Tim Holmes and the Hired Guns

Tim Holmes and The Hired Guns performing "Babylon" by David Gray at Chili Fest in Ashland, KY, 2011. Made video into cartoon. HA! Enjoy

The Church Is A Whore, But She's My Mother

These are excerpts from Tony Campolo's book, Letters To A Young Evangelical

"It is certainly true that our congregations have, at times compromised the radical requirements of discipleship prescribed by Christ, and you may find yourself put off by the church because of its failure to be faithful to his teachings. But I would urge you to consider this fully, and to think about the words of St. Augustine: "The church is a whore, but she's my mother."

That statement brilliantly conveys how I feel about church. It is easy for me, like so many of the young Evangelicals I know, to note the ways the church been unfaithful as the bride of Christ... Unquestionably, the church too often has socialized our young people into adopting culturally established values of success, rather than calling them into the kind of countercultural nonconformity that Scripture requires of Christ's followers (Romans 12:1-2).

"Why, then, do I encourage you to participate in organized religion and commit yourself to a specific local congregation? Because, as Augustine made clear,the church is still your mother. It is she who taught you about Jesus. I want you to remember that the Bible teaches that Christ loves the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). That's a preeminent reason why you dare not decide that you don't need the church. Christ's church is called his bride (11 Con 11:2), and his love for her makes him faithful to her even when she is not faithful to him."

Even when she acts like a whore, and sells herself to relevance, power, or the temptation to be spectacular, the Church is still my mother.

I think it's important to remember that when Church seems to become an ugly thing, it's because the church isn't a building, institution, nor provider of religious goods and services. The church is never described in terms of brick or mortar. She isn't a place. The church is comprised of broken souls who are still searching the dark corners of our hearts for glimpses of the divine. We are all a mess, and the church is an unstoppable force.

When we fuss with God about how bad Church has become, listen closely. He may just ask you, "Who said THAT was my church?" The appropriate answer should be, "OK. Show me your church." After nearly twenty years in ministry, I can finally see the Church in the bars, being the Bride, instead of a whore.

A "Generous" Doctrine

"Many churches tend to invest a lot of time and energy emphasizing "sound" doctrine, while allowing doctrine to be the primary source for division.

Maybe our question or emphasis should become, "Is our doctrine making us 'sound'?"

Most theologian's define "doctrine" as Man's way of describing who God is and what he is doing. That's the short of it.

In this way, "doctrine" is a tool for centering ourselves around a common idea of who God is and what He is doing.

But consider the following about doctrine.

Paul's definition of "sound" doctrine in Titus

Speak the things which befit sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, honorable, sensible, healthy in faith, in love and in patience.

[Speak to] the older women, likewise, that their behavior be appropriate to sacredness, not false accusers, not prone to much wine, teachers of good things; so that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, pure, keepers of their home, good, submitted to their own husbands, so that the Word of God will not be blasphemed.

In the same way exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine, showing incorruption, integrity, sincerity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned… .

Encourage servants to be obedient to their own masters and to serve them satisfactorily in everything, not talking back and not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that they may honor the doctrine of God our Savior in everything. (Tit. 2:1-10)

Notice all the "to be's" rather than "to believe's"?

• James said that pure and undefiled religion is to support the widows and orphans and stay undefiled from the world (Jam. 1:26).
• When Peter says the end is near, he exhorts Christians to be sober, pray, and to love one another in order to cover a multitude of sins. No mention is made of correcting our systematic theology (1 Pet. 4:7-8).
• Jesus mentions coming back like a thief in the night repeatedly. In every case he warns us to be careful of our behavior, not our doctrine (e.g., Luke 12:45-46).
• The Book of Revelation has seven letters to churches from Jesus. All of them address the works of those churches, not their doctrinal teachings (Rev. ch. 2-3).
• Matthew reports Jesus as saying that when he judges the sheep and the goats, his only concern will be their kindness towards others (Matt. 25:31-46).

Doctrine according to Paul expresses much more about "Character" than it does belief.

