Reading Update

I am currently reading Job and the Mystery of Suffering by Richard Rohr. I wanted to pass on some snapshots from the reading…

“Religious education has for years given people answers to questions they’re not asking. The people accept answers quickly and easily. And the answers go about an inch deep. And the people, all too often, spout the answers for the rest of their lives.” “…such knowledge can pass away as quickly as it came, because we never thirsted for it. Until we make space inside, what comes is not an answer but an excuse – an excuse not to face the question, an excuse to stop searching, to avoid the journey.”

“The mystery of why there are thorns on the rose eventually becomes a question of who God is”

“Is Jesus your ‘personal lord and savior’? This phrase has become very popular, even though it’s very recent, and very individualistic. I get letters every week from people telling me they have made Jesus their lord and savior. I’m glad they have, but it’s going to take most of us all our lives to know what that means.”

“The church is filled with people who are living on hearsay.”

“Don’t let anyone tell you that theology and belief have not evolved.”

“God created a definition of good that seems to include evil.”

“The New Testament metaphor of Gehenna, the garbage dump of Jerusalem, ‘where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out,’ (Isa. 66:24) didn’t help us much either. For some self-loathing reason we tend to take negative metaphors literally and dismiss positive metaphors – such as, ‘your names are written in heaven’ (Luke 10:20) – as innocuous poetry.”

“But faith does not mean having answers; it means being willing to live without answers. Cultural faith and civil religion tend to define faith poorly and narrowly as having certitudes and being able to hold religious formulas. Such common religion is often an excuse for not having faith. Strange isn’t it? Faith is having the security to be insecure, the security to live in another identity than our own and to find our value and significance in that larger union.” (Gal. 2:20)

“It seems the real revolution, which we still have trouble accepting, is the Gospel, which tells us to work for justice for others but not to demand, expect, or even need it for ourselves. That is extraordinary freedom.”

“We must never think we are building up God by putting humanity down.”

“We begin here.”

...Rohr continues to illuminate perspective

Something for the Road

Well...after a two month absence...Here is what I have for you...

"Meditation means to let the word descend from our minds into our hearts and thus become enfleshed.  Meditation means eating the word, digesting it, and incorporating it concretely into our lives."
-words from and inspired by Henri Nouwen

What is God trying to teach you today?

On the fly...

I was reading out of a John Shelby Spong book this morning and had to post this quote...

   "The task of the modern Christian is to have the living Word that moves beneath the literal words of the Bible erupt to call people into life and into the task of building an inclusive community where Christ is seen in all persons, where those in Christ can begin to respect the dignity of every human being, and where all people can begin to repsond to the presence of God that is over, under, around, and through all of life."

Wow...

Those Unspoken Of

I came across three verses in Matthew that floored me. In Matthew 27:51-53 there is an amazing phenomenon mentioned that no other Gospel mentions. I don’t remember ever hearing about this in a sermon or teaching. It seems like such a huge event just to be limited to one Gospel account. I mean, if you were an eye witness to this, it would make turning water into wine a minor detail. But there it is brushed over in Matthew alone with no New Testament hint anywhere else. Come on. Click on the link and scroll down. You gotta read this for yourself.

Those unspoken of is a fascinating category. Groups of people, verses, stories, individuals, and rules are a few of the infamous members that get the silent treatment. Although we could go many directions with this topic I want to hang out in the realm of Scripture for a brief moment. I love reading or hearing about verses that have gotten the silent treatment in my life. I love having conversations about obscure and difficult passages of Scripture. Internetmonk.com recently started a great series of posts over difficult passages of Scripture. Here is an example. Those unspoken of are deserving of our attention. Whether it’s Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison from Noah’s day (1 Peter 3:18-20) or a scandalous inclusive verse like 1 Timothy 4:10 we need to at least acknowledge the presence of those unspoken of. So what about you? What are some unspoken mysteries you’ve come across lately?

