I don’t know if you were aware of this fact, but on September 27th the search/media/advertisement company Google, celebrated it’s 9th birthday. A decade ago this company didn’t exist, and in less than ten years it seems that almost everything has been ‘googlized’. Think about about how universal the term ‘Google’ has become. It is a part of the cultural lexicon, spanning as well as linking communication, commerce, and people (Have you ever ‘googled’ yourself? To see if you are listed in the digital world? If not, try it sometime.). Did you know that this company that began by being housed and created in a college dorm room is now worth (a very conservative estimate) 18 billion dollars? A company that wasn’t in existance in 1997, has impacted the world in such a large degree.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you could travel back in time? What if you could go back to that 8th grade dance or Senior Ball? What about the day you were born? What about another significant historical event? What if, knowing what you know now, you could go back in time and invest some money in the young, start-up company/idea named ‘Google’ that a couple of college kids had invented? That would be something wouldn’t it? We would be in a completely different financial situation if we were able to do that. But because most of us didn’t, we were not able to enjoy the windfall.
It is always easier to invest in something, when you know the something is a something. But the trick is to invest in the something because you know it is a something when it is not anything to anyone else. The cool thing about God is that He has a habit of investing in the somethings that appear to be nothings (David, Moses, Joseph, Esther, and many others) before anyone knew they were anything.
Sometimes, as we are in our pursuit of God’s purpose, on our journey of destiny and mission, it can feel as if we are nothings. Where is the investment? Where are the finances? Where is the help? Where is the support? Where is the team? God, where are you anyway? We can have questions like these as well as many others. It can seem like we have more vision/ideas than the resources or the ability to bring them to life.
The good news is that this has been the case with every dreamer that ever lived. The dreams always come before reality, and vision must always precede new life. And part of God’s investment in us, is that He gave a dream and vision in the first place. He invested in us as somethings before anyone knew we were anything.
God has been ‘googling’ before ‘googling’ was cool.
If we were told that our role in history, time, and the future was extremely significant, and if our contribution wasn’t made the world would be much poorer, what would we say? Many of our responses would sound like, ‘No way. I am just doing my day to day thing. It is not that big a deal.’ Most of us believe that (whether we would say it or not) we are small pebbles thrown into the vast ocean of life. And like the vastness of the life ocean we think that we have an indefinate period to accomplish our endeavors of smallness.
A few days ago I was reading the biography about a man named John Sung who was a missionary/revivalist in China. He did a great work in a short time by the power of God and through his passionate commitment to Jesus. And Rev. Sung died when he was 37. I am just 3 years from 37. That is not old, and that tommorrow is not too far from my today (What is amazing is that as you get older, and I just turned 34 this month, you have a whole new concept of what ‘old’ is and what it isn’t. When I was 15, 27 seemed ancient!). As I thought about this while I was driving in my car a couple of days ago I thought about life. My life.
What if 3 years is all that I’ve got? If 3 years is all that I had, would I live my life the same way that I am doing now? What if we all had 3 years to live? Or 2? Or less? Every day there are people that rise out of their beds, go to work, to school, to church, or wherever else and don’t make it back home. It turned out to be their last day on earth. And I would guess, if we were able to speak to these recently deceased, they would tell us that they weren’t expecting it, and if they knew then what they knew now, they would live their lives differently. That their actions had much more weight then they dreamed, and their time frame was much smaller than they imagined.
They would tell us that they had a Big Job and they had Little Time.
Today, stop for 5 minutes and think.
How are we living? Are we living in a way that communicates the fragility of life, and reality of eternity? The importance of every moment? And are we taking care of our Big Job?
Most of our lives are lived in the mundane. Days come, and days go and we do ordinary things. We go to work, we take kids to school, we go to school, and other stuff. When we look at the lives of people that are deemed extraordinary we very rarely count ourselves in that number. We see ourselves as ordinary folks. But the truth is, we are all ‘ordinary’ folks. In fact, I think when we get to heaven one of the most shocking and surprising parts of the whole experience is how regular, ordinary, and ‘human’ everyone is. God didn’t make any super-people. He just made regular people that did their best to be faithful is the middle of the mundane. In many cases our ’supeheroes’ stumbled upon and tripped into destiny, purpose, and mission. They weren’t looking for it, it was an accident.
