Theres No Place Like Home

Well we have officially been gone for 10 days. I love adventures! I mean really love them! I like seeing new places and experiencing new things. I like the excitement of not known exactly how your day is going to go or what you'll be doing tomorrow.

But my guess is that around now or just a few days from now, I'll start thinking more and more about home. Home for me, being an army brat, isn't about a real location. It's about being near my family. Chances are, right now I'm thinking about my husband and our dog. I'm probably wondering what they are up to or how my dad is fairing with my mother gone. I'm probably also day dreaming about sleeping in my own bed or what the first thing I'm going to eat when I get back int he states will be.

When I went to Israel and Jordan for a month, I remember I wasn't really home sick but I really missed food that I was used to. Haha! Big surprise, right?!?!

So what is it that makes you feel at home? Is is a particular location or a particular building? Is it specific people? Is it a certain activity or particular foods? What is it that makes you feel most at home? If you don't feel at home now, is there something you can do to help yourself feel more at home where you are?

As for all of us in Namibia, eat a slice of pizza for us! And please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are away from our homes but have a wonderful opportunity to be guests in the home of these 58 children. Please pray that we will be a blessing to them as much as they are a blessing to us!

Failures

Well, by the time you are reading this, I am officially in Africa. (I wrote several posts early and set them to be posted while I am away since I won't have access to my blog from Africa.)

We have been here for three days now. And by now, I'm sure that we have made several mistakes, a variety of things have gone according to plan, and we are making some things up as we go. But sometimes those speedbumps, and how we react to them tell us more about our selves than the things that go well.

I recently was reminded of when I went to Army Airborne school. I was in college and In ROTC at the time. I was in the best shape of my life, and was thrilled at finally being given one of the coveted spots to Airborne school. Then, once I got there, I failed out.

Before they sent me home, they called me into the office to explain what I had done wrong, and figure out if I wanted to be start over again with the next batch of people coming in or if I wanted to go home. Starting over again wasn't an option because of my school schedule so I had to go home. So I listened as the Sgt told me what I had done wrong. I fell behind in two runs, that meant I got sent home. As the Sgt explained that to me he also said, "You physically are able to complete all the tasks you need to in order to complete Airborne training. You just don't want it bad enough."

I pondered that the whole way home. I thought being airborne qualified was what I wanted more than anything. So how could I not want it bad enough? And if I didn't want that bad enough, then what did I want bad enough? What did I want even more than being airborne qualified? It was that experience that helped me discern my call to ministry. My failure at airborne school was more helpful in discerning that than just about any of the success I had in other areas of my life.

What things have you failed at recently? What did you learn about your self? Is God trying to get your attention through that event?

Traveling

As many of you know, on Friday I'm headed for Africa. We'll be at the Children of Zion Village helping care for and teach the 58 children that live there. So I've spent this week frantically getting things ready to go and trying to get things taken care of that are going to come up while I'm away.

Maybe it's because I just preached on the passage two weeks ago, but as I get ready to leave, I keep thinking of the instructions Jesus gives to his disciples when he sends them out two by two. He very specifically tells them not to take a bag, any bread, or any money. The no bag and no money part doesn't phase me that much, but no bread?!?! I mean, come on! A person's got to eat, right?!

So why is it that Jesus wouldn't want the disciples to take anything with them. He even tells them not to take an extra tunic. So, no spare change of clothes. What's up with that? I'm all for traveling light but why is it that Jesus tells his disciples not to take anything with them when they go? And if we do take stuff with us (I'm a fan both of bread, and some extra changes of clothes!) does that mean that we are going against what Jesus wanted for us?

I haven't done any research or any indepth study, but I wonder if Jesus' command not to take anything with us is more about dependence on God than it is about actual stuff. Maybe it's that when we take supplies with us, we're more likely to think that we're the ones who have accomplished something. Maybe we're more likely to feel independent and self-sufficient, more likely to boast and be proud of what "we" have done rather than being dependent on God and recognize that God is really the one who accomplishes all things.

