Anticipation...

Have you ever planned an event in the future, possibly a distant, but maybe not-too-distant future, and as you drew closer to that event 'felt' the excitement grow?

I have, and I am.

Several of my friends have blogged on similar type ideas: the approaching vacation that requires travel to see friends, or maybe the approach of a special day: an anniversary, birthday or special holiday. This looking forward to an event, with either positive or negative feelings is called 'anticipation'. When I am ill, I anticipate my visit to the physician with great dread! When I have a vacation coming up or a holiday or possibly a change of some type, I usually anticipate the event with great hope.

Well, I have not anticipated an autumn like this one in a long time. I am pleasantly excited about the research time with which I have been gifted this fall. I do not teach Monday, Wednesday or Friday so I can research and write undisturbed. I will be a music judge at three marching band competitions in the state of Texas, one at which my alma mater will be participating! I have the opportunity to take my immediate family on a brief visit to friends up north in October - and I am extremely happy about that visit! I am also smitten by my students that I do teach this fall on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. My Old Testament students are a pleasure, more engaged already than ever before! My Theology & Culture students are bold, opinionated and unafraid to speak their minds! The little congregation that I am leading is filled with beautiful people, truly seeking to be what God wants from them. What a fall this will be. The anticipation is almost too much!

There is a downside to all of this though.

Sometimes, anticipation can cause us to focus on the future to the neglect of the present. I know. I catch myself doing that far too often. When we neglect the present though, we can often damage the prospects of the future. Thus, when we look forward to the events of the future, we cannot neglect the program or the day that is right before us.

There are events and people who need a kind word from us; maybe a 'look of love'... we must pay attention to the mundane and the trivial with care, attention and love.

So let me challenge you.

As much as you, like me possibly, look forward to the future in anticipation of wonderful moments, pay attention to this day. Maybe there is someone that you have not connected with in a while - connect with them. Send them a note, an email or a text. Maybe you need to stop for a moment and play with your children. Maybe you need to have that quiet time with God. Maybe, if you have to make a grocery stop today, you can be pleasant with the checker and others that you meet.

Although God gives us a hint of the future and allows us to anticipate, hopefully, a good outcome - the true gift is today.

Thoughts on Friends: A Commentary

Yesterday, a young friend of mine, Kalie, posted a blog on "the importance of friends." This is a topic upon which I have been reflecting for the last couple of years. Kalie basically qualifies her friends categorically: romance, best friends, seasonal friends and, I assume, just friends. These are fairly common categories and I appreciated her insight into each one. One of the categories struck me however, "seasonal friends." She states:

Sometimes friends are just for a season. This is kind of difficult for me to accept, because I really like permanence. I usually tell my close friends that they are stuck for life. It's true, because I really hate letting friendships subside. But, I truly have seen God place people in my life for a time, when I needed them or they needed me. And then we drifted apart, and you know, I think that's okay.

I agree with Kalie - I really like permanence too. I want to know that my friends will be there for me. I wonder, if I could ask her, if she is really "o.k." with this state of 'seasonal' friendship... I don't ask this question to be critical, but because it is something with which I am really struggling right now. As a man (now I'm qualifying!), I like things black and white, yes and no. Are you my friend, or not? Thus the idea of "drifting apart" is a bit repugnant to me. I want my friendships to work and I like investing in them. Indeed, earlier in her post, Kalie makes a statement about the very nature of friendship maintenance:

It[friendship] requires love, work, time, investment, giving of yourself, vulnerablility, honesty, kindness, acceptance and usually forgiveness from time to time.

I absolutely agree with this statement. So I wonder, are 'seasonal friendships' really friendships? Doesn't this mean that we have not actually invested in these relationships as we should, by definition, in order to maintain them as friendships? What's scary about this to me is that - taken to its end - it could mean that we sometimes enter into pseudo-friendships in order to get things from one another. It's simply a beneficial way of entering into a relationship to get something we want and then letting go once we have received it. But is that friendship?

Now I understand drifting apart - life circumstances take us all sorts of places - but does this mean that we are 'seasonal friends'? I also agree with Kalie that God brings people into our lives for a reason and then, for whatever reason, we are taken out of close proximity with them - but does this necessarily mean that they were a seasonal friend?

30 years ago, Sue and I were trombone players from competing schools. We became friends. We even went out on a couple of dates - by that I mean two. Once with another person and once to the "Rooster Days" fair in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Friend dates, if you will. She truly was a great friend to me. Then I moved to Houston. We went off to college and life took different turns. Then, 30 years later, she found me on facebook. We've reconnected. We've shared stories of marriage, family, careers and faith. It was as if the 30 years just dissolved away. I could say the same of my friend Brent. Since we reconnected about 5 years ago, we have kept a steady, regular, twice a year or so correspondence and have even visited one another several times. Although, it would seem that these two could qualify as seasonal friends, I don't think so. I think we are simply 'friends'.