Mary found her calling in a baby. Joseph in a dream. Moses in a bush that was on fire. God took day to day things and used them to inspire, to speak, to bring direction, and tell stories of the future. Think for a minute about how many times Moses walked by that bush in the wilderness before one day God used it to change his life. What ‘ordinary’ things is God using (or trying to use) to speak, inspire, direct, and communicate to us? And are we paying attention?
12 Years ago this July, Tiffany and I were married in holy matrimony. We were young, didn’t know a whole lot about life, but were ready to take on the world together. When I think about us in that season of our lives, I often shake my head and shrug over how naive we were in relation to life and being a wife and a husband. But I will never forget what the minister that married me said:
“When you don’t know what to do, love one another. Love is an action word. Love is a choice. When you don’t know what to do, love one another.”
As the years have passed, I realize much more how wise those sentences were, and how they have helped us greatly along the way.
But this is not just a statement that applies to marriage and married people, but to all of us that love Jesus. Sometimes we are in a place where we don’t know what to do. And when we find ourselves in that place, we must reach out to Jesus. In the middle of the pain, the trial, the challenge.
After my ‘A revolution is coming’ post from a couple of days ago (Sept. 20th), I thought I would pass this article on that talks about a generation of world changers that are in the world today. Let me know what you think.
The Age of Turbulence Oracles of God and a Message of Hope
“…And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory” (Haggai 2:7 NKJV)
Throughout history, science has been used to explain ethnic differences and the natural superiority of one people group over another. Credible scientists have proven in the more recent past that the findings of the eugenicist are false and rooted in bigotry. Physiologically, as well as spiritually, we are much more alike than different. Like children born into the same family, “genetic markers” give us uniqueness while binding us together. It is in our unity, we find the balm that heals us.
Peter tells us to speak as “oracles of God.” And as “oracles” in the Earth, this we must understand: to be a church that “looks like heaven,” we must first be a church that loves like heaven, here on earth. But in the midst of the struggle there are rays of hope. In yesterday’s NY Times there was a story (link here) about Clarkson International Bible Church of Georgia (formerly Clarkson Baptist Church), a church that is shaking off it’s history of segregation and separation and in the words of Pastor Rev. Kitchen (Above picture) who leads the church, ““Jesus said heaven is a place for people of all nations, So if you don’t like Clarkston, you won’t like heaven.”
The newspaper goes on to describe that for most of the life of this ministry that began in 1883 the line that, ‘11am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America’ applied to Clarkston. But when Rev. Phil Kitchen steps to the pulpit now, ‘he stands eye to eye with the changing face of America. In the pews before him, alongside white-haired Southern women in their Sunday best, sit immigrants from the Philippines and Togo, refugees from war-scarred Liberia, Ethiopia and Sudan, even a convert from Afghanistan.
Churches like Clarkston and leaders like Rev. Kitchen are ‘oracles’ giving us a glimpse of the future. Movements and efforts like this will no longer be the exception, but rather the rule. The sin of racism and hatred will no longer be allowed to trump the Jesus power of love.
So how can we step in this place of hope and healing like the Clarkston International Bible Church? In order to achieve breakthrough to beyond the ‘color barrier’ in our churches and our personal lives and sustain it, we have to first recognize that, as a follower of Jesus Christ we are much more alike than we are different.
What We Share
DNA: in 2003, researchers were able to decode 99 percent of the human genome with hope that it will save future lives in preventive medicine. Spiritually speaking, no one but the church can decrypt the conundrum of racism and prejudice. While others simply “tolerate” differences in the name of political correctness and appearances, we go deeper because we have been born into the same family.
Vision: Family mission statements have become more popular over the last decade, and Jesus gave us a family directive when He said, “Make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), and gave us a vision of every tribe and tongue before Him in worship (Revelation 7:9)
There will be neo-Nazis, black supremacists, terrorists, century-long enemies, among others, that will one day worship Jesus with hands that are clasped, and with hearts that are broken. May we give ourselves to the realization of this dream on Earth, as it is in heaven.