Which makes me wonder, what baggage (both literally and figuratively) do I need to leave behind so that I can be more dependent on God? What is it that I shouldn't pack, that I shouldn't take with me? For that matter, what is it in life that I need to let go of entirely in order to be more reliant on God? And for the record, I will be bringing some changes of clothes and some snacks!

What do you need to let go of and leave behind?

Saving Face

The following is a sermon I preached yesterday on Mark 6:14-29. Click here to read the scripture passage first.

Saving Face

If you have ever seen the movie Meet the Parents, you know that it’s one of those movies where nothing seems to go right. Ben Stiller’s character, Greg, spends a weekend with his girlfriend Pam at her parent’s house. This is the first time that Greg has ever met Pam’s parents. And if that weren’t stressful enough, the reason for their visit is because Pam’s younger sister is getting married.

The whole movie is based around the idea of how stressful it is to meet the parents of your significant other for the first time. Greg tries desperately to make a good impression on Pam’s parents, especially her father. But everything that Greg does seems to back fire on him. Through a series of accidents and weird events Greg ends up giving Pam’s sister, the bride a black eye the day before the wedding. He manages to cause the septic tank to overflow, flooding the back yard with sewage which just so happens to be the place where the wedding is being held. Greg ends us being responsible for a cat shredding the bridal gown into pieces. At one point he almost burns the house down. And those are just a few of the things that go wrong.

To be fair to Greg, none of the other characters in the movie help him out any. All of the characters whether consciously or unconsciously, do things to try to impress others or save face with others. Pam’s dad does a background check on Greg to try to prove to Pam that Greg isn’t good enough for her. The groom, who is a doctor, tries to make himself feel better by dissing Greg for being a male nurse. No one in the movie seems very comfortable in who they are, instead it seems like they are constantly seeking approval from other characters in the movie.

To be entirely honest, this is one of those movies that makes me really uncomfortable. Each decision that the characters make, makes me that much more uncomfortable. I can see how their half truths, their misrepresentations, and their power plays will ultimately get them into trouble. In fact, when I watched the movie, I found myself so uncomfortable that at one point I found myself talking out loud to the characters in the movie as if I could change their mind or their course of action.

I think part of the reason that so many people find this movie funny, and the reason I find it so utterly uncomfortable, is because it speaks to a common experience amount us. We all know what it’s like to try to save face in front of others. We all know what it’s like to try to make a good first impression, especially with our significant other’s parents. There is a part of each of us that is looking for acceptance and belonging. There is a part of each of us that cares what other people think, and so, at times, we find ourselves more concerned with what other people think then what’s right.

And that is exactly where we find Herod, in today’s scripture reading from Mark. Herod is caught in a myriad of complicated relationships. We read about how Herod tries to navigate these complicated and often competing relationships. Just like in the movie Meet the Parents, Herod’s attempts to save face turns out dreadfully bad.

Last week we found out that Jesus sent the disciples out two by two, to the surrounding villages. The disciples went out proclaiming that all should repent. They drove out demons and healed many people. The disciples are doing all these things by the authority given to them by Jesus and in the name of Jesus. This week we find out that word is getting around about the success of the disciples’ ministry. We’re told that the success of their ministry has lead to Jesus’ name being more and more well known. In fact they are so successful that word makes it back to King Herod himself.

The success of the disciples’ ministry in the name of Jesus has lead to a debate about who Jesus is. Some are saying that Jesus is John the Baptist, who has been raised from the dead. Others are saying that he is Elijah. And still others believe that he is just a prophet, like the prophets in the old testament. But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, who I beheaded, has been raised.”

