Ok, Who Stepped In It?!

Nah, it's not what you're thinking at all!  The last few weeks have been an incredible odyssey of various kinds of work to get our new meeting location ready for The Harbor Community Church. We've torn walls down, built new walls, re-wired an old, underpowered and overloaded electrical system, repaired the roof, patched drywall, finished drywall, and most recently painted.

While painting today, one of our compadres was applying a floor leveling compound in some areas where, well the floor was not level - duh?!  We all watched Kevin put the material on the floor, the color of the compound - white contrasted with the beige color floor, and yet an assortment of us kept stepping in the wet flooring compound - yours truly included.  Instead of getting angry or criticizing the stepper for not paying better attention to where he/she was going, Kevin just patiently fixed the mess. We all ended up with a good laugh with each other in the midst of trying to getting the task finished.

When a fellowship is built on honesty, trust, and compassion for each other's weaknesses the little things remain just that - little. You can laugh at honest missteps (literally) and see yourself in the 'offending' persons shoes and learn not to take things so horribly serious.

I have said for many years we need to make sure we take God very serious and ourselves not nearly so . I am thankful for a ragtag bunch of people known as The Harbor Community Church.  Thanks for keeping it real and messy!

Where Your Treasure is their Your Heart Will Be....

First, let me say that I am a big Albert Pujols fan.  I admire how hard the man works to be the best baseball player since maybe Stan Musial.  I also, admire is public expression of his faith not just with his words and his gestures to heaven when he gets a hit, but the work he does through his foundation to make a real difference in lives in our communities.

Second, let me say that I am an even bigger St. Louis Cardinals fan.  Growing up in OK I used to sneak my little transistor  radio (for those of you from the MP3 world, it was a little radio with an antenna and dials..... uh never mind, you'd never understand) in bed with me so I could listen to the Cards game after it was time for me to go to bed.  One of the great blessings of moving to St. Louis is being able to attend Cards games at both old (hand over my heart) and new Busch stadium.

Now, on to my point here. I think Mr. Pujols stands at a real crossroads in his own life and as an ambassador for Christ.  Is it more important to having the largest financial contract in the history of baseball or is it more important to be known for being a person of character above the fray, or is it possible to do both at the same time.  Currently Mr. Pujols earns $14,000,000.00 per year.  That makes him one of the top ten earning baseball players in MLB.  Also, it makes him one of the highest earning workers in all of STL.  Keep in mind the average teacher earns somewhere around $40,000.00 per year.  I don't think Mr. Pujols can argue this is about putting a roof over his children's head and money in the bank for those same kids college fund.  If he invests even modestly he will live a long and very comfortable life.  Don't forget MLB players receive health insurance for life and a nice pension from the league on top of their salaries.

Mr. Pujols has the opportunity to demonstrate that life is more than money or being first in some obscene category like who makes the most money. He can demonstrate that his heart belongs to a God who supplies all our needs and continue to be a great example of Christian character and charity.  I am not saying he shouldn't try to get all the compensation he can, but in the process he runs the risk of becoming just another high priced bat whom we as fans applaud but do not respect or care about.

I thought it ironic that Mr. Stanley Musial received the Medal of Honor on the same day the news was all lathered up about Mr. Pujols stalled contract negotiations.  Yes, Mr. Musial was the highest paid player in baseball in his day and he also gave back a portion of his salary when he believed he did not live up to his abilities.  That is why we call him Stan the Man and his statue is more iconic to St. Louisan's than the Arch.

I am praying for Mr. Pujols that he will be lead by God to continue being an ambassador for Christ first and a great example of what baseball is really all about.  He has entered a torturous path which could lead to the destruction of his reputation or forever place him in the category of a man with great talent who used that talent to honor his God.

We shall see!  See you at the ball park!

A Very Common Christmas

There we were, about 40 of us caroling in the neighborhoods around THCC.  It was cold but not miserable, we were crowded on the back of two trailers, but not unhappy.  In fact, it was one of the most enjoyable nights hanging out with friends I have enjoyed in many a night!

Just a bunch of people who less than a year ago didn't know each other, who didn't know what being a family in Christ meant, and who probably never ventured into each others circles.  Some of these folks are people of means, others are not.  Some have had success in life, others feel like LIFE has been a two ton dump truck that has unloaded on them. Yet, here we were together, truly fellowshiping with each other, having a blast singing carols in front of strangers homes, and spending time in a few of our friends houses who let us traipse in to warm up and drink something warm and enjoy their hospitality.

