Missional Theophanies

Risky? Really?

2011-02-09T09:43:00.003-06:00

Last Sunday, as my pastor preached on taking risks, I watched my husband out of the corner of my eye watching me out of the corner of his. He looked scared. Well, scared may be too strong a word ... reservedly panicked ... yes, that might be a better description for the odd look he was trying to mask. What was he thinking, I wondered. It didn't take too long for me to find out.

"That sermon was not for you," my dashedly handsome hubby insisted at dinner that afternoon. "Others need to take risks but you take plenty and I always get to go along for the ride." I suppose he's right. About the ride part, not the taking plenty part. And to be fair to him, my husband is faithful in following God's call to service in the inner city and the young adults and children God has given us to love. I'm incredibly blessed by a husband who takes a deep breath and then does whatever is necessary as long as He knows God is in it. That he is married to who he calls his own version of Lucy Ricardo is what gives him angst.

I guess the difference between my husband and me is in the calculation of risk. His definition of risk is "the chance of something going wrong: the danger that injury, damage, or loss will occur." Well, if that is the case, then getting out of bed this morning was a risk yet most of us do this every single day. Driving the Dan Ryan in Chicago during rush hour ... now that's a risk for you. Of course things are going to "go wrong" every day, but we still opt to go through the day. Some grumbling more than others about it, but we still get up.

I honestly do not feel the choices we've made up to this point are all that risky. Yes, we've volunteered in the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast, lived in the inner city, and taken people into our hearts and home who had no place else to go. Yet, it all seems quite reaonsable behavior to me. Unusual, perhaps ... but why?

Think about this. When God asks you to do something, where is the risk? That it might not work out? Is that even a possibility if God is behind the request? Yes, God has asked many to follow Him to places or tasks that appeared not to work out ... but is that really so? How do we know, this side of the curtain, that God's plans were not met even though in our puny way of thinking we do not see success. The bigger risk, in my mind, is to not follow God where He leads because you will end up somewhere else ... not a godless place because God is omniscient and thus everywhere ... but a place you don't belong doing something you shouldn't be doing; not necessarily because the place or the activity is sinful, but definitely not God-appointed.

All too often American Christians, myself included, think that we must have misread God's calling when we run into difficulties. And yes, it is possible we've allow our own desires or ambitions or fears to cloud God's still small voice. But is it not equally possible that American Christians with our "I want it all and I want it now" mentality confuse the meaning of difficulty? When we storm the gates of hell, is it any surprise that the enemy puts up a fight?

So how do we know if God is calling? I believe we must be grounded in worship to know for sure. In Isaiah 6, we see the glory of God in His resplendant holiness, Isaiah falling on his face in light of his sinfulness, Isaiah then cleansed of his sin, God calling for a messenger, Isaiah responding, and finally Isaiah being sent out to serve. Worship and service. God called Isaiah to give Israel an unpopular message which was not well received. There is no question that Isaiah was called despite running into difficulties.

We need to spend sufficient time in worship of God: contemplating who He is, what we are without Him, and who we are within Him. Then, follow the call which will surely come. True worship leads to service. Every single time. We are to study God's word so we will hear it and do it, not just hear it and know it.

Romans chapters 1 through 11 systematically outlines the need and provision of God's righteousness - God is holy, we are not and God provides the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Romans 12 then states, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." The rest of the chapter and the book of Romans details the call to service.

Worship and service. In that order but never apart. Risky? Can God's ultimate plan go wrong? Really?

Did Isaiah risk? Or did Isaiah worship? Aren't we confusing sacrifice with risk sometimes? We offer ourselves to God, which is our reasonable service, and then jump back off the altar at the slightest provocation.

If something is reasonable then how is it risky?

Say What?

2011-02-07T08:43:00.001-06:00

When eyes glaze over, you've got a problem. It doesn't matter how passionate you are about what you are sharing if someone does not understand you.

I know a little about not understanding what people say. I have Ménière's disease which, among other things, causes fluctuating, progressive hearing loss in both of my ears, usually in lower frequencies but in my case, my Ménière's disease is an equal-opportunity frequency discriminator. Essentially, I have an inability to hear certain tones. I can hear some people quite clearly; however, others, no matter how loudly they speak, sound like the adults in Charlie Brown cartoons: mwah, mwah, mwah. This can be particularly frustrating with people who know I have trouble hearing them and still do not make accommodations for my disability. One person actually told me I needed to work harder at hearing. Really? Oh, okay.