It’s at this point that we hear the story of how Herod ends up ordering the death of John the Baptist. Mark tells us that Herod liked to listen to John, despite the fact that he was often perplexed by the message John proclaimed. Herod knew that John was a righteous and holy man so he protected John, even from Herod’s own wife, Herodias. Apparently, John had been telling Herod that he was wrong from taking Herodias as his wife. Herodias was previously married to Herod’s brother Phillip. Jewish law considered it incest for a man to marry his living brother’s wife. This led to John proclaiming that Herod’s marriage was unlawful. Needless to say, that didn’t sit very well with Herodias, so she wanted him dead.

The whole situation put Herod in a really awkward spot. On the one hand he feared and respected John, knowing that he was a righteous and Godly man. And he liked hearing John speak, even if the message left him confused. But on the other hand he couldn’t very well let John go around telling everyone he was unlawfully married. He couldn’t allow someone to go around spreading a message that might be a threat to his power. And on top of that, he has Herodias, his wife who wants John dead.

Maybe Herod thought he had found a compromise by having John arrested. After all, that prevents him from going around undermining Herod’s authority as king, but it still keeps him alive and Herod could listen to him whenever he wanted. And maybe it will placate Herodias. But, as we soon find out, Herodias is not satisfied with John’s imprisonment, she wants him dead and her opportunity to have him killed arises at Herod’s birthday.

Herod put on a banquet in celebration of his birthday. He invites everyone who’s anyone, all the nobles, politicians, and even the military officers. During the banquet Herodias’ daughter comes in and dances before the king and his guests. Herod is pleased with her dancing and seeing that his guests are pleased as well, Herod offers her a gift as a reward. He tells her that she may have anything she wants, up to half of his kingdom. It is quite a lavish promise made in front of a very influential audience. Maybe Herod was caught up in the moment and made an impetuous promise without thinking it through. Maybe he figured the girl wouldn’t have the audacity to really ask for half his kingdom. Maybe he was trying to impress his guests with his generosity. Whatever the reason, Herod makes the promise and Herodias seizes the opportunity.

The girls runs out to her mother, Herodias, and ask what she should ask Herod for. Herodias’ response is immediate and decisive, ask for the head of John the Baptist. So the girls returns to Herod, in front of all his guests, and asks for him to immediately give her the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Mark tells us that Herod was “deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and his guest, he did not want to refuse her.” Herod seems caught between knowing the social implications of his actions and acting morally. Herod didn’t want to kill John the Baptist, but in the end, he was more concerned about saving face in front of his guests than protecting a man he knew to be righteous and holy.

Herod’s situation is extreme. His situation was life or death. Although the situations we find ourselves in are usually not as extreme as Herod’s, we still face these dilemmas. We all know what it’s like to care about what other people think and to try to please those around us. It’s part of human nature for us to seek acceptance and belonging. And often in life those needs seem to be in conflict with what is right and moral. Daily life seems to present these Herod-like dilemmas for us to navigate.

College students know this dilemma all too well as they are often forced to chose between a major their parents approve of and will pay for, or a major that they are passionate about and feel called to. Teenagers daily face the dilemma of whether or not to tell someone that their friend is pregnant, or doing drugs, or thinking about killing themselves. Young professionals are often faced with the choice between doing what’s right or doing what will get them ahead in their careers. Parents are forced to decide what’s the best way to love and parent children in the face of ever changing technology and exposure to more things at younger and younger ages. Adults are forced to choose between working more hours at their job or spending time with their family.

Some of the decisions we are faced with clearly have right and wrong choices. Other decisions have much more ambiguity. Herod’s situation seems to be in the category of clear right and wrong choices. His situation seems so simple to us: Don’t kill a man that you know to be righteous and holy. For us, that clarity comes in part because we view Herod’s situation through the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We know that John is the precursor to Jesus. We know that John is a man sent from God to prepare the way for the message of Jesus. The simplicity of Herod’s situation comes in part because we view it in the context of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

The challenge for us is to view our choices in that same context. Are we making choices out of self-preservation, out of a need to protect ourselves or to further the kingdom of God? Do the choices we make support society’s status quo or are they part of God’s transformation of the world?