Ubuntu

I first encountered the word Ubuntu (pronounced oo-BOON-too) in this amazing article. I strongly encourage you to read the article. I wanted to learn more about Ubuntu so I purchased Michael Battle’s book Ubuntu: I in You and You in Me . Here is what I’ve learned so far…

Ubuntu is an African philosophy of personhood. It is an African way of seeing a person. It emphasizes the communal and spiritual dimension of human identity and challenges the philosophy of individualism. Ubuntu is about the interconnection of human beings on a global scale as well as the interconnection of human beings living across the street from one another. Michael Battle argues that Ubuntu teaches us that the only true way to know self is in community. It helps us see how we all are inextricably linked together. I cannot help but think about Paul’s words about the Body of Christ: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Desmond Tutu describes Ubuntu like this:

       “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.”

There is an African idiom that states, “A person is a person through other persons.” In other words no one can be human alone. We are created for relationships by a Relationship. Ubuntu, according to Battle, is “the development of the kind of character in a person who proves a neighbor to a stranger and welcomes them as friends.” It does not presuppose that individuals lose their unique personalities, but it never loses sight of their place in the whole. Understanding Ubuntu means we realize that we are all connected. As Tutu proclaims we must begin by understanding that as much as God loves us, God equally loves our enemies. Ubuntu connects us with our enemies. Our healing is connected to theirs. Jesus is in the business of drawing all people to Himself. Ubuntu reminds us that we are each a God-carrier, a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit. Without a communal dimension there is a danger that we confuse self with God.

For this last section I want to pass on some of the more provocative thoughts from Battle. He suggests that what we often call a personal relationship with God in the West is shorthand for my own version of God. Instead of seeing ourselves made in the image of God, we create God from our own image. He counters the Bible Belt question “Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?” with “Do you have a communal relationship with Jesus?” Try starting an invitation to the altar with that one. It sounds so foreign because we’ve never been asked that question. Does a communal relationship with Jesus matter just as much as a personal relationship with Jesus? Does it carry the same salvific importance? Is it possible to argue that my very salvation is dependent on yours? That’s radical stuff for Western ears to hear…almost as radical as asking a thief to become your treasurer.

Thoughts?

Journey of We

    It seems like forever since I posted last...I recently finished Michael Spencer's Mere Churchianity.  I've been following his blog for the past 2 years.  I never had the opportunity to meet him or have a conversation with him but I've been impacted by him through his writing.  The Internet Monk has been my Internet Paul.  He has challenged me to love like Jesus loves.  He has challenged me to bring the conversation back to Jesus.  He has challenged me to be more transparent and honest in life.  The words he left with us in Mere Churchianity reflect an honest, vulnerable pursuit of a Jesus-shaped life.
    Like much of Michael's writing, Mere Churchianity isn't your politically correct user friendly version of how to be a better Christian.  It's an honest look at modern day western Christianity from the perspective of a self ascribed post-evangelical, reformation-loving Jesus follower in search for what he terms "Jesus-shaped spirituality."  The provocative title is classic.  There is no question that the Western instututional church is called out in many areas in this book.  In fact the first part of the book is dedicated to the Jesus disconnect in western church culture.  At one point Michael claims that the Western church's dilemma is that it "doesn't look like Jesus, act like Jesus, or promote the agenda of Jesus" and the reason the church got distracted from Jesus-shaped Christianity is that "discipleship got lost in a fog of church traditions, human rules, and religious culture."  As heavy as those statements are I don't want to give you the impression that this is a church bashing book.  It's not.  It's a call live as Jesus lived.  Michael is unrelenting with his focus on Jesus-shaped spirituality.  It's about asking Jesus-related questions before you ask any others.  It's about the equation "Salvation = Jesus + nothing" instead of "Salvation = Jesus + church."  It's about being honest in what it means to be human and messed up.  It's about being forgiven.  It's about creating a community of vulnerable, recovering ship-wrecked people.  It's about humbly placing our confidence in Christ.  It's about Kingdom living.  It's about loving and serving the least of these.  It's about discipleship being a call to me but a transformational journey of we.  It's about Jesus.  I highly recommend this book for anyone on the journey.  May we continue to learn, unlearn, and relearn...
    