However, in kindness, I suppose it can be frustrating for those trying to talk to me when they think they are doing everything possible to be understandable and are not. Christians can be like that. We think we are communicating clearly and all others are hearing is mwah, mwah, Jesus, mwah.

The urban dictionary describes christianese as, "A communicable language within the Christian subculture with words and phrases created, redefined, and / or patened that applies only to the Christian sphere of influence." Wiktionary states, "The terms, catchphrases and theological jargon used by some Christians, commonly from Christian theology and influenced by popular translations of the Bible." My favorite definition is on Word Spy which states, "A language or linguistic style that is understood only by, or appeals only to, practicing Christians."

Only appeals to practicing Christians. Wow. In a world that so desperately needs to hear about and embrace the love of God, are we speaking a language that someone not only cannot understand but is offputted by the very words we use? Do they hear, mwah, mwah, mwah? Or worse, do they hear a touch of arrogance in our words further alienating them from a message they desperately need to hear, whether they realize it or not.

Christian: I felt like I was really backsliding, so I crucified my old man and put on my new man, and now the fruit of the spirit is evident in my life!
Non-Christian: Uh huh. Hey, I got to take this call ...

Since some brand-new born-again in our presence Christians joined our House Church, the no-longer-wet-behind-the-ears Christians in the group are figuring out we need to find new ways to explain eternal truths we hold self-evidant but cannot describe in clear 2011 post-modernal language. We have become fluent in a primary language, which is not a bad thing, but we also need to be bi-lingual.

Seriously think about this. If you can't explain it, how well do you really know it?

Let the learning begin.

Course Corrections

2011-01-28T14:34:00.000-06:00

Sailing is an exhilarating experience. There is nothing quite like it. Perhaps skiing if you can delete the part where I crash and fall down the mountain making weird noises and leaving bits and pieces of my equipment up the slope requiring an uphill trek to retrieve everything. I've enjoyed sailing on large vessels, medium size 36' vessels and much smaller craft - each with its special thrills and challenges. I've learned, among other things, being dependent on the wind and the waves, the sailor must be continually conscious of the environment and ready for anything from the water and sky, or even the boat, the sails and the crew.

Sailing is different from powerboating which allows one to plow forward despite wind or wave. Yes, there is a wheel that turns from left to right, but the sails, the waves and the wind speed must be accounted for and while you may want to go from Point A to Point B, in sailing you may have to steer toward Point C to get there - steering to the right so you boat will go straight.  While vectors, leeways, drift and knots confuse me, and I can never keep my port from my aft straight, I do know course corrections are a constant in sailing.

Course corrections are a constant in life as well. Often, one must steer toward Point C to get to Point B, which is a lesson I continue to learn the hard way. I can become singularly focused with my plans and lists and speed to arrive and, when something unexpected alters those plans, I can become completely adrift. I may want to powerboat my way through life, but the truth is we are more like sailboats. Sidebar - people who think "sailing through life" is easy have never had to man a boat on choppy waves in a sudden squall while trying to lower sails to keep from capsizing. Sailing ... and life-sailing ... is quite the ride.

One of the items on The List is teaching inductive Bible study methods to several young men God has privileged us to have in our lives. My husband and I have longer-term relationships with these young men and were going to continue doing what we've been doing with them but just add Bible study to the mix ... interestingly, at their request. We chose to study the Book of Ruth using Leadership Resources International's study (www.leadershipresources.org). We support LRI's ministry, which teaches people all over the world how to study the Bible, and we were excited to use their materials. Ruth is a short book, is narrative, historical and has a fairly easy story to understand. Smooth sailing.

We set sail on Friday but the winds blowing on our little craft quickly moved us in a different direction. Our inaugural meeting of our Life Group or House Church was expected to be an intergenerational interracial group where we would eat a meat together while sharing our lives, do the dishes, gather in the living room to jointly study Ruth, worship and pray. We had already made a course adjustment the day before when one of our group asked if he could bring a friend of his and his friend's girlfriend. The expected and given response was there is always room for more.

