Guy Like Job

Love Wins Pt. 3: Hell

2011-06-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

Another question that has been circulating regarding Love Wins is “Does Rob Bell believe there is a hell?” Frankly, that’s a question I should ask of myself. Hell was a topic that I always treated similar to a stinky diaper: hold it at arms length and try to get rid of it as soon as possible, preferably in a plastic bag tied so tight that its odor would never offend anyone. Why? Well, I distinctly remember being at a diner with some friends of mine. One of my friends was in Christian school with me and the other three did not appear to be believers. I had gone off to talk with some other friends, but, when I came back, one of my non-believing friends said, “K.J., am I going to hell? So-and-so says that, because I’m Catholic, I’m going to hell.” That was the instant where hell became a stinky diaper. After stumbling through a few questions to determine if she believed as I did and mumbling a few statements about everyone sinning, and how not believing in Jesus, praying a prayer and following after him meant you were going to hell, I said half-heartedly, “I’m sorry, but, yes, you would go to hell…”

At this point, many of you are probably thinking, “K.J. you blew an awesome opportunity to share how she didn’t have to go to hell!” And, I agree that I missed an awesome opportunity, but not to share about how she didn’t have to go to hell. She was so incensed by the whole, “You’re going to hell,” statement when she couldn’t perceive anything that she had done that was worthy of such extreme treatment that I don’t think she cared about heaven one whit, especially if the same God that would send her to hell is the one she would be in heaven with! What I realize now is that I missed an opportunity to share about the amazing love of Jesus Christ that transforms lives and gives hope both for today and for tomorrow. The love of God that cares so much for his creation that he allowed his greatest treasure, Jesus, to take on flesh and willingly walk to his death. Hell, (and, for that matter, heaven as well) is a topic so filled with spiritual, emotional and theological baggage that it has become a peripheral object in my faith journey and my evangelical exploits.

That experience with my friend makes me better appreciate why Rob Bell has written about hell the way that he has. I agree with people like Dr. Todd Mangum from Biblical Seminary who, in his review of Love Wins, says that “Bell has ducked the hard questions, and evaded the hard passages that would most significantly challenge his thesis” (although, as mentioned before, I’m not sure Bell has a ‘thesis’ as much as a series of questions to raise), but at the same time I think that the majority of unbelievers aren’t worried about the “hard questions” or “hard passages.” They are thinking about the picture of hell that has been painted for them by various other Christians, who may be propagating a caricature of hell that is beyond reality. These unbelievers, like my friend, hear of a lake of fire and eternal torment and yet that God loves them and they most likely disconnect completely. In my estimation, the people who really care about these “hard passages” are the ones who are already following Jesus! Which makes me wonder: Do we really do grievous damage to the Gospel of Jesus by allowing for an alternative understanding of hell, especially if the euangelion, the proclamation of the Good News, is to bring people into the Kingdom? I don’t think that we do.

This whole firestorm was ignited partially from people responding to two words, “toxic” and “misguided,” in the preface of Love Wins. Let me take the work of Tim Challies (http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/love-wins-a-review-of-rob-bells-new-book) as a representative response to those words:

The Toxic Subversion Of Jesus’ Message

Bell begins the book with surprising forthrightness: Jesus’ story has been hijacked by a number of different stories that Jesus has no interest in telling. “The plot has been lost, and it’s time to reclaim it.” (Preface, vi [in the pre-release version])

A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear. (ibid)

You may want to read that again.

It really says that. And it really means what you think it means. Though it takes time for that to become clear.

Reading the quote that Challies chooses here, it is no surprise that people got bent out of shape, as it makes Bell appear to be saying that believing in hell is “misguided and toxic.” But the “…” is the context of the quote, and, as I’ve expressed before, I think many of people’s issues with Love Wins are due to taking things out of context. Here is what was omitted: “It’s been clearly communicated to many that this belief [some go to heaven, most to hell] is a central truth of the Christian faith and to reject it is, in essence, to reject Jesus.” (preface, viii in the published version) So Bell is not discarding the traditional understanding here, but is instead calling “misguided and toxic” the inextricable linkage of Christ and his Gospel to our traditional understanding of heaven and hell to the point that rejecting that understanding is to reject the Gospel.

I agree with Rob Bell that this has been communicated to many people (look at the evangelistic opening question, “If you were to die tonight, where would you go?” and similar questions), and I think his estimation of it is accurate as well. I certainly don’t think that rejecting the traditional understanding of heaven and hell is rejecting Jesus, and I really don’t think that heaven and hell are central tenants of the Christian faith. Jesus came to rescue us from death (Romans 7:24) and to give life, and give it to the fullest (John 10:10), but that life and death need not be unequivocally interpreted as life forever in heaven or hell after our physical death. I think that if heaven and hell were as central as many make it, then when we came to know Jesus, **Poof**, he would take us to heaven. But since he does not, and instead leaves us here to work in his vineyard, I think there is room within the body of Christ for non-traditional understandings of heaven and hell. (For the record, I do not reject the traditional understanding of hell, but I also can’t say that I embrace it as “gospel truth.” And I think heaven will not be somewhere else, but will be a restored version of the creation that God called “very good.”)

The argument Bell makes that hell is here and now resonates deeply with me. It seems logical that through our harmful attitudes and actions towards God’s creation, especially humanity (which was created in God’s own image), we can choose hell now. It also seems logical that a person who repeatedly chooses to separate themselves from God while here on earth would choose to do so even after death, thus meaning that many, even if given infinite choices, would still choose hell. Will I hang my hat on any of these statements and say, “Well, that’s that. Matter settled. The traditional understanding of hell is now debunked?” No, most certainly not, but these thoughts certainly open my eyes to the glorious complexity that is God and proved more fodder for me to pursue in my studies.

To summarize, does Rob Bell believe in hell? Well, the short answer is, “Yes.” But, the caveat is that he does not definitively affirm the traditional evangelical view of hell as a separate location complete with fire, brimstone and eternal torment, however he does not absolutely refute the possibility of hell being that way either. I believe that Bell is speaking out about how rigid we have become in our understanding of something none of us have witnessed and how essential many have made it to be the good news of Jesus. We should strive endlessly to prevent the Gospel from becoming exclusively (or even mostly) about where we go when we die.

Bell says on page 79, “Often the people most concerned about others going to hell when they die seem less concerned about the hells on earth right now, while the people most concerned with the hells on earth right now seem the least concerned about hell after death.” (p. 79) Jesus came to give us life on earth in the Kingdom that he has already initiated. I think our purpose as citizens of that Kingdom is to fight hell now. By fighting the hell we see everyday, we fight against the future hell that none of us have witnessed.

Love Wins Pt. 2: Universalism

2011-06-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

The question that on the tongues of almost everyone discussing Love Wins has been, “Is Rob Bell a Universalist?” My answer would be, “No, he’s not, at least not in the traditional, everyone-goes-to-heaven sense of the word.” I say this because 1.) Bell has said plainly he’s not a universalist in a number of interviews (see his pre-release NYC event, his interview with Relevant Magazine, his interview at Denver Seminary, and others) and 2.) his book does not lead me to that conclusion.

Some might want to pounce on my stating “not in the traditional sense” and say, “But, he’s STILL a universalist!” Bell has repeatedly and clearly (a somewhat amazing feat) stated that he DOES NOT believe that there will be a sweeping into heaven of every person ever created, but, for evangelicals, Bell still demonstrates a universalist trajectory when he intimates that there will be opportunities for salvation after death (see chapter 4), and when he claims that people come to Jesus in varied ways, apparently stating that Christians shouldn’t claim a monopoly on salvific truth (see chapter 6). These “accusations” presume that Bell is negating, or at best minimizing, the work of Christ on the cross.

These questions and concerns are, in my estimation, valid points worthy of consideration and discussion. Yet, at the same time, I feel that many of the questions and concerns regarding Love Wins have been raised on portions of the book that are taken out of context, and not taking the context of something into consideration can drastically redefine what is being conveyed. (For example, a physically fit, healthy 20-something saying “I have a headache,” is hardly a reason for grave concern. But that same phrase uttered by a 80-something that has a history of high blood pressure and stroke should incite, at the least, a call to the doctor.) At the same time, I have learned that despite someone perception being different from reality, because it is their perception, it has become their reality and will remain so until they are able to see outside of their perception (and, even then, sometimes people do not change).

It is fair to look at these more nebulous passages and have concerns regarding Love Wins, but I think that if we look at the greater context of the book and where he does make clear statements, then we can see how Bell DOES fully appreciate and require the work of Christ on the cross. To address the issues listed above, Bell at a few points in his book indicates that we do not know for certain what happens after death and that we should admit “with humility the limits of our power of speculation.” (p. 116) Evangelicals have traditionally adhered to a relatively firm (or, in some cases, absolutely firm) doctrine of heaven and hell, which states that you get this life, and this life only, to choose to follow Jesus. If you choose Jesus, you get to go to a beautiful place called heaven. If you do not choose Jesus, you will receive eternal, conscious torment in a place called hell. But none of us have been to either of these places, come back and told others about it, so there is always a certain level of doubt or uncertainty that we need to give room to.

