Warning, some spoiler alerts may be revealed in this blog entry!  

I am a big fan of Marvel movies, who, in the past have released such blockbusters like The Avengers, Thor 1 & 2, Ironman 1,2,3, Captain America and so on.  I wasn’t much of a comic book reader growing up so I didn’t know the ins and outs of the “Marvel universe”.  That being said, we went recently to see “Guardians of the Galaxy” in theaters because it came highly recommended, and we were not disappointed!  This action packed Marvel film takes place in a distant galaxy where many aliens coexist.  The main character, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is a human who, at the beginning of the film,  was at the deathbed of his mother.  His heart is broken and he carries with him a mixed tape that his mother made for him.  Long story short, he was abducted “from Earth at a young age“..he is now an “interstellar adventurer“, opportunist and currently a wanted criminal.  (IMBD Bio) 

It is a long, humor filled story as to how this ragtag team is assembled known as the “guardians of the galaxy” and they must face numerous challenges, especially internally among the group with struggles such as revenge, insecurity, greed, trust and arrogance.  These unlikely characters must work together to defeat a common enemy by the name of “Ronan 

the Accuser” of Kree and his villainous backer and destroyer of worlds – Thanos.  

Peter retrieves an ancient artifact only to discover it contains great power and is currently also being sought out by Ronan the Accuser and his thugs.   The humor in this film makes it fun to watch coupled with the numerous action sequences.  I especially enjoyed the characters that make up the Guardians, especially two in particular by the name of Rocket and Groot.  

Rocket is a Raccoon like intelligent creature who was experimented on.  He struggles with insecurities of who is, yet is extremely cunning and intelligent.  He is the orchestrator of plans and the builder of unique and dangerous weapons.  His partner and “muscle” (Groot) is a tree-like creature who can extend his limbs to fight and to defend.  He can only utter three words “I Am Groot”…which the other team members interpret into rather humorous responses during the film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Poignant Lessons:
1. Leadership – Although this movie is an action-packed film about super-heroes and villains it certainly does not start out that way.  Quill is an opportunist just out to make some money.  His character seems very selfish and ego driven…though he carries with him the scars of his mother’s death in the form of his tape player and her mixed tape that she made for him.  You want to cheer for him and he is a spectacular example of an imperfect hero with many flaws.   Putting these flaws aside Quill becomes a fearless leader of the Guardians as they seek to save mankind from Ronan and ultimately Thanos.  

2. Revenge never pays – Drax is the muscle bound, red tatooed, revenge seeking Guardian.  He signs on with the team in order to kill Ronan who slaughtered his family.  Drax doesn’t really care about the others at first and only seeks to fill his blood lust by any means possible without consequences or how it will impact those around him.  He learns some lesson the hard way in this film and becomes a true friend to the other team members within the Guardians.  

3.  Unity, Love & Sacrifice  – Groot, at one point saves the entire team from destruction by sacrificing his own life.  The ship is crashing to earth and he unfurles his limbs to become a sphere of protection around the other Guardians.  In doing so Rocket yells at Groot with tears in his eyes and says “don’t do it Groot, you will die!” at which point Groot declares boldly “We are Groot” and then proceeds to save them all from death by sacrificing himself.  To me this was startling, yet poignant lesson of team work, love and sacrifice that should speak to our hearts.  I saw almost a Christ-like sacrifice that Groot displayed for others as he was willing to lay down his life to save the team.  

My recommendation:
Go see “The Guardians of the Galaxy”.  The Guardians are imperfect, far from spectacular and yet display the best of humanity in their team work, love and ultimately willingness to sacrifice themselves to save others.  In my opinion, it is the must see movie of a quickly fading summer! 

Just something more to ponder here at pastorsponderings.org

 

Is It More Than A Paycheck?

The mission of The Salvation Army requires more than just employees.  Don’t misunderstand me, we need workers who can perform vital tasks within our army but my fear is that we are creating professional places of employment and no longer cultivating warriors who are mission minded.  Is it wrong to draw a salary from our army?  Of course not!  Though there is the danger of hiring personnel based solely on their skill set.  Skill sets are wonderful and we should utilize these abilities in our army but what happens if we only hire individuals based solely on their ability to perform these tasks while they have no love or passion for our mission?  

