Searching for Meaning and Purpose...

Yesterday I mused a bit about the fact that for the church to be the church it meant dropping our agendas, pretenses, and pride to be who Jesus Christ called us to be. The same is true for real friends, they must do the same or as the plaque my students gave me for my birthday says, "Good friends are like bras- supportive, make you look good, never leave you hanging, and are always close to your heart." Now that might be a bit off my mark, but it hits the point: friendship requires a degree of selflessness. Jesus modeled selflessness as one of His last acts on the planet by washing His disciples feet. Peter, being Peter, first denies Jesus' servitude then asks for more than Jesus said he needed! But the point is this, Jesus lowered Himself to the position of the lowest servant to help us understand what He meant. Loving others means dropping our pretenses of pride and the way we think so highly of ourselves so that we can embrace what God has actually called us to do...

This past weekend we had our Presbytery's Youth Council retreat out at Westminster Woods (nothing like three days without internet and 100 degree plus heat!) and I was beyond pleasantly surprised. Part of that is what happens when we do some hardcore recruiting: we're now at a full 30! Talk about awesome. But more than that is the quality of the individuals we picked up, at least from what I saw this weekend... Even more so, is the impact things like this have on my leaders. Today one of my students sent me a message asking about why we have an After School program that targets Junior High students but nothing to do the same for our High School students. It's a legitimate question, and impressive coming from a sophomore! My normal go to answer: time + money is where I headed, but made several acknowledgments on the way there. First, the way our ministry is designed, we should have some kind of doorway programming for our senior high to get them in. Second, our curr...

As I consider all the great things God made, it's left me wondering, "Why?" a lot. I mean, I can find a purpose in most everything, but some of the critters out there really make me wonder. Like fleas: they bite things and survive on blood, leaving the critter to itch. What purpose do they serve? I can't see anything that is furthered by those annoying creatures! Does that mean there isn't one? Nope. However, it makes me wonder. Kind of like a spleen or any of the organs that can be removed without any harm being done... Often we treat the church the same way: some people/parts are dispensable. It might not be a conscious thing, but we act as if some people really don't matter. Maybe it's how we dismiss them because they're annoying, maybe it's how we think of them because of failures in the past, or maybe it's a pride issue within us. No matter how it happens, it is quite often the case. Heck, even inside small groups that are sup...

Back to my personal issues: cleaning out the youth center apartment. With 7 people crammed in such a small space, a lot of dust/small parts/junk accrues under furniture! Not only that, but all the dings, etc. have to be repaired, cleaned, and painted. As I look at all the things we need to do, it amazes me that we only lived in there three years! With all the cleaning, repair, and painting I need to do it looks more like 30... But, I realized we are often the same way: we allow a lot to accumulate over the years in our spiritual lives so that instead of being free to follow Jesus, we're stuck in all the dirt, grime, dings, dents, and other speedbumps that are in the path. The worst part is, most of them are little things that we thought wouldn't add up! The lie you told someone once, the swimsuit issue you only look at once a year, the extra food we eat because we're "hungry," the way you treated that random driver who cut you off, the way you ignored that ...

Sunday we hit Matthew 5.9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." Bill took it down the road of making peace between others and ourselves "as much as possible," not as in no war. He and I, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, find the path of Christian pacifism untenable. Bonhoeffer was a committed pacifist during World War II, until he saw the effects of the war. Yes, us living in peace as much as we can with everyone is part of who we are to be as Christians, but can we remain that way? Not necessarily. Thus, I would venture that, despite many people's contentions to the opposite, the Iraq war was a just war: it was about bringing freedom and eliminating evil/oppression/torture. However, as resolve weakened, Iraq has been left in a worse state today than it was under Saddam! Christians then were generally tolerated but ignored, today they are persecuted, killed, and otherwise driven out of their homes/businesses. Is that the only sign...

So this past week in our new casa has seen my eldest playing a bit of explorer. There's the creek down the road and the pond back a ways, both of which have yielded a lot of adventure. Which is great, because that is what a boy needs: somewhere to create his own narrative, to be the hero, to overcome his fears, to explore the unknown, and to grow into the man he was made to be through those adventures. What changes between boyhood and manhood? Not a lot, I would venture to say. Except perhaps the unknown leaves us more afraid than it did before. Part of that might be the added responsibilities of family, home, and work. Knowing that our failure as we explore the unknown could leave those we care most about in a bad spot, is a large load to carry! However, I think the same unreasoning fear exists in men as does in boys: just like my son was afraid to grab the crawdad (who had apparently escaped his confinement and had made it to under the desk), I am afraid to let go of my n...

Change is such a huge part of life. I suppose I should realize this more but it's not until I hit something large that I think about it. As we recently moved from the cramped, city-fied youth center apartment to a spacious, country-living home it struck me: God designed us for change. In fact, I am thoroughly convinced that without change, we are essentially dead. That seems like a bit harsh of a statement, but change really is the stuff of life. I mean, I love my baby boy but if Aiden remained as an 8 month old and never crawled or got his teeth, we'd be seeing a lot of doctors to figure out why! He is meant to change, grow, and become a man, not remain a baby. This is something many of us have problems with, not a baby growing up, but the fact that we are meant to change and grow. Many of us find a spot in life that we like and determine never to grow or change beyond that point. Maybe it's the party life during college or the dating scene (with an epic lack of c...