pigs and Potlucks

Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe - and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.

- Mark 5:16-17, The Message

Here is the story of the madman who was demon possessed. Jesus just got done casting the demons out of the man and into some nearby pigs. I find the above part of the story very fascinating. This little snippet and many others like it make the bible so down to earth, literally coming down to earth and meeting us in the mess of a people that we are.

Can you imagine giving a response like that one above? Demons are literally gone from a man and then there are pigs jumping off cliffs. Pretty exciting to say the least. Powerful. Yet, some of the first traceable advocates of anti-animal cruelty are documented here.

I can imagine a scene today. Jesus enters into a church and knows that there are a few in the congregation who are hungry and barely have any food. They would likely be going home hungry that day. Jesus then has compassion and fills the alter with food and asks those who need it to come and take what they need and more. The congregation is amazed by this and are in awe, but become displeased once they realize that their potluck after the service is ruined because it will be mostly empty.

This isn't a perfect comparison but an element remains the same. Jesus destroys something so that something can be saved. What He destroys is the concept that a Sunday afternoon brunch can be so important in our life, even convincing some that this exhausts fellowship and meeting the needs of the congregation. Of course, instead, we are offered the Acts 2 church that made sure everyone went without need and shared resources. So while the Sunday potluck is nice and is a start, it is of little value in the long run. In comparison, the pigs act as sources of economic value for those who were tending them, but the madman has a greater value placed in him by God then pigs as economic resources.

After all of that, the people still did not realize what was important, even though the madman could barely contain his enthusiasm for Christ, confessing how good God is.

Henry's church, Henry and Mitch's Story

One Church, One Story - The Detroit Blog - TIME.com

This is the church just down the street from where I live. When my friend, John, told me about the story of this church over a month ago, we were compelled to at least make a visit. John actually knew about the church a while back when Mitch Albom first wrote about it nationally in Sports Illustrated. The story in SI ran back on January 7, 2009.

John and I went for a visit on a Thursday night sometime in late October/early November. We went in and found that they were sheltering people that night, and we spoke with some of the helpers at the church. Then we met Henry, the pastor, only briefly as he was busy at the moment checking with people at the time. Before John and I entered in, someone at the door asked if we were with the press. I could see why he might have thought that, because we were two young white college looking kids that don't attend the church.

We soon found out why were asked if we were the press. As we were standing in an entrance way waiting to talk to Henry, in walks Mitch Albom. John had no idea what he looked like apparently cause I had to point out that the guy who just walked in was the guy who wrote the story that brought us here in the first place. I remembered Mr. Albom from the sports reporters on ESPN that airs Sunday mornings, thanks to the many times I would wake up late for Sunday school. We talked with Henry and Mitch a little, and then the press guy did come in who was there to interview Mitch. John and I talked with Henry more about the needs of his church and the homeless barbecues that we assist with.

What impressed me though was that Mitch didn't write the SI piece to get attention or create some emotional story for a national audience to read about Detroit. He was there at the church on a random fall night months after the article printed. He is actually friends with Henry as we could tell from the short time we were together that night. It's as if Mitch was drawn to the impossibility that the church overcomes.

I think that what happens when Christ is lived out, people notice. Many will not understand and actually hate what Christ's church does. Some will not understand it but become very fascinated by it. Still others will be drawn to it, even from different religions and backgrounds (Mitch is Jewish). Needless to say, when the body of Christ is doing Christ's work by helping those who are oppressed, poor, widowed, or orphaned, people have no choice but to notice, especially when Christ works with a hole in the roof.

Father's home is Coming.

My thoughts are so scattered right now that there is no reason at all for writing a blog. Not at least if it is the case that people are going to be reading it. I'm currently sitting in a caribou coffee in Royal Oak, the anti-Detroit. You know how we have the capability of moving whole buildings from one place to another? Soon, I hope, we can have the technology to move Royal Oak to Downtown Detroit, somewhere closer to it at least.

I have recently been thinking a lot about the parable of the prodigal son (or the forgiving Father). This has to be one of the most hopeful parables of Jesus. In spite of what the son did, even at the beginning basically considering his Father dead by asking for his portion of the inheritance, the Father had a deep Love still for this son.

