I just finished my last class on United Methodism. While at times the class was quite boring, there are some distinctives of Methodism that are quite brilliant. These distinctives are what make me proud to be Methodist.
One of the coolest concepts in Methodism is "plundering the Egyptians."
The day Moses set the Israelites free, an ironic twist took place. The Israelites had the audacity to ask the Egyptians for jewelry and clothing...and the Egyptians obliged (Exodus 12:35-36). The last part of verse 36 is great: "so they (the Israelites) plundered the Egyptians."
The father of Methodism, John Wesley, used this phrase as way to express the importance of using the best of what culture has to offer to grow in knowledge and faith. Wesley made himself aware of current events, recent scholarship, scientific discovery, medical breakthroughs, new technology and pop culture by reading, listening and being available. He thought it was essential to know what was going on around him so that he could grow in knowledge of God's truth. Scripture was always primary and essential for Wesley and that's why he was not afraid of "contamination" by the cultural "texts" in which he engagned. Wesley gleaned everything he could from the best of the culture around him because he believed God could speak in more than one way. Wesley "plundered the Egyptians" without fear, because he did not have to question the source of ultimate and timeless truth.
As a Methodist, I will proudly carry on Wesley's practice of "plundering the Egyptians," not just for the sake of relevance, but because I believe God can and does speak through the cultural "texts" of today.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Decisions
Sometimes whatever decision we make is the right one. As I grow in Christ, I often find myself having to make a decision not between right and wrong, but between good and wise. For example, say I have an evening free and it comes down to spending it either with a group of friends from the church or with my family. Lets say I've had a long week and need the fellowship, however, because I've had a long week I also haven't spent quality time with my family. So, while it would be a good thing to spend the evening hanging out with church friends, the wise thing would be to spend it with my family.
How about money. I could surprise my wife with something nice (good) or I could put that money toward paying down our debt (wise).
How about food. I could save some money by getting a burger, fries and drink for lunch at Wendy's for just over $3.00 (good) or I could bring a salad or buy a salad and eat something nutritious (wise).
This concept applies to so many decisions we make in life. So instead of asking yourself if you are doing the "right" thing, why not ask yourself instead if you are doing the "wise" thing.
How about money. I could surprise my wife with something nice (good) or I could put that money toward paying down our debt (wise).
How about food. I could save some money by getting a burger, fries and drink for lunch at Wendy's for just over $3.00 (good) or I could bring a salad or buy a salad and eat something nutritious (wise).
This concept applies to so many decisions we make in life. So instead of asking yourself if you are doing the "right" thing, why not ask yourself instead if you are doing the "wise" thing.
Friday, March 28, 2008
When to say...
The popular Boundaries curriculum is based on the wisdom of knowing when to say "no" and when to say "yes." Its an excellent study that gives people permission to set appropriate boundaries for themselves in order to live a healthy life.
The problem is that sometimes we have to say "yes" when we don't want to, or we have to say "no" we don't want to. Most of those times is when we have to submit to authority.
Most people don't like authority. They distrust it and want to do things their way. Sure, they want guidance, but they don't want to be told what to do after being given the guidance.
I always want to understand the "why" of the task assigned to me by an authority. If I don't know the "why," I ask. Not in a spirit of cynicism and rebellion, but in a spirit of a willingness to learn and understand.
The problem is that sometimes we have to say "yes" when we don't want to, or we have to say "no" we don't want to. Most of those times is when we have to submit to authority.
Most people don't like authority. They distrust it and want to do things their way. Sure, they want guidance, but they don't want to be told what to do after being given the guidance.
I always want to understand the "why" of the task assigned to me by an authority. If I don't know the "why," I ask. Not in a spirit of cynicism and rebellion, but in a spirit of a willingness to learn and understand.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Easter Eeriness
This Easter didn't feel the same to me as it has in the past. I'm not sure why. We had an Easter egg hunt with our daugther, I was at church all weekend, we visited with family from both of our sides, I ate Jelly Beans the day before...I'm not sure what was missing. Maybe it was not getting an Easter basket for our daughter. Or maybe it was the nonverbal communication between my wife and I not to get anything for one another for Easter and then sticking to it. I heard three messages on Passover, Freedom and the Resurrection. Maybe its not just Easter, maybe its my disconnect with God.
