Pursuing A Path & Calling

I posted on Facebook than I am once again putting thought into the possibility of doing work with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Palestine/Israel next year. I've been keen on the idea of spending time doing peace work in the middle east for years now. For a while I thought of moving to Iraq after graduation of college and then other good things happened. When I left Ohio I was in heavy debate over the issue as well. Then I was in a relationship that, of course, hindered that sort of activity. Now I'm in seminary and for the last year have been debating if I want to do this CPT delegation after graduation. I can go on a few of these form time to time (they last about 2 weeks) or I can make a 3 year commitment. I'm not sure that's in the cards for me though. A few delegations though? I can see that. Anyway, when I posted on Facebook that I was once again thinking about this adventure a friend wrote to me saying "Well, if you're thinking about it-I don't support this idea. If God is leading you and clearing a path-I do. This isn't something you do because it sounds like a good idea."

I'm glad my friend loves me enough to share her opinion. I'm also glad she wants me to look to God for these types of decisions. I value that very much. It sparked a few thoughts in my mind about callings, path clearing, decision making, and so on. I asked her why it couldn't be both. Why could our path not be open, full of options, and requiring that we use what we have been given to make God-honoring decisions? I believe that God is pleased with His children doing what they will so long as they are in His will. If we use our gifts, passions, and minds then our individual options become quite narrow. For instance, my heart beats for nonviolence and for the Church witnessing to the world through loving the oppressed and marginalized. This type of political, nonviolent, defending work is right up my alley when it comes to my passions and interests. I can not explain why I have an interest in this field but I do. This passion also reaches to the poor, homeless, addicted, imprisoned, and those who abuse. I care for victims and oppressors and want to show them the way of God's peace and sacrifice. I can't say why, it just clicks for me. This is not true of many. The Church is like a body made of many parts, performing different functions, all doing the work of God. We all have specific giftings, talents, passions, experiences, and so on that lead us to pursuing certain ministries. We were, by our creation, purposed to be a specific person when living int he glory of God, filled with His Spirit and following His Way. In a way, we were predestined to live certain types of lives according to our uniqueness as individuals. However, this is operates within the greater body of Christ known as the Church. There is a great union between the Church and the Christian. Anyway, if we choose to live in Christ, putting on the new self, living into who we were created to be, now possible through the Spirit, accessing our experiences, giftings, talents, passions, and mind then we will only pursue a few of many options. When we live in accordance with who we are meant to be then all these elements of ourselves will guide us to specific activities. When we say "yes" to Christ and to "here am I" to God then we say "no" to all that is not of Him and to what is not to be a part of ourselves. This limits our options in some ways, no longer permitting us to pursue certain activities, and opening up other options that honor God and use our talents, experiences, passions, gifts and mind. Discernment will lead us.

So we see that living into our intended identity and purpose will lead to us pursuing a limited amount of activities through our lives because we have found the good limitations in our life according to our God-given passions, gifts, mind, and so on. This brings up the question concerning calling. Do we need to hear/receive a specific calling to pursue certain ministries/activities? Do I require a specific calling/command to pursue Christian Peacemaking Teams delegations in order to actually pursue it or is it enough for me to see that it is good work and commit myself to it?

First of all, I believe there are two types of callings for Christians. There is general calling which is for all believers who are a part of Christ's Body on earth. These callings can be done in a myriad of ways both corporately and individually. Sometime these callings will be fulfilled through the specific callings of individuals and communities (but we'll stick to individuals for this article). As stated earlier, we are meant to be a certain individual who performs certain acts of love in the world according to what God has blessed us with. Sometimes God specifically calls us to people, places, or activities and we do well to faithfully say "Here am I Lord, send me!" and obey. God does not always send specific calling though. Sometimes we are living our lives faithfully and allowed to honor God for a time without a specific calling. In these times we operate under the general calling and within the good limitations discussed earlier. These times lacking specific calling may be days or even years. Or perhaps the specific calling we have received is only concerning a type of activity or merely a place or people group and not all three. Perhaps we are not like Jonah, sent with a specific message to a specific people in a specific place. Perhaps we don't have a specific time frame but we know the concept or some single or slightly vague element of our calling and God has kept the rest hidden. Callings are diverse among persons and in their presence within the lives of individuals.

