Back from a long weekend with Jodie. It was great to just relax and rest. The older I get the better I am at just taking it easy. There is nothing better then listening to Jimmy Buffet to get you ready for a trip to the Caribbean but when you get back he just doesn’t sound quite as good.

I’ve been covered up with your responses to the class on mercy. Seems like we all have the opportunities to be merciful and we all struggle with how to go about it. Friday I got a call from a friend who knew we were headed to Houston. He called to let us know he had driven through there and the traffic demanded a lot of mercy. He said he just wanted to encourage us but I’m pretty sure he just didn’t want to suffer alone.

We may imitate the Deity is all his moral attributes, but mercy is the only one in which we can pretend to equal him. We cannot, indeed, give like God, but we may surely forgive like him.

The question has come up in conversation recently and I have started to think about it. Is there a theology for communal salvation? Is it possible we are saved as a group, community, rather then as individuals, and if so what are the ramifications?

Western Christianity has been rooted in an individualistic perspective. Our teachings, the way we read scripture and a great deal of our theology has been based on an individual rather then a communal approach to God. We make a commitment to Christ as an individual, we search the scriptures to see what they mean to me, we experience salvation as an individual, and we read the epistles as if they were written to an individual rather then a community of faith. Is there any wonder why we have so little use for community?

Is it possible that I cannot be saved with out you? Is there a communal salvation experience much like the Old Testament experience of Israel? Scripture tells us God saved His people, which would seem to indicate a community, rather then a bunch of individuals.

I have to admit this sounds pretty far out there for me, but I am fully aware of my ability to be so caught up in the culture of individuality that I can’t see communally. Here are a few observations.

Most of the New Testament was written to churches not individuals. That seems to lead one to the conclusion that scripture, at least the majority of the New Testament is to be understood in the context of community not individuality.

The Body of Christ motif makes me wonder, just how much room there is for individuality in the church?

The theology of the Trinity on some level seems to teach a form of community in the Godhead that should be mirrored in the church.

Individualism is a god of this age and as such, should make us sit up and take notice. We should at least guard against worshipping at this gods alter.

If there is a theology of communal salvation taught in scripture, can you imagine the changes it would create in the church? If the statement is true that I cannot be saved with out you, then I’m going to make dead sure you’re taken care of emotionally, physically and spiritually. The teaching of fellowship takes on a whole new meaning when my salvation is linked to yours. All the sudden your more then a person on the other side of the auditorium, if your essential to my salvation.

The more I think about this stuff the more sense it makes. In Philippians Paul is obsessed with getting every one home. Why? Is he working on a commission basis or is his own salvation some how linked to the folks reading his letter?

This will take some time, study, thinking and conversation to work through so don’t hold me to anything I’ve written. To me it sounds like a fascinating trip.

If you had ever told me I would own five cars at one time, I would have said your were delusional. Unfortunately I own five cars. I drive a 1985 Dodge half-ton truck. We rebuilt this one for my daughter when she was in High School. My daughter drives a Chrysler Concord. This is a hand me down from her mother with hopes that it will get her through College. My son dives a 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. This was purchased to replace the 1972 Plymouth Duster we built for him when he was in High School. The muscle car was not nice on the gas bill so we decided to sell it in favor of the Pathfinder. Only problem is, it hasn’t sold yet. My wife drives the only relatively new car we own which is a 04 Nissan Extera.

All this to say that I am the living proof that possessions own us rather then the other way around. I’m so sick and tired of cars, if I ever get rid of all of them; I may never but another one.

Just so you can feel my pain, I’ll let you have a look at the past Christmas holidays. While my kids were home I watched two of these cars be in accidents, changed the oil in three of them, had one in the shop for an electrical problem, fixed a defective wind shield wiper motor on one of them, had a master cylinder replaced on one of them and that doesn’t cover the little stuff each vehicle required. I’m currently driving that muscle car of my son's while my truck is in the body shop.

I hate cars.

Somewhere out in the future my two children will be gainfully employed as productive citizens who pay for their own transportation. At that point I will own only two vehicles, and will be proud of it. I will be wealthier, wiser and happier.

Now if you would like to talk about car insurance…..

