Tod Bolsinger

Guest Blogger: RYR in the OC #5

More from Morgan the Guest Blogger on the Rich Young Rulers of Orange County.

When the Rich Young Ruler tells Jesus that he has done the best he can, Mark says that Jesus feels love for him. In Mark 6 Jesus sees a great throng of people and “had compassion for them… and he began to teach them many things (6:34).”  After the lesson Jesus performs his first feeding miracle.  Mark is showing us a pattern. Jesus encounters those who desire God’s Kingdom, he feels deeply for them, and responds with spiritual instruction followed by physical provision. Jesus intends to do the same thing for the RYR. If the young man can accept Jesus’ teaching, Mark seems to imply, then he will receive blessing from God on par with feeding thousands with one sack lunch.

Jesus says to him, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 

Notice the sequence: Heavenly treasure is promised before a making a commitment to follow Jesus! What’s going on here?

The encounter ends as abruptly as it began. “When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving...” What does the young man hear in Jesus’ instruction that is so discouraging that it causes him turn on his heel and walk away without another word?

When Jesus loves a person, that love is always expressed as the intent to see that person set free. If we accept the notion that this man has come to Jesus because the responsibility of great wealth weighs heavily upon him, then we can see that Jesus’ instruction to sell everything off makes complete sense. We must not be facetious about the burden of wealth. What does the world tell rich people to do with their money?  Spend it on a lavish lifestyle and fill up your life with things you don’t need, says Madison Avenue.  Invest it in the free market and make rich people richer, says Wall Street. Buy influence with it so you can know the right people and feel powerful, say the Political Elite. Feel guilty about it and assuage that guilt by giving some of it away, say the Socially Conscientious.  The one thing you are not allowed to do, however, is to turn your back on it. To reject wealth, to be divorced from the structures it props up, to be free of its demands is to do the unthinkable and the unforgivable.

A friend of mine illustrated this well when she described her short-lived experience as a lottery winner. She won some relatively modest sum in the California state lottery. It wasn’t enough to offer her financial security for life, but it was a lot for a college student.  Being more wealthy than wise, she bought a new car and treated her large group of companions to nice dinners and expensive gifts.  Before long, the money was gone and so were many of her friends.  Because of her faith she found the experience instructive and liberating. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned a lot about myself, and I certainly learned who my real friends were. I’m glad the money is gone, because now I know what’s important.”

To the world, you are your stuff. To Jesus, you are infinitely more.

Tomorrow: Jesus Wants You for YOU

Guest Blogger: RYR in the OC #4

Rev. Morgan Murray, Pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in San Juan Capistrano, CA is guest blogging for me another week as I take some days of vacation.  I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I did when I first read it.  It's some thought-provoking stuff.  You can write Morgan at [email protected].  Tod

Last week we saw how the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10 comes to Jesus the Good Teacher and asks how he can make his life count. Jesus takes the opportunity to question the standard by which goodness is measured. “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone (Mark 10:18).” Jesus seems to anticipate that the man will try to justify himself on the basis of good works. It is as if Jesus wants him to do so: “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother’ (vs. 19).”  Jesus focuses on those commandments which deal with human relationships, omitting the ones about relationship with God.  While it might have been impossible for the man to claim perfect faithfulness as a Jewish worshipper, he could argue that he has been an upright Jewish citizen. As if on cue, the young man replies, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth (vs. 20).”

We often try and present ourselves as good people who do good things (more or less). Each of us has an unwritten moral résumé that might well include kindnesses done to strangers, monies given to charity and acts of self-restraint. But this is not the kind of exercise the young man is undertaking. Rather, it is as if he is saying, “Yes, Jesus. I do those things. Everybody does them. Clearly they do not get to the heart of the issue, because if they did then I would not be on my knees before you, feeling as lost as I feel right now.” We get a hint at his motivations because of the editorial comment Mark makes next.  Mark says that Jesus looked at the man and loved him. You can’t snow Jesus: There is something genuine going on inside of this man and Jesus responds to it from his heart. The young man has not fallen before Jesus just so that he can convince himself that he is righteous. He hits his knees because he has done all he knows to do, and it hasn’t worked. Like the RYR, we are striving to “do good” and “be good” for our families, our friends, and our communities in the only way we know how. Many of us have played by culture’s rules, oriented our lives around culture’s priorities, and are deeply disturbed when we fail to enjoy the happiness that our culture promises.  We aren’t good enough, and we know it.

