More than an issue or two

Now it starts.

Romney is against gay marriage. Obama is for it. And if I’m reading it all correctly battle lines are being drawn around one issue.  Big mistake. There’s more than one issue. How about … immigration, poverty, terrorism, health care, race relations, civil rights,  the deficit, life issues , the global economy, crummy schools, and violence on our streets???

I’m interested in all of the above. But many will be driven to one or two issues only and dismiss the rest. That’s a mistake.

Recently a prominent Southern Baptist pastor endorsed Mitt Romney for the Presidency of the United States.  Here’s what the news report said: …the pastor … says “he still doesn't believe Mormons are Christians.” But he says voters will have to choose "between a Christian like Barack Obama, who embraces non-biblical principles, and a Mormon like Mitt Romney who embraces biblical principles like the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage."

As soon as I read this I began thinking “Oh no, here we go again.” 

So, Romney gets the pastor’s endorsement partly because he’s more Christian than Obama it seems. Or in this case, according to the pastor, he’s not really a Christian because of the Mormon thing but he acts like a Christian should. Obama, a professing Christian, doesn’t act like one or at least the way this pastor defines it.  So, he doesn’t get the endorsement. Confused?

I don’t mind a pastor endorsing a candidate if he/she chooses and I’m willing to cut the pastor a little slack. I’ve been interviewed and thought that the entirety of what I was saying wasn’t covered well. With that said, I do worry that the phrase ‘embraces biblical principles like the sanctity of life and the sanctity of marriage’ will be just the start of  a litmus test parade of narrowly defined issues that any candidate wanting the Christian vote will need to adhere to. If a candidate checks enough boxes then Christians can vote for that candidate.  And God help a candidate that happens neglects to check certain boxes. (For the record life and marriage issues are important to me)

Have you ever had someone hand little checklists out at your church during election time? On it you find someone’s opinion of the proper Christian position on issues of importance. Check enough boxes and you’ve got your candidate. Many people take these little checklists into the voting booth and dutifully vote for the right man or woman. I’m not a fan of those lists.  Here’s why.  Not all the issues that should be of importance to Christians are on the checklist and the definitions of the issues that are on the list are often inadequate.

Elections are more complicated than a check list.  Honest.

Personally, I’m interested in candidates who are thoughtful about all the vital issues of the day and I’m curious about whether or not there appears to be some prayerful reflection on how these things play out in our life together.  There has to be some coherent ethic of life and faith that weaves through a candidates thinking for me to sit up and take notice.  In all honesty, I don’t think any candidate is going to agree with me 100%.  But I’m interested in their breadth and depth of response.  Is their point of view broad enough to consider the magnitude of issues before us?

I happen to think that both candidates do embrace biblical principles and consider them as they think through policy positions. At least that’s what I like to believe. Call me an optimist. I also think that both can be amazingly shallow, at times, in addressing breadth and depth issues. I also believe that they are under crazy pressure from interest groups of all stripes and that they can easily choose to appease the loudest voice promising more votes. That’s scary.

What I’m looking for this year is someone who is consistently, morally thoughtful and brave. When I cast my ballot I don’t want to be voting for a sound byte accompanied by a scripture verse and an endorsement.   Neither do you.  That’s not good citizenship. The issues are many and amazingly complicated.  Look beyond the check list, beyond the endorsement. Do your homework. Ask the hard questions. Pray like crazy. Get involved. 

www.mike-ascend@blogspot.com

In Between Time

How many times in your life have you lived with a sense that ‘something is changing’?  You might sense a subtle change in a spouse’s behavior, a friend is less available, or you might find yourself further out of the loop in the workplace.  Something is happening.  You’re sure of it but if asked for proof you don’t quite have anything concrete.  It’s just a feeling, a sense of something that’s out of the ordinary.  Your antenna goes up.  If you do confide in someone they might think you’re trying to borrow trouble but deep inside there is a gnawing unrest that can’t be explained away. There’s enough evidence to satisfy your gut feeling but not enough to persuade anyone else.

It’s a time when ‘what was’ starts to slowly morph into ‘what’s next’.  But it’s a troubling time. It’s what I call ‘in between time’.  It can be simply awful when fears take over, strangling any attempt at forward motion.  Or it can be a time when someone can stare their fears in the face thwarting whatever force is trying to take them down.

Things change.  All the time. 

I’m writing this on Good Friday.  If we were in Jerusalem on this day way back when we’d certainly see and smell change in the air. What we knew was ending.  Some else was brewing.  Jesus goes into the tomb.  And ‘in between’ time begins.  “What’s next” had to be the primary thought going through the mind of anyone close to Jesus.  Was it all over? Had we just wasted three years of our life?  Death is pretty final. The Romans and the Jewish leaders appear to have the upper hand.  Now what?  Am I next? Where can I hide?

Who knows what happened in the ‘in between time’ starting late Friday afternoon and ending on what we now knows as Easter morning?  How many tears were shed and how many fingers were pointed?  How much faith was left? 

It’s one of the great unknowns of scripture.  My guess is that fear was present. There was a great cloud of unknowing hovering.  Some may have shown false bravado and others might have acted as if they had been crucified and buried, not Jesus. We don’t know.  All we do know is that anyone close to Jesus had to live in and through this ‘in between time’ where ‘what was’ no longer exists and ‘what’s next’ has not yet been completely revealed.

I’m thinking about this a lot lately.  I see lots of people going through an ‘in between time’.  Most struggle mightily with it.

As we look at Scripture the time between the death and resurrection of Jesus doesn’t have a whole lot written about it.  We don’t know what was going on in the hearts and minds of those who loved Jesus the most.

Here’s what we do know. After Jesus died some took it upon themselves to take the next best step.  They asked for the body and did what they could before Sabbath to do a burial.  There wasn’t time to do it completely right but they did what they could.  This was a courageous step by the way.  They had to overcome fear in order to do what was right. 

Those who didn’t bury Jesus seemed to have gathered together in accordance with Sabbath customs.  They relied on religious and cultural habit to order their time.  Sometimes in the ordinary practice of what we know is true and good we can find ways to live in the ‘in between time’.

When Sabbath was over, the women went to finish the task of preparing the body.  They put their life into motion, doing the right thing as prescribed by their faith.

So in the ‘in between time’ between death and resurrection we see some courageous action and reliance on religious habit even in the face of doubt and pain. Faith and Action. Action and Faith.

What do we do when we face the ‘in between times’ of life?  We do the next right thing, in the right way, with the right attitude.  And we fall back into the faith habits of our life hoping that in the familiar things God will speak to us. We put our life into motion and rely on what we know is true, and good and noble to guide us.

www.mike-ascend.blogspot.com

Easy to Hate

Have you ever thought about what Jesus's command to love enemies and pray for persecutors is all about? It's a tough passage of scripture. (Matthew 5: 38-48) It's almost counterintuitive or at least countercultural.

