heroes of the faith, part 1
But is he more powerful than a nun in Calcutta? There are many stories of people who met Mother Theresa. They speak about the humility, the peaceful presence, and her eyes. Her eyes showed mercy, love, grace, and brokenness. One man, who was on death row met her and said, “vitality and warmth came from her wizened, piercing eyes.”
Mother Theresa was a holy person. She was someone in whom one could catch a glimpse of the divine realm. Her power and authority came not through domination, but she became a servant of the poor and wretched. She was concerned with those God concerned Himself most with. The poor. She once said in reference to the poor she spent her life serving, “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.”
What made this woman live like this?
After her death in 1997, many of her private journals and letters were found. Once such letter from 1942 spoke of a vow she made, about which she wrote, that she would be willing "to give to God anything that He may ask … not to refuse Him anything.” Her life spoke of her commitment to that vow.
More than her life serving the poor, the courage of this woman to make a vow like this has had a profound influence on me. Beyond the courage to make the vow, she had the faith and will to remain true to the vow and to God. Her life has caused me to ask of myself, “To what am I willing to commit? To what lengths am I willing to go for God and my faith?”
I often consider her faith and pray that mine will hold and stand the test of time like that little woman whose faith was larger than life.
heroes of the faith, introduction
A few blogs ago, I mentioned something about my heroes of the faith. Following that I was teaching our faith community and mentioned it again. Several people have asked, “Just who are your heroes of the faith?” There are three people that I have become familiar with that I would consider heroes of the faith for me. All three have lived in such a way that makes me want to imitate the way they live.
All three have (had) a passion for Jesus, and that is reflected in the way they have chosen to live their lives. So I am going to spend the next few blogs talking about each person, and why I think so highly of them, why I consider them heroes, and what I have learned from their lives.
Be sure to check back soon for the next three blogs.
going to denver
This weekend, I excitedly announced that Beth and I, and the kids have accepted a position as a Lead Pastor in Denver, CO. (Click here to watch the video of the service) Many have asked about the who, what, where, why, and how so I will do my best to tell you the story of how this all came to be.
In January I was given the number of an elder at Denver Community Church. I waited a few days wondering if I would or should call him. I mean, I love Ridge Point, I love where I live, I love my neighborhood, my daily routine, my friends, and my life … why would I want to go somewhere else? As I was arguing with myself, my wife reminded me that we agreed as a family to always take the first step toward and open door.
So I agreed to call. It was only one step, what could happen?
I spoke with the elder, and he connected me with the head of the search team. As I spoke with her, I decided to fill out a profile they issue that allows a pastor to tell the church a little about themselves. Beth and I worked on the profile together, and waited for the church to send us their profile. We eventually exchanged profiles, and I could not believe what I saw. In our profile we were nearly identical in our theology, thought, and vision.
A small voice said deep inside, “Get ready to go to Denver.”
I spoke with our Lead Pastor Jim Liske and he gave me his blessing in moving forward with DCC. We went through several interviews … they interviewing us and us interviewing them. Questions. Answers. Prayers. Listening. All of this over the course of 3 months. This all led to DCC inviting Beth and I out to candidate.
We flew to Denver just after Easter. When we landed and began to spend time with the faith community their, each moment was more confirming. We really enjoyed our time, and we felt they did too. We were excited at the possibility of going.
Then we flew home. We went back to our daily routine. We suddenly realized that part of going is leaving. Our prayers became more earnest, and our consideration of Denver more serious. As I prayed I asked God to speak with a resounding voice through His community. I asked that if there was anything Beth or I were missing that someone would raise a red flag and that we would listen to them. Conversely if this were of God, I asked that he would speak unmistakably through our community in Michigan and in Denver.
The week following I received a phone call from an elder at DCC. The church their had voted. Everyone affirmed the decision of the elders. It was unanimous. Beth and I took some time to think over the reality of this decision. But God had spoken, as we prayed, through his community. Last week Saturday, April 28, we answered the call and chose to move toward Denver.
As we do we are excited and sad. Sad to leave excited to go. We thank all of you who have been such an integral part of our faith journey in Michigan. For nine years God has seen fit to have us here, and as we go to Colorado, so much of you is going with us. We look forward to see what God will do in us and through us in the future.
the currency of giftedness
Many people want to know a thing or two about their gifts. I am frequently asked, "How can I know my spiritual gift?" My response is frequently this, "Knowing your giftedness is not the most important thing, using it is." For many years I believed that because I knew my gift I was all set. I understood my gift, and I was teaching on Sundays so I was all good.
My favorite preacher taught me a thing or two about this. His name is Bono. Anytime he makes a television appearance I am inundated with calls and questions from people. Everyone wants to know if I saw him or if I watched the show. So of course, last night Bono stopped by American Idol, the show that is a phenomenon of sorts, making a star out of relatively anonymous people. I was asked, “Did you see Bono?” “Did you know Bono is on channel 5?!?”
