Green Parking?

On a recent trip to Chicago we did some shopping and while parking in front of one of the stores, we came across this parking sign.

There were handicap parking spaces, however there were no other special/reserved signs (sorry expecting moms).

So my questions for you:

What message(s) does this sign send?
Does this encourage being eco-friendly or pretentious behavior?
Would you park here if you didn't have a fuel-efficient vehicle?

Hurt, The Church, Being Restored

We as human beings misuse our power on a regular basis in our quest to acquire what we want in life. I hear stories over and again from people who have been hurt (and abused) by someone who they trusted. Whether the misuse of power was intentional or unintentional, the result those who have gotten in the way is the same: brokeness.

When you have been wounded you become less likely to trust, to open yourself to another, to be hopeful, to love.

Sadly this hurt comes from those who are supposed to care for one another; from parents, siblings, or another trusted relative. When hurt comes from within the family it is, perhaps, even more painful. In the same way I hear people's stories who have been wounded by the church (or a follower of Jesus) in such a way that it begins to malform their view of a loving God.

In his book Finding My Way Home, Henri Nouwen writes: "The number of people who 'have been wounded by religion' overwhelms me. An unfriendly or judgmental word by a minister or priest, a critical remark in church about a certain lifestyle, a refusal to welcome people at the table, an absence during an illness or death, and countless other hurts often remain longer in people's memories than other more world-like rejections. Thousands of separated and divorced men and women, numerous gay and lesbian people, and all of the homeless people who felt unwelcome in the houses of worship of their brothers and sisters in the human family have turned away from God because they experienced the use of power when they expected an expression of love."

While the Church is not perfect, it is my hope that the sacred community of God becomes known more and more as a place of healing and wholeness; a place where broken things go to be fixed, tired things restored. In order for this to happen, responsibility falls on each one of us to live in such a way that we sow peace and hope wherever we go. We as followers of Jesus need to be marked by his very atributes: humilty and servanthood. This also means that our reliance cannot be on ourselves but rather on the grace and work of the Spirit breathing new life and possibility into all of us.

peace.

Creepy Clowns

Misty and I came across an illustration our middle child Luke drew featuring two figures (one with a gigantic neck and some kind of phaser); apparently it is a story about clowns...

"I am uncomfortable with clowns and I don't know why. They're creepy but I think they are stupid. But I still think they're creepy."

Inflatable Gorillas

As consumers living in the 21st century we are bombarded with advertisements, jingles, and billboards all jockeying for our attention. Those peddling products use these tactics in the hopes that they will "hook" us and then "lure us in" until we purchase their product; one that most certainly will "revolutionize" our way of life.

Enter: The Gigantic Inflatable Gorilla.

Promising "Huge" savings at a "Monster" discount, the gigantic inflatable gorilla is one monkey that is tough to beat. You can find the gigantic inflatable gorilla perched atop most car dealerships hoping to create just enough of a spectacle and attraction that you are compelled to stop in. I'm not sure what gigantic inflatable gorillas have to do with automobiles, but some would say, "It doesn't matter, as long as it helps sell cars."


This is "attractional" marketing.

As church communities I think we should be attractional as well. Yet I think our attractional nature should not come from the gigantic inflatable gorillas of great music, quality programs, slick marketing campaigns, or caring for the poor (yup, even caring for the poor can be a "hook" to get people to buy our "Jesus product").

In his book, A New Vision For Israel: The Teachings of Jesus in National Context, Scot McKnight writes: "(Jesus) did not perform miracles to get attention or to coerce others to follow him, but to reveal a kingdom that would eventually embrace the world in a universal display of God's salvation."

I am all for inspiring musicianship and creative worship gatherings. I believe the church should do works of both compassion and justice. I think these elements (and other things like it) are good not because they can be useful "bait" for a "spiritual seeker", but because through those elements (and others) the living hope of the gospel can be realized and experienced. The Church should be attractional not because of what it does to grab people's attention for the kingdom, but because (through all of its expression) it embodies the very kingdom itself.

Have you ever felt like the church was trying to "sell" something? What are the true attractional elements of the Church?

"The Furious Longing of God"

"Will we let the healing power of the risen Jesus flow through us to reach and touch others, so that they may dream and fight and bear and run where the brave dare not go?"

- Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God

The Gospel (New Definitions pt. 2)

We've recently been discussing the need to better define words that we use without much thought within Christian sub-culture. In a recent post we asked the simple question: "What is Evangelism?" many would respond by saying that it is the proclamation of the Gospel..."the Good News".

While I would agree with this statement, it begs yet another question: What do we mean when we say: "Gospel"?

Is the Gospel reflected accurately enough when we say: "Jesus died on the cross for my sins so that I could be made right with God and go to Heaven when I die"?

What elements do we need to consider when trying to define what the Gospel is? How has our western culture influenced the way we view and understand the Gospel?

The Cost of Change

Although change is necessary component of the human existence it, most often, is not easy. Change means a departure from that which we "know" in an effort to discover that which we have no concrete experience of. Many of us want to see changes in our lives, yet change threatens our sense of security; security not in what is necessarily "best" for us, but rather security in what is familiar.

French writer Anatole France wrote: "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another".

Jesus called his disciples to pursue change when he told a group of fishermen, "come and follow me". The scriptures go on to say, "at once they left their nets and followed him". These fishermen were willing to set aside their way, for a new way after Jesus.

This is not a one-time call for discipleship, but a continual moment-by-moment decision we are faced with; to lay down our way for the way of Christ. It is only through laying down our old life that we may experience the working change of Jesus in our life and in this world....but are we willing?

What makes it difficult for you to let go of your old ways? How might God want to bring change to your life? What do you have to "die to" to usher in that change?