It's easy to hate. Just look at the world around us. Go to the middle east and witness what centuries old patterns of hate and an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth have wrought. Read the the stories of the violence recently in Chicago. Over what? A corner. A grudge that had to be avenged. A misspoken word. Turn on a talk radio show and listen to the unreasonable ranting and raving and you wonder if there's any sanity left in this world. Watch the political ads and if you don’t cringe when you hear the attack dogs barking …well, something is wrong. There is an appalling lack of impulse control these days.

And often, we as Christians are right in the mix.

I once worked at a bible church and received a call from someone who knew I had grown up Roman Catholic. "Hey, Mike, we're staring a group for ex Catholics and wanted to see if you'd like to attend?" I said, "Sure, but you need to know something. I'm not angry. I thank God for my upbringing and for the men and women who helped shape me." "Oh," the person said. "Well maybe this group wouldn't be for you."

We like to pick sides, choose teams, argue and debate. And much of that is so healthy. But I'm convinced that the rapid demise of civility is the result of us not desiring to love in the radical way of Jesus. And so what we do instead is marginalize those who are different and/or difficult and label them our enemy.

This loving our enemy stuff doesn't mean that we don't have disagreement and even vigorous debate around culture and moral issues. It doesn't mean we become a doormat. It does means that in the midst of the heat of the battle we are to bear in mind that Jesus calls us to a higher standard and that's to love our enemy and to pray for those who persecute us. To see all people as having worth because they are made in the image and likeness of God.

Jesus, in scripture, tells the Jews to suffer the humiliation of being forced by a Roman to carry his gear for one mile (a law by the way) and to offer to take the gear another mile yet.Why? One commentator says that by "offering to go a second mile you'd be saying that you can't insult me because my life is secure in the beautiful kingdom of God. And so, let me give you a taste of God 's amazing grace. Let me carry your burden one more mile."

And therein lies the secret. We can love our enemies and pray for our persecutors only as a response to what God is doing in our lives. And even then, I do admit, it can be a difficult road to travel.

We live in a world desperately in need of extravagant love. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. "

This is an important word for us at this time in our history. We've got to quit hating and we've got to stand up to the haters. We gotta quite believing that our hate will solve problems. Perhaps we should follow the advice of a British pundit who said ..."Perhaps the only people we should try to get even with are the ones who have done us good."

Love builds the bridge. Nothing else. Love. Period. Love is a process and always a decision. It's a decision to look long and hard enough to see the image of God in a person. It's a decision to move towards them, often starting with prayer.

Hate locks us a prison of bitterness and revenge. Love frees us. To often we can find ourselves in ugly battles with people …always analyzing who’s up and who’s down, always seeking the upper hand, analyzing every slight …that’s no way to live. And Jesus offers a way out of that …love. And then he makes a striking promise …When you love even your enemies …then you will be known as my sons and daughters.

www.mike-ascend.blogspot.com

Thinking about Technology

I was reading in Leadership Journal and this statement was made by 29 year old Jonathan Merritt in an article entitle ‘Outlooks on Outreach’: “… racism was a blind spot for my dad's generation. But at least now they do see it, and people like my dad have confessed it as a sin. I'm not sure my generation even sees our blind spots yet. For instance, my generation is addicted to our technology, but we don't have a clue how this is affecting our spiritual lives.”

I don’t think it’s just a younger generation that is addicted to technology and I believe that most of us haven’t figured out whether or not technology is good or bad for our soul. And for those who believe soul care care benefits from technology I wonder if some thinking has to be done as to when enough is enough.

My own experience with technology lends me to believe that it has the ability to consume me.  I am hugely wired compared to many.  I have four email accounts, I tweet occasionally, and  I blog, Facebook is a must see every day (often every day). I have a Kindle, an ipod, iphone and an ipad. I love my Apple TV.  And I don’t like to check into a hotel that doesn’t have internet access.  So, is all this good for my soul or not?

My admission. At first blush  technology takes me further from God and doesn’t bring me closer to Him. It has often kept me from eye to eye contact with people I care about.  The time I spend randomly accessing random things could be better spent in some rather old-fashioned things like prayer, reading Scripture, helping others, and face to face conversation.

So, am I ready to go back to a rotary phone, an abacus, and a typewriter?  Hardly.   A second look at my technology habit makes me realize that all too often it controls me instead of my controlling it.  When I control it, technology is a great tool.  A really great tool.  When it controls me then it becomes my priority instead of  being the means to a greater end.

Dallas Willard talks about having a Vision, Intention, and Means for our life (VIM).  My vision for my spiritual and relational life is not to have it consumed by technology.  Instead, it is to cultivate the habits necessary to grow my soul and my friendships. I want to expand my potential in each area and not limit it..  Deciding how to use technology wisely and in appropriate time constraints can help me in my soul cultivation and relational connectivity.

If I don’t have the proper intentionality I will be guided by the tyranny of the urgent.  And one thing technology is adept at delivering is the notion that everything is urgent and important.  It’s not.  Much of what I do with technology has no importance whatsoever.

Could I live without technology? Certainly.  But I do love some of the simple pleasures it brings to my life.  I love carrying a huge library of books and music in a tiny package.  I don’t miss pay phones.  And typing on a laptop beats that old typewriter any day of the year. So, getting rid of technology is not something I’m yearning to do.

But hear me.  Technology is problematic for me.  Maybe for you too.  It’s not just some kind of neutral force.  It has an ability to snatch our time and energy.  It’s use gives the appearance of productivity. It becomes, all too often, the means and the end.  It defines our vision instead of serving it.  It can become a god of sorts. That should concern us.

Lives Refocused

There are times when one can only smile.

Two or three times a year a group of people walks into our church seeking to refocus their lives.They are wounded. Broken. Life has thrown them a curve ball and they don't know what to do.

For a few it was thirty years ago or even more when they stood at an altar and said "I do" and "til death do us part." For others the memory is more recent. No one dreamed on the day of their wedding that one day they would walk into a workshop admitting that their marriage is beyond fixing. That admission paves the way for their healing.

I spent this weekend with people needing a hefty dose of both care and challenge as they dealt with the end of one of their dreams. On Thursday evening they walk in wondering why they even bothered to come. On Saturday afternoon they leave believing that God just might have a hope and a future for their life. That's why I smile.

People who attend our workshop are brave people. It's not easy to face failure. Almost all have been hurt badly. Trust has been broken. More than a few carry deep resentment as a constant companion. Anger is just below the surface. They are angry at God, themselves, and especially the spouse who chose to walk away.

Some come from churches that treat the breakup of a marriage as something akin to the leprosy in biblical times. There is much judgment and not much grace. Our church has decided to err on the side of grace and leave the judgment to a good God.