If I might add to Kalie's assessment, I would say this:

I believe 'friendship' is something we choose. It is rudimentary 'phileo' - brotherly or friend love. It is a choice we make to care. Due to time, context and character similarities (or dissimilarities) we 'become' friends with people. The power of these friend/relationships ebb and flow. A best friend today can be just 'a friend' tomorrow, depending on time, context and character change. Nevertheless, they remain a 'philadelphian' until we choose to release them from that relationship. [But is this really possible? Once your heart has invested in a relationship of any kind, can you actually 'release' them? I say this because I have this sneaking suspicion that 'love' makes them a part of you...]

I believe that Christ asks us to 'befriend' our neighbor, in spite of our differences so that our world will be transformed into the Kingdom of God. But Kalie is right - to have this type of friendship - or really any type of friendship - requires, "love, work, time, investment, giving of yourself, vulnerablility, honesty, kindness, acceptance and usually forgiveness from time to time." But isn't this what the Kingdom is all about?

Kalie, this old professor thanks you for making me reflect once again on the deeper things of life!

internal or external?

As of late, I have been thinking quite a bit about why churches cease to grow. Some well-intended people do not think that 'growth' should be a category by which the fitness of the church is judged; this defense, however, is usually an attempt to justify complacency or more often comfort. When looking at our 'blue print' - the Scriptures - for guidance, however, we find that the church indeed is mandated and even designed for growth. Thus, the non-growth party is simply misguided. For those of you who follow this blog regularly, you know that I have attempted to cast the church, as Paul has, as a "body". The failure of the church then becomes an issue of "health." A failure to grow is attributed to a variety of factors, but more often than not, it is because the members have become complacent and even rebellious in their attitudes towards health. It is like the person who has treatable cancer, but still refuses to stop smoking or working around cancer-causing materials.

But church health is more than just disease or accident. It's about focus. The church as a whole must have a singular vision. That vision may have several components, but it is still just one vision. The vision is to live in obedience to Christ. The components of that vision are to: love God, love neighbor, love one another and to make disciples. Neglect of any of those components means that the church is not seeing clearly and is bound to fall into problems. Most of today's churches then to skew their focus in one of two ways - either they have turned their focus internal or they have fought to keep it external.

The internally focused church tends to focus on keeping members satisfied. At first that focus tends to be on facilities accessibility, but then it turns into a focus on carpet colors, worship times, worship styles, worship service length, whether one should dress for church or come casually. The internally focus church is concerned about providing its membership with what it craves in order for those members to remain 'satisfied'.

The externally focused church places its resources at the service of the vision. This means part of its resources are used to promote love amongst the members (koinonia), love to God (worship), love to neighbor (evangelism) and making disciples (didaskalos mathetes). Ultimately, the eternal focus requires a shift from making ourselves the center of our understanding of the church, to God's understanding. This is difficult, but necessary.

The internally focused church, is comfortable but often in tension; the externally focused church can be uncomfortable, but exciting. The internally focused church wants to make you or at least some of you happy; the externally focused church wants to please God. The internally focused church doesn't want to 'offend' anyone; the externally focus church will always be offending someone. The biggest difference is that the internally focused church is willing to sacrifice the hard work of evangelism for the sake of a satisfied fellowship, while the externally focused church is willing to sacrifice personal comfort in order that the lost might be found and that the blind might be able to see. Where is your church's focus?

Reflections on Faith & Culture in the West: Montana

Recently, I made a trip to the "Big Sky"state - Montana. In the popular "southern" imagination, Montana is simply 'Texas North' - a land of cattle ranches, farms and mountains. We learned this mythology from Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove" with its bittersweet ending in the land of the Big Sky. The reality, however, is much different. Like Texas, it has its own geographical areas and divisions. But unlike Texas, the natural beauty of the northern range of the Rocky Mountains has created a stratified population that consists of recreative wealth and land owners, followed by an educated middle class and a lower service populace. Of course, this may describe anywhere in America, but more so in Montana. The natural beauty simply draws interest from all quarters of the populace.

What interests me though, more than the natural beauty or even the people, is the nature of faith practiced there. The natural beauty helps in this area. It helps people ask the question of God in general - but because of the beauty, the answer has to be robust. If God is real, then details are important. Thus the God that Christians worship is Father - Son - Spirit. But how so? What does this God look like? What does this God expect? How can does this God participate in my day-to-day reality? How do I participate in this reality? So in terms of Christian faith and practice, the reality of the risen Christ and the experience of the Holy Spirit are important aspects of the Christian life. There is no baptized culture in Montana, although you can see elements of the 'bible belt' there. It is still fairly secular and Christians must walk with integrity in order to influence the population with the gospel. Yet, unlike other places I have been in the United States, there is a tremendous openness to Christ and even a desire to know the living God in a powerful way. So the confessing Christians I have met are what I would call, "sticky Christians." They know what they believe, they want to know more and they aren't going anywhere. Christ is Lord.