I have been together at times and in other settings with folks and have not experienced such fellowship.  In fact, I have been among much more powerful people in my day and felt completely left out.  This was not a group of 40 people broken down into 5 -6 cliques of separate people who were occupying the same space.  We were all together enjoying each other, enjoying singing familiar songs which proclaim great Truth, invading each others homes, and doing something as simply as wishing our neighbors a Merry Christmas.  And yet, it was a profound experience as successful business men fellowshiped with common laborers, as people who've been on the inside of church welcomed those who've looked in to church from a distance most of their lives.

Our plans weren't earth shatteringly innovative, we weren't a part of something elaborate and noteworthy, we were just walking the streets of our neighborhoods singing and being a family.  It was a very common thing to do. It was done in a very common way.  Yet the impact was holy.  Yeah, I said it holy!

It's been a long time since I've since true friendship, real companionship, genuine love expressed together. It seemed to be the outgrowth of a fellowship that is color blind, socially amnesic, and blessed.

To you the family of The Harbor I want to say I love you from the depths of my soul and I wish you are a very Merry Christmas!

Friends, no not the show, well sort of, maybe?

Many of us wasted many moments of our lives watching the TV show Friends.  The premise of the show was the day to day lives of a group of friends.  There wasn't much plot other than that it seemed.  Somehow, this became compelling TV for many years.

What was so compelling about this show? Superb acting? Really! Great plot lines?  They really were quite predictable were they not? The sexual tension between the friends acted out in a confusing circular process? Somebody among the writing crew was committed to pushing some perceived social envelope if you ask me.

I think the ingredient that kept us all tuning in each week was the dynamic of friendship.  Friendship is often a missing ingredient in our lives. Some of us have had just enough friendship to make is yearn for more.  Others, feel like they've been on the outside of the friendship store looking in their whole lives. If you've been blessed with real friendships no one has to tell you how blessed you genuinely are.

Last week during a trip to OK to visit family, Pam and I had the opportunity to reconnect with some of the friends of my youth.  I had not seen some of these friends since our wedding in 1982.  One of these friends played host to the gathering. The one thing I noticed when we arrived was that everyone had gotten old!  How did that happen?  Of course there was that one friend who still had all of his hair and it was still the color it was in High School and he still wreaked of Polo Cologne.

We shared a meal, talked laughed, cried a little, played amateur philosopher, but mostly we just soaked up each others presence.  These were the friends of my youth - the people who were there to watch all the awkward junk as one goes through puberty, that first girlfriend, the first really stupid choice in a line of not so bright choices. Through it all they were and are friends, while they may have brought a word of correction punctuated with the occasional, "Ronnie, what have you done now!", they were never judgmental and often risked their own reputations and security to be there for me.

 I am blessed and thankful for the friends of my youth for they taught me the value of friendship, how to be a friend and the importance of developing friends throughout my life.  Jonathon said of David, "There is a friendship that is closer than a brother."  To that I can only say, Ditto!

No Bridge Ahead?!

Many years ago I was in Salt Lake City, UT for a Southern Baptist Convention meeting which happened to occur just prior to the Winter Olympics later that year.  Obviously, everything was under construction, especially the highway systems.

I have learned something about people who live in a particular area, they are so used to the chaos around them they don't even think about telling someone from the outside how to navigate around the commonplace chaos.  So, when we rented a car at the airport no one bothered to tell us or the other 12,000 tourists for that week that the major Interstate through Salt Lake City was under major construction.  Now when I say major I don't mean some sissy re-stripping project.  I'm talking about a 10 lane (5 each way) super highway capable of Autobahn speeds that appeared to be ready to carry us straight to our hotel and convention center.

There was one major problem.  And, when I say problem I don't mean some girly problem, I'm talking full blown, grown man kind of trouble.  The problem - THERE WAS NO STINKING BRIDGE TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE!

They had spent millions building a super highway that literally stopped at a creek.  Compared to the new Interstate system this creek was minuscule.  But because they had not built the bridge, we were stuck on the wrong side.  Imagine, several thousand Baptist preachers all stopped at the end of the road trying to figure out what to do now - the irony was palpable!  There were no signs warning that the road ended and no directions about how to get to the other side from where we were.  We were left to our own ingenuity and devices to find our way across.

That moment of utter futility has served as a metaphor for my life and ministry ever since. For the majority of my public ministry which spanned the last twenty years of the 20th Century and now the first decade of the 21st Century, "Church Inc." has been busy building super highways.  We've called them by various names:  Inerrancy, Defense of Marriage, Anti - Homosexuality, and more recently a resurrection of arguments over the nature of Election when it comes to salvation.

