attendance and giving faithfully grow steadily each month.

Watched our worship grow richer in singing God’s praises, hearing the Word, and celebrating the Supper each week.

And in the days ahead,

We see another baptism party on the horizon, another membership class in just two weeks with more ready to join, another trip to the Middle East planned, more meals to raise money for missions, more giving to other church starts, more groups ready to begin, more leaders being trained, more children joining Commons Kids, and, Lord willing, another worship gathering meeting closer to downtown emerging in the next twelve months.

Here's to another year. And many more to come.

Brokenface Birthday Epiphany

2011-07-09T15:13:00.000-05:00

Please forgive any typos you find in this post.

I'm writing under the influence of hydrocodone.

On July 1st, the first day of (what was supposed to be) a glorious two-week family vacation, I hopped in the cool waters of Lake Ray Hubbard to renew my love affair with water skiing. My grandfather taught me to ski when I was six or seven with roped together Tadpole skis, and I've skiied most every Summer since.

I was trailing the boat nicely, crossing the wakes with relative ease when everything changed. My ski tip went under the wake, and I immediately left my skis. I plunged into the water rotating, but unworried. As I resurfaced, one of the skis managed to meet me. Right in the left cheek. At about twenty miles per hour.

We knew something was wrong, but initially I thought it was just a bit of knock to the head. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Turns out that the ski caught me just right and broke my left eye socket, my left cheekbone, and my upper left jaw.

I had broken my face.

A trip to the ER later, Summer vacation became a thing of the past. My face became swollen and bruised, and we began the (suprisingly lengthy) process of getting my face repaired. I'm having surgery on Tuesday, a full eleven days after the accident. Facial surgeons apparently prefer for the swelling to decrease as much as possible prior to surgery. That way you can make sure your experience yet another week of swelling AFTER the surgery is completed. But I digress.

So rather than spending my 36th birthday in Mississippi seeing The Civil Wars perform (I've now had tickets to see them twice and been thwarted both times; they're playing Dallas on Wednesday and barring the most miraculous surgery recovery ever, still won't be able to see them.), I found myself in two pre-op appointments. JB made it special enough, springing for Pappadeaux for lunch (when you can't chew, you'll take gumbo any day of the week).

But upon returning home last night, the real fun began. JB planned a Brokenface Birthday party for me. My friends showed up, made up with black eyes of their own, with even the boys jumping in and getting a couple of black eyes, too. (Brokenface birthday pics are here, courtesy of Casey Chappell and her talent. If you're in FW and need a photographer, search no further. Seriously.)

We had a no-chewing-necessary sort of menu: Kristen's famous Shopping Day Soup (a mashup of chicken, cilantro, avocado, and broth I absolutely love), peach cobbler milkshakes (yes, they blended the cobbler and ice cream right before your eyes), and a terrific time laughing about my mishaps.

Our epic family vacation is postponed until next Summer (this is unfortunate because we really NEEDED this vacation), because Ben has Band Camp the final week of July and I have to return to school the first week of August. We'll try and fit some sort of mini-cation in before we return to the grind, but my broken face has been a bit of an inconvenience.

Which leads me to this story:

As I was sitting in the water, waiting on the boat to pull me out of the water, I had an epiphany.

In that moment, with the water and sun and family all around, I felt incomparably blessed. I was aware, in that moment, that I was a sinner saved by the grace of God's goodness and mercy, and that all of my life was a gift. I know this is weird, but literally minutes before my Summer plans came crashing down I was thinking about how every single positive experience in my life pours from the goodness and grace of my God's hand. I can't complain, for I've been graced by God. Skiing is grace; milkshakes are grace; family is grace; friends who tease you are grace; birthday parties are grace; a wife that loves is grace; sons who look up to you are grace; it's all grace.

When you realize how broken the world is, you begin to realize that anything good you see and experience is grace.

That's why I can't complain facing surgery and a cancelled vacation. Because those are just minor setbacks. In the grand scheme, I've been graced a thousand times since then.

It's all grace.

The theologian (and my friend) Barry Harvey posted this on his facebook page earlier today, jarring me back to my way of thinking on this:

"I know it's counterintuitive, but it's what the classical understanding of God is about. God's act in creating the world is gratuitous, so everything comes to me as a gift. God simply wills that there shall be joy for something other than himself. That is the lifeblood of what I believe."—Rowan Williams

So while the last few days have tempted me to be a bit down-trodden and sullen, the truth is that to do so would be a betrayal of what I know and what Williams confirms: I have joy because it has been given to me by a God that created this world and then has given me the ability to enjoy at all.

And so, today, whatever you face, my hope is that you'll find grace.

Because it's there.

(Photo courtesy of Casey Chappell, ®)

Planting Opportunity

2011-06-28T16:35:00.002-05:00

When we planted The Commons, we were connected with the team at NorthWood Church who did an excellent job helping us understand the theory and theology behind planting. Each year they put together a module for planters, and their Church Planting Pastor, Brian Hook, puts together a phenomenal event.

If you're interested in planting or simply finding out more information about how NorthWood does church planting, read this post from their blog:

*********************

Guest blogger: Brian Hook

I want to invite you to a select training opportunity this Fall sponsored by NorthWood Church. The training is a special cohort experience where church planters can learn from some of the best practitioners in church planting without a long term “onsite” training commitment. The leaders for this cohort are Bob Roberts of NorthWood Church, John Jenkins, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden and Terry Virgo, leader of New Frontiers in the UK.

The cohort is limited to the first 20 planters that are approved.This process consists of 2 two-day on site training opportunities that include four elements of successful planting which are global in scope and foundational in practice.

MODULE 1 is August 11-12, 2011 and covers: The Kingdom of God, The Heart Of The Disciple, and The Engagement of Society.

MODULE 2 is November 2-3, 2011 and covers: Making Disciples, Engaging Your City, and Becoming A Church Multiplication Center.

As a huge bonus for this cohort, the second Module is followed by IMAGINE, November 3-5. IMAGINE is an annual Church Planters Gathering for all previous NorthWood Church Planters. This reunion will allow our planters to share best practices in peer to peer learning, and also be inspired by some incredible sessions. Terry Virgo will be joining us for the Gathering.

In between Module 1 and Module 2, there will be some great online video training that you can engage in through our closed online site.

If you or somebody you know would like to engage in this cohort, please contact Alecia Ashworth for more information at Aleciaashworth@northwoodchurch.org.

REQUIREMENTS: There is an online pre-assessment. We also reserve the cohort to planters that are in the process of planting. You need to either be no longer than 2 years out or up to 6 months into your plant.

*If you are an existing denominational leader or senior pastor, you may attend this training IF you bring a planter. Our heart is to train planters and pastors to start mulitiplication centers all over the U.S. We would love to serve and empower you to do this.

COST: The cost for this training is $349, but we do have scholarships for those that will be traveling and also those of you that have participated in our 1 day Turbo overview.

LOCATION: Both Modules and IMAGINE are at NorthWood Church, 1870 Rufe Snow in Keller, Texas.

Do not wait to register. It’s already filling up. We would love for you as a NorthWood parnter to have the first opportunity.

Yeah, It's That Good

2011-06-28T16:17:00.003-05:00

Sometimes you only recognize the beauty of something after a bit of time passes.

We made this video in our living room three or four years ago. I think it's only better now.

On Worship

2011-06-27T19:17:00.003-05:00

Christians tend to waffle between two positions with regard to worship.

One position is that of duty. We treat worship as if it is an obligation, and, consequently, it loses its joy. We go to worship because we are supposed to, because it is what good people do, or because it is a tradition. The problem with dutiful worship is that it leads to self-righteousness. When I worship out of duty, I begin to resent those who do not share in my sense of duty. Consequently, I view those who are not as dutiful as I am in my observation of worship as morally inferior or spiritually insignificant. These were the Pharisees in Jesus' day. They were exceptionally dutiful, but they were spiritually dead. So Jesus called them whitewashed tombs—nice and clean on the outside, but dead on the inside.

The other position Christians are tempted to take with regard to worship is that of control. We treat worship as if it were a sort of points system with God. When I go to worship, I store up favor with God. Consequently, God will now treat me better. I begin to believe that my faithfulness in attending worship will lead God to now do my bidding. "God, heal my cancer, for I have been at church for six months." "God, bring me financial success, because I pray daily." "God, bring us a child, for we are faithful worshippers." Such a position tends to view God either as a vending machine (a dispenser of what I need, when I need it) or a lucky rabbit's foot (a talisman protecting against any ills that might befall me).

Worship is neither. Worship is ascribing worth to the God of the universe. Worship is saying thanks to God for what He has done in the person of Jesus Christ. When we act as if worship makes God love us more or give us favorable outcomes, then we certainly have failed to understand the very nature of worship. God has already spoken His love over His people through Jesus and His cross. To attempt to earn God's favor through worship means we never understood why He was worth worshipping in the first place.

We worship to say thanks and to give God glory. Any other motives mean that we have failed to understand who God is.

May we worship rightly.

Commons Kids Club

2011-06-27T15:32:00.003-05:00

In a moment of weakness, I decided the best thing we could do to love our neighborhood kids this Summer would be to host a Backyard Bible Club. At my house. As you can imagine, JB was a tad concerned regarding the state of Chéz Bezner at the conclusion of this blessed event, but, being the Non-Complaining Wife, she agreed and jumped in.

We decided to hold Commons Kids Club outside, setting up stations around the house. The garage (Opening Assembly/Music), front yard (Snacks), back porch (Crafts), back yard (Bible Story/Memory Verse), the Laws' garage—yet more Non-Complaining Souls (Service Project), and the neighborhood commons (Recreation). Since it's a tad hot outside in Texas during the Summer, we concluded by 11:00 each morning, meaning that we packed a ton o' fun into two hours each day.

During opening assembly we would give the plan for the day, explain the competition (kids worked to earn stickers to win an inflatable AND for a ticket to a pool party), work on our memory verse, and learn our music. OH THE MUSIC! Our friend, LoPab, led the music with aplomb, grace, and the energy of a Broadway director. He never went to Vacation Bible School as a kid, so this was like a brand-new venture for him. He went all out, teaching our kids a full-fledged choreographed response to the title track, "Beach Blast" and the motions to the militant/faith-based classic, "Lord's Army." Good times were had by all.

Snacks were much more involved than cookies and punch this year. Led by Claire and Brenda, the snacks were essentially a craft that involved food. The kids made graham cracker crosses, fish shaped cookies which they decorated, and tried the interesting-yet-not-quite-as-tasty green Jell-O with Swedish Fish floating in them (on the day we taught about Jesus calming the storm).

Crafts were a huge hit. Jennifer and Audrey had our kids making mosaics, refrigerator art, storms in a bottle, all the while fighting through the two newly-acquired frisky kittens that shared a space with them. Our kids had a TON of fun at the craft station, and I loved how each of our station leaders took time to tie in their station to what we were teaching during the day.

The service project was a cool wrinkle we came up with. We want our kids to learn that they are on mission in the world, so each day we had a pint-sized project for them to do together. Erin did a great job leading this, and the projects were very cool. We made cards for firefighters (they came and showed us their truck), cards for the police (no such luck in getting them to show), and potted flowers for the local nursing home.

Finally, we had recreation each day. Scott, Kathy, and Farky loaded up water guns, water balloons, bandanas, obstacle courses, scooters, and the like and turned our neighborhood commons into an Extreme Fun Zone each day. The kids absolutely loved it, and they got really WET just about every day. The rec was the perfect ending to each day.

On top of all the volunteers I've named, we also had a bunch of other Non-Complaining Folks: Kristen, Kimberly, Ethan, Abby, Emily, Sandra, and probably some others I've forgotten who braved high temps so that our kids could learn about Jesus, loving each other, serving their neighbors, and having a blast.

Sunday we topped it all off with a pool party and announced our winners, while we munched on some Royal Pizza (they made a believer out of me with their customer service). As you can imagine, the kids were wiped out at the end of the week (and so were the adults), but it was well worth it. Throughout the week we met new families, and we saw them again on Sunday, so that made it definitely worth our while. Slowly but surely we're seeing God use our church to reach and love our neighborhood through acts of service, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Now I'm ready for some vacation.

What To Do When Violent Winds Rip Your Grill Cover

2011-06-25T09:59:00.001-05:00

Fort Worth Hole In The Wall

2011-06-24T16:05:00.004-05:00

Every now and then I wish I ran a blog that was all about eateries. I've done a few posts regarding the Eatery, but I love the notion of eating a different good and greasy meal every day, and then rating it on the scale of deliciousness. To be honest, I do this more than I'm supposed to anyway, BUT not as much as I want. Living in Fort Worth has essentially multiplied my eatery options by approximately ten thousand, so I'm learning to pace myself and write up places slowly but surely.

However, if you want a small taste of what I'd like to do one day (either when I'm cured of heart failure or the doc tells me I'm on my last leg—I'll be firing of blog posts left and right), you should check the out the Fort Worth Hole In The Wall blog. I've been following the blog since we moved here, and he's already led me to the greatness of multiple establishments.