Making it personal:

I remember the days when I used to punch a clock while being employed by the Army.  I must confess that I too viewed my position as a place of employment and not where my heart met a godly mission and purpose.  It happens more than we think.  Dare I say that we (the army) sometimes employ families  who merely “go into the family business” and perhaps it is more out of convenience than it is about passion.  I do not begrudge this.  For years I had to sort this out in my own life as well.  I am a fourth generation salvationist and a fourth generation officer…did that mean that I signed up out of “convenience”?  Thankfully the answer in my case is “no”.  I could have found a more lucrative, gainful employment somewhere else following college graduation.  I could have done other things, but I felt a call to minister within our army.  Was it a lifetime call?  Perhaps that’s a conversation for another time…but I have been called here and now to be more than just an employee of The Salvation Army.  If there comes a day when I am simply here for the paycheck and the benefits and have no love for our mission then it is time for me to pack it in and move on.  God forbid if we have only employees in our army!  Employees only fulfilling their job descriptions and nothing more.  Employees who are not mission bound but paycheck and position bound.  Employees who hardly ever (if at all) actively engage in Kingdom building within our army.  

I quit being an employee of our army years ago.  I didn’t sign up to draw a paycheck or sit in a nice office with a window view. There has to be something more than this.  There needs to be heart and passion and mission that coincide with our spirits and prompts us to fight for souls of men and women for the glory of God!  If this last element is missing (for the glory of God) we could lose everything within our army.  If we do not keep our mission ever in focus…if we do not continue to fight for the souls of men and women…if we do not actively engage in our corps, divisional offices and territorial offices for His glory, we will have lost everything and just become “employees” in just another social service organization.  God forbid that ever happens.  Don’t be employees…be mission workers, be passionate soldiers of Christ, be compassionate dispensers of God’s grace, be warriors of God…don’t just be employees of The Salvation Army.  

Something more for our Army world to ponder today…to God be the glory!  

Questions:
Do we as an army for God work within the mainframe of grace and reconciliation?  How do we bring back into the fold those who have broken rank and have gone AWOL?  

Braking Ranks:

There are many reasons that officers and soldiers brake rank and depart.  Some leave for other opportunities that, I believe, the Lord makes available for them.  Some burn out and because of frustrations they leave our ranks in search of rest that perhaps wasn’t offered where they were stationed.  Others leave for moral or ethical reasons.  All of these reasons are sad to our army.  We need soldiers and officers of this army who will fight despite the circumstances, but we also need leaders in our army who are sensitive to the Holy Spirit and will lovingly employ pastoral care upon those who are truly hurting and struggling.  

Pastoral Care:

It is not enough to have a small handful of officers at territorial headquarters to minister to the vast ministries of hundreds of officers on the field.  Nor is it enough to claim places like officer’s councils (twice a year) and pilgrimage (for soldiery) enough of a healing balm to weary souls.  These are wonderful elements of pastoral care, but they are not enough.  Sometimes, dare I say, these are merely used as stop-gaps yet underlying hurts and true shepherding is forgotten along the way.  This is usually unintentional because many leaders are “too busy” due to over worked schedules.  If I can be honest for a moment though, we need something more than what is already available to officers and soldiers in regards to pastoral care.  We need to spend more money if needed.  We need to employ more officers and staff within the realms of pastoral care.  If our army is serious about caring for those within its ranks, please take this seriously.  I am not negating the effectiveness of the few who are already within this area of ministry (pastoral care departments – if there is one in your territory), but there are far too few in number.  

Secondly, it is not enough to employ/outsourced psychologists to conduct tests on those who are hurting to see if they are “fit for duty”.  These services are excellent when one is seeking professional counseling (which is at times necessary) and we are grateful for these helps, but who does the shepherd turn to when they need someone to talk to and perhaps an ear to listen without fear of repercussions or divulging of information shared.  It is not that we mistrust leadership but shepherds are there to guide and to lead but if the leader is hurting or burned out perhaps don’t just move them or appoint them to a place with less stress – here is a novel concept – Talk to them and listen to their needs.   I don’t mean to be critical here today but pastoral ministry should not be a last resort or a responsive action, it should be a first priority and a proactive ministry to its ranks.  I believe far too long we have operated within a reactionary place which is more of a knee-jerk response instead of an intentional, loving concern for those who serve.  

Leadership: please don’t misunderstand what I am saying.  I am not implying you do not love those you lead, but I am saying there is room to improve must be room to improve!  Lip service can take the form of “I hear what you’re saying” yet no action is ever taken to adjust, modify, restructure the foundation because it can and will upset the status quo right now.  

What do I know…I’m only a Captain in this very large ship that is The Salvation Army…but from where I stand, sometimes officers and soldiers are just numbers instead of people.  The reaction to a dip in statistics becomes “Officers what’s going on in your corps?  Why are the stats down?” or “Women’s ministries secretary, why are there less women in your women’s ministries group?  Why are the stats down?”    Sometimes we minister through the famine days as well as the seasons of feasts.  We must recognize that people are people and we ought to love and serve them with our full efforts and compassion through ministry of the Holy Spirit.  