Tomorrow: You Are Not Your Stuff

Guest Blogger: RYR in the OC #3

Guest Blogger Morgan Murray on Part Three of the Rich Young Rulers of Orange County

I’m considering the story of the Rich Young Ruler in the New Testament as a powerful metaphor for affluent young professionals in our culture.  In Mark’s version of the story, the man asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Speaking of eternal life as an inheritance suggests that the young man understands it is not something he can buy, but rather something that which must be given or entrusted to him. We might even imagine that, being both young and rich, his status and material wealth are things he has inherited, and that he feels the burden of demonstrating that he is worthy to receive it. If this is so, then the man may well be running to Jesus and kneeling before him because he feels an enormous burden of responsibility and eagerly desires guidance and perhaps even relief from the weight of wealth. 

This question of eternal life deals with more than what happens to us when we die or how many years our life will last. Eternal life is a life whose dimensions are defined by quality over quantity. In other words, the young man does not want to know how to make his life last forever, but how to make his life count.  Dallas Willard reflects on God’s intentionality in creating us this way:

"Everyone, from the smallest child to the oldest adult, naturally wants in some way to be extraordinary, outstanding, making a unique contribution or, if all else fails, want to be thought so – if only for a brief time. …Our hunger for significance is a signal of who we are and why we are here, and it also is the basis for humanity’s enduring response to Jesus. For he always takes individual human beings as seriously as their shredded dignity demands, and he has the resources to carry through with his high estimate of them".

It is precisely this God-given desire to make a unique contribution that drives the Rich Young Ruler to his knees before Jesus, and it is Jesus’ intent to provide precisely those resources that will enable the young man to live into Jesus’ high estimate of him.  Perhaps the young man has heard about Jesus and believes that he has genuine wisdom to offer.  Perhaps he is one of those rare souls who not only recognize the incredible opportunity his wealth affords him, but also recognizes his lack of wisdom in making the most of it. Like many of the young professionals of our day, he hungers for a life of significance, knows that the world has no wisdom to offer in that regard, and is looking for a mentor or “life coach.” It is therefore not surprising that, in Mark and Luke’s versions, the young man begins his question by addressing Jesus as “Good Teacher.”  The nature of his question and the fact that he is directing it toward Jesus suggest that he is standing at the doorway of the Kingdom and is at risk of stumbling right into it.

Monday: The Problem With Being “Good”

Guest Blogger: RYR in the OC #2

Guest Blogger Morgan Murray continues his series on the Rich Young Rulers of Orange County.

What we know of the Rich Young Ruler comes in the form of something like a composite sketch.  Luke calls him “a certain ruler,” Matthew says he’s “young,” and all three (including Mark) note that he was rich and “had many possessions.” This man has it all: Youthful stamina, social status and lots of cool stuff.  He is the person voted “Most Likely To Be Envied” in our culture.  He might be among the ranks of teen celebrities, junior executives, and heirs to vast fortunes.  Or he might simply be a person who has done all the right things in order to succeed – graduating from the best schools, competing for the best jobs, and striving to provide the best opportunities for himself and for his family.

In our culture, Rich Young Rulers are not only envied, but judged.  Today, it is more often assumed that a wealthy person is wealthy not because of good character, but because of vice. The rich are rich because they are greedy, compulsive, or stingy.  Enron and WorldCom seem to confirm our suspicion that the super-rich get that way by exploiting someone (or everyone) else. For those of us familiar with the story of the Rich Young Ruler, this is the biggest problem.  We assume that Jesus’ hard teaching is a judgment against wealth and material possessions. Pastors of humble means certainly find this interpretation easy to understand, not to mention good fodder for preaching to their well-heeled parishioners.  In our day, poverty has become associated with piety, and wealth has become a symbol of sin.

