This weekend my wife and I were in Kansas City, MO on a business adventure. We decided to stay an extra night, since my parents had our kids, and we actually got to go watch a movie by ourselves. We picked Alice in Wonderland mainly because it was at the IMAX, in 3-D, and because Johnny Depp is a little bit creepy. Can I get an amen to that? We’ll I won’t ruin the movie, but there was one particular part that has stuck in my brain. Towards the end of the movie Alice must get a special sword and slay a dragon. She contemplates the action and comes back saying, “I just can’t do it, I cannot kill the dragon.” After making this statement she’s runs into a wise old blue caterpillar named Absolem, who is a chain smoker by the way. He makes a statement to Alice that I am processing. He said, “The sword knows what to do, you just need to hang on…”

Don’t you think that it works that way with us and God? I mean we all have a calling, a purpose, and identity but we continue to come back and like Alice say, “I just can’t do it, I just can’t let go!” All while God is saying, “I have your purpose and know what I want you to do, just hang on.” We all have adventure in our DNA. God made us that way. We aren’t to sit on the sidelines and let life pass us by we are to act. A very familiar scripture comes to my mind in thinking through this. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” If he knows the plan then what are we doing interfering with it? I know for me it is because I don’t want to lose control. His way looks like a slippery slope at times and my way looks much safer and secure.

Let go today! Do something bold that he wants you to do instead of playing it safe on the sidelines. Get in the game! Oh, and by the way if you do see a chain smoking, fat, blue, talking caterpillar along the way you better listen….. Have a great week..

A couple of days ago a co-worker and I were discussing that he learned in a sociology class that everyone stereotypes the moment they see someone of a different race than themselves.  He said it’s just something that we all just do whether we like it or not.  I told him that I did not believe that it is something that everyone does, because believe it or not I do not do that.  It may be because I am bi-racial (my mother is italian and my dad is black) but when I see someone I do not think about their socio-economic status, or what neighborhood they live in.  I don’t think about what kind of car they drive, and how they acquired the money to get it.  I don’t think about where they got their jeans, or why their teeth or so white.  I don’t think about their skin color.  When I stated this to my co-worker, he changed his statement and said that maybe not EVERYONE does this but most of us do.  This was mind boggling to me because I honestly did not think the average person did that.  According to sociology they do.  Now I admit unfortunately I do make character stabs at people by the strength of their handshake, or whether they look me in the eyes or not, and I don’t think that is always fair, but I did not think people did that according to race right off the bat.  This may seem naive but I would hope that people did not do that as much as sociology claims they do.  I know there are people out there that do not like people of opposing skin color or ethnicity, and religion but I didn’t think the majority of people judge a person’s life by first sight.  How would you feel if you knew all the things people thought about you at first glance without knowing anything about you?  Do you think it is fair that we do this to people even though they don’t know what you are thinking?  Do you think this is an activity that God would want us to engage in?

Various systems or worldviews fight for power and authority.  Yet Christianity offers a radically different approach.  Christ opens up the idea of a system that seeks always to find those who are excluded from the system that is in power.  The Christian “worldview” is thus manifested as always seeking out those who have been rejected from the worldviews that have authority.  The way this works itself out in practice is that whatever political or religious idea is dominating the society at any given time, Christianity seeks out those who are excluded by it, the one sheep who is not in the pen, the one coin not in the purse, those who have not been invited to the party, the nobodies, the nothings.  The Christian “system” can thus never take power for, by definition, it is always that which stands against power, seeking to identify with the powerless and the voiceless.  It is a system in the sense that it systematically seeks out those who do not fit into the system offered by the currently prevailing political and religious authorities.

What we see being worked out within Christianity can thus be said to be a prejudice toward those who are excluded and marginalized, those who are oppressed by our religious and political systems.  This means that every time a “Christian” system is created, the Christian is the one who seeks out those who are excluded from it.  Christianity affirms a system that undermines every system of power by seeking those who are oppressed.  The Christian critique is not then directed at the people in power so much as at the place of power itself.  When a system of thought, however great, is given authority over all, it becomes oppressive and undermines its own liberative elements.  The point then is not to find the “right” way of thinking and then give it a place of power and influence, but rather to question the place of power and influence itself.

–Peter Rollins; an excerpt from The Fidelity of Betrayal

A lot!  As a person and as a Christian.  And as a mom.  You see, I have a daughter who competes and performs traditional Irish dance.  So St. Patrick’s Day is big for us.  Performances at least once a day this week – at the parade, at the public library, at retirement homes and the VA hospital.  Yesterday some of the dancers attended mass at a Catholic church downtown where the priest is Irish.  Their dance teacher sang The Lord’s Prayer in Gaelic.