On Friday, two of our expected group did not show, the friend and girlfriend came with a baby, and the little brother of another member came. One of us was openly struggling emotionally and spiritually, another was exhausted from a hard work week. Many of us had certain expectations of the evening. None of us were prepared for the way the evening would end. God was.

The study started simply enough. One person prayed, we each took turns introducing ourselves giving fun little tidbits of information, and we took turns reading through the book of Ruth. Routine stuff for small groups. Someone asked if we had any coffee, which we made, and we moved our study from the living room to the dining room over coffee and pie. One of the older members asked the group for their overall thoughts on the Book of Ruth and the prevailing winds appeared to shift.

One of our younger members did not understand the relationships between Ruth, Naomi, Boaz and who were those men that died? Emboldened, the others chimed in. What were they doing in a foreign country? And what was the thing about the shoes and the feet? I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a diagram starting from Naomi and Elimilech, their sons, their Moab wives, the deaths of the men, the trip back to Israel, the Kinsman Redeemer, Boaz and ultimately, the new baby. I also took them to the Gospels and showed how Jesus ultimately came from the line of Boaz.

Cool, huh? Oh yes, they said. Very cool. Except for one thing ... Jesus was born?  Wasn't he always was? Wait. What?

It has been a long time since I have had in-depth conversations with someone who had little to no knowledge of the basics of Christianity. Most Americans I know, even the non-christians, have the preliminaries down pat, they just don't believe it.   This was different. As the conversation continued, and questions and answers flew back and forth, I came to the realization of what was happening. God was calling this young woman's name and she was responding. Where to start? What scriptures to turn to? "Help me God," she was calling out in her heart. "Help me God," I was calling out in mine.

The young woman I had not known two hours earlier was sitting at my table sharing how she desperately wanted to know Jesus, wanted to follow Him, wanted to fall in love with Him but was so confused about who He was and what she should do. Somehow, she said, she knew that to get her life together she needed Jesus but ... she had so many questions. She wanted answers.  She knew nothing other than Jesus must be the answer but how?

I shared the full redemptive story of God creating man, man falling away from God, and God, in His great love for us coming to earth to live, die and rise again so He could redeem us back from the slavery we so willingly sold ourselves into.   We read in Genesis. We read in John. We read in Romans. We talked. We cried.  We prayed. Oh, did we pray.

Breathing prayer with every word I spoke, I was privileged to see another child born into eternal glory and then, with equal joy, watched my husband introduce the young man to Jesus.  It was God's appointed time for us all. We praise God that He opened their eyes to His truth, and our eyes to their need. I'm glad we did not powerboat our way through the study staying on our agenda. I'm glad there is always room for more at our table. Sometimes it is a tight fit but God uses availability and flexibility.

The Holy Spirit is moving. God, in His great mercy, is allowing us to come along for the ride ... and what a ride. Our new sister in Christ is already hoping to bring others with her to our group. We were to be a twice a month group. With two new eager Christians, and more people coming, we collectively decided to meet every week until God determined otherwise. We are switching from Ruth to the Gospels.

So, two nights a month are now four, at least for a time, and I suspect this is just the beginning of what God has in store for our little group.  Whatever happens, discipling young believers requires adjustments to our lives ... and The List. So be it.

On The List was being more like Jesus and praying God allows me to make an eternal difference in the life of one person. Was my new sister in Christ that one? I believe so. But now I'm praying for more. Many more. And we are praying for others to set sail with us.

Course corrections.

Missional Theophanies.

Engaging the world and encountering God in the process.

What Kind of Name is that for a Blog?

2011-01-25T20:54:00.001-06:00

Naming a blog can be as difficult as naming your child. You want to be clever. You want the name to have meaning. You don't want the name to be stupid in 10 years. And you don't want to have to change the name at some point because, say, your child didn't like the name Moon Unit. This is especially hard when you decide to create your blog in a moment of creative passion and have brain freeze when blogspot requires a name. Right. Now. You know what you want to write, sheets and sheets you are ready to write, but can't think of one single name that works. This is especially frustrating when you believe you are being singularly clever with a name only to find out that someone else thought of it first. Over and over and over and ... over ... again.

