Yesterday morning, a tremendous panel addressed the conference's theme "Flourish" in the context of how such a word/idea could be misunderstood as prosperity theology.
Dr. Kate Bowler, author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel gave us a brief look at the origination and nature of the prosperity gospel.
Dr. Luis Carlo, Vince Bantu, and Dr. Terry LeBlanc all weighed in on questions asked by the panel facilitator, Chanequa Walker-Barnes. I didn't take many notes but am buying the DVD of this session...such an important dialogue to share with some of my friends back home.
A few quotes I did randomly commit to the notebook:
"When the church becomes the church of the empire, we lose our way. The Church has lost her identity. we identify with the wrong thing."
"If you want to be prosperous, someone else is going to pay the bill for it."
"We are part of the sin we're preaching against."
"Who are the exiles? We are. Who are the oppressors? We are."
"Not 'we are' because 'I am', but 'I am' because 'we are'."
Friday, September 26, 2014
John Perkins Bible Study #1
John M. Perkins and Wayne "Coach" Gordon shared from the stage yesterday morning about the centrality of God's Word and about being born again into the family of God.
Perkins talked about how we cannot separate faith and works. He talked about the dichotomy that came about when we preached only to save people's souls and left their bodies behind. This lean on proclamation without demonstration accommodated racism, injustice, allowed people to live in poverty, addressed the soul of a person and not the "whole" of a person.
On the other end of spectrum, it's good to remember that good works will not save us. It is not by works of righteousness...
"We got a lot of people doing CCD without redemptive work. You gotta be born again. You must be born again. Gotta be born into the family of God. The families of the earth failed. They couldn't do it. Old Testament families failed to father justice, to reflect God's Kingdom, they killed the God of glory. You're not going to save the world through your good works. We have a Redeemer. The just for the unjust."
I had the privilege of running into Dr. Perkins at Starbucks this morning. We had a brief conversation about where I'm from, and then Dr. Perkins shared a few words with similar flavor to today's Bible Study. He talked about his speaking schedule, the critical times we're living in, and though he thinks he should slow down his travel itinerary at 84 years old, he finds it too crucial to be out encouraging the multi-ethnic church plants happening and to instill in them a CCDA DNA so that they don't become so one-dimensional (that one dimension being the worship service). He then jumped to the other end and talked about how those churches can't just go be about works righteousness, either. I asked Dr. Perkins, "Why do you suppose we tend to keep falling into the polarized places?" His answer, "It's because we try to remove the struggle. We try to remove the struggle."
I love this man. He embodies the Good News of Jesus and is a living, walking testament of his own words, "We are to be the outliving of the inliving Christ."
ccda day one: on jeremiah 29
I was challenged by Leroy Barber's message on Wednesday evening at CCDA's opening large group session. He spoke on Jeremiah 29: 1-11, and took us away from "the precious moments" usage of Jeremiah 29:11..."For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
He reminded us that there were two stories at the beginning of Jeremiah 29. The first story is one of Babylon. Babylon had just won, and it was full of itself. They had just plundered Jerusalem. This story is the one of prestige, power, empire, arrogance. The second story is one of Jerusalem. The people were beaten, tired, worn, and called to walk to Babylon as exiles, a journey of 800 miles. They had lost most everything; they had family and friends who had died and would not make the journey.
One of these stories would fall, one would last. To which people did the Lord speak His community development plan, his missional call? It was to the tired, worn, weary people of Israel along their journey to Babylon.
God tells these folks to go into Babylon- their captors, their oppressors- and to build and settle, plant and eat, marry, make a living, and to seek the peace and prosperity of the land, for as it prospers, so would they also prosper. In the 70 years that God would require the Israelites to live in exile in Babylon, He tells them to commit to the flourishing of the city so that they too might flourish. He doesn't tell them to commit to the ways of the Babylonians, but instead to commit to singing the song of peace that they represented in Jerusalem.
Barber went on to contrast power and struggle:
"Power is not friendly. We can't handle power. Power conceded nothing until it is confronted. Power wants to operate from strength. Power will re-group. Power offers small gestures and trinkets, not system change. Power masks itself in our churches and Christian ministries. Power doesn't wake up in the morning and say, 'How do I share myself today?' We can't handle power without accountability and community.
Power, however, exerted in sacrifice will lift people to life. Your life as a follower of Jesus in this world is centered in struggle. You won't get justice and not have it cost you something. Salvation is free, not justice."