So, show me a person who expresses love to people, and I'll show you a person with sound doctrine.

Show me a person in love with doctrine and see it as a unifying source for a church body, and I will show you someone who is missing the point.

Hammer Time

How do you define the word, "righteousness"?

Once upon a time, there was a very religious town called Pharisee-ville. The people there believed that God would be impressed if they kept the rules about the Sabbath. All of their rules about the Sabbath, (39 of them) involved what a person should NOT do during that specific day.

The 39th rule stated, "I shall NOT lift a hammer on the sabbath." Literally meaning, don't put the finishing touches on anything. Since this town believed so strongly that their rule-keeping made them "righteous", they had a meeting in their temple... about their hammers.

One man began, "If you want to be righteous, you should store your hammer away as to not even see it on the sabbath."

A competing voice replied, "Well, if you really want to be righteous, you will fashion a lock on the cabinet, storing the hammer, lest ye be tempted."

Another man chirped, "If you REALLY want to be righteous, you will not even own a hammer."

Finally, the angry stern Mayor of Pharisee-ville declared, "If you REALLY REALLY want to be righteous, you will protest in the city to get rid of all hammers."

So they all agreed to protest anyone violating ANY sabbath rule in town, especially the hammer rule.

Then one Sabbath (Saturday) a man named Jesus and twelve of his friends were munching on some grain at the edge of a field. (It was customary for a farmer to allow travelers to eat from the edge of their fields). Some of the residents of Pharisee-ville spotted them and said, "Look, why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" (Mark 2:24)

Jesus replies, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)

In other words... the Sabbath is a gift... to you... from God.

A day to be restored after six days of hustling and stressing. A lot happens in six days. Chunks get taken out of you. Relational battles, pressuring job demands, family squabbles, deadlines, junk emails, and the cell phone glued to our ear. The Sabbath is a gift designed for you to receive, not control. The Sabbath wants things FOR you, not FROM you. A day to have your soul renewed and refreshed. So the question of the Sabbath isn't what you should NOT DO. Better yet, it is, "What do you DO to feed your soul once a week?"

Does reading a book feed your soul? Do it.

Does hiking feed your soul? Do it.

Does hanging out with your friends feed your soul? Do it

Does painting feed your soul? Does swimming? Landscaping? Eating? Building a fire? Detailing a car? Computer games? Fishing? DO IT!!!! DO IT!!! DO IT!!! The day is a gift.

According to a study by the Barna group on Church's understanding of the word "righteousness", 85% of Christians have a morality based interpretation of the word. Nowhere in the Bible is "righteousness" defined in terms of morality, good behavior, or keeping the rules, EXCEPT when there is reference to the Pharisees. The Pharisees always interpreted "righteousness" in terms of how well they could keep the rules. That is "SELF-righteousness".

If your Sabbath is a specific day that is about what you DON'T DO... then there is land for sale in Pharisee-ville where you can build your next home. Need a hammer?

More Than A Name

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

He's talking about identities or labels here. Let's take this further. Neither Democrat nor Republican, Baptist nor Non-Denominational, Gay nor Straight, Single nor Married, Christian nor Muslim, Sinner nor Saint.

Maybe grabbing and holding to a new identity in Christ involves dropping all the other ones we have. Even the ones we think identify us as affiliated with Christ in some way. There are some who claim the title "Christian" who get trapped in their own doctrine, defending themselves from a corner they back themselves into. Just as there are "non-Christians" who seem to instinctively know how to form healthy relationships filled with care and love.

Sometimes, it seems It's all in the name we claim, then we define ourselves and others based on the cultural norms of that name. Maybe Jesus is striving to take us further than the titles we claim or place on others. Maybe the exclusivity of God isn't based on our titles, but a God given one that takes a lifetime to grow into.

Blurry At Best

I was looking at the moon the other night from my deck and the thought crossed me. What would it be like if we had some grainy video evidence of heaven. A sound byte even. Not testimonies of a bright light, or verses being slung at us. A grainy clip would do. Not like the Big Foot footage where you are left to wonder if its a hoax, but real confirmation. Then I remembered, "Oh yeah... the Church is to be that glimpse of heaven to people."