One of the more enjoyable parts of my ministry here at Central is the time I teach with Joe Crisp. Joe is one of our Elders, and for several years now Joe and I have taught together. We’ve taught on Wednesdays and Sundays, we’ve taught topical and textual studies, we’ve alternated weeks and shared the class on the same nights. We’ve taught a lot of stuff about any way you can teach it.

There is something about co teaching that affects a relationship. Teaching together demands you listen to and share with that other person. Having two people teach a class is not co teaching. God seems to be big on community, so it only stands to reason that if were going to communicate his truth to the best of our ability, we need to communicate it in community.

I’ve been blessed to be in community with Joe for several years now. We have a good idea of what each other think and feel. We don’t always agree but we always relate. I’ve never had anyone tell me I needed to charge extra for a class I was teaching but I’ve had several people tell me Joe and I should charge for the classes we teach together. (At this time there is no plan for charging for our classes)

Joe and I eat lunch together on Wednesday, work together on Friday mornings, share a small group study on Monday nights and teach together on Sunday mornings. That may sound like a lot of community to you but I’m thankful for the time I spend with Joe and the ministry we share.

Maybe you have some relationships like this, Id love to hear about them.

We finished our January focus on small groups last night by praying for our small group leaders. Afterwards one of our Elders said there is such potential for growth in these small groups, if we will just take advantage of it. I agree and I hope this month is a beginning point.

In the middle of consumer driven America it’s very difficult to see clearly when it comes to the church. To often we seem to be wearing glasses that don’t focus too well. Just exactly how do you know when the church has succumbed to the fast food culture? When has a church given into the society, and turned into a place dedicated to serving it’s self? I wish I knew.

When a church becomes more concerned with it’s self then it is the Kingdom, there’s a problem, but how do you know when it happens? Are there specific warning signs that tell us were headed the wrong direction, and if there are, is there a point at which a church is too far gone to recognize them?

Possibly the key is to turn our attention to the kingdom and nothing else. If we seek to be led by the Spirit, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless and seek the lost, we will find our way out of a societal obsession with us.

When serving over rides self-preservation, when others are more important then us, when Gods Kingdom takes the place of my church, maybe, just maybe, we won’t have to worry about answering these questions.

Yesterday I got a call from an old friend. I would guess it has been at least 30 years since we had talked. We are both in full time ministry so we had a few war stories to trade. The conversation was relatively short but it brought some frightening thoughts to mind.

Much like my post yesterday about me being the greatest threat to my marriage, I’ve come to believe the greatest threat to Christianity is Christians. While we write our congressmen and women, while we sign our petitions protesting this or that and while we boycott this or that product I wonder how much good were really doing? If this energy was taken and given to feeding the hungry, the pursuit of justice for the oppressed and just loving our neighbors wouldn’t the Kingdom be better off? Some how in our protest, boycotting and general reaction to our society we seem to do more harm then good.

If 25 years of ministry have taught me anything it’s that the world does a great job at being the world. It’s blind ignorance on the part of Christians to think we will change the world’s behavior through our protesting their values, actions or thoughts. What we need is for those who call themselves disciples to be a better at being disciples. The Kingdom of God will affect this fallen world the way it always has, one person at a time. Jesus taught the way to change this world is by picking up a towel, not a petition.

I’m sure there is a place for writing our congressional representative, protest and boycotting but those are tools of this world, not of the Kingdom. I think we would do well to use the tools of the Kingdom to accomplish the goals of the Kingdom.

Every once in a while a piece of truth lands in your life and things change. It’s as if a little bit of the curtain that is the mystery called God is lifted, and just a glimmer of His light slips out and blows your mind up. Sometimes the truth is new. Sometimes the truth is old, but you needed to be reminded of it. Sometimes it’s a little of both. Whatever the case, this piece of truth lights up your life and it’s like a burden is lifted off your shoulders. Your pace picks up, your out look is brighter, your whole life seems better just because something true some how found its way into that dark chasm you call a brain.