It's funny about divorce and the church. We know divorce is not God's best for our lives.
We allow it because Jesus said we could under certain circumstances. But God help those whose circumstances aren't spot on. In many churches if one divorces poorly then they have committed what is tantamount to a sin that can't be forgiven. It would be better to be a murderer in their eyes. I even know of people who pray that their spouse commits adultery so they can have a church sanctioned 'out' on their unhappiness. Oh, what we do to manipulate scripture to fit our purposes.

Our church believes that even poorly constructed marriages are not beyond the healing touch of God. And marriages do get put back together. But not often the ones of the people who come to the workshop I co-lead. Not those marriages. Often it is too late. And the people who walk into the room come in alone. Its hard to heal a marriage when only one person wants to save it. But God cares not just about a marriage he cares about the people of that marriage. And so we deal with the 'one' who shows up and we help them deal with the pain of it all. Even those whose marriages end without the biblical trump card neatly being played.

So, we talk for three days. We talk about how anger can create bitterness, the power of forgiveness, of drawing close to the God of all comfort, of preparing to write the next chapter of their life. And slowly, we see a flicker of hope arise. The somberness begins to fade. Community develops for a time. God ministers to parched souls, convicts people of sin, and wraps men and women in arms of love. It's not easy. Who wants to embrace their pain, deal with their own sinfulness, and confess their failures? It's much easier to point a finger at someone else instead of taking responsibility for our own life. But pointing a finger is not what God calls people to do. He wants us, instead, to face up to the current reality and with His help to take steps (baby steps if necessary) towards writing a redemptive story for the rest of their lives.

When that story starts to be written ... who wouldn't smile?

Be. Thoughtful.

There’s some things off limits to discussion in just about every church. We find it hard to talk about war, poverty, justice, immigration, abuse, politics, Israel, and life issues.  Why?

In just about every church there is an assumption that just about everyone is in lockstep on important cultural and theological issues.  After all, most church folks believe, we (our congregation) has landed on the correct biblical and theological landing place for just about everything.

And so at many churches one dares not utter a contrarian viewpoint in fear of being shunned or labeled.   And one learns quickly not to ‘think out loud’ lest they get pounded on by the gatekeepers of church order and decorum. That’s actually why a lot of people leave churches.   They feel they have to conform to some ‘group think’ in order to be accepted. 

It’s hard to be a liberal in most evangelical churches.  And try being a conservative voice in a church with a more open theology.  It takes a bit of courage to be that ‘other’ voice.

I once mentioned CNN in a sermon and was chided by someone who said “we’re a FOX church”.  Really.  I thought we were a Jesus church.

I once had a group of evangelicals walk away from me because I told them that I first met Jesus in a Catholic Church. They couldn’t handle it. It shattered their paradigm of  proper conversion. And so instead of grappling with it they just chose to dismiss me.

We don’t like to hear things that shatter our illusions of what’s right.  And frankly there are a fair amount of illusions of rightness all around us.

All the big issues of the day need to have ‘thoughtfulness’ woven in and through every discussion. Christ followers need to be part of that discussion.  But how many Christ followers are thoughtful enough to consider someone else’s viewpoint as having value.  Too few. Why?  Because we’re too wrapped up in our notion of being right.

And here’s the big, bad, dark secret of the church.  Much of our thinking is really, really, really not biblically informed.  We’ve latched on to a word, a phrase, or a verse to make simplistic applications that support our version of the truth around very complex issues. Worse yet. We grab on to a political or economic point of view and try to make it seamlessly tie into scripture. That’s crazy.

And here’s another secret.  We are unwilling to be faced with another way of looking at things.  In fact, we look for churches filled with people just like us.

I’d like to start a movement called “Be thoughtful”.  In order to join the movement one must pledge to read widely (that means outside your comfort zone), to seek out other good people who think differently and actually have a conversation where you spend most of your time listening for understanding, and to purposefully listen and watch news shows that just might tick you off.  To ‘be thoughtful’ means to intentionally become informed beyond what you currently know even to the point of possibly changing your mind.

We need each other.  We really do. But if we sterilize our thinking and limit our access to differences we will only surround ourselves with tame people who will only parrot back to us what we already know.  That’s really not much fun.

Perhaps we’ve been taught to stay away from controversy.  That’s very sad. What if we all became safe enough so that talking and more importantly listening our way through an issue became the norm?  

Snow, Tebow, Cowardice and other Brain Blurts

We had a modest snow in Chicagoland last night Enough to snarl traffic and compel me to rev up the snow blower. I actually don't mind shoveling and snow blowing. It's actually one of the few things I do that has a sense of finality to it. I can look at our walks and driveway and can actually say 'well done'. I can see the result of my labors and I like what I see. If only all of life were so easy.

Interesting to hear the Republican front runner claim that he didn't make much last year from his public speaking. Only a shade under $400,000. Chump change I guess. Think people. Think.

It's said that fear can make cowards of us all. We saw that play out tragically in the cruise ship disaster in Italy. Of course, I wonder what I might have done. The impulse to save our own skin is pretty strong. I do think we have a world full of cowards who stand up for just about nothing but sure can talk a good game at a cocktail party, on a radio talk show call in, or around the water cooler. I'm asking myself this week if their are any 'ships' I'm currently abandoning. Who needs me to get 'back on board'?

It looks like 2012 might be an economic roller coaster. News from around the economic world isn't bright. Who or what am I trusting these days? Not the euro, not the dollar. Thinking that we're all going to need to hunker down with God, in community, and with our eyes alert for helping out those in need.

I'm not looking forward to the 2012 elections. It's going to be nasty. Nasty isn't the means to the end that we need. There are some fundamental issues at stake this time around. I have a sneaking hunch that the way we talk about issues and to each other is going to need to change. Nothing on the immediate horizon leads me to believe that either side is going to look for win/win solutions. How have we lost the ability to sit down, at opposite sides of a table, and civilly make progress on issues?

I like Tim Tebow. I'm not sure if he'll ever amount to much more than he already is as a quarterback but I love his heart and his genuine love for those on the margins of life. May his tribe increase ...along with his arm strength. And for all who make fun of his love for God I'd love to hear you articulate your core beliefs in some sort of winsome way.

Rules change. No more timeouts in the last two minutes of any game. Coaches should teach their players how to adjust on the fly in all kinds of game situations. Pet peeve of mine. That's one of the reasons soccer is the world's game. It depends on the players being coached up so that they have to think for themselves in tight situations.

Speaking of sports. I get tired of coaches who are applauded for their 16 hr. a day work ethic. I'd prefer that they get a life, keep their marriages strong, and know their kids. Why do we desire role models who live insanely?

