Wow.

I must have read this book a hundred times. But I never saw this prayer for what it is:

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

That is a powerful prayer right there. I couldn’t possibly do it justice, so I urge you to listen to the sermon yourselves.

It’s worth it.

What I need to figure out is how to actually live my life so that grace, peace, and love abound. So that everything I do flows from them. Right now, that just isn’t the case.

My life is like a resounding gong or clanging cymbal.

I’ve said before that I’m not in love with God. For me, God has always been a father figure, not a lover.

Tonight I finished reading (rereading, actually), Ted Dekker’s Circle Trilogy. These three books are among my all time favorite books, but I’ve never seen some of the things that I saw in this reading of them.

These books speak of the Great Romance between Elyon and His people. And, for the first time, I understand the concept of the Bride of Christ. That’s always been one of those Christianese phrases that everyone knows and says, but it’s never held any real meaning for me. Tonight, it does. I don’t know that I can say that I feel this Romance… but I want to.

After I finished reading White tonight, I was prompted to read the Song of Songs. Much of the imagery presented by Ted Dekker reminded me of this book. The book is the story of two lovers. They are, in all honesty, twitterpated by one another. And they are meant to represent the love between the Creator and the Created.

I have rejected this type of love. How much must that pain my Creator? He loves me. I mean He really loves me. And I have spurned that love by ignoring it or being blind to it.

I know that this is crazy talk to a lot of you. And that’s okay. Go ahead and think that I’ve lost my mind. I think I’m just beginning to find it.

So now I’m on a journey to be like Jesus – not like Christians. Remember, Christian is a great noun but a lousy adjective. It’s going to be tough for a people pleaser like me to make this journey because it’s going to look radically different than what most people associate with the word Christian – but ultimately, that doesn’t matter because my final authority is God and no one else (if I say that enough times, I have to start believing it deep down, right?).

So what does this look like for me? It looks like forming and living in a community very similar to Shane Claiborne’s “new monastic” community The Simple Way (you won’t get too much info from that link because they recently experienced a horrific fire and are focusing their efforts on rebuilding and funding the rebuilding effort). There are several of these communities popping up around the country (there’s even one in my hometown that I didn’t know existed - funny story…the web filter at work classifies the site as “occult”).

Busted Halo describes The Simple Way like this:

The Simple Way is an alternative Christian community with six semi-permanent members and a few dozen others who have passed through its doors. Members live and pray together, dedicate themselves to work with their poor neighbors, contribute part of their outside incomes (everybody has a part-time regular job) to maintain the house and generally aspire to upset the established order through acts of radical Christian love. Those acts of Christian resistance have included running an art camp for their inner city neighbors, opening the door to prostitutes in crisis and visiting Iraq to perform circuses for war-battered kids. These acts are equal parts punk rock and monastic.

[..]

What distinguishes the house from other locales where cool, politically minded denizens split the rent is that these young adults gather expressly to share in each others’ religious lives and to follow Christ together. While members do not take vows and can stay for as long as forever or as little as a month, the best way to understand The Simple Way may be as a religious order, albeit an anarchist one with no Mother Superior and no dress code (although dread locks and piercings seem to be de rigeur). Living in community means conscientious dedication to each other’s spiritual journey.

[..]

The Simple Way is part of a growing movement of mostly young evangelical Christians and Catholics who are dedicated to taking the Gospel—not Genesis— literally. The group makes common cause with Catholic Worker houses of hospitality and dozens of other alternative communities that operate below the radar of American Christianity.

It’s something that looks and feels very different from traditional Christianity. This is what Rob Bell calls “Repainting the Christian Faith.”

For thousands of years followers of Jesus, like artists, have understood that we have to keep going, exploring what it means to live in harmony with God and each other. The Christian faith tradition is filled with change and growth and transformation. Jesus took part in this process by calling people to rethink faith and the Bible and hope and love and everything else, and by inviting them into the endless process of working out how to live as God created us to live.

The challenge for Christians then is to live with great passion and conviction, remaining open and flexible, aware that this life is not the last painting.

Get ready, because I’m going to start repainting what I know and do regarding Christianity. But I can’t do it alone. This vision of community kind of requires other people to be involved (you can’t have a community of one!). I have 1 friend who is interested in helping, but she is married and can’t be completely involved. Here’s what I need:

1. Prayer partners. Without prayer, this vision will never get off the ground.
2. Physical partners – people who have this same kind of vision and want to see this kind of community take off in Denver, CO.
3. Professionals who may not want to live in this kind of community, but have the knowledge of how to get a non-profit going and would lend their brains to the cause to get us up and running (I’ve been researching laws and how to incorporate and it just makes my head swim).
4. A name. I was hoping to use “The Gathering Place” in either Hebrew, Greek, or Latin, but I don’t like the way any of them sound. And there’s already a women’s day shelter in Denver called “The Gathering Place”.
5. A neglected or abandoned house that we can take over and move into in a neighborhood that will benefit from this type of community.