This is why we read scripture daily. This is why we pray. This is why we worship. This is why we fellowship. We want to experience Gods truth. Notice I said experience. Knowing isn’t enough. We all live for the experience

Now this doesn’t happen very often to me but I live for the times it does. Today is one of those days. If I told you what the truth was that has me all jacked up you would probably think I was nuts. That’s another strange thing about truth. What blows light into my brain today might do nothing for you. We all have to open the doors and windows to our lives so truth can seep in on occasion.

I hope today is one of those days for you, and if not today then tomorrow. Keep reading, worshipping, fellowshipping, praying and whatever else it takes because your day will come.

I read some information on proposition 2, that Texas overwhelmingly passed last year. One of the arguments for this amendment to the Texas constitution was a fear that same sex marriages would undermine traditional marriage. If you believe this to be true or not is not my concern. What I want to write about are some dangers to marriage. I have been married for over twenty-five years. I also have counseled more troubled married couples then I can remember. Some of these marriages survived and far too many of them didn’t. Given these two facts I think I have the right to speak on the matter.

The greatest danger to marriage is me. My selfishness, my hard heartedness, my childishness, my hard headedness does more damage and subjects my marriage to more danger then anything else I know of.

My counseling experience has taught me some deep truths when it comes to marriage. The foremost of these is that selfishness is at the heart of all marital problems. More often then I want to remember, I’ve had to tell a couple whose marriage was in danger of falling apart, one of you two has to grow up. It would be great if you both did but if there is to be any hope one of you has to. Child like selfishness lies at the heart of every divorce.

Jesus taught that it’s what’s inside a man that corrupts him not what’s outside. The same is true of marriage. The greatest danger’s a marriage faces comes from inside the two participants, not from some outside force. Greed, jealousy, anger, bitterness, frustration and hatred are some of the internal forces that threaten a marriage. When we get serious about dealing with the internal problems we have, then and only then, will marriage be able to cope with any external pressures that might come along.

Last night our Bible study group started our trip through the book of Revelation. This should be an interesting experience. This is a fascinating group of people with a wide range of worldviews. When we get together you never know what’s going to happen.

Last night we ran head long into the apocalyptic literature of John’s revelation. Mouths with swords, faces like snow and eyes of fire jumped off the page like so many fleas on a dog. It didn’t take long for a since of bewilderment to set in. How can anybody figure this stuff out? I felt like John fall like he was dead at the feet of Jesus only I was falling dead because my brain froze in the presence of so much stuff that didn’t make sense.

The fact is in all the pictures this book presents; you can’t forget that John is trying to say something. The outlandish pictures he draws are a language unto themselves. If you get lost in the details you lose the truth that Jesus is an overwhelming presence to come into. That’s the message. Eugene Peterson says in apocalyptic literature the medium is the message and he’s right.

Foe those of you interested in some good study helps here are two I’m reading right now. Abraham J. Malherbe’s commentary on I and II Thessalonians is a fantastic work. Joe Crisp and I are using it in our Sunday morning class. Malherbe is a consummate scholar and his writing on the culture of the Thessalonian church is the best I’ve ever seen.

Another work you might be interested in is, In Search of Paul, by John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L. Reed. These two men, a theologian and an archeologist have some interesting theories on Paul’s motivation and foundations for his writing.

I hope these help.

Saturday night was Eric’s last night in town before we headed back to school. We have a tradition in our family of going out to eat on these types of nights. I took Heather to Texas Road House before she left, but Eric likes a certain eatery just outside of town so we headed out there Saturday afternoon. It’s always good to spend time with your kids no matter how old they get. Just like Heathers night, nothing special happened it was just good to be with some one you really like.

I’m part of a weeknight Bible study that has been going on for a year or two now. We’re starting back up tonight and I’m looking forward to it. It’s pretty rare that anything earth shattering comes out of our study together. I guess I should say nothing earth shattering has ever come out of our study. The thing is a few couples come together, pray, read scripture and share our lives. We care about what happens to each other and when we can we help. May be that’s earth shattering enough.

If the church is anything it’s a place for reconciliation. In the church, people are reconciled to God and each other. Unfortunately our mindset as consumers inhibits our work of reconciliation. If I don’t like what I wear I get something new. If I don’t like what I drive I get something new. If I want something to eat I have dozens of choices in where to get it. If I don’t like the way the church is I’ll find another one. If I don’t like my spouse I’ll find another one. If this relationship isn’t working I’ll ditch it and get one that does.

