It Takes A Church...

What’s Your Happy Place?

In my family we have a little “game” we play where we describe our “happy place”.  This is the image of our lives when all is right with the world.  It is the mental “vacation” we take when we want to a brief break from the stresses of life and want to float away. It’s where we tell our children to go in their minds when they can’t sleep or are afraid in the middle of the night. 

My happy place?  My family all together eating a meal with friends outside in a beautiful place.  It could be lunch on a lodge deck in the middle of a sunny day of skiing, a picnic by mountain stream after a quiet hike, a simple dinner on the beach as the sun goes down and all the tourists have gone home.  Somewhere in my happy place we sing the doxology.  My happy place. 

Ask people about their “happy place” and I believe you’ll get a picture of what gives them joy, peace, fulfillment, completion.  For me: Good food, my family, my friends, outdoor activity, and recognizing God’s presence.  But you also get a little picture of each of our longings for heaven.

If someone were to ask you what heaven is like, what would you say?  Wouldn’t it look an awful lot like your happy place?

Now let me tell you what we should say.  This, I believe, is what we all really want to say.  If someone walks up to you and asks you as a follower of Jesus what heaven is like, what you should say, what you really want to be able to answer without smirking, rolling your eyes, sighing, or having tongue-in-any-way-planted-in-cheek is:

“Come to my church and see.”

In the Presbyterian Church Book of Order (a constitutional document that organizes and directs our polity), there is a description of the church that haunts and inspires me.  It says, “The Church of Jesus Christ is the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all of humanity.”  It then goes on to say, “The Church is called to be a sign in and for the world of the new reality which God has made available to people in Jesus Christ.”

In other words, the church by its life together is to demonstrate to all of humanity what we have to look forward to in Jesus Christ.

The church in its life together is to be the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 

The church is be the foretaste of heaven here now.

If people are looking to know what an eternity with God is like they should have to look no farther than any gathering of the people of God.  And in seeing it, they should want it more than anything.  Because the church is to be our “happy place.” 

I realize that at this moment, some of you are so struck by the incongruity of what I am saying and what you are experiencing that it is almost cruel.  It’s like I am telling thirsty people that they have plenty of water to drink while being stranded in a dingy on the ocean.  Sure there is water, but you can’t drink it.

So, let me ask you to consider something?  Why is this so?  Why ISN’T the church our “happy place” our “taste of heaven”, the presence of God made available on Earth? 

“Sin” is the right answer of course, and we won’t minimize the tragedy of it.  (Indeed, this whole series will be about overcoming our sinfulness to restore our churches to what they should and could be.)  But let’s think beyond sin for a minute.  The Church is the Body of Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit.  The Bible says that “for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 Jn 4:4).  Shouldn’t the power of the Spirit be at least somewhat more successful in establishing the church as God’s signpost to the ultimate future than it is? 

So why is there such a gap?  Here is my first answer and where we need to begin:  We don’t believe it.   

Our problem is not first and foremost a lack of holiness, goodness, or graciousness.  It’s a lack of faith.  We believe in Christ, but we do not believe in Christ’s body or Christ’s Spirit.  We don’t believe who Jesus says that we are.  We don’t really think that Jesus intends to answer his prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done ON EARTH, as it is in heaven.”  So we have abandoned hope for the Kingdom to come to Earth and simply hold out and hold on to our heavenly “happy places.”

If we want our churches to be glimpses of heaven, we have to believe in heaven.  We have to believe in heaven here now. 

At least that’s what the gospel says. 

Which is where I will pick up next. 

Painfully Un-amusing but necessary church musings

Recently, I was privileged to spend a meal with one of the leading Christian leaders in America.  For a generation, he has labored to equip lay leaders (like himself) to work for the expansion of the Kingdom of God through their everyday lives.  It was inspiring to me to spend time with him.  He was filled with vigor, vision and hope.  And then talk turned to church. His church. His home church.  Another church that was currently in the midst of division and decline because of the  of pride and rancor of the leadership, both laity and clergy in his own church.  He and I were both saddened--once again--at the loss of credible witness when the Church cannot deal with conflict in Biblical and God-honoring ways.

Two other lay leaders I know, both elders and bloggers are attempting to offer their humble perspectives on another well known church in the midst of division. And it happens to be my "home church."  The First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood is dear to me.  I was married there, ordained there, my son was baptized there. I was mentored and educated by that wonderful community of faith, almost everything I know about being a pastor I learned there.  But now it is in the midst of a crisis of it's own.

