Are you a reptile?

I saw a funny quote next to a picture of a chameleon with buggly eyes that said, "a reptile can focus on two things at the same time...you are not a reptile." Good advice for those of us living in a world that prizes...no idolizes multi-tasking.



We can't really help it because there are so many expectations placed on us and we feel we have to try to meet all of them. But, as I often like to say, "if my fingers are on everything, my grasp in on nothing."



Still, I (and am I'm sure many people) struggle with focusing on one thing at a time. This morning I got up early and went to the YMCA to workout and had a little unexpected lesson on focus. I thought I'd try one of those pre-programmed sessions on the treadmill. Maybe I won't do that again.



As you grasp the bar on the treadmill, it measures your heart rate--not always accurately, I might add. So every time, my heart rate was below where it should be, the machine would increase the incline and speed. At one point I looked down and the monitor said my heart rate was 76 bpm. NO WAY! I couldn't even talk. I was so focused on not passing out that before I knew it (or before I could jump off and ask for help), the work out was over.



Focusing on something not only makes a task go by quicker, but can help us get through things that seem impossible or overwhelming. Sometimes, I am overwhelmed by the church...I am overwhelmed by theology, by the many practical questions and issues that come up, by the varied expectations that different people have of me. I struggle between pastoring my flock and seeking out care for myself.



But one word that brings me back into focus is grace. I know I have to do my part, that there is work for me to do. But I also know, when I focus on God's grace...when I let down my guard and let God in, that my efforts are good enough and God takes over the rest.



I am not a reptile. That's for sure. But thank God for grace that reminds of what the true focus in life really is.



Journey on...

Stewardshift

I attended a seminary yesterday for clergy entitled Stewardshift. You can guess that it was about Stewardship. My church is on the cusp on the annual Stewardship drive and I must admit that I feel a sense of dread about it. Why is that?

It is because I don't like asking for money? Is it because I don't think I should be asking for money or that I think people will be offended by such a request?

I think the real reason I dread it is because maybe the church doesn't do Stewardship very well. By that I mean, we devote a few weeks a year to it and then avoid the subject like the plague the rest of the year.

True Stewardship is more than about filling out a pledge card once a year...it is something that should be lived out in every moment of life.

I am starting to realize how many messages about money we get on a daily basis (it's funny that you see so many commercials, you start to just expect them to be there and don't realize the subtle effect they have on your thinking). Media and news culture sends us messages every day--buy this thing and you'll be happy; earn more, get more and you'll feel secure.

And beyond commercials and advertisements there is news that fuels our fears of scarcity: the housing market has tanked, social security will go bankrupt, if a disaster hits your area, be prepared to go it alone for at least 7 days.

The messages that we are bombarded with daily tell us that money is equated with fear--fear of not having enough. So it is no wonder we fear the annual Stewardship Campaign. Churches (at least my church) never seem to have enough.

I'm beginning to think that this is not because people don't have more to give, but that we've all been taught by those daily messages to grasp tightly to what we have because enough is never enough.

So how do we truly shift our thinking from scarcity to abundance, from fear to peace, from apprehension to joy? We have to get the word out, circulate the message for more than just a few weeks in November. Stewardship is more than just about filling out a pledge card once a year, it is about knowing a God who changes our perceptions on wants and needs...it is about being thankful for what we have right now...it is about knowing a God who provides enough for every moment of life and wanting to share that rich abundance and grace in all areas of life.

It's a start...

Journey on...

Jesus and Big Bird

My child is really getting into imaginary play. The other day she was sitting in the kitchen while I was making dinner. She took a kitchen towel and wrapped it around her head like a head scarf. I asked, "who are you?" She answered, "Jesus." Then a few seconds later she said, "no, Big Bird."

I thought, "well, that works." Jesus' lessons are good...Big Bird's lessons are good too. What amazes me is that, at such a young age, my child is learning the language of faith. It also amazes me how the church (and families) overlook the great importance of that learning. I am very concerned about the intellectual and social development of my child, but am I as concerned about the spiritual development?