I love my daughter's blog title ... "Finding Faces." It comes from a C.S. Lewis quote:

“I saw well why the gods do not speak to us openly, do not let us answer. Till that word can be dug out of us, why should they hear the babble that we think we mean? How can they meet us face to face till we have faces?” C.S. Lewis: Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

Her husband's blog has an equally cool title ... "prayservego." I love that. Profound. Self-explanatory. And my daughter's friend is writing a food blog called "How bout a cucumber." Nice. I follow another blog by a Christian college student called "No Pennies Needed." Makes you just want to read it. Cool names all.

Missional Theophanies? Hmmm. Can you change a blog name?

But it has meaning to me. I love the missional movement. I'm late to the bandwagon but I am endeared to the movement nonetheless. According to an article in Christianity Today written by Alan Hirsch (Defining Missional | LeadershipJournal.net), it has been "increasingly difficult to open a ministry book or attend a church conference and not be accosted by the word missional." Indeed, my daughter mentioned I was using a "buzz" word in my blog title. I agree. I don't necessarily want to be part of the latest Christian trend like bracelets and every other product known to man with four initials allegedly designed to make us think about what Jesus might do. Yet, the word fits.

The same Christianity Today states, "Missional represents a significant shift in the way we think about the church. As the people of a missionary God, we ought to engage the world the same way he does—by going out rather than just reaching out. To obstruct this movement is to block God's purposes in and through his people. When the church is in mission, it is the true church." I do not desire to get into a debate regarding the necessity or difference between missional or attractional churches. The term defines how God has uniquely wired me. It fits.

Theophanies means "God Encounters." The longer definition refers to the appearance of God to a human, or to a divine disclosure. God has chosen to appear to many throughout history. Adam. Abraham. Moses. I do not claim a burning bush experience but I do know God has chosen to make Himself known to me in ways that were undeniable clear and undeniably Him.

So, Missional Theophanies means, in essence, going out to engage the world and encountering God in the process. I pray you join me on the journey. So far it's been quite a ride.

January is nearly over and I've checked off ...

2011-01-25T20:11:00.022-06:00

... one item that I can honestly claim responsibility - visiting the Pacific Garden Mission. Our garage getting cleaned was one of the items on The List but someone else did this (thanks Bill!) without being asked, so, while I will remove this from The List as done ... I didn't do it. There, I've been honest. And while I'm being honest, I am rethinking The List on several fronts.

First, I have 76 items on The List. The List was created by brainstormingly writing down everything that popped into my head. At the moment, I thought it might be possible. Then I realized that while I'm crazy, that is insane even for me. I've gone through January and have checked off one thing. And I don't want the things on The List to just get "checked" off. I want to enjoy all of them and I want the items to create opportunities for missional theophanies.

Secondly, I've come to realize I would be quite sad if I never accomplished some of these items in my life but could live with others never receiving a black checkmark.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the Lord seems to be making some of His own revisions to The List ... so in a sense, The List itself has become a missional theophany. I'll write more about that and the unexpected events in our life the last few days in the days to come. Let's just say priorities change when the Lord allows you to unexpectedly participate in Kingdom work.

Now, I am one of those right brain / left brain people. I dream in color and produce musicals in my head while delighting in creating spreadsheets to find investigative patterns. So, today, while I waited for an appointment, I spent some time reviewing The List and realized the items broke down into nine categories with many items fitting into two or more categories including Relationships, Creativity, Fun & Fellowship, Health & Wellbeing, Education, Job/Career, Spiritual Growth, Home & Finance and Just Because. I put the entire list in a spreadsheet and gave a point everytime an item legitimately fit into a category. I also realized some of these items could change my life while others would just make my life more fun and some were things I kept revisiting for more years than I could count. Some were both. So, I added three more columns - meaningful, fun and on the list - and scored each item accordingly with 5 being major meaningful or fabulous fun or have been on my list or in the back of my head for a long time and 1 being not so much. Then I added bonus points to any item my husband had specifically requested we do this year.

And so The List meets The Score and I am considering ways to focus accordingly. A perfect score is 29. Only one item on the list qualified ... Be More Like Jesus. Obviously I will never complete my top item ... but I hope to be more like Jesus at the end of the year than I was at the beginning. As I mentioned, the Lord is revising some of these items and as I consider how to go about accomplishing them I will blog as I go in the days, weeks and months to come. I will likely accomplish some of the very low scored items much sooner than the higher scored items just because some of easier to do than others. So, once again ...