Steve Norris and Rob Asghar offer their sober and candid perspectives.  While news stories, websites, recent stories in Christianity Today and Presbyterian Laymen have sought to frame the issues as "worship wars", tradition vs. innovation and even liberal vs. conservative, Elders Norris and Asghar address more directly the specific concerns brought to the presbytery. (See this: Download voter_information_for_may_3rd_presbytery_meeting.pdf )

They point to far more human, and therefore, far more frightening reasons.

(To be sure, not everyone will agree with their perspectives.  And there is plenty of blame to go around.  But I am encouraged by the thoughtfulness and humility which both of these friends bring to the discussion.  I encourage those who disagree with their assessments to respond to their websites with clarifying comments, but will pray that the conversation will be as edifying as possible for the sake of our common witness in the world.)

As one who labored and loves FPCH, I ask that interested parties read their assessments, pray for that great church and the witness of Christ in the world, and covenant with the members and pastors of their own churches to fulfill the biblical prescriptions of Ephesians 4:15 (But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ), especially amongst the church leaders and with the church pastors.

Personally, all of this discussion has made me shudder.

In a post on Asghar's site, one of my church members who has been privy to the inner workings of a number of churches made this sad observation: "What I have seen so far in the Hollywood story is common to the extent that weak sessions (church leadership boards) result in strong pastors and strong pastors demand weak sessions."

While this was not what I was taught in the years I was at FPCH, and was never the intention of my mentors and pastors, I fear that somehow unwittingly, I myself contributed to this painfully deadly dichotomy. As I seek to pastor and partner with my current session to lead SCPC and encourage churches to become genuinely life-transforming communities, I pray (for myself, first of all) that together pastors and church leaders can find the wisdom, spiritual maturity and humility to overcome this deadly dichotomy. 

In an attempt to light a candle rather than simply curse or bemoan the darkness, I will begin tomorrow seeking to lay out more of what I believe the church should be and should look like in our world today.  To some degree, I began this discussion on May 16 with this series of posts here.

But while praying with and for my friends embroiled in the pain at my "home church", I also want to keep holding up a vision for what all of us can do (including me) in the Communities of faith where we are called to be rooted and growing together. 

And here's a hint: It has everything to do with heaven.

Something Beautiful for God

On Sunday Morning I preached and led communion in the “Living Room” at Laity Lodge in the Texas hill country outside of San Antonio.  The newly formed friendship of 50 folk who gathered for worship were treated to the word and the table in front of huge windows that allowed the green of the Texas hill side to be our stained glass window. 

After being welcomed to the morning by delicious fresh baked scones and the warmth of Texas hospitality so freely flowing from one person to another, we gathered for worship together.  Grammy winners Ashley Cleveland and Kenny Greenberg led us in singing old hymns with a fresh passion and conviction.  Different folks took turns sharing what God was doing in their lives.  Birds soared loops against the backdrop of the hills across the canyon of the Rio Frio River. Tears flowed easily as we sang, but for no apparent reason.  We laughed loud and long but I don’t remember any jokes being told. 

It was simple, humble and beautiful.  Earlier in the weekend I had remarked that Laity Lodge reminded me of how Malcolm Muggeridge described Mother Theresa as “something beautiful for God.”  And perhaps that is the best way to think about genuinely spiritual experiences.  They connect us to the beauty of God. 

There is something beautiful about the generosity of a family that has provided a place like Laity Lodge (If you want to be truly touched and inspired, read this about the Howard E. Butt Family).

There is something beautiful when people use their gifts (whether it is baking bread, hospitality, or music) as an offering to God without pretense. 

There is something beautiful when the body of Christ gathers for no reason than to worship God and be the body of Christ. 

There is something beautiful that makes us want to breathe in, to bask under, to linger.  There is something beautiful that makes us long for the beauty of God. 

Maybe that is a more helpful description of what our lives, our gatherings, our churches are to be.  Something beautiful for God.

Spraying to All Fields

I'll finish up my series on Creation and Community next post but here are some reminders and highlights from my most recent forays through the blog world.

GodBlogCon is coming.... Register now...

Rob Asghar muses on top ten albums you'd take to a desert island. (I'd take an Ipod and have way more than ten albums...But what about recharging the thing...)

Steve Norris contemplates kids who grow up...and adults that have to keep growing up.

Rebecca Writes about Top 100 lists all month...

David Smith thinks church members need to think of themselves as stakeholders...

Mark's new book is really, really good. (Longer, review to come.)

Church Musing: "Oh, Nothing"

Tony Morgan offers a perspective on nothing and the church...

Bowden McElroy gives an interesting suggestion for pastors who get terminated for "no reason."

I am speaking on Showtime here this weekend.

Calvin on Vacation?