I’m not asking for much, am I? Even if you only have advice, I’ll gladly take that too.

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, third world county, The Random Yak, Woman Honor Thyself, Right Truth, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Conservative Cat, and Church and State, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Today I read Ephesians. It seems like everything I’m reading/hearing this week is about the same general thing. It’s affirming my sense of purpose.

The chastisement continued, but not quite as head on as in previous days:

“…you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and seperated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. HAving lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.”

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

But on the whole, the overall theme of the book (at least the one that stood out to me today) is that of love. Paul tells the Ephesians to be rooted and established in love. To be kind and compassionate to one another. I can’t help but think that I’m not usually that way. In particular in one relationship in my life. A very close friend of mine and I have lost a lot of the closeness that we had because I tend to be bitter and mean-spirited around him. D, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry. I have a lot to work on, and I know that. I’m not very kind and compassionate to you, and I should be. You’ve been nothing but a fantastic friend to me, and you don’t deserve the way I’ve treated you. Please forgive me for my shortcomings.

It’s disgusting. Over the top. And it’s the evangelical response to the bill coming before the Senate to enforce severe punishment for “hate crimes.”

Except… the bill doesn’t really enforce punishment for all “hate crimes,” or does it?

From Harry Jackson:

This legislation will grant protected status to “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” Further, it will mandate unequal protection under the law and will pave the way for the criminalization of thoughts and religious beliefs contrary to “politically correct” ideas.

As an African American, I have long questioned the attempts of the gay community to piggy back on the legislative breakthroughs blacks have achieved in civil rights. As I think about hate crime legislation in the past, I think about a judicial system that refused to give blacks equal justice under the law. The historic problem for blacks was that racist groups conspired with law enforcement groups. Additional legislation would have never been necessary if the existing laws of the land had been enforced fairly.

In contrast, gays already are a formidable force in the legal arena and courts are often extremely deferential to their cases. Additional protection for gays is not necessary. This legislation will not just over-protect them, it will bring the threat of invasive, governmental interference with the doctrines and practice of the Church. We have faced the removal of crosses and commandments from every public facility; this same pressure could be felt within the four walls of the church.

Religious liberty battles have most recently been championed by white evangelical groups. It’s important at this juncture that all Americans lift their voices concerning this legislation. This week I am calling a press conference which will involve some of the nation’s most influential black religious leaders. The proponents of this bill have assumed that black religious leaders will not catch on to the long term implications of the legislation. Without a massive public outcry, this act may be put into force within a few weeks.

My alarm about the hate crimes bill is bigger than my concerns about the gay movement. The question we must ask ourselves is this, “Do we want an America in which no one can express their true religious views”? Isn’t freedom of speech a major value of our nation?

Some gays chant, “Stay out of our bedrooms!” Pro-abortion advocates say, “Keep your hands off my reproductive organs!” Evangelicals can rightfully say, “Stay out of my pulpit!”

My personal thought?

Why is everyone focusing solely on the “homosexual” agenda here? The bill is not primarily targeting hate crimes against homosexuals. It’s specific that the “hate crime” includes “violence motivated by the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of the victim.” That’s more than just homosexuality. Hey look! Religion is listed, too!

There is no grand conspiracy to lock away pastors and Christians for teaching the Bible. People who are taking this as a “surreptitious attempt by the Congress and Senate to strip the nation of religious freedom and the ability to preach the gospel from our church pulpits” are, in my opinion, too concerned for themselves. They see anything that mentions homosexuality (sexual orientation/gender identity) as a threat to them and automatically assume that there’s a conspiracy to end Christianity and have the gays rule the world.

I don’t think I’m overstating it. There’s been a flurry of activity on evangelical sites, all urging America not to support this bill. Why? Because they’re afraid they’re going to lose power.

Well boo hoo. I’m a Christian. An evangelical, even. But I can’t support all of this anti-gay stuff going on in the evangelical community.

Yes, I agree with the biblical teaching that homosexuality is wrong. BUT, I also agree and adhere to the biblical teachings of love. I recognize that God loves ALL people (that includes the GLBT community) and as such, so should I. That concept has been lost by the Christian community at large.

Uh….no.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5

I could go on, but I think you get the point.