Dennis Whitley: 1936-2010

My great uncle Dennis passed away this past Sunday. He was the youngest of my Grandmother Smith's siblings and the father of two of my favorite cousins. He was one of my father's favorite relatives - indeed they were born only a year a part and practically shared a childhood in Verden, Oklahoma. It is not my intention to write an obituary; rather, I write this blog as a tribute to "family."

My uncle Dennis lived in Tulare, California most of his life. He was a math teacher in the Tulare school system. He didn't start out as a Californian though. He was reared in Grady county, Oklahoma and attended college at Central State University. He met my Aunt Donna there. They had two daughters, Shelley and Lauri. They have three grandchildren between the two. After graduate school at the University of Oklahoma, they went to California to teach in the 1970s. At least this is how I recall it. During the summers, he would drive big rigs full of agricultural products. He also fixed air conditioning units. I can recall three times in my childhood, all in the 1970s, visiting my Uncle Dennis and Aunt Donna in Tulare. It was a hot little town. We went swimming in the local pool, took trips to the coast, went to Knots Berry Farm and Pismo Beach. Most of the time, I hung out with my cousins, playing games, eating Baskin-Robbins ice cream and just goofing off.

The most memorable times I had though were with my Uncle Dennis. On my second visit, he took me to "coffee" at his favorite restaurant. I don't remember the name of the place off the top of my head, but it was a "Denny's" or a "Stuckey's" or some such place. Nevertheless, he had coffee, I had a coke, and we talked about family life back in Oklahoma. My parents had divorced and life had become difficult for a 12 year old. So he went to bat for me when I couldn't bat for myself. That meant the world to me. On my last visit with him, about 11 years ago, we sat on the swing in his back yard, a swing that my father had painted for him years ago, and swung. As a matter of fact, I remember swinging with my dad and Dennis once when I was a boy. My dad was doing most of the talking and Dennis most of the swinging, until finally my uncle just laughed and said, "Well hell Jody" why don't you just...." and then stated what we were all thinking, but had never had the guts to say it! My Uncle Dennis loved to swing, talk and laugh. Usually just swing though. It was the ritual. He would swing, and if you wanted to talk to him, you would swing too.

I inherited that love of the swing from my Uncle Dennis. There are times when I like to go out on my back porch and just swing. It helps me think through the situations in life. It helps me relax. It helps me get rid of extra energy and find the rhythm of life sometimes. More than anything, it reminds me of my Uncle Dennis. When I look at new homes, I always look to see if it can accommodate a swing. Porch swings seem to be a "Whitley" character trait, if you, my readers will let me use it like that... When I swing, I swing hard too... drives Melissa crazy; but sometimes, you just have to swing until the stress melts away.

That I can recall, my Uncle Dennis was not a complex man and did not have a complex faith. He loved his family, his girls and his grandchildren. He did what he had to do. He barbecued a good steak and was fun to be around. He enjoyed his relatives for the most part... He lived and he died. But I don't want his passing to escape notice. He made a difference in my life that I will never forget. I am proud that he was my uncle and that he taught me the love of the swing. Rest in peace Uncle Dennis.

Just a closer walk with thee...

So many believers get frustrated with their faith because God hasn't answered a specific prayer request, because a special person close to them died, because a young person died who we think should not have, because the person in the pew next to them doesn't agree to the very same beliefs you do, because young people won't change to fit our traditional worship patterns, because the music minister repeated a chorus one too many times and the list goes on... We are obsessed with the trivial. We focus on the minutiae and no longer see the big picture.

Yesterday, I saw that Anne Rice 'left' Christianity. "The Marquee Blog" quoted Ms. Rice thus:

Rice wrote, “For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian ... It's simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

Rice then added another post explaining her decision on Thursday:“My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me," Rice wrote. "But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.”

I've got to say this, to the great offense of some of you: I understand Anne.

American Christianity in particular, but Western Christianity in general, is prone to a terrible disease: consumerism. We 'shop' churches and we participate in the programs of 'our' choosing. We attend churches that fit our personal income and community status specifications. Then we comment and complain about those who don't "fit". The Western church has been made into our image rather than God's. Anne might be disappointed, even upset; but I think God has already passed judgment.

Anne wants to walk with God; so do I. As a baptistic Christian, I've grown fond of the old revivalist hymns as a source of theology. One of my favourites is, "Just a closer walk with thee."