If this sort of thing tickles your fancy, anyone up for making a joint blog chronicling the dives and establishments in your town? Could be good times. Even if it drives my cardiologist crazy.

On Church Buildings, Part Two

2011-06-21T09:00:00.003-05:00

McClendon's words regarding church buildings and architecture continually affect me, so it seems worthwhile to review the four points he brings up:

"(1) If conversion-baptism is a sign for us, the space for worship must be accessible; it must not be a 'sanctuary' from unpleasing visitors. The church must no occupy space that says to any visitor, 'Keep out.' Ground floor meetinghouses, easy traffic flow from street to assembly, facades that open to the stranger, the fearful, the lame, the alienated, these belong to the gospel house of prayer."

More and more churches are embracing the architectural aspects of this statement, as evidenced by the emergence of the work of people like Mel McGowan and his Visioneering Studio. If you have to choose between a church that is beautiful and welcoming, and one that is not, then you clearly would opt for one that is beautiful, but I think that one of the things Mel has taught me through is work is the concept that the architecture and design should open up to the neighborhood. In other words, I think a building that looks like a fortress is less effective than we might anticipate. I've thought about the implications for The Commons a great deal. I do not know when/if we will ever own property, but, if we do, I envision a large park, playground, pavilion, and running trail with a path that leads toward the church, set back from the road. I want the park to literally be a neighborhood commons area, a service given to the neighborhood in love. There will be no fence or wall around it. It will be open to the area, and the church will serve the neighborhood by cultivating it. Regarding the building itself, I think it should be beautiful (whatever that may mean), but if it is accessible, as McClendon says, I think it should be used more than one day a week. It should, in some way, be a community center (or some such) where ministry and service in the community happens. Perhaps it will take the form of ESL classes or job training or a medical clinic. I'm unsure until I know the makeup of the neighborhood. But I think if it is only used one day a week by believers, then we will have failed at becoming accessible.

There is talk of our part of the city receiving a light rail station as part of the TRE's expansion, which I would assume would include bus service to and from it, as well. Our neighborhood already has sidewalks and bike lanes and a bit of pedestrian traffic. One other aspect of accessibility would be to make the facility open to as many forms of transportation as possible. While the majority of guests would most likely drive, I would love to see any sort of future space become accessible to all modes of transport within the city.

"(2) If prophetic preaching is a sign for us, the liturgical space must be one where people can see and hear one another. Although this is easier in smaller spaces, even the larger baptist congregation can have a visible, audible meeting. My engineer friend Charles K. Leeper tells me acoustical design can provide, without the noisome use of amplifiers, space in which a congregation of five hundred can see and hear one another."

I have less knowledge on this topic. I am not an acoustic engineer, and I certainly do not know the best format for such things. I do, however, believe that a church where the voices of the congregation can be heard amidst instruments and/or leaders is far superior to one where they cannot. I think if faces can be seen (as opposed to simply the face of a leader/pastor) then it is superior. I think this means a semi-circular meetinghouse is important, with a much lower platform than one might anticipate. But my thoughts are still percolating here.

"(3) If servants are not greater than their Master (John 13:16), and the Lord's table provides servant's fare, then church space is servant's quarters, not a princely palace. This does not entail rooms either garish or unkempt; even a garage can be comely, even a storefront swept and garnished. A balance must be struck here: Lavish use of costly materials strikes the wrong note, but so does pinchpenny construction; "there is that withholdeth more than is meet" (Prov. 11:24 KJV) in church building, too, and tight fisted builders waste more than those who plan (and spend) well."

I do not know that I can improve upon McClendon's words on this topic. If The Commons ever has a building, it should be "comely," but it should not be opulent. Money should be spent on quality construction, certainly, but not to create a palace. If the building is to be an incarnation of the presence of Jesus in the neighborhood, it ought to be sturdy and attractive, but it also should allow for functionality and the bulk of resources to be directed toward ministry in the neighborhood. The older a building becomes, the higher maintenance costs climb. Consequently, the base of operation, whatever it is, should never become a hindrance to resourcing ministry within the community. If it does, a change should take place.

I'm reminded that Bonhoeffer, shortly before his death, felt that the churches should sell all property in order to do ministry in and among the community more effectively. His point was that the buildings tied to the Lutherans in Germany had become a hindrance to loving the people. If a facility ever becomes more important than serving, then the place is no longer a servant's quarters. It has become a museum, a performance hall, or some other sort of idol. At any rate, the facility is simply to make ministry more effective. If it does not do that, then is must be abandoned, replaced, or retooled.

"(4) Finally, we return to the theme of divine presence. 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; it is the gateway ot heaven,' exclaimed Jacob. He was in no building, but had camped at a lonely wayside shrine, where in his sleep he had dreamed a dream (Gen. 28:11-17). If in our meeting house of prayer we sense the awesome presence of holy One, is it not a place where great dreams can be dreamed? Such numinous space may call to mind the wonder of San Vitale, or the simplest chapel in the woods, or no building that ever was. It may be that in these matters evangelical Christianity is still in its early childhood—our great plans not yet drawn or built."

I have no idea what the "building" itself ought to look like. If it is the "dream scenario" that features the park opening to the neighborhood and we have opportunity to design it, then it will look radically different that if we find ourselves renting an office, a school, a storefront, or an abandoned warehouse. The point is this: There ought to be signs in the place that point to the Lord. Those signs may be a table with the elements on them, a cross prominently displayed, a well-crafted service, or some other visual reminders of the space.

Again, theses are simply opening thoughts for me. Our church has no meeting space of its own for now, nor will it have one anytime soon, barring a surprising development. But I want to have my mind set on how we will proceed, because I think the right use of physical space communicates what we believe about who God is.

In the end, McClendon's words are good, for they give us the right criteria (in my opinion) to measure facility effectiveness. Rather than size, appearance, or even features, the best spaces will reflect his vision.

On Church Buildings, Part One

2011-06-20T17:22:00.001-05:00

Our church meets in a school. Prior to that, it met in my living room. I bring these facts up to serve as a balance for what I am about to say. I want to write a bit about church buildings. But I want to make it clear that I am not saying a church must own its own building. Neither am I saying that a church must necessarily have a particular type of building if it is to carry out the mission of the church.

But there are also good reasons for churches to have permanent places to meet. A physical presence within the neighborhood, if done well, can help facilitate ministry within a community, particularly if the space is used for more than simply a Sunday worship gathering. (I've been quite impressed with Austin Stone's planned development, along with FBC Kaufman's idea to build a community campus.)

I read Jim McClendon's thoughts on church architecture several years ago. Now that I find myself in a situation where I may one day need a permanent building, I have begun asking what the characteristics of such a property ought to be. I think about size, character, usage, formality, and the like. And, perhaps providentially, McClendon's passage popped in my head.

I looked it up:

"From what has been said of worship, four signals radiate: (1) If conversion-baptism is a sign for us, the space for worship must be accessible; it must not be a 'sanctuary' from unpleasing visitors. The church must no occupy space that says to any visitor, 'Keep out.' Ground floor meetinghouses, easy traffic flow from street to assembly, facades that open to the stranger, the fearful, the lame, the alienated, these belong to the gospel house of prayer. (2) If prophetic preaching is a sign for us, the liturgical space must be one where people can see and hear one another. Although this is easier in smaller spaces, even the larger baptist congregation can have a visible, audible meeting. My engineer friend Charles K. Leeper tells me acoustical design can provide, without the noisome use of amplifiers, space in which a congregation of five hundred can see and hear one another. (3) If servants are not greater than their Master (John 13:16), and the Lord's table provides servant's fare, then church space is servant's quarters, not a princely palace. this does not entail rooms either garish or unkempt; even a garage can be comely, even a storefront swept and garnished. A balance must be struck here: Lavish use of costly materials strikes the wrong note, but so does pinchpenny construction; "there is that withholdeth more than is meet" (Prov. 11:24 KJV) in church building, too, and tight fisted builders waste more than those who plan (and spend) well. (4) Finally, we return to the theme of divine presence. 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; it is the gateway ot heaven,' exclaimed Jacob. He was in no building, but had camped at a lonely wayside shrine, where in his sleep he had dreamed a dream (Gen. 28:11-17). If in our meeting house of prayer we sense the awesome presence of holy One, is it not a place where great dreams can be dreamed? Such numinous space may call to mind the wonder of San Vitale, or the simplest chapel in the woods, or no building that ever was. It may be that in these matters evangelical Christianity is still in its early childhood—our great plans not yet drawn or built." (From Doctrine, pp. 414-415)

Perhaps the great plans have not yet been drawn or built.

I think about those four qualities a good deal these days. And I wonder what could be done with them, if exercised properly, in a neighborhood congregation within a city.

In The Moment

2011-06-18T21:21:00.005-05:00

I saw Midnight in Paris Friday evening with JB and Farky. (Quick side note: As I continue acclimation to urban life, I saw a Woody Allen film in a modern art museum and ate dinner at cozy little back alley cerveceria...all in the place I now call home. Still getting used to that.)

The film, Woody Allen's latest, follows the late night meandering of a vacationing writer, Gil Pender (played by Owen Wilson), as he contemplates his impending marriage to Inéz (played by Rachel McAdams), their future together, where they will live, and his in-progress first novel. Gil loves Paris, its history, its beauty, its culture, and he longs for a better time in which to live and write.

******SPOILER ALERT*******

And here is where Midnight takes a sharp turn. Somehow wandering the streets after midnight, Gil is given the opportunity to meet up with the great literary and artistic minds of the 1920s. He dines with F. Scott Fitzgerald; he drinks with Ernest Hemingway; Gertrude Stein critiques his novel. Through it all, Gil lives out his literary fantasy. His creativity hits new strides. He meets a woman whom he thinks he may love, despite the fact she lives from an era 90 years earlier.

Allen does not sermonize, but the point of the film is clear: Too many of us spend too much time dreaming about places and times that are not ours, and we spend far too little time concerning ourselves with the present. Gil's relationship with Inez is troubling, probably because Gil rarely engages her. Gil's writing struggles because he does not know his own time. But Allen makes another point. Not only ought we to live in the present, but we ought to own our own decisions. Gil is wandering from place to place, without purpose, without resolve. He wants to live in Paris, but he will most likely live in Malibu. He wants to write a novel, but he makes better money writing screenplays. He is slowly trading in the life he wants for the life he finds more convenient. Remember Thoreau's famous line about most men leading lives of quiet desperation? Gil embodies it.

Then again, we might, too.

Are you dreaming of other places? Green pastures? Are you allowing your life to happen to you rather than being pro-active?

Allen quietly tells us to stop.

And I think he's right.

I tend to speak of my own life in the passive voice. It's a subtle thing. But it's real. We cannot be fatalistic. We are given opportunity to choose. God has given it. And we must own up to that opportunity. For those of us who are believers, we pray, we meditate, we seek wisdom, and then we choose. And ultimately, we must own the decision.

Is the Lord in control? You bet.

But do I still have responsibility to make choices? Absolutely.

Which leads to Allen's other point. When I proactively make my choices, I live in the now. I am a temporal being. I live in one place at one time. I can only live in the now. I should know the past and should hopefully engage the future, but I can only live now. If I want to be a good husband, father, pastor, writer, neighbor, and the like, I must see the now. When I think about what could have been, I miss the moment. And missing the moment is painful, for that moment cannot be reclaimed.

Yes, yes, there should be balance to all of this. But forgive me. I cannot stop thinking about the message of Midnight. And now, on the eve of Father's Day, I am resolved to spend at least one more day living in the moment, owning my decision, and, consequently, owning my life.

So, yes, I think you should see Midnight in Paris. It is a fine little film with a strong message. But I think you should see it so you can think about these things. I'll soon forget much of the dialogue and performances of the movie, but the theme has stayed with me. And that's something I value more each day.

So may we live in moment. For that is where we have been placed.

Paging Michael J. Fox

2011-06-18T09:10:00.001-05:00

Execution

2011-06-16T20:46:00.002-05:00

Last night in our Community Group one of our friends shared he was nervous about his new job today. He completed medical school last month and today he began his job. He is no longer a student; he is now a doctor (a resident, more properly understood).

As he and I were praying together at the conclusion of last night's group, he said, "There is a big difference between learning from a book and saving someone's life." He's right, of course, but he found consolation in the fact that he had been trained for this moment and that he loved practicing medicine.

Nervousness aside, he was excited to move from thinking about medicine toward actually having the opportunity to put what he learned into practice.

I've thought about that sentiment a good deal today. Much of our lives are spent in preparation for something. Whether we are in school, attending a conference, going through a training seminar, or suffering through a birthing class, most of us are in a continual state of preparation. But there is more to life than preparation. There is also execution.

I've talked way too much about the Mavericks lately, but spare me one brief example. At the conclusion of each game of the postseason, whether a win or a loss, Rick Carlisle often used the word "execution." Simply put in sports speak, execution means doing what you have been trained to do correctly. If you execute correctly, you succeed. If you do not execute correctly, you lose. (Most of the time.) Coaches obsess over execution because it is the moment where the innumerable training drills and scrimmages play out into reality. Executing well means that your training has paid off.