Because of this uncertainty and the tension created by passages that state that only some will enter life and other passages that say that Jesus is saving all things, we see Bell describing post-death opportunities of salvation (echoing church fathers Origen, Eusebius, Jerome and others he lists), but he clearly admits he is speculating and is without an answer. “Will everybody be saved, or will some perish apart from God forever because of their choices? Those are questions, or more accurately, those are tensions we are free to leave fully intact. We don’t need to resolve them or answer them because we can’t, and so we simply respect them, creating space for the freedom that love [which Bell has defined throughout Love Wins as God giving us the freedom to choose] requires.” (p. 115, emphasis mine, he also admits this speculation in interviews with Relevant Magazine and Dr. Scott Wenig at Denver Seminary) Bell’s point (as I see it) is that we do not have sufficient proof to be hanging the entire weight of our faith on that theological coat hook, and that until we get that proof we should exercise humility and curiosity, constantly imploring the Holy Spirit to shed light on that which we don’t know.

Others argue that Bell’s stating that there might be opportunities later minimizes, or negates, the need for people to choose Christ in this life. Bell clearly says that, “This invitation to trust [in Jesus] asks for nothing more than this moment, and yet it is infinitely urgent… Jesus reminds us in a number of ways that it is vitally important we take our choices here and now as seriously as we possibly can because they matter more than we can begin to imagine.” (pp. 196-197) Despite wondering about infinite opportunities to turn to Jesus, Bell seems to be saying, “Choose now! We don’t know what the future holds!”

(Side Note: In his interview at Denver Seminary [about the 56^th minute], Bell indicates that he thinks we should park ourselves right in the middle of the tension of, “Will all, or only some, be saved?” His purpose in doing so was to preserve the unity of God from those who might view him as schizophrenic, being infinitely loving and forever pursuing on one side of death, and legalistically bound and emotionally callused on the other side of death. Personally, I think this is an admirable attempt at dealing with a tremendous spiritual tension.)

Additionally, it is fair and necessary for people to wonder what Bell is getting at in chapter 6 when he refers to Jesus as, “supracultural,” and that, “He is for all people, and yet refuses to be co-opted or owned by any one culture… includ[ing] Christian culture.” (p.151) Honestly, as I read that quotation on its own, it sends a shiver down my spine, but, again, this strikes me as a concern taken out of context.

On pages 154-155, Bell describes inclusivity (all paths lead to heaven as long as your heart is right), exclusivity (only those that have chosen Jesus in the prescribed way will reach heaven) and, “exclusivity on the other side of inclusivity,” which means that Jesus, and Jesus only, is the way to heaven, but there may be ways to Jesus that we may not know of or even understand. Essentially, Bell is saying that people who haven’t “prayed the prayer” or “accepted Jesus as the personal Lord and Savior” or “been born again” as we traditionally describe them and understand them to work may just get to heaven, but they will only be able to do so through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

I don’t think that it is absurd to claim that we (Christians) have no ownership claims on Christ. In fact, he owns us, we are his slaves (Eph. 6:6), but additionally he owns and sustains all things (Col. 1:16-17). So, all of humanity has equal claim to the gift of salvation through Jesus, and, thus, whomever Jesus chooses to save is indeed saved, regardless of whether or not we agree with how they came to Jesus. (Clarification: Only Christ-followers have access to the power of the Holy Spirit, but salvation, which is what Bell is discussing, is for all.)

I believe that this is an orthodox point because it removes us from the position of God who alone knows the hearts of humans (1 King 8:39). Yes, we can have an idea of a person and their orientation towards God based on the fruit of their lives, but we should not presume to judge (Matthew 7:1) because judging requires the rendering of a verdict, which from our human position will always be flawed from lack of information. And since we cannot know undoubtedly, we should always leave room for an omniscient God to work in a way that we would not predict. Like the issue of infinite opportunities for salvation mentioned above, we need to admit where we are speculating and understand where we do not know for certain.

The concern that many have regarding this position (which, incidentally, was reflected by C.S. Lewis, a favored author of many evangelicals) is that, “[a]s soon as the door is opened to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baptists from Cleveland,” we minimize or negate the necessity of the cross (a concern that was delivered in Stuart McAllister’s interview with Dr. Daniel Block of Wheaton College). Here is where we see the concerned voices missing the greater context of the book, because Bell does not reject repentance or a change of heart (p. 196), which is only necessary if the cross is true, nor does he say that, “hell [or heaven]… isn’t intimately connected with what we actually believe.” (p. 82) Instead Bell is fully asserting the necessity of Jesus’ work on the cross, but saying that we need to be careful of asserting our particular soteriology and/or eschatology as the only soteriology and/or eschatology, which, in my opinion, is a valid, and orthodox, point.

So, is Rob Bell a Universalist? Based on his own words, I’d say, “No,” unless you want to lump anyone who longs for the salvation of all humanity, even to the point of hoping they get infinite chances through Jesus the Christ in the category “Universalist.” If that’s your definition, then, “Yes,” but then I wonder if all followers of Jesus should be Universalists…

Love Wins Pt. 1: Intro

2011-06-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

It’s been over two months since Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, was released and even longer since the proverbial excrement storm began with three words on Twitter. (Not that anyone needed it, but there’s proof enough that the so-called New Media is changing the way we get info and talk about it, but that’s a topic for another day.) Since then I have read the book twice, read a number of pieces pertaining to the book and discussed the book with those that I could. Now, after going back-and-forth for a few weeks on whether or not to engage this work on the blogosphere, I feel prepared to enter the fray. Frankly, I feel that this is less to share my thoughts with others and more to provide catharsis for myself.

Let me begin by echoing a statement made by Scot McKnight on his blog (www.patheos.com/community/jesuscreed) when he was discussing Love Wins: We need to be approaching this subject with great humility and in prayer, asking that the Holy Spirit will speak to us and through us. As followers of Jesus, we are called to remember that we are all of one body and that Jesus is the head of that body. Difference of opinion is inevitable and healthy; the hand perceives a flower much differently than the eye or the nose, yet they are still part of the same body. Likewise, we believers understand Scripture, our faith and how it applies to our lives in many different ways, yet disparaging those that understand differently from us is not only unproductive (as it engenders a defensive posture from those we disagree with) but it is also against the desires of our head, Jesus. It is for the health of the body of Christ that we need to first pray for humility, divine understanding through the Holy Spirit and graciousness towards our brothers and sisters before we begin to engage this discussion.

I’d also like to preface that I think this discussion is extremely timely and very necessary. With all the chaos going on in the world, and our ability to easily gather information from previously “remote” places, more and more believers have asked me the question, “Listen, do you think we are in the end times?” (Caveat: It is possible that I am merely more aware of this question being asked and that the actual number of people asking the question has not increased. Additionally, the level of chaos in the world may not have actually increased, but our current level of information regarding wars, earthquakes, famines, etc. around the world is undoubtedly much higher than it was even 5 years ago.) Because people are witnessing the apparent revolt of nature and the ever-present violence of humanity against itself, they want (or in some cases, feel "a need") to know what is coming down the pike. They want to know what will happen to them when they die or when Jesus returns. Thus, it is extremely helpful for the body of Christ to be wrestling with this topic at this time.

A third disclaimer must be made in the sake of full disclosure: I’m a fan of Rob Bell. I find his style of communication riveting. I like the questions that his teachings (this book included) bring up, and I LOVE that those questions drive me to look into the Scriptures and the history of the Church to determine where I stand in relationship to those questions. In fact, my experience with Bell’s teachings leads me to conclude that the questions are more his point than delivering answers. Since the questions are the point, I can agree with many other Bell commentators who say that he infrequently gives a straight, clear answer without being personally bothered by his apparent evasion. Truthfully, Bell reminds me (at least according to the descriptions I heard in Church History) of a 1st century Jewish Rabbi, never answering questions with answers, but instead more questions. I hesitate to say this since I’m certain someone out there will prove me wrong, but Bell seems to avoid making solid, clear-cut conclusions, instead preferring to challenge your understanding of the faith you live so that you seek to better understand that faith. In this, I believe he succeeds more often than he doesn’t, and I truly appreciate this.

Despite my stated affection for Rob Bell and his teachings, I am unwilling to allow my affection for a human to come between my desire for Jesus and the truth of his Gospel. In many ways it was my admittance of my fandom that caused me to read Love Wins with an extra critical eye (for those that know me, I know that it is hard to believe I could be more critical, but I tried nonetheless).

My need for an extra helping of salt came when I finished reading Love Wins through the first time. I knew I had to read it again before I made any comments because I felt exactly how my wife felt after she read it; when she finished it she said, “I’m not quite sure what people are all worked up about.” Wanting to avoid a fanboy response, I read it a second time, and I came down more firmly where I was after the first read.