The dilemmas that we are forced to make are often fuzzy and ambiguous. It’s often difficult to figure out what the best course of action is. But life doesn’t permit us to sit on the side lines. We are forced to make choices about how we will live every day. Asking ourselves if the choice we are about to make is for the sake of self-preservation, or for the building up of the kingdom of God can help us think through the choices. But even that question doesn’t always bring clarity to a situation. Unfortunately, indecision, isn’t an option. Because in life, making no decision, it the same as making a decision.

Herod probably thought he had managed to avoid making a decision about what to do with John the Baptist by putting him in prison but his birthday banquet proved otherwise. Sooner or later we will be faced with the same sort of dilemma where we are forced to choose. As parents, you may not know how or when to talk to your kids about all sorts of controversial things. But your kids are going to be faced with those decisions regardless of if you talk to them or not. You can talk to them, and have your voice be a part of their consideration, or you can choose not to talk to them, and allow media and their friends to have the only voice on the issue. Maybe you see your colleague at work headed down the wrong path and you wonder whether you should say something and risk the friendship, or if you should keep quiet and let them make their own choices. Regardless of the specifics of the situation you find yourself in, life forces us to make choices. Not making a choice isn’t an option, it’s just a choice of its own.

Life is full of choices, big ones and small ones. Will be like Herod and make those choices out of self-preservation or will we be like John and chose to be a part of God’s transformation of the world, regardless of the personal cost?

Amen.

Time

You know that saying "Time is money"? I've been thinking about that recently. I heard on the radio today that the average American woman will spend one year of her life picking out what to wear. That's a lot of time spent getting ready. (And I'd be intrested to see how that compares with the amount of time an average American Man spends getting ready but the radio didn't share that information.) Or what about the amount of time that we spend commuting to work? Or the amount of time we spend checking email? (or updating blogs for that matter)

If time is money, then where we spend the bulk of our time, one could assume would be what is most valuable to us. After all, time is one of the resources that we rank as having one of the highest values. If you don't think this is true of you, then try to remember the last time you were stuck in traffic and not annoyed by it? Traffic is annoying for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is because it feels like our time is being wasted.

So if you do a time study on your life, what would it say about what you value the most? Where do you spend the bulk of your time? Is that where you want to spend most of your time? Is that what you consider most important in your life?

From what we know of Jesus' life, he spent much of his time with people. He spent time talking to people and hearing their stories, he spent time healing people, he spent time preaching and teaching. But what I find so striking is that Jesus was very intentional about setting aside time to pray and be alone with God.

That's a good reminder for an extrovert like me. If even Jesus needed alone time with God, then I definitely need alone time with God!

What area of your life do you need to invest a little more time in?

Save the Words

Ok so I could come up with some theological thing about this but in reality I just think this is fun. Check out the website www.savethewords.org! It's a website where you can adopt a word that is in danger of falling out of use in the english language. It's totally free, all you have to do is pledge to use the word you adopt as often as possible in conversation, emails, correspondence, etc.

Don't worry, I'll post something of theological substance later in the week. This is just one of those random fun posts.

Sent out Two by Two

Below is the sermon I preached this morning on Mark 6:1-13. Click here to read the scripture passage.

Sent out two by two

I recently received one of those email forwards, and although I’m sure many of you have heard it before, I think there’s so much truth in it that I want to share it with you.

A man writes, “I am writing in response to your request concerning clarification of the information I supplied in block number eleven on the insurance form, which asked for the cause of the injury. I answered, “Trying to do the job alone.” I trust the following explanation will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the date of the injury, I was working alone, laying brick around the top of a five-story building. When I finished the job, I had about 500 lbs. of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to put them into a barrel and lower them by a pulley that was fastened to the top of the building.

