Sunflowers of Thanksgiving

Today, I had someone put something amazing on my desk.  Beautiful sunflowers arrived to brighten my day. These sunflowers were given by a student who wanted to share something precious with Tyler, Stephanie, and me (the Aspire Youth Ministries staff).

The sunflowers came with this incredible note attached...
"Every year since we were kids my mom gives me and (my brother) sunflowers to give to the person/people we were most thankful to have in our life that year.  So this year I chose you 3. Thank you so much for everything you guys do! You rock! Happy Thanksgiving!"

I am so thankful for and humbled by this young person who took the time to send a ray of sunshine into our lives through wonderful sunflowers.  This small gesture reminds me that in this busy season of thanksgiving it is so easy to forget the small yet vitally important ways in which we can say thank you to the people in our lives for whom we give thanks.

These flowers changed me and challenged me today.  I realize that I do not say "thank you" nearly enough - especially to those with whom I work and live.

I have been changed by these sunflowers.  I am committing myself this day to say a simple "thank you" to the people in my life for whom I am grateful.  There are so many, and I am sure that I will miss some of the most important people.  However, if I begin this discipline today, then perhaps I will continue to practice it every day, and I will not leave anyone out.

Who are the people for whom you and your children are the most thankful?
What are some ways in which you can say thank you to them?
How can you and your family practice the discipline of thankful living together throughout the year?

Let me begin by saying, "Thank you" to you.

If you are reading this blog, you have undoubtedly touched my life in some way this year.  I want to thank you for journeying with me this year.  I am thankful for you and for your faithfulness.

Thank you.
Brian

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NRSV) 

Lent - Shattering Shame

In the Gospel of John, there is this amazing story about an interaction between Jesus, an unnamed woman, and a group of religious people. Read it a couple of times before moving on...

"The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, 'Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.  Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?'   They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.   When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, 'Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'   And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him.   Jesus straightened up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?'  She said, 'No one, sir.'  And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.'" (John 8:3-11)

Shame is what this wonderful unnamed woman carried with her into this encounter. The shame she carried was not simply caused by her behavior. No, that would be too easy. The shame she carried was given to her by the crowd that wanted her dead. They gave her shame. They wanted her not only to feel badly because of what she had done; they wanted her to feel badly because of "who" she was. The religious crowd did not bring this young woman before Jesus for repentance and redemption. The mob brought her there for vengeance and their own self-righteousness. They packed a bag of shame for her and forced her to carry it.

The same thing happens to us. Shame jumps on our backs and makes us feel as though we are unworthy of love and acceptance. Shame whispers in our ear that we are nothing more than a failure and will never "measure up". And we are weighed down because we believe its lie!

Jesus has a different perspective. Jesus takes the opportunity to redeem a life that had been riddled with shame (Jesus has a habit of doing that). Jesus points to the sin of the crowd reminding everyone gathered that there is enough guilt to go around. Guilt, unlike shame, is focused on a behavior, not on issues of identity. Guilt is an acknowledgement that we have made a mistake and drives us to repentance and restoration.

Jesus changes the conversation from centering on shame to focusing on guilt. He says, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone."

The condemnation of shame was shattered as the stones that were meant to bring death fell harmlessly to the ground and the feet of those who peddled shame turned to walk away.

"Has no one condemned you?" Jesus asks us as we now stand stripped of the shame that once burdened our shoulders, our lives, our souls.

"No one," we respond.

"Neither do I condemn you."

And with that we are fully restored and reminded that we are indeed worthy of life, of love, and of acceptance.

You are worthy. Be at peace.

For more on this topic, watch this incredible video which is a follow up to the last post on "Lent - A Season of Vulnerability"

Lent - A Season of Letting Go

I hold on tight.

"A fighter always does."

So I have been told.

"Don't give up.  Show a little guts."

Many have urged.

I hold on tight.

To show courage.

Fight the good fight.

I cannot give up.

I am not WEAK.

I hold on tight.

Out of fear.

Frightened by that to which I cling.