Behold ... The List:

Be More Like Jesus	29
Lose 70 pounds	26
Visit Josh and Joanna in Boston	24
Visit Sean and Ena	24
Cook Dinner for all my kids at the same time	24
Discipleship with Debbie	23
Start a Writer’s Group	22
Bible Study w/the Boys	21
Memorize 1 Peter - IN PROCESS	21
Get Published	21
Write a Book	21
Write a Blog - IN PROCESS	21
Memorize 10 Piano Pieces	21
Climb a rock wall	20
Teach at Coffee Break - IN PROCESS	20
Complete a 5K	20
Seeker’s Bible Study for my Neighbors	20
Finish my Degree	19
Host a Open House for my Neighbors	19
Organize a Block Party	19
Wisconsin Dells	19
Learn ASL	19
Learn to share the Gospel confidently	19
Go Backpacking w/Josh	19
Facilitate Agape 2011 Trip - IN PROCESS	18
Spiritually Franchise Friday Dinners	18
Visit India	18
Take a Silent Retreat	18
Visit Pacific Garden Mission - DONE	18
Ravinia with Dan	18
Make Lobster for Dan	18
Book of Ruth with Rose	18
Spin Class with Nicole	18
Makeover after losing 35 pounds	17
Mississippi River Boat	16
See Mercy Me in Concert - IN PROCESS	16
Bears / Lions Game	15
Ballet Lessons	15
Build a Deck/Porch	14
Go Camping	14
B&B Weekend with Girlfriends	13
Clean My Garage - DONE	12
Go Fishing	12
Play Percussion at Church	11
Sears Tower with Dan	11
Finish Beth’s Afghan	10
Go Kayaking	10
Cooking Lessons w/Knife Skills	10
Go on a Picnic	10
Plant an Herb Garden	9
Plant Roses	9
Skate at Millennium Park	9
Learn to Sketch	9
Remodel House Out & Up	9
Learn French	8
Paint my bedroom	8
Build a Nativity for the Front Yard	8
Go to Ann Arbor Art Fair	8
Teach Martell How to Swim	8
Agape Volunteer Coordinator	7
Swimming w/Belugas	7
Direct the Christmas Musical	7
Hip Hop Lessons	7
Shedd Aquarium Tour	7
Renew My Passport	6
Singing Lessons	6
Act in a Drama	6
Prepare an Entire Indian Meal	6
Sing in the Choir	6
Go to a Blues Club	5
Stain my dresser	4
Find a Cello for Bill	4
Build a Greenhouse	4
Knit a Scarf	2
Try Sushi	1
Get a new Sari	1

Pacific Garden Mission

2011-01-25T17:18:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure it was by my design, but the first thing checked off my list was a visit to a homeless shelter.

Almost immediately upon Facebooking (is that a verb now?) my list for 2011, three friends indicated they wanted come on my trip to the Pacific Garden Mission: One, an intern with Campus Crusade for Christ at Here's Life Inner City Chicago, the second a freshman in high school who is developing a heart for missions and the third, an old friend who has written with me, served in Katrina relief with me and has traveled the world (sadly not with me) learning about other cultures and serving orphans. It didn't take long before more wanted to go and on January 8, 2011, we eight found ourselves in a church van (had to borrow a bigger vehicle) on the way downtown: myself, the intern, the teenager and her cousin, the teenager's mother, the world traveler, a prayer warrier widow, and the mother of someone who has served with me in the inner city of Chicago. All women. Interesting.

I'm not sure if you are aware that most everything in Chicago has either been sold or is for sale, but Mayor Daley sold the rights to the parking meters to someone who immediately jacked up the prices and put meters everywhere, even where things used to be free. Now, even near the homeless shelter, Chicago's parking boxes are everywhere and we had to park a few blocks away to avoid risk of a ticket. What wisdom suggests two-hour limits on parking meters near a shelter is a good idea? Believing that if you can see the door (yes, blocks away), you don't need a coat, I left my coat in the van and incurred the teasing of my compadres. They weren't laughing hours later when I didn't have a coat to carry. But I digress. Entering the Mission, we left cold Chicago streets to enter into what looked like ... warm Chicago streets. By design, the hallways of Pacific Garden Mission have real street lights and street signs and have a downtown feeling. Very cool. Who thought of that?

