Showing posts with label Humility. Show all posts

I frankly didn't know how to title this post except "Brilliant Cartoon By NakedPastor." For those who just clicked here because you saw "Naked Pastor" in the title, I'm happy to point out that David is a former church leader, who now calls himself a "graffiti artist on the walls of religion." The nakedness he refers to is the baring of his soul and personality through his posts and drawings. He writes over here.

Anyway, this cartoon just blew me away. It's called "Sisyphus Revisited," recounting that famous Greek myth about a king who is forced to roll a big boulder up a hill only to see it roll back down, time and time again. It's a metaphor, perhaps, of how we struggle in life only to be faced with more struggles again. It's a metaphor, perhaps, for human pride in our accomplishments, which vanish away.

Regardless... This blew me away this morning.

How much over the last 11 years have I struggled for this church and how often has it felt as if God was pushing us back down...perhaps to make us realize we only build if he build and we only grow if he grows us?

How much to we try to lift up the church, here and around the world, only glorifying the church and not our God?

How do we give up the struggle and allow God to lift us up?

For me...

this morning...

this is brilliant.

“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”

C.S. Lewis

Via

OK, the book of Job is not the most uplifting book in the Bible.  I know folks use the phrase "the patience of Job" pretty freely, but it sure seems like that guy was a bit of a whiner...not that he didn't have anything to complain about.  Let's face it.  He had it rough.  But my favorite part of the book is towards the end when Job's so-called "friends" fade away and God really makes an appearance, to be confronted by (and to confront) Job.  In Chapter 38, it's God who questions the questioner who has the audacity to ask why bad things happen to good people...namely Job.

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
² ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
³ Gird up your loins like a man,
   I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

⁴ ‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding.
⁵ Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it?
⁶ On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone
⁷ when the morning stars sang together
   and all the heavenly beings^* shouted for joy?

⁸ ‘Or who shut in the sea with doors
   when it burst out from the womb?—
⁹ when I made the clouds its garment,
   and thick darkness its swaddling band,
¹⁰ and prescribed bounds for it,
   and set bars and doors,
¹¹ and said, “Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
   and here shall your proud waves be stopped”? 

And, over the next verses, God proceeds to ask Job just who it is that has control over all living creatures...the goats, the wild ass, the hawk, the horse, etc.   This is the Lord God Almighty talking here and Job needs to remember his place in creation and be grateful for it.  God's God.  Job's not.  Get over it.

Occasionally, I get reminded of "my place" in this creation of God's.  Bears have done this for me over the last three days.

First, on Thursday evening, I finally was going to get out on a bike ride.  It had been a few days.  My bike had a new crank set and cartridge and I was ready to head on out to Bird Point for a quick 18 mile ride.  I was moving.  It was good to be out.  I was just about ready to ride on down a hill to the turnaround point when a black bear appeared on the bike path.  I slammed on my breaks about 40 feet away.  I yelled.  I picked up my bike.  I was very polite about it, but I made it clear that I wanted to proceed down the hill.  I'd worked 8 miles to get there.  But the bear wouldn't budge.  I then saw a cub in a tree behind it.  The bear wasn't going to move.  I figured this was a sign that I should just turn around and deal with a 16 mile ride.  It was a good ride.  But I was reminded that I'm really not in control of this life of mine.  I'm not even in control of the bike ride.

Then, on Friday, my wife and I went up Alyeska for a hike.  Again, it was going to have to be a little short but it was good to be out.   We had just made it back down to the bottom when a biker pointed out a bear up the hill.  There was a cub with this one as well.  We watched for a few minutes as they wandered around a clearing and then it was time to go home.  I was reminded of the wildness of the place we live.  Creation is all around us.