Pastoral Care Recommendation:
(Again, what do I know but here’s a suggestion, which is more than just criticism but I hope and pray a construction suggestion because I want to succeed in ministry and I know we all do too)
Here are Three Recommendations to truly allow pastoral care to become proactive and more effective:

1) Employ Divisional Pastoral Care Teams (not just Territorial ones):
This isn’t about micromanaging officers or corps, but rather caring leaders determined to improve the mission through healthy, shepherding and love.  Pastoral teams who will spend time with officers not because it’s in the calender or because its mandated but because they want to fellowship with other officers and show support and concern.  Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Divisional Officers don’t love those they serve currently, because that is not the case, but if we had a team of pastoral care officers devoted to the concerns and needs of shepherding officers on the field I believe we would see not only a higher morale but more effective ministries going on.  Officers and soldiers need to feel needed and loved.  They need to know they have support no matter how near or far their appointments are for their headquarters.  A Divisional Pastoral Care Team would be immediate, confidential, and provide an additional resource to not only officers and soldiers on the field but to divisional leaders.  

2) A Sabbatical Provision For Officers:
Currently if an Officer told their leadership that they would like to take a sabbatical from their appointment they would be met with questions like “Are you resigning?  Are you questioning your call as an Officer? Are you dealing with sin?”  The thought of providing something other than furlough to Officers who need triage to their spirits seems almost alien to our army world.  I don’t wish to peer over the proverbial fence here but there are many churches who employ the use of a sabbatical so that their pastors can recharge, reconnect with their spouses, find rest and rediscover their heart for ministry.  What damage would it do to consider such a provision?  Could we prevent some of the losses within our ranks if this were in place?  Perhaps even a territorial sabbatical place of rest could be assigned…more to ponder…

3) Team Leadership Appointments:

I recognize not all personalities can work together in ministry, but wouldn’t it be more effective to have numerous couples working in the same appointment?  I know that immediately some would consider the cost of such a venture, but what would the return on this kind of investment be?  Currently already within the USA in the Kroc Centers teams of Officers already work together, but what about within the standard corps setting?  Wouldn’t we be more equipped within a carefully structured partnership team?  I don’t mean a Corps Officer and an Assistant or an Associate Officer but I mean co-leaders, co-ministers together.  Perhaps in this way the burden can be jointly carried and also fellowship and healthy accountability can take place.  This type of model would not be easy to maintain and constant retooling would have to happen, but if the goal within mission was kept as the priority and everyone could extinguish egos, perhaps this type of team ministry could work.  

Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing:

The mission of our Army should always, ever be at the forefront of what and who we are.
Secondly though, we must  be proactive in caring for our ranks of officers and soldiers.  We need the able body, the healthy body of Christ in order to meet human needs in His name!  We need each other to prevent attrition in our ranks.  We need to know leadership truly cares for those they lead.  We need more servant leaders to assist in this modification to make our mission more effective.  With healthy pastoral care tools in place, more than we have now, we can help some (not all) of the issues we are currently facing when we consider the “breaking of ranks”.  

“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” 1 John 3:17

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

Just something more for our Army to ponder today!  

As I mentioned yesterday there are some surefire ways to succeed in our mission, however there are also many roads to failure.  One of these roads is the pain of losing our first love through moral failure.  Let me be clear, we are all called as Children of God to live above reproach and to exercise self-control while we avoid temptation at all cost.  The pathway of duty is unfortunately littered with tattered remains of uniforms and lives who have fallen back into lustful and sinful pursuits.  This is why holiness in our army is so vital…we move from the altars of salvation into a far deeper lasting relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit can and will supply our needs in order to not only avoid temptations but to provide us victories from our old lives.  We are new creations and we must ever be diligent in this new creation to steer clear of the trappings of sin.  

Dear Soldier of our Army, sin is still a lure to most of us (if not all of us).  Temptations still abounds and, if we are not careful and awake, we can fall prey to these temptations!  Guard your hearts, dear Soldier, for the father of lies would love to destroy this Army!  Satan quakes when churches and this Army move in holy step, yet if we become unguarded in our hearts and stumble and succumb to temptation you can be sure that Satan will celebrate in our demise!  

3 Tools To Help Soldiers To Guard Our Hearts:

1. Think On These Things –

“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Our minds are the front-lines of victory and defeat in the war against sin.  What we put into our minds can become who and what we are.  If, for example, we wanted to get into shape and to eat right we would not feast on fast-unhealthy-foods morning, noon and night.  Doing so would lead us into an unhealthy lifestyle instead of a healthy one.

In the same way, if we want to become more like Christ and less like our old sinful selves, we have to consume that which will be edifying to the Body of Christ (which begins with ourselves).  Our minds need to be retrained, we must evict and bar those patterns which are unhealthy and that we know have caused us trouble in the past.  We cannot permit them to reside in the same dwelling as our new creation which longs to become the very reflection of Christ.  Think upon, meditate on – these things which are holy and pure…it is easily said and much more difficult to make a reality but it is possible for all of us to do!  