I heard a story this past week about my grandfather and his job in the South Pacific while serving as a Marine in World War II. I did not know this until this week, but he would drive a canvas-topped supply truck between American-controlled areas of the islands, delivering supplies to units who were in need. This meant that he was forced to drive through enemy-controlled areas on a regular basis. He kept a pistol with him at all times during these drives. If attacked, he had to drive and shoot simultaneously. For my grandfather, execution was literally a matter of life and death. He had been trained to drive well; he had been trained to shoot well. But once on the open roads of Japanese territory, training was forced to transition into execution.

Many people choose to train and dream, sometimes obsessively, while simultaneously refusing to execute.

This could apply to any number of areas: hobbies, art, profession, family, and the like.

But my friend's apprehension about beginning the practice of medicine today struck me as a parable for the church.

We love to be trained. We love Bible studies. We love seminars. We love conferences. (I have some friends who seem to attend conferences professionally.)

Unfortunately, we stink at execution.

There is a reason for this. Just as a doctor learns through experience, many of us are not effective at living our faith among the world because we continue to believe that we are in training perpetually. But we aren't. We are in the phase of execution.

We often haven't thought through the implications of our faith with regard to our profession (i.e., What does it mean to be a Christian in the field of _________?), because we continue to disbelieve that such things matter. They matter a great deal in the realm of execution. We often do not think about creating community among our neighbors or how to properly love the poor or how to serve our co-workers or creating something from a theological perspective. This happens because we forget about execution.

Today I've thought a great deal about this lesson. I am about to turn 36. I am closer to 40 than I am to 30. Barring a medical development in the realm of cardiology I have less than 30 years remaining in my life. It's time for me to execute.

For me execution means cultivating a church-community in an urban context. It also means parenting intentionally, loving my wife well, and committing to writing the things that I love to write with a thoughtful attention to my faith. For you execution probably means something quite different. But if you are a Christian, you are no longer afforded the luxury of growing fat upon the dole of training. You must execute, for we are to be about the work of redemption, and redemption demands living the faith tangibly. It means manifesting Jesus in our lives. It means concrete expression.

I do not know what execution means for you, but I pray that you do it today. You will most certainly fail along the way, but just as in practicing medicine, you only can learn through failures and correction.

May we execute our faith with excellence.

And Now For Something Completely Different

2011-06-15T12:11:00.003-05:00

Over the last decade I've come to appreciate the essays, short stories, and poetry of Wendell Berry. His words encourage, challenge, inspire, frustrate, and strengthen me.

I read one of his poems today. It spoke to me; perhaps it will do the same for you.

"Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front"

by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,

vacation with pay. Want more

of everything ready-made. Be afraid

to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.

Not even your future will be a mystery

any more. Your mind will be punched in a card

and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something

they will call you. When they want you

to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something

that won't compute. Love the Lord.

Love the world. Work for nothing.

Take all that you have and be poor.

Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace

the flag. Hope to live in that free

republic for which it stands.

Give your approval to all you cannot

understand. Praise ignorance, for what man

has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.

Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.

Say that your main crop is the forest

that you did not plant,

that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested

when they have rotted into the mold.

Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus

that will build under the trees

every thousand years.

Listen to carrion - put your ear

close, and hear the faint chattering

of the songs that are to come.

Expect the end of the world. Laugh.

Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful

though you have considered all the facts.

So long as women do not go cheap

for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy

a woman satisfied to bear a child?

Will this disturb the sleep

of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.

Lie down in the shade. Rest your head

in her lap. Swear allegiance

to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos

can predict the motions of your mind,

lose it. Leave it as a sign

to mark the false trail, the way

you didn't go. Be like the fox

who makes more tracks than necessary,

some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.

Poetic Justice and the Dallas Mavericks

2011-06-13T10:00:00.006-05:00

Early today it hit me that this title run for the Dallas Mavericks is the basketball equivalent of The Shawshank Redemption.

For those unfamiliar, Shawshank is a classic film based on a Stephen King short story about a man falsely accused of murdering his wife. He fights through prison, attacks, and injustices to eventually escape and receive his sweet, poetic ending. The movie is a meditation on justice. Each of the major characters gets exactly what he deserves.

Justice. Poetic justice.

They call it "poetic" justice because it's the sort of thing that only happens in poems, movies, and books.

It certainly is a rare feat in sports.

But if you were a Hollywood script writer, and you sat down to write a poetic justice movie about the 2011 Mavericks championship, you would be hard-pressed to write a more perfect film than the events that played out in real life.

The opponent—The Miami Heat—had returned. I watched Games 5 and 6 of the 2006 Finals on mute in a Best Western in Chicago on a family vacation with two sleeping toddlers. I silently fumed as the events unfolded. The officiating was ridiculous, and evidenced by the now infamous Wade to Dirk forearm shiver resulting in a foul on Dirk. To garner a rematch with Wade in the Finals was the ultimate opportunity for redemption (or a terrible gut punch).

Of course, to throw LeBron's talents in on top of that plus the signing of Chris Bosh, a Dallas native who says he never liked the Mavs, on the Heat made it even a greater mountain to climb. Anyone who knows anything about sports knew that this was supposed to be an invincible team, a team that couldn't be beaten, particularly not by an old team like the Mavericks. Heck, even most Mavs fans couldn't believe it. Ever since the 2006 run followed by the first-ever top seed being ousted by an eight seed in 2007, the Mavs nation simply couldn't take it any more. We thought 2006 was our year. It wasn't. And the 2007 looked like a determined team. It collapsed. And then the fans pretty much gave up. And, to be honest, it looked like the team did, too. The next three seasons were the same old story. Mavs lose to a team that, on paper, shouldn't have won.

I remember the Heat celebrating on the Dallas court after winning Game 6 in 2006. I never could have imagined that it would have been so perfect for Dallas to win a Game 6 in Miami, five years later.

And that's because I had wavered in my opinion on Dirk Nowitzki.

I wore a Mavs sweatshirt my freshman year at HSU when the Mavs won a pathetic amount of games. The Mavs are the only basketball team I've really known. So Dirk has been my basketball focus for ten years. But over the last three, some of the criticism had begun to seem believable. Maybe he wasn't a closer. (The stats directly refute that claim, by the way.) Maybe he wasn't athletic enough. Maybe he wasn't tough enough.

But if you go back and look at the stats, Dirk has always been solid in the playoffs. He scores, assists, and the like with the best of them. It's simply that this year he decided to take over. He demanded the ball, and he finished.

The national media has had a tough time embracing Dirk. He's tall, but he's not a center. He's lanky and not athletic enough. He's not flashy. He's not ringing up endorsements. They couldn't figure out a way to love him, and, in the process, I started to think I was foolish for loving him, too.

LeBron's "Decision" was the source of crazy amounts of hype with everyone speculating where he would go. The funny thing? Dirk was a free agent last Summer. You know how many teams called him to see if he'd wanna sign with them? Zero. Nobody called. Either they thought he wasn't worth the time, or they didn't think he would leave. Not sure which, but he signed with Dallas to the least amount of fanfare possible.

That's what makes Dirk the Andy Dufrane of these playoffs. He became a basketball beast. He overcame the best players in the game: the league's highest scorer (Durant), the league's best closer (Kobe), and the league's SuperFriends (Wade, LeBron, and Bosh). He outdueled each one of them, and he did it in convincing fashion. He shot the three, he posted up, he faded away, and got to the rim, and he drew the fouls, and he provided the leadership necessary. He capped an amazing Game Two comeback by hitting the game winning layup off a broken tendon with 3.3 seconds left. He hit another game-winnner in Game 4 with 14.4 seconds left by going right and laying it in. He hit the dagger last night by going left again and laying it in, high off the glass cutting between Bosh and LeBron with Wade looking on. He was, simply put, a superstar.

For him to hold that trophy five years after his demise was to exorcise every demon in his mind and to finally have him solidified as one of the greatest players of all time. The conversation is now if he is top 15 or top 25. That's what a playoff run will do for you.

And when you play through fever and a torn tendon, it really ups the ante. Just ask Curt Schilling's sock.

The Mavs beat the most hated team in all of sports, which just happened to be their greatest nemesis, on the road, in the same amount of games they lost five years ago. They beat the best players in the league to do it. And Dirk was crowned as a great in the process.

From loser to hero.

That's poetic justice.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the story comes out today that Macy's bought an ad in the Miami paper for championship gear to go on sale. Nevermind the fact that Miami couldn't win last night, but the spirit of entitlement went all the way around again through Miami. LeBron and Wade acted like they deserved the trophy, the national media acted like it, and even the local Macy's acted like it. Through it all, the Mavs won the old-fashioned way—with teamwork, smarts, and determination.

There's so much more, too. The second-best player on the team, Caron Butler, was injured on January 1st, essentially ruling out the Mavs. Jason Kidd somehow hung tough at the age of 38. The Matrix was called out publicly by the team and responded positively. JJ Berea became a world-beater in the last two games. Cuban never spoke. Carlisle held the team together after the local media said he had "lost the team" after the All-Star break.

Back to Shawshank, I quipped earlier on facebook that Pat Riley is the warden, Dirk is Tim Robbins, Jet is Morgan Freeman, Miami is the sewer tunnel to crawl through, the confetti is the baptismal rain, and JJ Berea is that pair of shoes no one noticed.

And, of course, the Heat had to make it worse by adding insults to Dirk with the now infamous coughing video. I suppose this was Wade and LeBron auditioning as the "Sisters" from Shawshank.

Now the Heat are left wondering what happened and the Mavs are champs.

Everybody got exactly what they deserved.

It seems impossible.

After the Mavs swept the Lakers I pried my friend Steve about "sports destiny," something he believes in but rarely employs. He begged off the question, not wanting to jinx anything. But it was wild watching the best players become weak and watching the exceptionally old Mavs pull it together one last time. I don't know that you can claim any sort of metaphysical reality in sports, but this one felt ridiculously good.

One last tidbit of justice: I'm a Mavs fan but have a tremendous respect for the Spurs. They keep accomplishing great stuff. My only beef with them was that in the first game of the 2007 season it came out that they began heckling the Mavs because they had a Western Conference banner but no championship banner. They apparently (Tony Parker, if memory serves) made fun of them for being the only team in Texas without a championship. I wish no ill-will against the Spurs or their fans (Tim Duncan is a workhorse of the highest order and Pop is a basketball genius), but isn't it funny that the same year the Mavs win the title the Spurs go out in the first round? Or is it just poetic justice? For only the second time in sports history, the number one seed lost to a number eight seed. The first time it was the Mavs. But this time it was the Spurs. I don't suppose there will be any verbal jabs from Parker next season.

Poetic justice, all around.

Another One

2011-06-06T21:47:00.002-05:00

I met another one today.

Another person who's rejected Jesus because of the way some Christians treated him.

Friends, church ain't a game.

When you take the name of Jesus on your life, you don't get to shun and castigate others. And you certainly don't earn the right to become self-righteous.

There's a big difference between righteous and self-righteous.

If you talk loudly about being a follower of Christ, you better make sure you're walking the walk.

Because if you're faking it, people will know.

And they'll say God's fake, too.

I know.

Because I met another one today.

Cookies + Ice Cream = Happy Boys

2011-06-06T19:58:00.001-05:00

George Lucas Strikes Back

2011-06-02T09:36:00.001-05:00

Genius.

Hypocrites

2011-05-31T17:12:00.002-05:00

Read this today over at Bob Robert's blog on Christians and hypocrisy. I'm a huge fan of the way he thinks; if you're a Christian or interested in learning how to think globally in your faith, I think you should read it.

Here's his post from today:

The other night as I was channel surfing I watched the last part of Bill Maher’s Real Time program. I’m not a fan - he even makes me mad most of the time - but I’ll listen just to see what he has to say and how some people are thinking in our country - just so you know Rush Limbaugh has the same effect on me. There is no news here in America anymore - it’s all pundits. You’re going to have to watch the BBC and believe it or not, some people are now saying Al Jazeera. Anyhow, Maher’s comments were incredible. It was like a sermon to Christians.

Some of the quotes:

“I’m a non-Christian like most Christians.”

“If you ignore what he says - you’re auditing.”

“Martin Luther King gets to call himself a Christian because he actually practiced loving his enemies.”

The word hypocrite is more tied to Christianity than it is any other religion. Why?

First, because it’s the word Jesus used. Jesus “popularized” the concept more than anyone and talked about the subject more than anyone. He would call people who like to pray and be recognized, yet

not follow him, hypocrites. The word itself is a picture of one who has one face, but puts an acting face on front of it. It’s similar in meaning to the term “two-faced” used regularly.

Second, because Jesus spoke so much of what’s in the heart - the focus was on transparency and what is real. He knew that his message would be seen more in the life of someone than merely a belief system or a process for finding God. Unlike other religions, the idea wasn’t merely finding God - it was letting God live in you. To put up a front when he isn’t, or to speak God’s truth but live contrary was to misrepresent the nature of God. As crazy as it sounds - the concept of “What Would Jesus Do?,” plays big here - it’s responding to life as Jesus would. Your life is your biggest testimony.