The problem is that the glimpse we are giving people of heaven is too grainy to make out.

So what is the practice of heaven? And would heaven make any sense at all if we don't know how to practice it here on earth? Will we arrive in heaven one day like its our first day of school worried whether we can do this? Does eternal love make any sense, if we can't practice it in this lifetime? In heaven, will forgiveness drip from my soul like rain, because I allowed that to happen on earth?

Maybe the barbarian call of unleashing an untamed faith in the here and now involves me being the grainy glimpse of heaven. Loving my enemies. Forgiving those who in my power I can't forgive. Empowering the poor, giving drink to the thirsty in my life. Actually becoming the video footage that heaven is real, and, being OK that this footage will be blurry at best.

Love My Enemy?

This post is pertaining primarily to the issue of celebrating the death of Bin Laden. I am still trying to sort through my thoughts on this. Not only am I a pastor of twenty years, but also a veteran.

In short, two feelings. Grief and Grateful.

A few of my friends told me they watched the celebration on the news and then felt odd about what they were viewing. They voiced they simply felt odd in that they weren't sure how to feel about celebrating a death, even of a known enemy.

Some reasons may this death may not settle well might be because we have a feeling that we have been misinformed, or having doubts due to the lack of inclusion into the story via footage and such. Another reason for a follower of Christ is the conflict that rises from the very words of Jesus. It's all through his teachings. "Turn the other cheek, pray for those who curse us, bless the persecutor, it's easy to love those who love us, love your enemies... And so on."

Another challenge might be all the "Us verses Them" nationalism that creeps it's way into many sermons in America. Similarly, the early disciples, when hearing Jesus talk about his Kingdom, tended to think like the Zealots expecting Jesus to raise up Jerusalem by overthrowing Rome with the sword. Instead Jesus went the opposite way of the sword. He went the way of the cross. Which raises the question... Did Christ die to raise up one of our Kingdoms, or just His?

In the past week, I read nearly a hundred messages where Christians spoke of how God will wipe away the evil on the earth, and use his people to do it as he did in the Old Testament. The problem with pulling verses out of the Old Testament to support violence toward our country's enemy is absolutely NO different than what the Fundamentalist radical Taliban did with the Quran. Its the age old practice of using verses to support one's opinion, instead of allowing one's opinion to be shaped by the verses.

Yes, there are passages in the Bible, that when interpreted from one angle, can certainly justify war today. For example, Deuteronomy 7 speaks about "TOTAL destruction of the enemy." However, context still matters, and passages like this should remain in context with the Abrahamic Covenant and the Hebraic lineage, not 21st Century terrorist groups. Most conservative and liberal theologians agree that in that particular narrative, God was trying to protect his Hebrew children from pagan influences, knowing that if one was left alive, the Hebrew children would begin to turn. And they did.

These particular passages aren't meant to be used to blanket current matters of wiping out evil. These verses aren't meant for blanketing or supporting wiping off an entire people in todays age, just because we see them as evil. Context still matters, whether its the Quran or the Bible. Mainstream Islam discredited the interpretations of the Taliban for that very reason. Again, its an age old practice to use the Bible as a weapon, and verses like ammo. This is why so many people want little to do with God, because his validity is trashed when we make him in our image.

Anne Lamotte wrote, "You know you have created God in your own imagine, when in fact, he hates all the same people you do."

I saw in our local paper a quote from a family member of one that was killed during 9/11 that read, "The Evil Is Gone". This is a great example of what a wounded judgmental society does with evil. We attach it to people, instead of their deeds. If we return evil with a slaying, is evil really gone?

I mourn the loss of those killed on 9/11. It was unjust by any standard, and a pure dose of evil unleashed on innocence. But at the same time, I cannot block out of my mind that in Africa over 6,000 people will die of preventable diseases EACH DAY. That's more than two 9/11's per day over something we American's could fix with the same amount of money we spend on Ice cream each year.

