What the church should be about

Read this story by Rick Reilly who now writes for ESPN the magazine.  If only the church did stuff like this.

Personal listening device

Has anyone else seen the commercial for the personal listening device that allows you to spy on your neighbors? They market the device to help you hear the TV when you get old so as to not disturb your spouse or those that you live with. You can also hear wild game coming up on you when you are hunting. You can use it in church to amplify what the preacher is saying. But the most disturbing thing is that they show a lady wearing one listening in to her neighbors or someone in a public place hearing others talk about them.
Here are a few questions:

Is it really that important to hear what others are potentially saying about you?

What if you hear a piece of juicy gossip while wearing said device, how would you use that?

Or if someone said something about you, would you confront them on it or just hold a grudge against them?

In case you are interested it comes either as a device that is a little bit smaller than a credit card or as an earpiece that looks much like a bluetooth earpiece.  That way you can fake people out while you are spying on them.

Favorite things

So I'm not Oprah and I can't give all of my readers each one of the things that I may list, but hopefully I can turn to you something that you may have never heard or confirm that you are cool because you like the same things too. So here is the beginning of an ever expanding list of petty possessions that I want to talk about.

Dave Matthews Band: I spent part of my trip down to Nashville listening to a new DMB album that I picked up. Here are a few reasons why I love DMB. They became popular in large part due to their live shows and they do not shy away from releasing live albums. Most bands are hesitant to do a live album because it's not as polished as a studio album. I have also found that some people do not prefer live albums for various reasons. I on the other love live albums because on a live album you can really tell if a band has musical talent or not. If it needs to be said, DMB has talent. I also like DMB because they are not afraid to expand and tinker with their songs from concert to concert. I could have 6 different recordings of a particular song and each one could vary depending on the solo or whatever else they want to add to it.

a peek into my world

So I've decided to rename the weekly update.  I didn't like the title and I'm not completely sold on this one.  Maybe my 4 readers, which could be an overstatement, can come up with something better.

The week that was:

Just what I needed.  Slow.  Relaxed.  Nothing too big on the plate.  The biggest thing that happened is that I drove to TN on Sunday after our middle school program.  I left at 10AM (EST) and arrived at 10PM (CST).  13 hours baby!  But I can't tell you how awesome it was to sleep next to my wife for the first time in a couple of weeks.

The week that is:

Not much going on down here in TN.  I have some reading to do for class, some hanging out with family, Christmas, seeing old friends, etc.

What I'm listening to:

Wow, a 13 hr car ride gives you a ton of time to listen to things.  The main things that I listened to were a new Dave Matthews Band CD, some praise and worship song that were generated by the genius feature on my iPod and the audio-book of "Jesus Wants to Save Christians."  I'll post more about the book later this week.

What I'm reading:

Same old, same old.  Stuff for class and I picked up the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.  I'm thinking this may be our required read for the mission trip this summer.

What I'm keeping my eye on:

The weather appears to be fluctuating quite a bit this week so that should be interesting.  The Titans secured the #1 seed in the playoffs.  The Tar Heels are looking really good this year in basketball.

Also, Holly, her mom, dad, sister and I saw our baby via ultrasound today.  I just wanted to watch her move around and yawn and blink her eyes.  I'm pretty sure that I will spend a lot of time just watching her when she finally arrives.

Lastly, I have quite a few random posts to put up this week thanks to the 13 hr car ride and much time to think.  So stay tuned in!

Darfur video

Watch this video. It was made by one of the students in our youth group. Great job Joel!

Use the center lane people!

Ok, so I'm in the mood to rant a bit.  I am from the south and we have some different habits when to comes to things like driving.  I have noticed that people up here north of the Mason Dixon line do not utilize the turning lane the same way that people do in the south.  I was taught that when turning left out of say a gas station, that if the traffic that is going the same way you are turning doesn't look like it will open up to you in the next few seconds; then it is appropriate to pull into the center lane and either wait or use it to speed up to the flow of traffic so that you can then merge into said flow.  But in the 3 1/2 years that I've lived in PA I have had many encounters where people in the same situation just pull out and cut you off.  It happened to me twice today on my way home!