I secured the end of the rope at ground level, went back up to the top of the building, loaded the bricks into the barrel, and pushed it over the side. I then went back down to the ground and untied the rope, holding it securely to insure the slow descent of the barrel. As you will note in block number six of the insurance form, I weigh 180 lbs. At the shock of being jerked off the ground so swiftly by the 500 lbs of bricks in the barrel, I lost my presence of mind--and forgot to let go of the rope.

Between the 2nd and 3rd floors I met the barrel. This accounts for the bruises and lacerations on my upper body. Fortunately, I retained enough presence of mind to maintain my tight hold on the rope and proceeded rapidly up the side of the building, not stopping until my right hand was three knuckles deep in the pulley. This accounts for my broken thumb (see block four) despite the pain; I continued to hold tightly to the rope. Unfortunately, at approximately the same time the barrel hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel now weighted about 50 lbs I again refer you to block number six, where my weight is listed at 180 lbs. I began a rapid descent.

In the vicinity of the 2nd floor I met the barrel coming up. This explains the injury to my legs and lower body. Slowed only slightly, I continued my increasingly rapid descent, landing on the pile of bricks. Fortunately my back was only sprained. I am sorry to report, however, that at that moment I lost my presence of mind--and let go of the rope. This explains my two broken legs. I trust this answers your concern. Please note that I am finished trying to do the job alone.”

Have you ever tried to do a two person job by yourself? I know that I have, and perhaps that’s why this story seems to continuously circle around. Clearly this story is an exaggeration. But its exaggeration just makes it a little easier for us to see the truth in it. There are simply some things that are best done with more than one person.

Have you ever tried to move a mattress or a box spring up a staircase by yourself? Just a few months ago I tried to move our queen size box spring by myself. I got it just far enough to get it sorta wedged around a corner. Moving that box spring was a two person job and by trying to do it myself, I only made it more difficult by getting it wedge.

We all do this in so many different ways. Not only do we do it in our jobs or projects around the house, we do it in ministry as well. So often we think that we have to do a service project or ministry alone. We think in terms of “what is God’s will for MY life?” “what is God asking ME to do?” “What can I do?” One the one hand those are good questions to ask but they are detrimental when they make us think we have to do it all alone. That’s not how Jesus intends us to be in ministry but so often we act like we have to do it all alone.

In the scripture passage today from the gospel of Mark, Jesus sends the disciples out in twos. Jesus didn’t send the 12 disciples out alone, he sent them out two by two. This isn’t the first time in the bible that we see God sending people out in pairs. It wasn’t just Abraham that was told to leave his home, but Abraham and Sarah. When Moses was sent to the Israelites, God sent Aaron with him. When Jonathan attacks the philistines he takes his armor bearer with him. David, the king of Israel, had Nathan the prophet. Even Paul, who is credited with writing most of the letters in the New Testament, travelled with other apostles.

There’s a lot of good reason to go in groups of two or more. For one thing, safety was an issue. In Jesus’ time it was dangerous to travel alone. The disciples were better able to look out for one another when they weren’t alone. It’s like the old adage that there’s safety in numbers. But Jesus’ way is the way of the cross, of suffering and persecution so I think there has to be a lot more to it than just a safety issue.

The way of the cross is hard, and it’s discouraging when people are not receptive to the ministry we are a part of or when our plans don’t work out the way we had hoped they would. We know that all will not be receptive to what we offer. Even Jesus was rejected by some. Jesus was rejected by the very people he knew the most. And Jesus’ instruction to the disciples being sent out in pairs, includes what to do when we are not well received.

Sometimes life is discouraging. Having a partner in ministry to encourage you is sometimes the only thing that keeps us going. When we try to go it alone, we are like the ember that gets pulled out of the fire. Pretty soon, we’re just a cold discouraged piece of coal that has lost its fire and its passion. But when we are in partnership, we burn brighter and hotter and longer. We need the energy and passion of other Christians in order to sustain long term ministry.

