Friday, August 28, 2009

Fellowship: More than Smiles and Potlucks

If you grew up in or around church, you have probably heard the word "fellowship" used to describe almost any circumstance under which two Christians are in the same room together. While it is true that fellowship takes on varying degrees of depth depending on numerous factors, the Biblical idea is much deeper than simply hanging out with other Christians.

The Greek word for fellowship means "having all things in common". This commonality not only suggests that Christians view themselves as co-equally responsible for taking care of one another's needs, but it also (and perhaps more importantly) crosses into the spiritual and emotional dimensions of life as well.

James 5 talks about "confessing our sins" to each other in order that we might be healed. This healing is essentially wholeness. Dietrick Bonhoeffer wrote about the fact that confession of sin to other believers is often foreign and frightening to modern-day followers of Jesus. In his classic "Life Together" he wrote about why many Christians never experience true fellowship even though they seem to be sincerely looking for it. He says,

"The final break-through to fellowship does not occur, because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinner. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we ARE sinners." (Life Together, Harper & Row, 1954, p. 110).

To re-state this in simpler terms, Bonhoeffer is saying that many Christians are so fearful of rejection - so concerned that being "found out" may bring detriment to their reputation or perceived good standing among other saints - that they instead choose to plaster on a phony smile and pretend all is well. As a pastor, I am convinced that in spite of all of our recent and repeated affirmation of values like "authenticity", "transparency" and "being real", still far too few people experience the benefit of having even one solitary friend in their lives with whom they can be totally and completely honest - confessing their sin and brokenness without fear of rejection.

I remember what life and ministry was like before I had forged a handful of these relationships, and by God's mercy I will never go back to living that way. Do you have someone you can be totally honest with? A same-gender friend who is safe enough not to reject you and honest enough to challenge you? If you feel frustrated with "church" because you don't seem to be getting any real fellowship - perhaps the problem is not with those around you. Perhaps you need to take the initiative to find a person or small group where you can begin to forge this kind of relational intimacy. What are YOUR thoughts? Feel free to chime in...

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Jonah in All of Us

This Sunday at Valley Church, I am kicking off a 4-week series of messages from the Book of Jonah called "Shipwrecked: A Rebel's Guide to Obedience." As I have been taking a fresh look at this familiar story, I am amazed at the reality that sometimes a Bible story can become so familiar that we cease to be amazed by it.

When I imagine what it must have been like to slosh around for 72 hours in a pool of stomach-acid, dead fish, seaweed and internal organs, my gag reflex is almost triggered just thinking about it! Have you ever been in a situation you thought was your worst nightmare? I have felt that way on a couple of occasions. And yet, as I was thinking through the narrative, I focused afresh on one primary reality: sometimes the storms in our lives - whether self-inflicted or there by no fault of our own - are the blessings we need to help us change directions. The last verse of chapter one goes so far as to say that "The LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah..."

How often do we think of our troubles as something God actually "provides" for us? Probably not often. If you are like me, you sometimes struggle to embrace the idea of blessings in disguise. I mean, you want the blessing - just not the "in disguise" part. If you've ever messed up in life - disobeyed God or even your own conscience - whether big time or in little ways - I invite you to join us for what promises to be a very practical and life-changing trip through one of the most intriguing little books of the Bible!

Valley Church is located at 5063 Maple Road in Vacaville, CA. You can visit us online at www.valleychurch.com. Our gatherings are at 8AM, 9:30AM and 11AM. Hope to see you there - and please feel free to chime in if you want to share your thoughts on this blog!!!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

More On the Health-Care Debate...

On one of my favorite blogs - Scot McKnight's "The Jesus Creed" - I recently responded to a question posted related to whether Obama-care is the right way to address our nation's health insurance problems. I am obviously very strong in my opinion on this, but I am open to being shown that I am wrong. Feel free to read and comment whether you agree or disagree. We're all FRIENDS here! My response was as follows....


"I agree with Skip above. Health insurance is no more a human "right" than owning a house or a car simply because it is difficult to function without them. Health care is a service industry - and while there are numerous problems to fix in our system, going the dismal and disastrous way of Canada and Great Britain is not wise, ethical or freedom-promoting. Ironically, I write these words less than 48 hours after Canada has announced that its health care system is broke and unsustainable!

No artist who graduates from art school is forced by the government to subscribe to a regulated standard for what his or her work can sell for. The market determines that scale. As imperfect as it may be, the free market is the best way to maintain both quality and equality. We are entitled by our founding documents to "life, liberty and the pursuit (not guarantee) of happiness." Nowhere do those documents suggest that we are guaranteed "health, wealth or prosperity."

I am a politically moderate pastor with obvious conservative leanings in this area - and someone who is actively involved in humanitarian and compassion ministries globally. Our church's efforts to alleviate hunger, train workers and plant churches in places like Rwanda, Mexico and the Middle East represent the heartbeat of the church where I pastor. I say that to assure anyone reading this that I am committed to seeing lives transformed by the compassion of Christ through His church and other private means of goodwill. I also affirm responsible but limited government intervention in various ways.