Blood: When locating a blood donor for an accident victim, great care is taken to make sure that the same blood type is used. Through Christ’s sacrifice, we have been given the same blood. And like patients in an ICU, it is the only type that will bring remedy. But when we profess love and manifest hate, we violate God’s redemptive purpose, and limit His power to save souls.
Though we have made progress (see Clarkston International Church), there is a sneaking suspicion that, though wounded, the leviathan still lives (as evidenced by our majority of segregated churches, communities, and relationships).
Here are some simple tools that we can all use to get outside our comfort zones and shake off the legacy of division that has been passed down to us.; because most of us want to break out of these limitations, but are unsure where to start.
Starting Points to Help us grow:
1. Educate ourselves.
Read books, watch videos/DVDs that tell the story of America and the church, go to racism workshops/discussions in community/church. In order for us to bring a solution, we need to have an understanding of the problem.
2. Build friendships.
The reality of relationships breaks down misunderstanding and lack of trust. Many of our interactions and exposure with people different from us has been from afar and through the media. Without real life examples of multi-ethnic relationships in our lives consistently, we are poorer as people and as a church.
3. Talk.
Building friendships allows us to see life from a different perspective and allows us to have real conversations without fear of offense. As bonds strengthen, we have to move into a sometimes ‘uncomfortable’ space to really understand one another. Until we move beyond the barrier of political correctness and surface talk, we cannot make real progress.
4. Pray.
This is a spiritual struggle that we are in and we need God’s power to overcome. We wrestle not against ‘flesh and blood’ (Eph. 6:12) but against powerful forces of evil and darkness that live to oppose the power and the anointing that will be unleashed when God’s people come together in unity (Psalms 133). But as people of prayer, we must have hope. Change is coming.
Zechariah 9:12
Return to the stronghold,
You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore double to you.
One evening at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., 39 years ago, a voice was stilled and hearts stopped. Dreams died, and eyes cried while hope vanished and freedom remained a myth. It was a melodic voice, a booming baritone that shook government suites and city streets, touched the pinnacle of “proper” to the gutter of ghettos.
In the time since that tragic shot rand in the midst of a segregated republic, a new day has dawned. Bridges have been built, and dialogues established. But in spite of these things, more often than we would care to admit, our ‘new’ day has a distinctly old feel to it.
The above picture is from the protests and racial tension surrounding the court case involving high school students in Jena, Louisiana. This is only a few years after questions of race and class were asked as America tried to determine what role if any they played in the Hurricane Katrina crisis. Don Imus, Donavan Mcnabb, Immigration Reform, the current 2008 Presidential debates are all names and/or events that have had the issue of race at it’s epicenter, or in some significant way under it’s influence. One of the figures in perhaps the most racialized court case in the last 25 years, O.J. Simpson is back in the news. Take a minute and Google News the word ‘Racism’ and look at how much conversation and energy surrounds this volatile topic. It seems we can’t go very far before the challenge of race relations takes center stage.
Though we have come a long way in the one generation since the Civil Rights Act era and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, we have not come far enough. Too often, the struggles of the past and the sins of our fathers have manifested themselves in the lives of the present daughters and sons. We find ourselves and the church as well, borrowing from the title of Alan Greenspan’s latest book in an ‘Age of Turbulence’.
We exist in an epoch of blue states and red states, polarized communities labeled: SUBURB, CITY, and INNER CITY. Color-coded churches dot our landscape, preaching togetherness but living exclusively. In nearly 95 percent of American churches, one racial or ethnic group makes up more than four-fifths of the congregation, according to a study by Rice University sociologist Michael Emerson. According to the Congregations Project, which is conducting an extensive survey of American churches, only 7.5 percent of the nation’s more than 300,000 congregations are multiracial when no single racial group makes up more than 80 percent of its congregation.
Jesus prophesied that the times of the end would be marked by ethnic conflict. On almost every front, this cultural virus is infecting our societal mainframe with no firewall in view. Hate crimes over the issues of race are increasing, not decreasing. And we are not talking simply about a few rogue fringe types that are causing all the ruckus. The conundrum of race impacts the workplace and communities as a whole. Restaurant chain Cracker Barrel (48.7 million) as well as clothing giant Abercrombie and Fitch ($40 million) paid to settle lawsuits involving discrimination and racism in 2004. On September 21st 2007, it was reported that the city of Los Angeles has agreed to pay (1.47 million) to settle a racial discrimination case involving its fire department.
