Happy Friday,
For I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. Jesus, John 5:30. If only we could get to that spot and stay there – amazed at the Gospel, empowered by the Spirit and free of all selfishness. One day!
The 925 Window: For some time, mission strategists have made much of the 10/40 Window – the term coined in 1990 to refer to those who live between 10 and 40 degrees north of the equator. As it turns out, this is the area with the greatest poverty and least access to the Christian message. A new term is now emerging – the 925 (as in 9:00 – 5:00) Window. It refers to those at work who do not hear about Christ.
Character > Competence: Several years ago, then Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson offered the following summary of church history: “In the beginning the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.” Some no longer say “enterprise,” they speak of the “Christian Industrial Complex,” parroting Eisenhower’s reference to the “military industrial complex.” I share all of this to note that, while I was traveling,another prominent Chicago pastor fell. I am sad, frustrated and sympathetic. I do not know what happened, but I know the evangelical industrial complex demands competence, performance and results. Those leading very-large churches often get pushed on those fronts. Character is not always in such high demand.
Speaking of Character: Not long ago, Notre Dame sociologists Christian Smith, asked college students to name “their most recent moral dilemma.” Seventy percent of them could not come up with one.
Pondering: One of the joys of this sabbatical has been extended morning times with the Lord. What has made them longer is a bit more reading and a bit more prayer, but mostly it’s been pondering. Perhaps a better word would be meditating. Psalm 1 – a meditation on meditation – has been a focus, but I have also become aware of the term “pondering” showing up in the Gospels. For instance, Mary ponders: when the angel shows up; when the shepherds show up to see the newborn and when Jesus is amazing everyone at the Temple. For what it’s worth, she “ponders in her heart,” not in her head. Are you making time to ponder? It’s a very non iPhone era thing to do. But we need time to ponder.
Ponder 2.0. At the moment, my take-away from pondering has been my need to start my day by regaining a vision of God as big, loving, gracious and in charge. When I see Him as that, it right-sizes everything else.
Still More About Loneliness: David Brooks had a piece this week about the “silent Pearl Harbor” going on in this country because of “our 60 year experiment with hyper-individualism.” He notes 47,000 suicides last year and 72,000 deaths by overdoses. He laments, “there is a lot of emphasis in our culture on personal freedom, self-interest, self-expression, the idea that life is an individual journey toward self-fulfillment. You do you.” But it’s not working. He notes that what we need is “radical mutuality.” This is not exactly the Gospel on the pages of the New York Times, but it does point to one of the many take-aways from Jesus.
More Power for Good and Ill: Most of my sabbatical time has been spent writing a book for new Christians. One of the sections is the importance of knowing God (versus knowing about him). Another is the need to align my views of the God who says, “I Am who I Am” – and not who you try to make me – with who He is. It has occurred to me that when God seems comfortable, I am likely simply projecting again.
Thankful for the US: Two weeks ago I was in London – where I got to watch the slow train-crash known as Brexit. Last week I spent a few days in India visiting some work Christ Church is participating in there. Recent elections in that country have been good news for non-Hindu groups. But the overall effect of visiting both the UK and India is to make me appreciate the US. Things can seem pretty chaotic here right now – indeed they are. But compared to the rest of the world, we are very fortunate.
Closing Prayer: Make us glad, O God, in recounting your mercies and adoring your holiness, and let it be our chief joy to glorify your holy name. Almighty and everlasting God, the brightness of faithful souls, who brought the Gentiles to your light and made known to them him who is the true Light, and the bright morning Star: fill, we ask you, the world with your glory, and show yourself by the radiance of your light to all nations. –The Gregorian Sacramentary