I believe God gives us minds and passions so that we may use them to serve Him. He doesn't need to specifically call us to an activity in order for it to be wise for us to engage in that activity or for Him to be honored by our engaging in that activity. We can do all activities for His glory even if there is no direct and clear personal calling from Him to perform that specific activity (so long as it isn't keeping us from whatever specific callings may exist for us). It is good to do good things because we decided, according to our God-given passions and minds, to do them for the glory of God. I would say this [joining a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation to Palestine/Israel] is an activity that demands prayer (since there is such a great amount of time between now and then) in case God has reason to say "no" to the endeavor. All worthwhile endeavors that consist of our serving of others and giving up of self deserve prayer. If it involves commitment it deserves prayer. I believe that we, like Paul, are wise to go and do until we are told by God to go elsewhere and do otherwise. If discernment tells us that the activity is good then we should not be discouraged to engage it. If we are in the will of our Father and seeking to glorify Him, having the support of the Church, then we should continue pressing forward, serving however our gifts, passions, minds, and experiences lead us under the guidance of the Spirit.

Have A God If You Want

On the way back from the wedding I was a part of this weekend I had a wonderful passenger in my vehicle. I was giving the photographer of the wedding a lift back to Portland. We were blessed to spend 2 hours together listening to music and discussing life. She was a fantastic and interesting 19 year old girl with some cool religious history. She was raised Catholic and baptized as an infant. Later she started examining her experience, her self, and other "religious options." She now feels she is a deity in the sense that she has power over and in herself and, of course, is attracted to buddhism, though I don't recall her saying she is all that familiar with it in experience or study. She also invests her mind in astrology. One of her first questions to me was "What's your sign?" I thought that was great to finally be asked, especially with a lady on the other end. I wanted to laugh a bit (because that always comes off as a pick-up-line in humorous conversation) but the conversation was sincere and it wasn't the time so we pressed on with our fun conversation.

As we discussed our religious histories (her choice of conversation by the way) she mentioned her tolerance/acceptance of other people's beliefs. She is very concerned with respect and love so we found a lot of common ground. As an undefined pluralist, she is completely happy to say "If you have a god then have a god! Whatever god you want to have for yourself is fine with me." Her message is nothing new to me. It's a very common view. You do you and I'll do me and we can still do we. That whole gig. Her specific words, however, struck a chord in me. I didn't address my thoughts with out-loud words because we had something else going on that I was more than happy to entertain. I thought on her words "If you have a god then have a god! Whatever god you want to have for yourself..." She spoke as if God was something or someone to possess or claim as owned by self.

I wanted to say to her gently, "You speak as if gods are something we shop for in magazines or on a website. We point to one and say , 'Ah yes, that god suits my desires well. I'll take it.' But God, in the way scripture speaks of God is not a thing or even being to own or possess like we would a piece of clothing. We don't exchange gods based on the season, latest trend, or our newest pattern of fancy. No, according to Christian scriptures we are owned by God. We belong to God and while we may come under him and possess him in a sense we are never big or great enough to have power over him. We may treat him like a commodity or a slave but he can be neither in his true nature. At that point we're only fooling ourselves. God is not so small as to be had by man. He may be had by us in the sense that we have him in our lives and within our being (this is true of every person) but we can not lay hold of God like we lay hold of a pair of shoes. He is quite unique. He is... holy. He is different from anything we know in our world, especially the things we have created. He is the source of life and love. He is the source of you and me and we can only give ourselves to him. And he asks us to. Any person who thinks they have God like they have their books, movies, car, phone, bank account, hats, pets, friends, children, toys, or anything else is fooled and serves a small god which is unworthy of their worship. The one true God owns all that exists and tells us that everything he has is ours if we just ask for it. He also tells us that we are his children and he celebrates over us when we return to him and accept Him for who he says He is and who He says we are (His children)."

Side thought: But I didn't say that. And that's fine. We had a delightful talk and she is a wonderful gal. I'm so glad I got to meet her. Meeting new people is always amazing. If this gal and I keep chatting from time to time I'm sure this topic will come up again and we can continue speaking respectfully and enthusiastically with one another. Honest and kind dialogue is, I think, essential for Christians when they speak with the nonreligious or other-religious. Respect and love are seeds for the gospel. I mentioned Jesus, my history, and some of the essential truths I believe and even if I had not I would have felt as though I was faithful to Christ and the spreading of his Gospel by displaying the candor I did. I don't believe we need to speak the Romans Road, recite the Ten Commandments, offer an "alter call" or anything like to to truly communicate the Good News that Jesus is Lord to people. Sure, words and scripture help a great deal but being a good friend, full of love, showing the good in people, and treating them the way we'd wish to be treated is living out Jesus' good news and they'll recognize him well when they see Him if they see you when you imitate him. We're seed planters. We're farmers. It's beautiful.