Just a closer walk with thee

Grant it Jesus, is my plea

Daily living close to thee

Let it be dear Lord, let it be.

I am weak, but Thou art strong

Jesus, keep me from all wrong

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee

I think every church and without doubt, every Christian, needs to rethink and recapture that idea. As Christians, we believe that the very Spirit of God resides within each believer. We believe that Christ's presence is with us. Would he be pleased with how you walk, with the choices you make or the kind of presence you have with others?

I know several people who have a 'church face' for their church attendance; a 'family face' for their time with family; and a 'vocational face' for their time at work. They serve on committees, they vote at business meetings, they even sing in the choir or do time in the nursery - but if you asked them to "take up their cross and follow Jesus" or to "be crucified with Christ" or to "walk the narrow road" or "to give all to the poor and follow Jesus" - they would look at you like you were an alien. In America, they call this reality; in the New Testament, Jesus calls is hypocrisy. You are either who you are in Christ, or you are not. You say you love your neighbor, but find ways to be angry with people who use to be your friend? That's hypocrisy. The last time I checked, every Christian was called to be a peacemaker and thus an emissary of Christ everywhere they went.

Now all of us have struggles. I do, Anne Rice does and so do you. But the hypocrisy has to stop. The church and its people need to get serious about the character and mission of Christ. If it does not get serious, then my church and your church can join the growing number of churches that are dying, losing members and closing their doors.

On top of that, why even be a Christian if you don't want to walk with God in this life?

A Messy Life....

Everyone wants to find a "groove" in which to live. You know, that well worn path that 'feels' comfortable to us, that is both predictable yet stimulating... The life that doesn't catch us too much by surprise, yet has enough twists and turns to make life rewarding on occasion...

I watch as my students attempt to cultivate a life just like I have described. Even my most adventuresome students - the ones who want to go on the mission field, or live a shared existence in a Christian commune or live on the margins with a minimal amount of possessions or 'escape' the dying traditional church for an 'emerging' church experience eventually begin to crave a life that has signposts, markers and a regular manner of being. They find that the life which is filled with too many surprises can be disorienting and even frightening compared to his or her existence at home or before college. So they begin to find ways to 'settle down' or to be a 'localized radical' or to just admit that they were an 'idealist' and now they are a 'realist'... So they cultivate careers, bank accounts and retirements like the rest of us, and many times at the expense of what began as a vibrant faith.

The problem, however, begins with the fact that there is nothing more radical in this world than a devoted Christ-follower. To stand on your feet and proclaim authoritatively that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead; to declare that He is coming again to judge both the living and the dead and that all human-beings will experience that judgment is the heart of a polarizing, radicalizing life. It makes life messy. Not all people will like or appreciate your message. The gospel message paints not only a halo above your head, but a target on your back. To "take up your cross and follow Jesus" makes you an object of scorn and derision. To unabashedly declare your loyalty to God in Christ may even result in crucifixion.

The reality is, the Christian life is a messy life.

I presently live in the 'Buckle of the Bible Belt' - the heart of socially conservative Christianity. On one hand, this means that people have heard about Jesus, church and salvation. On the other hand, many people here separate his or her life of faith from their vocation and family life. This results in a very interesting religiously- oriented 'schizophrenia'. In other words, when with other "Christians" he or she will pour out bible and theological knowledge; they will volunteer to teach a class or even work in the church on Sunday - The Lord's Day. They may even engage in some simple Bible study during the week. But for the most part, his or her faith life has little effect on vocation, marriage and general daily life. They would like to think that it does... but then, they still hold grudges, gossip about others, curse and suspend religious activity when professional football is on the television. This religious orientation then comes to supplant the radical life of discipleship to which Christ calls us in scripture.

The Christian life is a life of radical obedience. You love God and love neighbor. You love your enemies. You go the extra mile. You take up your cross and become crucified with Christ. It's a messy life of love - a love always costs you something and always changes you. Once you have loved deeply as Christ loved, you are changed. There is nowhere to hide once you have loved like that. Once you have given it all to Christ on the cross, life becomes an adventure. Money will come and go; jobs will come and go; friends will come and go; and even family will come and go. (No, I'm not advocating divorce or any other such thing!) What I am saying is that there will be those in your family who just don't get it to the point that they will walk away or distance themselves from your radical call. Life will change for you.

But this is how the Kingdom changes things. This is how Christ chose to continue the mission. Radical love results in radical obedience. The problem lies in us. We don't want messy lives, so we allow Christ to have as much of us as we can bear - until our He impinges upon our comfort zone - and then we shut the door. We settle for the dance, rather than the marriage supper of the lamb.

I am asking you today to rethink your life a bit. It's not too late to get a little radical. It's not too late to allow Christ the title to your soul. It's not too late to take a stand and live the messy life of a true disciple. Think about it...