There is no doubt that the Lord would have us uninterruptedly occupied in holy meditation; that while we contemplate in all creatures, as in mirrors, his wisdom, justice, goodness, and power, we should not merely run over them cursorily and, so to speak, with a fleeting glance; but we should ponder them at length, turn them over in our minds seriously and faithfully, and recollect them repeatedly.  For there are as many miracles of divine power...as there are things in the universe.  (John Calvin, Institutes, 1.14.21, cited in Hoezee, p. 29).

"Among the many holy tasks of Christians is to foster, nurture and develop children's God-given sense of curiosity in such a way that it will still be there when they are adults.  For this whole world belongs to God--and we should want to know more about it."  Scott Hoezee, Remember Creation, 29

What Should "Stay in Vegas."

On our way back from our first RV trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, we decided that we’d look for an extra comfy hotel with a swimming pool for our last night.  So we pulled into Las Vegas and found a good summer deal on the strip. 

As soon as we were unpacked I regretted the decision.  We had just gone from some of the most serene, beautiful, natural places into a setting that could not be more opposite.  Yes, the pool was fun and no we didn’t gamble.  But more than anything else, what struck me was how much I missed the quiet, the calm, and the real.  After casting a line into a slow moving stream while watching a bull moose go by, it’s pretty hard for me to weather the neon lights and clamor of any city, especially the Las Vegas strip.

As someone who has spent a good deal of my time in cities (I worked in Hollywood a block off of Hollywood Blvd for ten years), I actually find cities somewhat invigorating.  I love the mix of cultures, the energy, the bustle.  But Las Vegas always depresses me.  Sure some of it is the gambling (though I am not as ethically opposed to gambling as some).  But mostly, it’s because it is all an illusion.  It all looks and feels like it was created 10 minutes ago.

In many cities, one gets a sense of the generations of layers of culture, the history and the identity of the place, the sense of the people who have eked out a living and a life amidst the changing days.  You can’t walk the San Francisco’s Chinatown, LA’s Olvera Street, or virtually neighborhood in New York or Boston without sensing that there is and has been life in all its raw reality.

In an odd way, that is also what I like about nature.  I like the way that trees show both the charred rings of forest fires years past and new leaves.  I like the way that the eco-system is both fragile and resilient at the same time.  I like that if you go to a wilderness area there are no guarantees that you’ll see wild life or wild flowers because they are…well…wild.  But you might.  I love that nature is uncontrollable and bigger than ourselves.

This is exactly the opposite of theme parks and resorts.  And as fun, amusing and even restful as those places can be (why some people think of going to Las Vegas as restful is beyond me…but some do…) what is missing is the ability to enjoy what is real.  And enjoying what is real is becoming more and more of a rarity.

In Tennessee, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is practically ignored today by the ten million people who visit “Dollywood” (Dolly Parton’s theme park) in nearby Pigeon Forge.

As the New York Times reported, “With shopping, attractions, and 9 live music theaters…many visitors here do not visit the national park a all or zip in and out for what locals call ‘a windshield experience.’  One visitor who never got to the national park said, “There was so much to do (in Dollywood) that I just ran out of time.”

Marveling at the Mouse…

So there we were sitting in a Land Rover in the middle of South Luangwe National Park on a safari in Zambia.  There were impala by the hundreds, hippos in the rivers, giraffes and zebra, crocodiles and lions.  One of my friends turns to me and says, “You know what is really amazing?  How much this reminds me of Disneyland.” 

He was right.  Here we were in a place that none of us had visited before and we were experiencing déjà vu.  Thousands of miles away from Anaheim and our first thoughts were of Adventureland and the Indiana Jones Ride.  I am almost ashamed to admit that I have had that thought over and over again lately.  When walking through the rainforest in Belize, my mind wandered back to the Rainforest Café at Downtown Disney, when floating down a river, I thought of the “Jungle Cruise.” 

As someone who has grown up in the shadow of the Magic Kingdom, it is downright impressive to me how realistic the Disney designers have been at re-creating the real world.  And I believe for some of us, this is now a “real” problem.

Disney  has “re-created” creation so well that we now live in a world with a preference for the artificial.  You see, Disney’s jungle is not wild, the hippos are computerized.  Disney’s rainforest doesn’t have mosquitoes or snakes. Disney's "re-creation" can actually keep us from "real" creation. Las Vegas hotels offer artificial beaches with wave machines, more and more people are rock-climbing in indoor gyms rather than on actual rocks.