I really stink at practicing the spiritual disciplines...you know...reading the Bible, praying, worshipping and having fellowship with other believers. What's odd, however, is I've always stunk at those things. So why would this year feel any different. I don't know, I just felt an eeriness to Easter this year. I can't pin point, but it really did feel different.
Did Easter feel different for anybody else this year? Any thoughts...
I really stink at practicing the spiritual disciplines...you know...reading the Bible, praying, worshipping and having fellowship with other believers. What's odd, however, is I've always stunk at those things. So why would this year feel any different. I don't know, I just felt an eeriness to Easter this year. I can't pin point, but it really did feel different.
Did Easter feel different for anybody else this year? Any thoughts...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
How's yourself doing?
My 3 year old daugther recently caught me talking to myself and asked me why I was whispering. I said I was just talking to myself. She wisely asked "How's yourself doing?" I laughed and told her how funny that was.
I thought about it later and have come to the conclusion that it is an excellent question to ask. "How's yourself doing?" I mean I spend most of the day asking people how they are doing or helping people with their problems, that I often forget to check in on myself. The question "How's yourself doing?" is a simple way to assess what you are doing, thinking and feeling and why your are doing, thinking and feeling those things.
Its also helpful to ask ourselves this question because more often than not when others ask us how we are doing they don't really want to take the time to listen. They just want people to think they care when really they are just asking because it has become a cultural norm in society to ask without caring or being willing to listen to a response other than "good" or "okay" (I don't think I'm the only one who has done this and had this done to them).
So let me ask you this morning, "How's yourself doing?"
I thought about it later and have come to the conclusion that it is an excellent question to ask. "How's yourself doing?" I mean I spend most of the day asking people how they are doing or helping people with their problems, that I often forget to check in on myself. The question "How's yourself doing?" is a simple way to assess what you are doing, thinking and feeling and why your are doing, thinking and feeling those things.
Its also helpful to ask ourselves this question because more often than not when others ask us how we are doing they don't really want to take the time to listen. They just want people to think they care when really they are just asking because it has become a cultural norm in society to ask without caring or being willing to listen to a response other than "good" or "okay" (I don't think I'm the only one who has done this and had this done to them).
So let me ask you this morning, "How's yourself doing?"
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Moment of Truth
I guess its a little too easy to blog on something I just talked about on Sunday morning, but I needed a topic so here it is:
The show the Moment of Truth is an interesting way to make people lean into to their own ugliness. I like the show because it forces people to face truths about themselves and about their personal relationships. Its interesting that the motivator is money. I guess that's the irony of the show: they use people's greed to get them to expose other vices in their lives. Its like one vice is the motivator for other vices. Some contestants are smart and stop with only minimal damage done to their relationships, others however, take chances and walk away with no money and damaged relationships. If your going to risk important relationships, at least win some money!
The latest contestant I saw was a married woman with four children. She said "yes" when asked if there were any secrets in her life that would break up her marriage. Ouch. The husband didn't want to know the secret. I would want to know, because even if the truth hurts, the best thing we can do is lean into it. Its only by leaning into it the truth that the path of healing begins and real relationships develop. Their marriage now faces an undisclosed secret that is already a seed of discontent and if left alone will grow into a tree bearing divisive fruit.
We don't like to lean into ugly truth, but sometimes its the best thing we can do. Most of us don't have money to motivate us to lean into our own ugliness, so we have to find something else that will drive us. Often, a hidden ugliness will create problems for us and those problems become too hard to face alone and become our motivator. I think often our motivator for facing our own junk is the result of not facing the junk in the first place. For example, I've talked to people who are depressed because of something they have done that they know is counter to living a life opposed to God's truth. So they get tired of being depressed and confess their damaging behavior to someone they trust in order to get free from it.