To put all this in perspective from a chronological/time standpoint if 1776 is America’s birth year, and 1968 is the beginning of ethnic equality with the conclusion of the civil rights movement, then for 192 years the U.S. legally practiced racism and prejudice as a way of life. It is only in the last 39 years (1968-2007) that America has attempted to change. But too often, in the community of faith and without, old habits die hard.
With these scenes in full view, how much progress has been made? Ironically cruel, more often than not, the needle containing the antidote of “HEALING” has broken the skin, but has yet to reach the soul. Over the past almost 40 years we have seen the rise of ministries such as Promise Keepers and others, that along with local churches, have had foot-washing/ reconciliation meetings and have tried to bridge the race divide. In that time, we have learned about ourselves, about each other, and made some progress. But the question remains: ‘Where do we go from here?’
One of my favorite sentences in the Bible (1 Kings 19:7) is when the angel is speaking to Elijah and he says, “Get up and eat, the journey is too great for you.” I can relate to that. There are many times when it seems like I am out of my league, overwhelmed with the challenge, or just plain tired and stressed. The journey is too big, my resources are too small, and I am at the end of my rope (or in over my head!).
Have you ever been there?
When I find myself in the place on the journey and paralyzed with the ‘Bigness’ of everything, there are two things I do pretty consistently:
*I pray and confess to Jesus that the ‘journey is too great for me’.
*I ask Jesus to encourage me in a small way that would keep me going and give me hope.
It amazing how many times I Have prayed this prayer, and how many times He has answered me. More often than not, the encouragement that God brings to me is very subtle and simple. But Jesus knows how to speak my language, and He knows just where I will look.
If you are stuck on your journey, in the present or in the future, try this 2 step ‘Big Journey’ prayer and watch how the creative God of the universe encourages your soul.
There is a revolution coming. A revolution of truth. Passion. Love. The revolution is energetic. Diverse. It is young. It is old. It is every color. It is rich, poor, and in between.
There is a revolution coming.
It is real, raw, explosive. It is without precedent. It will dissolve barriers and breakdown walls. The revolution will use tools that the religious said were unavailable to them. But they will wield their weapons, on fire with passion for a holy God.
The revolution will dance, will sing, will create, will illuminate, will laugh, will cry, be ready to die for the One who set their hearts ablaze.
The revolution can be seen, can be felt, can be touched. The revolution has a sound, a rhythm, an anthem. When you stand still you can feel it. It is coming like a hurricane with so much force, it will rip the doors off resistance, off dead religion, off complacency and fear.
I was hanging out with my girls at the friendly neighborhood Mickey Dees and I saw something cool. While my kids were playing and having fun in Playland, there were some kids that were sitting at the table next to me. They were enjoying themselves and having a good time. What struck me was the uniqueness of the students (they were in high-school) and the fact that they seemed to really be friends. Beyond style, background, and color, the connection was real. It made me think of how we often say it is impossible for God’s people to come together. But it happens at McDonalds every day. If we can unite under the golden arches, then I think we can come together at the cross.
Come together. (And thanks to Ivana, Alex, Janet, Justin, and Kathleen for letting me take their picture. In you, we get a glimpse of the future.)
I don’t know if you were aware of this fact, but on September 27th the search/media/advertisement company Google, celebrated it’s 9th birthday. A decade ago this company didn’t exist, and in less than ten years it seems that almost everything has been ‘googlized’. Think about about how universal the term ‘Google’ has become. It is a part of the cultural lexicon, spanning as well as linking communication, commerce, and people (Have you ever ‘googled’ yourself? To see if you are listed in the digital world? If not, try it sometime.). Did you know that this company that began by being housed and created in a college dorm room is now worth (a very conservative estimate) 18 billion dollars? A company that wasn’t in existance in 1997, has impacted the world in such a large degree.