But in Jesus’ day, wealth was assumed to be a sign of God’s blessing.  Dallas Willard: “The common assumption of the time, as in many times since, was that the prosperity of the rich indicated God’s special favor. How else could they be rich, since it is, supposedly, God himself who controls the wealth of the earth?”  When Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount with the declaration that the “poor in spirit” are blessed because they shall inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3), he is seeking to dispel the myth once and for all that one’s position in this life is either indicative or decisive with respect to one’s eternal destiny. As Willard puts it, “Under the rule of God, the rich and the poor have no necessary advantage over each other with regard to well-being or well-doing in this life or the next.” 

Perhaps this is what the young man has already discovered in his own life. He is wealthy, but not contented. Despite appearances, he doesn’t deserve to be envied or judged. So like young professionals today, he knows what he wants and he is committed to getting it. “As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ (Mark 10:17).”

Tomorrow: What the Rich Young Ruler Really Wants

For more about Dallas Willard, go to www.dwillard.org.

Guest Blogger: RYR in the OC

I am off for some vacation and I am pleased to introduce my first guest blogger series by Rev. Morgan Murray of Community Presbyterian Church in San Juan Capistrano.  Besides being a fine pastor and good friend, Morgan is also one of smartest guys I know.  For the next two weeks you will have the opportunity to interact with him on his topic "The Rich Young Rulers of Orange County."   You'll enjoy this.  And thanks Morgan for filling in so I could get away with the family.

Tod

Thanks, Tod, for giving me an opportunity to share some ideas with your readers.  At this writing, I am celebrating my one year anniversary as the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in San Juan Capistrano in south Orange County.  As the oldest protestant church in one of the oldest communities in California, the church has a long tradition of service.  But like many mainline congregations, we have an aging membership and the young families in our community have very little interest in our church.  The notable exception is that we have nearly two hundred families whose children are enrolled in our preschool which has an excellent reputation and a waiting list to prove it. As the new (and young) pastor, my call was intended to make our faith community more attractive to the affluent families whose children fill our classrooms Monday through Friday, but who are conspicuously absent Sunday morning. 

In a recent conversation with a colleague, I said that I believed there was no “silver bullet” for the outreach-to-young-families problem.  “Oh, there is a silver bullet, but you don’t want to use it,” he replied. “The pastors who attract these young families do something we must not do. They pander to them.” I was taken aback. Do we really have to pander to young professionals in order to draw them into Christian community? 

Fortunately, we know that Jesus dealt with this situation firsthand.  All three synoptic gospels record Jesus’ encounter with a man who has come to be known as the Rich Young Ruler. Perhaps the most memorable part of the story comes when Jesus instructs the man to sell everything he has and then “follow me.”  We can almost see the shocked look on the man’s face as he “went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” Jesus extends an invitation; the young man rejects it.  Even though Jesus desires to see this young man become part of the new community he is creating, Jesus lets the man walk away.  He does not run after him. He does not modify the instruction. He does not pander.

Yet, the scriptures explicitly say that Jesus loves this man.  We must conclude then that Jesus’ loves is precisely why he refuses to issue a retraction. As I gather with other parents outside my son’s preschool class and overhear their conversations about soccer practices, birthday parties and carpools, I wonder what message they have received about becoming part of our worshipping community.  Would joining our church be just another add-on to an already impossible social calendar? Do we love them, or do we only want them only for their time, talent and treasure?  Do we hope to build them up or use them up?  Unlike Jesus, we find it difficult to love them with no strings attached. It is my hope that as we reflect upon this encounter between Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler, we will see the Rich Young Rulers of Orange County with new eyes, hear Jesus’ teaching with new ears, and respond to both with new hearts.

Tomorrow: Most Likely To Be Envied?

Now That's More Like It...

"We urge Christians to shape their personal lives in creation-friendly ways: practicing effective recycling, conserving resources, and experiencing the joy of contact with nature."