This consumerist approach to life doesn’t leave any room for the hard work of reconciliation. If I can pick whatever I want why in the world should I suffer through the trauma of reconciling with some one, why not just get a new one?

Reconciling people to people and people to God is never easy, and it’s never pretty. It always gets the dirty, greasy stuff in our lives all over everyone and everything around. Stuff like pride, pettiness, selfishness, anger, bitterness and what ever else you can think off get put on the table when people start to be reconciled. It’s ugly, it stinks and it’s down right embarrassing. Is there any wonder why we don’t want to do the hard work it takes to mend relationships.

While I could write for along time about the whys of reconciliation I’ll just mention the most obvious. If you refuse to reconcile you eventually end up alone. Division, heartache, struggle and fractures are part of having relationships. They’re as natural as breathing. If you can’t do what it takes to reconcile, you’ll eventually find your self all alone and probably find a way to blame it on every one else.

The world needs a place to see reconciliation work and that place is the church. People are dieing to see what relationship really is and Christ body is where they will find what they’re looking for.

If God is into anything he’s into reconciliation.

I spent a little time is Hastings yesterday. If you didn’t know it I love bookstores. Now Hastings isn’t Barnes and Nobles but it’s not bad. Every time I walk in I feel like I’m being accosted by a zillion ideas. It’s like walking into a room full of 5 year olds who are so excited to see you they all rush you, grab you, and start talking at the same time. It’s hard to know where to start.

My sister and brother-in-law used to go to Barnes and Noble every Friday night for their date night. That may not sound to romantic to you but its one cheap date, and I can’t think of too many places I’d rather be. A great girl and great books should equal up to a great time.

I used to drink coffee with a friend at our local Hastings. He’s not here any more, and I miss him. We had the greatest conversations in that place. Surrounded by a myriad of ideas, books and magazines, with a hot cup of coffee in our hands we felt like we could solve all the problems in the world. To bad we couldn’t.

My sister and brother-in-law gave me a gift certificate to Hastings for Christmas. That is a really cool gift. Not only do you get to have books to read that don’t cost you anything but you get to pick them out. I think I got 8 or 10 books for Christmas this year. They’re all piled up on my nightstand. I’ll work my way through them this year and it will be a joy.

Now if they can just get that Academy open!

I read these TOP TEN WAYS TO IMPROVE CHURCH ATTENDANCE IN 2006 (by Dave Tippett)

10. Watch Aslan the Lion take down a gazelle, live on the platform

9. More "open mic" opportunities during worship service

8. One of those fake shark fins in baptismal

7. Floating sermon points dance in front of your eyes via cool 3-D PowerPoint slides

6. Spiritual tech support guys will tell you not to just "re-boot your soul" every time you call

5. Sermon series: "Thomas Kincaid; the soft lighting Disciple"

4. Wi-Fi access for wireless hearing aides

3. Tazer the Sleeping Sound Booth Guy Day

2. Will start accepting coupons from non-tithing churches

1. Ability to TiVo the sermon

Thoughts on Success

I have a list of things that need to happen every day stuck on the screen of my computer. It’s not a long list but it is a full list. If I get it all done, plus the other things that come with each individual day, have I had a productive day? Is success determined by a to do list or is there something else involved?

If I don’t get everything done in a day that I put on my to do list I tend to beat myself up for a while and then promise I’ll do better tomorrow. While this routine allows me to sleep it leaves me in a circle of failure and just do better self talk. If you haven’t been there it’s not a fun place to be.

So what determines success? I read where Mack Brown, the coach of the Texas Longhorns told his team after they won the National Championship to enjoy the moment but to not let this accomplishment be then pinnacle of their lives. He told them to go be great Dads, great husbands, to go make a difference in the world.

Is success determined by getting the job done or is there more to it? I hope success is wrapped up in making this world a better place regardless of what needs to get done today. I hope your to do list is not the measuring stick used to determine if a day has been well spent or not. There are simple pleasures to precious to be missed that aren’t on any to do list I ever seen.