In his book Remember Creation, Scott Hoezee considers what it means that so many now prefer “artificial” nature to real nature.  Hoezee muses, “God has placed us in a world of wonders.  It is our job to as self-conscious image bearers (of God) to transcend ourselves in order to notice these wonders.  Isn’t it also our job to raise our children in such a way that they learn to see the world with God’s eyes, to appreciate the wonders God made?  As the authors of the book Redeeming Creation put it, “[I]t is hypocrisy for a Christian to willfully live separated from God’s creation and the joy of it.”  (Hoezee, p. 28)

Go outside and play, for God’s sake…

A major part of the Christian vocation should the nurturing of delight in this universe of wonders…a delight similar to God’s own playful joy in creation which we see traced for us in the Scriptures.  (Hoezee, Remember Creation, p. 8)

A few years ago, I was in a small group that was by and large made up of men with full-grown kids.  It was a delight to meet once a week with men who had already lived a lot of life and were eager to share their hard-won wisdom with a young pastor and family man. 

One of the guys in the group named Scott enjoys a particularly close relationship with his two grown daughters and their husbands.  I commented to him, that it was a rarity to see such connection across the generations.  I asked him what his secret was and he said, “Camping.  When we camped together, we got away from the world and just enjoyed each other.  Years later, I think it was those trips that bonded our family together like nothing else.”

I grimaced.  Camping.  As much as I love the outdoors, I still love beds.  And showers.  And really good food.  And my wife wouldn’t even broach the subject with two really little kids.  But, seeing my face he encouraged me to rent an RV and go that route.  And so we did.  Three of our most memorable trips have been RV camping through the national parks. 

Looking back, I realize that while I loved the RV experience of being in campsites and still sleeping in a good bed, it was the RV that helped us get our young family into nature and adventures (white water rafting, hiking, biking, etc) and away from TV and other media. 

And that became the key to most of our vacations.  Go outside and play together.  Maximize nature and adventure.  Minimize media.  Get ourselves more connected to the Earth and more disconnected from “the world.” 

As a person who believes that part of my Christian vocation is to be “a light to the world”, I have found that vacations are the perfect time to “unplug”, “recharge” by disconnecting from “the world” and "refocusing" on my family, my God and this good world that God has made for us.

In her book, The Shelter of Each Other, Mary Pipher tells of her psychotherapeutic technique of working with families in crisis.  She insists that before she sees them the first time that the whole family do two things for six weeks:

1. Eliminate all media in the house.
2. Do something OUTSIDE together as a family once a week. 

According to Pipher, a curious number of the presenting problems in the family are "healed" before they ever set foot in her office.  Maybe there truly is something "re-creative" about "recreation" done well.

Recreation, Vacation and Vocation

I had just finished a sermon where I took advantage of our PowerPoint system to show a few slides of the beautiful places that my family and I had visited on our most recent vacation.  As pictures of mountains and wildlife and flowers and streams filled the screen, I spoke on a few of the themes that I have written about in these blog posts. But the first post-sermon comment was interesting if off topic.  A single mom walked up to me and said, “I can’t believe that I wasted ten days of vacation sitting by a pool at a hotel when I could have taken my sons to see a bison.”

Now, I am not nearly as critical of this mom as she was of herself.  I imagine that for a single parent having a few days to lie around a pool sounds pretty great.  Making a reservation at a nice resort is way easier to plan than renting an RV or navigating mountain roads to get to a remote lodge. 

But I also heard the disappointment in her voice at the wasted opportunity to do something for herself and her kids that would truly renew her soul, expand her awareness of the world and create the kinds of lasting memories that would bond her fragile family together.  It dawned on me that many of us who are Christians don’t think much about how to “recreate” in a manner that is “Christian.” 

In a world where so many people are confirmed (even proudly so) workaholics, where so many people don’t know how to spend a day off let alone two weeks, is there a more “faithful” way to play?

Certainly we can speak of going to Christian family camps or family mission trips.  Indeed, in another post I have spoken of “tithing our vacations” and using them to participate in God’s Kingdom ministry in the world. 

But I also want to ask us to consider: What kind of vacation really is truly “recreation”?

Over the years that I have been the Head of Staff at our church, I have come to realize how many earnest Christian workers have a difficult time planning and taking a vacation.  More often than not I have to “make” them take their vacation days, and very often those “days off” become nothing more than “bus men holidays” where they simply work from home. 

At the same time, many of us feel like travel is just to too costly, that vacations are too self-indulgent.  Others of us just don’t know how to go about figuring out what we really want and need to do with our vacations and we end falling into old routines that leave us feeling broke, fat, tired and all too glad to get back to work. 

Over the next few posts, I’ll head off on this trail for a bit.  And ask you to chime in if you like: What kind of time “off” makes us better able to serve Christ and glorify God. 

What kind of vacation is best for our vocation?

Which is where I will pick up tomorrow.