So... are we a part of a system that is unjust or evil from the perspective of another country on the same planet. Is eating ice cream now evil? Situations like 9/11 can be isolated so much that we miss a bigger picture that remains. Evil isn't gone. We could burry a thousand Bin Ladens and evil and it's effects would remain in this world. The real question seems to be, Where is the good? Or, in my opinion, where is the Church? Not the nationalistic religion we hear so much from, but the Church that "destroys evil with good."

We humans are real quick to cry "Justice". Our bloody history is mostly due to the fact that we rarely know how to carry out justice. I do believe Jesus taught about a justice birthed not from hate, as we often try to employ, but a justice birthed from love, designed to restore.

One more thing. I taught one Sunday on the parable of the lost coin Luke 15:8-10. The silver coin in question was called a drachma. Sort of the minimum days wage in 1st century Palestine. Like a penny.

The traditional reading of this passage doesn't really capture the personal dimensions of the story. The Jewish audience hearing Jesus tell the story would have known this woman as a bride to be, and that the one coin that had gone missing wasn't her life savings, instead one of ten coins found on a betrothal necklace given to her by her groom to be. This makes sense as to why its a woman in the story, and why its a silver coin, and why she throws a party in the middle if the night inviting everyone over to see that she found "her" coin. A drachma. Jesus was telling this story to Pharisees who were complaining about him "eating with prostitutes and tax collectors." People they considered to be of "low value". Drachma people.

Jesus was making the point that God is like this bride-to-be searching frantically for those considered to be of low value to the religious world. People who hadn't earned it. Drachma people. People that the religious community had no problem referring to them as hell bound.

Since all of this was still fresh when I heard the news of Bin Laden, I couldn't help but think of the drachma. Many believed him to have no value, in terms of the evil he ushered into this world. And a part of me wants to agree with that. However, in terms of God's kingdom, I am of no greater value than he was. God is a frantic bride-to-be turning the house upside down to find what the culture says has no value. Maybe this is the practice of heaven.

In regards to Osama Bin Laden's death, I feel grief because this was a situation of evil that was handled with evil, instead of "good". This was a human being that God created for a very different purpose than what he actually fulfilled. But at the same time I am grateful that justice was served for the folks who hurt from their loss from 9/11. A truer justice would have been if he was allowed to stand before a judge, however, this situation is more of an action of war than it was true justice from a legal stand point.

Bottom line... those who claim to follow Christ are still left with a sermon on the mount to contend with. A sermon that says, "LOVE YOUR ENEMY."

Dancing on a Van

I googled images of "Church Vans" and found this interesting picture.

Church is often very confusing, but not just for people outside the church, who may see this photo of a church van parked outside an adult book store. Church confuses me as well. I had my first sexual encounter on a church van at age 15. Turned onto marijuana at age 17 by someone in my church youth group. Now, you may be asking, "Where the heck is this church?"

Well... that was many moons ago in a very average, status quo, ultra-conservative, Southern Baptist church. This church strongly emphasized that us kids grasp a foundational "belief system" about God. They worked to ensure we were prepared if challenged by any sort of spiritual terrorist that could attack and steal our dogma. In other words, we were taught to major on our doctrine or beliefs. Maybe instead, they should have majored on chaperoning and doing more "hand checks" on the van.

What makes more sense to me now, than in my teenage years, is that maybe there is more to this life with Christ than just "believing" certain precepts about God. I have grown to understand that there is a long van-ride between what is "belief" and what is "faith." It could be argued that faith is believing in something with very little evidence. And, it seems the less evidence, the stronger the faith can and must be. In terms of religion, faith has come to mean having assertions of doctrine that evidence alone could not allow us to affirm.

The apostle Paul asserts that faith is more like participating in a different kind of reality altogether. A reality that has nothing to do with our beliefs about God, yet a reality, that can in fact exist without all our beliefs about God. Isaiah 55:9 says what God thinks about our thoughts on Him, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Paul writes of this new reality, the "Life with Christ" as something I participate in, where my confusion about God and Church may even deepen further still. We can only join in this cosmic dance together with a triune God, as it has been through the ages. A dance, not reliant upon my understanding everything. It's like "throwing down" or "breaking off some moves" (or whatever the kids call it these days) without caring if there are particular steps to this dance.