2.  Stay On The Lighted Pathways – 

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
If, in your old life you have trouble with drinking alcohol, do not walk by the bars you used to frequent.  If, in your old life you struggled with sexual temptation and desires, do not test the waters and allow yourself to be in compromising situations.  If, in your old life you struggled with other vices which were destructive to your body and soul, do not veer off of the lighted path that God has illuminated for you!  Be aware that you too can fall!  Saints of God have fallen before and we are also susceptible if we do not remain within His wondrous light of fellowship and guidance.  Stay on His Lighted pathway not just through God’s Word but through the fellowship of other godly believers and be held accountable to others who will challenge you and help you develop into a strong warrior for Christ.  

This leads me to the last tool that I will mention today:

3. Find Accountability And Resources:

If you think for a moment “I don’t need this, I can handle my own battles” think again!  Do not become so prideful in your own abilities to withstand temptation when it comes!  We are not meant to walk the pathway of duty alone!  We are stronger together as soldiers of our Army!  It is not a sign of weakness to seek out mentors, who are more mature brothers and sisters in the faith.  We need honesty and integrity in our Army!  We must be willing to be vulnerable with trusted Barnabas’ who will encourage us and strengthen us!  We need to be properly equipped for the battles ahead that we will face as soldiers…and they will come!  We will be tested and the resolve of our faith will, at times, be shaken.  How will we fair when those days come?  I want to stress again how vital it is for this Army to have soldiers who are strong in their faith and not to possess those who will crumble away when temptation strikes and the earth gives way.  Find other saints to talk with.  Share your struggles with a trusted friend, a person who will not just pat you on the back and agree with you, but a friend who will challenge you to continue to live this holy life which MUST be pleasing to God!  

If there was a threat to the Church and this Army today, it is the shallowness of faith.  I do not want to lather on the judgement at all, but how far do your roots go down into the soil of faith?  Are you firmly planted or could you be blown away by the gustings of temptation’s gale?  May we all be deeply rooted in His Word!  May we all be firmly planted in the fertile soil of lasting faith!  May we, as Soldiers of THIS Army, guard our hearts against all forms of temptation and sin so that we can stand firm and fight this good fight!  The spiritual battle is not over yet, we still wage it daily.  If we cannot stand firm in our faith, think on godly thing, remain on the lighted path, and be held accountable to other saints, then how can we expect to serve the lost in His name?  How can we ever expect to possess the strength to help pull others from the heavy currents of sin?  

Yes God is still working in us, we are still “under-construction”, but we cannot allow that which is unclean to pollute the holiness of God within us either.  Dear Salvation Army Officer and Soldier – Guard Your Hearts!  

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23) 

Something else for our Army to ponder today! 

“Jesus Started With the Outliers”
by Rachel Held Evans 
(via her blog: “Jesus Started With the Outliers”)

It was one of those Twitter conversations I probably shouldn’t have gotten sucked into. 

We were debating whether or not it’s helpful to use language like “act like a man,” or “true womanhood,” or “real men” in our religious dialogs, and I was arguing that the goal of the Christian life is to be conformed to the image of Christ, not idealized, culture-based gender stereotypes. He was making the case that men are “hardwired” to protect women and women are “hardwired” to be protected by men, and so the lifeboats on Titanic prove that women should not teach or lead in the church. I suggested that perhaps the lifeboats on the Titanic point to a more general sense that the stronger in a dangerous situation are morally compelled to protect the weaker in a dangerous situation, and that mothers can be awfully protective of their children after all, and that a man who (for whatever reason) might be weaker than a woman in a given situation should not feel like less of a man if she protects him. “What about a husband who is confined to a wheelchair?” I asked. “Is he ‘less of a man’ because he may be dependent in some situations on his wife’s assistance? And should we perpetuate the stereotype that ‘real men’ must be physically stronger than the women in their lives? 

“Yes, but that’s an unusual circumstance,” he responded. “We can’t base our theology on the outliers.” 

When he said it, something clicked in my head in a way it hadn’t before, something that seems pretty obvious when you think about it, yet is so easy to forget: 

“Yes, but Jesus STARTED with the ‘outliers,’” I said. “If it doesn’t work for them, it doesn’t work.” 

There is this tendency within certain sectors of Christianity to assume that if our theology “works” for relatively privileged (often for white, upper-middle-class American men), then it should work well enough for everyone else, and everyone else should conform to it.