When I was a kid my mother insisted we turn the T.V. off during mealtime. She said mealtime was a time for meaningful conversation. She was right. Things like meaningful conversation, laughter, meditation, looking for the good in others, acts of kindness, sharing, sacrificing, playing and just enjoying the simple pleasures of life never seem to make my to do list and yet they are a much better way to determine if my day was successful or not.

Maybe we can all have more “successful days if we use a different measuring stick.

I’ve been reading Anne Lamott’s Traveling Mercies this week. My niece loaned me her autographed copy. If your not familiar with this author let me warn you she is this first person I’ve found who can be reverent and irreverent all at the same time. Her writing is not for the faint of heart. If you love soft touching stories about God and spirituality this is not your girl. If you love soft touching stories about God and spirituality set in the harsh realities of life you might just like her.

I always enjoy reading someone else’s book, especially if they underline their favorite parts. This allows you to read the author and the owner of the book. You also get to ask the question, why didn’t you underline this? Here’s one that struck me this morning that wasn't underlined. Lamott is working out of town and describes her experience this way.

I was working too hard and staying up too late every night, and the people I was with were drinking a lot. I started to feel like a wired little kid at a birthday party who has had way too much sugar, who is in all ways on overload, but still finds herself blind folded for a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, and then pushed more or less in the direction of the wall with the donkey on it. But I was so turned around, so lost and overwhelmed and stressed that I couldn’t even remember where the wall with the Donkey was-or even in what direction it might be found. So I couldn’t take one step forward without there being a chance I was actually walking farther away from it. And it took me awhile to remember that for me, the wall with the donkey on it is Jesus.

Now there is an image I can understand. The wall with the donkey on it, for me, is Jesus.

I started a class on mercy last night. I have to say it’s the first time I’ve ever taught on the subject. One of the reasons for my choice of subject is the lack of mercy I see in Gods people. If our world needs anything its mercy and who better to provide it then the people who have experienced Gods mercy first hand. Why is it that we who have been shown mercy are so slow to share it with others?

The more I prepare for this subject the more I’m convinced mercy is one of those things that is so different, so wild, so other worldly that it shakes us all when it shows up. When mercy arrives everyone knows it. It’s like diving in to cold water on a hot summer day. It’s just what you need, exactly when you need it.

What I want is your stories about mercy. Where have you seen, experienced, received or heard about mercy. I want the stories to use in class but I also think that if you and I open our eyes and look for mercy we may see it, and in the process become more merciful ourselves.

It’s a good day to be Longhorn fan. Texas first National Championship since 1969 was a sight to behold. The 1969 game against Arkansas that brought Darrell Royal and his Longhorns to the Promised Land was one of a hand full of games given the title “ the game of the century”. Last nights game will surely go down as one of the greats in College football history.

I’m not much on New Years resolutions. Like most people I’ve found they don’t last to long. While I love the feeling of a fresh new start I’m not much on tying it to the beginning of new year. With that said here are a few resolutions I’ve made.

I’m going to have more fun at everything I do. Life’s too short to not have a good time.

I’m going to keep in mind the real problems for the church are not outside but inside. The world is doing a great job being the world. Disciples need to do a better job at being disciples.

I want to learn how to think like Anne Lamott. How can anyone be so real?

I want to be more devotional. I’m not sure what that means but I’ll know it when I feel it.

I want to stop expecting immature Christians to act like disciples. You only set yourself up for frustration and disappointment when you do this.

This is not an exhaustive list and it’s been in me for along time. These are things I want to deepen my life to become rather then something to fix it. I’d love to hear your ideas for deepening your life.

I got the greatest gift for Christmas. Having been on this world for almost fifty years I have received my share of gifts. Some have been absolutely wonderful, some have not, but this year I got the gift of a lifetime. My nephew made a donation to World Vision in the name of my family. The donation will feed a village in Africa for one year.

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the Christmas season then a gift that fills the need of people who have so little. The vast majority of us in America have so much and Christmas seems to be a time when we just exchange our excess. Why not take what we have and give to those who need.

If your interested in World Vision you can see their catalogue at www.worldvisiongifts.org