I write all of this to say, the life with Christ really isn't about clearing up all the confusing stuff about God. It's about having faith in God in spite of the confusion. In spite of our beliefs. It is dancing with this cosmic stranger, who already knows we have a long and bumpy history of confusing matters and missing the point. Life with Christ is embracing our doubts and disbelief while tucking in our shirt for one more ride. It's having faith that God already knows how confused we are, yet he refuses to let us sit this ride out. No matter what van we've been riding in.

Misguided Swallow

In the movie "What About Bob?", Bob could come up with millions of ways the world could come crashing in on him every minute of every day. Destruction and chaos plague his thoughts so much that even going outside is a challenge. Touching a door knob could bring upon the plague, or someone sneezing three blocks away could send tiny particles of disease his direction, via an innocent breeze.

But do you ever stop to think about how much you really are protected from... whatever? I was driving when the thought hit me that I am protected from things I am not even aware of. This very day, there could have been an asteroid billions of light years away headed straight at my car, and through some divine cosmic shield, the asteroid eroded into a grain of sand by the time it reached me. And since cars are driven by humans, any number of collisions could occur at any moment that squish me under my dash. My roof could cave in. My hair could catch on fire. I could get chocked on a misguided swallow of water.

If we believe that God is sovereign, (in charge of everything), over time it is easy to "not see" all the things we are protected from. Sort of like we are wrapped in this warm blanket of love as we wonder through this world of mystery. Romans 8:36, Paul writes, "For your sake we face death all day long;... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us."

After a while of thinking on how protected you really are from things you cannot see, you begin to realize something beautiful. Maybe you really matter a great deal after all.

Learner's Playground

In a recent post by Donald Miller, he questions why the Church has been led by scholars, and why a church gathering is more of an educational setting than it is anything. I'm all for learning. I have an AA, a BA, and an MA from Southern Seminary. However, Miller makes a great point with his questions. When we look at Jesus, sure he taught his disciples, but he taught them through doing. When we see him actually giving a lesson, it's all in metaphor (parable), and directed to those who claimed to KNOW God the most. Only once did he explain a parable to his closest followers.

In what is known as "The Great Commission", Jesus says to his disciples, "Go make more disciples...". The greek word used for "disciples" is manthos or manthetes, meaning "Learner". Maybe we have misinterpreted manthos to mean "scholar." Learning requires more than books, a lecture, and a classroom, and to grow in Christ doesn't primarily mean to study more. Learning first requires openness, and openness is enough to take you very far in absorbing this way Jesus invites us to. The Bible is not a compass for life. It is a collection of divinely inspired writings. We shouldn't worship a book that points us to worship it's author.

If you are open, then you have enough to grow in Christ. Let the world be your classroom and let life teach you today of the wonders of God. Then go play and dance like a child in the wonder of a yard full of sprinklers.

Zealot Soup

"So Terry Jones, the Florida pastor who organized a Koran burning on March 20, wanted “to stir the pot.” Mission accomplished. Perhaps he’d care to explain himself to the family of Joakim Dungel, a 33-year-old Swede slaughtered at the U.N. mission in Mazar-i-Sharif by Afghans whipped into frenzy through Jones’s folly." - (New York Times, Opinion Page author Roger Cohen)

Roger's article is focusing the microscope on current zealot behavior in our world, specifically Islamaphobia. Terry Jones may be a zealot, but a zealot isn't anything new. At least one of Jesus' own disciples was known to be a Zealot, Simon, (not Simon Peter). 1st Century Jews were governed by pagan Romans, and the Zealots were a small underground insurgent group who believed the sword was the way to topple the evil pagan Roman government that oppressed them. Josephus marks the Zealots as the leaders who incited the Great jewish Revolt in 66AD.