It is no secret that I admire Bono, perhaps more than most. To be honest he is one of my heroes of the faith along with Johnny Cash. I like both of these guys because they are refreshingly unashamed of who they are (or were). They do not try to pretend to be righteous or perfect. They do not pontificate about what they think, they simply do what they believe in.
My reason for really admiring Bono is only moderately because of his music. It is more his understanding of living that attracts me. In a recent interview Bono said,
“To wake with a melody, and follow through with it and hear it on the radio in Japan or Birmingham, Alabama is a gift.”
This gift that Bono possesses is not where he stops. He could simply be a rock star, and few would raise an eyebrow. This however is not where he stops. He continued,
“Why a film star or rock star, why would they be more important than a nurse or fireman or a mother? It’s currency. I want to spend mine, working for the world’s poor.”
He then said,
“The church has been historically behind the curve, between racism and Apartheid ... I think the church is afraid of politics. I understand why the church is that way, but we’re not talking about partisan politics. The second thing is that the church has been very judgmental about AIDS. Christ won’t let the church walk away from the AIDS emergency. This is the essence of the scriptures, it’s the leprosy of our age.”
Bono has taught me that understanding one’s gift is the first step of a long journey. His gift is music. Through it he has achieved a fame that few, have ever possessed. This way of thinking has caused me to think long and hard about who I am. I am aware of what my gifts are. But that is only the first step.
life on a farm
Friday night I got a call around 8:00 PM. It was from a friend who told me that a woman who was a part of our faith community died. I know the family well and had visited with them over the last few weeks. On Friday night, after the call, I drove out to spend time with the family. While there I met two individuals who were at least in their seventies.
Their grey hair, slow walk, and wrinkles only served to reflect their kind faces. They both had such a gentle way about them. As they sat with us, I could see that their hearts broke for the wonderful family this woman left behind. They weren’t family they were friends. And as I learned they were an integral part of this family’s story.
Over forty years ago a group of people in a small Western Michigan church decided to live beyond the walls of their building. They lived in a town surrounded by farms that were worked by men and woman who migrated from Mexico. These men and women worked hard during the summer months so that they could live a little better in the winter months. During the summers in Michigan they lived in small, ramshackle “towns” around the farms.
These men and women of this small church decided to go and be with the farm workers. Due to the fact that the parents spent most of the day working, they made a connection with their children. The kids came around mostly because of food, cookies, lemonade, and other treats that were always available. Through the relationships built with the kids, they eventually met the parents.
Over the course of years, they raised some money to build a building near the farms, and continued for over thirty years to invest their lives into the families that came to work in the summers. The two people that came into the house on Friday evening were just two of the several people who spent over thirty years serving those families. One of those families, whose life was changed, was that of the friend who I was sitting next to that had just lost his wife.
He and his wife had met at the little chapel that was built by these faithful people. The longevity of their marriage, over thirty-five years, was a result of the faith that they had learned at that little chapel. Today, was the visitation for the family. Many more men and women from that chapel came to see the family.
I realized that no magazine would ever cover their story. No books would be written about what they did there. There was no non-profit set up for people to donate money. They were never on Christian television (they never died their hair, wore gold, or told crazy stories about how Washington D.C. is the new Jerusalem). Many of those who served in that time have since passed away.
However, the stories they told me are better than the best book. They told me of dozens of those kids who found faith who have gone on to do amazing things. The families who lives changed because of a few people who lived in the country and grew up on farms that loved other people who did not speak their language. This was their story.
It caused me to think about what I pursue. What my desires are. What would I say if I knew that in forty years I had spent my life working in the midst of farm country with a few people who did not speak my language? So often many of us think we have so much to say. Rather than talking so much, maybe we should experience the joy of living as these men and women did. Maybe we should let our lives speak.
a happy ending
We want the guy to get the girl. We want the small guy to hit the homerun to win the game. We want to see justice done. We want to see the hero ride off into the sunset. We want the princess to live happily ever after.
This desire for happiness all the time seems to have crept into our understanding of Holy Week. This is the week in which the Church remembers the final days of Jesus’ life. It is a week that is packed with drama, intrigue, suspense, betrayal, and murder. It is a week that ended around 3 PM on Friday with Jesus breathing his last.
God, in human flesh, died.
Now I know you may be thinking, “Yeah, but he rose again!” While you are right, my question is why is it that so many people want to move right to that? We speak of Easter, and pause only momentarily to reflect on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Those days are hard and dark. Sunday is fun (beyond that we speak of the resurrection for only a few minutes of the day that is sprinkled with all sorts of horrible pastel colors, chocolate, candy, bunnies, and ugly eggs).
