The Vegetarian Experiment

Remember this post?

While I'm not as far along on that list as I'd like to be, starting today Corrie and I are going to try to be vegetarians for one whole month. We have checked out some cookbooks from the library, we have bookmarked promising recipes, and we've been talking about doing this all year. So now is the time!

Maybe you are applauding our efforts to venture in to the vegetarian world. If you are, then thanks (and we'd like some recipe suggestions.)

Or maybe you have this t-shirt and you're wondering why anyone would ever not eat meat. If you are wondering why, then this post is for you.

It's no secret around my family that I've always been a picky eater. Even though I eat a lot more vegetables now than I ever have, I still have a tendency to sift through a casserole and politely set aside those items I'd rather not eat. My picky-ness is really not a big issue (Corrie might disagree), but I am growing older and need to be more mindful of what I'm eating. Not only that, but I have two boys who are watching me eat every day, and their habits will be tied directly to mine. I want to set a healthy example for them, and that means adding variety to my diet.

The other main motivation behind our vegetarian experiment is just to see if we can do it. We all like challenges of one kind or another. Some like to build things, some like to play golf, some like video games - we do these things for the challenge of bettering ourselves at them. The same is true for us. We hope we will better our lives by eating only vegetarian this month - better them by what we eat and better them by identifying with those who choose this lifestyle. Vegetarians are often ridiculed (especially in the South), when in fact, they should be celebrated for embracing a way of life that runs counter-cultural to the fast-food eating America we live in.

I'm hoping to blog throughout the month so as to chronicle the experience. If you're brave, you can join us. If not for a whole month, then maybe for a day or a weekend. OR, you can just read along and live vicariously through us. That's fine, too.

on Solitude

"Keep your eyes clean and your ears quiet and your mind serene. Breathe God's air. Work, if you can, under His sky."


Thomas Merton

Change

A theme of our lives right now is change. We change diapers, we change little boys' clothes, the boys change/grow everyday. Our lives are revolving doors of change. Just when you get used to one thing, it is replaced by another.


And yet, amongst all this other change, there are even bigger changes ahead. Last week, I accepted the position of Campus Pastor at the Wesley Foundation of Macon in Macon, Georgia. This is not a change we saw coming. I mean, I did apply for the position and interview for the position, but if you had asked us in January if we thought we might move this summer, we would have said no.


So, why move? Why now? The boys are not the only ones changing these days. Corrie and I are changing, too. We're growing as people, as parents, as a couple, and in our faith just by living life. One major thing that has changed in our hearts since Ezra was born is a desire to be closer to our families. We are keenly aware of how far away our boys' grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins live - and that has changed us. The desire that grew in our hearts became a prayer, and that prayer became a way for us to be open for God's next movement for our family.


We are truly happy in Oxford. Each new day with this decision makes us aware of how much we will miss this place. Our friends have become our family, and we are beginning to grieve the loss of community we will experience when we leave. This is also an exciting time for the Wesley at Ole Miss. My time as campus minister here has been characterized by building and foundation laying for a ministry that needed to figure out who it was. That has happened, and good things are stirring. I feel like Moses looking over the promised land - seeing it from a distance, but not experiencing it in person (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).


But we are also very excited about what's ahead. We believe the new position will enable me to minister and grow in ways that complement and challenge who I am; we believe there will be good space for Corrie to write her dissertation; and we believe Macon will be a great environment to raise the boys (especially since we'll be closer to the Braves!).

Retreating

Our Wesley had a joint retreat this weekend with the Wesley from the University of Arkansas. My friend, Omar, is the Director there, and last fall we decided that a joint retreat would be a good idea for each our ministries. We had 32 students altogether, and it was everything we wanted it to be for them.

Our speaker was our friend JD Walt, Dean of the Chapel at Asbury Seminary, and alum of the Arkansas Wesley. He challenged our students to live Jesus' story, a story of down, versus the story of the world, the story of up. (See the Asbury Reader site for more on that.) I could tell the students were getting a lot out of each session, and I am very thankful for events like this that  complement and propel our everyday ministry.