But, Saturday was the one that really reminded me what part of the food chain I am around here.  I went out in our very tiny lawn to get the garden hose with the hopes of knocking down a hornets nest that has been built under the edge of our roof.  I was in the yard and heard a very forceful "GRUNT."  There was a rather large black bear 10-15 feet away from me.  The grunt was meant for me.  It watched very carefully as I hurriedly made my way down our porch steps away from it.  I'd never had a bear grunt at me before.  Then again, I'd never gotten that close to one without there being a fence or glass between it and me.  While the bear wasn't doing anything besides being a bear, it made me realize I was out of my league.  This was a big bear.  His grunt clearly pointed out that he was boss at that moment.

Look, pride gets the best of all of us at some time or another.  For some of us, it's a more regular occurrence.  But in the end, God, either answering "out of the whirlwind" or sending a few bears our way, reminds us that we are merely some of his creatures in this great world of us.  We may be loved and forgiven creatures, but we're just creatures all the same.

What reminds you of your place?  What does God use to bring out some of your humility?

Image by roboM8 via Flickr

--Francis Chan

photo © 2009 John Snape | more info (via: Wylio)
I don't think I set myself as being "holier than thou."  I don't think I set myself up as being holier than pretty much anyone else.  I'm a sinner and struggle with many things in life.  I am acutely aware of my own need of redeeming...much of this awareness, somewhat ironically, coming from my own sense of pride.  While I try to be a model Christian, I recognize that I'm far away from the very model I try to portray.  So, I'm careful, I hope, with my words.  I try to be humble.  I try to show myself in a worse light, the chief of all sinners.  And, I try to see the best in others.  I try to assume the best in people.  I make excuses for the behavior of others.  I try to be empathetic.  I try to avoid "slippery-slope" assumptions.  If one dances, that doesn't make them a bad...let's say really, really bad...let's say a bound-for-hell...person.  If one swears that doesn't make them less of a Christian than I am.  Because they go to a different church or no church at all or vote different or have an entirely different belief system I can still learn from them and act as if they are beloved children of God...because they are.  God loves them, warts and all...just as God loves me, warts and all.

Sometimes the "warts" are well-known.

We live in a community where marijuana use is rampant.  Lots of drinking.  Lots of people have been wounded by the church at some point in their lives and lots of people have come to very different destinations in their quest for religious meaning.  How am I different?  I do try to live my life and train my children to live in a counter-cultural way.  We live differently in some larger and smaller ways.  We may talk differently.  But that's not because we're better than anyone.  It's not because God loves us more than anyone.  It's because we're trying, however haltingly, to live faithfully.  And this affects the words that come out of our mouths.  It affects the things we put in our bodies.  And, I think most importantly, it affects how we treat others.  We treat others with grace and love and forgiveness and understanding.  As God loves, we love.  Or, at least, as God loves, we TRY to love.

It has taken a long time, within this community, to be seen as a person who was not going to judge (unfairly) those around me...if they use foul language, if (when I'm not around) I know they use pot.  How do I hold the line between "holiness" and "hospitality"?  And, as I've lived it over the last 40 years or so, I've come out on the side of hospitality; grace.  I try for it not to be "cheap grace" or "sloppy agape."  I try not to veer into the "if it feels good, do it" mentality or "I'm OK, you're OK."  I don't want a watered down Christianity.  I want a bold proclamation of the gospel in my own life and the lives of those around me.  I want to be identified as a Christ-follower by what I say and do and yet I know that I don't do a good job at that some of the time...most of the time...all of the time. 

My fallenness is astounding.  Fortunately, the grace of Christ trumps it.  Even more astounding.

I was drawn to reflect on this this morning, coffee in hand, after reading another good post from Carlos Whittaker over at Ragamuffin Soul.  He writes a post called "Monkey Bars, Damnation, and Pissed off Christians."  Yes, that's the title.  It turns out that Carlos' daughter broke her arm on some monkey bars and, in his frustration and anger and worry, he tweeted, "damned monkey bars" and, in an immediate follow-up, asked for prayers for his daughter.  Well worth praying for I would think.  What's interesting is the response of one of his twitter followers who called him into question for using "inappropriate" language that was unbecoming of a "prominent leader."