These people make me so angry! There were children in that video. Smiling! And did you see that psycho woman Shirley Phelps-Roper? She looked positively delighted to be singing that God was sending people to hell. What kind of person is that?

This is NOT Christianity. This is a cult. God has nothing to do with what is coming out of that “church.”

And why is Canada evil? They were waving the Canadian flag upside down. I don’t quite understand that one.

I believe in both faith and reason. The more we learn about God, the more we understand how magnificent this universe is. There is no contradiction to it. When I look at history, I would disagree with Sam: Christianity has done far more good than bad. Altruism comes out of knowing there is more than this life, that there is a sovereign God, that I am not God. We’re both betting. He’s betting his life that he’s right. I’m betting my life that Jesus was not a liar. When we die, if he’s right, I’ve lost nothing. If I’m right, he’s lost everything. I’m not willing to make that gamble.

Pretty much.

Before I proceed, I want to admit that I don’t know much about the politics involved in recent issues of immigration, especially in regards to controlling the influx of Latinos coming through the Mexican border. I know that it is a hot topic, and there are a variety of opinions out there. I don’t profess to know the answer to such political dilemmas, but that’s not what this conversation was about. It was about Hispanic places of worship and the white American Church “catering” to them.

A worship service consists of more than going through familiar motions. A really good worship service involves feeling. The multitude of believers (some more multitudinous than others) gather in one company, in one voice, lifting up the one Lord, Jesus Christ. It can be incredibly moving and inspiring.

Now, the ever-present question is, how do we worship? And the answer is different in every culture. Hispanics worship in a much different style than white Americans do. Africans worship in a manner that is very distinct from the way in which an Asian believer would praise God. It is important to not only allow the freedom of different worship styles in context, but to make sure that we do not impose burdens of style on churches that we plant or support in other cultures. The Holy Spirit is very relevant to different cultures, and there is nothing wrong with following his lead in such relevance.

I bring this up because I believe it is appropriate and befitting to allow Hispanics to gather and worship in a manner that suits their culture and adheres to biblical principles. In contrast, it is most certainly not the will of God for us to force a bunch of Mexicans, Hondurans, and Guatemalans into a dry, lulling service of pasty-white Anglo-Saxons, devoid of tambourines, dancing, and the songs to which they are accustomed merely because we are trying to create good, American Christians.

I love that he immediately points out that it isn’t the politics behind the issue that concern him. The politics of the matter shouldn’t be an issue. What we’re talking about here is how the church treats people.

What a horrid injustice it would be for us to take such a passionate culture with such “undignified” delight towards the Lord and stick them into our biased prototype of what a “good church” looks like. I admit that the fact that I don’t get a bulletin or that someone may randomly call upon me during the Hispanic service is a bit uncomfortable. Yet, it’s what keeps me coming back for more.

I know that I don’t have everything figured out; in fact, I’m quite sure that the American church does not have everything about Jesus figured out (despite what the top-ten best-selling Christian self-help books might claim). And so, I am searching for pieces of Jesus in different cultures, hoping to see a larger picture of the mosaic called the Body of Christ. Let’s drop our facades and prejudices, please; it’s time to start learning from immigrants.

I wish it were as simple as white and Latino worship services. But, there is something deeper at work here, and it makes me ill – racism in the Church. We fear the things we do not know, and that is a large part of why we fear other cultures “not assimilating” into the American way of life. I think that this whole Christianity-becoming-a-worldview fad is overall a good step for the Church. Our faith is very relevant in culture, politics, and daily life. Men like Nehemiah teach us this. Yet, this kind of proactive political forwardness needs to be done in humility, and I’m afraid that we’re falling away from this. Having a biblical worldview does not mean taking your Republican or Democrat ideals and justifying them from a pulpit.

So, my question is not, “Should the Church shun immigrants?” I’m afraid that’s too big of a question and nothing real would result from this little conversation that we’ve been having. For some churches, it wouldn’t even matter; politics have polluted much of the infrastructure of American churches to the point that someone piping up and saying, “That’s not biblical!” makes little difference in the grand scheme. My question is, “Should you, should I, shun immigrants?” Let’s take off our institutional hats and speak from our hearts. What does Jesus tell you to do about it? Not George W. Bush. Not Jerry Falwell. Not even Tony Campolo.

You see, we in America have too many options. Too many choices of cereal. Too many ways to give to various charities. Too many radio stations and TV channels. We are crippled by indecision. How many times have you thought, “I’d really like to sponsor an orphan or missionary, but I don’t know where to give my money”? And what have you done? If you’re like me, probably nothing. You put the checkbook away for another day – you may have even resolved to pray more about it.