But the retreat was also good for me personally. I needed time with like-minded pastors to remind me that I am not alone. Campus ministry is pretty lonely; no one understands what you do, there is sometimes minimal support from the surrounding community, and the fruit of ministry is not always immediately seen. I am also realizing that I think and minister in a different way from a lot of other pastors, which makes my job even more lonely. Omar and JD were such an encouragement to me this weekend - affirming me, praying for me, and just listening to me. 

(The picture to the right is just before parting ways today. I call it "Los Tres Padres.")

Why I love LOST, part 1

Tomorrow night marks the beginning of the end for LOST fans. The final season will kickoff with a 2-hour premiere, and we will be watching. When LOST first started, we were still avid Alias fans (still are really), so we decided not to watch LOST. But then we moved to Oxford and some of our new friends insisted we check it out. Now, here we are, almost 4 years later, and anxiously awaiting the start of the final season.


LOST is possibly one of the most intelligent, well-written and yet frustrating shows I've ever watched. Intelligent because of the philosophical, biblical, and historical undercurrents that make up the show's complex story line. Well-written because it has so many pieces that all seem to fit together...I think. Frustrating because you never really know what's going (which is what we hope the final season will reveal).


But for all that, and the fact that Oceanic 815 crashed on my birthday, September 22 (it's true, look it up); there are two main reasons why I love LOST.

LOST is a show built on the stories of people.


This could be said about any show, but LOST is unique in that almost every episode of the show through Season 3 follows a character's life before the crash. Through these flashbacks we learn who these castaways are, what they've done, and how they came to be on the plane that eventually crashes on The Island.


If not for these flashbacks, we would have no real connection to the characters. Our opinions and emotions toward each character shifts as we learn more about who they were before they came to The Island. We see them as real human beings with real human problems and real human brokenness. We see The Island gives these castaways a second chance, a way to redefine their lives. If not for the flashbacks, the only thing we would have to shape the characters are their present actions, and who really wants to be judged solely based on what people see in the here and now.


Think about it. When you are with a new group of people, what do you spend most of your time doing? You tell stories about yourself, usually things that happened in the past, and you hope that people will receive who you are not based solely on your present actions, but on your history as well.

LOST Example: Kate. Kate is the girl next door (or grass hut) on The Island. She is the middle of a love triangle, she is strong yet vulnerable, pretty yet rugged, sweet yet sassy. If the show were only about what happens in the present, we would think Kate to be the perfect heroine, and the dream girl of every guy. However, we learn as early as episode 2 in Season 1 that Kate is a fugitive in the custody of a U.S. Marshal. It takes time for the rest of the picture to fill in, but we learn that Kate is far from the girl next door. Kate murdered her abusive father, robbed a bank, married a guy under a false name, etc. etc. The thing that characterizes Kate most is her ability to always run away. Instead of dealing with life head on, she runs.


Island Kate starts off in a similar fashion. She desperately wants off The Island so she can avoid what faces her back in Iowa (murder charges). She also remains fickle as to her allegiance, running which ever way seems to meet her needs. BUT, by the end of Season 5, Kate is done running away. In fact, Kate has the opportunity to leave The Island behind and forget it all while sitting in a submarine heading toward America. Instead, she convinces Sawyer and Juliet to join her in running back to try to save the others!


And this is what makes LOST so great! Kate is a prime example of the personal transformation that happens on this show, and the power of one person's story to pull us in to the bigger story. Kate is only one example of many, because LOST is about how all the different characters, with all their different backgrounds come together for something big and momentous (which we don't really understand yet). BUT, the show is driven not just by what happens on The Island, but the stories of those involved.


Reason number two comes tomorrow...

To be or not to be...

I turned 29 last week. On my birthday I was talking to my friend Omar, who is also a campus minister, and he suggested that I make a list of 29 things to do before I turn 30. I think that is a really great idea, but in the week since I turned 29 I have not been able to come up with 29 things I'd like to do before I turn 30.

What I have come up with are things I'd like to be about. What do I mean by that? Well, I want it to be more than a to-do list. Corrie and I talk a lot about being vs. doing, that is, our lives are defined by who we are, not by what we do or accomplish. We live in a world of upward mobility, where moving up and doing more is what defines our lives. But is that what life is all about? And more importantly, as a follower of Jesus and lover of God, is that what God is calling us to be about as we live our lives?

