New Orleans Reflections

Last week 18 of us from Hempfield COB (the sponsoring congregation of Veritas) went on a disaster relief trip to New Orleans, LA to help in the rebuilding effort that is still going on three years after Katrina. Here are some random thoughts and reflections from my week there.

1. I can't believe the destruction that is still evident all around. Houses that are abandoned and set to be demolished were all around, as were foundations that houses once stood on. Those foundations were there either from houses being washed away from that spot, or from crews demolishing houses that were unfit to live in.

2. A simple act such as coming down and putting in a concrete floor in a person's house can have an impact. The team that I was working with got to meet 2 of the people whose houses we were working on. One, Robin, told us her story about surviving Katrina. When we told her what we were doing to the house that she bought after Katrina, and was slowly working on, she broke down in tears. It almost brought me to tears thinking about the suffering that she was witness to, and that we could bless her in just a small way.

3. Something happened though midway through the week that unforuntately colored (for me) the entire week. Wednesday night someone broke into the house we were staying at, while we were there. They used a ladder to climb to the second floor and climb in a window. They stole 100 and some dollars plus my iPod (that was a gift from people in the Veritas community). I tried not to let it bother me, but it really did, and I found my attitude changing and not being as open to that community as before. It felt like a kick in the teeth.."Here we are trying to help and serve people..and you come in and steal stuff.."

4. I really really missed my wife and kids...and honestly probably should have stayed home as I am away from home way way too much.

5. Burbon Street is a wild place. One that I wouldn't necessarily want to go back to. Found a cool looking Irish Pub called Boondock Saints that had an awesome looking sign outside the pub. The sign had a Celtic Cross on it...I wish I had my camera to take a picture.

I am glad to be home now for a while (except a short trip to NJ this weekend with my wife). Beginning to work on the vision and dreams for Veritas in the future....Some questions that I am wrestling with are:

1. Should we change the name Veritas to something else once we launch our new vision? I was thinking that if we change it, it could be something like "The Front Porch" or "Eikons". Let me know what you think.

2. What does Veritas (or the new name) look like once we launch into the future?
3. Please pray for us as we look into the future and dream of what Veritas might become and how we can grow (spiritually, numerically, missionally, relationally)

Tangible Kingdom Part III

I can't believe it has almost been a month since I last posted on this blog (also that it seems like it has turned into my own personal blog...come you other members of Veritas...where are you???)

Alot has gone on in regards to life and ministry. I am mostly holding true to my commitment to being out only 2 nights doing church work. I am out Tuesday nights with meetings, and if I go to CRU at Elizabethtown College. Wednesday nights I take Kaiden (my oldest) to the children's ministry, I hang out until he is done, then I go to our Sr. High boys group, and then home. At this point Monday and Thursdays' are home days (except in some rare instances)

I am rereading The Tangible Kingdom because I am really inspired by the book but also looking at the Adullam community in Denver (Kim said the other night that if we lived in Denver we would definitely want to be part of that community....but we aren't moving to Denver) I am inspired by the structure and form of that church and can see Veritas moving in a very similiar mode in the future.

Anyway as I am again sitting in Starbucks typing this I found these words that again disturb me, convict me, and push me deeper into a more incarnational life and ministry:
"If we as leaders aren't around people like Fiona (earlier story in the book) we'll never have a heart for them. If you go to Africa and hang out in a village of starving children, you'll get a heart for starving African children. If you hang out with the mentally ill, you'll get a heart for the emotionally imbalanced. If you want an authentic heart for people outside the church...you've got to be with them. As they grab your heart, your posture will change, your angle of approach will change, and the kingdom of God will be a little more tangible."

So I am thinking of more ways to connect and be with people (without adding alot more to my schedule). Some ways are:
1. Continue frequenting Starbucks...on a more regular basis.
2. Continue walking around the neighborhood
3. Inviting neighbors over for dessert
4. Do something on Halloween evening (like give kids candy, and parents hot cider...sit outside and meet people...oh and give out tracks about the evil of Halloween..(just kidding)
5. Possibly sign up for a Meet-up group (maybe even attend Ray and Diane's Game group occassionally)

Those are some thoughts on making the kingdom of God a little more tangible.

Tangible Kingdom Part II

Last month I wrote about the book Tangible Kingdom and included a quote, and about 4 steps that I would like to take in order to live a more incarnational and missional life. Well 4 weeks later I realize how hard these commitments are for a pastor who works in the institutional church as well as has a family. Most of August I was either away in Mexico or at DayCamp and so up until today I wasn't able to get to Starbucks. This is where I am writing this blog from...but honestly if I am going to be present at Starbucks I need to make it an almost every day commitment. I also found that I am not really good at saying no. The last two days I have been asked to do 2 more things at church (teach a 5th-6th grade class on Wednesday nights and temporarily fill in to be the multi-media coordinator). Saying no is hard especially when both of these things are good things. But last year I believe I was out of the house between 3 and 4 nights a week, allowing me very little time to be at home with my kids and little time to establish relationships in the neighborhood, and to play in the front yard.

Some cool things though that have happened in regards to my commitments based off of the Tangible Kingdom. One was that a neighbor and her 2 boys invited our family to go to the swimming pool that they are members at. So last Friday night Kim and I took Kaiden and Trinity to the pool and hung out with this family. I have had more conversations with people in the neighborhood just from playing in the front yard and regularly taking walks around the neighborhood. Kim (I am hoping) will again be putting together a neighborhood play group. So God has done some cool things in and through us. I am just desiring more and more to do what Henry Nouwen wanted to do:
“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them. ”

I know that this will be really hard as we enter the fall where I could literally be out almost every night of the week working for the church. But I am hoping to stay true to a commitment that I have been thinking about. To only be out 2 nights a week (Monday through Thursday night) doing church related stuff (1 night of meetings, and 1 night of Youth Ministry stuff) Please ask me how I am doing with this commitment. I need the support, encouragement, and a slap in the face/kick in the butt if need be.