Some may read that and conclude that I am a heretic or apostate or anti-Christ or any number of derogatory terms that have been directed at Rob Bell in the past few months. Well, I’d like to ask you to pick your label off the table for a bit longer, and read what I’m saying first. If you still think I’ve earned it at the end, then, by all means, toss it back on the table (i.e. the comment section) and lets talk about it. Perhaps you’ll rethink your position on Love Wins. Maybe you’ll still disagree with it, but maybe you’ll also agree that there is a certain level of Christian charity that needs to be expressed to those of a different understanding without applying labels. However you come down in the end is between you and God. I’m just asking for you to be sure that you are asking the Spirit to speak.

The End of Things and What it Might Mean

2010-07-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

This paper is an attempt to synthesize the events of my Intercultural Ministry Experience (IME) to the Gulf Coast into some sort of coherent, overarching conclusions of epic proportions. I will attempt to understand how what I experienced will affect my understanding of faith in life and how it will affect my future ministry. This will prove to be a significant challenge as the experiences that I had were not-exactly-consistent, nor am I gifted at recognizing integration in such a short time frame. So, get out your reading glasses, grab a glass of beverage (and maybe a snack), get comfy and read on!

In some ways I am envious of the members of my cohort that went to Vietnam and Cambodia. For certain, they did not have the difficulty that I am having determining the aspects of my IME that were cross-cultural, because in many ways, the culture on the Gulf Coast is not all that different from the Northeast. (According to the group of senior citizens from Mobile that we spent time with, our Northern conception of Southerners is based mainly on folks from the Carolinas, Georgia and the northern parts of the Gulf states.) At the same time, due to my health, the likelihood of me spending significant portions of time in Southeast Asia in a ministerial capacity is extremely low, but my likelihood of encountering and ministering to people from different cultural backgrounds in America is quite high. In this respect, my IME will be much more useful to me than I believe journeying to SE Asia would have been.

Our first night in Mobile generated what I would describe as the biggest cultural difference between the Gulf Coast and the Northeast, and that is the aspect of hospitality. Our host family, Arlin and Velma Schrock, were incredibly gracious. When they said, “Make yourselves at home,” I literally felt like they were inviting us into their family for our stay. Honestly, this made me uncomfortable as my understanding of hospitality in the Northeast recognizes the use of this phrase, but also recognizes that there is an underlying sense of boundaries on that hospitality. In other words, hosts in the Northeast convey hospitality (perhaps unconsciously) as, “Make yourselves at home, but realize that the leather chair in the corner is mine, and the sacred TV hour is from 7:00-8:00 when we watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune.” (A few Northerners have confronted me on this conclusion saying, “I certainly do not feel that way,” but my past experiences says that they are either in the minority or their boundaries are more subconscious than they can admit to.) My discomfort arose from expecting boundaries, but not knowing where those boundaries could be found. This challenges me to evaluate my understanding of hospitality, where my unconscious boundaries are and how to live a life of true hospitality. Although not used in the same context, I believe that Jesus’ words in Matthew 5, where he talks about going two miles with the person who asks you to go one mile, can apply here in the sense that I should give beyond what is asked or expected.

This sense of hospitality was extremely noticeable in the conversation we had with Reverend Rose Mary Williams of DeLisle Mt. Zion United Methodist Church. At first, Evan and I anticipated our conversation with her revolving around the fact that she is an African-American woman in the pastorate (something that seems more acceptable in the North than in the South), but instead our conversation revolved around the concept of God’s love for the community being manifest through the obedience of Rev. Rose Mary to her calling from the Holy Spirit. She was very clear that she views the entire community around her as her children, and that God has given her a responsibility for all of them. This is counter to what I think is the understanding of Northern pastors. Yes, often we believe that we have a responsibility to the members within our local communities, but we focus almost exclusively on those who are in our church or those that are not in a church at all. We figure (again, perhaps unconsciously) that those involved in another congregation are cared for and not in need of our services. Or perhaps we pay less attention to them because we do not want to initiate a “turf war” with another church. Not so with Rev. Rose Mary. In honesty, she is in an extremely unique situation. She served the community for many years as a public school teacher prior to receiving her call into the pastorate, and she acknowledges that God used that time to open the entire community up to her. She was not viewed as either a female, African-American or United Methodist pastor or any combination of the three, but was instead viewed as a member of the community who had frequently evidenced care and concern and now just happens to be a female, African-American, United Methodist pastor. Because of her continually cultivated relationship with the community, she has been able to develop a tremendous level of ecumenism in the community for great works such as the local Marsha Barbour Community Center. Additionally, her following of the Holy Spirit and the vision that he has laid on her heart causes people of all race, culture and creed to seek her out for guidance, and yet she is not viewed by other pastors as invading their “turf.” Speaking to Rev. Rose Mary was so uplifting and challenging that I could ask no questions, but could only sit and wonder if I could be that faithful to God and the people he loves. Please, God, may it be so!

A recurring thing that we heard while we were down on the Gulf was the long-term toll that first Katrina and then the oil spill has had on the Gulf. I was amazed at how many people are trying to look past those things and move on with their lives, which is a real testament to the resiliency of the Gulf Coast residents. But it was not very difficult to get past the, “Well, what can you do but move on?” veneer, and see how these two events have impacted each person down there. Speaking with the senior citizens, you see a lot of looking back to past storms and difficulties and the resultant faith that the community will survive and move on, given enough time. With Kim, an older, Vietnamese oyster-shucker, you hear gratefulness that she is being provided for by BP, but you hear sadness as she describes how that compensation is less than if she were working and worry about how she will pay for her home. For Billy, a shrimper whose boat was severely damaged in Katrina, life has gone on running another persons boat and some occasional work doing cleanup, but he doubts that fishing will ever return to the way it was before the spill, at least in his lifetime. Nelson Roth, the founder of Relevant Ministry (RM, www.relevantministry.org), describes how hearing the wind blowing the tree branches against his house automatically evokes mental images of Katrina. These people have literally weathered the storm, but the storm has not left them unchanged. God be praised for the ministries like RM in the Gulf Coast area that are seeking to help people cope with what has happened and to be able to move on physically, emotionally and spiritually!

Of great interest to both Evan and I was the work at Relevant Ministry in the Gulfport, MS area. Listening to both Nelson and Jeff Hegstrom, the director of RM, you can hear how their hearts overflow with compassion for the people of the Gulf Coast through the pastors and churches of the area. So many pastors, they say, have their hands full trying simply to maintain their church congregations. There is little time for them to deal with their own wounds or to look into community outreach. Pastors are often disheartened and overwhelmed, have become OK with the status quo or, sometimes, become bitter and leave ministry. As a pastor, I can see how this would play out in a community. Pastors in the Northeast can have difficulty managing a church with a few members that are unemployed, some that are experiencing financial, emotional, or relational distress and maybe one or two that are facing housing issues. Imagine what it is like when the majority of your congregation is experiencing one or more of those issues? It would be crippling! Add to that the natural tendency of many pastors to be the “Super Pastor” who is able to handle everything by himself, and you have a recipe for disaster. RM seeks to help the community by rowing congregations of love and support through providing churches with interns who can relieve their pastors of some of the ministry load. In honesty, Jeff and Nelson create such a sense of passion, excitement and necessity-of-mission that I briefly wondered what it would be like to work with them in a long-term capacity. However, I realize that God has me in the position that he does for a reason, and I was able to resist the Siren’s Song, but my desire to try to find ways to help them in their ministry persists. The big question now is, “How?” Perhaps through creating ties with Biblical, or perhaps with Evan being able to create connections with Philadelphia Biblical University we can find ways of getting potential interns in contact with RM.

We did have the great opportunity to experience a true intercultural encounter when we spent Tuesday with Bounpheng Thammavong, or Pheng (pronounced “Ping”). Pheng had been over in the U.S. and Canada for 11 months as an intern from Laos, and was two days from returning when Evan and I arrived in Mobile. It was a great joy to have Pheng give us an intercultural view on his intercultural experience, which was doubly intercultural as he was spending time with Vietnamese immigrants in America! But these things did not faze him. He was caring towards all whom we saw him interact with, and they responded in kind despite any language difficulties thus illustrating that love and care can transcend any cultural boundary. We also learned much about Pheng at a Thai restaurant owned by Laotians, and learned that there are many similarities between the Lao and Thai cultures as Pheng conversed fluidly with our Thai waiter.