The reality is that on the days preceding Easter we are forced to reckon with the words of Jesus that he spoke to his disciples when he called them to pick up their cross. Jesus, when faced with execution, said to his followers, “Come with me.” He calls all of us to come and die with Him.
We are forced to contemplate the fact that all of his 12 disciples abandoned him, one of whom betrayed him, while another denied him. Thinking about this is difficult, because we see in ourselves the same propensity of betrayal and abandonment.
In spending time focusing on Jesus’ death we are forced to reflect on our own sinfulness. We are forced to recognize that it was our sinfulness that nailed him to the cross. We are forced to look inside ourselves and see that our sin is still always before us.
This is not fun. We cannot afford to gloss over the week preceding the resurrection of Jesus. It is part of the story. It is sacred. As we conclude the Lenten season for 2007 my hope is that you may spend time reflecting on what the full season means for the Church and the world. Jesus’ ordeal leading up to the cross and the cross itself was real and powerful. May we not be guilty of missing all of that simply because we want to deal only with a happy ending.
everybody does it
This is not an unusual phenomenon. People follow other people all the time. It may even be safe to say that if you are living you are following someone. This may be a healthy or unhealthy thing, but all of us have someone who we follow. It may be a religious figure such as Buddha, Muhammad, Joseph Smith or Jesus. It may be a cultural icon such as Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, Brad Pitt or Paris Hilton (does anyone else think it weird that Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton are in the same paragraph as Muhammad and Jesus?).
The problem today is not that people are following. This has always happened. The problem today is few, if any, know or care to know where they are going. It is the blind leading the blind. Much has been made about the twenty-something generation. There is concern from many different people about what they will bring to this world. Some feel that they are a generation that will bring decline (if you are twenty-something and reading, please know I do not agree with the last part, so breathe easy and keep reading).
The divide is caused by two things. First, the younger generations do not want to be led or lead. They recognize that there are followers, but they are weary of leaders, because leaders have agendas. If there is a specific place that a leader wants to go, suspicion sets in. This is why so many teachers, pastors, and politicians have fallen out of favor with the younger generation. They have agendas, and often their agendas reflect the personal feeling of the leader.
I have been told by many young people that they just sit and wait. Even if someone tells them they care about them it is only to get something. They have seen the agenda driven culture of their parents and feel that something is left wanting. They may follow but they are rarely committed to a self-proclaimed leader. Leadership in the mind of many twenty-somethings is tied to corporate, greed driven America. It is a suit-and-tie, slick talking, perfect hair, kind of person that cannot be trusted.
On the other side are those who are leading. I have met few leaders who truly recognize their gift and employ it for the betterment of others. Often there is an agenda tied to them, and that is their ultimate goal, not caring for people. They want to get somewhere so they do everything they can to accomplish the goal. As they move the carnage they leave behind is often devastating.
With both sides feeling this way one wonders, “Is there any hope for leadership?” Well, if people are following, then yes there is hope for it. It is not leadership that has been tainted it is those doing the leading, and the perspective of the follower that has. I do not propose to write a treatise on leading, following, or goal achievement. However, I do believe that both sides need to recognize the innate understanding of following and leading that exists within each person.
It makes little sense to throw leadership out altogether. Where there is following there is leading. We all follow, everybody does it. With this in mind it is time for us to reconsider what leaders might look like, act like and think like. So to my twenty-something friends, let’s begin a conversation as to what leadership could look like for our generation. To my older friends, teach us what it could look like. We may not do it exactly the same way, but we will learn from your failures and more importantly from your successes.
make the call
The world's most respected humanitarian and development organizations are joining together this year to call for a historic and badly needed increase in poverty-fighting funding in the 2008 budget. And ONE has a special role to play.
Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) are asking other Senators to join their letter to the Senate Budget Committee asking them to take decisive action against extreme poverty by setting a new bar for funding.
The request represents strong leadership; 2.4 billion dollars above and beyond the president's budget request for fighting poverty in the international affairs budget. Currently we're not on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals - the internationally agreed upon goals to halve extreme poverty by 2015 - and only with bold requests like this can we hope to make-up the difference.
Congress is moving quickly, we only have a few days to take action. The budget committee is meeting to decide the 2008 budget later this week. In order for us to get our message through in time we need to pick up the phone and call our Senators today to ask them to sign-on to the Dodd-Smith letter.
Earlier this week, ONE members whose representatives sit on the budget committee, sent over 10,000 letters to their legislators. When the committee members receive the Dodd-Smith letter later this week, they will know that the funding increase has the support of both grassroots advocates and their fellow legislators.
The last time we rallied around a "Dear Colleague" letter in January we came out with $1.45 billion dollars of lifesaving funding. Now, we hope to set a new bar for the fight against poverty.
Thank you for your voice.