BFF

For a long time I've heard people talk about "the great reward" and being welcomed by Jesus in the afterlife. Most of the time these talks include Jesus saying the words, "Well, done my good and faithful servant" or something to that effect. As of today, I disagree.

In John 15:15 Jesus says to the disciples, "I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

The more I know God, the less what I do feels like work. The more my heart understands His heart, the easier it is to love others. The more I give to Him, the less I need for myself. The more I let go of myself, the less I feel like a slave.

When I get to the great hereafter, I'm not looking forward to some distant heavenly stranger approving my good deeds with a nod and a ceremonial pronouncement. I can't see that being fulfilling or worth the effort.

Now, I can't wait to see my friend, my partner, to run to him and feel the embrace that I've missed for so long. To reminisce about the things we did together, to laugh about how wrong I got things and cry about the highs and the lows. To welcome the others who lived out a mission with us and through us. To relax with good friends after a life well lived.

That's not a reward, that's heaven.

Journey, Complimentary

My wife takes the same route to work every day. She passes the same buildings, the same trees and the same signs everyday. And everyday, one of those signs sticks out. It began as an ordinary Stop sign, but someone with a can of gray spray paint changed that red octagon, so it brightens my wife's morning again and again.

The sign now reads, "Don't STOP Believin'" instead of the everyday ordinary STOP. The sign now brings a little joy to her heart and conjures up a few notes in her head. Not bad for a $1.29 can of spray paint and a misdemeanor.

As we were driving to her office this past weekend, I was putting together a playlist for the Flying Pig marathon water station we were going to be working. I put together all the songs we had in our library that had the word "run" in the chorus and anything that had ever been in a Rocky movie.

As we drove by that STOP sign, I decided to splurge and buy the Journey song that my wife found herself humming every morning. It wasn't in our library, although I'd considered buying it many times. Up until now it just didn't seem worth it.

...

If you've never spent 6 hours relentlessly encouraging complete strangers as many of them struggle through one of the hardest things they've ever done, I highly recommend it. Five miles from the finish of a marathon is a grueling thing to see, but inspiring as well.

There were people who looked like they were simply out for a (very wet) Sunday morning jog and people who looked like they were in complete and utter agony. There were people who were extremely fit and looked the part, and there were people who looked like they should never consider running at all. There were people in costumes, there were people in trash bags, there were people in expense running gear, there were people in sweatpants, there were people running barefoot. And it was my job to cheer for them all (and pick up their trash).

It was a rain-soaked blast. Cheering for these people was so much fun. Some of them had desperation written all over their faces. You could see their struggle in every inch of their tired, aching bodies. Shouts and cheers from complete strangers were the only things holding them up and keeping them going. It was gratifying to see the physical impact of encouragement.

As I stood with my trash bag held out, cheering for people and telling them they could make it if they kept pushing, one woman stopped. She finished her drink and dropped her cup in my bag. She smiled and exclaimed, "You're right! I can do it - just "Don't stop believin', right!?!"

She turned and jogged off as Journey blared from the speakers behind us both. $1.29 well spent.

Who cares?

Saturday morning you wake up, head to the kitchen for your morning cuppa' and open the paper. As you do, you look back over the last week and realize you've been too busy to spend any meaningful time with God. How upset are you?

Saturday morning you wake up, head to the kitchen for your morning cuppa' and open the paper. As you look at the business section and see that your stocks have plummeted. You skip from four-letter symbol to four letter symbol and each one has not just dropped, but been cut in half. How upset are you?

You walk out of the super-crowded mall and make your way across the parking lot, pushing past people heading the other direction, desperately ready to get out of this people-infested mess. As you approach your car, on the door you see a dent & scratch that wasn't there before - clearly the result of someone who had slammed their door into yours. How upset are you?

You walk out of the super-crowded mall and make your way across the parking lot, pushing past people heading the other direction, desperately ready to get out of this people-infested mess. As you approach your car, you look back at the crowd you've left and realize that even though 94% of those people claim to be Christians, they have no idea what a real relationship with God is like. How upset are you?

What is it that you really care about?

What breaks your heart?

How upset are you?

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

God's Heart

The middle of Exodus is a list of rules. They seem harsh and brutal and barbaric and in some cases they are. But, they were written for a brutal and barbaric people in a brutal and barbaric time.

Still, in the midst of them you can see God's heart. When dealing with oxen or murderers or sorcerers, God tells the people what the proper judgment and punishment should be and how to carry it out. These rules were about keeping the peace and keeping order.