Pheng took us to a Laotian Buddhist temple near Bayou La Batre. While Evan, Pheng and I wandered around the small temple that was there and Pheng told us what he knew of Buddhism in Laos, one of the monks came out to speak with us. It was so beneficial to have Pheng there as the monk spoke virtually no English. We discovered that the monk was responsible for constructing most of the statuary found on the property and that he had constructed everything out of tools that he had made. When asked why he was here, the monk responded that he had a passion for teaching people about Lao culture, but that it was extremely difficult for him here since he spoke so little English. He was discouraged and wanted to go home, but he was being told that he was extremely valuable to the temple and would be needed longer. Our monk could not explain all of the statuary that he had built, which, in our opinions, would be the equivalent of a pastor not being able to explain the symbolism in baptism or communion, and thus very odd. It was also interesting to hear that Buddhists (at least from the monks experience/knowledge) do not engage in proselytization. (Also, according to Pheng, this question “gave us away” as Christians to the monk.) It was also interesting to hear the difference between Lao Buddhism and Vietnamese Buddhism as expressed through Thich Nhat Hanh and my research for our presentation on religion. Our Lao monk (who would follow Theravada Buddhism) was much more about pressing on into the afterlife/Nirvana than Vietnamese Buddhists (who follow Mahayana Buddhism), which are much more concerned about the interaction of humanity with the land and the purification of the land.

Pheng took us to visit Kim, the elderly, Vietnamese woman who made her living as an oyster-shucker that was mentioned above. She was such an incredibly sweet lady, who welcomed Evan and I as warmly as she welcomed Pheng. Despite not being able to communicate clearly, we were able to get glimpses into her life. Her life would be described by our standards as one of poverty and dysfunction. She lives in a fairly run-down trailer with a wood-pallet walkway that is sparsely appointed and relatively dirty. She lives there with her son and their flea-bitten dog. The son, who is a welder that speaks practically no English, is out of work because there is little-to-no ship building/repair going on since the fishing boats are not in regular service. Her daughter lives down the road, but there is little interaction between Kim, her daughter and Kim's grandchildren as Kim and her son-in-law do not get along. Kim, as mentioned before, is out of work and is being compensated by BP, but not nearly as much as she makes working. Kim, sitting on the sofa holding onto Pheng’s hand, told us about her health before meeting Thi, a young Vietnamese man who has served as an interpreter for and missionary to the local Vietnamese community. She was constantly ill, stooped over when she stood, shuffled when she walked and was unable to work. Thi came and introduced Kim to Jesus, and they prayed for her and she was healed! As I said in my blog, I am not sure if the healing was immediate or happened over time, but that does not matter nearly as much as Kim understanding and accepting that Jesus was for her and that he loved her and gave himself for her. Now, Kim practically bounces around the room. I love how throughout the conversation Kim would point to a picture of Jesus by the door and say, “He number 1. Number 1!”

The last thing that I want to mention about the Bayou is the Sunday evening that we spent with the Vietnamese community. It was an interesting evening. To start things off, J.D., Evan and I drove around Bayou La Batre trying to find Kim’s house so that we could take her to the Bible study if necessary. Evan and I were praying that God would be gracious and give us the ability to help J.D. find the house, which he had not been to before and we had only been to once. Lo and behold, God was gracious and answered our prayers when we found the entrance to Kim’s street next to the billboard with “the creepy Jesus picture” (Evan’s wording)! After ensuring that Kim had a ride, we headed over to the community center in the Bayou for the Bible study. Evan and I waited and spoke with Tran, a young Vietnamese lady who was going to help J.D. with translation, while J.D. ran out to pick up some of the Vietnamese teens who were coming by. Tran was very similar to the students that J.D. brought to the Bible study in that she was more American than Vietnamese. She spoke fluent English, dressed like any other American her age and was interested in American things (she kept telling us that if we had time we should go to Biloxi and gamble a little or go to Pensacola to see the beaches). Perhaps this is because she came over from Vietnam when she was very young. After a bit, the adults went into a room for a Vietnamese Bible study, while Evan and I stayed with the three Vietnamese youth, Phi, Laura and Liu, and a group of kids and a pastor from a church near Daphne, AL. It was interesting watching the group dynamic: the three Vietnamese students were obviously the ones on the outside even though they were on their home turf simply because they were in the minority. Based on how the Vietnamese students handled that (withdrawal until they were gradually coaxed out), I wonder if feeling like the outsider is typical for them even in their everyday life? I feel more compelled to believe this because, outside of “special” places like Asian food stores or restaurants, you did not see many Asians despite the Bayou having a significant Asian population (granted, I spent a total of 3 days in the area, so I am by no means an expert, but others who have been in the area longer affirmed the insular nature of the Asian communities).

I would be remiss to not reflect on our time with Robert Thrower, an ordained Southern Baptist minister and Poarch Creek Indian medicine man. What an enigma to meet a man who has been ordained and served as a pastor, evangelist and prophet for 20 years and has been a medicine man for 9 years. Of course, the big question that arose was, “Are these two beliefs compatible?” I cannot give a “yes” or “no” answer, but I can say, “Well, maybe.” To hear Robert describe his practice is to hear someone who performs traditional rituals interpreted through a Christian lens. “Sacred” plants and other items are symbolic and not at all magical. Its like using bread and wine/grape juice for communion: you could use Oreos and milk and still have the same service, or you could skip the elements altogether and simply remember the sacrifice that the Christ made on our behalf. But having something tangible, something of significance makes it easier to engage and remember. So, by Robert’s description, a traditional ceremony asking the Great Spirit for guidance is an elaborate prayer to God that involves external symbols and, sometimes, a lasting reminder such as a rock. Is this synergism or heterodoxy? Perhaps, and I think that seeing Robert’s practice in action over time would give better sight into this, but only having 3 hours of interaction with him reveals something that looks orthodox, but still leaves a little twist of apprehension at the end.

What does all this mean for me in my ministry? First, I think my experience will really affect how I view minorities in my immediate surroundings, whether they are cultural, racial, spiritual or whatever. There are dynamics of being in the minority that I can never understand, nor should I try to pretend like I do. I have to not only strive to TREAT people like they are equals, but actually LIVE like they are equals. I also have to avoid doing so in a Colonial-type of way where I view myself as the blessed benefactor who is there to share with them out of my abundance. No, instead I need to realize that I am no different; that what each of us have is what has been given us by God for his purposes. Understanding that I function as an agent of God’s kingdom is what I need to strive for.

Second (but related to the first) is that I need to review how I perceive and live out hospitality. Am I so discomfited by genuine hospitality because I have been lying to myself for many years about my willingness to share of my possessions and myself? I think the shameful answer here is, “Yes.” I think that I have unconsciously (but sometimes consciously) held back on what I had to give because I wanted to be sure that there would be enough for me and my comfort as a middle-class American. Why? The only true answer to this is self-centeredness. “I” come before “you,” which is totally not the way of Jesus. The things I labeled “mine” I need to relabel “his.”

My third takeaway stems from the previous in that I need to not only give of my things, but also of myself and develop stronger relationships with those that I wish to impact for Jesus. I am not starry-eyed enough to imagine that I can have deep relationships with each and every person I wish to impact. I know that is impossible, but I can open myself up to the relationships that God would have grow deeper. I think that I have gotten so sick of developing friendships and then having to walk away from them due to circumstances that in many ways I have become very cautious as to what relationships I allow to develop. Who am I to judge which relationships will last and which will not? I can barely see past my nose! God sees all the way into infinity, and I need to stop hindering his work by interfering with my limited sight.

Lastly, I have seen many differences in religious preference and ministerial philosophy on this trip. There are aspects in each interaction where some reservations or doubts arose, but I can also say that in each interaction the desire, or intent, to serve the Kingdom of God was there. Whether that intent was borne of the Spirit or borne of the flesh, I cannot judge, nor is it my place to. All I can do is pray that God will be at work in these different contexts, that his name will be glorified and that his kingdom will come quickly.

Nawlins and a rainy Sunday

2010-07-18T19:29:00.000-07:00

Days 6 & 7 are getting a combined post. Why? B/c our day in New Orleans was great, but not exactly "reflection-blog" material (although I could post some good restaurant reviews!), and Sunday was busy, but not busy (if you are in ministry, you get this; if not, you may not).

New Orleans was really cool. I slept in (7:45 when the people accessing the elevators which were right in by our door started to go up and down), then blogged then headed out for breakfast with Evan. We ate at an awesome restaurant where an older, African-American woman was our waitress. She would've made my Grandma proud b/c she was yelling at Evan and I for having our elbows on the table. Awesome breakfast food at the Old Coffee Pot on St. Peters St. and I have to stop there or I will go on forever.

We visited St. Louis Cathedral/Basilica, which was very cool. There was a baptism going on while we were there. I sat near it and tried to eavesdrop. The priest was really cool and was sharing a lot of wisdom that we would probably hear at an protestant baby dedication/baptism/baptication. Fascinating also to see the varied icons around in the statuary, stained glass and paintings. I've never spent much time in a Catholic church, but maybe I should. Get to know some more and understand some more.

No Cafe Du Monde on the first pass by b/c we were too full from breakfast. But we moseyed onto the French Market. Interesting stuff and interesting people. Didn't buy anything, though. No Cafe Du Monde on the second pass.

Evan drove us out to the 9th ward and Chalmette were the levees were the most damaged from Katrina and where he did some work two years ago. It was interesting to see how little has been rebuilt in some of the residential areas, especially along the levees. You would see 1-2 house per block, and the rest were just empty lots.

