The Highest Compliment

The other day I received the highest compliment EVER. It was lunch time with the boys. We were sitting at the kitchen table munching on grilled cheese and discussing sundry concerns—school, friends, bugs—all the essentials in life, of course. Then, between sandwich dips into ketchup, Daniel asked, “Daddy, when I go to heaven, will you come with me?”

To put it mildly—I was enamored with fatherly pride and joy. There is no greater honor than to accompany someone in their heavenly journey. But life with Daniel isn’t always a cake-walk. Sometimes in a fit of anger, he throws objects across the room. More often, he dips his head forward, peers through his furled brow, and grunts in dissatisfaction. When Daniel receives a harsh word, he pouts in teary disconsolation. When asked to do something he doesn’t want to do, he throws himself on the floor, wailing in despair and contorting his body in seizure-like tantrums. This is the journey of life with a three year old. But in the end, Daniel knows he is loved. We don’t walk out on him. We are patient, most of the time. And we actively invest in his life, so he feels comfortable sharing his anger, frustration, and hurts as well as his joys.

This reminds me much of our calling as a Church. Many people come into our church to find help for their journey. Most are not looking for a church institution to join. Nor do they want fantastic programs that somehow entertain momentarily. They are longing for a fellowship where they can belong, a community of redemptive love where the true state of their soul is accepted and encouraged to grow further in Christ. They may throw temper-tantrums at times, like the rest of us. They may get disappointed and disenchanted, like the rest of us. They may have idiosyncrasies, which are nearly irritating, just like the rest of us. And we are called by virtue of our commitment to Christ and His Church to be patient, to offer guidance as they adjust to the disciplines of Christian living and to actively invest in their lives.

It is as if every Sunday our visitors are looking around, waiting for someone to extend an invitation to walk with them to the very throne of Grace. They want to hear from the Church of Christ, those sitting near them and shaking their hands, “Come, let’s do this together. It’s going to be a long walk, but we’re here with you.” Or perhaps in Daniel’s words they are asking, “Church, when I go to heaven, will you come with me?”

Still walking,
JON

Report from the Future

Fast Company’s annual “Report from the Future” (March 2007) highlights a cadre of “money-making, world saving ideas—from a road that heats your water to concrete that cleans the air.” It features companies and individuals who are on the cutting edge of environmentally friendly technologies, which is quickly becoming not only big business, but also responsible business, all across the globe.

One such individual is Mark Edlen, the managing principal of Portland, Oregon-based Gerding Edlen Development. Edlen has developed around $4 billion worth of high-quality, environmentally sustainable buildings. Oregon Health and Science University’s new 16 storey bioscience center is one recent example, and is on track to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum rating. Working to maximize cost-efficiency, Edlen has set out to design buildings that will “produce more energy than they consume and consume more waste than they produce” and to do that within five years. When asked if he will make it, he replies, “I’m 100% confident that if we don’t try, we won’t make it.”

Wow!! What an attitude! “If we don’t try, we won’t make it.” This is perhaps the mantra for futurists and the gateway of experimentation for the innovators. It is not new to us Americans, for this disposition fueled much of our progress as a nation. However, this also motivated much of John Wesley’s ministry. He could see the amazing potential out there, beyond the walls of the church, and he set out to see this vision through, despite criticism and ridicule. He preached in ‘open air,’ even upon his father’s grave. He went to collieries where coal miners were slaving away, yet eager to hear about God’s love. He established homes for elderly widows. He self-learned medicine so the underprivileged could receive some health care. He wrote books and pamphlets to help educate the masses. He licensed women preachers to build the body of Christ among women. He said, “The world is my parish.” But, he didn’t just say it—he lived it.

“If we don’t try, we won’t make it.” I like it. Let's live it!

Moving Forward in Christ,
JON

A Moment to Brag

It is no secret that I am a huge soccer fan. I follow several teams around the world—Newcastle United in England, VfB Stuttgart in Germany, the US Men’s national team, and our closest professional soccer team FC Dallas (also known as ‘the hoops’). Though I am unable to make the games in Frisco, Texas, because of time and distance, I read up on them weekly through internet. Occasionally a treat of a game is on TV.

Now I am going to brag. Recently I became a founding and life-time member of Hoops Nation, FC Dallas’ fan club. I receive first dibs on game tickets, am privy to ‘insider’ knowledge through newsletters and blog-sites, am given discounts to all kinds of merchandise, and am showered with all kinds of fan paraphernalia. It is a wonderful experience, and I am quick to brag about it. I will probably add this to my professional vita (resume). “Founding and life-time member” has a certain resonance to it, distinguished and honorable. When I mention it to people, they are undoubtedly impressed. Initially, most are incredibly excited, though not surprised, because of my undaunted fanatical support of soccer. They esteem me in a higher light, and it feels good.

However, when I tell them it only cost me $10 (TEN!) dollars, something amazing happens. The honor and esteem seem to fizz out like air from a balloon. Their shoulders shrink in disappointment, and they are visibly disappointed. Hmmm…

It is a fitting reminder of Christian integrity. At times we may be tempted to flaunt and boast our Christian resume—what church we attend, our building campaigns, how magnificent our preacher is, how distinguished our past has been, or how ‘blessed’ our programs seem to be. But in the end, what matters today is not our pedigree or our appearance, but our status before Christ our Lord. Have we been faithful to the standards of love and grace which he has set before us? Have we followed through with the calling he has placed upon our shoulders? Have we set out to make disciples?

It is a joy to see so many churches moving forward in ministry, getting on our knees to connect with God, seeking Christ’s grace through worship, and pulling the straps of mission upon our shoulders to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for being a blessing,
JON

Being True to Oneself

Upon rereading portions of Dostoyevski’s The Brothers Karamazov, I have come to ponder… what does it mean to be true to oneself? I did so as I ran across Father Zossima’s words to Fyodor Karamazov. Fyodor was acting foolishly. He is portrayed as half wanting to impress the Orthodox Priest with his sophistication and half desiring to ‘put down’ others with subtle insults laced with humor.

Father Zossima—the Christ-like, conscience of the narrative—sees through the foolishness and offers these words to Fyodor: “Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love…. The man who lies to himself can be more easily offended than anyone else… has caught at a word and made a mountain of a mole-hill—he knows that himself, yet he will be the first to take offense, and will revel in his resentment till he feels great pleasure in it. And so he will pass to genuine vindictiveness.”

I would bet that many in our society today are lying to themselves. Pressed by so many concerns to be something that others esteem, some will find they have become not what God meant them to be, but what others have ‘scripted’ for them. They convince themselves that if they open their true hearts to God or others, they will be undesirable or personally wounded. Some will plant seeds of resentment not anticipating the fruit of vindictiveness. Inevitably, lives are destroyed. It is a vicious cycle and one we see too often all around us.

As people of Peace and Love, we Christians have a great privilege: helping others break free from this incapacitating rut. How do we do that? How do we help them remain true to themselves? We model it in our own lives. We “clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven us. Above all, clothe ourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3.12-15)

Thanks for being true to yourself,
JON