I was listening to a Christian radio station the other day and every inference was that political conservatives are good and liberals are bad. Who made that rule? Those kind of inferences don't play well in most Christian circles. Nor does any inference that liberals have everything wired and conservatives are all whacko.

I was listening to a sports talk show last week. Some of the callers really do need to get a life. Is it possible to care too much about a game? The answer is _____________?

Reading "The Hunger Games". Bravo. Well done. Nice punchy style, moves well, riveting story line, and raises heaps of issues very much germane to what we're facing in the good 'old USA and for that matter the entire western world.

To not lose track ...

Author Frederick Buechner once said "To lose track of our stories is to be profoundly impoverished not only humanly but also spiritually."

Tomorrow, many will have a holiday. It’s in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr..  And, I for one, am glad we honor his life and accomplishments. I don’t want to lose sight of his story.

The life and work of Martin Luther King paved the way for much of what we enjoy right now.  Every time I see a group of young women play high school or college sports I am very thankful.  I grew up in a time when young women didn’t have access.  As I sit with co-workers at Breakthrough around a leadership table I’m thankful that there are not just white faces looking back at me.  When we toured the Martin Luther King Center a few years ago in Atlanta I had to chuckle.  Our guide was a white man. And he was blind. He wouldn’t have had that job unless others stood their ground and demanded equal access to opportunity.  Martin Luther King would have been smiling and proud.

These things are the good result of what civil rights workers called ‘the struggle’.  The struggle for opportunity.  The struggle for access.  The struggle for color blindness.  The struggle to see all people as having worth.  The struggle to help the spiritually and morally blind to see again. The struggle to wrestle power from those who abuse power. And it was done, not for the hope that someday, a national holiday would be proclaimed and schools would be closed.  No it was done with the hope that America could live into its belief that all men and women are created equal.  That they are children of God.  

King and the civil rights community believed that every person deserved to be free, to be treated as persons not things, and to be valued as full members of the kingdom of God. And in order for that to happen people like us would form a ‘beloved community’ where diversity is embraced, where the content of one’s character is more important than skin color; where love, justice, and peace emerge as the preeminent norms for all relationships; and where institutional power is humanized by moral values so that justice reigns.

That struggle is not complete.

There are great divides still in our world. In big and small ways we find people at odds. Sometimes it’s economic divides, sometimes geographic, sometimes ethnic, sometimes sexual and still there are racial divides.  We cannot sit comfortably, in our world, when we know the world is a mess for others.  And I think God wants us to walk into the midst of those messes by standing against injustice and by changing the world through one act of love after another.

The civil rights movement was a turning point in the life of America.  It opened doors, clarified mission, and called an entire nation to reconsider what it means to be the home of the brave and the land of the free.  It would be a shame if we lost the meaning of this story for in many respects the ‘struggle’ continues. May we choose to be part of it.

www.mike-ascend.blogspot.com

Leaning right?

I'm a conservative. Maybe not in the way you define it but I'm pretty well convinced that I lean to the right. You see, I have a high regard for what happened long ago. The lessons of the past need to inform the here and now. If not, we're doomed to keep repeating the failures of the past. I believe government needs to serve the needs of the people and to do it with grace, dignity, and some degree of frugality. Smaller government is better unless it can't get the job done. Then bigger might be necessary.


And because I am a conservative I value the life of every individual. Those unborn. Those on the margins. Even immigrants. Whether they are here legally or not. Whether they are working or not. I care about gay people and straight people too. I care about those who act stupidly and those who are hurt because they are surrounded by abusively mean people. I'm a big fan of the Christian scriptures. Those words tell me that all people matter to God. All people. In fact, I matter to Him. And there are times when I wonder why.


I believe, however, that people who matter to God often do things that show their disdain for Him. And I believe we all will reap what we sow.


I'm not a big fan of taxes except when a police officer arrives quickly and the roads I travel are smooth. Then I thank God for the opportunity to pay for those comforts and am willing to pay more.


It doesn't matter to me that children don't pray publicly in public schools. For I know millions pray privately and that private prayer is not something that can be thwarted.


As a conservative I vote for both red and blue. Who really believes one party embodies all that conservatism embraces? Only ideologues I'm afraid.


I embrace term limits except for those office holders who are doing a really, really good job. Then, I'm open for more of the same.


As a conservative I believe that when a government official apologizes for national arrogance he/she is quite possibly doing the will of God. My country right or wrong has always been a silly mantra.


I believe that people and nations need to be reconciled to each other. I believe that's what the Bible teaches. I'm conservative enough to believe that God trumps country and that any attempt to place country on the same mountaintop with divinity is an exercise in both futility and idolatry. And yet God wants us to be good citizens.


I'm against entitlements but understand why some are necessary. And I'm wise enough to know that whatever is supposed to trickle down the economic pipe all too often ends up getting stuck somewhere and stays stuck.


As a Christian conservative I know that the church isn't up to the task of caring for the needy. Anyone suggesting otherwise has never compared church budgets to the gross income of its members. There's a gap between rhetoric and pocketbook.


As a conservative I believe that God helps those who helps themselves except when they can't and then I'm expected to step up to help. If I'm too busy conserving only my way of life then I'm way too busy.


As a conservative I'm embarrassed about what happens on Wall Street. I don't believe that prosperity is a signal from heaven that God loves us more. If anything, prosperity is a signal that we should be giving more.


Shrill conservative voices lack thoughtfulness and groundedness. I cringe when I hear them. I believe that complex problems are not easily solved by cutthroat decision making.


Am I really a conservative? I think so. I believe that choices should be rooted in an authoritative source. That source is consistent with all that is good throughout history. And it beckons me to live within what Jesus called the unforced rhythms of grace.


Perhaps that's what it's all about. Graceful conservatism. An appreciation of all that has been good and noble and true and a desire to build upon all that goodness, nobility, and truth ...gracefully.


Of course, graceful conservatism isn't that many degrees separated from graceful liberalism. Nor should it be.  What's lacking in our lean to either right or left is a grounding in something/someone that anchors our thoughts, our dialogue and our action.  My hunch is that most people who lean to the point of almost falling over don't know why they believe what they believe.  And it shows in their interactions with anyone who believes differently. Therein lies the problem that plagues us.  We just don't know anymore.  And our unknowing is creating quite a mess.

I Have Issues

Two words have been in the back of my mind for awhile. I'm beginning to think they are God's words for me in 2012.

The first word is ...deeper. I think it means to go deeper in the things that matter to God.
Deeper in those things that will make a difference in my own life and in the life of those I care about. Things that will help me to think, pray, and serve with more effectiveness.

In order to go deeper there are some things I need to deal with. They are things that prepare me to live quite well in the shallow end of the pool but totally unprepared to dive into the deep end. In other words, I have issues. For those of you who know me well that doesn't come as a huge surprise. It doesn't surprise me either. The big question is whether or not I will remain content to play in the shallows even though I know I'm being called to the deep. Maybe you can relate.

