I know that it is really popular to rip on the Church (I myself have been guilty) but I have been really touched recently by some little things at Church.  There is a woman in our congregation who is brought to church every Sunday by her son.  I think she lives in a nursing home.  Because of health issues it is hard for her to communicate clearly.  Her wheelchair is placed in the aisle.  To go to communion you have to go by her.  I have been overwhelmed with the love and respect that is shown her each Sunday as almost every communicant stops to bless and greet her.  They don’t have to do that.  They bless her because they see Jesus in her.  I love the body of Christ….even with all of its faults.

Hospitality is the key to outreach with the Christian message.  There are so many reports of those, especially young adults, who will not connect with the Church because of negative perceptions and experiences.  This kind of damage is hard to undo but it can be reframed when we listen.  Listen to the story.  Listen to the pain.  Listen to the hurt.  Acknowledge the pain that is heard and do not cast judgement.  As we listen we let the story unfold.  Hospitality is to give without asking anything in return.  We give and we love with the love of Christ.  May each of us strive for graciousness and hospitality.

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When I was first asked by the leaders at Camp Okoboji to lead a retreat for high school students teaching contemplative prayer and contemplative life I must admit that I was quite skeptical.  The retreats with middle aged and young adults had been very meaningful but I just wasn’t sure it would work with high school youth.  Sure, I had read the book Contemplative Youth Ministry, AND, I wanted to believe that Yaconelli was right, but, I was skeptical.

What an experience!  The young people invested in the process and came genuinely enthused about the topic.  The continaully expressed deep appreciation for the times of silence.  Now, I will admit that we used some unique approaches which may have helped.  A contemplative bike trip (with three miles of mindful silence) brought wonderful discussion.  When we stopped in the middle of the bike trip for an experience in small group lectio divina (at picnic tables on a beautiful day), I was thrilled with the enthusiastic participation.

 Camp Okoboji provided a wonderful staff to partner with and God brought together an incredible group of high school students.  I have been blessed by this experience.

She is confused.

She has body lice.

She has rat poop in her shoes but won’t give them up.

Her children love her.

So does Jesus.

Some people find it surprising that I like Lent. I really do like Lent. To me, Lent is a gift from the Church that invites me to step out of the ordinary madness of life and to slow the game of life down. Some friends of mine who are very holy say they refuse to “give things up” for Lent because they say denial eliminates joy. Other friends that I consider very holy say that to “give things up for Lent” is a meaningful discipline that leads to transformation.

I personally welcome Lent as a time of discipline. I do “give things up” but not to seek God’s favor. Rather, by fasting from certain things, I am led by the Holy Spirit to see those things that block my view of God or block my ability to see my neighbors needs.

As you consider a Lenten discipline you might want to think about:

• Meatless Wednesday’s and Friday’s not only to focus on a spiritual discipline regarding eating but also to live out issues of social justice. The amount of grain that it takes to feed a cow for meat production, would feed over 100 people around the world. By simplifying one’s eating life one connects with the poor and the hungry and works to support their needs.
• Extra time in prayer and devotion through the Word brings one before the presence of God to be transformed in powerful ways.
• Continuing to look at one’s life in order to simplify and reduce  participation in consumerism.
• To serve God by serving neighbor.
• A time of silent retreat for two or three days to be with the Word and before the Word.

The Lenten discipline is to support the stripping away of those things that keep one from seeing God.

Shane Claiborne’s book, “Irresistible Revoltion,” is absolutely profound.  However, what he writes about is really not new.  Shane is bringing back for me the passions that I had when I was in high school and college and reminded me of our work for civil rights, ecology, peace and justice.  The late 60’s and early 70’s saw the church become involved with justice issues in profound ways, resulting is some dramatic changes in the culture. 

I was discussing my thoughts with a 23 year old that had read the book and liked it, and told him that Shane had me stirred up with a desire to change lifestyle and approaches to ministry.  I said it felt good to be back where I was.  Then he asked me a profound question, “Why did you quit doing it?”  I hated that question because I didn’t have a good answer.

Somehow, how got caught up in day to day ministry, graduate school, raising a family……I don’t know…..life just took over.  I look back and truly hope that my ministry was about justice, stewardship and redemption.  I think it was.  But why didn’t I do more?  I don’t know.  Good question?  But I am committed to it now.

Shane Claiborne is raising the prophetic questions that must be raised.  The questions are uncomfortable and the challenge is at times almost overwhelming.

I began to pray with questions about how I might more directly serve the poor and the marginalized.  God has answered that prayer in ways that are absolutely powerful.  I cannot write about it here because of some privacy issues involving those with whom I am working, but, let’s just say that God has taken me where God has called me.