Had ice cream for lunch at the Creole Creamery (Evan has a weakness for ice cream). We both got some "unique" flavors to try. Of the two scoops we got, we each had one winner and one not-exactly-a-loser-but-definitely-not-a-winner flavor (note to self: no matter how much you like dark chocolate, it does not combine well with ginger).

Back then into the French Quarter. We had some time before dinner and I wanted some beignets, but I passed b/c I didn't want to ruin my dinner (aren't you proud, mom?!). So, no Cafe Du Monde on pass 3.

Dinner at the Redfish Grill: Excellent. Gumbo = to die for. My only complaint is that I didn't get the Jambalaya instead of the hickory-smoked redfish (which was still very good). For dessert, a chocolate bread pudding, which Evan and I shared. If the name itself didn't already clue you in, let me spell it out for you: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

After that, the two hour drive back to Mobile. Without Cafe Du Monde, which for a donut lover like myself is bordering on tragic. Thus ended day 6. (See? Not a ton of reflection materials, but a bunch of food reviews.)

Sunday started out having rained over night and threatening more rain through out the day. Evan and I drove over to Way of Life church. On the way, we got a call from J.D. saying that the youth from the bayou would not be joining us today and that I should instead be prepared to share my story in 10-15 minutes during the service. I said, "Sure!" but inside laughed hysterically as I remembered that it took me about 3 hours to get Evan through my story. Three hours down to 15 minutes? Well, I got it into 20, so that's pretty good.

Evan preached from Luke 18 about humility. Great stuff! The man's got a gift for making scripture understandable and with clear take-aways. A number of people came up and thanked us (especially Evan) for our sharing with them.

After service, we mingled with some of the people from Way of Life, and then went out to eat at Yen's Vietnamese restaurant with J.D. and a young man named Chris from the church. Very good food, but I forgot how filling Vietnamese food is. We had some good conversations, but there was some awkwardness here and there. Chris is a younger (24 y/o) lay person and J.D. is an older minister and Evan and I are younger ministers, so we could talk with J.D. in some avenues that kind of left Chris out, and then we would talk with Chris about somethings that J.D. was not hip to. Regardless, I enjoyed the fellowship and the food.

Evan and I were able to head back to the house for a brief time before we headed into Bayou La Batre to try to find Kim's trailer and go to the Vietnamese Bible Study. Trying to find Kim's house was in many ways the blind leading the blind: J.D. knows the area, but had not been to Kim's house. Evan and I had been to Kim's, but couldn't exactly tell J.D. where it was. But we took a shot at it anyway. While we were looking, I was praying that we would be able to find it. Kim was very distressed when we were there with Pheng that she would get forgotten about with Thi being gone. Wouldn't you know it? God answered my (and I later found out also Evan's) prayer! We found Kim's house and were able to make sure that she could make it to the Bible study. Yes, her son was bringing her, and he would stay as well!

After finding Kim, we went to the community center. Some of the Vietnamese had already gathered there, but we were soon joined by a pastor and a group of students from his church in Daphne, who were there to hang out with the Vietnamese kids. Eventually, we had about everyone that J.D. figured would show up and we split into the older/little-English-speaking crowd and younger/English-speaking group. (Evan and I stuck with the younger, English speakers.) It was interesting b/c only three of the Vietnamese students showed up and they were outnumbered 2:1 by the other church's kids. It was noticeable that the Vietnamese kids were a bit uncomfortable (which is one reason I wanted to stay with the younger group), but we started to play a game (Ninja!) and they loosened up a little. We had a little Bible study from John 21 on continuing to do the good that we know to do when we aren't totally sure what all we are called to do in our future. It was interesting to see a difference in Bible literacy from our area to this area (I was EXTREMELY surprised that none of these junior high kids could tell us that Judas was the one that betrayed Jesus). Other than that, these kids (including the Vietnamese) were not much different from the kids that I work with at Locust Valley. I don't know why I was anticipating a radical difference, but I was.

Tomorrow, we travel home. I am so excited to do that, but I will miss some of the people that we have met and I will be praying for God's blessings on their ministries down here in the Gulf.

One ordained medicineman and a bag of donuts to go, please.

2010-07-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

Friday was an interesting and awesome day. Velma served Evan and I an incredible breakfast with pancakes and peaches and coffee, and then we embarked on an hour long journey up to the Poarch Creek Nation near Atmore, AL. After going to the old Community Preservation Center, we were directed to the new one. There we met Robert Thrower, who is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. It was obvious that the new center was undergoing some construction, which is why there were no signs displaying its location. Robert gave us a your of the facility while giving us a bit of history about the Poarch and about himself, and, man, could that guy talk (we were with him about 3.5 hours, and he talked 90% of that time). While the history of the Poarch people was interesting, it was much more interesting to discover that Robert was ordained in the Southern Baptist Church 20 years ago and has also been a medicine man within the tribe for 10 years, something he also believes was a calling from God, which of course made Evan and my ears perk up.

Robert sees very little difference in what is believed and practiced by a medicine man and what is believed in practiced as a minister. He explained that being a medicine man does not require shamanistic practices such as spells, talismans, etc., although some medicine men do practice things like that. Instead, he says that being a medicine man incorporates the spiritual guidance and counseling of ministry with natural medicinal/healing practices creating a very holistic approach towards people. Robert was not coy with us at all, he clearly stated that he knew we would be trying to sniff out heresy in what he was saying, and if I learned anything from Robert it is that he certainly and wholeheartedly believes what he is saying. And honestly, from the descriptions he gave us of his ministry as a medicine man, I didn't see anything that was glaringly incompatible with Christian ministry. I heard a number of things that were worthy of further consideration/investigation, which Robert thoroughly encouraged and wanted us to get back to him on if we saw something that was out of line with Christian orthodoxy. "It's iron sharpening iron, man," he said.

After leaving Robert, Evan and I headed to New Orleans. Incredible time so far. We ate Po'boys, got beignets and coffee and then waited in line for 20 minutes at Preservation Hall for some jazz before we figured we could find jazz somewhere else without having to wait an unspecified amount of time to stand in a crowded room to listen to jazz. This is New Orleans, after all. So we walked out to the canal and sat there for awhile to cool off (thousands of people milling around crowded streets on a humid night makes for sweaty seminary students). By the water, we had great conversations (which have been pretty typical for the trip). We left the water front and went and sat in a restaurant on Decatur and listened to a decent Jazz quartet, while sippin' on cool drinks (I rediscovered my affinity for Tonic water and lime, something I acquired as a kid). All-in-all, an awesome time and I am looking forward to Saturday (except the heat during the day)!

To Mobile and Beyond!

2010-07-16T14:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday, after a great breakfast and conversation w/ Jeff and Angie, we spent some time with the kids from Bethany helping them run their Basketball and Volleyball camps at the MBCC. Evan helped with Basketball and I helped with Volleyball. It was hot, Hot, HOT! I don't know how the kids did it each day standing out in the sun trying to teach these sports to such little kids. But they did. Thankfully, Evan and I were rescued from the drenching heat by Nelson Roth (although, by this point I was already soaked).

Nelson is Angie's dad and the founder of Relevant Ministry. He moved down to the Gulfport region in 2004 to pastor. He weathered Katrina huddled under a sofa with his wife. Post-Katrina, his church spent loads of time, energy and money housing and supporting relief groups that were providing cleaning, reconstruction and community support needs. He and his Elders determined that this was not something that the church could, or should, sustain as a church, that their responsibility was to be a church and not a relief organization. However, the understanding that the community still had a long way to go to rebuild physically, emotionally and spiritually led them to spin off their relief efforts forming Relevant Ministry. He has a pretty amazing passion for the pastors and people of the Gulf, and is trying to bring down interns to provide assistance to the pastors and churches of the area. He told us about how deeply Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is affecting the community by sharing how anxious he can get when he hears the wind plow the branches of a tree against his houses windows, reminding him of Katrina.

I realize that when many people think of the Gulf Coast post-Katrina, their thoughts typically gravitate to the cleaning and rebuilding efforts, but I bet few people think of the spiritual and emotional scars that remain. Nelson said that many people refuse any sort of help b/c they can always see someone worse off then themselves. This is has got to be even more true of pastors, who naturally have a tendency to try to be Superpastor. Now, post-Katrina, they are susceptible to this even more considering the elevated need to the people. So, anyone reading this that has experience in counseling and maybe looking for an opportunity to serve, let me know. I bet Jeff can find many ways of using you in Gulfport!

After meeting with Nelson, we traveled back to Mobile. We spent a quiet time in the afternoon at Arlin and Velma's. (Funny side story, Evan decided to take a nap and said he would wake up at 5. I decided to work on my blog posts. After working awhile, I noticed that my computer clock was showing 5:30, which is about when we wanted to go eat. So, I packed up, went upstairs and woke Evan up, only to find out that my computer clock is on Eastern time and not Central. Oops!! Fortunately, his alarm went off right after I realized I was an idiot, so I didn't feel as bad.)