The second word is ...bolder. I have seen a distressing habit developing in my life. I'm holding back too often. I'm not saying what needs to be said. I'm not writing what needs to be written. I'm not acting decisively when decisiveness is needed. If there is a valley that needs to be crossed on the way to 'wimpiness' I fear I might just be smack dab in the middle of it. It's not a good place to be. It's a place of fear.

It's interesting, In order to be bold I will need to go deep. In order to go deep I will need to be bold.

Two words. Good words and desires for 2012. Let's see what God does with it all.

Finding the Life God Intended

Today, I realized something about myself.  It’s not something I’m happy about.  I find that I’m settling for what is all too often and not fighting for what’s best.  I see crazy things all around me and I’m not stepping towards being part of the solution.  I’m holding back instead of coming out swinging.  I’m doing too much talking about making a difference instead of being a difference maker.

It’s easy to sit back and watch isn’t it?  Name the issue and we can persuade ourselves that it’s beyond our influence.  We really are narcissistic people for the most part aren’t we?  It’s all about us.

Why are we mad at Congress? I’m thinking that basically it’s because their inability to act keeps us from having what we want.  It has very little to do about the inspirational fiber and fabric of our life together I don’t think we want Congress to do what’s right if that means we might have to think and act differently. Do we?  We want every law, every movement to benefit us.  We don’t want them to be brave at our expense. We are the entitled ones.  And when we don’t get what we want when we want it we throw our own little hissy fits in the hopes that, once again, it will be enough to carry the day.

I wonder if we will ever live noble lives as long as we only think of ourselves.  At the heart of all that plagues us these days is good old fashioned selfishness.  It’s all about us. And that’s what we fight for.  Our wants, perceived needs, our mistaken goals, and culturally saturated interpretations of religions creeds, writings, and traditions. 

And we are people who play it safe.  We allow the talking heads on TV and radio (secular and religious) to think for us and then we parrot that particular party line to others who listen to and watch the same vacuous personalities who care not a whit about noble causes or goals.  And we never put skin in the game ourselves. Or not enough skin that makes it necessary to trust God.

I’m struck by how much the scriptures of the Christian faith are a ‘call to action’.  They call us to live on the edge of adventure and to use power and influence on behalf of those who have less.  And that means going to bat for millions who have no voice and who would be satisfied with 5% of most of our net worth.  But selfishness keeps us in safe places, tithing to ourselves, playing safe little religious games and critiquing anyone brave enough to dive into the deep end of the pool.

At the end of the year 2011 I’m surprised about how I’ve allowed the status quo to shape me even when I know better.  It’s amazing (in each and every setting I’m in) how much I’ve quieted my voice.  Have I forgotten how God long ago asked me to step up and out for the sake of the kingdom?

We’re facing 2012 in the face.  I’m asking God to point out to me what’s standing in the way of being the man He wants me to be.  Do I need more courage?  Is sin robbing me of effectiveness?  Bad habits?  Laziness?  Indifference?  Whatever it is I want to be cured of it. 

What about you?  Ask God what’s standing in the way of being the man/woman he wants you to be.  Listen.  Listen again.  Ask others to listen with you.  And when you hear the voice of God act on it.  He will ask you to shed some things and he will adjust some attitudes.  Then ask the good God for a vision of how he wants you to live your life.  Listen hard to this one.  For if you are entitled you will find your life being challenged.  Honest.  Guarantee it.  But jump into the vision for it’s there you will find your life. That’s my aim, by the way.  To recapture the life God intended for me.

Check out my blog Murph’s Place at www.mike-ascend.blogspot.com

I'm Voting For

I've been following some of the national election coverage and keeping an eye on local developments  It's a bit discouraging.  National trust in elected officials is at an all time low.  Its understandable. If the election were tomorrow I'd choose to vote for candidates who believe that:

1. People matter.  All people. White people, black people, brown people, straight people, gay people, citizens, immigrants (legal and not) the young, the old, the rich and the poor.

2. Some of those people might need more help than the others.  Sometimes it's their own fault they need help.  More often it's not.  Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, once said that "our hearts should break over the thing that break the heart of God".  From my vantage point I want to err on the side of grace, not judgment.  I'm not suggesting we abandon the law but when the law turns its back on those in need we disobey God.

3. Sound byte answers aren't really answers.  They sound silly too.

4. Waste and mismanagement is killing us and it can't continue to happen.

5. It's possible and desirable to find common ground with the other party. This is a no brainer I think.

6.The discouraged majority is looking for high road leadership.

7.  The courage to make tough decisions is desirable.

8. Signing a pledge is not a leadership strategy. In fact, it limits your creative options.

9. You don't have to have a ready answer for everything. And anyone who thinks you should doesn't understand the complexity  of the issues before us.

10. The problems we have will require a shared sacrifice to fix.  That means the average voter is going to have to realize that we are going to have to be part of the solution.  That solution is going to cost us all.

11. A moral compass should be acquired.  There is a higher authority who is available for consultation.

12. We're not playing games.  The economy, terrorism, corruption , entitlement issues (the most entitled seem to be those of us who have much), global hunger, disease, sex trafficking, a crumbling infrastructure, health care, etc.  are not issues to be trifled with.

What's on your list?  What are you looking for in your next alderman, state rep, congressman, senator, and president.  Do you really know? If not, why? For if we don't know what/who we want we can only blame ourselves for the mess we'll find ourselves in.

As a person involved in Christian leadership I feel a deep obligation to talk about the issues of our day. You'll notice in this post that I'm not asking you to cast your vote for a particular party or candidate.  That isn't my role.  I am asking you to care deeply enough about the elections coming up that you will approach it prayerfully and thoughtfully.  Many people are giving up on the political process.  Not this time around ...please. Your list might be different than mine.  That's fine.  I'm OK with that.  I'm not as OK with people who are  allowing some political commentator, religious programmer,  or cynical punditainer make their choices for them. That's not why God gave us a brain and a heart.  We are called upon to make informed choices rooted in a clear understanding of the issues and the variety of options before us. To make uninformed choices seems to be a waste of the giftings God has given us.

Improbable

Have you ever been pursued.  Have you ever been pursued by someone meaning to do you harm?  I have.  It was in high school, freshman year.  Two friends and I were chased by a car load full of guys who were tanked. These guys had a reputation for being mean spirited and always liked to pick on people they considered to be weaker. The chase wasnt long. We were on foot.  They were driving.  We zigged when we should have zagged and ended up cornered in an alley where the guys proceeeded to beat on my two friends.  When it was my turn someone recognized me and realized his father and my father were friends.  I got a reprieve.  But my palms were sweaty and my fear was off the charts.When you’re afraid the pursuit can create quite a bit of an anxiety.