We have cussed and fussed our way down super highways where we have spent millions of dollars and countless hours of energy making sure we can move through these complicated issues with speed and great influence.  Our leaders have been nearly monthly commentators on news opinion programs as we've been successful in holding at bay many perceived social and moral threats.  Don't get me wrong, I am not in favor of a neutered sacred text, and I think marriage is between a man and a woman, and yes, I believe God is in charge of salvation, I am humble enough to admit I'm not sure how he calls an elect from among all of us. 

However, THERE IS NO STINKING BRIDGE TO THE OTHER SIDE!

We now stand at a precipice with the next generation starring at us from the other side.  No matter how loud we yell, they don't hear us, nor understand us (that is for another dose of randomness). Perhaps in all of our huffing, puffing and the expenditure of way too much money and effort we should have designated some resources on ensuring that we could bridge the gap to the next generation. They do not understand our holy wars, and speak a very different emotional language than us and look at us like one would an exhibit in a museum.

I can't help but hear Jesus say things like, "lay down your life", "the first shall be last", "go the extra mile".  Somehow, it seems we heard him say, "win elections", "dictate to the culture to came to us first". For those of you who know me well, I understand that it is often my nature to stand and scream at the problem.  I am done with that!  I think, it is time to climb down from the superhighway and try building a footbridge to the other side.  After all the way to peace and grace is narrow and difficult!

What a Difference a Month Makes

Today I am flying home from Fayetteville having just delivered Leah and the boys and a dog named Nova.  This was the second leg of a round trip odyssey between Fayetteville and St. Louis interrupted by a month's long visit by Leah to family while Jon was away in Louisiana on a training mission.  The first leg of the trip was incredibly eventful, as David, who is two struggled at times with the requirements of sitting strapped in a car seat for 8 hours two days in a row.

This trip was much calmer.  In the span of one month David has learned how to entertain himself with various toys and talking in 'Davidese' to Leah and I.  I really should improve my linguistics!  Erik has awakened to the world around him and plays with the toys dangling above him from his car seat.  When awake he coos and loves to giggle at his mom.

AND, Leah and I talked the whole trip.  TALKED, really talked.  She had a very difficult situation occur while she as home and it became an avenue for us to connect in ways we had not at this point.  In fact, while she was home she opened up to Pam and I and Pam's sister and brother-in-law who came for a visit.

The growth of two little boys and a daughter-in-law with her father-in-law's relationship are a reminder that change happens.  In fact, everything changes.  The only things that do not change are dead. For you perfectionists I know that dead things decay - not the kind of change I want to be a part of!

Faith changes.  It grows in understanding, dedication, risk, angst - you name it Faith is meant to change.  If you grew up in the religious traditions that I grew up with, the focus was almost exclusively upon the initial aspect of faith.  The problem with that is, yes, every journey begins with the first step, but no journey of any value has only one step.

In recent months my faith has been stretched, pushed, pummeled, blessed and changed.  I'm am not sure what is around the next bend but the twists and turns over the years cause me to have a deep trust that the rest of this journey is in the hands of someone else, someone who cares in ways I cannot begin to fathom.

Peace

Poets and Theologians Society

We are beginning an informal group for guys to eat some good food and chat about life, God, family, God, work, God, getting old, and God.  A friend came up with the tongue in cheek name, Poets and Theologians Society.  I lobbied for adding Dead Heads in the title so that I would feel more at home, but so far the name has not gained any support.

Our focus will be learning from each other and perhaps from some really wise believers who've gone before us and a few who are still on this side of the dirt.

When the idea was presented one fellow pilgrim mentioned that he wanted to be a part of the group because, "I have some serious questions bout this whole faith thing."  He went on to add, "Sometimes I really struggle with doubts and feelings of inadequacy."

As I said to him, so I say to you, 'Following Christ is not about having all the answers, in fact, it may be about having a whole new set of questions.  For those of us who have longed to have honest dialogue about stuff bigger than ourselves, I am looking forward to this opportunity to break bread together and open our hearts to one another.  Somehow I think this is what Jesus wanted for his disciples.

We are meeting on Friday evening, October 22nd, 6 PM at Casa De Vino which is in the same building complex as our offices.  They have a moderately priced appetizer oriented menu and specialize in pizzas.

We will be meeting outside in there garden area (there will be heaters) that way some of you who have talked about your burnt offerings can do so without choking the rest of us!

Come join us for an informal, relaxing opportunity to get to know one another and learn what God may have in store as well.