If I don't hold tight,

I lose control.

I hold on tight.

My grip painful.

Hands tired; knuckles white.

I fear I cannot hold on.

I fear.

I hold on tight.

A new voice beckons,

"Let go."

I cannot.

"You must."

I hold on.

I must.

I can't...

let

go.

I let go.

Courage discovered

Life renewed

When I

let go.

Jesus says,

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."  Luke 9:24

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

Be strong and courageous...

May this season of Lent become a season when you...

Let go of the fear;

Let go of the anxiety;

Let go of the shame;

Let go of the failures of the past;

Let go...

Walking Together and Building Bridges

The Western Wall, Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock - Jerusalem

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Israel and Palestine with a really good friend.  It was my first time there, and it was overwhelming. This trip had been a dream of mine for an incredibly long time. In fact, my father, grandfather and I had dreamt for years that we would take this journey together. They are two giants in my life. They are my mentors, my teachers, and people who continually called me into deeper water. They both entered the real presence of God several years ago.  Therefore, I went on this trip carrying them with me in my heart and my mind. Their teachings and example have played a huge role in bringing me to this moment in my life. Their presence and memory impacted the way in which I experienced much of what we call the Holy Land.

Many of the experiences in Israel and Palestine were transformative.  However, one moment in particular continues to haunt me three weeks after my return.

One late afternoon, as my friend Tave, an additional traveling companion, and I departed the Western Wall and Temple Mount, we witnessed something that could only happen in Jerusalem, and it stopped us in our tracks. 

Jewish families were heading toward the wall to pray in one of their most sacred locations as the setting sun marked the beginning of their Sabbath.

Simultaneously, the Call to Prayer was sounding all across the third most holy Muslim city in the world beckoning all Muslims to prepare for their evening prayers.

Above our heads hung twinkling Christmas lights reminding the Orthodox Christian pilgrims, who had begun to fill the streets, that Friday, January 6 was the eve of the birth of the Christ Child.

All the while, the marketplace continued to buzz with foot traffic and shop owners pleading the people to come into their stores for one last purchase to close the day. 

There was something absolutely beautiful about this scene.

The people of the three dominant Abrahamic faiths have converged there.

The people of the book, the people of these three faiths, call this city of Jerusalem, this "city of peace", holy.

The people of these three historic and often misinterpreted faiths live life there in the midst of one another.

Yet somehow,

tragically,

the beauty of this moment has gotten lost in a political and inter-religious maelstrom that leaves nothing but destruction, uncertainty, and misunderstanding in its wake. 

There must be a way through this labyrinthian via dolorosa, this tangled way of sorrow.

It will not be easy or convenient.

The way may be complicated and confusing.

But the walk will indeed be worth it, and it is happening every day in Jerusalem among the everyday people of faith.

Dome of the Rock, the Temple Mount - Jerusalem

Let us walk this way together building bridges of hope and reconciliation.

As Christians, we are commissioned to do so...

For we are what (God) has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called "the uncircumcision" by those who are called "the circumcision"—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands—remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. (Ephesians 2:10-14)

For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)

Shalom, salaam, peace be with you...

The Parable of the Climber

“Get me out of here!” The beginner shouted.  “Get me out of here!”

“Calm down!” the guide replied.

“Calm down?!  Did you hear that?  Calm down he said,” the rock climber announced to an imaginary audience.  “Calm down?  I am going to die!  I am stuck on this mountain and cannot move.  There is no way out but to climb, and I can’t do this!” The novice exclaimed.  “So, what on earth do you mean, ‘Calm down?’!  Can’t you see that this is it?!  Can’t you see that it is all over?!  I can’t do this!  Can’t you see?  Calm Down.  Yeah, right!”

The leader replied, “Do you want to make it?  If so, then you must calm down.  If you do not, you will never make it out of here with me.”

“Then just leave me here to suffer on my own,” cried the mountaineer.  “I can’t do this.  I can’t go any further.  I just can’t do this.  Do you hear me?  I...can’t...do...this,” he said choking back his tears.