As someone who has often pointed out the disconnection between evangelicals and environmental care, I have been encouraged by this quote from a recent statement put out by the National Association of Evangelicals about Evangelical civic responsibility (HT: Mark D. Roberts). Encouragingly, it includes a section entitled, "We labor to protect God's creation." 

I am off for some vacation to fulfill, at the very least, the third part of the statement.  Enjoy a great guest blogger while I am gone and if possible, "experience the joy of contact with nature" for yourself these last few weeks of summer.

Half Dome Highlights 2005

I just returned from my annual Summer Trek up Half Dome with our High School Seniors.  It is a great time of bonding and working together as they prepare to become the student leaders of our youth department.  I'll share some pictures and stories as I did in our worship services today.

While it was a beautiful night out when we arose at 4:45 AM some of the details for the trip were still left undone and that got us off to a later start than usual.  Our High Schoool Director, Mike and two volunteer leaders, Brandon and Alice and I were joined by a guide from Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp, nicknamed Fox.

As we marched along the trail together, we were split into two groups with everyone having the best attitudes and genuine excitement, we saw a lot of wildlife this year, the most ever, with our camp guide and I counting eight deer and even two bears.  One that simply walked down the trail in front of us.   

The scenery was breath taking, and the trail was quite demanding.  But we pushed on and made great time. Now, Half Dome is particularly challenging because after you have already climbed 8 miles, you then face Heartbreak Hill, The Thousand Steps and then the famous cables that take you up to the top. 

This year, however, the climb was particularly crowded because the trail was only open on weekends and the weather started looking quite cloudy in the distance. We didn’t know it at the time, but we found out later that two weeks ago, two people were killed on Half Dome after being struck by lightening.   

I was hiking with a front group that had made really good time getting to the cables.  And while we planned on going up the cables together, with the clouds in the distance looking potentially threatening and unable to reach Mike’s group or Brandon’s group on the walkie-talkies I made the decision to get my group to the top and back down again as soon and safely as we could. 

So, up they went.  And sure enough, another great group of high school seniors stood atop Half Dome together.   

But then the clouds came in too close, and the wind began.  Mike and two students were on the Thousand Steps and within a half mile of the cables but Mike knew that the climbing from there and the crowds on the cables would likely take them too long to safely make it to the top.  Seeing the weather coming Mike wisely stopped them and took them down where they would be safe. 

Brandon and the guide from the camp, had their group half way up the cables and they had to make the really hard decision to turn back from the top.  And we on top rushed back down the cables both exhilarated and disappointed, feeling both the ups and downs.  Glad that we had made but really bummed for our friends. 

If there was ever a group whose attitudes and effort earned them all the right to stand atop together, it was this one, and it wasn’t going to happen.

Then when just as I got back to the bottom the weirdest thing happened.  The weather cleared.  It was like God just held back the clouds and let the sun pour through.  And since so many had left in fear of the clouds, the cables were now empty.  What had taken us 40 minutes to climb now could be done in ten.  The guide from the camp and I conferred and quickly decided to give Brandon’s group a chance to go quickly to the top. 

When Alice called me on the walkie talkie from the top, she was so excited that she couldn’t keep her finger on the talk button.  But they had made it too.   All of us except Mike, and the two students had been able to get to the top, but those three had walked 18 miles and missed out on the top because of a late start, some early morning illness and uncertain weather and we never got to be there all together.

When we gathered back together in Curry Village for the now traditional after hike Pizza dinner, we decided to take some pictures of all of us together.  Because while we hadn’t all made it to the top together, we did all make it to Half Dome and safely back down more unified as a group and more deeply humbled by the beauty and power of the God who made Half Dome and the fearsome weather that can change all of our plans in an instant. 

I am really proud of these kids, especially their positive attitudes in every circumstance and Mike’s maturity and good judgment, to make a tough call for the safety of the young people under his care. 

For me one of the most memorable moments of the trip occurred back a camp during the debrief.  Kelly spoke of how hard it was to have to turn back and not stand atop Half Dome with her friends.  Kelly is an accomplished athlete.  If she hadn’t been sick in the morning, or if she had left to join the lead group a bit earlier, she absolutely would have made it.  And to miss out was really disappointing to her.  But as Mike told us later, neither her nor the other yound man who had to turn back had a single negative thing to say when he made the call to stop.  They demonstrated incredible maturity. 