When God gets to wrongly dealing with sojourners, widows and the fatherless, things change. The punishment isn't talked about, isn't discussed. God basically says, "If anyone messes with these people, you leave them to me. I'll take care of them."

The shift is subtle, but significant. God wants to be intimately involved in bringing justice here. He wants to play a part. He wants to make things right.

These are the people who cannot fight for themselves. These are the people who are marginalized. These are the people who fall through the cracks. These are the people who break God's heart.

They should break our hearts too.

Hungry?

Last night my wife and I sat down to a dinner together of what could very rightly be called hot mush. It was a combination of rice, soy, carrots, rice, celery, rice, red peppers, rice and some vitamin and mineral fortification. Oh yeah, and there was rice. It tasted a whole lot like a can of campbell's chicken soup that someone had made using 3x the recommended amount of water.

Weak chicken gruel is not our normal dinner.

We knew that going in, but we did it anyway. It was an exercise in empathy. We were trying to get a tiny glimpse of what the people who are fed by Northwest Haiti Christian Mission are actually fed. All things considered, its not too bad. We cooked up a bag which contains 4-6 meals and wound up eating over half for dinner.

We expected to be hungry afterward and really we weren't. We expected it to taste bad and really it didn't. The worst part about the experience was thinking about eating that twice a day and nothing else. I couldn't imagine eating this and only this for weeks, months or years at a time. But, then again I've never really been hungry. And chances are you haven't been either.

We're partnering with Kids Against Hunger in Cincinnati to package thousands of these meals to help fight hunger in Haiti. KAH will provide the rice, soy, veggies and bags and we'll supply the funds and the manpower to put them all together. It gives a concrete way to give more this Christmas while spending less. You can donate by sending a check to Parkside with KAH in the memo or even better, you can come and pack some bags with us. Sunday 12/6 at Family Christmas from 5:30 - 7:30 or for our Tailgate with a Purpose on 12/13 both at our Salem Road campus.

Why?

Because its that time between Thanksgiving and Christmas and we are completely surrounded by food. We ate a ton while away for Thanksgiving and things show no signs of slowing.

Because I've never really been hungry.

Because I'm a disciple of Jesus, and that's what he would do.

Because everyone deserves a little satisfaction and laughter.

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

The First Century Chuch

What was going on during "Church" "services" in Corinth in the 1st century? It sounds like they were quite the event. First, people were not following the dress code. Some women were not covering their heads and some men were. Paul saw the head-covering dress code as a straightforward matter of authority. (1 Cor 11:3-16)

Second, there was food and alcohol. Apparently it was some sort of hybrid potluck as some people had food and some did not. Some people gorged themselves while some remained hungry. (Maybe they just really didn't like jello salad and decided to go without?) Some got trashed. All disrespected the reason for eating together. (1 Cor 11:17-34)

Third, there was supernatural activity. People were speaking in tongues and no one else could understand what they were saying. (1 Cor 14:1-12)

Fourth, people were just going through the motions. They weren't worshipping God with their heart, soul, mind and strength. (1 Cor 14:14-15)

Fifth, and most importantly, they were selfish.

They dressed how they wanted, not in a manner that would help others to feel comfortable and connect. They ate and drank what they brought for themselves instead of bringing food for others who were in need. They worshipped God in a way that worked for them, but didn't help others. They went along with the flow but didn't really connect to God - because they were excluding others.

If there was one thing that was missing from worship in Corinth in the 1st century, it was the understanding that "It's not about me." It was a lack of selflessness. It is the same problem that we have in worship today.

We might not be concerned about head coverings, but we want to go to a church where people dress a certain way.

We might not overeat (during communion) or get drunk (during communion), but we still keep for ourselves what we should be sharing with others.

We might not speak in a language that others cannot understand, but we still use words that divide people instead of bringing them together.

We might not recite empty words, but we still refrain from doing our part to seek God's face.

We might not fail in the same ways as the church in Corinth, but we still go to church for us and not for God.

What is church all about? To be entertained? To hear 'good' music? To see a good show? To be fed? To be pastored, placated to, pleased? To see your friends? To meet people? To get a pick-me-up? To fulfill an obligation?

Or is it to love and serve others? You can do that no matter what kind of music is played (or with none at all). You can do that no matter what people are wearing. You can do that no matter what is said or what words are used. You can do that, so could they.

Us and Corinth: not so different.