Ate at a place called the Mellow Mushroom near the University of Southern Alabama. AWESOME pizza, and apparently a chain, so if you see one, eat there! And for desert: Fresh, Hot Krispy Kreme donuts. Good stuff!

Less story, more synopsis

2010-07-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

From my multiple posts regarding day 2, I think that I need to cut things down to what strikes me as interesting or important to what we are doing down her (which is experiencing life and faith in another culture). I just don't have the time to tell the long, rambling minute-by-minute that comes naturally to my detail-oriented mind.

On day 3 we drove to the area around Gulfport, MS. We spent the day in the Pass Christian and Delisle areas. We worked on the house of a Shrimper named Billy. It is an awesome log cabin that is being built from wood salvaged from Katrina. Building the house has been a long process (it was started the day after Christmas 2009) since it is all done by volunteers, but, man, what a nice place. We worked with a youth group from Canton, OH. They worked hard in the heat and humidity. So impressive to see kids working like that.

While talking with Billy and his friend Rich (who was helping with the building) we touched on Katrina and the Oil Spill. Billy told us how his shrimp boat was carried on shore in Katrina. He still owns his boat, but doesn't have the money to fix it so he has been running another guy's boat, at least until the spill. He had received money from Katrina, which he bought a double-wide trailer with, but that burnt down in the middle of the night. (He's living in a beat down trailer now, which is why they are building the log cabin.) Jeff Hegstrom (the coordinator from Relevant Ministry and our contact person in Pass) told Evan and I that Billy escaped the fire in his underwear his trailer went up that fast. Also, he said that prior to Relevant meeting Billy and starting work on his cabin, Billy walked hunched over and suffered from depression and anxiety. Now, he is showing signs of hope and optimism.

I told Billy that people up north seem to have strong opinions about the BP oil spill, sometimes with no knowledge other than what they hear in the news, and I'd like to hear what his take on the situation was. His general sentiment was that this was a tragedy that possibly could've been averted, but who would've ever predicted it happening since drilling in the Gulf has been going on for so long. He seemed unsure of how to gauge BP's responsibility and response to the spill. He is glad that they are not denying that they have a responsibility, but he feels that the money that is being given to fishermen and seafood workers (like Kim) is basically just good-PR and a type of hush-money. He wonders how much this can or will even change things in the Gulf, but, "Sure enough," he said, "fishing ain't ever gonna be the same."

Rich represented a demographic that is more comfortable to the northerner: blue-collar factory worker. He recently retired from DuPont where he spent the last 27.5 years of his career (his wife works there still). Unlike the trend in the north though, Rich says that people down here, if they get a job at DuPont or Chevron or one of the other big industrial companies, don't leave those jobs. I asked him is it was because there was either a sense of family/loyalty or perhaps union jobs, but Rich said it had more to do with the fact that there is little to no other consistent work that pays a sufficient wage. He also said that few of the large companies are union shops, and seemed to be against worker unionization for this area. His opinion was that unions would lower the southern sense of responsibility for one's own actions, leading to self-centered people who were only out for their own dollars and were looking for a company that would work for them and not vice versa.

After lunch with the work crew from OH, we went over to the Marsha Barbour Community Center in Delisle. We met Miss Jackie, who heads up the center. She told us a little bit about the center and the work that the kids from Bethany Mennonite Church had been doing with their basketball and volleyball camps. She is a wonderful, joyful and compassionate young Christian lady who spends her time being Christ in a non-Christian atmosphere. I like to think of her as God's spy, which just made her call me silly.

Across from MBCC is Delisle Mt Zion United Methodist Church, where the youth group was putting on a VBS after the morning sports camps and cabin work. Evan and I (and Jeff, too) were not there to help with VBS, but instead we met with the pastor of the church, Rev. Rose Mary Williams. Wow. What a time we had with her. She is an older, shorter, African American woman who exudes confidence and compassion (a very unusual mix). To sum up our conversation with her, she is a woman pastor who has had great success in ecumenical ministry to benefit the communities around her because of two things: 1.) She has not shirked the calling of God and the vision that the Holy Spirit has placed on her heart despite her age, her race or her gender and 2.) she is so compassionate about the community that she considers everyone in the community "her child" even if they are a part of another church or don't attend any church at all. Before her call into ministry, she was a teacher in the Pass Christian schools for many years. She strongly believes that God used that time and the relationships that she built then to give her the "power" she has now. (She has been highly instrumental in the building of the MBCC and is a highly sought out individual in the community for prayer and counseling.) To hear her speak of the power of the Holy Spirit and his desire for all of us was amazing. It gives me such hope for the communities around her to know that they have someone like her praying for them and advocating for them.

After meeting with Rev. Rose Mary, Jeff took Evan and I on a tour of the shoreline. There were work crews cleaning up tar balls, which Jeff said could be anywhere from specks to grapefruit sized. We saw many empty lots, broken pylons and concrete slabs with no buildings. Jeff said no one is building there and that he doubts people will build on the shore front for many years. He took us to the Bay St. Louis bridge, which was developed as it was built. Apparently, with the bridge out, people (including relief workers) had to make a huge detour to get from one side of the bay to the other. Since the need for the bridge to be built was so big, the builders decided to start building and develop the bridge as they went along. At each side of the bridge are decorated concrete slabs that stretch up to the height of the water at Katrina's peak (27 ft.!). Standing next to them was awe inspiring.

We also visited the Friendship Tree, which has come to be a symbol of the community and its resilience. This tree is 500 years old. It branches are so long that in places they sink into the ground. It was pretty amazing to see a tree like that. ("Avatar" anyone?)

The rest of the evening was spent with the group from Bethany and with Jeff's family. Jeff is such a dynamic guy and the ministry that they are looking to carry out in that area is really compelling. The building and VBS aspects of ministry are not primary goals of Relevant, but they are key to their long-term vision as it helps them get their foot in the doors. Relevant's to big desires are to 1.) develop relational ministries for disciplemaking and 2.) come alongside and support local pastors and churches to encourage them for the harvest that God is preparing. Jeff told us stories of pastor's who aren't burnt out from ministry, or perhaps better stated from trying to do all the aspects of ministry. They are overworked and are frequently suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from Katrina, but are unable to deal with their own issues b/c of the issues in their congregations. They are trying to keep their churches going, but people have left and never came back or their people are discouraged and unable to fulfill the Great Commandment and Great Commission. Relevant is trying to get interns (preferably long-term) into the area to support these pastors, to help them do ministry and relieve some of the burden so that the pastors themselves can again achieve some health and renew their passion.

Day 4 coming up later...

Speaking with Jeff was (I think) amazing for both Evan and I since he has been both a Youth Pastor and a church planter like Evan. He and his wife were a great fit for us and we truly enjoyed their hospitality, kindness and friendship. I'd like to try to find ways of supporting Relevant's vision by getting people down to the Gulf.

Third time is the charm...

2010-07-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by life and the expectations that it has on my life, Evan asked the Buddhist monk about the statues that he had made and about how proselytizing is done in Buddhism. The monk told us that the different statues were representations of the Buddha in different life/worship postures: teaching, meditating, resting, collecting alms, etc., but he did not know what all of the statues represented, which Evan and I found odd. When the monk was addressing the issue of proselytizing and conversion, he said that people do not go out to try to convince people to follow Buddhism, that one becomes a Buddhist because one feels called to or wants to. There is a great sense of live-and-let-live-with-as-little-conflict-and-disagreement as possible.

We left the temple, quickly visited another Asian store (this one owned by Vietnamese) and then went to Kim's house. Kim is an older woman who is/was an oyster shucker, and Pheng had a fairly close relationship with her, so he wanted to say visit her before he left for Laos. She lives with her son and dog in a trailer. Kim's son speaks virtually no English and Kim speaks very little. Given that Evan, Pheng and I speak no Vietnamese, our conversation was very challenging (but so worth it). Kim told us stories of how she married a GI in Vietnam and had a daughter. She actually saw her husband and his squad killed by an NVC bomb. Since her daughter was born of a GI, Kim was allowed to come to the US. It was very sad to hear about her daughter. Kim's daughter married a Vietnamese man, who Kim does not like and he does not like Kim. This has estranged Kim from her daughter and her three grandkids even though they live just down the road. Kim told us about her work, how even as an old lady she shucks oysters faster than younger men, and how she has been out of work b/c of the oil spill, but BP has paid her $1000 for the month. It is less than she can make oyster shucking, but she is thankful to have the money.

Kim told us about Thi, and how he has ministered in her life. Apparently, before Thi came, she was having serious health issues that caused her to walk with a stooped back and with shuffled steps. Thi came in with (I think) J.D. and they prayed for her and she was healed! (I didn't get if it was a instantaneous healing or over a little bit of time.) At that point, Kim accepted Jesus and what he had done for her. In her words, "He number 1. Number 1!"