3 Short Thoughts on Work

1. Humans are meant to work. If we are not giving our efforts and our selves to something (or someone/some people) then we will fall apart and waste away. To not work is to waste.

2. Work existed before the Fall, exists now, and will exist eternally for humans. This isgood! Let us see the effort of our hands and feet as worship because that is exactly what it is.

3. Since work is worship then what we do for work is incredibly important. Our attitude about our work is also incredibly important. We must work with joy and thanks.

Sidenote: The term Liturgy actually means "the work of the people." This is evidence that worship and work are deeply connected. Church practice is work just as career practice is worship. Our doing is our worshipping. Our deeds prove our love. How will we work today? How will we worship?

A 4th of July Question for Christians

Pastor, author, and theologian Gregory Boyd wrote an article that was posted online by the Q group. It was titled, The Birth of Two Kingdoms; A Fourth of July Reflection. You can find it here. Below is a question asked by Gregory Boyd in his article concerning the American holiday.

How can a holiday that celebrates one group of mostly professing Christians violently overthrowing another group of mostly professing Christians be venerated by people who are called to love their enemies and to be peacemakers, even if they happen to find themselves on the side that won?

He presents an interesting perspective. How do people of love (Matthew 5:43), peace (Matthew 5:9), and reconciliation (2Corinthians 5:11-21) who belong to a kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36) celebrate or venerate such divisive action [for the Church]? Sure, many American values are worthwhile, that isn't being debated, but how can Christians celebrate a time when Christians fought and killed fellow Christians (and in the name of earthly kingdoms of which they do not belong)? Isn't that problematic in some respects?

The Mennonite Central Committee once wrote up a Modest Proposal for Peace. The proposal simply stated, "Let the Christians of the world not kill each other." Many read this and think that is not a good enough proposal since Christians should not kill anyone, to which the committee states "It is a modest proposal." In the same spirit of the peace proposal one could make a veneration proposal that stated, "Let the Christians of the world not venerate violent and divisive acts against fellow Christians." Would this be a worthwhile proposal for Christians?

I hope you don't hear me attempting to say that America's independence is inherently bad or anything anti-American because that is not at all my goal or perspective. Rather, I'm simply posing the question of "how do Christians venerate an event in which Christians fought against fellow Christians?"

How do you answer Boyd's question? Is it problematic for Christians to celebrate or venerate this sort of thing? Why or why not?

Incarnational Living & The Poor

Mother Theresa once said, "Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them."

Many Christians do not take to any vows of poverty or simplicity. I find this to be more than unfortunate. While we may not be commanded to invest in poverty for ourselves we are commanded to invest in the poor with the currency of love through deeds. This is often called charity in the Christian tradition but it does not mean charity in the way we often think of the term. It means merciful giving.

Derek Webb sings a song entitled Take to the World in which he sings, "you must become what you want to save because that's still the way he takes to the world." The Apostle Paul was willing to become all things to all people so that some might be saved. In scripture and early writings Christians are said to be "poor while making many rich." To become what one seeks to save is to practice incarnation. Charity in the most modern sense is not enough. There must be more than donations made. There must be self-transformation and self-sacrifice made for others.

Part of being Christian is to do, to work, to meet faith with true deeds. The truest of Christian deeds is sacrifice. Paul tells the Church in Rome that they are to present themselves as living sacrifices for that is their spiritual act of worship. Christian work is most often the deed of giving up. Christ gave up his life and told his follows to pick up their crosses and do the same. The church in Acts consisted of believers giving up their finances and property (this is a way in they became poor while making many rich).

Mother Theresa also said that if you have two pairs of shoes the second belongs to the poor. We do not have to live with one pair of shoes to be Christian but we must give up all we have and all we are to truly put deeds to our faith if our faith is in Christ Jesus who gave himself up so that we might live. We must learn to practice incarnational living so as to reflect the love of God. If we have fifty pairs of shows we must find a way to allow that fact to compliment a solidarity with those who do not have shoes. Everything we have, do, and are is either helping our case or fighting against it. Too often we are idle in our way of living. Too ofte we are not intentional, not incarnational. When one has few possessions it is difficult to be idle with them for everything one has becomes more important and everything one gives becomes more sacrificial. Yes, a lifestyle of poverty is not commanded but it must be admitted that it is beneficial. If not for an entire life then a vow of poverty or simplicity ought to be taken at least for a time.

What are some ways in which you can practice giving up right now? What are ways you can seek to find solidarity with those away from Christ or away from heavenly blessings while on earth? What is keeping you from living out incarnation?