Would love to hear from those who have read this book!  Check out my brief book review…..

The YM 2008 Conference was wonderful. Dan Kimball did a wonderful job of raising questions. We could discuss the answers….I don’t think we would totally agree….but I LOVE the questions.

Kimball went back and wrote on his web page about the conference and then he did this part:
« Imagining Martin Luther if he was just starting out in ministry today

It had never occurred to me that the Reformation was a young adult movement. Luther was only 29 when he nailed the 95 thesis. The young adults of today are bringing about another new movement in the Church and in many ways it is a breath of fresh air.

If we intend to be authentic in our ministries we must be about the business of dialog and discussing the elephants that Kimball says are on the table. Kimball raises most of these issues in his book, “They Like Jesus but not the Church” which I find to be a powerful book. It is so important to raise the questions. The answers will come as we submit to the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit lead.

Bottom line……it is about hospitality and a ministry of listening as together we seek how God is calling each of us to do ministry.

Ishmael is the gorilla’s name.  Yes, he is under 600 pounds and he talks and he is a philosopher.  Ishmael is the prime character in three books written by Daniel Quinn  (Ishmael, My Ismael, The Story of B).  Ishmael helps his students understand that the world is divided by Takers and Leavers, each with their own philosophy about how to use the world’s resources and how to structure a society.  Ishmael likes to teach through stories (no, Ismael is anything but a Christ-figure) and they are stories that make you scratch your head and wonder what to do.

So the story I want to draw your attention to deals with the topic of education.  Ishmael and Julie have been talking about the role of schools in society and how the over-professionalization of schools only works in a Taker society, etc.  Ishmael reminds me a bit of the writings of Paulo Friere, anyway, he proceeds with a story. (My personal application of this story was to religious education.)

The Story 

“Once upon a time a distinguished elder blue-winged teal by the name of Titi called a great conference of other distinguished elders to be held on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel.  When they were at last gathered and settled down, one slightly less distinguished blue-winged teal by the name of Ooli stepped forward to make some introductory remarks.

‘I am sure you all know who Titi is,’ he began, ‘but in case you don’t, I’ll tell you.  He is without a doubt, the greatest scientist of our age, and the world’s foremost authority on avian migration, which he has studied longer and deeper than any other teal in history, blue-winged or otherwise.  I don’t know why he’s called us together here at this time, but I don’t doubt that his reasons are excellent.’  And with that, Ooli turned the meeting over to Titi.

“Titi ruffled his feathers a bit to gather everyone’s attention, then said, ‘I’ve come here today to urge upon you a vitally important innovation in the rearing of our young.’  Well, Titi certainly got everyone’s attention with his announcement, and he was deluged with questions from teals who demanded to know what was supposed to be wrong with chick-rearing practices that had worked for blue-winged teals for more generations than any of them could count.’”‘

The Continuation of the Story in my words (to shorten it a bit)

Titi went on to explain all the things that were keeping the blue-winged teals from migrating efficiently and he proposed that instead of letting the parents teach the chicks how to migrate effectively and meaningfully, that he, Titi, would organize a school of professionals in the field of migration to teach more effective migration.  The blue-winged teals did not feel confident challenging such an expert so within a few years (ok, another quote from the book) “they were spending long evening hours with their chicks trying to comprehend and explain such things as tracking patterns, navigation mechanisims, degree of return, and degrees of dispersal and convergence.  Instead of frolicking in the morning sunshine, chicks learned calculus……………” and it goes on to describe all of the other scientific points needed in order to migrate effectively.

The Conclusion to the Story

“The initial failures of the new education system were spectacular but not unexpected………It was finally accepted that ordinary parents were not in fact qualified to teach their children anything as complex as migratory science. This was something only professionals could be expected to handle. [italics mine] Chicks were henceforth taken from the nest at an early age and turned over to a new cadre of specialists, who organized their young charges into brutally competitive units, imposing on them high standards, uniform testing, and harsh discipline.  A certain amount of adverse reaction to the new regime was expected and soon materialized, in the form of chronic truancy, hostility, depression and suicide among the young.  New cadres of truancy officers, guards, psychotherapists, and counselors struggled to keep things under control, but before long members of the flock were streaking away like residents of a burning building (for Titi and Ooli were not quite mad enough to think they could keep the flock together by force).

“After the two old friends watched the last remnants of the flock scatter in the sky, Ooli shook his head and wondered where they’d gone wrong.  Titi ruffled his feathers irritably and said, “We went wrong by failing to take into account a great truth, namely that teals are stupid and lazy, and perfectly content to stay that way.”

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Well I read this and wonder about the question I keep hearing, “Why are young adults leaving the Church?”

Would invite your reactions to my thoughts……………………