This hit me hard this morning.  Geez.  What's "appropriate" for a "prominent leader"?  How human and fallen are we allowed to be?

I am not a swear-er by nature.  You can ask my kids and my wife.  I don't know why I don't really swear.  But, it's not what I do.  And, really, I don't get bent out of shape when those around me swear.  Maybe my ears perk up a bit, but that's about it.  So, is "damn" a bad word?  I don't like it when people invoke God's name in the mix, as in "God damn it."  That's putting some words in God's mouth that I'm not comfortable with and, when it comes down to it, just saying "damn" could imply the whole God-thing anyway.

Now, this is not to say this is a non-issue.  Check out these words from James, chapter 3:

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

(In fairness, Carlos did not curse a human being.  He cursed some monkey bars.  I assume there was little emotional damage done to the monkey bars.)

But, what is the standard of leadership and religiosity that we hold up there for the world to see. I think there is a saccharine Christianity that is promoted...don't swear, wear respectable clothing, drug-free, hang out with the right people, listen to only Christian music, etc.  It's morality over substance.  And, I'm not sure it's real or even really attainable.  We see on the news how the "morals" of our Christian leaders are holding up.  So many are pharisaic.  They put on a good show on the outside but there's little substance.  What is it Jesus said in Matthew 23:25-26:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."

I know how I portray myself to others matters.  I'm not sure that not swearing ranks up there with treating others with love and compassion.  Here's how Carlos explains himself.  I think it's good.  I'll leave it here:

I would rather show this version of “leadership”, the scratched up dirty one, than the perfect version I can’t live up to and see online everyday.

In the mess of who I am you will hopefully find nuggets to learn from after you clean all the crap off.

I love Jesus I really do, and I try to follow him, I just am horrible at it. But getting better every few weeks or so.

Nuggets and crap were maybe not the best use of examples but you get the [gist].

I’m not pretending to be James Dobson here. I’m more a mix of James Dobson, Phil Dunphy, and Homer Simpson…with a touch of Darth Vader thrown in for good measure.

Image via Wikipedia
On why Steven Lamb quit going to church after growing up in a Fundamentalist Baptist Church in the South.

Frederick Buechner has said that the sermons that have the biggest impact on us are those that we preach to ourselves in between the lines of whatever is being said from the pulpit, and the consequence of being in church every time the doors opened for twenty-eight years meant that the number of bad sermons I’d heard, filled with poor logic and faulty reasoning – all purportedly straight from God – had added up.  The result being that the sermons I tried to hear “between the lines” were drowned out by other voices that were disagreeing with nearly everything being said.  Every sermon point given, every phrase uttered, brought to mind the echos of a thousand past sermons, bringing with them a scrutiny of each idea presented for consideration, every word weighted down with the complex history of their past usage and the implications of the resulting arguments, as given in the Fundamentalist world. 

Makes me wonder what voices are going on in the heads of my congregation as I preach.  I hope it's good.

Above quote was from a guest post of Steven Lamb over at Jesus Needs New PR.

A little cartoon from Naked Pastor

Just got back from Nashville for "The School of Congregational Development" of the United Methodist Church.  Big churches.  Lots going on.  Not many small churches out there.  Occasionally as I tell the story of Girdwood Chapel and ministry here, the struggles, the blessings, etc., I get asked if I see myself as "as small church pastor."  My usual response is, "I don't know.  That's all I've ever been sent to."

There are lots of things to love about the small church.  Those bigger churches out there are trying to find ways to make themselves smaller -- small groups, cell groups, home groups.  We're already small.  That's a "win" for us.  And those bigger churches have large staffs with large plans.  They can have a lot of momentum.  But there is an "agility" with the smaller church.  We can change on a moment's notice.  If a visitor comes up to me on a Sunday morning and says, "Hey, I sing in my church choir back home and I wondered if you'd like a special song today?"  I'm going to say "yes."  And I'm not going to ask for an audition first.  We're just happy to have you.