The Tangible Kingdom

After some bugging from a friend (thanks Martin) I recently bought two books (The Tangible Kingdom and Church Unique). I began reading the Tangible Kingdom on Monday night and finished it last night. It isn't a long read. It was a good one though....another needed reminder to be missional and incarnational wherever I am.

So I was reading the book and came across some really good quotes all throughout the book, but the one that caught my attention the most, as it states my issues very well. The quote is from Henry Nouwen.
"More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them. "

So that got me thinking of ways of living this quote out in my daily life. So here is what I am committing to do:

1. To visit the local Starbucks between 2-3 per week. Hang out there. Do work there. Meet with youth and others there. Seek to have a presence there.

2. Host a neighborhood picnic either during the remainder of summer or during early fall.

3. Learn how to say no. A quote from the book spells out more about this, "Since the word missional theologically means to be sent, leaving is where living like a missionary really begins. Leaving isn't just about going overseas. It's about replacing personal or Christian activities with time spent building relationships with people in the surrounding culture."

4. Be outside more. Play in the front yard with my kids. Take more walks around the neighborhood. Pray as I am walking around the neighborhood. Start up more conversations.

These are just some commitments that I am making in order to be more missional. Keep me accountable by asking how I am doing with these things.

Surreal Experience

"My First allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man. My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood. It's to a king and a kingdom"- Derek Webb "A King and a Kingdom"

The other week as I was on vacation I was reading these words on the page of the book Jesus for President. My wife and I and our two kids were vacationing for a few days at Virginia Beach before heading to Richmond for the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference. As I sat on the balcony of our hotel room reading Shane Claiborne's book (which is all about justice, peace, the empire, etc..) I heard a rumbling noise from the air. At least once every hour a military jet (or two or three) came flying overhead making a ton of noise.

I kept thinking, "How much money is being spent on these flights? How much does jet fuel cost? How much of my taxes are going to fund the machines of war?" I tell you what... it was a surreal experience to read about the kingdom of God and the desire that God has for his people to be people of peace and to hear the war jets flying overhead.

Peace by Power????

Last evening I was home flipping the channels and came across a documentary on PBS. I believe it was called Carrier and was about life on an aircraft carrier. I didn't watch much of it, being solidly committed to pacificism, but the little I watched had some interesting things in it. During an interview with one guy, he said something to the effect that the armed forces were there to promote peace by power. Peace by power?? That got me thinking about the Roman empire and the Pax Romana (the Peace of Rome). The Pax Romana was not a peaceful idea. In fact it was only brought about because anyone who spoke up against Rome or in some way brought "trouble" to Rome was severly dealt with. They would be crucified outside the town with the understandable message, "You mess with Rome and you will end up like this." So the Peace of Rome was brought about through Violence...

So the comment last night reminded me of Rome and the empire. I began to wonder about the Pax Americana. How much of our peace as a country has been brought about by violence? Can peace be brought about violently or is that an oxymoron? I truly believe that peace is not done by power but by love, grace, service, and mercy. It's about power under (service) and not power over. (Thanks to Greg Boyd for these words) True peace is only found in Jesus and can't be brought about by demanding, fighting, and violence.

Red, White, or Blue (or even purple)

As our country gets closer and closer to the November elections and now that we finally have two candidates, things are heating up in the political realm. As a Christ-follower, I know that my hope is not in either political candidate or politicial process or political group. Obama talks alot about change, but real change can only be brought through Jesus and followers of Jesus who live out the kingdom of God in the here and now.

But back to Republicians and Democrats... I was driving somewhere recently and saw a sign that said, "Seeing Red, Vote Blue" and I thought to myself if I'm not red, and I'm not blue, what am I? So I thought I guess I'm white. I'm not fully comfortable with either candidate, as I mentioned in a previous post. So I guess I'm more independent than anything, though I am registered as a republican.

Recently though I heard another way of putting it. Marcia Ford wrote a book entitled "We the purple". This is what I found on that idea,

"Independent voters like Ford have been dubbed “Purple” voters for their penchant to blend Red- and Blue-State politics (not to mention Green and all manner of politics that have avoided a primary color designation). But far from being indecisive or non-committal, Ford contends that Purple voters are passionate about politics, so much so that they’re unwilling to passively play into the two-party system that stifles real dialogue and effective governance. She writes, “When a candidate is not beholden to a major political party, that candidate is free not only to speak her mind but also to engage in more creative problem-solving.”

Ford also points out that the two-party system has been especially poisonous for faith communities who are often held hostage by religious political rhetoric that tells voters they risk spiritual and/or personal failure by voting the wrong way. Ford, who left a church that became politicized, writes, “While pastors were preaching the Republican line, the spiritual life of their congregations was draining away drop by drop.” And it’s not just a problem in conservative churches: partisan politics plays out in liberal mainline, African-American and other churches. “As paradoxical as the image may seem, if Christians remained morally centered, their votes could swing all along the political spectrum.”

So I guess I am either white or more likely purple....I just don't fit nicely into either republican or democrat. I have been encouraged, challenged and deepened in my faith and in regards to politics from reading Greg Boyd's awesome book, "The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the quest of political power is destroying the church" I would encourage everyone, whether red, white, blue or purple to read this awesome and challenging book.