That being said, the government has no place to stand between patients and medical professionals who have spent a multiplicity of years and dollars preparing to be the very best at the art and science of their chosen practice. Even with our multiplicity of imperfections, the United States already has the most compassionate, ethically sound system of medicine in the world. Yes, there is corruption and greed and such - and those are the issues that if stopped will bring costs way down. But under the Hippocratic Oath taken by all doctors in this country, emergency room services cannot be denied to anyone - including illegal aliens. In essence, we already have free health care.

I'd like to also comment on the so-called 47-million uninsured. It is well substantiated in bi-partisan research that if we subtract the number of people who could afford health insurance but choose not to have it, those who already qualify for state or federal coverage but do not take advantage of it, illegal aliens, and those classified as "under-insured" because they choose only to carry catastrophic coverage, the real number is around 15 million. Additionally, upwards of 85% of Americans are happy with their current plan. Am I supposed to be convinced that the 250+ million Americans who are happy with their insurance plan should be forced into a government-run system because of a problem that exists for 15 million? How about fixing the problem for the 15 million without punishing everyone else?

There is a reason that the DMV is less popular than going to the dentist! There is a reason that the postal service is struggling to turn a profit while Fed Ex and UPS thrive. There is a reason programs like Medicaid and Social Security are unsustainable by every bi-partisan report and opinion out there. Simply put, over the long-haul the government cannot manage things as well as the private sector. And I haven't even begun to address any of the ethical atrocities in the language of the current House and Senate bills (which anyone can get online if they're looking for a cure for insomnia)...

Finally, the original question posted suggests there are "30-million of us right now" who are unemployed. This is also patently untrue. Unemployment is at just over 9% of the work force - not the American population. We don't count children, retirees, stay-at-home parents, etc. in that figure. The actual work force is about 130 million. 9% of that leaves us at about 12 million without jobs. Don't get me wrong - this is way too large a number! But there is a huge difference between 30 million and 12 million, for the record. As for solutions - they include a plethora of things from eliminating frivolous malpractice suits, moving from paper-based to an electronic-based system, tax reform, and the list goes on. Please GOD don't let us go down this unethical, disastrous path when there are so many superior options..."

Those are some of my thoughts...what do YOU think?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Good Old Days (Is There Even Such a Thing?)

Almost everyone who grew up in America has his or her own version of "the good old days." Even if you grew up under less than desirable circumstances, you probably have at least a few cherished memories from childhood. Perhaps a safe place of escape. An activity that allowed you to become lost in healthy creativity. A memory of spending time with a relative or friend. Ahhh...if only we could go back to that moment and put life on "pause".

For me, I grew up very poor. Our family of six lived in a 700 square foot house throughout much of my childhood. My parents struggled to make ends meet. My parents eventually divorced after many years of dysfunction and turbulence in their marriage. Yet as imperfect as life was, I still recount many great memories of those more innocent years. Now when I watch my own kids play, fight and roughhouse, I relive similar moments of when the world was much simpler.

Don't get me wrong - many blessings continue to fill the adult lives of those who are learning the art of thankfulness and contentment. But when I talk honestly with my adult friends, there is among us an overwhelming sense of angst. Life is difficult. At times it seems torturous. Whether we are walking through the fire or empathizing with those who are - we admit that something about this beautiful world is out of whack.

C.S. Lewis said "If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were created for another world." The Bible claims that this planet is Eden-gone-wrong, and suggests that this is why we often live in limbo between joy and sorrow, beautiful and ugly, pleasure and pain. What is so unique about Christianity is that while other faiths claim that humanity can reach up to find God through human effort, Jesus is the exact opposite: God reaching down to humanity.

Perhaps you have never considered this crucial difference. Perhaps you believe that all religions are basically the same. With no intent to offend, I must say that such a claim is both ignorant and insulting to ALL religions. Clearly, religions do NOT all teach the same thing. And among them, Jesus's claims are by far the most distinct. He empathizes with our pain. He enters into the mess we've made in our sin. When someone tells me they can't believe in a God who allows kids to starve to death, I am compelled to remind them that this planet has been endowed with far more than enough resources to care for 10 times the current population. Let's be honest - God has not been the stingy one. If indeed He created us - He has given us more than enough to go around. The annual collective spending on ice-cream in America is enough to provide clean drinking water to the entire continent of Africa. What if the problem is essentially US? What if WE are the reason kids starve to death? I know it's much easier to blame God for this stuff. But what if it's true that He has called US to be His hands and feet - the ones who drill wells and feed the hungry?

Suddenly, when we begin to view the world through this lens, the randomness of life begins to seem far less random! We begin to discern a greater purpose for WHY we have been placed here! As followers of Jesus, WE are ambassadors of a kingdom that is not of this world, and as such we are to implement the compassionate, redemptive and healing work of Jesus until He returns to bring in the fullness of that kingdom. God invites us to be more than just part of the audience watching a cruel story pass us by. He invites us to be part of the CAST of characters in His grand story of redemption - and heroes rather than villains no less! This makes life worth getting out of bed for every day! This changes everything! This allows us to quit wishing we could return to the "good old days" (which never really existed in the first place) and to make someone else's days on earth better than they would be without us! Would you agree? I'm interested to know your thoughts. Please leave you comments! :)