Why God Hates You

What is the What is an engrossing tale that straddles wars, decades and hemispheres.  It follows Achak Deng, a real life Sudanese refugee from his days as a child in southern Sudan to his struggles adjusting to American Life.

The book really has it all:  tragedy, war, love stories and hope.  Dave Eggars narrator captures the voice of African refugees, with their zest for the small things in life and their deep understanding of tragedy.

The book makes it clear that refugee camps don’t go away.  Achak grows up in a refugee camp: a tent city built on a barren desert plain.  With no agriculture and little schooling, and the only economy at the mercy of the foreign aid workers,  there is little to do but wait.

Although Achak seems indomitable, he can’t help but struggle with theodicy.  Having lived through wars only to arrive in the U.S. and experience continued tragedy, he asks the question “does God have a problem with me?”  Neither Achak or Eggars ever answer the question directly, yet the hero never gives up, neither on his faith or his desire to build a better life.

This question is one that we have all asked in our lives, and What is the What is a reminder that there are many who have persevered through much more difficulty than we can imagine.

It is also an invitation for Christ followers to respond from the very core of their faith.  From the time of Abraham, God’s people have been refugees in a world not their own.  God loves them, and has given us the privilege of demonstrating that love.

Have you read What is the What?  How should we respond to stories of orphans and refugees?

Tags: 40 Books in 2010, Dave Eggars, orphans, refugees, theodicy, What is the What, widows

Sex, Lies and Preaching to Birds

On the quest to read 40 books in 2010, I’ve just knocked out #s three and four.

I picked up Dark Nights of the Soul, because of the St. John of the Cross reference, and because of my life long wrestling match with depression.
It’s mainly pagan dribble by some New Age dude trying to work out his childhood catholic guilt.  It had a few nuggets that jumped out:

1- Reframe “depression” as a Dark Night of the Soul: not a problem to be fixed, but a chance for spiritual growth.  You are like a ship adrift at sea, just because you’re not moving forward, doesn’t mean your not moving.

2-Dangerous lust and sexual desire are often just undirected desire.  When you’re overwhelmed with an unhealthy sexual desire, you should search for what it is that you really want.

Now The Life of St. Francis of Assisi is the kind of book that will change your life.  As a protestant, it’s hard to know what to do with stories of the medieval Saints.  But we have to remember we are a 2,000 year old family, with an immense amount of wisdom to learn from. Francis, like Paul before him, is one who could honestly say, “follow me as I follow Christ.”

Of the many beautiful things about this man, let me highlight a few:

1- He had a deep love for poverty.  He called it “his lady,” and strove to be faithful to it as a man would his wife. He owned nothing more than his robe and belt.  When he begged for alms he would then give them away to someone “worse off.”

2- He was known for his gentleness, to the point that even animals noticed.  My favorite story was of how he agonized through prayer and fasting over whether to dedicate his life to prayer or preaching.  When wise counsel urged him to preach, he ran as fast as he could to find an audience.  The first he found was a flock of birds that he exhorted to remember their gifts from God.

3- He pain was a blessing.  His passion for the lost led him to believe he must become a martyr.  He went to the middle east to preach to a powerful sultan.  The Muslim king was impressed, but would not convert.  Francis was not given the chance to die like Christ, yet “instead” was given the stigmata, a painful sign of Christ, that would give him pain for the rest of his life. This painful miracle gave many people faith in Christ.

It’s hard to explain the effect Francis has had on me.  It makes me want to be more like Jesus than ever, and gives me an idea of what that might look like.

Tags: 12 Plans for 2010, 40 Books in 2010, Dark Nights of the Soul, following Christ, St. Francis, St. Francis of Assisi, Thomas Moore

Jesus: An Alternative to Being Missional

I was all for being missional before it was cool. I led a ministry in college designed to help students think of themselves as “domestic missionaries,” and have tried to approach my ministry in a way positions Christ following as a radical way of life that must be translated into the pluralistic, postmodern, pre-Christian United States.