After a long silence, the guide calmly said, “You are right.  YOU can’t do this!  YOU can’t make it out of here!”

Looking up, the climber said, “What?!  Oh, thanks for the vote of confidence!  Thanks for cheering me up.”

“Listen to me,” the leader said sternly, “YOU can’t make it out of here on your own.  YOU don’t know the way.  You don’t know how!”  The guide continued, “If you were here all by yourself, then all would be lost.  But YOU aren’t here alone.  Remember, I am here with you, and there is no way that I am bailing out on you!  There is no way that I am going to leave you stranded out here by yourself.  But you are going to trust me.  If you do, we will make it through this together.  The choice is yours, but I am never going to leave your side.  So, what’s it gonna be?”

After a long pause, the amateur said in a quite voice, “But, I am scared.”

“I know,” said the wise leader.

“I am afraid that I may die,” said the nervous climber.

“ ‘I am’ here,” said the leader.

“I can’t do this,” said the frightened man.

“You can if you trust me,” the guide answered.  “Look at me.  Look at me.  Move how I move.  Place your hands where I place mine.  Step where I tell you to step.  I know the way from here.  I have been through it before.  It will be difficult, but we will make it together.  But this will only work if you are willing to follow me.”

The leader stretched out a hand and the climber grabbed on…

Turn and Live

Ezekiel 18:1-4 and Ezekiel 18:25-32

You come in the house and there to greet you in the middle of the living room is your only child.  Right next to her tennis-shoed feet is the antique lamp that once had a place of prominence in her great grandma’s living room and now is found on the floor shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.  After quickly scanning for any evidence of blood or bodily harm you gather yourself and ask what appears to be the most logical question. 

“Honey,” you say in your forced tender grown-up parent voice, “what happened in here?”

With the biggest, saddest eyes ever seen your precious only child says with all the sincerity she can muster, “I…I don’t know.”

Reminding yourself to be calm while you feel your blood pressure continue to rise you say, “Well sweetie, how did the antique lamp break?”

After a moment of painful and pitiful silence and a couple of false starts, she finally says, “B…B….Baxter Bunny broke the lamp when I left the room.”

And there it is.  Your precious, apple of your eye, only child, has just blamed her invisible yet very real friend, Baxter, for her indiscretion. 

Yet, in spite of the absurdity of such a claim you somehow understand.  Baxter the bunny has always been full of mischief.  (Pause)

Your understanding goes beyond knowing your child’s habits, accidents and proclivity to pass the blame.  You genuinely understand.  After all, you too have a Baxter.  We all do, don’t we?  Sure, they go by different names and may not be invisible bunnies, but we all indeed have someone or something that receives the blame for many of our mistakes and foibles.  Our parents, our siblings, our boss, our professors, our government, the media…and the list could go on and on. 

There is a different way.  God calls us to break away from our old familiar patterns.  God calls us to repent, to turn, to take personal responsibility for what is ours so that we might truly live.

In the text from Ezekiel above, we hear the voice of the prophet who is living with his brothers and sister in exile in Babylon.  It is from this exile and then back into this exile that Ezekiel speaks. 

Scholars have said that the book of Ezekiel can be divided into two parts.  In the first section, God uses the voice of Ezekiel to speak about the potential reasons for the captivity of the nation of Israel at the hands of the Babylonians.  Then, by contrast, in the second part of the book we find Ezekiel speaking of the hope that can be found in the Lord and in the future restoration of the kingdom. 

Today’s text from Ezekiel 18 comes from the first portion of the book in which an explanation for the exile is given.  Chapter 18 begins with the voice of God decrying a popular saying that was found in Israel.  The saying goes, “The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are blunted.”  This phrase, this saying, was a way of claiming that the sins of the parents would be passed on to the children.  According to Ezekiel, God decrees that this saying must not be heard any more in Israel. 