We were escorted into the auditorium and were introduced to history of the mission. Since 1877, Pacific Garden Mission has been a refuge to millions weary of struggling through life's storms who have come to the "Old Lighthouse” seeking food, shelter, clothing, medical, and dental care. They also came seeking the answer to life’s struggles and are offered the answer: life through faith in Jesus Christ. The efficient new state of the art facility utilizes renewable energy technologies. All Pacific Garden Mission ministry services are now under one roof. If you want to learn more, check out http://www.pgm.org/.

Our tour guide Byran (name changed) is a resident guest (all people staying at the mission are called guests) who had graduated from a Big Ten school with an engineering degree, worked for a Fortune 100 company and was raising a family when he was first introduced to crack cocaine by a friend. Crack is instantly addictive and soon Byran was unemployed, homeless and alone. Still, as he told us, it took years and several stays at PGM before he was ready to reach out for true life-changing help to be found only in Jesus Christ. As he led us through the hallways of PGM, I listened enraptured to his story as he described his deep love for Jesus and what God was doing in his life. He still has nothing of any value when American Dream is considered but Bryan was obviously content knowing he would be graduating from the program soon and, through several miracles, his wife and young son are waiting for him. He realizes the uphill battle still facing him; still, Bryan has more joy than many people I know with many more blessings and privileges. The peace of God truly does pass all understanding.

The facility itself is impressive. Our tour included a complete medical and dental facility, barbershop and beauty salon, computer lab, shower facilities, day rooms, barrack-type rooms filled with bunk beds, chapel, a large cafeteria, kitchen, storage rooms and greenhouses which grow much of their fresh produce and included a worm farm. I didn't know that when worms eat compost they poop dirt. Neat. Gross but neat. All in all, the facility is a 150,000 square feet state of the art "green" facility. The Mission is not at capacity, but should the need ever arise, they built the facility to allow growth "upwards."

After the tour, we joined several groups of other visitors who had come to see the taping of "Unshackled." Since 1950, PGM has produced this program making it the longest running radio drama in history. Professional Guild actors are used and the program was just fascinating to watch especially when the voices of the actors did not match my expectations. Every element of the program is live at the time it is produced including sound effects and I particularly enjoyed watching the sound effect artist at work. Cool how a couple of glass bottles and a few pieces of silverware can sound like an entire restaurant. Unshackled is broadcast more than 10,000 each week on over 2,200 radio outlets and is in a number of languages. If you are interested in hearing a program online, check out http://www.unshackled.org/. Some stories are more dramatic than others but all give praise, hnor and glory to God for changed lives through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

Dinner in the cafeteria was next on the agenda. Most of the male guests had already eaten when we came into the room capable of feeding 1,000 people but we were joined by other vistors, the women and children guests and the men in the Bible program. The efficiency in which we were served was amazing. More amazing was the humility and joy on the faces of those who were working in the cafeteria: the men in the Bible program all takes turns serving in various capacities. I once heard it said, you will know if you have a servant's heart when someone treats you like one. These men were servants and yet had such dignity about them. I learned a bit about my own heart that day in the cafeteria.

Our last part of our day at Pacific Garden Mission was the Saturday Praise and Testimony Service. All visitors were seated in the front rows including the visitors who had been at the Mission all day and those that come each week just to attend the service. Behind us were the men and women in the Bible program. Behind them were the guests in varying emotional states of acceptance at being at a worship service. It made me wonder what church would be like if we put the visitors in front, behind them the men and women who were fully on board for Christ and then put those that didn't want to be at church at all. What would the ushers ask: "Spiritual status please?"

I wasn't sure how I would feel about an old-fashioned praise service accompanied by organ music but after only a few bars into listening to the room erupt in hymns had me singing at the top of my lungs. I was amazed by the man at the organ and his wife at the piano: Ralph and Mary Lou Colburn have been playing at PGM since 1950 and 1953 respectively. Even if Ralph started playing organ at PGM when he was 20 years old, that makes him at least 81 years old. Wow. Faithfulness like that is not found often in our world. Special music and testimonies preceded the message that challenged and uplifted me.