After Kim's house, Pheng took us to Dauphin Island to see the Gulf. It was interesting in that I have never seen oil/gas/whatever rigs out in the ocean. We got our feet wet and Evan found a wild hermit crab walking along and we picked it up and checked it out. Evan then decided that he was going to go in the water. We had no swim suits, but he had a change of clothes in the car. So, Evan went in. Pheng decided to join him (even though he had no spare clothes), and, being thoroughly human, I eventually caved to the peer pressure. Let's just say that Pheng and I had a not-so-comfortable ride home, but the water was amazing. So much warmer than Jersey! And the sand was white and fine, not like the yellow chunks up north!

That was day 2. And it was good (but very long)

Mobile, Day 2 cont.

2010-07-14T03:49:00.001-07:00

I've got a few minutes before Evan and I will leave for Gulfport, so I figure I'll try to finish what I started. (By the way, if you would, pray that I have energy for today and the rest of the trip. I'm feeling really run down right now and would L-O-V-E to go back to bed.)

Anyway, after lunch we went and visited a Laotian Buddhist temple. This was very interesting. It was setup around a trailer where the monks lived. There was a little pavilion where there were 8 statues of the Buddha in different postures with varying offerings in front of different ones. A monk came out and spoke with us (well, with Pheng, who then tied to tell us what he had said). Apparently this monk had made all of the statues that we were seeing as well as various other statues and artworks around the grounds. The 8 statues of the Buddha took him 2 months to make, and these things were around 5-6 feet tall. He also made them with only tools that he had made himself! I asked him a few questions about what he was doing there and how long he had been here. He has been here in the US for about a year and came wanting to teach people about Laos and Buddhism, but has been saddened that he has not had much opportunity to do that. He said that he would like to go home but those around him are begging or telling him to stay. Evan asked two great questions of him: 1.) what would you say to 'convince' someone to be a Buddhist and 2.) what did the 8 different Buddhas represent?

I'll come back and edit this one later. We need to leave now...

Mobile, Day 2

2010-07-13T20:04:00.001-07:00

Today was an interesting day. It started off very positively in that I got more than 6 hours of sleep for the first time in over a week. Add to that a breakfast of cereal (which I don't eat often, but absolutely love), coffee and a fresh peach and things were looking bright indeed!

Evan and I shot over to Way of Life church. There we met Steve and J.D. (who is the bishop of the Good News Fellowship of Churches). J.D. introduced us to Thi, who was supposed to be our guide into the Vietnamese community for the week. But circumstances have prevented that from occurring. Instead, to day we we engaged some senior citizens from the Mobile area who meet daily at the church. It was very interesting to speak to them and hear their stories. Some have been in the area their whole lives, but most that I spoke with were transplants. Oddly enough, the conversation turned towards accents, and the folk there said that Evan and I had little to no accents! This either means that the Mobile accent is much less southern than, say, South Carolina or Evan and I have developed accents already. It is most likely the first as I have not noticed much of an accent here, except on certain words (like Mobile or Louisiana).

Interestingly, the perspective of these individuals that I spoke with (who, by their own admission, have little interaction with fisherman or those who make their living in oil) think that the majority of the issues regarding the Gulf oil spill stem from those who aren't actually involved (i.e. Washington). They relate some of this to Washington's perceived under-action during Katrina.

After the Senior center, Pheng took us to see a Laotian grocery store. Pheng spoke with the owners trying to find a good place to eat, while Evan and I sat in the background. We then to a Thai Restaurant, which was amazing food. Evan and I got to spend a lot of time talking with Pheng. we learned about some similarities between his culture in Laos and Thai culture. We also learned about his family and his fiancee, who he has not seen in many months! (An interesting side note, the teen children of both the shop and restaurant owners dressed and spoke like "normal" Americans. How different even one generation can make!!)

OK, I'll need to post more later, as I am nodding off and we have to get up early to be in Gulfport, MS by 7:30am.

Again, this time with more sleep!

2010-07-12T19:33:00.001-07:00

I'm going to try to get some stuff down this AM before breakfast and before we run off to Bayou Le Batre.

Evan and I got into Mobile at about 11:30. We had some issue with Enterprise (which doesn't surprise, but certainly disappoints) in getting a car, but apparently all the rental companies were having the same issue. Regardless, after waiting about 1.5 hours we finally got a car (just like P. Fred's actually) and got on our way.

We met Steve Kriss (our professor from Biblical), J.D. Landis, who is the regional overseer for An-organization-whose-name-I-cannot-recall-at-this-moment and Ping who is a Laotian intern. We jumped in a van, toured Mobile (which is a very interesting city, with only 2-3 tall buildings, but the rest being smaller homes) and Bayou Le Batre. Driving around the bayou and Mobile bay, we say booms strung out along the shore, just in case the oil ever makes it this far.

J.D. was telling us about the makeup and racial history of Mobile (about 50/50 black/white). He and his wife came down here just after getting married (at 19!) from Lancaster-area during the civil rights era and had no clue what they were getting into. Since then, he has done a lot of work in the communities planting churches, helping with disaster relief and other things.

Last night we stayed in the very beautiful home owned by equally beautiful people. Arlin and Velma Schrock are putting us up in their homes this week. I finally got to sleep for longer than 6 hours, and boy was it needed! I'll put up more tonight, but right now I need to go get some food in my belly.

A Quick Note

2010-07-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Today post on my first day in Alabama is going to be extremely short. I am so tired that I am mistyping practically everything and I'm strugling to keep keep my eyes open. (I just typed a line of commas b/c I fell asleep.)

We are staying in the gracious home of Arlin and Velma Schrock. Nicer than a hotel room, that's for sure.

Final day and then... the drive

2010-07-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm going to try to make this succinct as I'd like to (need to) get some sleep before driving tomorrow.

The last day was an admirable struggle. We visited "Project Experience" which painted some more of the Alliance Youth missions vision. Project Experience walks you through the truth of life in some other countries. Things like sleeping six people in 8ft. x 8ft. dirt-floored buildings with concrete-block walls, carrying a 5 gallon jug of water for 100ft. versus the 3-5 miles many carry their water, being lucky to eat one meal a day and realizing how predators capitalize on these weakness to enslave young girls in the sex trade. This was both chilling and steeling. Chilling in that our kids heard and saw some (only some) of the reality that many others face. Steeling in that it has prompted some of them to take missions and social justice seriously.

The session tonight was led by Jason Ostrander again. He provided a bracing challenge to students to not put the things of this world ahead of the things of God. Afterwards, we gathered as a youth group and talked about a few things from this week. God was more at work than I could see, but I feel as if some work was left undone. I'm not sure what will come of this, but it is his work and only he can carry it through. My prayer is that I am able to be a part in some way...

Pray for us as we drive tomorrow, and pray for our leaders as many of us are moving back into work or some other activity on Monday.

Is posting about day 4 on day 5 acceptable?

2010-07-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

But that's ok. What is not really 'OK' is that this post may be random and/or scattered chronologically. I'm pretty beat right now.

Anyhoo, last night Jason Ostrander shared with us the future vision for Alliance Youth missions. They are looking to develop long term relationships with certain areas, creating frequent short-term trips to these areas. Awesome idea as I think it will be beneficial for both those going and those that are hosting.

We also did a reverse offering last night. Took the provided opportunity to talk with the kids about giving beyond comfort, putting aside our wants for the needs of others. Don't know how much it impacted the kids, but, hey, I can't change people, only God can. I just try to point them to the water.

On a humorous note: last night we set a Guinness World Record for the largest ever Rock-Paper-Scissors game. the old record was like 732 people. We bumped it up to almost 6,500. Catch that!! (FYI, Gail made it the farthest from our church. Ironically, she HATES playing Rock-Paper-Scissors! Sean and I were praying she would go the whole way to the end...)

After the evening session (which was more of a variety show interspersed with Jason sharing the missions vision), they had the artists who performed on stage doing mini-concerts. The bummer was they were all simultaneous, meaning you could only pick one. This 'bummer-ishness' was compounded by the fact that there was insufficient room in some of the rooms to accommodate everyone who wanted to see the artist, meaning you either crowded in or didn't get in at all.

I'm going to post later about what has actually happened this day, but like I said, I'll do it later. For now, please, Please, PLEASE be praying that God will do his work in our kids. Some are picking up a lot and growing deeper, some seem to be unaffected, but at the same time, I don't know their hearts. Only God does, and to him do I give control for these students.

Right past day three into day four

2010-07-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

Blogging for day three wasn't happening as I would've been totally incoherent from sleep deprivation. However, today, I feel slightly less fatigued, and am blogging before midnight, so here we go...

Yesterday, Francis Chan spoke on Creation. He is an amazingly gifted man and I (and many others, I'm sure) are thankful that God has used those gifts to bless us. He challenged all of us to see the redefinition of life that results from a collision with Christ. Of impact to our students were the following:

1.) We all have an enemy, his name is Satan and he wants to devour us. Thankfully, we have a Father, his name is God and he has sworn destruction on all who oppose us.

2.) Satan leaves us alone when we are ambivalent or opposed to the Kingdom of God. It's when we start to live like Jesus that Satan pulls out all the stops and makes our life really rough.