I remember after I had been here a few weeks, my colleague Doug and I went to this great place called Wawa and I drove.  As we were leaving this same situation came up and I instinctively took the middle lane.  I wish that I had a video camera on in the car because Doug was fairly scared at the move we were making.  My memory is failing me a bit but I think the exchange went something like this.

Doug: "What are you doing?!?!"

Me: "I'm taking the center lane."

Doug: "Why"

Me: "It's what we're taught to do so that way we don't have to dart in traffic and use our car as a weapon."

Doug: "We never learned that one."

Me: "Well maybe you should."

Luckily I don't think Doug has held this encounter against me.  But I still don't understand the thinking behind not putting this move in your driving repitore.

Job I would not want.

NBA coach. It seems that most NBA coaches don't last too long. I wonder who usually has a longer tenure, NBA coach or associate pastor?

Weekly update for 12/15

The week that was:

In a word, crazy.  I learned a musical that I sang in on Friday night and Sunday morning for our church.  I was asked to sing in the Praise Team and do a couple of solos.  It went really well, but I started to lose my voice as the week progressed and I now think that I am about a day from being fully sick.  On top of that our students put on a coffeehouse to raise awareness and money for the situation in Darfur.  Our youth band played two sets that were awesome and one of our students, Joel, made this incredible video that I'll try to post on here.  There was also an art auction of pieces and crafts made by some of our students.  All total they raised $1055!  I'm so proud of them as Doug and I had nothing to do with the event other than to secure the coffee and run sound and lights.  In addition I also preached for 2nd service yesterday.  It went really well and I've heard some great feedback on how people were challenged.  I rewrote things from what I posted online so you'll have to find the podcast if you want the final version.

The week that is:

In a word...chill.  I do not have alot going on at the church so I'm going to focus on the class that I'm teaching in Jan.  I've fallen behind in some of the reading and research that I want to do for the class.  I'm also preparing to go back to TN on Sunday and be down there until Jan 1.  I cannot tell you how much I want to see my wife.  I hate being this alone.  I do not know how people that travel can stand it.  I'd have to find a new job.  But the main goal this week is to rest and relax compared to the past couple of weeks.

What I'm listening to:

There's a band that I found through the Emergent Village podcast called "The Cobalt Season."  They've got a great chill sound and I'm digging them right now.  I've also been listening to Starfield's lastest album, "I Will Go."  There are a couple of songs on there that I want to use with our youth group.

What I'm reading:

Still books for class.  They are systematic works as well as a few books on the Holy Spirit since that is our first subject in class.  I'm also wanting to start Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love.  I've heard some good things about that one.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Did you see the guy who threw 2 shoes at President Bush?  That was pretty hilarious.  Bush had two great ducks because the first one would have clocked him in the face had he not moved.  I also keeping an eye on the weather as I leave out on Sunday.  I hope that the road stay clear from here to TN.  The last thing that I want is to be delayed by bad weather.  There is also a conversation around the word missional going on in the blogosphere that I've flagged to read now that I have a little bit of free time.

NAE should be ashamed

I don't know if you've been following the incident that has led to Richard Cizik's resignation from the NAE, but I think it's a great example of ungenerousity. Read this interview from the NAE president in Christianity Today. When will evangelicals learn?

I heard Cizik speak at a conference last summer and enjoyed his look at the history of evangelicalism.  It was an interesting place for him to be because I would venture to say that most of the people in the room considered themselves post-evangelical in the spirit of postmodernity.  But nevertheless, Cizik's call was for the church to remember its missional, evangelical roots that were focused on leading people to Jesus, not on condemning the world because they are the world.  (That last line is a shout out from Hauerwas which if I remember correctly sums up what Cizik was saying.) 

I have one quick question.  Is it a good thing for the church to try to live out the great commission in so many different ways?  (I can clarify that question in the comments if you need me to.)

Sermon help

Below is my sermon for Sunday.  Read it over if you get a chance and give me some feedback.  I will warn you that I haven't proofed it yet so there could be some major mistakes or words left out.  I tend to do that when I type.  Thanks for your help.