Third, Christianity lived in the life of a person - wasn’t just to bless the person, but to bless others as God works through them. A hypocrite does the exact opposite - they use religion for their benefit thereby saying one thing, but practicing another. This is why those in the ministry are judged harsher both by people and by God. James 3 makes it clear that those who teach will be judged by a greater strictness. This is why Paul writes to Timothy about deacons and elders, and the overwhelming majority of the qualifications have to do with character - not doctrine or even leadership skills - though those matter.

Hypocrites come in all sizes and shapes - not just rich ones, not just religious leaders. Some hypocrites are more the classic kind - using religion for their benefit and ignoring the parts that would challenge them. Some hypocrites smile a lot, hug a lot and manipulate people like the “Jim Jones” type. In the end, the hypocrite uses God, instead of God using them.

Inside all of us exists the danger of hypocrisy. Unchecked motives, tolerated sin, self-gratification, and the absence of love - all are the stepping stones towards hypocrisy. No hypocrite would consider themselves a hypocrite. That’s the scary part. There’s nothing we can do about the hypocrisy in others. There’s a lot we can do about the hypocrisy that exists in our own hearts. If we lay our lives against the teachings of Jesus - starting with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, it helps us examine our lives. If we open our lives to the examination of the Holy Spirit - the Spirit will convict and guide us and speak to the secret things in our heart that no one else sees. If we open our lives to the Body of Christ and hold ourselves accountable to others, then we are also less likely. Only a vibrant faith in Jesus can keep the life of Jesus flowing in our life. The greatest anger Jesus showed people - was not to unbelievers - but to believers that twisted what God said and didn’t reflect who God was.

What would it look like, if we radically lived the life of Jesus today? How would our words be different? How would our actions be different? How would our attitudes be different? May it be so.

Tentmaking

2011-05-31T09:41:00.004-05:00

Today is the last school day of the year. It's noteworthy because about two months ago I began a long-term substitute teaching position at a local school. I took the job to supplement our income, but along the way I've learned a good deal.

The Commons has been a theological and practical adventure for me. Almost every day I find myself pondering the practical issues of church. I consistently examine why we do particular things. Are we operating from theological ground or practical ground? Where does it matter? Where is it inconsequential?

My employed life has always been spent on a church staff. I've been blessed to be paid (and often paid well) to spend my days teaching the Bible and heading up various ministries of the churches I served.

Now things are different.

The Commons does pay me, but not enough to make ends meet in the part of the city we've chosen to plant. Initially JB was the primary breadwinner. But she'll be the church's administrative guru (from the home office) next year. That meant that I needed a more significant income.

And then the school offered me a contract for next year.

Over the last two months I've understood much of the value of being "bi-vocational" as it's known in ministry circles. I take heart in remembering that Paul was a tentmaker (I take that to mean he made prayer shawls). I thought I'd share a few of those lessons:

1. I've begun to appreciate volunteers more. When my only job was on a church staff, I was often frustrated with my inability to get volunteers to commit. Now that I'm working outside of the church I appreciate everything they do so much more. I'm whipped after teaching all day. And there's still family/bills/house/community issues demanding my attention. And that's what every single one of my church members are up against. When we ask for people to help volunteer at an event or stay late for a meeting or anything, we're asking for extra. I understand that at a deeper level now. I don't think we should stop asking, but I do think that I am much more considerate and kind in making that request now.

2. The church gets more engaged. Prior to teaching, The Commons got my attention all day, everyday. The church now gets my attention early in the morning, late at night, and on weekends. I certainly wish I could give it more time, but that's what's available and possible now. Consequently, my church has risen to embrace ministry more fully. They are willing to serve because they see that I'm serving on top of a job, as well. In other words, although unintentional, I see more people willing to serve because they see me modeling the expectations in my own life. And when the Body gets engaged, that's a good thing.

3. Preaching is more Holy Spirit annointed. When you can only spend a limited amount of time preparing your sermon, you lean more on the Spirit. Well, at least I do. I stop mulling delivery methods and start looking directly at the meat of the text and asking the Holy Spirit to help me communicate. The odd truth: I've preached some of the most stripped-down sermons with the most significant spiritual impact over the last two months. I simply think I've leaned more on the Spirit in the last two months in my preaching. And I want to continue that despite Summer's rapid approach.

4. Lean is good. Truth: I don't want to be bi-vocational forever. But in leading a leaner church I see how much waste I've done in the past. I'm learning that we can impact with less and make a difference with what we have. The adage is true: Necessity is the mother of invention. When we have less, we are more creative. We stop throwing money at problems and start asking good and hard questions. I like that. Consequently, I think we are doing some excellent ministry despite having a shoestring budget.

5. It's tiring! All of those benefits aside, I've never looked so forward to Summer! I'll definitely be using this Summer to plan, rest, organize, and catch up on many of the things that have slipped through the cracks the last two months.

At the end of Bonhoeffer's life, he talked about the future of the church. He had lived in a nation with a state-supported church, and he began to see serious flaws with that paradigm. In his prison writings he asserted that churches should sell their property and do their ministry only on the basis of freewill offerings of the people within the church, something that Baptists and other free church parishioners have done for some time. But he went further: "The clergy must live solely on the freewill offerings of their parishioners, or possibly engage in some sort of secular calling." He seemed to intuit that a church garnering support from those outside the church would fail. Working from weakness and service makes a difference. Which is why he concluded, "The church's work must constitute in prayer and righteous acts among men."

Praying and serving--those things make a difference.

I hope you'll continue to pray for The Commons as we move forward. Yes, I hope eventually I'll be able to be a "full-time" pastor again, but I think this "bi-vocational" living has, in some ways, been quite helpful.

Let's all be bi-vocational today, taking Christ into whatever we call our occupations.

Making Donuts at Mimi & Pawpaw's

2011-05-28T09:08:00.001-05:00

That Was Fun

2011-05-26T08:22:00.004-05:00

For the last ten months The Commons has held an (almost) monthly Mission Meal. The concept isimple. We eat a potluck/inexpensive meal at someone's home and then donate the money we would have spent at a restaurant toward a project in the city of Fort Worth.

We partner with Cornerstone Assistance Network to find these projects. In the winter they helped us find five children who needed Christmas gifts, so we used our donations to provide them with presents. Since then we've been using our funds to help women in the Christian Women Job Corps, a program designed to help women gain job skills training and gain employment.

On Sunday we had our Mission Meal and had a terrific turnout and contribution. It was, simply put, a blast.

So when I got a call from one of church members, Kristen, about a potential way to use the money, I was excited. Len is a taxi driver and CWJC grad who has been sleeping on an air mattress at night. It a leak and she wakes up at night to reinflate it, typically a couple of times each night.

But yesterday we were able to buy her a bed.

That was awesome.

And that's the Gospel in action.

Some people talk about social justice or justification as if they are two different things.

But, as Tim Keller has rightly pointed out, those who are justified are passionate about justice, and when we do justice we can tell about how we have been justified.

In other words, we do this for Jesus.

May we do so today. Where ever we are.

The Difference

2011-05-25T09:22:00.004-05:00

I'm currently reading Edward Glaeser's new book, The Triumph of the City. I've only read about a fifth of the book thus far, so I can't speak definitively on its conclusions, but it has stirred up a few thoughts I've been mulling regarding the difference between rural and urban ministry. Prior to 2011 I spent ten years on staff at a 130-plus year old church in the midst of a rural community. I grew up in a rural community. And, until the Lord called us to plant an urban church, I envisioned spending the rest of my days in a rural community. I like the pace and quality of life in a small town.

Now we are church planting in a city with a population of one million. It has been listed among the top-ten fastest growing cities in the United States for ten of the last eleven years. The latest census data projects another 250,000 people moving to our city before the next census is taken.

So I'm learning about urban living, and I'm learning quickly.

And I'm enjoying it. I'll confess my own surprise that last sentence. It wasn't something I desired, and it certainly wasn't something I expected. But just short of having lived in a city for a year, I'm beginning to discover my rhythms.

In discovering the difference between urban and rural living, I've also begun to discover that those differences play out into ministry. So, partly for my own processing, and partly because I there may be those who find application, here are few observations regarding rural and urban life:

1. The importance of neighborhoods. For the smallest towns, neighborhoods simply aren't that important. You know your neighbors, to be sure, but there is simply not that much distance or difference between neighborhoods in a rural situation. The center of life in a small town is the public school and church. In cities geography and proximity plays a more central role. When I lived in Kaufman I drove 30 minutes to do almost anything out of town. I never thought twice about it. In Fort Worth I rarely need to drive more than ten minutes. If I do, I do so begrudgingly (unless, of course, I am leaving town). The oxymoron: When you live in a rural setting you are predisposed to drive more distance. Living in a city where people and services are more closely clustered means that you drive less. Consequently, neighborhoods and neighborhood associations become places where people gather and stay. Schools are not the center of the community, but the neighborhood is. That's why The Commons has a vision of becoming neighborhood-centered.

2. The transient effect. When people move to small towns, they are typically moving for one of two reasons: to be closer to familiy or to escape the city. Those are reasons that lead to a rooted life. Simply put, people that move to smaller towns tend to stay. Cities are much more transient. People move to cities for work or excitement. Those are reasons that lead to a more fluid life. People move away from cities as quickly as they move to them.

3. Diversity differences. There were basically two languages spoken in Kaufman: Spanish and English. There are twenty-three languages spoken in the homes of the kids in the elementary school in my NEIGHBORHOOD. Twenty-three. However, because of property values, neighborhood schools tend toward more economic homogeneity. Urban folks tend to stay with people in their own socio-economic style. So while an urban individual will most likely know more people from a different racial background, my belief is that an individual with a rural background will have more (and deeper) relationships will people from different economic classes. When the (public) school is the center of the community, families from all stripes intermingle. When it's not, they tend not to do so.

4. Schools, and more schools. To add to that point: Small towns have one school. There are typically no private school options. The vast majority of people utilize public education. So the people there have a vested interest to see the school succeed. And they work to make it do so. In cities with a variety of options, and because many people in cities are people of means, private schools thrive. When public schools are not up to par, rather than making grassroots change, they simply change schools. This is part of the transient mindset. In the short time I've been here I've heard literally dozens of stories of people changing schools. Consequently, the schools are not the center of community and/or relationships.

5. Money. It's hard to live anywhere without money, but it's especially difficult in a city. Property costs more, you often pay more for schooling, but jobs tend to pay more. It's increasingly difficult to be "middle class" and live in a city because the good neighborhoods cost more and the bad neighborhoods are undesireable. So, as Glaesnar notes, the middle class in most large American cities is shrinking. I think this is a slower trend in Fort Worth, but I definitely see how it takes hold.

Thoughts?

Sami Awad Interview

2011-05-23T16:26:00.003-05:00

In light of President Obama's speech regarding the Israel/Palestine issue, I thought the following was apropos:

In January I went to Israel and the West Bank on an eye-opening trip. I met a host of local leaders working toward change through nonviolence, basing their actions on Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. I've mentioned one of those a few times, referring to him as the Palestinian version of Gandhi. His name was Daoud Nasser.

But Sami Awad is another of those peace activists. He was recently interviewed by Fox News because of his nonviolent protests and work, he made his way into a documentary about the peaceful resistance entitled, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

So in light of President Obama's speech, I present two short videos.

First, the trailer for "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

Second, Sami's interview on Fox News. Thanks to my friend Bob Roberts for pointing it out.

Back to Life

2011-05-20T18:05:00.005-05:00

One of the things I miss most about Kaufman is my backyard.

To those of you who never had the opportunity to visit my backyard, it was glorious. Our lot was just over a half acre, and the back yard featured multiple mature tall oak trees and, right in front of our breakfast nook window, a cherry laurel.

I hung a bird feeder and a hummingbird feeder in our cherry laurel. We would watch the birds feed during meals with the blinds open.

The boys loved the oak trees and even named one of them Big Fella. He really was an impressive looking tree.

We hosted numerous get-togethers under those oaks for church members and friends. We had Sunday School dinners, Easter egg hunts, ice cream suppers, baptism parties, and a whole host of good times.

Those were good trees.

I suppose that's why when we moved into Hulen Heights I planted an Aristocrat Pear tree. Our front yard has three trees (two live oaks and one yet to be determined (a cypress?)) between the sidewalk and the curb. They are maturing nicely, but they are HOA trees. They aren't our tree.

So I planted the Aristocrat Pear. In October.

For those of you with green thumbs, you'll note that November is not typically tree-planting weather. And for those of you with decent memories, you'll recall the bracing winter of 2010-11, featuring numerous snowfalls and ice storms.

The tree had the odds stacked against it.

About the same time we planted the tree I started to question my decision to uproot my family and start a church. There were a number of reasons I began to question my wisdom. We were hemorrhaging money. We missed our friends. We had not seen a person come to Christ. And we were tired. We had sprinted for a long time and needed a breather.

In short, we were discouraged.

The tiny pear tree lost its leaves and went dormant for the Winter.

About that time I met with a friend who works in sales. I was relating some of my worries (at the time we had medical bills and car repair bills pending), and he shared a bit of wisdom with me.