If you’re in this group with me, can we just quit with the hypocrisy? Let’s stop hiding behind what our preacher says. Let’s stop hiding behind the safety and security of our Western comfort. Let’s stop hiding behind our limited giving to charitable organizations. Let’s start really doing something about the injustices in the world, in our communities, and in ourselves. Let it begin in our individual hearts, as they break for the other, the least, and the deserted.

Yes! It’s so frustrating for me to hear people parrot their pastors leaders. Perhaps because, for so long, I was a parrot. I spouted off so much crap because it had been spouted off to me. I can remember when a good friend of mine got saved in college – I was thrilled! But then I matter of factly told her she must get a KJV. *sigh* But the truth is, it doesn’t matter what people say. If Jesus says give to the poor and your pastor says you don’t have to give if you really feel like you can’t…who should you listen to? If Jesus says to love your neighbor and your Christian friends tell you to leave the illegal immigrants alone…who should you listen to? If you answered anything other than Jesus, I’d like to see you answer the same way if Jesus asked you.

The Israelites were commanded to welcome the stranger, remembering that they, too, were once strangers in a foreign land. The New Testament calls us to a deeper understanding of who we are in this world – aliens. Jesus sent out his disciples as wanderers and vagrants – truly homeless – as if to point them to acknowledge their true homeland. And we are to entertain visitors in this world, never sure of who may be God’s messengers in disguise.

Trackposted to Planck’s Constant, third world county, Dumb Ox Daily News, Conservative Cat, Right Voices, Conservative Thoughts, and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

A long-simmering dispute between homeless advocates and Orlando officials intensified Wednesday with the arrest of an activist feeding transients in Lake Eola Park downtown.

Eric Montanez, 21, is the first to be arrested under the city’s controversial ordinance that bars feeding large groups of people in downtown parks without a special permit.

The rule was approved last summer after residents and businesses in Orlando’s gentrifying downtown complained that parks were being used as soup kitchens.

The arrest enraged volunteers, who said it was proof that the city cares little for its neediest residents.

“Police are arresting people for feeding the homeless,” local ACLU President George Crossley said. “This has been a truly disgusting day.”

Calls to Mayor Buddy Dyer and a city spokeswoman were not returned. Police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones said the arrest was warranted.

“Our job is to enforce the rules,” she said.

Homeless advocates and city officials have butted heads since the passage of the ordinance in July. The law bars groups from feeding more than 25 people without a special permit. Groups may have two permits per year.

The Central Florida ACLU filed suit in Orlando’s U.S. District Court in October arguing the ordinance is unconstitutional. Meanwhile, activists skirted the rule by having several organizations host the weekly Lake Eola meals, and making sure no one group served more than 25 people.

Police kept close tabs, sometimes taking photos and ticketing volunteers’ cars.

{…}

Undercover officers filmed the food line, meticulously counting Montanez serving “30 unidentified persons food from a large pot utilizing a ladle,” according to an arrest affidavit.

Police approached Montanez and asked for his identification. They considered issuing him a summons on the misdemeanor count, but when he tossed his ID, police took him into custody, the affidavit says.

Jonathan Giralt, 16, a Boone High School junior who was near Montanez, disagreed with the police account. He and other volunteers said the activist showed his ID and complied with police orders.

“I was like, OK, this guy [Montanez] is going to be arrested for absolutely nothing,” Jonathan said. “It makes me feel unsafe.”

Police also collected a vial of stew as evidence.

Montanez remained in the Orange County Jail late Wednesday with bail set at $250.

How can these cops sleep at night? I know that cities have soup kitchens and shelters, but the unfortunate truth is that it isn’t enough. I live in Denver, and our Rescue Mission sleeps about 800 people a night–but not all of those are what most would consider “homeless” because more than half of them are either residents of our long term program or families living in transitional housing. We only have about 200 beds for actual shelter. And the Denver metro area has around 10,000 homeless people in it. Helping only 2% of the homeless population is a great great thing…but it’s only 2%. There are a lot more folks out there who need help, and there are people out there, like Eric Montanez, who are willing to give it. And the local governments are trying to take that away.

Their solution? Send them to the shelters. If all the homeless who were fed on the streets of Denver showed up at the Rescue Mission shelter, they would either be turned away because there was no room or the fire marshall would shut the place down for having too many people. It’s a lose-lose solution.

Slacktivist gave a great protest idea:

I’d suggest it’s time for some of Orlando’s Christian churches to begin celebrating the Lord’s Supper in Lake Eola Park, preferably in groups of larger than 25.

I wholeheartedly support that idea, and I hope that some churches in Orlando will step up.