Now why would God use the voice of the prophet to say such a thing?  This saying was not an appropriate explanation for the exile and the pain of the nation. This saying had become a crutch; an excuse for the people.  It had become a way for them to hide themselves from personal responsibility.  It had become, if you will, their Baxter Bunny. 

Through the voice of the prophet, the Lord speaks and says that each person is loved by God and is responsible for their actions.  God is calling the people of Israel into and toward personal responsibility. This message was not easy to hear then neither is it easy to hear now.

In the verses that follow this passage, Ezekiel illustrates his point by speaking of several different generations who each bear the personal responsibility for their decisions, some for better and others for worse. 

Then we come to these important words, the climax, where the point is driven home. Again God speaks and says, “Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and make (receive for?) yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.”  God calls Israel, the covenant community, yes, but also the individual to repent, to turn; to take personal responsibility for their actions. 

There is corporate culpability, of course.  However, you see, there is also individual responsibility. 

Now, I must confess that this was and continues to be a difficult passage for me.  As I read, I found myself wanting to shout, “But what about the child who is abused?”  The sins of one generation do impact another.  “What about the drunk driver who kills a mother and her two children leaving behind a single father and their six-month old?”  The sins of one generation do impact another.  “What about slavery?”  “What about the treatment of the Native Americans?”  “What about….”

Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Indeed the sins of one generation do have an impact on the next.  And, our passage of Scripture is not denying the truth of this statement. 

However, this passage of Scripture is challenging us to change the way we think and the excuses we make.  We, along with exiled Israel, are being called to live a life characterized by repentance.  We are being called by this prophetic voice from over 2500 years ago, to step away from the status quo of our easy excuses.  We are called to be honest with ourselves and our God. 

Why should we live a life characterized by repentance?  We should we live such a life because by turning – turning from our sin and familiar ways and turning toward something new – we turn toward life. To be sure, this is not an easy venture. However, it is one to which we are called to become more familiar. We are called to leave the old, the familiar, the safe behind and turn toward transformation and renewal.

Sitting in your favorite chair reading your favorite magazine, you feel a little tap on your leg.  There she stands in front of you once again with those same beautiful big eyes now filled with tears – your wonderful only child.

“Honey, what is wrong?” you ask.

Looking down at her sparkly tennis shoes and shuffling her feet back and forth she says, “Um…Baxter Bunny didn’t break the lamp.  I…I broke the lamp.  And I am sorry.”  And the tears that once filled her eyes now spill down her cheeks.

You reach down; scoop her up in your arms and into your lap.  You look deep into those big eyes and quietly say, “Thank you. It is okay.”

And somehow you are thankful; you are thankful not because she is feeling guilty; you are thankful not because of her pain.  You are thankful because she had the courage to come to you.  She came not to earn your forgiveness. She came because she knew she could find forgiveness in your eyes, acceptance in your arms and love in your presence.

Friends, let us turn.  Let us all repent.  God’s ways are just.  God’s ways are fair.  God desires that all should live.  Forgiveness is offered.  And only in turning can we receive. 

Let us “turn, then, and live.”

Echo of a Song

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2

In 1996, I traveled with several students from Second Presbyterian Church to Santa Fe, NM where we worked on a small community farm sponsored by the local Presbyterian Churches.  This farm, supported by volunteers, gave 100% of its produce to the homeless shelters in the area.  The trip was more than any of us could have expected or imagined.

While in Santa Fe, we stayed at Saint Catherine Indian School, a boarding school founded in 1887 to provide Native American youth with a quality education.  One afternoon on a quick return trip from the work site to the school, I had the opportunity to meet a Native American man who was walking across the campus.  His name was Bob Chavez.  He was the art teacher at the school. 

After some small talk, Mr. Chavez invited into a quaint gift shop where the school sold pens, pencils, shirts, postcards, posters and the like to raise extra morning to support the school.  Some of the cards and posters were adorned with pictures of the school or the beauty of the surrounding area.  Other cards were graced with beautiful southwestern art.  I inquired about the artwork which sparked this incredible story.