Now imagine walking with Jesus during a time of government oppression, and this Jesus keeps talking about a "coming kingdom". A kingdom where things are as they should be, without oppression. And let's say you were familiar with the Zealots and their hope of one day creating a "new kingdom". Except you were taught, as many were, that the only way to achieve this will be through force or violence. Then this Jesus, keeps talking about getting closer and closer to time when "all things will be fulfilled." Your hopes of a coming new kingdom was getting close. But your vision of a coming Kingdom looked more like a crushed Rome.

Then one night while you were asleep in a garden, this Jesus, the friend you have been following, allows himself to be arrested. Now a Zealot's first reaction would be to draw a sword. So, you draw yours and take a swing at one of the guards' heads, miss, but managed to hack off an ear from one of the arresting guards. You immediately believe what you have been hearing about for three years is finally taking place. The takeover has begun. Then your friend Jesus picks the ear up and restores it. Just as he is hauled off in chains, he says something to you about living by the sword and dying by it. This would be a very confusing moment for you.

All this time, you were thinking Jesus was at any moment going to call in the troops. Instead of a sword, this Jesus chose to use a cross to usher in His new kingdom. Instead of killing, he chose to lay down his life willingly.

At this moment, you would have a difficult time with your emotions. If it was that easy for them to arrest your leader, then you would certainly want to be careful about letting anyone know you were involved with this man. Three times you are asked, and three times you deny any involvement. A hurried depression sinks in when you realize that you may possibly live under an oppressive government for the rest of your life. The only skirmish you took part in was spoiled by your leader taking the side of his own captors immediate healing. This was a confusing night out with the boys.

The good news of Jesus' Kingdom is also good news for those who oppose it. But, Jesus refused to go the way of the empire. He didn't go the way of the sword. He didn't invite his followers to choose a side and take up arms to protect it. Just as he didn't side with the other three groups, (Essenes, Pharisees, and Saducees) he didn't side with the Zealots either.

Instead, Jesus picks up a cup and some bread and says, "When you remember me", break yourself and pour yourself out for others. This is the way of the Kingdom of Heaven."

Who's Dumping On You?

Is it possible to show grace to someone truly in need of grace?

Don't pass this off as another post about caring for the homeless, disabled, the widow, orphan, or the poor. Grace really isn't for them. At least not in this sense.

I'm not referring to the grace God gives to every human being, whether it is received or not. I am referring to the challenge of "US" showing one another grace. I am writing about that person in your life that refuses to see you as a person, viewing only your parts, or those folks who are tearing you apart. Get a picture in your mind of the person in your life who has dumped on you more than a bird house shingle. Yes. That person. How do you show that dirty a-hole grace?

I don't recall where I read or heard this, but I remember "grace" described this way...

If someone breaks into your home and brutally murders a loved one of yours, you have the following options.

1. Grab a gun and do the same to them. That's called revenge

2. Call the police and have them arrested. That's justice

3. Tell that person you forgive them (wish them well) but you never want to see them again the rest of your life. That is mercy

or...

After forgiving that person, you tell them, "I want to take care of you for the rest of your life."

That is grace

I think most would agree that our knee jerk reaction to this scenario is #1 or #2. Maybe #3, but certainly not #4. This is why I believe that we cannot show grace to the person that requires it the most, without God actually doing it through us. I would go as far to say that grace is the ultimate proof that the life-changing love of God is a reality in the center of our being. We cannot pull off #4 in our own power. Something divine must be swirling within us.

So who is it that requires the most grace from you?

Who's dumping on you?

Hearing the Cry

In a thousand common expression typed into Google each day, it reads, "Will somebody please love me."

It's a cry.

For love.

John writes in his letters about love, and how love is a reality that can reside within us. And, "if we say that we believe in God, but don't have love, then we are liars."

So, what is the test to prove whether or not I have this God in my life? Is it that I prayed a sinners prayer once? That I was baptized or joined a church? Is it because I am committed to my family, or that I want to serve my community? Is it because I run from this temptation or that? Are these these the test that prove God exists in my life?