So my list is centered around things I want to be in my thirtieth year, not just things I want to do. Here they are:

1. Run a marathon
2. Be a vegetarian for one month
3. Read one classic work of fiction every month
4. Take a 5 day monastic retreat
5. Get Corrie flowers for no reason multiple times
6. Take Isaiah to Braves opening day in April
7. Read through one book of the Bible every month
8. Be more organized and productive at work
9. Write something significant every month
10. Take a weekend away with just Corrie
11. Give Corrie more time to pursue her studies

**For more on being v. doing, read anything by Henri Nouwen.

Read Along

We are currently in the season of Kingdomtide in the Church Calendar. This is a time to focus on the ministry and person of Jesus. Every fall, Asbury Seminary publishes a common text reader for students with the goal that we will learn about the kingdom together by reading together. This reader is also published daily online at www.asburyreader.com. I encourage you to bookmark it and read along. Below is an excerpt:

p r e p a r e t h e w a y f o r t h e l o r d
a prelude to kingdomtide

Three hundred years of Heaven‘s silence. Not a word. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, enters the greatest prophet of them all, the forerunner of God, and the floodgates of Heaven open. Words literally begin falling from the sky like rain. John, “The Baptist" emerges at the river‘s edge declaring a message as hot as it was hopeful. His urgent message reverberates through the labyrinthine corridors of history, reaching back to Isaiah yet echoing from the locked gates of lost Eden.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

...click to keep reading.

The End of the Beginning, part 2

Our time Oxford started with a great deal of excitement, but also with a fair share of fear and trepidation. In a six month time period, we were going to experience a new home, new positions, new friends, new church, and a new baby. Somewhere there's a chart of the most stressful things that people have to deal with and I think all these are in the top 20 (if not 10). We will always look back fondly of that first year in Oxford, but I look back now and realize it was very much a honeymoon period for us.

This is especially true of the ministry at Wesley.

I came in with grand ideas, plans, and expectations. I had just come from seminary, after all, and I was feeling pretty confident in my ability to run a top notch ministry. All my ideas, though, quickly fell by the wayside when I realized what the ministry (and the running of the ministry) was versus what I had expected. There's not enough room to here to go in to detail, but suffice it to say that while I was excited about where God had led us that first year, I was also disappointed and frequently frustrated.

One expectation that did not match up has to do with how I perceived myself when we got to Oxford. In my overconfidence and naivete, I expected to be the teacher for the students, the one imparting wisdom and guidance, the one leading and inspiring. This is what it means to be a leader, right? While some of those things might have been true, I see myself now more as the student, not the teacher, a follower, not a leader, and a journeyman, not one who has arrived. My role as campus minister has more to do with listening to students than telling them things, and empowering them to be leaders by first being faithful followers...through my example as a follower of Christ.

Forty hours of classes, three years, and two kids later, I am finishing my seminary career. I am once again reminded of the seedbed, and now I understand what I didn't understand three years ago. While the seminary is a special seedbed, a unique season of learning and growing; the life of ministry is one as well. Sometimes we (as ministers) get so caught up in helping others grow that we fail to see how God is trying to grow us as well. But we need to see each ministry opportunity, each season of life, as its own seedbed and be asking God:

What are you trying to teach me? Am I being teachable? Forgive me for not seeing what you want me to see, or hearing what you want me to hear. Open my eyes that I might see, my ears that I might hear, my heart that I might be truly transformed in to the likeness of your Son.

The End of the Beginning, part 1

96 credit hours + 35 classes + 23 As + 9 Bs {3 classes were Pass/Fail - I passed all 3} + 5 years = 1 degree.

Five years ago, Corrie and I had just moved back to Wilmore, KY. We had been married just over a month, and within the next few days I would be going back to school. I had spent the previous year as an intern for Wesley here in Oxford as a way of confirming my call to ministry (and to be close to Corrie - whew, glad that worked). Now, I was about to start Asbury Theological Seminary - a more formal way of beginning my life as a vocational minister.

We lived in a basement apartment just behind

Asbury College. In fact, I even did laundry in my old dorm a few times because it was closer (and cheaper) than the laundromat. The basement was maybe 500 square feet, and as I started school, our income came from Corrie teaching adjunct English classes, and I working part-time for a church in downtown Lexington.