He said, "Steve, I've learned that you have to work at something for six months before you begin to see any fruit from your labors in almost any endeavor worth undertaking."

Six months.

We had moved in July. At the time it was January.

We were approaching six months.

We decided to tough it out. The Lord had called us to this task, so we decided that the least we could do would be to give it enough time to bear fruit.

A few weeks later we had a woman come to Christ and be baptized through The Commons.

We had our first baptismal party that featured four individuals giving their lives to Christ.

We grew enough to move from our living room and into a local school.

We had three families with children begin to join us for worship and commit to our church.

Just past the six month mark we began to see that fruit.

The baptism party was in March. I remember walking into the kitchen early one morning in March and pouring myself a cup of coffee. I was thinking over all that God had done and how we had seen God bless our hard work and bring those firstfruits forward.

I walked to my back door and looked out at my yard.

And my Aristocrat Pear tree was covered in white blossoms.

I had been certain it was dead. The winter had been so harsh, so icy.

But somehow the consistent watering had brought the tiny roots through the winter. And now it was bursting with life.

We planted the tree in October. It bloomed in March. In just under six months.

My little tree has grown a good deal since March. It's spouted leaves and even some tiny fruit. It's added an inch or two in height.

And I've hung my bird feeder from it. The sparrows and finches are roosting in its branches and hopping in its shade, pecking seed.

And The Commons continues to bear fruit. We have four small groups now. Our congregation has added a few more families. The Lord has provided for our financial needs. I've been offered a job teaching at a local private school. Our bills have all been paid.

To be sure, storms will come. But that tree has reminded me that with time and persistence blossoms can come from even the harshest of winters.

Six months.

I imagine you are working hard now. You have a goal or a dream. And it has hit a season of difficulty.

Don't waver. Drive down your roots. Cling to the Lord. Listen for the Spirit.

With time and His blessing, you'll see fruit.

May we plant trees today.

And may we stay long enough to see fruit.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T07:42:00.002-05:00

She gave me life and he extended it.

She saved me from the cold and he from sin.

She taught me hope and he defended it.

From her I once was born . . . from him again.

She let me skip in fields that he had made.

He bid me bless the loaves she baked for me.

She ordered me to gaze where he once lay.

He bid me kneel in her Gethsemane.

I owe them both the treasures of my art

And am myself so saddled with my debt

I cannot fail in paying ever part

Lest I should leave this prayer with one regret.

An humble woman made me love a King.

In both of them was hidden everything.

—Calvin Miller

Family Date in Sundance Square

2011-04-29T20:32:00.001-05:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Uncommon Easter

2011-04-28T17:13:00.003-05:00

What an Easter for The Commons!

Nine months ago we met for the first time in our living room. The children sat on a quilt. The adults sat on the couches. I taught from a dining room chair.

On Easter Sunday things looked quite different.

At 10:00 we opened up our Easter festivities with an Egg Hunt. 21 quick-legged little guys and gals scamped across the playground at Sue Crouch Intermediate picking up over 300 candy-stuffed eggs. We even had an egg piñata hanging from one of the basketball goals. They scoured every inch looking for a golden or silver egg. And they found them all.

At 10:30 I opened up the Resurrection Eggs, sharing the Easter story with all of our children. I had a dozen plastic eggs, and each egg held a tiny piece of the Crucifixion or the Resurrection. The parents gathered behind the kids, and we had a blast.

As you might guess, it culminated with an empty egg as a symbol for the empty tomb.

The it was time for food! Donuts, egg casserole, coffee, juice!

And of course we had Easter lilies and tulips on the table.

And then we worshiped. Brad and Corey did a great job leading on Sunday. They were energy-filled. The new sound system (yes, we now have speakers) sounded great, and we were clapping and raising our hands as we sang together.

I taught on the Resurrection from Luke 24, explaining the ways that the Risen Christ changes us.

From being perplexed to remembering Him.

From calling it nonsense to marveling at Him.

From simply talking of God to actually knowing Him.

We had our highest attendance ever. And we had families that visited for the first time ever. And some who are new to our congregation returned.

It was a great time.

We capped it off with a massive lunch with JB's family (ham, pecan pie (yes, Lent is over), deviled eggs) and then I had a great time preaching an evening service at City Tavern.

I shared all of this with you because it encourages me. I'm amazed at how far we have come. I'm reminded of what the Lord can do with our faithfulness. And I hope that you'll trust Him to do the same with you.

My hunch is that you've got something semi-scary right in front of you.

You sense the Lord calling you to take a chance.

My story isn't immediate victory. Heck, we're still working our tails off.

But we've traveled far.

And God is getting the glory, every step of the way.

If you'll trust Him, He'll bring you a long way, too.

He is risen.

He is risen, indeed!

What You See

2011-04-27T21:17:00.002-05:00

Too many people have ulterior motives.

The President released his birth certificate today.

Within minutes people had deconstructed the .pdf, attempting to demonstrate it as fraudulent.

Donald Trump took credit.

But who knows why anyone does anything anymore?

Maybe the President is part of some cover-up. Maybe the birthers are just bent on pursuing their agenda of ousting Obama. Maybe Trump just wants more viewers for "Celebrity Apprentice."

I couldn't begin to know. And I certainly won't suggest that I do.

I do know that I don't completely trust people with what I perceive may be ulterior motives.

Here's the point: When you question motives, you stop believing that people are loving.

That's what made Jesus so radical. He never had an ulterior motive. He didn't teach to become famous; He didn't heal to be liked; He didn't die for our approval.

He did all things out of love.

What about you?

Your family, students, co-workers, friends, and neighbors are all within your sphere of influence. And you love them.

But do you love them as Christ, with no motive? Or do you love them so that they will do your bidding?

In his book, Life Together, Bonhoeffer said it best:

‎"I must release others from all my attempts to control, coerce, and dominate them with my love."

Love with ulterior motives is no love at all.

Dying Eggs with Kate and the Boys

2011-04-23T14:53:00.001-05:00

Toward a Theology of Calling

2011-04-19T20:22:00.003-05:00

Several months ago, my friends Emily and Meredith asked me to speak at the Women in Ministry Conference at Logsdon Seminary.

Over my protestations that I am not a woman in ministry, they asked me to deliver a lecture on a theology of calling. I wrestled and meditated some time on this topic. The video below is the result of my thoughts. I'd love to hear yours.

One note: We were behind schedule when I spoke, hence you'll notice the fact that I am speaking rather quickly. If you need help following my swift speech (or if you'd simply prefer to read the text), you can find the transcript here.

Women In Ministry - Engage with Dr. Steve Bezner from Logsdon Seminary on Vimeo.

Being Human

2011-03-31T17:59:00.002-05:00

Taught about Jesus as the Ultimate Human today in my Ethics class. (No, I didn't talk about Barth and his development of the concept.)

Here's the basic thought: Jesus is a human in the way that we were intended and created to be human. He is not simply a God-man living the unattainable life. He is very much living an existence we were created to enjoy.

I read an old interview with Jim McClendon in which he references that some of the most important theological voices of the 20th century are, in fact, not theologians at all. He references "Dag Hammarskjöld and the composer Charles Ives, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Baptist radical Clarence Jordan" (King and Jordan were theologically trained but did not teach). He later adds Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Dorothy Day to the list.

The point?

Those individuals are compelling, not because of their theory, but because of the lives they lived. Their faith made their lives a story worth watching and reading.

We were intended to be fully human.

But most of us are living as some facsimile.

May we choose to be Human today, and for the remainder of our lives—engaging God, engaging our world, and being faithful in a way that catches the eyes of those around us.

Seeing Beauty

2011-03-24T09:39:00.003-05:00

I am amazed by the creativity of people in this world.

And I love it.

Thanks to my buddy, Egbert, for pointing me to this video.

Bezner News and Cultural Quick Hits

2011-03-21T18:30:00.003-05:00

Items Of Consideration:

1. I was sick on Sunday.

I was so sick that I believe Farky may or may not have prepared to share some thoughts from his weekly devotionals, but I did indeed manage to make it through my sermon on the Lord's Prayer. I had to. I was too excited about it. I took the (most likely non-original) doxology of "For thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever and ever," and talked about those concepts in light of the Prayer and the fact that our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask (v. 8).

I can't attest to the quality of the sermon, but I can attest to the quality of our church.

On Spring Break weekend, when we had scads of folks traveling, we had people show up early to set up and make the entire operation flow seamlessly. I was so grateful to have been led to this community of believers. They don't just talk about what they believe; they live it. We've talked about being the Body for months, and every time they have the opportunity, they live out that command to be the Body. That's what I like calling Body Life.

I'm feeling better today, but the illness certainly taught me something about the nature of our church. It's way bigger than me. And I'm glad.

2. I'm starting a new job.

For a variety of reasons, almost all of them tied to finances, I'm taking on a long-term substitute teaching job at a local private school beginning next Monday. I'll be teaching Christian Ethics to high school freshmen, and I'm excited. As you can imagine, there are a host of challenges ahead for me: I've never taught, I'd like to give the bulk of my time to The Commons, and I'm oddly intimidated by the notion of a room of fourteen year-olds. Nevertheless, in one week I'm up. So you can begin praying.

3. You should listen to Zach Williams.

If Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash had a nephew that lived in Manhattan, his album would sound like Zach Williams's "Story Time." I was first introduced to Zach at the Q Conference in Austin two years ago, but did not know of this album until this week. My understanding is that his second album is on its way, but it's worth your time to get this one. Loving it.

4. Man, I love The Commons.

We're young. We're still a "launch team" in many respects. We're assembling the 747 mid-flight. But we've got some things down in ways that I absolutely LOVE.

5. I'm behind on theologically-based movies.

Best I can tell, "The Adjustment Bureau" and "Limitless" are going to be filled with all sorts of theological conversations. If you've seen one, give me a suggestion.

On Discipleship

2011-03-17T08:29:00.002-05:00

Reading through Romans these days. In the (sometimes seemingly impenetrable) verses about Israel, righteousness, law and faith, I had a thought regarding discipleship:

My intention is to follow God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. My temptation is to follow a god made in my own image.

Can anyone else relate?

Life Together

2011-03-17T07:48:00.002-05:00

Love your church? Have a great family of faith? Appreciate it.

Feel alone in your faith? Isolated where you are? Jesus knows your situation.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote this as he led an illegal seminary in Nazi Germany:

"The Christian cannot simply take for granted the privilege of living among other Christians. Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies."

A Successful Morning

2011-03-16T15:07:00.001-05:00

Going Camping with JB, the Boys, and This One

2011-03-14T12:39:00.001-05:00

Baptism Party Video

2011-03-11T17:58:00.001-06:00

If you visit our church's website, you can follow a link to watch a pretty great video of our Baptism Party. Thanks to Lorenzo for putting it all together!

Baptism Party

2011-03-10T20:15:00.002-06:00

Sunday night was epic. The Commons celebrated its first-ever Baptism Party. We baptized four people in the YMCA pool. We hooted and hollered. We cheered like crazed sports fans. We took pictures. And we ate. Boy, did we eat.

All in all over 100 folks turned out for our first party.

Thanks to all who came and made the night really special.

Commons Happenings

2011-03-04T16:41:00.003-06:00

For those of you interested in and praying for our church, The Commons, here is an update:

We have moved out of our living room and are now meeting in the cafeteria at Sue Crouch Intermediate School for our Sunday morning activities. It's been a blast, and the church has rallied around the set up, helping it go as quickly and smoothly as possible.
We have experienced a little bit of growth and have added some families with children. We have between 15 and 18 children most weeks now in our Commons Kids program.
THREE OF THOSE CHILDREN ARE GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SUNDAY! YES!
We now have three Community Groups (I like to call them "house churches," but I'm old school) that meet during the week. We like to think of The Commons as a collection of churches that come together on Sunday for worship. (Just call me Bishop Bezner.) (That was a joke. Don't ever call me that.) We plan on adding a fourth group in the very near future as the group that meets in our home is beginning to get crowded.
ONE OF THE ADULTS IN OUR COMMUNITY GROUP IS GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SUNDAY! YES!
We have two great volunteers (Corey and Brad) who lead our worship each Sunday, but they have real jobs. Consequently, we are praying that the Lord would bring us someone who has a heart desire to lead us in worship. It would also help, of course, if this person was also talented. Join us in praying for that. If you know of someone, please give me a shout.
Speaking of other wishes, we're also praying for the Lord to bring us the person to be our first church planter in another neighborhood in the city. We want to eventually multiply out of our Sunday gathering and start another Sunday meeting somewhere else in the city. If you know of someone interested in that, then let me know.
We are currently raising money to support the Christian Women's Job Corps at Cornerstone Assistance Network through our monthly Mission Meals.
We are taking volunteers to serve as mentors in Sue Crouch Intermediate School and hope to have some very soon.
Our friends, Don and Renee Johnson visited us on Sunday and took some great pics of our church. I'll have them up on the website soon. We tried to lure Don away from FBC Kaufman with the promise of unlimited hot dogs, but he was unshakable.
Did I mention we are having our first baptism this Sunday? We will be baptizing at the indoor pool of the YMCA and then packing out the Laws' home with family, friends, food, and who knows what else. Come join us. We'll be at the house in south Fort Worth with cars wrapped around the block.