So, for the first thing to check off my list ... how have I been changed? Well, I've not stopped thinking of PGM and the men I met there. I will probably find myself one of the returning visitors several times a year for the praise and testimony service. I'm glad to know someplace like PGM exists and would not hesitate to recommend this place for people needing help ... or, for that matter, considering going there myself should the need arise and I had no where else to go. In a weird way, I'd almost want to live there for a few weeks to experience the place from another angle.

Jesus had a special place in his heart for the poor and oppressed. He announced his ministry by stating,
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19) He did not feed everyone. He did not heal everyone. But he did keep bringing the poor and disenfranchised up when he spoke. The two greatest commandments were to first love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; and secondly, to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Who is your neighbor? I will be paying special attention to mine.

The List

2011-01-09T20:29:00.001-06:00

I once thought that resolutions, at least for me, were a waste of time. Then I came across a years-old list of personal resolutions that I had no memory "working on" yet, surprisingly, nearly every one of the items on the list I could now check off. How did that happen? I'm not sure. However, I now no longer feel badly about making a list that will certainly have stops, starts, sputters and crashy-burns. Someday, I know I will check off each item and wonder how in the world it happened.

This year, my "resolutions" include a list of things I want to do, not just stop, or start or be. It's a long list that I've asked the Lord to use for His glory although not everything on the list seems "spiritual." Let's see what happens. I'll be blogging this year on the Missional Theophanies or "God Encounters" as I look to serve Him on this very eclectic mission field that is my life.

As things change or are accomplished, I will update the list on the blog. I'm looking forward to seeing what this year holds or, rather, what God holds in His hands for me.

Behold the list for 2011 ... in no particular order of importance ...

Memorize and play 10 Piano Pieces
Study Isaiah with Debbie and continue being mentored
Lose 70 pounds
Take hip hop lessons
Visit the Pacific Garden Mission - COMPLETED
Sing in the choir
Study and teach a lesson from the Book of Ruth
Inductive Bible study methods to Cortez, Jamal, Martell, Lonnie and others
See Mercy Me in concert
Teach at Coffee Break
Faciliate the Agape 2011 Trip
Learn to Sketch
Skate at Millennium Park
Learn ASL with my family
Climb a rock wall
Go kayaking
Get published
Complete a 5K
Cook dinner for all my kids at the same time
Memorize 1 Peter
Paint my bedroom
Take ballet lessons
Take cooking lessons and master knife skills
Go to a blues club
Act in a drama
Try Sushi
Go to the Shedd Acquarium
Prepare an entire Indian Meal
Get a new sari
Go fishing
Go backpacking
Take a silent retreat
Go camping with the McVrabels
Plant roses
Plant an herb garden
Finish Beth's afghan
Play percussion at church
Write a blog
Get a makeover after 30 pounds and again at 60
Go swimming with the Belugas
Make Lobster for Dan
Take concrete steps to finish my degree
Spiritually franchise Friday Dinners
Learn French
Begin Planning a trip to India
Take a Spin Class with Nicole Brandenburg and survive
Remodel the house out and up
Build a greenhouse
Clean my garage
Write a book
Rent a boat and cruise down the Mississippi River
Renew my passport
Host an open house for neighbors and learn the names of every neighbor on my block
Plan a block party with my neighbors
Host a seeker's Bible study with my neighbors
Go on a picnic somewhere exotic
Go to Ravinia with Dan
Take Dan to the Sears Tower
Visit Sean and Ena
Visit Josh and Joanna in Boston
Build a deck/porch to visit with my neighbors
Teach Martell how to swim
Build a lifesize Nativity
Go to the Ann Arbor Art Fair (July 20-23, 2011)
Find a cello for Bill Vrabel
Go to a Bed & Breakfast for the weekend with my girlfriends
Learn to share the Gospel confidently
Take singing lessons
Direct the Christmas musical in 2011
Stain my dresser to match the rest of my bedroom furniture
Be the Agape Volunteer Coordinator for the fundraising dinner
Start a writer's group
Knit a scarf
Go to a Bears/Lions Game
Be more like Jesus and pray God blesses me by allowing me to make an enternal difference in the life of one person.

Let the adventure begin.