evening prayer

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

—Hebrews 4

Amen.  May it be.

evening psalm

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

Indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

The LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

—Psalm 121

work and hope

My friend, Nathan, preached one of his best (sermons) yet this past Sunday.

contributing to the common good

(Samuel David Majernik.)

calling for the common good

I appreciated this discussion on NPR a few days ago …

Neal Conan with Jim Wallis & Russ Roberts

tonight’s [now yesterday’s] unchristian lecture: take two

So anyway, the top six critiques aimed at Christians are as follows: they’re judgmental, hypocritical, sheltered, antihomosexual, too political, & proselytizers.

Whether or not the research/polls reflect actual experiences Christians have had with non-Christians (or vice versa), these findings constitute the need for some important conversation.  Reality or mere perception, the fact of the matter is that something underneath all of this is shaping the perspective of our culture as it views the Christian (sub-culture?).  Some form of Christian externalization (i.e., Christian-expression) is giving way to objectification (fixed beliefs/systems/structures), such that ALL of us (Christian or no) smile and nod (frown?!) knowingly at the one-dimensional “Christian” taking stage.  (It must be said: that Christian isn’t exactly lauded amongst either saints or sinners.)  Something seems to have gone awry …

I think one of the most important questions raised during last night’s lecture was addressed to Christians in the room: how do you (intentionally or unintentionally) reinforce such common (mis)perceptions?  (Implicit here: how do you wish to be known?  How are you working for/against that?)

Also thought-provoking: what are the unique challenges & opportunities associated with these reigning perceptions (about “the Christian”)?

As I pondered these questions, I settled on three different “ways of being” I think Christians ought to further explore.  They involve our approach to: our language (how might we encourage & host the most important questions about our faith?), our proximity (how might we be more present — or more meaningful in our presence — in spaces not yet transformed by God’s redemption?), and our fear (how might we release concerns about our own [spiritual, physical, emotional] safety & well-being in order to follow Christ in faith and obedience?)

Our approach to all of the above feels tenuous to me.  Pitfalls, I suppose, exist at every turn.  (Beyond that, isn’t such arbitrary analysis [such as I’ve undertaken here] wrong-headed from the start?  Who ever thinks she’s become that [judgmental, hypocritical, sheltered, antihomosexual, critical, oober-evangelistic] Christian?!  Better to simply get on with the business of being who God’s called you to be, no matter the perceptions?  After all, it may be only your pride pushing you to be a Christian of the other kind.)

I dunno.  (Much.)

But I do know I tried (just a little more) to be (just a little less) “Christian” when tonite over dinner I found myself in discussion about homosexuality & politically incorrect humor.  Waving back the cigarette smoke, I sat and wondered at the grace that made Jesus the unlikely (unChristian) hero of the one & only Christian story.  May that Jesus be born in me.

tonight’s unchristian lecture

Tonite, I attended a lecture at Church of the Resurrection on unChristian, a book written by David Kinnamon & Gabe Lyons helping to explain why people – as a rule of thumb – dislike or distrust Christians.  It was quite interesting.  The top six critiquescccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
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[After Jt roused herself from sleep in the key of c, she determined it might be best for the blog post to find completion on another day.]

work without hope

My boss, Jon, launched his sermon last week with this poem (Work without Hope), by Samuel Coleridge.  Both (the sermon & poem) made me grateful for the meaning I find each day in my work.  Quite unlike nectar disappearing through a sieve … I am often overcome by moments of significance in my day.  To believe that my work can contribute to the Gospel “going public” and that one day it will be positioned (however transformed) inside of Christ’s consummated Kingdom is an incredible gift (given to me by both Leslie Newbigin & N.T. Wright).  It’s a gift that ought to be realized by every Christ-follower (whatever her vocational arena).  I’m only beginning to tease out the implications …

All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair –
The bees are stirring -birds are on the wing –
And Winter slumbering in the open air,
Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring!
And I the while, the sole unbusy thing,
Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing.

Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow,
Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow.
Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may,
For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away!
With lips unbrightened, wreathless brow, I stroll:
And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul?
Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,
And Hope without an object cannot live.

–Samuel Coleridge, Work Without Hope

anthony & leslie are adopting nathan

Nathan was found abandoned outside of a mudpit-latrene last year in Rwanda.  After a bit of time in the hospital & police custody, Nathan was given into the safe-keeping of New Hope Homes (a home for abandoned children in Rwanda).  This is where Nathan will stay until Anthony & Leslie bring him home later this fall.

Anthony & Leslie shared this brief story with our faith-community earlier today.  It was so honest & heartfelt.  (There wasn’t a dry-eye in the room.)  My favorite line came from Leslie who said something like, “we have had fears about this: can we love Nathan like we love our other three girls?  can we handle another child under 4 years of age?  can we thrive as a bi-racial family?  how will I do Nathan’s hair?  But we have chosen to believe that these concerns pale in comparison to the great gift God is giving to Nathan & our family in bringing us together [Jt’s paraphrase].”

I’m so grateful God has given to our congregation a life-sized illustration of what it might mean to care for the least of these …

funny-man ethan

While touring a local fire-engine with my nephews this evening, my sister & I tried to get Ethan to smile for our brief photo-shoot.  We made silly faces.  We waved our arms.  We asked Ethan to say: “happy” and “tootles” (and every other silly, fun word he knows).  Finally, it was Ethan himself who cracked his own joke … and finally, the smile.

“Camera-man,” Ethan said, with humor in his voice.  Then (for reasons I have yet to understand), Ethan smiled & giggled & cracked himself up over the whole deal.

Later, Ethan & I were waiting in the car together while Sissy ran in for a few groceries.  Ethan & I began to chat (in the two-word-sentence-way we do).  Ethan looked up & pointed to a man in the parking lot.  “Who is that?” Ethan said.  Jt: “That’s just a man in the parking lot taking groceries to his car.”  Ethan, with smile in his voice: “Grocery-man” (laugh, joke, giggles).

It’s one of those jokes that keeps on going, you know …