Thanks for all of your prayers! A few more prayer requests:

There is a strong possibility that the State of Texas budget shortfall will result in Joy's position being eliminated with FWISD. Pray for financial provision.
There is also a strong possibility that I may have found a job opportunity that would allow me to be a pastor simultaneously. Pray for wisdom in whether I should take the job (if offered) and wisdom in balancing the duties.
Pray that we will continue to let this church take on the personality of Jesus in the neighborhood and reach our neighbors in a way that is loving, humble, truthful, and authentic.

A Few More Rob Bell Links

2011-03-04T16:27:00.003-06:00

The Rob Bell page for Love Wins including the promotional blurb and video that started it all can be found here.

Greg Boyd, who has read the book, writes his thoughts here.

Scot McKnight, who has NOT read the book, writes his thoughts here.

Christianity Today roundup of the issue is here.

Eating Our Young

2011-03-01T22:54:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago a murder trial in Denton County came to a close. A man by the name of Charles Stobaugh was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Kathy Stobaugh. The case received broad media coverage because of its sensational nature—it featured drama, a divorce, affairs, and violence.

I am not an attorney, nor am I involved in the criminal justice profession, but I suspect that this trial will soon advance to the appellate courts, and, frankly, I expect the guilty verdict handed down by the Denton County jury to be overturned.

There are a number of reasons I think this, among them being some large deficiencies that took place in the investigation itself. Among that investigation was a key suspect who never faced interrogation, and, consequently left a large amount of doubt.

But the key reason I think the verdict will be overturned is on grounds of evidence.

They never found the body.

And, as you know, without a body it is difficult if not impossible to uphold a guilty verdict in a murder trial once it reaches the federal appellate system.

Without a body there is reasonable doubt, and with reasonable doubt there typically follows an overturned verdict.

Don't misunderstand what I am saying. I'm not saying Charles Stobaugh is innocent. He absolutely may be guilty. Unfortunately, we will never know, for we will never have the evidence necessary to reach a much clearer decision.

****************

A few days ago a Christian blogger posted regarding an upcoming book to be released by Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The blog post directly questioned Bell's theology, referring to him as a universalist, noting that Bell had moved further away from anything resembling "biblical Christianity."

The blog was linked to and tweeted by a number of prominent pastors. By the time the day had concluded I had seen over twenty references to the blog post itself from such leaders and noticed that their link was being retreated by dozens of pastors almost immediately.

Within hours the web was afire with accusations against Bell: He doesn't believe in Hell. He is no longer orthodox. He is a heretic. He cannot be trusted.

These accusations may be true. Then again, they may not be. We simply don't know.

Why?

Because his book hasn't been released yet.

Don't get me wrong. There's plenty of smoke indicating a fire. Bell's promotional video seems to indicate a theological bent towards universalism. Brian McLaren says he has read the book and Bell will soon be branded a heretic. The initial blogger says he has read "several chapters" of the book and finds it troubling (whatever that means).

But just as it is difficult to uphold a murder verdict without a body, it is exceptionally difficult to hold theological dialogue without the primary text to discuss.

This entire event crystallized two things in my mind.

First, I spend the vast majority of my days attempting to convince people that Christianity is viable and not necessarily filled with a spirit of judgment. And while I certainly appreciate those who want to defend the faith, the entire sequence of events betrayed a lack of wisdom and an unhealthy desire to judge someone's theology which, as I've already stated, has not been published. In other words, it is difficult to convince others we are not judgmental when we are busy to judge a book that is not in print. I have been an ardent fan of Bell's work for some time. That having been said, there is no pastor or theologian I have found with whom I completely agree. And, if Bell's book condones a universalist stance, I will disagree with him. But I cannot make such a judgment until I have evidence. And I have none. Jesus said we would be judged in the same way we judge others. This is why so many outside the church rush to judge us; we love to cannibalize our own.

Second, the public nature of the entire event was even more disconcerting. The pastors who decried Bell's work are exceptionally public figures within the Evangelical community. I know this was not an "in-church" matter as described in Matthew 18, but to think that church leaders decided to very publicly attack another church leader immediately concerned me. Where was the pastoral wisdom in this approach? An honest question: Did any of the prominent pastors (published authors, regular conference speakers, etc.) attempt to contact Bell privately prior to their rush to condemnation? Another question: Was there any effort to restore Bell prior to attack? It seems unlikely, in both instances. And that is shameful, not simply from a New Testament perspective, but from the common knowledge of good manners.

I love theology; it is the very soul of our church. But the centerpiece of theology is Jesus, who loved people. He loved the Pharisees (the conservatives of his day) and the Sadducees (the liberals of his day) by continually confounding them. He did so by pushing them to look beyond categories and toward the Kingdom. He did so by challenging them to love people. When we challenge ideas publicly and prematurely, we had certainly be doing so with an eye to restoration. Unfortunately, this felt like something completely different.

The Internet has emboldened us all. We make comments and assertions without thought of feeling or consequence. When Paul said that we should handle our grievances within the church, do you think he envisioned we would not only use the same methods as the pagans but do so publicly?

May we take the words of James at heart: "Be quick to listen and slow to speak."

The world is watching.

Words of Wisdom

2011-02-17T09:37:00.001-06:00

I wish I had written this post. Thanks, Don.

Ah, Valentine

2011-02-15T22:04:00.003-06:00

Yes, I participated in the completely fake and commercialized holiday known as Valentine's Day. The people who complain about it clearly don't have children. You mean I'm REQUIRED to get a babysitter and go hang out with my wife? I don't have to answer, "Dad, can I play your phone?" during dinner?

Yes, Alex, I'll take World's Greatest Invented Holiday for $1000.

And so, thanks to Lorenzo and Claire, JB and I were able to take advantage of this thoroughly contrived and commercial day and spend some time together.

Much love, Hallmark.

We ate dinner at a quaint and lovely restaurant on Magnolia—Ellerbe Fine Foods. I have a terrible habit of using hyperbole and exaggerating experiences, particularly when they are fresh on my mind. That's why I've waited a few days before describing this meal. I needed to regain my objectivity, because during dinner I proclaimed authoritatively, "This is the single best meal I have ever eaten. In my life." JB laughed at that pronouncement. But she did not disagree. Her mouth was full.

Ellerbe's menu features fresh, local ingredients, resulting in a menu that regularly changes as the seasons shift and ingredients expire or change. In other words, if you wait a bit between visits, you'll not see the same items twice. And while this may concern some of you creatures of habit (like myself), once you sample the creations of Chef Molly McCook's kitchen, you'll be eagerly awaiting any opportunity to lap up her most recent offerings.

The appetizer was New Orleans style BBQ shrimp with shortbread. I have no idea what was in the sauce, but I found myself breaking off hunks of the fresh baguette and sopping up said sauce with a bit too much glee. Particularly since I was sopping in an establishment that had linen tablecloths. But never mind the tablecloths, THAT SAUCE had to be consumed.

For dinner, I had pheasant. Yes, that gangly bird that resides in the Panhandle made its way to my plate. Simply put, it was magnificent. It had a glaze (cranberry, perhaps?) that complimented the cornbread dressing. Joy at the petite filet that was seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper and melted in your mouth upon eating. We kept saying, "What did they DO to this meat?" Oh, and the sweet potatoes au grautin layered with spinach were a thing of beauty. And then there was the cryptic side dish of Maque Choux. My server told me it was a "traditional Louisiana dish." My grandmother is cajun, and I'd never heard of this shrimp, corn, and cream concoction. And that was a shame. Because I'd eat some right now.

Dessert was a bread pudding that is, dare I say it, the best bread pudding ever plated. Don't think soggy. Think of a crispy cinnamon crust that hides something golden and gooey. Yes. Just like that.

This is me describing the meal four days after I ate it. Can you imagine what I was like right afterwards? In short, it really may be the single best meal of my life. That's why I had no shame in asking our server to box up every bit of the leftovers so I could sample them while I wrote this blog post.

If you have yet to understand: If you live in Fort Worth, go to Ellerbe Fine Foods. I plan on returning quite soon. And JB concurs.

After we ate, we did what any married couple dressed to the nines does after enjoying the Best Meal Ever does. We went to Super Target. Yes, it's shameful. But we had some stuff we needed to pick up for the boys. Don't worry. We weren't there too long. Besides, we had to kill some time before our movie started.

And then, the movie. We saw The King's Speech, a film based on the stammering problem of King George VI, and the man charged with helping him. Bottom line: It's a very good movie. Colin Firth should win Best Actor. Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter are excellent as well. I think this movie will win Best Picture, because the acting and story are almost too good to believe. (Do I think it SHOULD win Best Picture? Sorry, blokes, but I'm still leaning toward Inception for my personal fave. Just don't think it's got a snowball's chance.)

All in all, a great night: Ellerbe's, Super Target, a movie, and a night alone with the Love of My Life.

Not too shabby.

Even if was commercialized.

Crowds

2011-02-15T11:23:00.004-06:00

You've heard it before: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

Ah, platitudes and clichés. They would be easily dismissed if they didn't have some kernel of truth lying within.

Something I've learned: When you serve people without looking for something in return, they are genuinely baffled. (Of course, if you're looking for something in return, you're not really serving, are you?) Our world is so consumed with quid pro quo, tit-for-tat thinking, they they don't understand a gesture of kindness. And it piques curiosity.

Since moving to Fort Worth, our church has done some volunteer work at an elementary school on the east side of the city, given gift cards and Sonic drinks to the teachers at our neighborhood school, helped with neighborhood HOA events, and little things like this. The financial investment has been minimal (we didn't have ANY money, initially), and the time commitment hasn't been much, either.

In each case we served, but we asked for nothing in return.

Doesn't sound like a way to build a church.

But, in each case, people have been interested to hear more about our church and about Jesus.

We're starting a new series Sunday on the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon, in Matthew 5-7, is perhaps the most famous sermon ever delivered. It is the core of Jesus' teachings, and it outlines a new way of living in God's Kingdom.

The Bible says that there were massive crowds gathered to hear Jesus teach.

Why?

Because he had shown how much he cares. The three verses prior to the beginning of the sermon tell us that Jesus healed the ill, cast out demons, and went visiting people from town to town (Don't underestimate incarnational living.). And the crowds came.

May we love today so that we might tell people what we know.

The Boys' Valentine Gift To Me...My Personal Dr. Doofinschmirtz

2011-02-15T10:01:00.001-06:00

Old News But Still Good News

2011-02-07T20:50:00.002-06:00

I'm a bit behind, so I apologize if you've already seen this, but I was encouraged by this article regarding the national ranking of Baylor's Ph.D. in Religion. (Obviously I have a bias, so it was good to read an outside opinion.)

My Fave Super Bowl Ad

2011-02-07T15:03:00.004-06:00

Super Bowl Honorable Mention #2

2011-02-07T15:03:00.003-06:00

Honorable Mention Super Bowl Ad #1

2011-02-07T15:00:00.001-06:00

You Cannot Change Until You Love

2011-02-05T14:24:00.002-06:00

My friend, Bob Roberts, has been teaching me about engaging people from around the world, particularly people of different faiths. He recently interviewed a pastor who lives in a Muslim city. Here is an excerpt from that interview:

Joseph do you fear Muslims?

No, I don’t fear Muslims.

Why?

They are human beings like me. They are also a creation of God.

Do you have friends that are Muslims?

I have a lot of friends even the mayor of the city - he’s a Muslim and even the member of Parliment - even the chairman of the Imams for the country is my friend.

How should Christians respond to Muslims?

They need to love them. They should show them they also value no matter how they believe.

In the early days, you had some Muslims persecute you?

They went as far as burning my house when some people were going to be baptized.

Were you afraid of them?

At that time very much - I thought they would kill me.

What changed that?

I had to make a strong relationship with them and their leaders. I discovered what I was lacking was love to the Muslim people. That was a problem!

We have to understand that Jesus loves everyone. The Love of Christ is in our life. To demonstrate that love we must have a relationship with others.

The lesson seems clear: If you want to change the world, you have to love the world first.

Who Is My Neighbor?

2011-02-04T12:49:00.005-06:00

Neighbors are complex things. You live next to them, but sometimes you don't exactly know them. You know enough to wave to them at the mailbox and chat on the sidewalk, but you rarely are best friends with them. Being neighbors means being familiar but also maintaining some sort of space. There is some wisdom in the old adage, "Good fences make good neighbors."

My trip to the Middle East taught me something about neighbors. When you live with people, the relationship is typically much more peaceful, complex, and interrelated than we think.

Case in point: I met Muslim after Muslim who loved and lived side-by-side with Christians. And I met Christians who loved and lived side-by-side with Muslims.

It's not a religious boiling pot, as we are often led to believe.

This is not naivete. Yes, there are conflicts, but the lines are not as clearly drawn as we sometimes think, or as we are sometimes told.

So when I saw this photo making its rounds on the Web, I was not surprised.

It shows a group of Muslim protesters in Egypt stopping to pray. And it shows Egyptian Christians surrounding them so that they can pray without interruption.