Bob, a Native American from the Conchiti Pueblo, told me that he served in World War II as a member of the New Mexico National Guard.  He and 1800 of his comrades were taken captive in Japan.  He survived four cruel years as a prisoner of war which included the brutal Bataan Death March that saw thousands of Filipino and American soldiers die.  Bob said that while he was in the prison camps, he made a promise to the Great Spirit that if he survived, he would devote himself to his school, St. Catherine's Indian School, where he was a member of the first graduating class in 1935. 

When he returned to New Mexico after the war, Bob made good on his promise.  For over 50 years, he volunteered his time and considerable talent introducing art and track and field to the school.  It was his artwork, produced in his simple art studio on St. Catherine’s campus that adorned the posters and postcards sold in the gift shop. 

Bob, whose Indian name given by his grandmother is Ow-u-te-wa, means “echo of a song.” Bob passed away in 2002, and his life and work were honored by all who knew him.  Manuel "Bob" Chavez has been and will continue to be the echo of God’s song of faith, grace and love to countless Native American boys and girls and one youth minister from Indianapolis, Indiana.

Your life is also an echo of this song of grace.  May others be blessed by its reverberations as they witness your life and give glory to God.  Allow your life to SING!

Cassie's Mess

Cassie, a rambunctious five-year-old, saw her daddy eating chocolate chip cookies in the living room.  She thought, “Daddy loves to dunk his cookies in milk.”  Seeing that her father had no milk, Cassie sprung into action.  She got a dining room chair and dragged it into the kitchen leaving some scratch marks on the floor.  Cassie positioned the chair just right and climbed from it onto the kitchen counter.  She pulled open the cabinet door with such force that it slammed into the wall with a terrific crash.  She reached for a glass, knocking two others to the floor sending shards of glass flying throughout the kitchen.  But Cassie didn’t care.  “I am getting some milk for my daddy,” she thought.

Meanwhile, Cassie’s daddy had come to the kitchen door beckoned by all of the commotion.  With hands on hips, he watched Cassie hard at work.  Cassie scurried down from the cabinet and over to the refrigerator.  She flung the door open wide.  She sat the glass on the floor and reached for the nearly full gallon of milk.  She opened the milk and struggled to pour it.  Some of the milk actually made it into the glass.  The rest of it splattered all over the floor.

Proud of her accomplishment, Cassie sat the jug of milk on the floor and picked up the glass.  “Daddy, daddy, I got something for you!”  Cassie shouted with joy as she ran in her socks across the kitchen floor only to slide across the floor and have the glass fall spilling its contents on the floor at her daddy’s feet. 

Cassie slowly picked herself up and looked around the room.  She saw all of the broken glass and spilled milk everywhere!  What a mess!  The cabinet and refrigerator doors were open and there was a huge puddle of milk on the living room carpet.  Then she saw her daddy standing in front of her with hands firmly on hips.  Cassie’s chin began to quiver and tears filled her eyes.  She looked up at her daddy with that expression on her face that implies, "I am so sorry. What is going to happen to me?"

Cassie’s daddy could only look at her.  He looked at Cassie, then the mess and…smiled.  Standing before him, he didn’t see a kid who had just made a huge mess of the house.  Instead he saw his child.  The little girl that he loved very much.  Cassie’s daddy knelt down to her level.  He scooped Cassie up in his loving arms, held her tightly against his chest and said, “That’s my girl!  Thank you, Cassie.”

And together they cleaned up the mess.

There you stand looking over messes you have made.  All of those broken pieces – the path that once held so much promise now lies in shards on the ground.  You stand there looking over the mess regretting both decisions and actions.  You stand there wondering what you must have been thinking in the first place.  You stand there with your chin quivering and that all too familiar look on your face.

Remember, you are a child of God.
NOTHING
...not the messes you've made or the mistaken steps you have taken
...not the lies you tell yourself or those others long for you to believe
...not the challenges you face or the sin you own
NOTHING CAN CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD! Live into your core identity as a dearly loved child of God.