We see this a lot in the gender debates, especially among those who suggest thatthe only way a family can truly honor God is with a husband who functions as the family breadwinner and a wife who functions as a stay-at-home mom to their 2.5. children, regardless of finances or practicality. This may work for some people, but it doesn’t work for the family earning minimum wage, or the couple facing infertility, or this awesome church community of immigrants that shares the responsibility of child-rearing together. 

Same goes for theologies that suggest the poor are poor because of their sins, that if only the sick had more faith or gave more money they would be healed, that the tsunami or the earthquake or the flood that devastated a community was clearly the result of God’s wrath on its gay inhabitants, that we can stop rape by teaching women to cover up better, that sex before marriage makes a person ‘broken’ and ‘unwanted.’

Sure, we don’t always think about women who have been sexually abused when we preach that wives need to be super-sexy to keep the interest of their husbands, or about infertile couples when we talk about how “a woman’s highest calling is motherhood,” or about our African American brothers and sisters and our indigenous brother and sisters when we trumpet America’s great “Christian heritage.” 

But maybe we should. 

If the gospel isn’t good news to the so-called ‘outliers,’ then it’s not good news at all. And, in fact,  if our theology doesn’t start with the ‘outliers,’ then maybe we’re doing it wrong. 

Jesus started with the outliers and made no bones about it: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (from Luke 4) 

In the Sermon on the Mount: 

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you,
and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
But woe to you who are rich,
 for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep…”  (from Luke 6) 

Jesus talked theology with women. He hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors. He drew crowds made up of the sick and poor. He criticized religious leaders who try to “slam the door to the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces.” 

I think also of the Ethiopian eunuch (from Acts 8), a man who was ethnically and sexually “other,” who was welcomed  and baptized without question or hesitation into the early church, but who would no doubt fail all of Mark Driscoll’s rigid categories for a what makes “real man” were he a part of the American evangelical church today. 

Now, the point of this rambling reflection is not to further entrench the imaginary divide between the privileged “in” and the underprivileged “out.” (It should be noted that with the center of Christianity shifting to the global South and East, and with the demographics of American Christianity changing so rapidly, white American Protestants will soon find themselves in a minority, which will make this whole conversation a lot more interesting!)  The point is, we can’t go around dismissing as irrelevant those for whom our pet theologies turn the good news into bad news. We have to start with them instead. 

Because at the end of the day, we’re all in this Kingdom thing together. We’re all loved by God, all in desperate need of grace, all in need of one another. 

In a sense, we’re all outliers. 

What is the Bible?

Part 1. Someone Wrote Something

I’ve had a number of conversations recently that somehow led to the Bible. I say somehow because these weren’t conversations with particularly religious friends, and yet what they talked about was their interest in the Bible. 

For some, they readily acknowledge that this particular library of books (Yes, it’s a library. More on that later…) has deeply shaped western civilization in countless ways and yet they haven’t the foggiest notion what it’s actually about other than vague references to David killing Goliath (Although in the book of 2 Samuel it’s written that a man named Elhanan killed Goliath) or ominous warnings about the end of the world (Like in the recent movie This Is The End where Jay Baruchel keeps reading passages from the book of Revelation to Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill and James Franco-as if that’s the book to help you understand why the sinkhole in your front yard just swallowed up Rihanna…) or stories about Jesus doing things like turning water into wine (Really? That’s his first miracle? He makes it possible for people to keep drinking for days on end? Is this why Jesus was accused of being a drunk?)

For others, they’ve heard someone quote the Bible and something about what the person said made them think there’s no way that it actually says that. And yet they don’t have some better or more informed way to counter the explanation they heard other than you can’t be serious, that’s crazy.

And then for others, the Bible caught them off guard. They had an experience, they tasted something, they felt something, they endured something-and they discovered in the Bible language for what they’d experienced. They were wronged by someone and in moments of honesty realized that they wanted that person to die in a violent and gruesome fashion-only to discover these exact impulses described in vivid detail in the Psalms. How is it that someone writing thousands of years ago in a different place in a different language in a different culture could describe with such startling detail exactly what I’m feeling here and now in the modern world? How could something so many have discarded as irrelevant be at times so shockingly relevant?

Good questions.

Questions I’ll get to.

I’ll start with how the bible came to be The Bible,
then I’ll write about 
floods
and
fish
and 
towers
and
child sacrifice-
all in order to explore what’s going on just below the surface of the stories in the Bible.

Then I’ll address some of the ways many people were taught to think and talk about the Bible-

as God’s word, The Good Book, the living word, principles for living, The Word, the absolute standard, THE INERRANT TRUTH ABOUT WHICH THERE CAN BE NO COMPROMISE, God’s view on things, the ultimate owners manual, and so on

-and why those ways of thinking and talking about the Bible aren’t working like they used to for lots and lots and lots of people.