Families and churches of all sizes and shapes should be challenged by this...that if we do not teach the little children about faith, perhaps Big Bird will be only role-model they imitate. Food for thought.

Journey on...

The Halo Effect

I came across the term "Halo Effect" in college psychology. I think of it in terms of how it is used (often times unintentionally) in the practice of hiring people. How this works is that the potential employer sees one characteristic or strength in a potential job candidate, and they are willing to look past all other (sometimes crucial) weaknesses or deficiencies because they highly prize the one strength.

I thought of the Halo effect when I read an article in yesterday's (October 7) version of the New York Times. Thou Shalt Not Kill, Except in a Popular Video Game at Church tells the story of how a growing number of churches are using the popular video game Halo to attract adolescent boys to church.

The video game is extremely popular (hence the one strong characteristic). The video game is also extremely violent (weakness number one). It is so violent, that it cannot be purchased by anyone under the age of 17 (weakness number two). In spite of the violence and age restriction, churches are making the video games available to adolescent boys 17 and under (weakness number 3!).

The article quotes Gregg Barbour, the youth minister of Colorado Community Church (a church that uses Halo to attract teens), as saying, "Once they come for the games...they will stay for [the] Christian message." " We want to make it hard for teenagers to go to hell," Mr. Barbour wrote in a letter to parents at the church.

To my basic Christian sensibilities, the idea of using violent video games as an evangelistic tool seems blasphemous and dangerous. Churches struggle so hard to be relevant that it seems we forget that we are to be countercultural...to be in the world but not of it...to offer a voice a peace when surrounded by violence.

It is ironic that the article was next to one about the growing sexual violence against women and children in the Congo...and another article about more violence in the middle east.

The article does site the challenge the church faces of reaching out to adolescent boys and young men. I don't have an answer for that. But it is not so very hard for teenagers to go to hell--there are plenty of hells on earth. Just turn off the video game and look around. And then maybe we can convince young people that virtual and real peace is a much higher characteristic to prize.

I'd be interested in any thoughts on the subject.

Journey On...

All the World's a Stage

I have beaten off the blogging path lately and meandered far away...but I am back today with some thoughts and reflections. A few weeks ago, our next door neighbors put their house up for sale. They moved in just shortly before we moved into our house last year so we were a bit surprised to see the sign.

We should have seen it coming because there was plenty of activity leading up to the house actually being placed on the market--there was painting and fixing up. But perhaps the most interesting thing that happened is what is commonly known as staging. I have seen it on TV and the concept intrigues me.

At our neighbors house, a crew of two women showed up and they worked in the front yard, planted pretty flowers, placed a nice outdoor table and chair set on the front deck. They spent the entire day in the house bringing in furniture, hanging pictures, placing lamps and other decorative items. All of this activity is followed up with a thorough cleaning of the house--everything has to be spotless and even the shoes at the front door have to be lined up just so.

I have never sold a house, but talking to those who have and observing our neighbors (who are having a difficult time selling a house in a difficult market), it is not a fun adventure. As one friend, who was selling her house while raising 5 children, said, "it's like living in a museum."

I think it's kind of funny that when you're selling your house, it has to be perfect. Because you know once someone buys it and moves it, it isn't going to that way from day to day. Our house certainly isn't. So why is it so important for things to be perfect...for everything to be placed just so...for the whole environment to be "staged?"

It could be that buying a house is such a big purchase you want everything to look perfect. Or could it be that we want to things to appear perfect, because we know that life is not. Many times I think we live our lives as though we are in a museum--we want the outward appearance to be just so...don't give any hint to others that things are not perfect and in order.

But maintaining that kind of outward appearance is exhausting. So who do you trust to let down your guard...who do you invite into the messy rooms of your soul? If there is not another person (and I do hope there is), then know that there is God. God doesn't expect things to be staged, or ordered or perfect. God accepts you as you are--clothes on the floor, furniture undusted, dishes on the counter.

It is good to know that in a world where so many things seem "staged," we can just be who we are and know that that is good enough for God.

Journey on...