He reminded us that there were two stories at the beginning of Jeremiah 29. The first story is one of Babylon. Babylon had just won, and it was full of itself. They had just plundered Jerusalem. This story is the one of prestige, power, empire, arrogance. The second story is one of Jerusalem. The people were beaten, tired, worn, and called to walk to Babylon as exiles, a journey of 800 miles. They had lost most everything; they had family and friends who had died and would not make the journey.
One of these stories would fall, one would last. To which people did the Lord speak His community development plan, his missional call? It was to the tired, worn, weary people of Israel along their journey to Babylon.
God tells these folks to go into Babylon- their captors, their oppressors- and to build and settle, plant and eat, marry, make a living, and to seek the peace and prosperity of the land, for as it prospers, so would they also prosper. In the 70 years that God would require the Israelites to live in exile in Babylon, He tells them to commit to the flourishing of the city so that they too might flourish. He doesn't tell them to commit to the ways of the Babylonians, but instead to commit to singing the song of peace that they represented in Jerusalem.
Barber went on to contrast power and struggle:
"Power is not friendly. We can't handle power. Power conceded nothing until it is confronted. Power wants to operate from strength. Power will re-group. Power offers small gestures and trinkets, not system change. Power masks itself in our churches and Christian ministries. Power doesn't wake up in the morning and say, 'How do I share myself today?' We can't handle power without accountability and community.
Power, however, exerted in sacrifice will lift people to life. Your life as a follower of Jesus in this world is centered in struggle. You won't get justice and not have it cost you something. Salvation is free, not justice."
Thursday, September 25, 2014
ccda day one: on reconciliation
Cheryl Miller, executive director of Perpetual Hope Home, Inc., came on stage and shared two pictures at the beginning of the CCDA conference in Raleigh, NC.
The first picture was of her recent trip to the border of Texas-Mexico, where she not only witnessed the many unaccompanied children being detained at the border, but also witnessed bitter polarization on the issue, and the polarization was among believers.
In the midst of the polarization Miller sees happening across our country on so many issues, she shared a picture of reconciliation. She quoted, "When seeking truth meets speaking love, justice can be ushered in." Miller leads a restorative justice effort in which she's walked with over 1,600 victims and offenders to bring healing. Last night, she shared the story of Jonni, the mother of a murdered child, and his killer, Chacto, and their visit together in the prison where Chacto resides.
During their visit, Jonni asked the toughened Mexican Mafia member if he was going to ask her for forgiveness. Miller, listening, was a bit confused as to why Jonni asked that of Chacto because years before, at the end of the trial, Jonni had faced Chacto and told him that she forgave him for what he did to her son.
Chacto received the question. As tears rolled down his face, he said he was sorry, and he asked her forgiveness, in which she promptly replied, "I forgive you." They ended their visit, hands raised to touch through the glass, with tears flowing on both sides.
After their visit, Cheryl asked Jonni why she had asked Chacto if he was going to ask for forgiveness from her. Jonni responded, "I did it for him, not for me." Cheryl asked what Jonni was feeling that would compel her to do this. The response, "I think it was love."
Miller went on to say that the law can't bring justice. But love can.
Forgiveness doesn't negate the wrong, but it restores humanity to the situation.
The first picture was of her recent trip to the border of Texas-Mexico, where she not only witnessed the many unaccompanied children being detained at the border, but also witnessed bitter polarization on the issue, and the polarization was among believers.
In the midst of the polarization Miller sees happening across our country on so many issues, she shared a picture of reconciliation. She quoted, "When seeking truth meets speaking love, justice can be ushered in." Miller leads a restorative justice effort in which she's walked with over 1,600 victims and offenders to bring healing. Last night, she shared the story of Jonni, the mother of a murdered child, and his killer, Chacto, and their visit together in the prison where Chacto resides.
During their visit, Jonni asked the toughened Mexican Mafia member if he was going to ask her for forgiveness. Miller, listening, was a bit confused as to why Jonni asked that of Chacto because years before, at the end of the trial, Jonni had faced Chacto and told him that she forgave him for what he did to her son.
Chacto received the question. As tears rolled down his face, he said he was sorry, and he asked her forgiveness, in which she promptly replied, "I forgive you." They ended their visit, hands raised to touch through the glass, with tears flowing on both sides.