During Advent we talk often about the child Jesus being forced into exile by Herod the Great.  He saw the child as a threat to his throne so he pursued him. I can imagine that leaving Israel for Egypt was anxiety ridden for Mary and Joseph.  When you stare danger in the face that’s part of the equation.

I wonder if Herod would have been as quick to pursue if he understood completely who this child really was. Let’s go to the book of Revelations (19) and take a back of the book sneak peak at the child in the manger in full throttle Godness.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

In the scriptures we get many glimpses of Jesus.  Perhaps none is more dramatic than this passage in Revelations.  The child pursued by the evil king Herod ultimately reveals Himself as the King and Lord of all. This picture of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is stunning in its portrayal of strength and ultimate victory.

Would Herod have been so brazen if he knew he was chasing God? 

It's almost inconceivable that any earthly power would attempt to stand against Jesus if they had the full picture ...right?

As improbable as it sounds  people do.  We do. You have. We will. History is littered with the stories of men and women who dared to think they were beyond the reach of God.  People who, like Herod, made war on God by attacking His creation.

As human beings we have this amazing ability to delude ourselves.  

A few months ago we were at a conference on Coronado Island near San Diego.  We were there when the Navy Seals finished their pursuit of Osama Bin Laden.  Since the Seals are trained on Coronado we decided to go down to an Irish Pub for dinner the next day, where Navy Seals hang out. I remember looking at those guys ...cut, fit, big, big necks, square heads.  And I said to Anita, “You know what’s scary?  Every year, probably several times a year, a group of guys get liquored up somewhere and someone brazenly says “I bet those Seals aren’t all that tough without all their guns and knives.  Let’s go find out.” And so they do. My bet that 100% of the time that they were right. That the Seals aren’t as tough as they thought they were ...in fact, they were tougher.

It’s mind numbing isn't it ... how we’re willing to take on what we know we shouldn’t and often shy away from taking on what we should.  How many, by word and deed even today, show the same kind of disdain Herod did  for God?

If I had been in charge of the coming of Jesus I think I would have been inclined to have sent him on his white horse all tatooed up and forget the baby stuff. To have Him come in power and not hidden. I would have had Him look the powers of this world in the eye and dared them to come against Him. For good reasons God didn't choose me to orchestrate His entrance into the world.  Instead of a show of power he came to continue his pursuit of us cloaked in humility and vulnerability. As improbable as it sounds ... He comes under cover. No white horse.  No army. The Scripture even tells us:

There was nothing attractive about him,

  nothing to cause us to take a second look.

He was looked down on and passed over,

  a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.

One look at him and people turned away.

  We looked down on him, thought he was scum.

But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—

  our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,

  that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,

  that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

  Through his bruises we get healed. Isaiah 53

The improbable choice of God was to identify fully with us. It was from what looked like a place of weakness that he would continue his pursuit of us.  He chose to meet evil with improbable strategies . To play the game without exercising divine prerogatives.  

The strategy of God was to walk among us as one of us, inviting us to embrace our true mission and identity.

And what does He say to us?  My understanding of the good news tells me that he’s saying something like this.

When I made you you were good and created to do good.  Sin damaged you and tainted all of creation.  Nothing is as I intended it to be.  I'm here to heal you, redeem you and  restore you.  I’m here to invite you to join me in the  ongoing work of healing and restoration that will release the creation from the bondage it is in. Will you join me?

In that invitation is the gift of Christmas. 

www.mike-ascend.blogspot.com

Hate Talk

The whole thing only took a minute or two or three but it was chilling. With eyes to the ground, rolling a case of some kind a young Asian man was being verbally assaulted by a couple of quite inebriated college aged guys. It was in Champaign. Anita and I were walking back to our car after an Illini football game.

The verbal assault which called into question heritage, race, and style of speech was ugly in its intent and motivation. The more vocal of the two thought he was being cute and funny. The quieter one primarily giggled his approval. I'm sure they both thought they were being manly and clever. I saw childish and mean spirited.

I stopped long enough to see the Asian man scurry away, out of harms way. And yet I wonder, even now, how the violation of his personhood and the accompanying fear might impact his life. Will he brush it all off or will he forever be looking over his shoulder?

Some might say that it was the beer talking. Nope. I was seeing the drunkenness only revealing what was deep in their heart. And it scared me.

I've seen the hate mongering gene up close and personal many times. It's present in all our lives (that sin thing again). And when it's unleashed it looks ugly. The ugliness can take many forms. It could be verbal taunting, funny little stories with a racial twist, stereotyping, profiling, redlining or even hiding behind the walls of a gated community to escape 'them'.

I've been saying privately to people that my deepest fear is we're only an incident or two away from some sort of mammoth class and racial struggle. The racial and ethnic divides are deep and wide in our country still. Even on college campuses that major in tolerance and diversity. I wonder how much of our struggles with immigration policy, poverty, pluralism and terrorism are rooted in unresolved racial and ethic fears, hurts, and wounds? A lot I think. How deep is our desire to bridge those divides or are we content to maintain them?

In the Book of Ephesians we read that we are God's masterpiece. Yesterday, I saw a masterpiece of God being treated as worthless junk. And it was wrong. Yet, it happens every day, all day.

The line between my indignation and my participation in hate mongering is probably a thin one. I'm capable of much ugliness. It's truly only by the grace of God that I manage to care about doing what is good and noble. And I'm not sure that I always succeed. Today I'm doing well. We'll see what tomorrow brings. My prayer for myself and for you is that we will see hate mongering in all it's manifestations and be bothered by it. So bothered that we will stand up against it. That's risky business. It's also kingdom business And if we see 'hate' taking root in our personal lives let's stand against that too asking a good God to renew a right spirit within us.

My Penn State Story

Today I left Breakthrough around noon to head back out to the western suburbs.  I passed a young man and woman.  They appeared to be arguing.  I slowed down and watched through my rear view mirror.  I saw him violently shove her.  Then he threw a giant roundhouse punch that landed on the side of her head.  More shoving. Then a slap.  No one else was in sight.

I know what I wanted to do.  I wanted to keep driving. And I almost did.  But I couldn’t. So, I turned the car around.  Pulled up near them. Opened my window and asked the girl if she was OK. No response. I asked again.  The young man then started yelling at me. Swearing.  That was fun.

The good news was that my presence stopped the violence.  I pulled up the block a bit but didn’t leave.  I called 911 and then flagged down a passing squad car.  The police officer immediately turned around to deal with the situation.  When I saw him engage the couple in conversation I left.