All of which will lead me to articulate a way of understanding the Bible in which your mind and your heart are both fully engaged as you see it and read it for what it is-a funky, ancient, poetic, revolting, provocative, mysterious, revelatory, scandalous and inspired collection of books called The Bible that tell a story, a story I want you to hear.   

First, then, a bit about how we got the Bible.

Someone wrote something down. 

Obvious, but true. And an important starting point. 

The Bible did not drop out of the sky, it was written by people.

Again, obvious, but it helps ground us in how to begin thinking about what the Bible is. Many of the stories in the Bible began as oral traditions, handed down from generation to generation until someone collected them, edited them, and actually wrote them down, sometimes hundreds of years later. That’s years and years of people sitting around fires and walking along hot dusty roads and gathering together to hear and discuss and debate and wrestle with these stories.

The people who wrote these books had lots of material to choose from. There were lots of stories floating around, lots of accounts being handed down, lots of material to include. Or not include. 

(There’s a line in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings 11 where the author writes 

As for the other events of Solomon’s reign-all he did and the wisdom he displayed-are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon?

Well, yes, I guess they are…it’s just that we have no idea what the author is referring to. Interesting the assumption on the author’s part that not only do we know this, but that we have access to these annals. Which we don’t. 

We see something similar in the gospel of John where it’s written 

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of disciples, which are not recorded in this book

and then the book ends with this line:

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

It’s as if the writer, just to wrap things up, adds Oh yeah, I left a ton of stuff out.)

The authors of the books of the Bible, then, weren’t just writing, they were selecting and editing and making a multitude of decisions about what material and content furthered their purposes in writing and what didn’t.

These writers had agendas.

Luke: I too decided to write an orderly account for you…
The Book of Esther: This is what happened…
John: These are written that you may believe…

There were points they wanted to make, things they wanted their readers to see, insights they wanted to share. These writers, it’s important to point out, were real people living in real places at real times.And their purposes and intents and agendas were shaped by their times and places and contexts and economies and politics and religion and technology and countless other factors.

What does it tell us about the world Abraham lived in that when he’s told to offer his son as a sacrifice he sets out to do it as if it’s a natural thing for a god to ask…?

The David and Goliath story starts with technology-the Philistines had a new kind of metal, the Israelites didn’t. The story is undergirded by the primal fear that comes when your neighbor has weapons that you don’t have-like spears. Or guns. Or bombs.

Why does the Apostle Peter use the phrase there is no other name under heaven…? Where did he get this phrase and what images from military propaganda would it have brought to mind for his listeners?

Real people,
writing in real places, 
at real times,
with agendas,
choosing to include some material,
choosing to leave out other material,
all because they had stories to tell.

That said, two thoughts to wrap this introduction section up:

First, for some the Bible is just a collection of old books. Books written by people, and nothing more. For others, the Bible is a collection of books, but it’s also more than just a collection of books. They’re books, but they’re more than just books.

We’ll get to words like inspiration and revelation and God-breathed later (which I’m a believer in-but I’m getting ahead of myself), but for now it’s important to begin by stating the obvious: The Bible is first, before anything else, a library of books written by humans.

I say this because there is a stilted literalism that many have encountered in regards to the Bible that makes great claims about its divinity and inspiration and perfection but then doesn’t know what to do with its humanity.

Why do the four resurrection accounts in the gospels differ on basic details?

Why aren’t there any clear denunciations of polygamy? Or slavery? 

Why does Paul say in the New Testament that it’s him speaking, not the Lord…?

When people charge in with great insistence that this is God’s word all the while neglecting the very real humanity of these books, they can inadvertently rob these writings of their sacred power. 

All because of starting in the wrong place.

You start with the human. You ask those questions, you enter there, you direct your energies to understanding why these people wrote these books.

Because whatever divine you find in it, you find that divine through the human, not around it.

(I should play my hand here just a bit on where I want to take you: If you let go of the divine nature of the Bible on the front end and immerse yourself in the humanity of it, you find the divine in unexpected ways, ways that can actually transform your heart. Which is the point, right?)

Second, a bit about questions.

Often, especially when people come to a particular strange or gruesome or inexplicable passage, they’ll ask 

Why did God say this?

The problem with this question is that it can leave you tied up in all kinds of knots. (Really? God told them to kill all the women and children? God did? And we’re supposed to accept that, well, that’s just how God is?) 

That sort of thing.

The better question is: 
Why did people find it important to tell this story?

Followed by
What was it that moved them to record these words?

Followed by
What was happening in the world at that time?

And then
What does this passage/story/poem/verse/book tell us about how people understood who they were and who God is at that time?

And then
What’s the story that’s unfolding here and why did these people think it was the story worth telling?

Let’s take one of those stories-
the one about a flood-
and ask these sorts of questions.