I remember listening to JD Walt during New Student Orientation talk about how seminary comes from the word seminarius, meaning "seed bed". He went on to say that seminary is much more than a place to learn about God, but it is a place where we begin a season of growth to really come to know God.

As I went to my first classes, I could see that what JD said was true. I sat in awe of my professors; they had spent their lives studying, writing, and living in their respective fields of study. They were so knowledgeable, so published, so well known, but more than that, I could tell that they really desired to know God.

My dad thinks seminary is a place that teaches you to grow facial hair to be more like Jesus. He's half right - it is a place to learn to be more like Jesus (I grew the goatee just because). Many think seminary is a place to learn theological terms, theories of biblical interpretation, ancient languages, and pastoral counseling skills. As if it's the vo-tech for pastors. But seminary is much more; seminary is place to be fed from the rich resources of Christian tradition, passed down from those who first heard, saw, and touched (1 John 1:1) the minstry of Jesus to those who faithfully give their lives to teaching it to men and women called of to God lead the Church.

Just after a year of living back in Wilmore, Corrie got the itch to start the process toward her PhD. Soon after that we received word that the Wesley position at Ole Miss was going to be hiring for the next year. We began to pray about our next steps. We didn't really want to live in Mississippi (10 and 12 hours away from our families), and I wasn't sure I was ready for a full-time ministry position. God called us anyway. With 56 of 96 hours complete, and no full-time ministry experience, we moved back to Oxford from Wilmore on July 1, 2006. Corrie received a full fellowship from Ole Miss to pursue her PhD, and we were expecting our first baby the following January.

to be continued...

The Meaning of the Ham and Eggs

Yesterday, I tweeted this:

Many people give eggs, but we're called to give ham.

Since then, several people have wondered what it was all about. Well, yesterday at church, the preacher gave an illustration in relation to Romans 12:1-3. It went something like this....

On a farm, there was a Chicken and Pig talking about how thankful they were for the farmer. The Chicken had the idea of cooking breakfast for the farmer the next day. She said, "I'll sponsor the eggs if you'll sponsor the ham." The Pig thought for a minute, and then said, "I like the idea, but you only have to give eggs, I have to make the ultimate sacrifice."

As Christians, we are called to give ham. The passage in Romans, the words of Jesus in Mark 8:34-38, and Peter's command to be holy as God is holy all reflect the idea that we are meant to give our whole lives to Christ, not just parts.

Food for thought.

More than a Feeling, Part 2

We studied infant baptism in my Theology of John Wesley class this semester. We read an excellent lecture and essay on the topic, which I believe is the best treatment of infant baptism I've ever read.

One way to think about infant baptism is to see it as the circumcision of the new covenant. Now, we all know that circumcision is not required to be a Christian, Paul has made that argument very clear. What I mean is that circumcision was also a way of being initiated and identified as one of God's people. It is analogous to baptism in that way. Here is how I put it in a response I wrote for my class:

The Bible is filled with analogous relationships. The almost-sacrifice of Isaac foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus, the Israelites deliverance from Egypt and desert wanderings foreshadow the life, baptism, and ministry of Jesus, David as King is the type that Jesus ultimately fulfills…I could go on and on. Therefore, the argument that baptism in the NT is like circumcision in the OT makes perfect sense. Circumcision was a part of the original covenant with Abraham so that God’s people might have an outward sign of the inward grace of the covenant. Once the church was established and the new covenant replaced the old covenant, baptism became the new outward sign of the inward grace, the one thing that marked God’s people as different in the world. What must be remembered when it comes to infant baptism is that it is a sign that the child is being initiated in to the community, to be raised by the community, in the common faith. Infant baptism is meant to be followed up by teaching from the community about the faith so that the child can one day receive faith on his/her own, at which time the baptism covenant will be confirmed.

I'm open to your thoughts. Feel free to leave comments if you like.

More than a Feeling, Part 1

(Pastor Pat and Ezra, and Kevin)

On Easter Sunday, we had Ezra baptized. We picked Easter because it is the traditional day of the Church (early church) receiving new members in to the community. The phenomena of membership as we know it today (walking down the aisle or coming forward to be received on any given Sunday) is actually quite new and quite American. Anyone who wanted to join the early church had to first go through instruction (catechism) about what it means to be a follower of Christ, and then if they still believed, they were baptized and confirmed as members.