Having a partner in ministry also keeps us accountable. It gives us accountability for both the ministry God sends us on and for personal growth. When Moses was gone too long on the mountain, Aaron gives into to the wishes of the people and makes an idol for the people to worship. It’s only when Moses comes back down from the mountain that Aaron is called to account for his actions.

The same thing happens with us. When we are left to do things on our own, it’s easy to stray from the path, and to stop short of the ministries God has in store for us. We need to be accountable to someone who will tell us when we are going in the wrong direction, someone who will speak the truth to us even when it hurts. So Jesus sent them out two by two.

Or what about David, when he got Bathsheba pregnant and then had Uriah, her husband, killed to cover it up. It was Nathan that calls him out for his misconduct. Nathan helps David see that he has become more concerned with his own desires, than he has with the needs of Israel. Without Nathan to hold David accountable, who knows what else David would have done. Maybe David would have had anyone killed that he didn’t like, or maybe he would have slowly taken foreign wives and lead Israel away from worship God alone.

While our transgressions are often not as big as David’s were, we still stray from the life God intends us to live. We still have moments in life where we put our wants before the needs of those God has called us to serve. We need a partner who will call us back to faithful living, who will keep us from wandering farther and farther off the path. So Jesus sent them out two by two.

We also need partners because we all have different gifts, no one person has every gift. We need to be in ministry with one another so we can compliment one another’s gifts. On one level we know this, and we often talk about how we are called to different ministries. But we are also called to different roles within the same ministry. It’s like the man who sold Christmas trees. He noticed a couple looking for a tree. Both of them wore clothes from the bottom of the bin of the Salvation Army store. After bypassing trees that were too expensive, they found a scotch pine that was ok on one side but pretty bare on the other. Then they picked up another tree that was not much better, full on one side, scraggly on the other. They offered the man $3 for both trees. The man figured neither of the trees would sell so he agreed.

A few days later the man was walking down the street and saw a beautiful tree in the couple’s apartment. It was thick and well rounded. He knocked on their door, and they told him how they had pushed the two trees together where the branches were thin. Then they tied the trunks together. The branches overlapped and formed a tree so thick you couldn’t see the wire. The man described it, “As a tiny forest of its own.” “So that’s the secret,” the man asserts.” You take two trees that aren’t perfect, that have flaws, that might even be homely, that maybe nobody would want. If you put them together just right, you come up with something really beautiful.”

None of us are perfect. No one person has every single spiritual gift there is. We need one another to balance each other out. We need each other, so one person can be full where the other person’s gifts are sparse. So often in life we try to hide our bare spots, or try to get the sparse sections to grow so we can be everything ourselves. But that’s not how God intends us to be in ministry. We’re not supposed to do it alone.

So Jesus sent them out two by two. Who is it that Jesus is sending you with? Who is your partner in ministry? Who is God calling you to be in partnership with?

Sometimes we are called to be in ministry with our spouse. Sometimes, even if we are married, we are called to be ministry partners with someone else. Your ministry partner should be someone who is passionate about the same things you are. It should be someone that has different gifts than you do, someone whose gifts compliment your gifts. Your ministry partner should be someone who isn’t afraid to, in love, tell you when you have messed up, someone who isn’t afraid to push you not to stop short of the goal God has set for you.

But your ministry partner should also be someone who encourages you, someone who will walk beside you, who knows when to speak words of encouragement to you. And who knows when to just walk with you in silence. And just as importantly, your ministry partner should be someone for whom you can do all of these things. The partnership should be a mutual thing.

If you don’t know who you should be in ministry with, then pray about it. Don’t just assume that God forgot to make you a ministry partner. We need partners in ministry. It’s not something we do alone. So pray about it. Ask God to help you discern who you are being called to be in partnership with.

Jesus sent them out two by two. Don’t try to go it alone.

Amen.