    
                     

Mere Churchianity

I am so excited to finally read Michael Spencer's book, Mere Churchianity! I will post my thoughts on the book soon. Until then I'll leave you with a question a good friend asked me a while back..."Is our will to reject God stronger than His will to save us?"

Quotes that have impacted me...(Part 2)

Here are some more quotes that have impacted me along the journey...

“The message of Christ is not Christianity. The message of Christ is Christ.”
-Gary Amirault

“The tragedy of life and of the world is not that men do not know God; the tragedy is that, knowing Him, they still insist on going their own way.”
-William Barclay

“It has been said many times that, after transformation, you seldom have the feeling you have found anything. It feels much more like Someone found you!”
-Richard Rohr

”To accept the fact that you are forgiven and chosen from eternity no matter what you do or don’t do goes against all we know of justice and how things work. But it is good news for those who know they have nothing to bring to the altar…not even good motives or more resolve to improve or even sorrow. To be forgiven with no strings attached is scandalous.”
-Comment from a blogger named Scott on internetmonk.com

"The Bible seems to always be saying that this journey [life] is indeed a journey, a journey always initiated and concluded by God, and a journey of transformation much more than mere education about anything."
-Richard Rohr

“It has always been fairly safe to talk about God; it is when we start to talk about men that the trouble starts. And yet the fact remains that there is no conceivable way of proving that we love God other than by loving men. And there is no conceivable way of proving that we love men than by doing something for those who most need help.”
-William Barclay

“Good theology always protects God’s total freedom, and does not demand that God follow our rules.”
-Richard Rohr

“No one ever converted to Christianity because they lost the argument.”
-Phillip Yancey

“You can tell you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”
-Anne Lamott

"...I say Christianity was always intended by Jesus to be a minority position and always will be. He wasn't dividing the world into those God loved and those God didn't love. Jesus was creating a remnant who were usable by God - to keep the whole world from its violent path toward self-destruction. Jesus is loving and drawing all of us into God."
-Richard Rohr

Thoughts?

Quotes that have impacted me… (Part 1)

I love good quotes. I have a folder on my laptop reserved for my favorite quotes. Here are some quotes that have inspired and challenged me. (Spoiler Warning: Be prepared for a healthy dose of Richard Rohr, one of my favorite authors)

“Real grace is simply inexplicable, inappropriate, out of the box, out
of bounds, offensive, excessive, too much, (and) given to the wrong
people.”

“…at the heart of true Christian experience is this inexplicable,
annoyingly inappropriate, wondrously superlative experience of Jesus
saying, “I don’t condemn you. Go and live your life.” He says it to the divorced. To the expelled. To the unemployed. He says it to criminals. To perverts. To the damaged and the worthless. He says it to cutters, to whores, to greedy businessmen, to unfaithful husbands, to porn addicts and thieves. He says it to the lazy, the unholy, the confused and even the religious. He says it to you and to me. It’s how he changes lives, and it’s as dangerous as ever.”
-Michael Spencer (InternetMonk)

“Jesus did not come to change the mind of God about humanity; Jesus came to change the mind of humanity about God.” -Richard Rohr (RR)

“This historic Christian doctrine of the divinity of Christ does not simply mean that Jesus is like God. It is far more radical than that. It means that God is like Jesus.”
-Elton Trueblood

"You can take it as a general rule that when you don't transform your pain you will always transmit it." -RR

"True transformation always demands that we pay the price for the other's growth. We would rather punish and coerce a response. God is much more patient." -RR

"Jesus receives our hatred and does not return it. He suffers and does not make the other suffer. He does not first look at changing others, but pays the price of change within Himself. He absorbs the mystery of human sin rather than passing it on. He does not use His suffering and death as power over others to punish them, but as power for others to transform them." -RR