A Savior has come....now what?  We are formed into people of the Kingdom of God.

Exodus 16
Isaiah 9:2-7
Matt 5:2-16, 43-48; 6:19-34

Previously we have been answering the question, “a Savior has come, now what?”  Last week Pastor Dave and Pastor Doug answered that the Savior challenges the status quo.  This week I want us to take this idea a step further and look at how the Savior begins in us a process that forms us as people of an alternative kingdom that stands in contrast to the kingdom of the world.  But before we begin to talk about how we are formed, I want to talk about the kingdom of the world.  This is a rather popular catch phrase that we use in Christianity, especially around the Christmas season if you’re listening to Handle’s Messiah.  Deep down as Christmas rolls around each year, we know that we are supposed to be celebrating something unique that has happened at a point in human history.  But how often do we forget this unique event and get sucked into celebrating a totally different holiday?  How often does our citizenship in the Kingdom of God get traded in for a citizenship of the kingdom of the world?

Today I want to talk through 3 periods in history and what the kingdom of the world looked and acted like and how the alternative Kingdom of God speaks to something radically different.  First let us talk about the central story that is found in the Hebrew scriptures, the exodus.  The world in which the exodus story unfolds is wrapped around the narrative of power and domination.  The Israelites find themselves in slavery because the Pharaoh of the day thinks that they might be a threat to his rule and reign as Pharaoh.  So instead of trying to build a bridge of friendship to this foreign people group, the Pharaoh enslaves and oppresses them.  They are forced to build bricks without straw and to labor for the glory of Egypt.  There is even a law passed that all of their male babies are to be put to death upon birth.  It is out of this situation that they cry out to God and God begins to intervene on their behalf.  The story goes that God, through 10 plagues, begins the process of freeing the Israelites from Egypt.  Now it is important to note that as the Israelites are leaving Egypt that God leads them every step of the way and even performs a miracle, in parting the Red Sea, that saves them from the Egyptian army who is coming to force them back into slavery.

I couldn't be more proud.....

..of the students in our youth group. This Saturday night they are putting on a coffeehouse to raise awareness of the situation in Darfur. This came out of a series that Doug and I did right before school started where we looked at Micah 6:8 and what God requires of us. I think many of our students were challenged by the ideas of doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly before God. One of our students has dared to ask the question, 'why can't we do more?' And so we are having a coffeehouse. Our students are the ones who have put this whole thing together. They are promoting it at their schools and seem to be getting positive feedback about the event. One of our teen bands, The Steadfast, will be performing along with an art auction and coffee from a local coffee shop, The Morning Mug. All of the money raised will go to helpdarfurnow.org and once again I could not be any more proud of our students. Way to go FVCN students!

The trouble with being generous.....

...is that it's difficult to interact with those that are not generous.  I currently find myself at a crossroads in dealing with a few people who view the world differently.  Disagreements are usually a hard situation to navigate in the first place, but when the disagreement revolves around religion or the Bible the situation worsens exponentially.

We've all been there before and know exactly how it plays out.

One person is right and the other person is wrong.  This has plagued the church ever since the Protestant Reformation when we found out it was easier to separate than to reconcile.  Separation allows us to keep our integrity in our minds because we stood up for what we believed in.  Some might even think that they have suffered for the gospel.  But what if suffering for the gospel meant putting aside our own personal beliefs/convictions and learning how to live in a way that reflects the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).

So let me ask your take/advice on this matter.  How does one continue to pursue generosity when it is not reciprocated?  How can one begin a dialogue that might lead to a disagreement and not have it blow up in their face?  Lastly, what does generosity look like in the face of great frustration?

Weekly Update

The week that was:

Crazy......after recovering from the wicked virus that crippled us last weekend, Holly and I went on a tour of the major cities in KY.  Holly interviewed at residency programs in both Louisville and Lexington on back to back days.  It was an interesting time that was highlighted by having lunch with my aunt while Holly was interviewing in Lexington.  After her interview on Tuesday we drove back to Murfreesboro and then I flew back to PA on Wednesday.  This past weekend we had a district event here at the church that took a lot of time and energy.  I was supposed to go to our staff Christmas party on Saturday after the event, but I had failed to do any preparations for speaking on Sunday morning to the Middle school students and on Sunday night to the High school students; so I went home and did some quick prep work and slipped into a coma.  Yesterday was a long day but thankfully it's over, only to start back into the same cycle.