Many great discussions about God’s mission in the world, and the purpose of the Church are helping to refocus the church, however, like any other terminology, missional has been quickly co-opted to mean whatever you want it to mean. For some it means rebranding seeker-driven formats of the 80s and 90s.  For others it means rationalizing a focus of social justice at the expense of personal morality and evangelism.

Ever since being blown away by Dallas Willard’s The Divine Conspiracy I haven’t been able to get past the idea that Churches should exist to teach people to live as Christ would if he were them. What if we just took simple ideas like “don’t hate other people” or “trust God” or “eat with people who don’t look like you” and formed sermon series, youth ministries and Sunday School classes around them?

Call me simplistic, but I’m operating from the belief that important doctrinal issues can only be worked out once you really love Jesus, are following him, and are being transformed into his image.  Focusing on the life of Jesus and his teachings would, in turn, make us naturally missional, and maybe even take the focus off some other arguments we Christians keep having.

Tags: Dallas Willard, evangelicalism, evangelism, Jesus, Missional, missional church, postmodern, social justice

Pat Robertson Made a Deal With The Devil (and so did I…)

Here’s the biggest problem with Pat Robertson.  It’s not that he’s prone to say stupid things, or that he’s making Christians look completely heartless: It’s really bad theology.  As in: Not Historic Orthodox Christianity, Pagan, Works Driven, Theology.

…There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

Pat, voodoo practicing Haitians and myself all have the same problem: We have sinned.  We fell short of the glory of God.  In that way, every single person who ever lived has made a “deal with the Devil.”

From the best I can tell, there is absolutely no Biblical example of a deal with the Devil, save some allegorical stories in Revelation (which Pat might think he fully understands, but I don’t pretend to.)  The idea seem more grounded in the medieval tale of Dr. Faust, and popularized by songs like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

There is  good news for jerks like me and Pat, that

…[all] are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

This, really is the core of the Christian message: Go to Jesus, and NO MATTER WHAT, YOU ARE FORGIVEN.

Whether you injudiciously use your national platform like Pat, or you were the jerk to throw the first stone, there is forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

Tags: Jesus, Pat Robertson

Was Anything Achieved in 2009?

“Celebrate your achievements and your plans.” Anonymous, found on the wall of St. Pauls Cathedral, 1627.

I saw this little piece of wisdom on the wall of a laundry room in my parents apartment.  I am a forward thinking man, who relishes goals, syllabi, itineraries and strategy.  This has often served me well, but it can also make me feel miserable.  Occasionally, a friend, counselor or anonymous Catholic wise man will remind me of what I have, by God’s grace, accomplished.

Here’s a few cool things that happened this year:

1. Finished strong at my old job.  Before leaving my job in San Antonio, I did my best to complete my tasks and hand them off to others.  Only those I left behind can say how well I did, but I tried my best to finish strong.

2. Read over 20 books. Best I can tell from my Shelfari.  It’s a ways from the my goal of 40 book in 2010, but it’s not too shabby for an ADHD type like me.

3. Survived Seven Months of Unemployment. Not an achievement I would have have chosen.  This made for a rough year, but also forced me to learn some healthy habits, do some introspection and pray a lot more.  I’m still underemployed and need prayers, but it’s a step.

4. Traveled the World.  The absolute best thing to do when you’re young, single and unemployed.  Somehow, when I couldn’t get a job, God worked through many of you to raise $7,000 and send me to serve missionaries around the world.

5.  Ran a Half Marathon.  I’m now training for a full in February.

6.  Got Rejected.  Rejection is absolute proof of one thing: you tried.  So, for every automated “thanks but no thanks” email from faceless HR divisions and some pretty ladies, I can at least say I tried.

7.  Started a New Life in Austin.  God has surrounded me with new friends, a cool job, great music, chill coffee shops, pretty running trails, inspiring Church leaders and even a family in ATX.  I’m so glad to be back.

Thank you, Lord, for such a productive year!

Leave a note sharing what have you achieved in 2009, and look out for my plans for 2010.

Tags: 2009