16 January 2008
What Happens When You Leave An Evangelistic Tract On Your Table Along With Your Tip?
The wait staff stand around and make fun of it and you.
08 January 2008
Now I Have a Title For This Post!
Okay, I wasn't COMPLETELY unproductive in December. I started this post on 12/7, I just didn't finish it. Why? I don't know. I have a tendency to not finish things. It probably comes from my childhood, when I would... oh... right... the post.
So the other day, I got into a conversation with another coworker of mine, and we got to talking about what I did before Karri and I moved to PA. Doesn't seem like such a fascinating conversation. Small talk, right? Except this guy is a homosexual. We've become good friends, and I was fairly surprised that it hadn't come up before. When I told him that I was a pastor, it generated this conversation that went to places I never really imagined.
He asked me if I was Catholic, and what the difference was. I tried to explain, but thought it better to just ask him what he wondered about. We started to talk about the Bible, and he asked the one question I've been asked more than any other about faith. "So, do you actually believe/follow EVERYTHING in the Bible?" Now, I'm pretty sure that whenever someone asks me that question, they've got something primed and ready, waiting for the uninformed "Yes" to bring out their whopping "Well what about that passage in Leviticus about eating poo?!?" or something. But what I've found, and what's been the most valuable thing I can communicate in these conversations, is that Scripture, the text, is a story. And as soon as I start to tell the story, everything changes.
For instance, my friend asked me about the whole homosexuality issue. Instead of firing up some theology or dropping some Paul on him, I decided to tell the story of Lot in Sodom, and how a lot of Christians think that the problem with Sodom was that they wanted to sleep with the two men God sent to warn Lot. But then I shared Ezekiel 16:49, "But these were the sins of your sister Sodom; they were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned, they did not care for the poor and needy." And I tell the story in such a way that all of a sudden, three people are listening. Then four. Then my friend I initially was talking with called a few other people over with an enthusiastic, "I LIKE that story! You've gotta tell it again!" And just like that I'm talking about the Bible with half the wait staff.
And this goes right in line with what I've been learning about the gospel of Christ. It just doesn't take a whole lot for the Good News to be good for most people. All they actually want is for someone to tell them about Jesus, not give them a laundry list of how they can correct their lives. They're used to hearing God talk firmly attached to what they're doing wrong, but right after John 3:16 (you know, the verse about God LOVING the world) there's that verse that says that God didn't come to the world to condemn it, but to save it. And I don't think a lot of people actually know that. God loves you. Has for a long time. And has pursued you like a lover from the moment He created you. And you know what? That's a novel thought for just about everyone I talk to these days.
So tell a good story soon. Bust out the flannel-graph. Talk about Daniel and the Lions' Den. Get your Hosea on. Tell someone just why God put a rainbow up after the flood. (Every thought about that one for a while?) I'm starting to think that when we tell the gospel like a narrative rather than the defense of an ivory tower, we're getting closer to the parable-telling Jesus who hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors. And people will listen. Really. 'Cause who doesn't love a good story?
So the other day, I got into a conversation with another coworker of mine, and we got to talking about what I did before Karri and I moved to PA. Doesn't seem like such a fascinating conversation. Small talk, right? Except this guy is a homosexual. We've become good friends, and I was fairly surprised that it hadn't come up before. When I told him that I was a pastor, it generated this conversation that went to places I never really imagined.
He asked me if I was Catholic, and what the difference was. I tried to explain, but thought it better to just ask him what he wondered about. We started to talk about the Bible, and he asked the one question I've been asked more than any other about faith. "So, do you actually believe/follow EVERYTHING in the Bible?" Now, I'm pretty sure that whenever someone asks me that question, they've got something primed and ready, waiting for the uninformed "Yes" to bring out their whopping "Well what about that passage in Leviticus about eating poo?!?" or something. But what I've found, and what's been the most valuable thing I can communicate in these conversations, is that Scripture, the text, is a story. And as soon as I start to tell the story, everything changes.
For instance, my friend asked me about the whole homosexuality issue. Instead of firing up some theology or dropping some Paul on him, I decided to tell the story of Lot in Sodom, and how a lot of Christians think that the problem with Sodom was that they wanted to sleep with the two men God sent to warn Lot. But then I shared Ezekiel 16:49, "But these were the sins of your sister Sodom; they were arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned, they did not care for the poor and needy." And I tell the story in such a way that all of a sudden, three people are listening. Then four. Then my friend I initially was talking with called a few other people over with an enthusiastic, "I LIKE that story! You've gotta tell it again!" And just like that I'm talking about the Bible with half the wait staff.
And this goes right in line with what I've been learning about the gospel of Christ. It just doesn't take a whole lot for the Good News to be good for most people. All they actually want is for someone to tell them about Jesus, not give them a laundry list of how they can correct their lives. They're used to hearing God talk firmly attached to what they're doing wrong, but right after John 3:16 (you know, the verse about God LOVING the world) there's that verse that says that God didn't come to the world to condemn it, but to save it. And I don't think a lot of people actually know that. God loves you. Has for a long time. And has pursued you like a lover from the moment He created you. And you know what? That's a novel thought for just about everyone I talk to these days.