The week that is:

Crazy again.  I am answering the call to the bullpen and speaking in "big" church this weekend.  It's only one service as our choir is doing a worship experience during the first service.  Oh yeah, I'm also singing in the praise team for that as well.  So here's my week in a nutshell.  Tonight, adult small group.  Tomorrow, nothing as of yet but I'm sure it will include reading.  Wednesday, same as Tues.  Thursday, Dress rehearsal for the choir thing.  Friday, choir performance.  Saturday, Save Darfur coffeehouse that our students are putting together, should be a cool event.  Sunday, 9AM performance and preaching at 11, Solomon's Porch that evening.  Yikes!!

What I'm reading:

I'm still reading stuff for the class that I'm teaching.  I had to put away 2 books that were taking away from my focus but hope to pick them up soon.  The main book that I'm working through right now is Simply Christian by N.T. Wright.  Thanks Jeremy for the recommendation, it is a great book.

What I'm listening to:

Music for the choir thing.  (I've only been to 2 practices!)  I've also been listening to Coldplay's EP that they just released, Prospekt's March.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

The calendar because I'm counting down the days when I go back down to TN and will be with Holly again.  I do not know how people that travel for work do it all the time.  I usually have a few nights of insomnia whenever Holly is not at home and I get lonely as well.  Which is interesting since I'm a loner by nature.  I guess the dynamics of being a loner has changed since I've been married.

How big is your pile?

That is the question that Francis Chan asked us at the youth specialties convention.  But before you tune me out, let me give you a big of context for the question.  Chan has been a very successful pastor in California in terms of building a mega church that started as a church plant.  He shared with us that God had been dealing with him about what success was in the Kingdom of God and how he started to rethink his priorities in ministry.

Chan then went on to talk a little about discipleship and how Jesus did discipleship.  He talked about how Jesus ministered differently to his disciples than to those in the crowds.  He then talked about the parables and Chan seemed to say that Jesus spoke in them to confuse those that didn't really care about what Jesus had to say.  I don't really know what I think about this but I see what he was trying to say.  He pointed to the fact that the disciples would come up to Jesus after a parable and then ask what the meaning was, this according to Chan is what Jesus means by the good soil. (Matt 13:1-17)  My problem with this is I don't know if I can say that Jesus essentially didn't care about those in the crowds at that time.  I understand that Jesus was concerned with teaching the disciples as much as possible since they were going to carry on what Jesus started.  But I'm a little uncomfortable in saying that Jesus didn't care about those in the crowd with whom he was teaching.  Maybe I'm wrong about this and would be willing to discuss it the comments of this post.  Or maybe I misunderstood what Chan was trying to say.

Anyways, Chan then began to talk about salt (Matt 5:13) in terms of "success" in ministry.  He then did something that has stuck with me the past few weeks and I am still thinking about.  He pulled out a little salt packet, opened it up and poured it on the top of his Bible and said that this represented those in his church who were truly living into the mission of God.  These were the people that he wanted to pour his life into and see how they would begin to flavor the world around them.  He then poured a big salt shaker that you would get at Denny's and dumped it on top of the smaller pile and said that this salt represented those that were just around for entertainment, prestige or any other reason that does not correspond with living into the mission of God.  He said when we get caught up in our "success" that we begin to walk around asking the question, "how big is your pile?"  I had to chuckle a little bit because not only have I been asked that question before, but in some cases I've asked that question.

If you do not know me, I must tell you that I am a co-youth pastor of a large youth ministry.  I do not say this to brag, but to let you in on my current situation.  We have a lot of kids that come through our doors, but Chan has me thinking about what kind of salt our students are.  Are they living into the mission of God or are they there to be entertained or to be seen?  More than anything this has me thinking about the discipleship process that we hope happens organically and I am wondering how intentional we should be about this. I am also thinking about how a student should enter into a discipleship process.  Should they be invited?  Should they take the initiative?  Should it be forced upon them?  What do you think?