Kelly said that while walking back down and praying about the disappointment of the day, it hit her that while she had come to Half Dome to make it to the top with her friends, that God had brought her here to bring her closer to him.  And for her that was really what mattered.  Far more important then one day or one accomplishment is living each day closer and closer to God. 

I had hoped that maybe Kelly would learn that lesson in the next six months, not the first six hours, but this remarkable young women and her friends showed some real faith and made me feel like a most blessed pastor indeed.

I love my job. 

I Get Paid For Doing This

I leave this morning for a quick trip to Yosemite National Park where for the third year in a row I will lead a group of incoming High School Seniors to the top of Half Dome.  It is a great, great experience every year of being with the future leaders of the church.  I love being their pastor and I love being with them.

Please pray for our safety.  I'll tell the stories and show some pictures at church on Sunday and then here on Monday.

Last year's group that made it to the top!

Tod’s Recent and Random Recommended Reading List

I was asked by our Senior Ministry to recommend some books for a new "book club" at our church.  Honestly, I probably should have said "no."  The books I read can range in both orthodoxy and content as I enjoy being challenged by what I read. These are all books that I have found worth passing on to friends but may make a few people wonder about their pastor. I thought an even dozen was a good start.

So, here's the warning and explanation: 

The Stories are just that.  You'll have to "bring your own faith" to them and see what they do for you. 

The Teachings are some of my most trusted writers in the faith, but I don't agree with every one on everything.  So, read, talk and pray.  The conversation could be communion enough. 

The Stories: For stimulating conversation amongst friends

Salvation on Sand Mountain, Dennis Covington.  A gripping true story of how a journalist comes face to face with his need for faith through a most unorthodox group of believers.   

My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok.  A classic story about a boy torn between his passion for art and the Hasidic Jewish faith of his family. 

The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis.  A famous allegory about heaven and hell. 

Glittering Images, Susan Howatch.  The first story in Howatch’s “Church of England” Series, this book points to the true power in the clay pots that are most clergy. 

The Brothers K, David James Duncan.  An epic story of one family from the Eisenhower years to Vietnam. Kooky and inspiring all at once.

Harry Potter (any and all six of them), J.K. Rowling.  These are really good stories about good and evil and make interesting grist for the mill, especially for talking with kids. 

The Teachings: Meant to challenge and comfort, convict and inspire. 

The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering who Jesus Was and Is, N. T. Wright.  The best book on Jesus for a wide audience by the best Jesus scholar in the world today. 

Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis.  A classic introduction to Christianity.  It is both an apologetic and an explanation of classic Christian faith. 

The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen.  A brief, insightful introduction to desert spirituality and the disciplines of solitude, silence and the prayer of the heart.

Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty, Mark D. Roberts.  Using the teachings of the Scriptures, this book instructs in how to speak and live the truth in every day situations. 

Remember Creation: God's World of Wonder and Delight, by Scott Hoezee
This book explores the great divide between Christians who deeply believe the Bible but show little regard for the Creation that the Bible teaches us to care for.

The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel. A "journalistic" look at the objections to Christianity. Part of a larger series of "Case for..." books.

Truly Transforming Missions: A list of Suggestions.

This set of posts was inspired by two only minimally connected things:  One was my encouragement of the ONE Campaign and the various opinions that I read in comments emails, and other posts.  The second is the set of articles based on Calvin College Professor Kurt Ver Beek’s research and then subsequent email conversation with Robert Priest of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School about the relative ineffectiveness of most Short Term Missions Programs to bring about Christian transformation for either the STMers or the recipients of the ministry.

In a response to an email posted at CT.com, Ver Beek describes both the good that mission trips accomplish and the almost inevitable result of returning home to our “consumerist cultures”:

Students come down to Honduras for four months and we do our best, with God's help, to share our passion for creating a Honduras and a world more pleasing to God—more just, less poor, and filled with more people truly knowing and serving him. We have seen many students change their majors and careers goals based on their experience. I think the time here is very powerful for all of them.