So tell a good story soon. Bust out the flannel-graph. Talk about Daniel and the Lions' Den. Get your Hosea on. Tell someone just why God put a rainbow up after the flood. (Every thought about that one for a while?) I'm starting to think that when we tell the gospel like a narrative rather than the defense of an ivory tower, we're getting closer to the parable-telling Jesus who hung out with prostitutes and tax collectors. And people will listen. Really. 'Cause who doesn't love a good story?
02 January 2008
Whoops... Sorry, December
So, I didn't blog in December. heheh. Thanks to my brother for giving me crap about it, too. But here it is, the new year, and it's time for some BLOGGIN'!
I'm actually sitting in the middle of Milk Boy Coffee, our favorite coffee haunt, waiting to go up for my first ever open mic night. Reason number fifty billion why I love my wife? She kicks me in the booty until I get out and play for other people. So here I am, doing my "I'm a singer/songwriter" thing. And i've been writing a bit more, so it's starting to actually feel like the truth, slowly but surely. It's a good feeling.
And being here, in a room full of artists, I'm starting to think about this conversation I had with Nate about where art fits into the life of Christ follower. There's this tension that we were discussing about dedicating time and energy to creation. Lots of time and energy. Perhaps the majority of your time and energy. And the there's the voice, or voices, that call you to right and true things, beautiful things, but things that would demand some of that time and energy you've dedicated to creation. So what wins? Committing to your neighbor who needs their place painted or band practice? And that seems to most Christ-followers, me included, to be a no-brainer. It's right to give yourself sacrificially, and if you're not involved in that kind of giving, then you're missing out in something fulfilling and central to following Jesus. Nate and I have a lot of friends who are involved in that kind of sacrificial life, and they call us to it, through words and actions. The tension comes when we're forced to choose between creation and serving.
Now don't get me wrong. They're not mutually exclusive, creation and serving. There should be a lot of both in everyone's lives. But I'm reminded of the Levites from Israel. When Israel was first figuring out who it was going to be, God made special provisions for the Levites. Among their many responsibilities, Levites were the artists of the community, and God made sure to set these people aside so they could be dedicated to the purposes of creation for the glory of God. And I think there's still a special place for artists in the community of Christ. When we are creative, we're tapping into the heart of the Creator God.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm glad there are people who dedicate themselves to creation. There's music and art and photography and poetry and literature and all sorts of expressions that bring me joy, make me mad, and bring me closer to Jesus. And I want those people to keep doing what they're doing. And if it means that that they choose band practice over a service project, I guess I'm ok with that. And even as I write that, I'm thinking, "But you've gotta remember to... Everyone's got a part to play... Make sure that you don't..." but you know what? I want Nate make music and art. So I'm gonna leave it at that.
Nate, if you don't keep creating, I'm gonna punch you in the teeth.
I'm actually sitting in the middle of Milk Boy Coffee, our favorite coffee haunt, waiting to go up for my first ever open mic night. Reason number fifty billion why I love my wife? She kicks me in the booty until I get out and play for other people. So here I am, doing my "I'm a singer/songwriter" thing. And i've been writing a bit more, so it's starting to actually feel like the truth, slowly but surely. It's a good feeling.
And being here, in a room full of artists, I'm starting to think about this conversation I had with Nate about where art fits into the life of Christ follower. There's this tension that we were discussing about dedicating time and energy to creation. Lots of time and energy. Perhaps the majority of your time and energy. And the there's the voice, or voices, that call you to right and true things, beautiful things, but things that would demand some of that time and energy you've dedicated to creation. So what wins? Committing to your neighbor who needs their place painted or band practice? And that seems to most Christ-followers, me included, to be a no-brainer. It's right to give yourself sacrificially, and if you're not involved in that kind of giving, then you're missing out in something fulfilling and central to following Jesus. Nate and I have a lot of friends who are involved in that kind of sacrificial life, and they call us to it, through words and actions. The tension comes when we're forced to choose between creation and serving.
Now don't get me wrong. They're not mutually exclusive, creation and serving. There should be a lot of both in everyone's lives. But I'm reminded of the Levites from Israel. When Israel was first figuring out who it was going to be, God made special provisions for the Levites. Among their many responsibilities, Levites were the artists of the community, and God made sure to set these people aside so they could be dedicated to the purposes of creation for the glory of God. And I think there's still a special place for artists in the community of Christ. When we are creative, we're tapping into the heart of the Creator God.
I don't know about you guys, but I'm glad there are people who dedicate themselves to creation. There's music and art and photography and poetry and literature and all sorts of expressions that bring me joy, make me mad, and bring me closer to Jesus. And I want those people to keep doing what they're doing. And if it means that that they choose band practice over a service project, I guess I'm ok with that. And even as I write that, I'm thinking, "But you've gotta remember to... Everyone's got a part to play... Make sure that you don't..." but you know what? I want Nate make music and art. So I'm gonna leave it at that.
Nate, if you don't keep creating, I'm gonna punch you in the teeth.
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