Remember how you've been told that Christians are in immense danger in Egypt? Remember how you've been told that they are afraid of Muslims? Perhaps they are. But they are not so afraid that they will not love their neighbors in the face of danger.

As was asked of Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

Those people you believe are your enemies? The ones that you've been told hate you? Perhaps they do. But, then again, maybe they don't.

You will not know if they are your enemy until you actually know them. And, when you know them by sharing meals and conversations and activities, you will begin to love them. And when you love them, you will have fulfilled the Sermon on the Mount.

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

I believe this Egyptian woman, kissing an Egyptian soldier, understands the Sermon on the Mount.

Do we?

Fruit Is Different

2011-02-03T15:23:00.004-06:00

My boys are about as different as they can be. Ben is bookish, fairly conservative, thoughtful, and more reserved. Andrew is out front, energetic, excited, and ready to take a chance.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which one had before he turned seven.

Yesterday Drew's impetuousness took over again. He and his friend decided to do some "tricks" in his bedroom. I can't report with accuracy exactly what these tricks entailed, but I can tell you with some certainty that they weren't all that well-planned. At some point Drew ended up standing on his friend's shoulders and then fell off. He landed on his shoulder. Ouch.

I was none too pleased with my son's escapades. I was stern in talking to him, explaining that he needed to be wise and not foolish. I told him I don't want him to hurt himself.

And, truth be told, I was probably too hard on him.

We watched him overnight, and, this morning, we ended up in the ER getting X-Rays. Sure enough, he has a broken clavicle. He's in a shoulder stabilizer for a while and on limited activity for 6-8 weeks.

We've been reading James as a church, and we've been exploring what it means to be "slow to speak" and to reveal a transformed heart through our transformed speech (as described in James 3). As I held my words to my son up against that passage, I was convinced that I had not handled my tongue well.

I suppose that's why I tried to be more loving and gentle today. But when I read this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer today, I was reminded that I have further to go in my surrender to the Spirit's bidding:

"Works are accomplished by human hands, but fruit sprouts and grows without the tree knowing it."

I can work to control my words, but the day that better words emerge naturally will demonstrate a submission to the Spirit that is different than willpower or any sort of self-control I might muster.

May we submit to the Spirit today.

Why We Pray

2011-02-02T22:03:00.002-06:00

Most every day I have a conversation with someone in which I say, "I'll pray about that."

For years I never really did. I intended to do so, but I forgot. Or something came up. Or I didn't think it to be that important.

Somewhere along the way that changed for me.

I can remember a conversation I had with Matt during college. I confessed to him that I loved to spend time reading my Bible, but that prayer was difficult for me. I had prayed my entire life. I was, in church circles, "good" at praying.

But it didn't seem to be effective.

Maybe prayer changed when I prayed as someone who honestly needed help.

I can remember asking God to heal me in 2001, to allow me to see my son graduate high school. Prayers like that stick with you. And, when you are supposed to be dead and, inexplicably, you are still alive, you begin to believe that prayer makes a difference.

I think that's when prayer changed for me—when I began to believe that it actually did something.

I bring this up because I know that many people don't believe that prayer really matters. They think that it is kind and even sentimental, but they do not believe that prayer affects the outcomes of life. I notice that people will sometimes say, "You are in my thoughts," as if to distinguish that they will think of you, but will not be praying. Of course, it is better to say that one will be in your thoughts than be dishonest about praying. And I know that there is some scientific evidence to back up the notion that simply thinking of another person can have a positive outcome with regard to healing. But, that having been said, thinking about someone is still different than praying for them.

Prayer is, after all, something that we do when we recognize a situation beyond our control. And we ask for the One who can control things to intercede. For thousands of years, people have prayed. They pray believing that God can, in some way, interact with their everyday lives.

In short, we pray because we think that God steps in and affects this world—much like He did in the Incarnation.

Over the last two years I have seen my friend healed of a brain tumor. I have seen another friend's pancreatic cancer shrink when it looked impossible. I have seen a church grow out of nothing. I have seen money arrive in the mailbox when my checking account was dangerously low. I have seen relationships restored that were destined to be broken. I have seen people turn to God who had given up on Him.

And, incidentally, each of these situations represent times when I, and other believers, prayed.

A couple of years ago I began writing all of my prayer concerns on the blank pages in the back of my Bible. And it's been amazing to watch God work in those lives and situations.

When I was a young boy I knew a woman named Berian Tinsley. She attended my church, First Baptist Church of Gainesville. Every Sunday she told me that she prayed for me every day. I had no idea why she did. Frankly, it seemed a bit odd that an older woman would pray for a fifth grader. But she did.

When I would return home from college to visit my parents and worship with them, Ms. Tinsley would tell me the same thing. She prayed for me daily.

I saw her in the hospital shortly before a stroke took her life. She could say very little, but she managed to tell me that she prayed for me every day.

Only now do I realize what a great gift she gave. She prayed for me because she discerned I needed it. And she prayed for me daily because she believed that God could, and would, intercede in my life. And He did. And He has continued to do so.

And now I pray for others. They may not know of the gift I give them. But I am convinced of its goodness and power.

God loves this world so much that interacts with it. In His Son, yes. But also through our prayers.

May we pray today, believing that those same prayers make a difference.

The Civil Wars

2011-02-01T14:57:00.004-06:00

A few months back several of my friends attended David Crowder's Worship Conference at Baylor University. They came back raving about a variety of things, but there was one consistent.

They each raved about a new band called The Civil Wars.

The Civil Wars released their album today on iTunes and Amazon. I downloaded it and, so far, am thoroughly enjoying the folk duo.

A tip to the wise, the Civil Wars are playing in Abilene, Dallas, Denton, and Waco (and Jackson and New Orleans) in March. Might be worth a trip.

Fort Worth Favorites

2011-01-28T08:45:00.005-06:00

It's Friday. You're looking for distraction, and I'm here to help.

I'd like to offer up my six-month list of my Fort Worth Favorites.

Yes, I'm new to town. And, yes, these are snap judgments.

Favorite Mexican Food: Paco and John's. The grandaddy of them all is Joe T's. The en vogue one is Salsa Fuego. I love Joe T's, and I haven't been to Salsa Fuego (yet), but it's gonna tough to beat the delicious, cheap, fresh, and surprisingly clean surroundings of Paco and John's. Try the Taxi Tacos. Honorable Mention: Mexican Inn—Gotta love their chips and Arroz con Pollo.

Favorite Pie: Paris Coffee Shop. I've already blogged this. Look, they hand squeeze lemons at 3:00 a.m. to make the lemon pie. There is no comparison.

Favorite BBQ: Cooper's. Tried some other local places and have been disappointed. But Cooper's location in the Stockyards is roomy, clean, and the meat is smoked right before your eyes. Lyle Lovett likes the pork chops. Like they say, "It's all about the meat."

Favorite Breakfast Place: Yogi's Bagel Cafe. It's packed with TCU students on Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. but with good reason. Yes, it's too pricey for breakfast, but it's fresh and made to order from pancakes and french toast to omelets and eggs benedict. And the coffee is stellar.

Favorite Chinese Food: Taste of Asia. For convenience sake, we eat at Pei Wei more often, but Taste of Asia's food is freshly prepared and bowls you over from the first bite. Love the Kung Pao Chicken here.

Favorite Sandwich: Jersey Mike's. I'm still looking for the Mom and Pop sandwich shop in town. I'm sure it exists, hearkening back to my days at the Hungry Hippo in Gainesville, Texas. But, until then, I'll take the tuna on wheat made Mike's Way any time.

Favorite Movie Theater: Movie Tavern. Imagine a theater with a three story painting of the original King Kong poster in the middle of a vibrant neighborhood with food service at your seat. That's the Movie Tavern on 7th. I love it. The upcoming Citizen Theater may give it a run for its money, but, at least until it opens, I'm a loyal customer.

Favorite Dive: Fred's. One block from the Movie Tavern in the middle of high-rise condominiums is a cafe that refuses to be bought out. It serves all manner of comfort food with all kinds of grease. I love the way this place feels, and I love the Portabella Burger (yes, no meat). Farky said the Chicken Fried was pretty righteous.

Did I miss anything? Probably. So tell me about it so I can be a true local here in Fort Worth.

Clinging Like a Possum

2011-01-27T09:49:00.002-06:00

I woke up this morning thinking about possums.

Last night we had some friends over for dinner, and one of my friends, Scott, shared a story about a time that a possum invaded their home. Through a comedy of errors, he ended up having to send the possum to Glory using a spade shovel while the creature was trapped in his trash can. The possum had been "playing possum," as it were, so Scott made sure he took care of the vermin by literally severing it in half with his shovel. Much to his chagrin, he turned around to discover his young daughter was watching the entire episode in horror the entire time.

As he told us this story we were howling with laughter.

I told a similar story about how a possum ended up on our back porch one night in an attempt to make off with our very young kittens. In order to defend the honor of my children's kittens, I took the only weapon I had—an aluminum baseball bat—and sent that possum to meet Scott's possum in that great Possum Reunion in the Sky. And, like Scott, I turned around to find my sons gawking in a combination of fear, respect, and disgust at my possum conquering heroics.

One of my other friends, Erin, told about how she witnessed a possum with a baby possum latched on circling her workplace one day. Another friend, Audrey, related how her mom would use a high-pressure water hose nozzle to drive away their repeat possum visitor.

Between the heavenly delight of JB's spinach lasagna and the hysterical possum antics of our friends, last night was great.

The best part of last night? I didn't know any of these people six months ago.

There is an article floating around the Web that is causing a bit of a stir among church leaders right now. You can gather its message from its title: "Why Churches Should Euthenize Small Groups." His argument is simple: Small groups don't make disciples, so we shouldn't waste our time with them. (He has some good points in the article, too. I'm not dismissing it out of hand.)

I think he's right. Small groups don't make disciples. Disciples make disciples. If you want people to become passionate about Jesus, then they must walk and learn from others who are passionate about Jesus. Personally, we've eschewed the term "small group" and embraced the "cell" philosophy instead. We call them "Community Groups." But we could call them anything. The name doesn't matter.

The thing about most small groups is that they aren't really empowered or designed to make disciples in the first place. They are designed to assimilate people into the church. And that's a worthy goal. But if you want disciples, you have to allow groups to have spiritual authority and influence in one another's lives.

We use a very distinct way of describing it at The Commons. On more than one occasion I have stood before our church on a Sunday morning and said, "This is not church. This is worship. What happens in our groups is church." My point is clear: When you study, pray, confess, love, minister, and grow together, then you experience the church that is described in the New Testament. We had a woman visit our Community Group once. She is not a believer. Her words still ring in my ears: "I've read this book [she held up a Bible at this point] many times and never seen what I thought it described as a church until I sat in this living room."

So, yes, a "small group" where the focus is dinner and a curriculum will most likely not produce disciples. It will probably produce some friendships, but it won't make better Jesus followers.

But when you release the church to be the church in the lives of one another. When you allow them to disciple each other as the Spirit leads (with some guidelines, of course), then you'll be amazed at what happens. I saw it happen at my previous church, and I'm watching it happen now. Are there problems? Yes. Are there flaws? Absolutely. But are people coming to know Christ more and becoming discipleship? I think so.

The New Yorker had an article yesterday about the power of social connections. I think much of what small groups have been about has centered on the social benefits of groups. And those are great.

But if the world is to be changed then we need to empower and release disciples to make disciples. We can't always design the curriculum or the format. But we can trust the same Spirit that formed the church at Pentecost.

You see, after lasagna and possum stories we talked through James 2. And we uncovered some or our motivations for acting in faith (or out of faith, as the case may be). And we shared some struggles. And we broke into threes and prayed for each other. And other things were told. And we took one more step toward growing one another. Soon, one of us will start another group. Not because we don't like each other. But because we will have someone in our life that is ready to become a disciple. So we'll begin to read, pray, laugh, eat, and grow with that person.

That's the way the Kingdom works.

It's not a program designed from the bottom up necessarily.

It's something we carry with us, where ever we go. It clings to us.

Sort of like a baby possum clings to its mom.

What Does Fort Worth Have To Do With Jerusalem?

2011-01-26T09:19:00.003-06:00

I've recently returned from a trip to the MidEast, touring Israel and the West Bank. The trip was not primarily for pleasure, although I did have a fantastic time. Instead, the trip was intended for educational purposes. One of the pastors teaching me church planting and global engagement invited me (and other pastors) on a week-long trip to understand the complexities of interacting within the international community.

The experience was eye-opening, to say the least.

My background, education, and American-mindedness had led me to think in terms of Israel and the West Bank in black and white terms. Israel was good. The Palestinians were bad. I suppose that, if pressed, I would have conceded that it was probably more complex than that. But I had no idea just how complex it really is.

It would be impossible for me to surmise the trip in one blog post, but I thought that by highlighting a few of my experiences I could begin to explain the variable nature of the conflict facing the region.