But then they return to the United States, to their busy life with friends, family, studies, a consumerist culture, and churches that do not often emphasize these issues. Their experiences have lent support to my belief that we all need encouragement and accountability if we're to turn powerful experiences into lasting change.

Two students may leave Honduras equally motivated and "changed," but the one who returns to their old group of friends without staying in touch with their Honduras friends or joining a group with similar interests is unlikely to seem much difference after a few months. The one who stays in touch and gets involved in a social justice or mission group on campus will often end up making even more radical changes than they talked about in Honduras. So I think the young person who does a STM trip for only one or two weeks would need even more support in making sure those weaker impulses translate into action.

In many ways, Kurt Ver Beek says all we need to know, but I’ll wrap up these posts with my own short list of suggestions for those who are considering being part of a Short Term Mission and especially for pastors and mission committees who are responsible for structuring and funding these trips. 

1. Focus first on relationships before results.  Americans are “doers” and what often motivates us is “doing some good.”  But much of the pain and disappointment in the world today has been, in the words of my friend, Steve Haas, a Vice President at World Vision, “well-intentioned people who really didn’t know what good to do.”  The key for avoiding this kind of painful outcome is to think more about “who I want to be in a mission with” before thinking “what do I want my mission to accomplish.”   

The “Who” Questions: Who will be my partners? Who will go on the trip with me?  Who will be learning from?  Who are the CAREER MISSIONARIES in the 3rd world country that we will connect with?  Who are the Christians that we will get to know and form relationships with are far more important at the beginning than figuring out what you will do (I.e. evangelism, feeding the hungry, building project, vision trip, etc.).  In many ways, this is the real genius of the Y-Malawi Partnership and the reason that we are connected to it.  While so many people are doing good in Africa, we really wanted to be in relationship with these folks.

2. Go as a church and connect with career missionaries and local church leaders.  Yes, this is a subset of number 1, but it should be stated even more clearly.  I am not a big fan of mission organizations that recruit individuals from around the country, but them together for a one week or two week experience and then go do something and leave.  Often times the only experience any one ever has on a mission trip is with an American STM organization that is really little better than a travel company for disparate people to come together to have an experience.  Far better is to start with the relationships that you’ll have when you return and connect to people who will have long relationships in country after you leave.

3. Every mission experience should last at least a year.  Now I don’t mean that the actual trip should be a year long (most people cannot do that), what I mean is that when planning trips, asking for commitments from participants and prayer partners, funding and scheduling expectations, the mission trip should “start” 6 months before the travel date and not “end” until 6 months after returning home (minimally!).  Not only should there be ample preparation, cultural sensitivity training, trip preparation meetings (including getting shots, equipment, etc.) and involvement with the church in sending the team, but there needs to be an equal commitment to the post trip follow-up, study, integration of experiences and support after returning.  I would like to see every person who commits to a STM to understand that it is a twice-monthly meeting commitment for one year with a two-week trip in the middle of that year. 

4. Get involved at home in anything that reinforces the commitments you made abroad. This brings me back to the ONE Campaign and why I want people to take small steps to raise awareness and involvement.  Mostly it is for me.  I need to be reminded of what I learned and felt by speaking up, by getting involved, by having more discussions, and yes, sometimes, by wearing a little white bracelet. 

5. STMs should be seen as nothing more and nothing less than a lab-class for a lifetime of discipleship.  Ultimately, the best good that we North Americans can do in the world is to be more deeply devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.  STMs are intense hands-on, life-immersing experiences in the work of Jesus in the world.  And some of us may only have a chance to do this once or twice in life. But the goal isn’t to become an “experience junkie” or to “go on a mission”, but to become a person who is personally, passionately and permanently committed to the church’s shared mission of “being Jesus for the whole world” (to use Tom Wright’s phrase.)  If STM is not about discipleship, then it is nothing more than an adventure trip sprinkled with holy water. 

Learning to be more like Jesus is first, last and always the true transformation that is our mission.