Well, life feels a little bit like a roller coaster as of late, but don't worry; this is not another CP update… not just yet.
I am having trouble finishing off this book, and it's irritating to me. I thought I'd worked my way through the most difficult parts already, and in a sense I have. But I think I was more emotionally attached during the last few months of our full time ministry journey than I realized, and I am finding the ending chapters to be difficult to write. Perhaps it also has something to do with knowing what came next. Even when it is finished, I will need to do some editing, get all of the details together… like copyright information, ISBN number, thank yous, etc, and send it off to a friend of mine who has graciously agreed to write the forward. I am still hoping for a late summer/early fall release. And the closer I get, the more I wonder whether anyone will read it and whether I really want them to…
This past week, I have found myself wanting to go on a tirade against… well… everyone and everything, I guess. It's probably not really as bad as it sounds… and it's probably worse, too. And if that doesn't make sense, don't worry about it.
My heart is breaking, over and over again, because I am very keenly aware, now, of some needs that are going unmet among several of the people we have ministered to and/or with in the past. I know that I have no right, really, to call on the church to do anything, because I have been unchurched, myself, for so long. I realize that makes my opinion completely obsolete to a great deal of people. But I am going to go out on a limb, anyway, because even though I am by no means an authority on the subject of how the church should work, I do still love Jesus, and I think he makes a few things pretty clear…
I love the book of James. Always have. Today, my thoughts took me to James Chapter 2, specifically, verses 14-17. It is a familiar passage. In one version, it reads,
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead" (NIV).
In another version,
"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half starved and say, 'Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!' and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup - where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?" (TM).
Ouch!
I've been upset for a long time over my perception that the church is not doing much of anything to reach out to those who don't know Christ and to accomplish the great commission. But that's not even close to what I'm getting at today. What I'm trying to say is that there are people within the church who have needs, and it doesn't seem like anyone is helping them, either! (And, yes, that's an overstatement and a generalization, but read it again and let it make the impact that was intended…)
So like I said before, some specific needs have come to my attention. Here's the run down:
*Money… I hate money, to be honest, because when I don't have it I am stressed out about how to survive, and when I do have it, I am stressed out about how to spend it. But the truth is, there are a lot of church sponsored events that cost a lot of money, and not everyone can afford to participate in these events. This summer, NYC is taking place in St. Louis. There will be thousands of teens and sponsors who attend, and the experience will be life changing for those who go. There are thousands more who will not attend, because they couldn't come up with the cash flow. Among those who aren't making the trip are some of the most dedicated, core leaders in youth groups across the country, and I think it is shameful that no one stepped up and made it possible for them to go. I am kicking myself for being unaware until the final deadlines had passed. So, it's too late for that one, but keep your eyes open, because there are countless other opportunities to help someone out financially, and most of the people who can afford the Internet access required to read this blog can also afford to give something! It doesn't have to be a million dollars… Further, you might want to stop and think about where your tithe is going, because I'm not so sure that most churches are spending it very wisely…
*Family… Yeah, you read that right. A lot of us are really privileged, because we have parents… siblings… or other relatives who are actually related to us by blood or adoption, and who have known us and loved us our whole lives. In ministry, we have met numerous teens who have lost one or both of their parents to divorce, death, debilitating illness, neglect, or abuse. Try to really wrap your mind around that. If you haven't experienced it, you can't understand. I'm not only talking about kids who have to split their time between mom and dad. That's tragic, of course, but I' talking about kids who have no role models, whatsoever. Unfortunately, I have observed these kids being treated as less than worthy of the experience of the church. The excuse is usually that they are too consuming or that their problems are bigger than what we are prepared to handle. Well, let me ask you… Who's going to help them handle the issues, then? If you're an adult with a stable family environment, you might just consider taking one of those kids under your wing and treating them like your own. And I mean really treating them like your own… not just patronizing them. They know the difference.
*Friends… I am mostly talking about adults here. We have lived in six different communities… in the past five years. So, of course, we have lots of "friends". I have 54 friends on myspace, and I send well over 100 Christmas letters every year. But I'm not talking about that brand of friend. I am talking about the kind of friend you feel comfortable sharing your life with. I am talking about the kind of friend to whom you can be accountable. And, I am talking about the kind of friend who doesn't require a whole lot of maintenance. I consider myself very fortunate to have several such friends, but those I have live very far from me, so I rarely see them. Our main channel of communication is the Internet, and I love cyberspace because of it! Every time I hear from one of them, I am excited. They usually send me real e-mail that is longer than three lines, did not go out to seventy other people, and is not in survey form. And I always smile, wonder why they still care so much, and send a reply quickly. That said, I know that you can't force that kind of friendship. But I would encourage you to think about the people you have been the closest to in the past, and contact them in some way to see how they're doing. You might find that they are lonely or friendless and that they still value you. And you might find that they really need you just now.
If you've made it this far, hang on for just a few more moments. I think the idea is that we need to do something! And, believe me, I am talking about myself, just as much as I'm talking about anyone else. That's one of the beautiful things about blogging, you know. I don't really have a clue what you're doing to put your faith into action, so this treatise about what everyone in the world ought to be doing actually ends up being an admonition to myself. But maybe you'll take something from it, too.
And now, if you've read all of this, I'll assume you must care just a little, at least, about who I am and what I have to say, so let me ask you this… Please pray for our family as we seek God's direction for what's next. We want to be people who make a difference in the lives of people.
Lyrics from "Yes and Amen" by: Matt Redman, from the recording, Beautiful News:
Hear your people saying yes
Hear your people saying yes to you
Yes to anything you ask
Yes to anything we're called to do
Hear your people say amen
Hear your people say amen to you
Let your kingdom come on Earth
Let it be just like we prayed to you
Yes and Amen to everything that's in your heart
Yes and Amen to everything that you have planned
We live to see your will be done
And see your perfect kingdom come on Earth, on Earth
Yes and Amen, we're taking up our cross for you
Give us the strength to take these dreams and follow through
We live to see your will be done
And see your perfect kingdom come on Earth, on the Earth
All the promises are yes
All the promises are yes in you
Every good and perfect gift
Every blessing that we have was you
Lisa
).
I guess the only type of person with whom I wouldn't have an enjoyable time at CP is the game player. I do not like to spend lots of money playing games that I never win... oh well.