Now I am an ’80s kid that grew up during the time when leg warmers were popular, Cabbage Patch kids were the rage, Michael Jackson’s Thriller was hot, and mullets and jeri curls were cool. One of my favorite movies during that time was the ‘Back to the Future’ films. Doc, Marty and the Deloren were awesome. A time machine and a cool car fused together. What a concept. I loved it.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you could travel back in time? What if you could go back to that 8th grade dance or Senior Ball? What about the day you were born? What about another significant historical event? What if, knowing what you know now, you could go back in time and invest some money in the young, start-up company/idea named ‘Google’ that a couple of college kids had invented? That would be something wouldn’t it? We would be in a completely different financial situation if we were able to do that. But because most of us didn’t, we were not able to enjoy the windfall.
It is always easier to invest in something, when you know the something is a something. But the trick is to invest in the something because you know it is a something when it is not anything to anyone else. The cool thing about God is that He has a habit of investing in the somethings that appear to be nothings (David, Moses, Joseph, Esther, and many others) before anyone knew they were anything.
Sometimes, as we are in our pursuit of God’s purpose, on our journey of destiny and mission, it can feel as if we are nothings. Where is the investment? Where are the finances? Where is the help? Where is the support? Where is the team? God, where are you anyway? We can have questions like these as well as many others. It can seem like we have more vision/ideas than the resources or the ability to bring them to life.
The good news is that this has been the case with every dreamer that ever lived. The dreams always come before reality, and vision must always precede new life. And part of God’s investment in us, is that He gave a dream and vision in the first place. He invested in us as somethings before anyone knew we were anything.
God has been ‘googling’ before ‘googling’ was cool.
Posted in The Church, Media/Culture, The Future, Dream Awake | 1 Comment »
If we were told that our role in history, time, and the future was extremely significant, and if our contribution wasn’t made the world would be much poorer, what would we say? Many of our responses would sound like, ‘No way. I am just doing my day to day thing. It is not that big a deal.’ Most of us believe that (whether we would say it or not) we are small pebbles thrown into the vast ocean of life. And like the vastness of the life ocean we think that we have an indefinate period to accomplish our endeavors of smallness.
A few days ago I was reading the biography about a man named John Sung who was a missionary/revivalist in China. He did a great work in a short time by the power of God and through his passionate commitment to Jesus. And Rev. Sung died when he was 37. I am just 3 years from 37. That is not old, and that tommorrow is not too far from my today (What is amazing is that as you get older, and I just turned 34 this month, you have a whole new concept of what ‘old’ is and what it isn’t. When I was 15, 27 seemed ancient!). As I thought about this while I was driving in my car a couple of days ago I thought about life. My life.
What if 3 years is all that I’ve got? If 3 years is all that I had, would I live my life the same way that I am doing now? What if we all had 3 years to live? Or 2? Or less? Every day there are people that rise out of their beds, go to work, to school, to church, or wherever else and don’t make it back home. It turned out to be their last day on earth. And I would guess, if we were able to speak to these recently deceased, they would tell us that they weren’t expecting it, and if they knew then what they knew now, they would live their lives differently. That their actions had much more weight then they dreamed, and their time frame was much smaller than they imagined.
They would tell us that they had a Big Job and they had Little Time.
Today, stop for 5 minutes and think.
How are we living? Are we living in a way that communicates the fragility of life, and reality of eternity? The importance of every moment? And are we taking care of our Big Job?
Because time is much ‘littler’ than we think.
Posted in Relationships, The Future, Leadership, Family | 2 Comments »
Most of our lives are lived in the mundane. Days come, and days go and we do ordinary things. We go to work, we take kids to school, we go to school, and other stuff. When we look at the lives of people that are deemed extraordinary we very rarely count ourselves in that number. We see ourselves as ordinary folks. But the truth is, we are all ‘ordinary’ folks. In fact, I think when we get to heaven one of the most shocking and surprising parts of the whole experience is how regular, ordinary, and ‘human’ everyone is. God didn’t make any super-people. He just made regular people that did their best to be faithful is the middle of the mundane. In many cases our ’supeheroes’ stumbled upon and tripped into destiny, purpose, and mission. They weren’t looking for it, it was an accident.