As far as anyone can tell, infant baptism has always been practiced by the church. Many believe the New Testament only shows believers' baptism by immersion, but these are just baptism's most explicit references.

For instance, when Peter goes to Cornelius' house after his vision of food in Acts 10, we are told that Cornelius' entire household was baptized. I think it is reasonable to assume that there might have been small children or infants in the house who were also baptized. There are other implicit examples as well, just pay attention as you read.

In the early church, baptism was not just about making a profession of faith, but it was about being initiated in to the community of faith. It was about being identified as belonging to those who believe. As my sons, Isaiah and Ezra are part of the community of faith because I am part of the community of faith. Eventually, they will have to make that decision on their own, and I hope that when that day comes they will confirm their place in the community. But until then, they have been baptized as a way to signify the grace that God is already extended to them...even though they don't understand it yet.

Kids are funny

Right now at our house, there's a lot to be happy about. We have a 2 year old boy who is changing so much every day, and we have his new little brother who can sleep through the chaos created by his aforementioned ever-changing brother.

But there are also things about having a new baby and a toddler that bring frustration. Little sleep. Cold weather (which limits outside playtime). LOTS of diapers. (Last night looked like an assembly line, we changed one poopy diaper and then literally turned around and changed another poopy diaper). Little sleep. You get the picture.

I saw this video and it made me laugh. Kids really are a joy!

Stoned Little Kid After Dentist Visit - Watch more Funny Videos

(HT to the Burnside Blog)

The First 100 Days - Day 4

While the world is watching President Obama, we'll be watching Ezra.

We're home now and trying to figure out what life is like with two kids instead of just one. Last night was a good indication...

Ezra's days and nights are still a little mixed up so he sleeps a lot during the day, and not so much at night. Corrie and I take turns trying to sleep, but really neither one of us does. I finally drifted off between 12:30am and 1am last night only to be awoken at 4am by a gassy Ezra who's crying his lungs out. And then the inevitable happened...

The commotion wakes Isaiah up (he's always been a light sleeper), and so I go in to rock him. Usually, this takes 5 minutes. But last night I had to make 2 return trips before he settled down, and then he talked and played until about 6am.

If I'm learning anything these days, it's this. Patience. A two year old and newborn are going to try my patience almost everyday. I'm learning how to take it in stride, and treasure this time in our life...it will never be like this again.

Thank you, LORD!

Post-Race Reflection

Last weekend, I ran the St. Jude Half-Marathon in Memphis. I've been running pretty consistently since May, and in August, I decided to begin training for the 13.1. It's always easy for me to run over the summer - our schedule is more relaxed and I'm less busy - but in the semester is when I really need to run because it provides a great form of stress relief.

And I did it.

I ran the half-marathon, all 13.1 miles of it, with no walking, in 2 hours and 9 seconds (2:00:09). In case you're wondering, that averages out to running a mile every 9 minutes and 11 seconds.

I mostly enjoyed the experience, but one thing made it harder than I was expecting. There were a lot of people. My Uncle Eddie and I used to run 5Ks together and be amazed at all the people who would put themselves through that. Well, about 8000 people ran the half-marathon!! (That's no typo.) I expected to have a little bit more space while I was running in order to really settle in to my pace, but throughout most of the race, I was right beside other people.

This togetherness really had a mental effect on me because I kept thinking about trying to stay with them rather than focusing on my own pace. This resulted in me running a little too fast at the beginning and then falling a bit behind at the end. (My goal was 2 hours....but I only missed it by 9 seconds.)

Most of us go through life in the same way. We have our eyes so set on what others are doing or expect of us that we fail to find our true selves. This results in disappointment, heartache, dashed dreams, and empty promises. But we're not meant to live like that. God gave Adam a partner not to compete with or be compared with, but to live with in mutual submission and perfect love. Read the story again in Genesis 2, and see if you know what I mean.

Thankful

We're about to head home from our retreat in the North Georgia wilderness. We're thankful for the time away, the time with family, that Isaiah was able to play with his cousin, for a grandfather who likes taking walks with his grandkids, for playgrounds in the middle of town, for siblings and siblings-in-laws, and sunsets in the mountains from the back porch.