I’m no hero.  There was a tug of war going on in my head about stopping or driving away.  Interfering in something like this in an urban neighborhood can be a dangerous thing.  I remembered thinking …he might have a gun?  Would he assault me? But I came to the conclusion that I was the only person around who could stop this man from further harming this young woman.  So I intervened. Today, I’m able to look in the mirror and know that I did the right thing.  But I almost didn’t.  I could have called 911 and not stopped but sometimes 911 isn’t always quick to come in some urban neighborhoods.  That wasn’t the best option.  God was telling me I needed to intervene. But I almost didn’t.

Last week the news about Penn State broke.  I understand better today how hard it is to step up in the moment to stop something horrible.  Hard isn’t easy.  It is necessary though for good people to do hard things in order to stop injustice.  That means facing fear, praying for courage, and asking God for protection.  When we don’t lean into our fear and respond with some degree of courage people often get hurt.

On Sunday I was listening to a Christian radio station on my drive to church. I heard the host saying that he had heard about the Penn State child abuse incident but was choosing not to listen to any news details about it.  There was a bit more said that made me wonder if people were being invited to check the issues of the day in the narthex of their church.   I was hoping and praying people wouldn't hear that it doesn't matter what was happening out there in the world.  Or that that all we needed to do was "Praise the Lord" in our holy huddles and all the bad stuff will go away.  If so, I was going to be seriously ill. I was upset that perhaps some would actually believe that it was OK to close their minds and hearts to matters of serious consequence.

In a subsequent good conversation with that host I was assured that the message I heard wasn't the message intended. I will choose to believe in his intention and his heartfelt concern for the victims and his deep love for God. And yet I heard something that caused a strong reaction. Thinking through this I wonder if I wasn't filtering what I was hearing through an all too familiar and unsatisfying grid. Too often the church can close its eyes and ears to the world around them, waiting for the culture to get bad enough soon and then the Lord will come back and take all the good guys away, rescuing us from all things ugly and sinful. While I believe fully in the coming of the Lord again I also believe that we are kingdom builders in the here and now and required to deal with the world as it is as ambassadors of Christ. 

I’ve always believed that people of faith need to know what is happening around them.  I, too, want to praise the Lord but I believe that God wants me to care about the things that matter to Him.  Kids being raped in a shower room matters to God. Such things should inform our worship and bring us to our knees crying in the midst of our outrage and springboard us to action.  To close our eyes to the evil in our world is a sinful act. I was reminded of that when I saw the first punch to a woman’s face today.  Who was God going to use to protect her?  The finger, this time, pointed to me. Tomorrow, maybe you.

www.mike-ascend.blogspot.com

Unhappy Valley

The news out of Happy Valley was grim this week. In the wake of a grand jury report detailing sexual abuse of young boys a sports icon was fired. He was not the perpetrator of the crimes. In fact, he reported one incident. But he failed to take the 'extra steps' necessary to stop fiendish acts from recurring. He took the procedural step in the right direction but not the courageous step to ending the abuse once and for all. I'm reminded of the Amelia Earhart quote "Courage is the price life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things."

As I listened to sports radio this week I was stunned by many of the callers. Many claimed to be heroic figures who would have stopped the nonsense in its tracks if they would have observed the heinous crimes being committed. Talk is cheap. In a world filled with a multitude of horrors bar stool heroes are a dime a dozen. Real heroes and heroines don't have time to call in to talk shows or flex their muscles in front of mirrors. No, they are out in the trenches dealing with injustice and not just posing as protectors of the innocent and oppressed.

How many of us lack the courage to step out in faith to stare evil in the face? Too many. We get wrapped up in our comfort and trivial pursuits while all around us people who Jesus loves are being hurt, starved, abused, tortured, enslaved, belittled, and imprisoned? And we do and say nothing. Often, we put our heads in the sand and our hearts and minds on cruise control and refuse to look at the world the way Jesus sees it. It's wrong and it's sinful.

Joe Paterno said that he should have done more. He's right. But he got caught up in worshipping an idol he helped create ...big time college football. And in order to right the wrong his coach created he would have had to take his eye off the idol and do the right thing even if it meant knocking the Penn State football idol off it's pedestal. He didn't. And now he is suffering the consequences of it all. It's sad because I think Paterno did a lot of good along the way. But in this instance he lacked the courage to the right thing, in the right way.

There have been times in my life when I've been courageous and stood up to evil. There have also been times when I backed away and wallowed in varying degrees of cowardice. As hard as the courageous times were (and they usually are) I don't ever regret stepping up. My times of cowardice carry deep regret as its reward.

To those abused at Penn State we send our prayers that a good God will heal them. May justice be swift for the perpetrators. And for us ...may we open our eyes to the evil around us and may we rise up to become the answers to the prayers of those who suffer.

Trash god

 "Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me.".

That's from the 14th chapter of the book of John. It's Jesus speaking. He's saying "Know me and you’ll know the Father you’ve been dealing with since the earth was created. He is in me. I’m in Him. Believe in me. Trust me on this. I am the road, the way. So believe in me. Trust me."

And in that 'ask' we are presented with a problem.

We struggle with trusting Jesus because, for most ... He's a stranger. We know about God but don't know Him. We don't know the 'me' we're supposed to be trusting and believing in. Why?

I'm guessing we're too busy creating God in our image and likeness instead of being shaped by Him. And so we have a culture filled with all kind of fake gods. There's a Republican god, a Tea Party god, a Democratic god, a rich god, a social justice god, a liberal god, a conservative one and a god who we expect to chase and fetch just like a dog. We have a god that we want to ratify any decision we make, a god of blessing and not sacrifice. But it’s not the real god. It’s a caricature of the real thing. We bow to little gods who look remarkably like us, are safe and controllable and who never ask us to adjust our thinking or our lifestyle. We're so busy with these itsy bitsy little gods that we don't have time to focus our attention on the real deal.

The gods we create are ultimately untrustworthy. I think we know that we can’t really put our faith and trust in them but we do anyway. And when we do, we get mad when they disappoint us because they aren’t up to the big challenges we face.  And then, so many of us, try to blame the real God because he didn’t rescue us from the consequences of our actions. Go figure.

"Believe in me", Jesus says. "Trust me."  It’s God beckoning us to intimacy I think. Real intimacy.

So how do we get there. Let me suggest two important steps.

1. Crush the itsy bitsy little gods that have replaced the real god in your life. Seriously, just trash them. They are just idols. Honest, your political god can't heal the ache in your heart.  Neither can your economic god. Neither can the one who tells you it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in something. Nope. Trash those gods.

2. Search for the real God.  Make it an authentic search. I'd urge you to start by rediscovering Jesus and in the process rediscover yourself.  And the starting point is the New Testament.  Read it with the intent of falling in love with the real God, not the caricature. In the process you'll a lot about yourself. Eugene Peterson says "the bible reads us as we read it." It reveals things about ourself and it reveals to us the personality and work of God.