Mary found her calling in a baby. Joseph in a dream. Moses in a bush that was on fire. God took day to day things and used them to inspire, to speak, to bring direction, and tell stories of the future. Think for a minute about how many times Moses walked by that bush in the wilderness before one day God used it to change his life. What ‘ordinary’ things is God using (or trying to use) to speak, inspire, direct, and communicate to us? And are we paying attention?
Posted in The Church, The Future, Leadership | No Comments »
12 Years ago this July, Tiffany and I were married in holy matrimony. We were young, didn’t know a whole lot about life, but were ready to take on the world together. When I think about us in that season of our lives, I often shake my head and shrug over how naive we were in relation to life and being a wife and a husband. But I will never forget what the minister that married me said:
“When you don’t know what to do, love one another. Love is an action word. Love is a choice. When you don’t know what to do, love one another.”
As the years have passed, I realize much more how wise those sentences were, and how they have helped us greatly along the way.
But this is not just a statement that applies to marriage and married people, but to all of us that love Jesus. Sometimes we are in a place where we don’t know what to do. And when we find ourselves in that place, we must reach out to Jesus. In the middle of the pain, the trial, the challenge.
When you don’t know what to do.
Love Jesus.
Posted in Relationships, Transformation | No Comments »
We are working on a new website. Launch date is October 15th, 2007. The site address will be: FC2NOW.com
Stay Tuned.
Posted in The Church, The Future, Dream Awake | No Comments »
After my ‘A revolution is coming’ post from a couple of days ago (Sept. 20th), I thought I would pass this article on that talks about a generation of world changers that are in the world today. Let me know what you think.
Posted in The Church, Media/Culture, The Future, Dream Awake | 1 Comment »
The Age of Turbulence
Oracles of God and a Message of Hope
“…And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory” (Haggai 2:7 NKJV)
Throughout history, science has been used to explain ethnic differences and the natural superiority of one people group over another. Credible scientists have proven in the more recent past that the findings of the eugenicist are false and rooted in bigotry. Physiologically, as well as spiritually, we are much more alike than different. Like children born into the same family, “genetic markers” give us uniqueness while binding us together. It is in our unity, we find the balm that heals us.
Peter tells us to speak as “oracles of God.” And as “oracles” in the Earth, this we must understand: to be a church that “looks like heaven,” we must first be a church that loves like heaven, here on earth. But in the midst of the struggle there are rays of hope. In yesterday’s NY Times there was a story (link here) about Clarkson International Bible Church of Georgia (formerly Clarkson Baptist Church), a church that is shaking off it’s history of segregation and separation and in the words of Pastor Rev. Kitchen (Above picture) who leads the church, ““Jesus said heaven is a place for people of all nations, So if you don’t like Clarkston, you won’t like heaven.”
The newspaper goes on to describe that for most of the life of this ministry that began in 1883 the line that, ‘11am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America’ applied to Clarkston. But when Rev. Phil Kitchen steps to the pulpit now, ‘he stands eye to eye with the changing face of America. In the pews before him, alongside white-haired Southern women in their Sunday best, sit immigrants from the Philippines and Togo, refugees from war-scarred Liberia, Ethiopia and Sudan, even a convert from Afghanistan.
Churches like Clarkston and leaders like Rev. Kitchen are ‘oracles’ giving us a glimpse of the future. Movements and efforts like this will no longer be the exception, but rather the rule. The sin of racism and hatred will no longer be allowed to trump the Jesus power of love.
So how can we step in this place of hope and healing like the Clarkston International Bible Church? In order to achieve breakthrough to beyond the ‘color barrier’ in our churches and our personal lives and sustain it, we have to first recognize that, as a follower of Jesus Christ we are much more alike than we are different.
What We Share
DNA: in 2003, researchers were able to decode 99 percent of the human genome with hope that it will save future lives in preventive medicine. Spiritually speaking, no one but the church can decrypt the conundrum of racism and prejudice. While others simply “tolerate” differences in the name of political correctness and appearances, we go deeper because we have been born into the same family.
Vision: Family mission statements have become more popular over the last decade, and Jesus gave us a family directive when He said, “Make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), and gave us a vision of every tribe and tongue before Him in worship (Revelation 7:9)
There will be neo-Nazis, black supremacists, terrorists, century-long enemies, among others, that will one day worship Jesus with hands that are clasped, and with hearts that are broken. May we give ourselves to the realization of this dream on Earth, as it is in heaven.