Post-Election Reflection

One of our hopes for Isaiah is that he becomes a lover of books. I was not much of a reader growing up, but I am trying to make up for it now. I am usually reading about 2-3 books at a time, and I always read at least a few pages of something before I go to sleep at night. So, our house is filled with books, and Isaiah has many of his own books to choose from as well. One of those books is this one:Last night, Isaiah chose this one to read and as I read it, I realized that this book now has a different ending. The book ends with the phrase, "Now anyone can go to any school, eat in any restaurant, or drink from any water fountain...and dream their dreams just like Martin Luther King, Jr." All these things are true, but there is one thing that African-Americans have never done...until Tuesday.

I watched the events unfold Tuesday night and knew I was witnessing history. I am excited for the day when I can tell Isaiah and his little brother about the night I saw the first African-American become the President. As a white man, though, my experience of that night is mostly cognitive, not emotional. I've been told my whole life that I can do whatever I want, and that is true because white men have ruled the world for over 2000 years, and America since its inception. I spoke with a friend of mine from Jackson on Wednesday night, he is African-American. He said, "Now I really believe I can be whatever I want. Not that I want to be president, because I don't, but I just believe it's possible now."

As I read The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. to Isaiah last night, something deep inside me clicked. I knew that history was different, and this little children's book somehow needs to be rewritten: "Now anyone can go to any school, eat in any restaurant, drink from any water fountain, or even be President of the United States..."

Dr. King once wrote, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."* I like to think one of the last great injustices of the American racial divide has been torn down, which means true justice and peace are close at hand.

_____________________________

*from A Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963. If you have time, I highly recommend reading this letter. It's important to note that he is addressing clergy.

Election Reflection - I am not afraid

The buildup to the presidential election this year has been like riding a roller coaster about 100 times too many. With Election Day coming tomorrow, I think most people feel relieved that it's almost over. (As long as we don't have another 2000!!)

As we head to the polls tomorrow, I hope that everyone votes responsibly. What do I mean by 'responsibly'? I mean voting your conscience and not your fears. We need to vote based on what we believe in, not what we're afraid of. 

Both campaigns have resorted to fear tactics in order to swing voters their way. Of the four presidential elections that I remember, but I don't ever recall the rhetoric of fear being so strong and drowning out the real issues.

Here are some examples:

• On October 9, CNN found that 47 percent of likely voters feared McCain would not make it through one term in office because of his age.
• The Obama campaign has repeatedly invoked people's fears that McCain will be like having another President Bush.
• The McCain campaign ran this ad trying to invoke the fear that Obama is friends with terrorists.
• McCain has also called on people to fear Obama's inexperience, liberalism, and "socialist" tax plan.

Politics is politics, so I really expect nothing less from the two campaigns. But I do expect more from Christians.

Focus on the Family published a Letter from 2012, predicting what the future would be like if Obama is elected. The letter opens with a statement that says, "Many of our freedoms have been taken away by a liberal Supreme Court and a majority of Democrats in both the House and the Senate, and hardly any brave citizen dares to resist the new government policies any more."

Why is this so disturbing? Aside from the fact that it is exaggerated and makes America in four years look like old school communism - this is disturbing because an influential and important voice within the Christian church has lowered itself to the petty fear tactics of politicians.

As Christians, we have no reason to fear. Our hope is in something, actually someone, much greater than the office of the president. The church that Christ established will endure long after any 4 or 8-year term. As the Body of Christ, we are called to be in the world, but not of the world. So when we allow worldly politics to seep in to our faith, it is like putting orange juice on our cereal. The appearance of cereal remains, but it has been distorted, lost its unique flavor and lost its identity. We have a great privilege and a great responsibility to vote, but we need to remember that our ultimate hope and our ultimate future is in the hands of One much greater than the next president.

Let us also remember what the Bible says about fear.

Psalm 27:1 - The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 112:6-8 -  Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

Isaiah 41:10 - So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Luke 1:30 - But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God."

______________________

**The picture at the top is REAL. This statue is in front of a church in Memphis, TN. I could go on about it...but that's a post for another day.

Charity vs Ministry

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see; 

and your ears, because they hear."