In Exodus 3, God "hears the cry" of his people and rescues them. He leads them out of oppression to a place called Mt. Sinai and gives them an identity and a purpose to ALSO begin to hear the cry of others who are oppressed, hurt, broken, lonely, enslaved, and lost. But not just hear the cry, instead, to actively rescue others who are crying.

Sadly, today Church is described in terms of doctrine, and Christians identified by what we believe. However, the test for people who claim to follow Jesus will always be love. Jesus said, "They will know you by your ... LOVE." Not our beliefs on eschatology, dispensationalism, or any number of doctrinal dogmas.

If there is a test to prove that God exists, and that he resides within me, it's "love."

And love shapes us in such a way, that we can't help but listen for the Cry.

A contemporary theologian once said, "You got to let Love Rule!!" - Lenny Kravits

If I had words to share with kids, it is the words of Jesus saying, "Do Not Fear." Life was never meant to be lived out in fear, obligation, shame, or guilt. We were created to fly, not crawl. The Psalmist writes, "Your works are beautiful. I know this fully." Jesus gave a very harsh and nasty warning to those who chose to lead a kid astray into this world of shame. He described it as death by drowning with a large rock around your neck.

The key here is that if you were made to do things as a child through obligation, fear, shame, or guilt, please find healing of those wounds that may run so deep. Otherwise, you will pass that nugget on to your kids. And if you choose not to find healing... please stay away from my kids. I want mine to fly.

Jesus loves the little children in the mud

Jesus once said, "I have come to fulfill the law."

in other words, no more rock throwing. Somebody is going to get an eye knocked out, and a thousand "I'm sorrys" won't bring that eye back.

What was Jesus meaning really? Maybe it's this simple. Without the law, we will be placed in a position to rely only on God's grace. Without this idea of grace, all we have left is the law. All that remains are the rocks waiting to be thrown. Grace is freely extended to all people. And maybe this is why 1st century religious leaders could justify stoning whores, and why they were always trying to trap Jesus. They were like the older brother in the prodigal son story in Luke 15. They couldn't accept that God would throw a party for the broken sinful boy who was recently living in the mud with pigs. But, I guess if I had invested a great deal of time and energy in keeping lawfully fit, I wouldn't want to go to that sort of party either. Not clean enough.

Where the religious leaders of that day had laws empowering them to purify the synagogue through condemning sinners, Jesus empowers his followers to step around those laws to build the church with the love of sinners.

If not for grace, EVERYBODY MUST GET STONED!

Childlike Questions

Is your church “IN” the community or "WITH" the community?

Childlike question #1: “Why are there Church buildings?”
Nowhere in the Bible is the Church ever defined in terms of geography or brick and mortar. She is, however, described as “The Bride of Christ” or “The Body of Christ”, but always as a community believers living out their faith in Christ. Today, in a thousand common expressions we refer to the Church as a place.

Childlike Question #2: “What is the purpose of a church buildings?”
Historically, they exist primarily to serve the interests of those who attend or hold membership within. Functional reasons include housing corporate worship, education, childcare, and various religious activities. For centuries, the Christian world has spent billions of dollars to fulfill a mission to primarily house religious practices.

Childlike Question #3: “What is the purpose of the Church?”
Mainstream theologians argue that the purpose of the church is to carry out the “Great Commission”, to go and spread the message of Jesus, while serving as a glimpse of Christ to the world.

Childlike Question #4: “If a church isn’t a building, is it still a church?”
Of course, but nobody would come to it. Literally.

A good presumption: When an institution’s budget is primarily directed toward improving or maintaining itself (building and programs), that institution’s focus is primarily on itself (Inward). If the budget is geared toward benefitting the surrounding community, or equipping the saints to continually connect with non-members, then it’s focused on others (With). Which most accurately describes your church?

Another good presumption: When the definition of something changes, so does its purpose and mission. Today it seems the source of direction for many churches is birthed from their building, and their purpose has become to invite people to it.

Final question: Is the church “a place” to go to, or “a people” who go?

Which church are you a part of?