I was amazed at the hospitality I experienced on my trip. I sat down to meals with Muslims, Christians, orthodox Jews, and secular Jews. I found them all to be exceptionally engaging people with a love for their city and their country. Interestingly enough, I also found that almost each of them believes in and wants peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. They want to see some sort of solution by which these two groups of people can co-exist. When you experience such hospitality and hear such opinions, then you begin to recognize that the categories of "good guys" and "bad guys" are rather naïve and passé. Are there people who do bad—even evil—things? Absolutely. But do they represent the entire population on whose behalf they believe they are acting? Not even close.

We will soon begin walking through the Sermon on the Mount at The Commons. I'm reminded that Jesus talked of loving our enemies. When you drink mint lemonade, share hummus, feast on tomato and cucumber salad, and sip Turkish coffee with someone, you begin to like them. When you hear how the current political climate has put his family in a difficult position and made economic recovery almost impossible, you begin to identify with him. Soon you find that he is not your enemy. He is like you. And you want to help him.

I was also amazed at the remarkable sorts of Christians I met in the West Bank. I met a man whose family has lived on the same hillside, farming the same land for literally hundreds of years. He possesses a deed to the land issued by the Ottoman Empire. Around him are settlers, bent on taking his hillside because he was Palestinian. They have vandalized his land at various times, uprooting his olive trees, breaking his fences, and issuing demolition orders on his property. He is forced to live in a cave because the government will not allow him to build. Nevertheless, he is committed to being the Presence of Christ in this place. Outside his gate is a simple sign that reads: "We Refuse to be Enemies." His goal is to love those who want him removed. I could not help but be moved by his commitment. I wondered if I would have the same sort of commitment. He is living the Gospel in a difficult place while this morning in the United States we are arguing over much more petty items.

His question to us: "Why do the Christians in the United States not support us?" His point: "My family received the Gospel two thousand years ago. We have been Christians and lived on this land forever. Why do the Christians of the West not speak out on our behalf?" That's a great question, and it's one I'm definitely mulling since my return.

The Israel/West Bank region is exceptionally complex because next to the same people who pray for peace there those who dream of violent revolution. There are those who fire rockets from Gaza into a small Israeli town called Sderot. There are those who are militant—both Jews and Muslims—who believe that only in violence will the conflict be resolved.

But, perhaps most importantly, the region is of global significance. The world watches how the United States relates to the Israelis and Palestinians. And it watches how the Christians of the United States relate to both of these groups. If anything, I learned that. Those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus can no longer ignore this part of the world, for it is central to the future of the world. If we talk about engaging the culture and shaping the future, then we must engage Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, and Ramallah, for this is where the future is being formed. Either it can have strong Christian voices, or it can find its way forward without them.

I know which option I choose.

I am unsure of how or where I (or The Commons) will be involved in this part of the world in the future. I am still learning. But I find myself watching the news differently. I find myself reading articles with a new eye. I find myself discovering voices I did not know existed just a few weeks ago.

I think this is the heart of global engagement, and, frankly, I think this is what Jesus had in mind as He described the spread of His Kingdom—a place where enemies dine together and discover they are friends by the time the kanafeh is served.

Cultural Quick Hits

2011-01-25T19:46:00.003-06:00

There's a much more substantial post in the near future regarding my recent trip to the MidEast, but I've got a couple of pop culture items floating around in my head. And, of course, there's always a theological tie-in.

So without further ado—

1. Last night while flipping channels I paused on "The Bachelor." Big mistake. I hadn't seen this show in years, but after talking to some friends recently discovered that it was still on the air. The show is, in fact, in its fifteenth season. Each girl, without fail, is convinced that they are in this "for love." News flash: If the dude is making out with a different girl every five minutes, there is not an iota of "love" involved. The most tragic part of the show, however, is that each woman is genuinely convinced that they have some sort of "connection" that is so "real" with the dude and he will, in the end, choose her.

If this is true, then I am baffled. Do women really believe that they will find love through this experience? Surely they are not this dumb. How can you talk about wanting to find "the One" or a "good guy" that you can "share life with" when you are on a reality TV show with 24 other women willing to make out with this supposed "good guy" on national television?

My point? These women aren't in it for love. They may say that for the camera.

But we are men (and women) of action. Lies do not become us.

These women aren't in this for "love."

They just wanna win.

There's a theological concept called Total Depravity. I'm not here to argue for or against it (personally, I believe in it, at least in one of its manifestations), but it essentially argues that without the grace of Jesus, there is nothing good that can emerge from humanity. Watching one episode of "The Bachelor" makes me believe in the depravity of people. Women will use words like "love" and "connection" in order to cover up the fact that they just wanna win. They want a wealthy man to pick them over other women. And men will use talk about giving themselves "over to the experience" as an excuse to make out with as many women as possible. I know that most people who are not Christians don't see anything necessarily immoral with this behavior (regarding sexuality), but, at base level it's immoral for one reason—it's dishonest.

That's why I tweeted this last night: "The Bachelor is proof of the depravity of humanity."

2. Academy Award nominations were released today. I am not an "awards show" person, but JB and I will typically stop down for at least part of the Oscars for two reasons: 1) JB loves to look at the clothes, and 2) I am a self-confessed movie geek. Over the years of our marriage (almost twelve) we've made it something of a habit to make an effort to see each of the pictures nominated for Best Picture. Consequently, I always make it a point to check out the nominations.

However, being a self-confessed movie geek, I am rarely left in awe over a film. There is rarely a movie that is so creative that I find myself thinking about it days or weeks later. I saw one movie that did that to me this year: Inception by Christopher Nolan. I'm a self-professed Nolan fan, but I'm not alone in the love of this film; it was also nominated for Best Picture.

Over the last ten years, Nolan has made several memorable films: Memento, The Dark Knight, and The Prestige. In my opinion, Inception dwarfs them all.

Here's the rub—Nolan has yet to be nominated for Best Director.

This isn't some sort of Martin Scorcese or Randy Newman curse where you are continually nominated but never win. It's even worse. The man has made two of the best films of the last three years (Inception and Dark Knight—each nominated for Best Picture), written his own screenplays (for each of the his films, nominated for Memento and Inception), casted, directed, and shot films that have creativity and substantial themes, and for his work he has received no directorial recognition.

Meanwhile the Coen brothers are nominated for True Grit, and David Fincher is nominated for The Social Network. I can't speak for the other directors; I haven't seen the other films. But from a sheer craftsmanship perspective, Inception towers over them both. (Ten years from now do you think that people will be stop flipping channels to stop and watch The Social Network? Not a chance. Inception is the sort of movie that will be selling out one-time only midnight showings at film festivals fifty years from now. That's the measure of a director.)

Bear with me. I have a point.

The Academy is notorious for "make-up" Oscars. They give the award to the person that should have received it the last time around. Not only that, but they tend to give it out only after there is a public outcry for a particular actor, actress, director. You heard of the "Lifetime Achievement Award"? It should be called the "Oops, We Should Have Given You An Oscar Award."

If Nolan's next non-comic book film is substantial, I predict he'll be nominated.

That's the way we work. We make a mistake, and we try to make it up later. Unfortunately, that's bad for behavior, it's bad for creativity, and it's bad for theology.

Theologically speaking, that's the opposite of grace.

Commons Catch-Up

2011-01-24T16:42:00.002-06:00

Here's what's happening in the life of The Commons this week:

Our second week in the school went much smoother. Don't get me wrong; last week was a blast. But our enthusiasm and energy made up for many organizational issues I missed. We worked hard this week to address those issues. We purchased a trailer. We rented a storage space for the trailer. We picked up some "accents" for the space (tablecloths, seat cushions, nursery supplies, etc.). And, along the way, we smoothed out some of our processes.

We still have some details to overcome, but I am confident that the next few weeks will be much easier for our setup. We want setup to be seamless for a simple reason: Our goal is to make worship A great part of the week, not THE central part of the week. We believe that our Community Groups and service in the city need to be just as important as they were prior to this move, so we want to avoid expending too much energy around the worship service. So while we are desiring excellence in our Sunday morning worship gathering, we are not wanting to expend more energy than is necessary so that we might have enough left to do good ministry within the city.

Our plan is to "go public" in the community on Sunday, February 6th. On that day we will send out notices to the three neighborhoods in the immediate area. Honestly, we do not anticipate the notices creating an attendance increase, but we rather simply want to begin alerting our neighbors to the fact that a new church is in the area.

Between now and the Summer our ministry plan is fairly simple and direct:

1. Minister to the teachers and staff at Sue Crouch Intermediate School (where we are meeting) and the teachers and staff at East Handley Elementary School (where JB teaches and the boys attend).

2. Intensely disciple those who are attending The Commons and release them to create new groups where they can share the Gospel and disciple others.

3. Serve in the Hulen Heights neighborhood.

4. Release our church to do the same in their area.

5. Share the Gospel in the neighborhood through a yet-to-be-determined ministry to the neighborhood children during Summer vacation (Think VBS, but different, since we don't have church facilities. Maybe a day camp of sorts. We want it to serve parents who would like a place for their kids to spend the day.)

Thanks for your support and prayers. We are seeing some exciting things, and we are continually encouraged by the life and community engagement and transformation we are witnessing.

Bonhoeffer Biography

2011-01-19T10:19:00.003-06:00

Last year Thomas Nelson published a new biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer written by Eric Metaxas. I have yet to read the book, but I did receive a copy of it for Christmas from the Mom-in-Law. Among Bonhoeffer scholars, the book has been derided as a simple rehashing of Eberhard Bethge's biography. (Confession: I may have contributed to the derision initially because I was unconvinced that there was need for a new biography.) Bethge was Bonhoeffer's best friend, so I doubt that there will be any new information which Metaxas brings to light, at least from a "facts" standpoint.

Nevertheless, I plan on reading Metaxas's biography. In my experience, popular biographers often accentuate details which may escape more academic treatments. In other words, I expect a more "human" treatment of Bonhoeffer. Secondly, I have great admiration for Bethge and his biography (it was a central text in my dissertation), but it was not an easy read. Finally, I've had more than one friend say that it was excellent.

And, thanks to Andy Crouch, I saw this article about Bonhoeffer and the Metaxas biography today. After I finish The Discipline of Grace, I think I'll be delving into Metaxas.

Thoughts on Sunday

2011-01-17T17:14:00.002-06:00

Hey, there blog friends. Sorry for the absenteeism. Between Christmas, a trip to Israel/West Bank, and The Commons, I've had to put some of my blogging on hold.

For those of you who have been following the progress of The Commons, I wanted to share the latest step in our congregational journey. Since July we have been meeting in our living room. It's been a terrific way to build community, but as our church has grown, our house has gotten increasingly tight. We knew that we were going to have to make a change soon.

Side note: When we were envisioning what The Commons would look like, we pictured a church that would be family-oriented with regard to Children's Ministry. What I mean is this: We want parents involved in the discipling of their kids and to worship with their children each week. I don't know lots about Children's Ministry, but everything I know I've learned from my life-long friend, Beth. She has taught me over the years that kids learn holiness best by worshipping side-by-side with Mom and Dad. Consequently, we've invited kids into our congregational life from the very beginning.

That means that when our house began feeling a bit too small, part of that tightness was caused by the number of kids we have at The Commons. We have about forty people attending regularly, and about fifteen of those are kids. That makes for one happening living room on a Sunday morning!

So...we knew that we wanted to move out of the house, but we wanted to move to a space that would allow us to be faithful to our plan to include parents in the spiritual lives of their children.

After much research and thought, this past Sunday we migrated our worship meeting from our living room to the cafetorium at Sue Crouch Intermediate School. The school is just about one mile from our house, and it's directly in the middle of the neighborhoods we are trying to reach. We all met at the school early on Sunday and transformed the cafeteria into a worship space.

One half of the room was our Commons Kids room, complete with a bounce house. We had a blast watching the kids play games, bounce around, and then settle in for a study on the Israelite spies entering the Promised Land.

After Commons Kids concluded, we migrated to the other side of the room where we had rows of benches set up for our worship service. We had 40 worshippers in attendance, and we had a great time celebrating this new phase in the life of our church.

There were a few hiccups, but such things are to be expected. We ended up needing a different solution for our amplification; we needed better signs; a couple of young men were left behind as we broke down our Sunday set-up (Don't worry; they got home safe and sound.).

There was a vibrancy among our church as we celebrated this step as a congregation. We started a sermon series on the book of James, thinking about how God is in the process of transforming our lives. We prayed that this cafeteria would be used for community and city transformation. And we cleaned up in record time (fifteen minutes!).

Our plan is to go "public" in the neighborhood on February 6th—Super Bowl Sunday. In the meantime, we'll be working out the kinks of our new meeting spot. On Saturday, February 5th, we plan to walk the neighborhood and tell our neighbors about the new church that is meeting in the local school. We would appreciate prayers as we work out those bugs and prepare to take a more "official" presence in the area.

Thanks for all your prayers! You are carrying us forward each day.

Drew's BB Gun Practice

2010-12-31T17:27:00.001-06:00

Nephew Christmas Clowning

2010-12-25T14:26:00.001-06:00

Even More

2010-12-25T08:58:00.001-06:00

More Christmas Morning Awesomeness

2010-12-25T08:57:00.001-06:00

Christmas Morning Awesomeness

2010-12-25T08:45:00.001-06:00