Via Rob Bell’s Blog: 
“What is the bible”

 

The Art of Worship

By: Stephen Griswold

What is your definition of worship?  To many it is sitting in church singing certain choruses or songs and lifting hands towards heaven.  While that is a decent definition and describes one way in which people worship there is a great deal more involved.  Worship is not merely a Sunday morning in church repetitive act but rather an everyday act that is ever changing.

 Many people relate music to worship and that is certainly a large part of the worship experience however, there are many other ways that we can worship the Lord on a daily basis.  First we need to understand that worship comes from the heart.  Our worship should be a product of our love for God and a desire to express that love for Him.  So, how can we express our love for God?

 Here are some ideas that may be considered for directing us in our daily worship.  We can express ourselves through music, art, written word, dance, and even silence.  While music is the most obvious expression it should not be limited to listening to songs that are already recorded or written.  Why not try writing your own worship song to the Lord.  Remember it does not have to be perfect it just has to come from the heart.  Perhaps you could take your favorite hymn or chorus and write new lyrics to it that express your own personal feelings and love towards God.

 Expression through art is another wonderful and often overlooked way to worship.  Through drawing, painting and sculpture we can express our feelings in a unique manner.  Through art one can tell a story without using words.  A painting of a beautiful mountain range may express ones feelings about Gods awesome power of creation.  A drawing of an empty tomb may express our love for God because of His gift of Salvation.

 Have you ever kept a journal or diary?  Why not keep a journal of prayers you have offered to God as a way of worship.  If not a journal how about try writing poems that express what is in your heart.  When was the last time you wrote a love letter to God?

 An expression that has become increasingly popular with our young people has been through dance.  Interpretive dance has become a beautiful expression of worship in the church by taking an existing song and putting movement to that song to help bring it to life in a new way.

 Another way of worship is simply silence.  When was the last time you just sat silently and listened to God?  What better way to tell God you love Him than to just sit and listen to Him?  There is so much that God wants us to know but we get too busy sometimes to stop and listen.  We need to stop at times and clear our mind and listen to what God has to say to us. 

 Why not try something new this week in your worship time?  Remember it is what comes from the heart that makes worship real.  It is not the perfection of the act of worship that God desires.  It is the real, the honest, the simply act of love that God desires from us.  Worship God today and be blessed in His presence.

“Go For The Weirdest”

            I think the biggest mindset change that has happened in my first year of officership is my inclination towards a certain group of people.  I have spent the majority of my life in middle to upper-middle class corps.  These were places that had full brass bands and a large songster brigade and were late to the game with a praise team because it was too new and didn’t fit with the old way of things.  Essentially, the churches I went to were (what I imagine to be) the quintessential American church. 

And, for the record, there’s nothing wrong with that.  In fact, I loved these corps!  When I envisioned my life as an officer, it was serving at these middle/upper-middle class churches.  And, if I’m completely honest, I was afraid of the corps that didn’t fit that mold.

            Inside these middle/upper-middle class churches were always one or two weird people.  Not just quirky, but people who didn’t fit in with the majority demographic of the church.  Often they were greeted as they should have been and shown a decent amount of courtesy, but I don’t know if they were always a part of the church…if that makes any sense. 

I bet you know the type.  These are the people who raise their hand in Sunday School and everyone shakes their head (inwardly or outwardly) thinking, “Oh great, what are they going to say today?”  Then the Sunday School teacher has to listen for 5 minutes before they can get a word in and try to steer the conversation back to the material because the person just rambled on and on until they were on a completely new and unrelated subject.

            It just happened in my office about thirty minutes ago.  Someone came in and wanted to talk.  I got about a total of four words in as she talked about not having a fridge, the start of WWI, how her husband died overseas but she things it was her husband’s twin brother, her struggle with schizophrenia, being healed over the tv by televangelist, the problems she has with presbyterians, and a whole lot more…for about an hour. 

            And in the midst of her talking, abruptly jumping from topic to topic without segue, I realized something.  All through my journey to fulfill my calling, inside my head was this ideal corps that was a middle/upper-middle class church filled with normal people whose problems were credit card debt and secret, but manageable addictions, and which colleges they want their children to attend.  But here I am in a corps that has more than a few people like this lady who can talk for hours about nothing because all she wants is someone to listen to her.  And. I. Love. It!

            My wife and I were a little concerned when we came here because, at last count, there were 82 Christian churches in a town of 20k people.  I joke with my fellow officers that, when evangelizing, the question isn’t, “Do you know Jesus,” as much as it’s “What church do you attend?”  So we thought that any church growth that happened was probably going to be at the expense of another church.

            But then we started our kids programs and discovered all these trailer parks full of kids (and adults, for that matter) that didn’t go to church anywhere and were desperate to come to our corps because they knew that their friends were going to be there and they’d be accepted and loved.