I hope that I have done Chan justice in how I have remembered his message that evening.  If not, please correct me as I do not want to misrepresent what he said.  I will say that I totally admire the changes that he talked about that he and his church are making in an effort to live into the mission of God.  I pray that they will continue to allow God to lead them as they shift the way in which they "do" church.

Weekly Update

Hey, I actually posted this on Monday!  Aren't you proud of me?

The week that was:

This has been an interesting week to say the least.  I spent Monday and Tuesday night at my sister's house since Holly started a rotation in Chattanooga.  I had a great time hanging out with my sister and brother in law and their dog, who I guess is in some sense my niece.  On Tuesday my parents came into town and we had a huge meal to celebrate Thanksgiving since my brother in law had to work on Thursday.  Wednesday after her rotation Holly and I headed up to her parents' house to spend the night and then to join my extended family for Thanksgiving.  Here's where it gets interesting.  We arrive at my grandparents' house on Thursday and have a great time with my family whom I haven't seen for quite a few months.  The only problem is that my grandmother is sick with what she thinks is food poisoning and doesn't really tell any of us.  To add to that one of my uncles and cousin show up without my aunt who is at home sick with a virus that they have gotten over a few days prior.  Needless to say Holly and I caught the bug along with the rest of our family and it wasn't pretty.  Luckily this bug only last about 24 hours but it was not a fun 24 hours.  To top it all off I'm pretty sure that Holly and I have given the same bug to her family that were with us on Friday.

The week that is:

Yesterday, Holly and I drove up to Louisville where she is interviewing at a residency program.  She finishes sometime this afternoon and then we head over to Lexington where she will interview again tomorrow.  After that interview we will head back to her parents' house and I will fly home on Wednesday while she returns to her rotation in Chattanooga.  Upon returning home I have a busy rest of the week that includes preparations for Sunday and a weekend district event that is being held at our church.  Needless to say that there is no rest for the weary.

Music that I've been listening to:

Holly and I have spent a lot of time on the road so I'm trying to pick things that we both like.  This consists of Shane and Shane, James Taylor and Christmas music on the radio.  (The latter I'm not so crazy about.)  I imagine that we'll probably hit a few sermons on the way back to TN tomorrow but who knows.

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Well UT has hired Lane Kiffin as their new head coach.  I'm actually a bit excited about this as I think he should do a great job.  I just don't expect him to stay too long and I know this will make me frustrated down the road.

On the basketball front, UNC is looking really good and they're not yet at full strength.  They have a show down with Michigan State on Wednesday that I'll get to see!

Lastly, I'm hoping that there is no sort of relapse of the virus that I hope that run it course in my system.

Weekly Update

The week that was:

I was at the Youth Specialties convention in Nashville, my hometown.  I had a great time there with my wife and our other youth pastor couple from our church, Doug and Mear.  We actually drove down which took about 14 hours with a pregnant Holly in tow.  Overall the convention was great and I will be posting a few thoughts from it over the next few days.

We also had a baby shower at my in-laws house that was great.  It was good to get some baby stuff, but even better to see some old friends that came.  Plus the strawberry cake my mother-in-law had made was amazing!

The week that will be:

I'm currently at my sisters house in Chattanooga, TN as my wife started a rotation at a local hospital for the next 4 weeks.  I will be in the area until next Wednesday which should be fun.  We are going to my grandma's house for Thanksgiving and then will be with Holly's family for the weekend.  All in all I'm looking forward to eating a lot of great food and seeing family that I don't get to see very often.

Music I couldn't stop listening to:

I didn't listen to much this week so I'll talk about the groups that we at the convention.  David Crowder Band led worship for two session and did an amazing job.  Mercy Me performed for one session and did a great job as well.  Shane and Shane performed an amazing set with just the two of them singing, one guitar and a very unique drum set.  I really like hearing those guys.  Lincoln Brewster led worship at two sessions and seeing him live is pretty amazing.  I wish I could play guitar like him.  Finally, Starfield led for 3 sessions.  I had heard them on a couple of other occasions and still like them.  I'd recommend any of these artist's albums.