-Matthew 13:16

"But is there need of visiting them in person? May we not relieve them at a distance? Does it not answer the same purpose if we send them help as if we carry it ourselves?" Many are so circumstanced that they cannot attend the sick in person; and where this is the real case it is undoubtedly sufficient for them to send help, being the only expedient they can use. But this is not properly visiting the sick; it is another thing. The word which we render visit, in its literal acceptation, means to look upon. And this, you well know, cannot be done unless you are present with them. To send them assistance is, therefore, entirely a different thing from visiting them. The former, then, ought to be done, but the latter not left undone...If you do not, you lose a means of grace; you lose an excellent means of increasing your thankfulness to God, who saves you from this pain and sickness, and continues your health and strength; as well as of increasing your sympathy with the afflicted, your benevolence, and all social affections.

-John Wesley, On Visiting the Sick

The above excerpt from one of Wesley's sermons is one of the most powerful points I've read of his. This past summer I took a class called, "The Poor and Wesley's Social Ethic", which took an intentional look at how Wesley ministered to and treated the poor of his time. It's important to note that in 18th century England, almost everyone was poor, so the topic is not just one of special interest, but vital to understanding his overall ministry. The quote can be summed up as saying, "It is not enough to send help, you must also BE the help." Many good Christians in Wesley's time preferred to financially support the poor and disadvantaged, but not actually interact with them personally. Wesley called them to account, and said that foregoing personal visitation was the same as foregoing a means of grace, an encounter with God.

I am challenged by these words because it's easy to say that I care about people who are struggling, but am I willing to step out and help them, and even more, meet them personally?

Corrie and I take this challenge very seriously. While in Lexington, we volunteered regularly with an organization called Movable Feast. Everyday meals were prepared for Hospice patients and those suffering from AIDS and HIV related illnesses, and volunteers would show up to deliver these meals to the homes of those patients. I can only imagine how humbling/humiliating it is to have your dinner delivered every night - it is a constant reminder that I can't cook anymore, I can't afford it anymore, I can't live a normal life anymore. But it is equally humbling to be the deliverer, the one who knocks and says, "It's your dinner!", and not knowing who will open the door. Is it a Hospice nurse or is it a transvestite? Corrie and I were introduced to parts of Lexington we never knew existed. Our eyes were opened.

And this is the point of Wesley's sermon. Our eyes need to be opened, but that can only happen through personal engagement. That's the difference between charity and ministry. Charity gives, but it is an empty giving because there is no relationship involved. Ministry is giving in the context of love and relationship, love of God and love of neighbor. How can we know who needs God's love and truth spoken in to their lives, if we are not willing to have our eyes opened?

Now we live in Oxford. Oxford is a deceptive place. On the outside, it is affluent, academic, and attractive. But just drive down Price Hill Road, South 18th Street, or North 7th Street and you'll see a different story. Corrie and I can see these places because we've had our eyes opened. And now that they're open we can do something about it. We have found Manna, a ministry of the local Episcopal church that takes meals every Thursday to Oxford's poorest neighborhoods. And now we take Isaiah because we want him to grow up with his eyes opened as well. Who says a 21 month old can't be a minister?

The Standoff

Over the weekend, Isaiah and I had a standoff.

Saturday night we put him to bed, but for some reason, Isaiah decided that he did not want to sleep. After 15 minutes of crying and screaming, I went in to his room to see if I could calm him down. I noticed that Puppy was on the floor, so I retrieved it, and handed it to him. Isaiah immediately laid back down and started sucking his thumb. After rubbing his back for a few minutes, I started to make my departure, but he stood up and started to whine again. I said, "I'm still here, lay back down." And he did. After waiting a few more minutes, I started to open the door again, but the same result ensued. I told him to lay back down, and he did. Seeing a pattern beginning to emerge, I laid down on our bed and just waited. He obviously did not want to be left alone, so I decided to wait it out. In about 15 minutes time, he whined 2-3 more times, but each time I told him to lay back down. Finally, I was able to leave, and he slept through the night.

This is not normal behavior for Isaiah. But we were in a strange place and in a different bed. When we are at home, we lay him down, leave the room, and that's it. He may play and talk for a few minutes more, but he goes to sleep within 5-10 minutes.

As I laid on the bed during the Standoff, I began thinking about how many standoffs might be in my future. Would I have the patience for them? What might they be about? When do I stand firm and when do I let him make mistakes to learn on his own? I see this standoff as preparation, and hopefully it will strengthen me for the day when the standoff is about really serious things.