And then daily give as much as you know about yourself to as much as you know about Jesus and pray for the desire to grow in your understanding of yourself and this good God who loves you so much.

As you grow in your understanding of yourself and of God you might start to notice some gaps between who you are and what you’re sensing God wants to do in your life. We need to pay attention to those gaps. That's where God wants to do his work in our lives.

Author and speaker Margaret Feinberg does something interesting as she travels around. Quite often she’ll ask a complete stranger, her Muslim taxi cab driver, the president of a big corporation, priests, rabbis, and just regular folks this one question. ... “What do you love about Jesus?” Just about everybody has something to say. And actually, most people are quite fond of Jesus not so fond of Christianity.

So this got me thinking if we are going to believe in and trust Jesus we can only do that if we know Him. Describe him. Sense him. Feel him. It’s about the relationship. So, here’s the question. What do you love about Jesus?

My hunch is once you discover the real Jesus believing and trusting in Him will change your life and it will make it easier to trash those little itty bitty gods you serve.  Then watch out.  You'll be a force to be reckoned with.

Being Curious

It's amazing how narrow in outlook people are content to remain. Ask someone:

Politics? Nope. Not interested. All crooks.
Race relations? Not my concern.
Hunger? I'm not hungry so why should I care?
Have you read ...? No time.
What about the euro? It doesn't impact me.
Entitlements? People should get a job.
Religion? To each his own.
Sex trafficking? What?
Educational equity? Don't know what you're talking about..

There's a whole lot of shrugging of shoulders, rolling of eyes and dramatic utterances of 'whatever' these days. Or there is the parroting of a very narrow political or religious perspective that hasn't really been though through very carefully on our part. And I wonder ...have we forgotten how to be curious?

I don't expect people to know about everything but I do expect people to know about more things than they do. We live in a global community. Our lives intersect in very interesting ways. Issues are complex. Without a desire to know about things that matter we are in danger of living lives of extraordinary selfishness and dramatic sinfulness. Without curiosity we are in danger of retreating to ugly little ghettoes of pop culture tweets and text messages where we know a whole lot about things that don't really matter.

What do we need to be curious about? A good starting point is to be curious about the things that break the heart of God. For instance, we need to be curious about things like the plight of the poor, the widow, the stranger and the orphan. That would lead us to ask questions about the distribution of resources, the best ways to deal with immigrants, and the state of health care. And those questions should lead us to an exploration of the issues and asking "how does God want us to respond.". And why do other good people disagree with me? Is there something I'm not getting?

Good prayer is about curiosity. We ask. Where should I go? How should I act? What should be my response be? And we look to a good God to speak, to open doors and opportunities.

I want to be known for being curious. For asking questions and not accepting pat answers. For being uncomfortable with the status quo and for wrestling with mystery. That means I must have habits in my life that include reading widely, listening to opposing points of view, and digging deeper to discover root causes of issues before me, and then accepting and diving into how God wants me to respond. More about that in my next blog.

In Community

I remember something ‘big’ happening to me just prior to leaving for college right after my graduation from high school. It was bigger than big. It had life changing ramifications. I needed to talk to someone. But as I looked around me I couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone within my friendship circles. Maybe it was embarrassment, perhaps fear, for sure confusion reigned in my head. So, instead of seeking help I hunkered down and closed in on myself. I needed others but couldn’t bring myself to share what I needed to share. I needed to share a secret but didn't have anyone I could trust. Talk about feeling lost.

Hunkering down and closing in on myself became a pattern. Occasionally, I'd gather my courage and venture towards openness but most times I found that what I shared got mishandled and used against me. So I hunkered down deeper thinking that what I needed was within myself. It was a lie.

I'm sharing this because I'm writing a series of blogs about what I want to be known for. Thus far I've declared that I want to be known for being present to God and available to others. I now add a desire to be known someone who lives 'in community'. What does that mean? I think it means helping to create community. It means appreciating the communities I already have, It means allowing myself to be known within those communities and to extend myself to know others. It means being nourished and nurtured by community. I think it means being rooted in community.

'Doing life alone' isn't what I want to sign on for. Been there. Done that. Not satisfying.

Let me confess something. I have some very idealized notions of what 'community' is all about. During the course of writing this I've come to realize that my idealism has gotten in the way of appreciating what I already have. And I have plenty. I have been blessed with all kinds of community experiences. What I often lack is an appreciation of them and what they mean for my life. I am blessed.

Now there's a part of me that yearns for a deeper sense of community. That yearning may lead to something new or perhaps God using me as a change agent within existing communities. In all honesty what I long for scares me a bit for it will require something more of me and force me to ask some questions about why I hold back from that which I need.

At the heart of all this,of course, is an understanding that God didn't design us to do life alone. That's never been part of His plan. It's life together. As I look at the world in which we live I have a sense that we're all going to have to rethink notions of community again. The economic, emotional, and spiritual realities of our immediate future are going to force us together in dependent ways. I think we are all going to need to be known for being 'in community'. That's going to require some major paradigm shifts and massive behavioral and attitudinal adjustments. It sounds scary but it also sounds like a great opportunity.

Available to Others

Available. Lots of people are available. Go to any singles bar and you'll find everything from newly available to desperately available. "Just give me a call if you need anything" people will say but not everyone really means it. Lots of folks are not really available but want to give the appearance of availability. I'm like that some time but I'm not proud of it.

One of the things I want to be known for is my availability to others even when it's inconvenient or what they're asking is out of my comfort zone. So I've got to ask God for help dealing with a major strain of selfishness that has managed to root itself far too deeply in my life. I've got to learn to get over myself and move towards others.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not a complete mope but I'm also not where I know God wants me to be. It's a growing edge and a golden opportunity. And I'm thankful for that.

Of course, none of us can be all things to all people and as a means of protection we've learned to set up boundaries. Boundaries are a good thing but only if we're not hiding behind them. I know people who have great on-the-surface boundaries but live selfishly and indulgently. That's not God's way. Good boundaries are necessary to help us steward our time, talent and treasure and not to keep us from the stewardship of our lives.

Even a cursory look through scripture cements the idea that God wants us to live our life for others. Even those we don't like. Even our enemies. We usually skim across those verses, pretending they're not really there. Silly of us isn't it?

I'm beginning to realize that God wants us to live lives of extravagant love. To live with open minds, open hands, open hearts, open calendars, and open pocketbooks. Too much of many lives is closed off to the possibilities only openness allows us to see. How available do you want to be? More importantly, how available does God want you to be?

This is the third in a six part series asking the question 'when all is said a done what do you want to be known for?". A couple of days ago I suggested that I want to be known as someone who is present to God. You can read the previous two posts by going to www.mike-ascend,blogspot.com