After their visit, Cheryl asked Jonni why she had asked Chacto if he was going to ask for forgiveness from her. Jonni responded, "I did it for him, not for me." Cheryl asked what Jonni was feeling that would compel her to do this. The response, "I think it was love."
Miller went on to say that the law can't bring justice. But love can.
Forgiveness doesn't negate the wrong, but it restores humanity to the situation.
ccda day one kicks off with lament
Leader Noel Castellanos' opening welcome at the CCDA National Conference in Raleigh was not one of cheerleading, affirmation, and encouragement to stay in the trenches, continue the good fight. It was not a ra-ra start. Nope, he opened on the starting line where all followers of Christ should begin. Lament. Grieving the broken world. Hearts broken by the brokenness that grieves God's heart. Holy discontent. Looking (literally at photos) at the pain and agony on the faces of God's beloved children across the country and world.
God heard the cries of humanity, and he came down, in the flesh, to engage the pain. To dwell among us. To serve sacrificially, even unto death, in order to redeem and make new. He heard. He saw. He grieved. He acted.
Lament: the appropriate place to begin.
God heard the cries of humanity, and he came down, in the flesh, to engage the pain. To dwell among us. To serve sacrificially, even unto death, in order to redeem and make new. He heard. He saw. He grieved. He acted.
Lament: the appropriate place to begin.
Monday, September 22, 2014
testimony
"We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony..." song lyrics from "Overcome" (Jeremy Camp) taken from Revelation 12:11.
Thank you, Ruby, for sharing your testimony at Picnic in the Park yesterday! Why is it I can too easily lose expectant faith and quickly develop amnesia regarding the power of Jesus Christ today to miraculously, dramatically, and radically turn lives around? Your testimony encouraged me, Ruby, as you pointed to the great power of Jesus at work transforming your life as you walk closely with Him in faith.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
my "books of the year"
I'm reading two critical books simultaneously that are so, so good together. Reconcile by John Paul Lederach, and Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when Stakes are High by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler. Do you ever read high impact books that cause you to want to order a whole case and hand them out to friends and family so that you all might engage them together? That's where I'm at with these. They are the "current books of the year" for me. I have much to learn and practice through them. Admittedly, my deficiencies loom large in these texts.
Reconcile: Embracing and growing through conflict, learning to turn toward and love, even sacrifice, for those we consider "other" and "enemy". Learning how to better wrestle with self, other, and God through conflict in order to move toward peace making.
Crucial Conversations: Conversations that happen where emotions run strong, stakes are high, and opinions different. Our defaults when conversations turn crucial are usually one of two responses: silence (avoid, withdraw from sharing "meaning into the pool ", shut down) or violence (forcing meaning into the pool, attacking, punishing). This book gives tools and skills to create safety for dialogue so that we can all give and receive in hard-to-go-to conversations.
I'm heading to the Christian Community Development Association's National Conference in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina next week. One thing I love about CCDA is that it is centered in the reconciliation found in Jesus Christ and invites a great big diverse group of believers and thinkers to worship Him in oneness and dialogue about living out and sharing our faith in this world. CCDA doesn't shy away from approaching crucial conversations...conversations on race, immigration, homosexuality, privilege and power, to name just a few. I'm praying for these crucial conversations this week. Maybe I should take cases of these books to distribute at the conference. Better yet, maybe I should focus on how I can practice some of the skills found in these books.
Reconcile: Embracing and growing through conflict, learning to turn toward and love, even sacrifice, for those we consider "other" and "enemy". Learning how to better wrestle with self, other, and God through conflict in order to move toward peace making.
Crucial Conversations: Conversations that happen where emotions run strong, stakes are high, and opinions different. Our defaults when conversations turn crucial are usually one of two responses: silence (avoid, withdraw from sharing "meaning into the pool ", shut down) or violence (forcing meaning into the pool, attacking, punishing). This book gives tools and skills to create safety for dialogue so that we can all give and receive in hard-to-go-to conversations.
I'm heading to the Christian Community Development Association's National Conference in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina next week. One thing I love about CCDA is that it is centered in the reconciliation found in Jesus Christ and invites a great big diverse group of believers and thinkers to worship Him in oneness and dialogue about living out and sharing our faith in this world. CCDA doesn't shy away from approaching crucial conversations...conversations on race, immigration, homosexuality, privilege and power, to name just a few. I'm praying for these crucial conversations this week. Maybe I should take cases of these books to distribute at the conference. Better yet, maybe I should focus on how I can practice some of the skills found in these books.
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