"In the Divine Economy nothing is wasted, not even sin, evil or death." -RR

"Jesus is, in some ways, the only true revolutionary. Most revolutions merely rearrange the furniture on the deck of the Titanic. Jesus built a new boat." -RR

"You cannot think yourself into a new way of living, but you must live yourself into a new way of thinking" -RR

"God uses all of us as instruments. Christians just have the advantage of knowing they are indeed instruments - and living in that joy now." -RR

"Until the present falls apart, we will never look for Something More." -RR

“We do know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know Him can be saved through Him.” -C.S. Lewis

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” – the Apostle Paul

"The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better." -RR

“I think that the deepest challenge of the spiritual quest is not to defend the answers of our spiritual ancestors but to do as they did—to dig and scrape and take ourselves into that uncomfortable space where growth happens.”
-From Dr. Valerie Tarico- Non-theists and
Evangelicals: The IM Interview July 31, 2009

What are some quotes that have impacted you?

Sodom's Sin (It's not what you think)

It’s definitely not what I think of when I hear the word Sodom. I think if you ask the average person what Sodom is remembered for one thing comes to mind: perverted sexuality. Jason Boyett humorously captures the typical story of Sodom that gets passed on from Genesis 19:

“An angry mob tries to break down Lot’s door so they can get it on with Lot’s two angelic visitors. Out of loyalty to his guests, Lot refuses, and offers his two virgin daughters instead. Ah…family values.”

And, like Paul Harvey, you know the rest of the story. Now rest assured that I am no bible scholar. I do not know much about the Greek or Hebrew languages and I certainly do not know much about the Aramaic dialect that Jesus spoke. I have a hard enough time understanding translated Scripture as it is. But something has come to my attention lately that seems to always get overlooked with Sodom: fasting.

Yes. I said fasting. The destruction of Sodom had more to do with…wait for it…fasting than it did with sexual immorality. SaY WhaT?!? Stay with me. Before you write this off as ridiculous finish this paragraph. Did you know that the prophet Ezekiel identifies the “sin of Sodom” as the fact that they were “arrogant and overfed” and that they “did not care about the poor and the oppressed?” (Ezekiel 16:48-50). Read it for yourself. I know…what does helping the poor and needy have to do with fasting? Glad you asked. Check out Isaiah 58…One of the most beautiful and stunning definitions of fasting in all of Scripture:

Isaiah 58
True Fasting
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

I don’t know about you but the story of Sodom just hit really close to home…
Thoughts?

Liquid

I am parched. I find myself thirsty for Something. Somewhere in the core of my being I have a longing that this world cannot satisfy. My thirst for Life has intensified over the past few years.

I am stained. I find myself rebelling against Something. Somewhere in the core of my being I have an illness that this world cannot cure. My decisions reek of selfishness.

I am excited. I find myself being drawn by Something. Somewhere in the core of my being I’ve experienced an injection of grace that’s not of this world. It continues to bring healing, forgiveness, joy, and freedom.

I am ricky. I am an undeserving, blessed man on a journey of transformation. I am an average guy who married my high school sweetheart (I love you Ambo!) who loves to have fun in life.

Ok…enough of the vague attempted poetry. The bottom line is I am a guy who is trying to follow Jesus with my life. The Something is actually Someone. Most of the time I fall flat on my face trying to live like Jesus. The truth is I really stink at trying to live like Jesus. My journey in life to this point has been a humbling experience of learning, unlearning, and relearning. I successfully gift-wrapped many…uh…let’s call them “projections” of God in my mind that have since been obliterated by Grace. He is bigger than the limits I place on Him. Liquid ThinkTank is simply a conversation space for learning, unlearning, and relearning. It’s a place for anyone on life’s journey seeking Something. It’s a place where we can ask, seek, and knock together.

Thirsty anyone?

Coming Soon!

Ok...Finally...I am almost through with all my coursework for Lamar University...The boring school assignment topics are a thing of the past...The "New" Liquid ThinkTank is coming soon. Stay tuned...