Blood: When locating a blood donor for an accident victim, great care is taken to make sure that the same blood type is used. Through Christ’s sacrifice, we have been given the same blood. And like patients in an ICU, it is the only type that will bring remedy. But when we profess love and manifest hate, we violate God’s redemptive purpose, and limit His power to save souls.
Though we have made progress (see Clarkston International Church), there is a sneaking suspicion that, though wounded, the leviathan still lives (as evidenced by our majority of segregated churches, communities, and relationships).
Here are some simple tools that we can all use to get outside our comfort zones and shake off the legacy of division that has been passed down to us.; because most of us want to break out of these limitations, but are unsure where to start.
Starting Points to Help us grow:
1. Educate ourselves.
Read books, watch videos/DVDs that tell the story of America and the church, go to racism workshops/discussions in community/church. In order for us to bring a solution, we need to have an understanding of the problem.
2. Build friendships.
The reality of relationships breaks down misunderstanding and lack of trust. Many of our interactions and exposure with people different from us has been from afar and through the media. Without real life examples of multi-ethnic relationships in our lives consistently, we are poorer as people and as a church.
3. Talk.
Building friendships allows us to see life from a different perspective and allows us to have real conversations without fear of offense. As bonds strengthen, we have to move into a sometimes ‘uncomfortable’ space to really understand one another. Until we move beyond the barrier of political correctness and surface talk, we cannot make real progress.
4. Pray.
This is a spiritual struggle that we are in and we need God’s power to overcome. We wrestle not against ‘flesh and blood’ (Eph. 6:12) but against powerful forces of evil and darkness that live to oppose the power and the anointing that will be unleashed when God’s people come together in unity (Psalms 133). But as people of prayer, we must have hope. Change is coming.
Zechariah 9:12
Return to the stronghold,
You prisoners of hope.
Even today I declare
That I will restore double to you.
Posted in Uncategorized, Prayer, Relationships, The Church, Media/Culture, The Future, Transformation | 2 Comments »
The Age of Turbulence
Where do we go from Here?
One evening at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tenn., 39 years ago, a voice was stilled and hearts stopped. Dreams died, and eyes cried while hope vanished and freedom remained a myth. It was a melodic voice, a booming baritone that shook government suites and city streets, touched the pinnacle of “proper” to the gutter of ghettos.
In the time since that tragic shot rand in the midst of a segregated republic, a new day has dawned. Bridges have been built, and dialogues established. But in spite of these things, more often than we would care to admit, our ‘new’ day has a distinctly old feel to it.
The above picture is from the protests and racial tension surrounding the court case involving high school students in Jena, Louisiana. This is only a few years after questions of race and class were asked as America tried to determine what role if any they played in the Hurricane Katrina crisis. Don Imus, Donavan Mcnabb, Immigration Reform, the current 2008 Presidential debates are all names and/or events that have had the issue of race at it’s epicenter, or in some significant way under it’s influence. One of the figures in perhaps the most racialized court case in the last 25 years, O.J. Simpson is back in the news. Take a minute and Google News the word ‘Racism’ and look at how much conversation and energy surrounds this volatile topic. It seems we can’t go very far before the challenge of race relations takes center stage.
Though we have come a long way in the one generation since the Civil Rights Act era and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, we have not come far enough. Too often, the struggles of the past and the sins of our fathers have manifested themselves in the lives of the present daughters and sons. We find ourselves and the church as well, borrowing from the title of Alan Greenspan’s latest book in an ‘Age of Turbulence’.
We exist in an epoch of blue states and red states, polarized communities labeled: SUBURB, CITY, and INNER CITY. Color-coded churches dot our landscape, preaching togetherness but living exclusively. In nearly 95 percent of American churches, one racial or ethnic group makes up more than four-fifths of the congregation, according to a study by Rice University sociologist Michael Emerson. According to the Congregations Project, which is conducting an extensive survey of American churches, only 7.5 percent of the nation’s more than 300,000 congregations are multiracial when no single racial group makes up more than 80 percent of its congregation.
