The Case for a Tragic Optimism ("Man's Search For Meaning" pt. 4)

"Live as if you were living for the second time and had acted as wrongly the first time as you are about to act now."

-Victor Frankl "Man's Search for Meaning" (p.151)

Our Love of Fear

I remember as a kid loving to be frightened by scary movies on the TV. We would watch Chukie terrorize people in "Child's Play", Jason stalk people at camp, and of course Freddy as he haunted people in their nightmares.

As we get older our fears change from fiction to reality. We fear the big things that threaten life and security: disease outbreak, corporations going belly up, and violence from foreign military powers. Our fears run deep into our being.

In his short book "Following Jesus", N.T. Wright writes this about fear: ...we're afraid of being alone, of being unloved, of being abandoned. We mix with other children, other teenagers, other young adults, and we're afraid of looking stupid, of being left behind in some race that we all seem to be automatically entered for. We contemplate jobs, and we're afraid both that we mightn't get the one we really want and that if we get it we mightn't be able to do it properly; and that double fear lasts for many people all through their lives. We contemplate marriage, and we're afraid both that we might never find the right person and that if we do marry it may turn out to be a disaster. We consider a career move, and are afraid both of stepping off the ladder and of missing the golden opportunity. We look ahead to retirement, and are afraid both of growing older and more feeble and of dying suddenly."

At first glance fear seems to be an unwanted emotion, something that has crept into our psyche keeping us from dreaming, trying, and doing. Yet the irony is that we as people love fear. For us living a life in fear allows us to live a life "in control". Our fears (so we think) keep us safe; safe from disappointment, sickness, and hurt.

And maybe this is the point of it all as we strive to follow the God of the Scriptures who is continually telling his children to "fear not"; that our pursuit of control (through a fear designed to "keep us safe") will never bring about the fullness of love and life that God desires for us. It is only when we can let go of our fears and need for control that we can freely walk in the hope of life and possibility.

In what areas of your life do you feel you have to "control"?
What "fears" are preventing you from stepping into new possibility?

"Which Is the Greatest Law?"

I have read this passage over and over again. I am drawn to it. Not only is it beautifully simple, but it is the words of our Lord communicating the essence of following him. My familiarity with this passage makes it easy for me to miss the depth of what Jesus is communicating. Yet when I approach it in its original language it takes me outside of myself; to a place where I can't quickly read through it as if I "know it all".

Reading this passage in the original language places a distance between the Scriptures and myself. This is not a bad distance, but rather a distance that reminds me that I do not "own" the Scriptures. They are to be approached with humility and care...never for us to presuppose as if we have arrived, but to learn and remain pliable that we might be transformed through living out the greatest commandement of our Lord.

Capable of Change ("Man's Search For Meaning" pt. 2)

There is always the hope that some how we can change as human beings, that we can become better people regardless of the circumstances that seek to oppress and limit our capabilities.

The hope here is not that we may become better people for our own good or benefit, but that our change might lead to the change we hope to see in this world. In "Man's Search For Meaning" Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl writes:

"...man is ultimately self determining. Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will become in the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant...one of the main features of human existence is the capacity to rise above such conditions, to grow beyond them. Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary."

More Than Busy (Brother Lawrence pt. 1)

Married life with three kids is busy. Add a full-time job and a part time student to the mix and life is in constant motion. It is the constant "doing" that gives my life definition, and the busyness of life that I find my identity. And so like some kind of drone worker ant I measure myself and success by what I produce. It is a exhausting cycle of striving, reaching, and doing.

I long for a retreat, to focus on "being". All with the hope that I might find meaning and rest.

In his classic work, "The Practice of the Presence of God", 17th Century French monk Brother Lawrence writes:

Drive-In Church

Drive-In Christian Church is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. Each week it gathers around 700 people to this old drive-in theater turned sanctuary. Church goers sing along with the choir, listen to a sermon (thanks to 88.5 fm), and participate in communion all while remaining in their car. At the close of each service "ushers" walk from car to car collecting offerings.

Those that drive-up for God say they like it because it is easier and more comfortable for their lifestyle. Some of the "perks" mentioned: you can dress however you would like, your dog is free to come, and you receive your very own communion packet.

After the final "Amen", all are invited to stick around for coffee and refreshments in the concession stand turned fellowship hall while others attendees are free to drive off (and are personally greeted by the pastor). Drive-In Christian Church has been making Sunday worship convenient, comfortable, and auto-accessible since 1953 (be sure to check out their videos).

What do you think of this approach to church? What elements are helpful to a healthy spiritual formation? What elements may be harmful?

Carrotmob

What if we could leverage our influence and buying power to make a difference in our communities? Carrotmobs are doing just that. A Carrotmob is a group of eco-minded consumers that organizes to make purchases at a local business (convenient store, record store, etc), getting the business owner to commit a percentage of that days revenue to making their store more environmentally friendly (think of them as a "reverse boycott" or "friendly activism").