            Sadly, that last part hasn’t always been the case.  We’ve had people leave because the kids (and a few adults too) don’t live up to that middle/upper-middle class church standard.  They don’t dress the way they’re supposed to.  They don’t sit the way they’re supposed to.  They don’t have the same hygiene habits.  Sometimes they don’t even have shoes on when they show up.  It pains me to see a small group of people driven away because of these new people who don’t fit the mold…but there are 81 other churches that fit the middle/upper-middle class church mold they’re looking for.

            So I’m left with the question: what do I do with these people who don’t fit the mold?  Do I tell them that they have to meet a certain expectation in order to attend?  They have to shower before they come?  They have to wear shoes?  They can’t talk during church?  They can’t raise their hand during Sunday School?

On a side note: Answering yes to those questions above, as many churches do (implicitly or explicitly) is the reason why there are people who believe they don’t belong in church.  It seems obvious but it’s something that we lose sight of. 

I had a guy come up to me after church one day and say quietly and ashamedly, “I don’t belong here.  These are all good people and…well I still smoke.”  And my heart broke because I have failed as a pastor when there are people who think they have to live up to a standard in order to be welcome at my church. 

Right?  I HAVE FAILED AS A PASTOR WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY HAVE TO LIVE UP TO A STANDARD IN ORDER TO BE WELCOME AT MY CHURCH!

Please!  Come to my church!  You can come in a three piece suit, a dress with big ol’ hat, or a tank top and shorts that haven’t been washed in a month.  And, you know what?  Go ahead and forget to silence your phone.  Ask me questions mid-sermon.  Fall asleep.  Sing too loudly.  Sing off key.  Don’t sing at all.  Just know that you’ve found a place that loves you and wants you to know Jesus.

William and Catherine Booth, founders of The Salvation Army, are listed in a book of 131 Christians You Should Know.  In it, the author writes of William, “He and Catherine became itinerant evangelists in Wales, Cornwall, and the Midlands, Britain’s “burned-over” districts. The Booths preached in naphtha-lit tents on unused burial grounds, in haylofts, in rooms behind a pigeon shop—anywhere to fulfill his famous words, “Go for souls and go for the worst!””¹

I like to think that he wasn’t just talking about the worst sinners, but the worst that society has to offer.  May I be so bold as to amend his statement to say, “Go for souls and go for the worst, and the weird, and the smelly, and the rambunctious and the ones no other church wants.”  Because we have failed if we make people feel like they have to live up to a standard in order to be welcome at our church. 

It seems like this is a constant theme in the New Testament.  People come to Jesus and are not the kind of people who seem like they should be in His presence.  Cripples (Mark 2:1-12), beggars (Mark 10:46-52), lepers (Matthew 8:1-4), tax collectors (Luke 19:1-10), unclean women who suffer from bleeding (Luke 8:40-48), children (Matthew 19:13-15) all come to Jesus and all are accepted, loved, healed and transformed by Him (often to the astonishment of those around Him). 

One story like this stands out to me.  Matthew 15:21-28 says, “Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.”

This is what it is to encounter Jesus: to know that we don’t live up to the standard of God’s holiness and to seek Him anyways, knowing that He wants to make us holy.  And I fear that, too many times, there are well-meaning people like the disciples who want to send away those who don’t belong.  They don’t believe these people are worthy of God, not realizing that all of us, like the Canaanite woman, are no better than dogs in comparison to Him.  And He still loves her.  And He still loves us.

Do we show that love and acceptance to the modern day equivalent of these outcasts?  Are they welcome in our churches?

I always envisioned my officership to take place in an upper-middle class church, but the longer I’m here, the more I’m impassioned to go for the souls, and go for the worst, the weirdest, the smelliest, the rambunctious and the ones no other churches want.  Because we have failed if we make people feel like they have to live up to a standard in order to be welcome at our church.  He accepts us just as we are.

            SASB#293

Just as I am, without one plea,

But that thy blood was shed for me,

And that thou bid’st me come to thee,

O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, and waiting not

To rid my soul of one dark blot,

To thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,

O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, though tossed about

With many a conflict, many a doubt,

Fightings within and fears without,

O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;

Sight, riches, healing of the mind,

Yea, all I need in thee to find,

O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,

Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,

Because thy promise I believe,

O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, thy love unknown

Has broken every barrier down,

Now to be thine, yea, thine alone,

O Lamb of God, I come! ²

¹ 131 Galli, M. (2000). 131 Christians everyone should know. Nashville, Tenn.: Broadman & Holman.

²The song book of the Salvation Army (American ed.). (1987). Verona, N.J.: Salvation Army National Headquarters.

My Cloud of Witnesses
By Lt. Sean Wise