A Collection
This is a part of something I wrote the other day. I post in the hope that perhaps it provokes some thought. If you sit and think about it and find you like it and want to "see how it ends" then make a comment and I can send you the rest.
The heap has grown steadily,
seemingly in futility
such that this soot is suffocating.
The sweat does little to clean
powder stains on the hands that build,
though piling for the promise of this purpose.
The legs grow weary in climbing,
ascending once again with another load,
descending in despair and defeat.
Yet all the time the gatherer labored
knowing not the final end he sought
existed in the energy inside.
The capacity of its potential abounds
far beyond the height of a mound,
caught in the chemistry of carbon.
It longs to fulfill the reason for its design;
to open forth utility available in discovery
of opportunities overlooked in the ore.
How long will the hoarder add to his collection
more handfuls of cherished rock,
idolized in ignorance of its idleness.
The Consumer Church
Most of you have heard me rant and rave about the whole idea of American churches being nothing more than corporations trying to sell Jesus (and many not even that - they just want to sell their church) to people and as soon as the "sale" is done they want to keep them happy enough to keep coming back and shopping again and again. And I still rant about that though I recognize more that I'm still part of the problem.
I grew up in a Mega_Church and even the church I attend now is "large" by most standards and functions with a lot of Americanized corporate consumer-oriented crap, but my talking about it doesn't really do anything. Because in a lot of ways that enviornment is still "comfortable" to me. It's easy to go to church for a few hours on Sunday, casually say hi to some people I know, then go home grateful that I didn't have to struggle to help and pray with someone and their problems, that I wasn't brought to tears in burden over the lost, that I didn't find myself moved in worship to the point of spending the next 3 days in fasting and prayer just because I want to be with my Maker and not have distractions.
All this boils down to the fact that God is most definitely still working on my stubborn heart to teach me to love and live in community, and that ranting about corporate churches doesn't accomplish much if I'm not willing to love people in my church and be in community with them no matter what the size of the church.
This post was inspired by Alps (see link to side) who has found a church in Oregon that focuses on community and their pastor wrote
this article about this issue. I recommend the read. Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Softball and Babies
are two things that can easily be confused with one another and with such dire consequences as to land the possessor of said confusion in a little place we like to call "the slammer" (and no we're not referring in any manner to a grand slam).
Anyway, Rhoda and I have joined a coed softball team of people from the church and I have rekindled such fond memories of when I used to play baseball (and sucked royally mind you) that I can hardly wait for practice next friday. This past Friday I discovered that though my accuracy in throwing has deteriorated, I have not yet bottomed at the point of looking like C3PO trying to hurl a bowling ball and having it land on his foot. I also found that my eye hand coordination has improved and I was able to connect on almost every pitch during batting practice; however, any hope of having a powerful shot over the fence was quickly dashed by noticing that the best shot I had, though it felt good zinging off the end of my bat, would have been a nice little two hop single dropping in front of the left fielder. That's ok though because I'm sure if I start now getting on the juice that by playoffs I might be able to get it back in the corners for a double or triple. I don't think they check too well in recreational softball so I think I'll get away with it - I'm not so sure about my job though.
In other news, come to find out a few days ago that Steve-o (college roommate, great friend, and perhaps the most unique sense of humor I've ever known) is going to be having a baby(well maybe it's more his wife who will have it but he participated in there somewhere). There was an unofficial bet going on amongst the old college buds on who would be the next to supply the world with a new chinese super buffet eater and my vote was on Steve (though i think most of the others were on me). As I told him on our "guys only" message board, I'll say again in case he actually comes on here - Congrats Steve - you'll make a great dad. I told him other things too but he turned me down for being an honorary eccentric uncle so we'll leave those things for "the guys".
It's weird when all your friends (including you) are getting married and some start having kids and you find yourself thinking about bills, mortgages, careers, 401k's and you completely lose sight of the days where if you had 6 hours worth of class in one day you thought you were going to die of being overworked. Of course these things also tend to make you lose sight of the fact that we exist for a purpose far greater than any of those and that in fact all of those things have a tendency to become idols. And there are times that it makes me just want to run hard in the opposite direction but the truth is that direction would find something else to substitute and still be wrong. The only way to run is to run to the Creator and Author of all things whose goodness is infinite and who is so valuable that all of life exists to bring glory to his name - Glory to God in the highest.
a response
So I have found myself asking the past couple of days "How am I supposed to respond?" "How is the church supposed to respond?" The truth is I really don't know. The obvious answer is donate money, but somehow in this case that just doesn't seem to be enough. I've considered rash actions like quitting my job and spending the next months, year, whatever somehow trying to help people rebuild houses and perhaps this is appropriate but at other times it feels like I'm just being dramatic.
A couple of things that I do feel somewhat certain about, however, have come to mind. First, I wholeheartedly believe that it is the church's job to provide for the needs and recovery of those whose lives have been turned upside down and that this is to be done as unto the Lord and for His glory that those whose needs are physically met by us might see the dependency on God ultimately for their spiritual needs which are far greater. I also believe that it is the government's job to provide for the security, safety and overall coordination of restoring the community but it is not their job to provide individual relief. Now I'm not saying necessarily that it is bad that this happens but, I think a couple of consequences occur because of it: the church tends to remove itself from the issue because "the government is handling it", the government's budget becomes astronomical and it is forced to cut in areas where it needs to be focusing because it can't afford to wear so many hats, and the government is easily accused of being "unfair" in the way it distributes relief.
People talk about this being "One nation under God" and that things need to "get back to what this country was founded on", and I can tell you most assuredly that this should never involve the government doing the job of the church. This country and government were founded upon the principle of a republic which means a government that is run by the citizens who elect it and whom it represents. Therefore, since a majority of Americans in the late 1700's were of a Christian upbringing and many actual Christians you find these references in our early documents, but now most Americans are not. The government should represent the interests of the group as a whole and not this Christian minority. That being said, if you want to see "America turn back to God", then get off your anus (I'm speaking to myself as well), open your wallet, and drop your political agenda in favor of loving people. Through this and by the grace of our God, people will turn to him - not because you get it legislated in. And a good place to start would be New Orleans. Of course going back to my earlier question, I still don't even know what I am supposed to do, but I do believe in faith that God will show me and I pray for the grace and boldness to do whatever it is that he tells me to do.
Finally, as a bit of info regarding the response to the question that will most assuredly be on the minds and possibly the lips of those you come in contact with who know you are a believer: "How could God, if He loves us, let this happen?" I can do nothing better than point you to
someone who said it perfectly.