Jesus prophesied that the times of the end would be marked by ethnic conflict. On almost every front, this cultural virus is infecting our societal mainframe with no firewall in view. Hate crimes over the issues of race are increasing, not decreasing. And we are not talking simply about a few rogue fringe types that are causing all the ruckus. The conundrum of race impacts the workplace and communities as a whole. Restaurant chain Cracker Barrel (48.7 million) as well as clothing giant Abercrombie and Fitch ($40 million) paid to settle lawsuits involving discrimination and racism in 2004. On September 21st 2007, it was reported that the city of Los Angeles has agreed to pay (1.47 million) to settle a racial discrimination case involving its fire department.
To put all this in perspective from a chronological/time standpoint if 1776 is America’s birth year, and 1968 is the beginning of ethnic equality with the conclusion of the civil rights movement, then for 192 years the U.S. legally practiced racism and prejudice as a way of life. It is only in the last 39 years (1968-2007) that America has attempted to change. But too often, in the community of faith and without, old habits die hard.
With these scenes in full view, how much progress has been made? Ironically cruel, more often than not, the needle containing the antidote of “HEALING” has broken the skin, but has yet to reach the soul. Over the past almost 40 years we have seen the rise of ministries such as Promise Keepers and others, that along with local churches, have had foot-washing/ reconciliation meetings and have tried to bridge the race divide. In that time, we have learned about ourselves, about each other, and made some progress. But the question remains: ‘Where do we go from here?’
(Tommorrow: Part II of ‘Age of Turbulence’)
Posted in Relationships, The Church, Media/Culture, The Future, Transformation | No Comments »
One of my favorite sentences in the Bible (1 Kings 19:7) is when the angel is speaking to Elijah and he says, “Get up and eat, the journey is too great for you.” I can relate to that. There are many times when it seems like I am out of my league, overwhelmed with the challenge, or just plain tired and stressed. The journey is too big, my resources are too small, and I am at the end of my rope (or in over my head!).
Have you ever been there?
When I find myself in the place on the journey and paralyzed with the ‘Bigness’ of everything, there are two things I do pretty consistently:
*I pray and confess to Jesus that the ‘journey is too great for me’.
*I ask Jesus to encourage me in a small way that would keep me going and give me hope.
It amazing how many times I Have prayed this prayer, and how many times He has answered me. More often than not, the encouragement that God brings to me is very subtle and simple. But Jesus knows how to speak my language, and He knows just where I will look.
If you are stuck on your journey, in the present or in the future, try this 2 step ‘Big Journey’ prayer and watch how the creative God of the universe encourages your soul.
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There is a revolution coming. A revolution of truth. Passion. Love. The revolution is energetic. Diverse. It is young. It is old. It is every color. It is rich, poor, and in between.
There is a revolution coming.
It is real, raw, explosive. It is without precedent. It will dissolve barriers and breakdown walls. The revolution will use tools that the religious said were unavailable to them. But they will wield their weapons, on fire with passion for a holy God.
The revolution will dance, will sing, will create, will illuminate, will laugh, will cry, be ready to die for the One who set their hearts ablaze.
The revolution can be seen, can be felt, can be touched. The revolution has a sound, a rhythm, an anthem. When you stand still you can feel it. It is coming like a hurricane with so much force, it will rip the doors off resistance, off dead religion, off complacency and fear.
There is a revolution coming.
Can you feel it?
Posted in The Church, Media/Culture, The Future, Creativity/Innovation, Dream Awake | 2 Comments »
I was hanging out with my girls at the friendly neighborhood Mickey Dees and I saw something cool. While my kids were playing and having fun in Playland, there were some kids that were sitting at the table next to me. They were enjoying themselves and having a good time. What struck me was the uniqueness of the students (they were in high-school) and the fact that they seemed to really be friends. Beyond style, background, and color, the connection was real. It made me think of how we often say it is impossible for God’s people to come together. But it happens at McDonalds every day. If we can unite under the golden arches, then I think we can come together at the cross.
Come together. (And thanks to Ivana, Alex, Janet, Justin, and Kathleen for letting me take their picture. In you, we get a glimpse of the future.)
Posted in Relationships, The Church, The Future, Dream Awake | 1 Comment »