Today, Derwin Gray, a mountain of a man who used to play for the Indianapolis Colts spoke, and he is a funny man with insights as big as his biceps! He spoke with us today about the incarnation and what that means for the believer. A couple of great points he threw at us:

1.) We don't need to live FOR Jesus, we need to have Jesus live IN us.

2.) If the Holy Spirit did not come down and dwell within us, there is no evidence of our redemption, no power of our salvation.

Tonight was our big excursion to Louisville Slugger Field where we were to have a concert with Kutless and watch a baseball game. Let's just say that this was one of those events that looked better on paper than it panned out. Kutless was very brave to play the venue, which was underpowered and dead as far as acoustics go. They played from center field, robbing them of the typical up-close-crowd participation. Weatherwise, it was sunny, hot and humid with a very tiny, occasional breeze. Combine all these things and the kids had a hard time getting into the concert. Then we had about an 1.5 hour wait until the game started, in which we got more hot and sweaty. We were slated to do a "Flash Mob" dance (which wasn't really a flash mob, but I'll leave that for another time), and after we did this in the 5th inning, almost all the churches left the baseball game. We were hot and sweaty and had no personal interest in the game being played (out of our 20 attendees, 2 wanted to stay, 2 were kind of ambivalent but 16 wanted to leave badly).

Things have been interesting regarding group dynamics. I can tell that students and leaders are running on less sleep than normal as we are all a bit irritable, but we soldier on. I have to be proud that we haven't had any major blowups (yet) on this trip, and I still feel that something is brewing. What will it be? Who knows but God?

Blessings,
K.J.

Day 2 is in many ways day 1

2010-07-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today was the actual first day of LIFE 2010. So, we've seen a ton more people that are here for LIFE. Our first taste of that? At the restaurant we tried to go to, "Steak and Shake." Packed. Standing room only. It would've been a total tragedy except that the shakes were amazing!

Went to a Wal-Mart Supercenter to pick up snacks. Good times...

This trip, like any trip with teens, is not without drama. A little here, a little there. Makes for a variety of experiences, and as they say, "Variety is the spice of life!"

To continue the van saga: Went with Andrew Laudenslager to get the spare tired replaced and the back break light replaced. We dropped off the van, and walked to McDonald's to wait (McD's was a good 15 minute walk away causing massive sweating and requiring a delicious fruit smoothie to remedy). After we walked back, we discovered that they fixed the tire, but forgot to change the bulb, prompting us to return. Turns out the issue, though, is not with the bulb but is with the wiring or something similar requiring a trip to the dealership. Fun. Waiting on Enterprise to tell us how to fix that up...

First session tonight was pretty good. Jason Ostrander spoke (He's the National Youth Director, for anyone who doesn't know). He's pretty good. I wish I could tell you what he spoke about, but many other conversations with students have happened since the session, prompting me to forget exactly. Oh, and mental fatigue may be a contributing factor as well.

God is doing something around here. I'm not totally sure what it is as of yet, and (honestly) I'm a little nervous. God sometimes works great things through difficult situations. May God give us the strength to push through the difficult and emerge into his glory!

LIFE-day 1

2010-07-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

This will be short as it is actually day 2 while I'm posting and I am trying to wrangle (but not strangle) some guys to bed.

Things started out swimmingly. We had two vans at the rental place when we showed up (unlike JH Winter Camp, when we had to wait over an hour for the second van, or SH camp where they had three vans for us). We got the rentals and got loaded and were on the road by 9:45, which also was advantageous, but one small hiccup: the van I was in had a break light/turn signal out. No worries, I thought, we can get that fixed...

So, on the road, and making great time! A few short breaks. The kids were doing well, very sedate, no issues.

The van I was in (the one with the bad blinker), after about 6 hours of driving was developing a shimmy that was getting worse. Long story made very short: turns out the one tire had a bulge in it (presumably from a weak spot in the tread), so Sean and I changed it. As was pointed out, this was all an answer to prayer. We prayed for safety, and God showed us that the tire was bad before it blew out!

We still got to the hotel around 10pm (despite me missing a turn, or two), and are settled in.

That's it for now! Good night from Louisville.

An interesting article

2009-03-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Read this. Post your thoughts. I'll try to do so later.

Oh, what a night...

2009-02-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

And I'm not talking about late December back in '63.

The past few days have been a struggle for me. I feel kind of angst-ridden, almost like an emo-kid. Juggling many things is wearing and I would kill for a day where I had no responsibilities to family, friends, school, work or anything else and just read. Or play video games.

Today's struggles revolve primarily around my inability to get a base structure established for my ministry, whether it be because of lack of time or lack of motivation when I have time (greater of the two culprits). I don't remember where I was reading about this, but what I read was that when people are struggling with an addiction, they feel that they are justified in reverting at times b/c they have worked so hard and deserve a reward for their efforts. Well, no fears about me having an addiction, but many times when I have time to do what I need to do, I also want to do something else. Something 'muy divertido' (which means 'very fun' for those of you that don't speak French [and, yes, I know it's actually Spanish]). Sometimes I can fight it and get some work done, other times I think of other things I can be doing that are work related, but more enjoyable and other times I loaf.

Add to this the fact that I am actually in a church now that considers me and the youth ministry a part of the church at large. So people come to me and expect me to know things and to make decisions about stuff that is not high on my fun-o-meter (or even my care-o-meter). Getting pulled in directions other than where I think I need to go in my primary job (youth ministry) gets old. Yet I feel like I can't just say, "Not my job." Ergh...

Anyway, one deep thing that I am pondering afresh is the perilous line that 'postmodern' Christianity walks dividing addressing a culture all about ourselves and proclaiming (and living) a gospel that is all about Christ. It's really easy to dip from one into the other and then come back again, which gives real credibility to the alarms thrown out by some groups that 'relevance will lead to compromise of the Gospel.' How hard to portray a faith of selflessness to a generation that is selfabsorbed!

K.J. out.

Quick and easy...

2009-02-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note, primarily to keep me in the habit of checking in here and putting down some thoughts. For those of you that come by to see what I have to say, I swear that I will say something worthwhile at some point. Just don't know when that point will be.

Again, I find myself in the predicament of having misjudged either time or methodology on an assignment. Will I complete this one on time? Only God knows.

The Joys of Pastorhood or Pastordom or whatever

2009-02-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

Today has been an exercise in frustration. Why? Because people have lives, their lives are messy and those lives "intrude" on those of us that are pastors.

I don't feel frustrated towards those who came and 'interrupted.' They came with legitimate desire for help and I feel privileged to help them in any way that I can. I would describe my frustration as targeted at me and my difficulty in shifting myself away from my tasks and towards those seeking help.

That's all. Over and out...

Contractual Love?

2009-02-13T09:12:00.000-08:00

So, reading in my one book for class, the author states that the understanding of the salvation promise through ancient contractual terms is helpful, but fails to fully grasp the understanding of promise.

Having never really thought of the promise of Christ after the fall as anything more than a covenant relationship, this made me stop, jot some notes in the margin and exclaim, "Hey! I have something to blog about today!" Since then I have spun my chair 90-degrees east and started typing.

Seriously, I have infrequently really considered the depth of grace in terms of the gift of salvation. Often I (and I assume many others) have thought of it as, "Well, I believe in the gift, I accept it and I follow Christ, so contractually I am owed salvation." But aren't contracts typically based on some means of mutual benefit? And what does humanity have to offer God that would necessitate a contract between the two?

OK, the obvious answer to what humanity has to offer God is love. That is what he is after, but can you contract love from someone? Is it really something that is given "in exchange for?" So, conceptualizing salvation as a contract is woefully inadequate if consider solely in this dimension.

But, then I think, "What about the OT covenants? How do they fare in the covenant comparison?" Well, there is help in understanding the responsibility of the two parties in a contract and understanding exactly what God provides to humanity through them (since he is unwilling to break his word), but, again, what would God gain from the human fulfillment of the terms? Did he really need a people to call his own when he could call the whole universe his own? No. God sought voluntary following (i.e. love) through a guiding framework of the law. However, his promise was much greater than his covenant since he knew that he would send the Christ b/c man could never fulfill there end of the bargain.

Conclusion: Grace trumps law/covenant.

And thus concludes my "Aha" moment of the day.

2009-02-12T07:46:00.000-08:00

Spending time on the phone with Verizon is what I think Catholics think Purgatory is like. You're waiting on line for an "available agent," then when one picks up, they're monotone and frequently not very helpful. In order to get anywhere you have to pray and petition those who love you to pray as well so that you can get to someone who actually can help you in your plight. In the end, you either hang up happy and singing praises or your burning with frustration.

In Response to A-Dub

2009-02-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

Since the 12th sign of the Apocalypse has arrived with AW posting his own blog, and having been repeatedly hassled by Tim, I have taken the foray into blogdom. Honestly, this is a return as I used to sport a Xanga by the same name.

So, feel free to stop by at times, see what random inanity managed to evade the Politically Correct Censor inside my head through my fingers.