What I'm reading right now:

These books are for a class that I'm teaching starting in Jan.

The Holy Spirit by LeRon Shults and Andrea Hollingsworth.  This book takes a look at how the doctrine of the Holy Spirit came to be and what it's implications are for us.

Simply Christian by N.T. Wright

What I'm keeping my eye on:

The blogalogue that Tony Jones is doing on Same Sex Marriage is unfolding over on beliefnet.com.  There is a link to Tony's blog on the right.

Lastly, Saturday is Phil Fulmer's last game to coach at UT.  I hope the boys send him out as a winner over KY.  Go Vols!!!!

Weekly update

So I am going to institute a new pattern on my blog that I'm stealing from Marko.  I'm going to try and post an update on Monday of each week some thought from the past week and the week upcoming.  Hopefully you will find it entertaining or at the very least informative.  So here we go.

The week that was:

I struggled with all of the rainy weather this past week.  I felt like I was in a funk constantly and didn't want to get out of bed.  There may have been some other factors for that feeling too, but I'm going to blame it on the weather.  My in-laws had visited the previous weekend and therefore I didn't get to be the lazy slob that I usually am on the weekend.  Thankfully I had a great time with them here.  Other than that, I team taught at our church yesterday with Doug and Kelly in our family worship service.  We talked about imagination and how our kids seem to get some of the things that Jesus talked about with regard to the Kingdom of God because they are not jaded by the "real world."  I think it went well and we received some positive feedback, but then again people in the church usually don't rip you to your face do they.

On tap this week:

I have much to get done in the office before Doug, Mear, Holly and I leave for a conference in Nashville and my subsequent vacation after that.  I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to this conference.  Mainly because I am spending time with my wife, my good friends and I'm going home.  Holly and I are going to try and show Doug and Mear many of the great things about Nashville, mainly the awesome food.  (Yes Wendy, I talked about food again!!!)  Anyways, we are also having a family/friends baby shower for our daughter that will be here in March.  It should be a great time!

Music that I couldn't stop listening to:

Some of you may not know this about me, but I tend to listen to the same thing over and over again until I move on to something else.  So I tend to find a few albums or songs and then wear them out.  Usually this includes a Dave Matthews Band album which bugs Holly since every time she gets in my car there is a DMB Cd that's playing.  But this past week I bought a new album that I absolutely love.  It's from the worship band at Jacob's Well church in KC.  The artist is listed as Mike Crawford and His Secret Siblings.  What a great name!  Anyways, it's so different from what I would expect that I think I am drawn to it.  Many of their songs are taken straight out of scripture or are engagements with scripture.  I cannot say enough about this album.  It is a 2 disc set that you can buy here or preview some of it here.  If you're looking for something different to listen to or even possibly use at your church, give this a listen to.

What I'm reading at the moment:

Lots of things acutally, but I recently picked up the book The Year of Living Biblically.  This was written by a self proclaimed secualr Jew who considers himself agnostic.  He decides that he wants to try and live for a full year by all of the laws in the Bible.  I'm a chapter into it and find it very fascinating.  I'm also reading a few books for the class that I'm teaching in Jan.  Never too early to prepare!

What I'm keeping an eye on:

Tony Jones is going to be engaging in a blogalogue about Gay Marriage on beliefnet.com.  I am really intrigued because of the pre-posts that he is putting on his blog about how he knows that he's going to take some hits for what he might say.  Unfortunately this is a converstion that the church should be having but many are not.  I applaud Tony for doing this.  I may not agree with everything that he says, but I will read and respect his opinion and that of the person that he is interacting with.

Lastly, I'm keeping an eye on who Tennessee will name as their new head football coach.  This is a very important hire for the university and I have no clue where they will go with this.  Let's hope it is someone who can come in and continue to build a good legacy and win a championship as well.

That's it for now.