I don't think its necessarily a bad thing to be motivated by the results of a vice in order to face a vice. There's this idea in the Bible about good fruits and bad fruits. If the results of bad fruits in our lives (the results of our vices) lead us to pursuing good fruits in our lives (joy, peace, kindness) then hopefully we will eventually be smart enough to give up the bad fruits altogther so that we can live the kind of life we all want...a life full of hope, joy, peace, beauty, forgiveness and grace.
The show the Moment of Truth is an interesting way to make people lean into to their own ugliness. I like the show because it forces people to face truths about themselves and about their personal relationships. Its interesting that the motivator is money. I guess that's the irony of the show: they use people's greed to get them to expose other vices in their lives. Its like one vice is the motivator for other vices. Some contestants are smart and stop with only minimal damage done to their relationships, others however, take chances and walk away with no money and damaged relationships. If your going to risk important relationships, at least win some money!
The latest contestant I saw was a married woman with four children. She said "yes" when asked if there were any secrets in her life that would break up her marriage. Ouch. The husband didn't want to know the secret. I would want to know, because even if the truth hurts, the best thing we can do is lean into it. Its only by leaning into it the truth that the path of healing begins and real relationships develop. Their marriage now faces an undisclosed secret that is already a seed of discontent and if left alone will grow into a tree bearing divisive fruit.
We don't like to lean into ugly truth, but sometimes its the best thing we can do. Most of us don't have money to motivate us to lean into our own ugliness, so we have to find something else that will drive us. Often, a hidden ugliness will create problems for us and those problems become too hard to face alone and become our motivator. I think often our motivator for facing our own junk is the result of not facing the junk in the first place. For example, I've talked to people who are depressed because of something they have done that they know is counter to living a life opposed to God's truth. So they get tired of being depressed and confess their damaging behavior to someone they trust in order to get free from it.
I don't think its necessarily a bad thing to be motivated by the results of a vice in order to face a vice. There's this idea in the Bible about good fruits and bad fruits. If the results of bad fruits in our lives (the results of our vices) lead us to pursuing good fruits in our lives (joy, peace, kindness) then hopefully we will eventually be smart enough to give up the bad fruits altogther so that we can live the kind of life we all want...a life full of hope, joy, peace, beauty, forgiveness and grace.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Magnets Continued
I remember Gary Haugen, the president of IJM (International Justice Mission: http://www.ijm.com/) talking about identifying bodies after the Rwandan genocide. He says "When people ask, where was God when this happened, it hit me. The real question isn't where was God, its where was God's people?"
With a few exceptions, Christians have failed in their part to bring God's healing to people in the world around them. While not all of us can be Mother Theresa, we can all do something to make God's kingdom of grace and mercy known in the world around us. I think the key to God's goodness in the midst of so many evils is us (at least those of us who call ouselves Christians)! We are the ambassador's of what God wants to do in the lives of people who are hurting and suffering. Maybe God's goodness is supposed to come through something you or I are supposed to do. When Christians decide not do anything about all that opposes God's kingdom in the world, they might as well not call themselves a Christian. A stagnant Christian is like a a cure for cancer in hiding...both are just ridiculous!
In the midst of all that one person can do, why is it we hear so much about what one person can't do. There are so many local, national and international organizations doing God's work (whether Christian based or not) that one person can find something they are passionate about and find a way to participate in bringing God's light to a dark world. My question is: What are you doing?
With a few exceptions, Christians have failed in their part to bring God's healing to people in the world around them. While not all of us can be Mother Theresa, we can all do something to make God's kingdom of grace and mercy known in the world around us. I think the key to God's goodness in the midst of so many evils is us (at least those of us who call ouselves Christians)! We are the ambassador's of what God wants to do in the lives of people who are hurting and suffering. Maybe God's goodness is supposed to come through something you or I are supposed to do. When Christians decide not do anything about all that opposes God's kingdom in the world, they might as well not call themselves a Christian. A stagnant Christian is like a a cure for cancer in hiding...both are just ridiculous!
In the midst of all that one person can do, why is it we hear so much about what one person can't do. There are so many local, national and international organizations doing God's work (whether Christian based or not) that one person can find something they are passionate about and find a way to participate in bringing God's light to a dark world. My question is: What are you doing?
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