With a Carrotmob there are no angry protesters, no one boycotting the lively-hood of a local business person. The consumer is able to purchase what they need and the store owner is able to see an increase in business thus making in possible to make eco-friendly changes to their store (new lighting, more efficient refrigeration, etc.). A Carrotmob is a "win-win" for everyone. Even more, one of the great things about a Carrotmob is that it doesn't rely on slick marketing campaigns, but on word of mouth...people getting the word out that something transformative and life-giving is taking place.

As kingdom people it is our call to leverage our influence and power (wealth, education, talents, time, and voice) to make a difference in our communities and in our world. Imagine if we as the church could be known for helping people transform their businesses, their relationships, and their lives. Imagine if the church spent its organization to serving the systematic needs of our communities. Imagine if the church was best known by what it is "for" rather than boycotting what it is against.

Imagine if the church (like the Carrotmob) attracted people to participate because word got out all around that something life-giving and hopeful for all people was happening.

Feeding the Twitter Bird

I'm trying to stream line my online communication. Twitter is sending feeds to Facebook and Blogger, now I'm trying to get Blogger to send feeds to Twitter and then on to Facebook. Hopefully this works (it will save me from having to make updates in three different areas).

How do you manage your online status, communication, and networking?

Unique Meaning ("Man's Search For Meaning" pt. 2)

As human beings we are on a continual search for puropse and "the meaning of life". Victor Frankl writes that in one's pursuit of an over-arching meaning of life on a grand scale, we miss the meaning that is found in the day to day, hour to hour.

"What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment...Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone's task is as unique as is his specific opportunity to implement it."

When the fullness of what Frankl writes hits us, we will find great tragedy and loss with those who "wander" this life. For it is not merely "their loss", but ours...the community's loss of a unique contribution in which they were designed to make.

It becomes all of our responsibility to foster within our self, but even more, one another, the pursuit of that uniqueness, that in the discovery of that meaning "whole" might greatly benefit.

Kawasaki Kids

Cultivators of Dignity

Our greatest call is to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbor as our self...the two are inseparable. Our lives should reflect and impart to others that they are intricately made in the image of the Creator...they are of worth because they are image bearers of God.

Our history of humanity has been plagued by severe lapses in our God given command. Out of our xenophobia we have turned to defending "self" and terrorizing the "other". The benefit of this exchange has been (and always will be) "self" (identity is protected, safety guarded), at the expense of the "other" (now entrenched in worthlessness and fear). This is a win-lose scenario (win for "self", lose for "other").

This "win", however, is short sighted. True wholeness comes not when one person, or a particular people group are lifted up over and against another, but when all people stand in solidarity with one another. Our distinctive as kingdom people is not compatible with the self preservation model of our culture. The metaphors our Savior gives us (take up your cross, wash one another's feet, save his life will lose it) point us in a direction of selflessness, service, and sacrifice.

This is "our" call; all of us. In the hope that in it and through it, identity, worth, and dignity would be found for all people.

To What End? (Love Is An Orientation pt. 4)

Part of re-framing the relationship between the Evangelical community and the Gay/Lesbian community requires a dismantling of the following question:

What goal are we (the Evangelical community) trying to accomplish with them (the Gay/Lesbian community)?

This question generates all sorts of answers from: "Helping them see their sin so they can remain celibate" to "Seeing them healed of their same-sex attraction so they can enter into a heterosexual relationship".

This question is poorly framed for the following reasons:

1. Instead of looking for common ground it further divides people into categories of "us" vs. "them" .

2. The question assumes that it is "our" job to "fix" another human being and in doing so we presuppose our relationship over and against the work of God in the life of another individual.

3. It creates a hierarchy of relationship; making a mutually benefiting relationship extremely difficult.

Conversation with those in the Gay/Lesbian community needs to happen in a manner free from agenda. When we approach people with an agenda we error in trying to conform them into our image. Agenda is one-sided. Agenda is different than intentionality. Intentionality suggests a deliberate, "careful" approach; one which allows people to share with a patient, gracious, intentional love. In doing so space is created for God to transform each one of us in his image. We need to be intentional.

In speaking of God's transforming work in our lives, I am not suggesting we are working toward some type of "de-gay-i-fi-cation" (see the movie Saved for reference) for our gay brothers and sisters. Instead we are elevating the conversation from a focus of sexuality to focus on identity and intimacy.

"What then is the goal?" That all of us would grow in an intimate relationship with the God who loves us so deeply that he expressed through his son Jesus; that as we grow more intimate with the Creator we would pursue his kingdom, continually (never claiming to have arrived), casting off all other things that promise intimacy, identity, and self-worth.

May we focus on loving God and loving people, and trust God to work in God's way and in God's time.