When I think about when I came to God, I don't remember squandering what my Father gave me. I remember being a young kid who wanted to go to heaven. Nothing really wrong with that, except maybe I was not taught that I should have been looking for heaven to come to me, as the kingdom of heaven is among us. This at least makes sense when considering the parables just before the prodigal son, the ones about the lost sheep and the lost coin. The Owner was already looking for them. The point is I was limiting myself by not thinking a whole city could come floating in amongst my life and settle down where I am. I did not think the technology was available.

The son returned to his Father's place, but I wonder if it was ever far from the son. The son went to a distant country in terms of physical distance but his Father's place came close when he realized what he was missing. He went back there because he felt what was there, he knew what it was like there.

I am eternally grateful that the Father is so willing to forgive and that He wants to make His home with me. The Holy Spirit reminds me of how great a place the kingdom of heaven is and comforts me with this. Just before I entered into the kingdom of heaven, it was running at me when it saw me.

failing Breath

But I refuse to breathe the breath of the failure!!!!

- The Chariot, 'Teach'

That line has been with me for a while now. Ever since hearing it, the power coming from the lead singer's screaming lungs has upped the ante. Interpretations of this line could be numerous, that is the beauty of music and art. But here is my interpretation. He is shouting out that he refuses to breathe in the destruction of the Great Failure, aka Satan.

I had been hearing a lot recently about the Breath of God. A couple sermons, a dialogue with a friend, and then this. There is something about breathing. God breathed life into us, in fact breath and spirit are the same in the Greek translations of the bible. Our spirit is the breath of God in us, and the Holy Spirit is His Breath. The word spirit won out more or less in the English translations cause it sounds better, I mean think of the concept when Jesus breaths his "Breath" upon the disciples. Kinda awkward sounding.

With this in mind, the Failure has a breath as well. But how strong do I tend to think of Satan's breathing power? Do I even use the imagery of him as the Failure? The lyrics are providing another angle to look at the same situation that has been said by many in many ways. I love it when artists do this because it is another angle to say the same thing, not to confuse the same words to have people look at something else, to take us away from the Truth. No, instead I am looking at the Truth from a way that helped stir me into thinking afresh. Satan (The Failure from now on) and his ways are those of a failing way.

But do I refuse them? Do I look at it that strongly?

(Note: originally penned on 8/30/09, adapted slightly since then)

"so that you through His povery might become Rich"

General Motors is now officially in bankruptcy, and with all the news channel viewing I just did one channel really brought this story to the level that will most likely be overlooked in the media for awhile. The loss of blue collar, assembly plant jobs. Much of the talk had been about the whole thing in general. The large implication that the company is basically changing and starting new, and what this means on a corporate, long term level. Which is key mind you, because without a company to hire people, people can't work.

But it is the affect of the bankruptcy with all the job losses that are going to happen, here in Detroit especially, that continue pushing people down and out. The ripple affect will be a wave crashing onto shore, not a mere pebble dropping in an ocean. People will leave and more resources will be stripped away from this region. For those who remain, what hope can be found? Our incomes are so important, our standard of living is indispensable!

Hope in Christ. That is what can be leaned upon. Detroit church (which is defined as city and suburb), if Paul were to write a letter to you, what would he say? I don't think it would say that we must protect our standard of living and to put our trust in a private company or a worldly government. The Kingdom of Heaven needs to be the safe harbor in this time. Actually it always should have been, there never should have been stock placed in how fat we have been and how well off we were in Detroit. The riches that should be boasted about are Christ crucified and all that comes from the risen life He has for us. The edicts to follow should be of His Kingdom and we should rejoice in the company benefits that come from being part of this different kind of union. A union that looks out for its members like no other union on earth does, or can.

My roommate played a John Piper message about the recession a while back, and this was the amazing passage used. If Paul were to write to the Detroit church, I hope that the following could be said about us, or to us:

¹And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ²Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. ⁵And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. ⁶So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. ⁸I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

II Corinthians 8:1-9, NIV

The reader here could replace Macedonians with Detroiters for greater emphasis. Or this is truly a plea for our present condition as verse 8 is directed to the Corinthian church, which could be the Detroit church, that our love is about to be tested for its sincerity. And consider this, the details are not given as to how this was accomplished, but we certainly know the motive for doing this. But I am glad that we are not presented a detailed description of how the Macedonians did this from a structural standpoint because that would remove the freedom and creativity to accomplish such a monumental task of love. Their motivation is what we know, Christ!

So Detroit church, what can we do? How can we role up our blue collar sleeves and put to work our lives for the Love of Christ?