Google Reader

About 2 weeks ago I started using Google Reader and let me tell you, I love it!!!!!  I used to check the few blogs that I read consistently a couple times a day to see if they had any new posts for me to read.  It was actually a little frustrating because I did a lot of useless clicking to get to each one.  But as I started using my gmail address more and more I decided to try google reader.  Here's what it does.  You can subcribe to blogs, news feeds, etc so that when something new comes across it is automatically uploaded into your reader.  So no more do I have to go to each blog to see if they have something new, I can just go into my reader.  This has allowed me to expand how many blogs, news and sports feeds that I read.  If you read any blogs or news feed online I recommend this way of doing things.  Thanks google for once again making life a little easier.

One might wonder...

So I have been reading and studying the book of Acts lately.  I have actually never read through the book from start to finish even though I've said that I wanted to many times.  In light of that I am trying to read a few chapters and week and do some extensive research by reading commentaries and doing some word studies, a la bib ex class in college.

Anyways, I wanted to ask you what your take is on the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  Here is a very interesting story that seems a bit out of place in light of the God that is portrayed in the New Testament.  I have a few thoughts that I will share as the conversation unfold in the comments but wanted to hear from you as well.  The whole story context is found in Acts 4:32-5:11.

Name calling

Do you remember when you were a kid and how calling somebody a name was like the biggest slap in the face?  You probably had your standard once and for all name that you used frequently too, didn't you?  For some it may have been boogerhead, dufus, dummy, four eyes, etc.  Growing up when I did I think I used Beavis a bunch.  Now that I am approaching my third decade of living, am involved in youth ministry and have a child on the way, I find myself thinking back to my own childhood and the things that I did.  Why did I feel the need to call someone a name?  Most of the time it was out of frustration because the other person didn't do something I wanted.  I don't really know what made me think calling them a name would change their action, but that was my line of thinking.  In fact, as best as I can remember, name calling usually made the situation worse because the one named now feels as if they need to defend their honor.  Which would lead to more name calling and eventually some sort of scuffle.

Now that I am an adult I cannot really say that the world has changed too much.  We still call each other names.  We think that if someone is labeled as a liberal or conservative, Jesus freak or pagan/sinner, athlete or nerd, orthodox or emergent, that it will cause them to see the error of their ways and lead them to a path of change.  The truth is that our labels often lead to more division.  The line of thinking usually goes something like this.  We could not simply associate with that person because they are.....  Or they wouldn't want to talk about this or go to this because they are.....  Our labels put us in a box that we cannot break out of.

I speak to all of this because I recently found out from a credible source that I have been labeled, a couple of different things.  I don't really care that I have been labeled becaue in one of the cases there is a bit of truth to it.  Here's the thing that bothers me about this situation.  These people that have labeled me have not spoken to me personally about it.  They have not approached me to talk about if I may actually be what their label points to.  Truth is they may not actually know what their label fully means.  My point is this, the church as a whole has to get beyond this way of conducting ourselves if we ever hope to be fully missional in our communities and the world.  Those who we hope to reach usually do not look like, act like and think like we do.  So a part of reaching out to them is to look past any lables or names that we may call them.  But if we are not doing this with those who share a faith in Christ, how can we ever hope to extend a measure of grace to those who do not share a faith in Christ?

Thankfully we serve a God that looks past our labels.  I am reminded of a sermon that one of my professors, Dr. Tim Green, gave a time when he spoke at a church I was serving in.  He was working through the story of Hagar and Ishmael and talking about labels.  The narrative in Genesis 16 says that Abram and Sarai referred to Hagar as "my servant" and "your servant", never by her name.  She was ultimately driven out into the wilderness by Sarai and it was here that God came and spoke to her through his angel.  Then the coolest thing happened in verse 8.  The first word out of the mouth of the angel was Hagar.  God had given Hagar her name back.  In God's eyes she was not labeled as a servant or slave, but as Hagar.

In the same way, I need to be reminded that God sees me as Jared and not by the labels or names that others may project on me.  Thank you God for the grace that you give to your servants and may we in turn offer that same grace to our friends, our enemies and the strangers and aliens among us.