Watching these dancers is transformative for me.  It takes every ounce of their concentration to execute the steps with precision.  They have to be aware of where the other dancers are and pay attention to their own feet and posture, keeping their hands tucked securely at their sides while they point their toes and jump and kick.  It takes about all the patience a parent can muster to get their dresses made, every skirt, cape, and sleeve hand-embroidered by a parent or grandparent or paid seamstress with the traditional Irish emblems.  Then the dresses are handed down when they are outgrown, until they are worn so thin they are coming apart.

The real beauty of all of this is that when those kids are dancing, it is about so much more than them.  They are connecting us to the history of a particular place across the world.  It is all about them and at the same time it is all about another group of people who came before them, developing a rich culture of music and dance.  Long before these dancers were born, there were people in the hills of Ireland working out these dances.  They taught them to their children, and they taught them to their children, and one of those children of children of children of children teaches those same steps to kids in Little Rock, Arkansas.  And when you watch them dance, you see the beauty of the dance itself and you also feel as if you’ve caught a glimpse of all those Irish dancers from “the old country.”

Take a look:

HERE

I love this bit of life that reminds us that we are smack in the middle of an old, old story.  We matter, just like those dancers matter.  It makes a difference when they put themselves into the dance, and spend time practicing and concentrating and making friendships with the other dancers.  The particulars of our lives matter, and it makes a difference when we work well and live well and love well.  And we also live in the context of a much larger picture, just like those dancers.  They are taking part in something that has been going on for a long, long time – and so are we.  As we work out who we are and what God is calling us to, as we go about trying to love our neighbors and ourselves, as we think and pray and work and rest and sing and dance and all those other things we do – we are stepping into that great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us.

What are the essential steps to which you are called to be faithful?  And how are you bringing your own God-given presence and style to those steps?

Rich Davis is an illustrator of  children’s books. He lives in Siloam Springs AR.

“From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.”    Romans 1:20 (NLV)

Visual communication is paramount in God’s plan.
He created a beautiful “living picture” for us to live in with nature telling us about Him…what He is like and how powerful He is.  And God said no man would be able to say to Him, “it’s not fair!  I didn’t know about You!”  God invented the power of visual communication and every human being that has ever lived or will live has been wired to be able to understand it’s message.
It is speaking to us about Him all the time.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.”
Psalm 19: 1-3 (NKJV)

Visual communication is paramount in God’s plan.
Consider how often you have dreamed at night…and the unexplainable explosion of creativity that happens inside you as these “picture stories” unfold…without you even trying to make them happen.  Dreaming is a universal experience.  Everyone is interested in dreams because we want to know what they mean…how to translate their bizarre stories.

Visual communication is paramount in God’s plan.
Not only do we dream at night while we sleep, but we also make pictures in our minds all day long through the incredibly powerful tool God has placed in us called the “imagination”.  He gave us a way to be creative and visualize ideas before they become tangible.  It allows us walk through stories that just come to us from deep inside.  Consider how “memories” activate the imagination and allow us to revisit something from our past with vivid color and intensity…like replaying a video clip or movie.  Countless POW’s speak of mental and emotional survival through the agonizing conditions of prison life by using the imagination to go through happy memories or daily things they enjoyed doing such as playing a round of golf.

Visual communication is paramount in God’s plan.
Every person begins with a pencil or crayon drawing on paper.  There is great enjoyment in doing it and great satisfaction.  It’s just fun!  In those early years there is no judging of whose is more beautiful or better…everyone just loves doing it….and every child has ideas tumbling out onto their paper with unabated freedom.  Put a piece of paper and pencil in front of a 5 year and they are off to the races.  What has spoiled this beautiful enjoyment that everyone began with?  I hope you will consider this….and consider it in relation to the things I have written above.

God has called and put the desire in me to help others reignite the desire to speak visually again.  To see it’s place in our everyday lives….it’s power to communicate and etch His wonderful truth and love in our world.
I hope I can share some more how God is leading me in doing this.  I love it.
And perhaps, some of you reading this will feel His nudge that He has something for you to do as well…

Visual communication is paramount in God’s plan.
“O taste and see that the Lord is good…” Psalm 34:8 (NKJV)

“How has God spoken to you today personally through some kind of visual communication around you?”
(if you can’t think of anything, perhaps ask the Holy Spirit to speak something to you today…express your desire to Him.)

Rich is a talented artiest, and has a unique gift for helping kids find the creativity that God has given them. He is available for workshops at schools, libraries and other organizations, as well as freelance illustration. Check out what he does at www.richdavis.freewebspace.com. He has also created a game called Pick and Draw. (It’s fun, I’ve played it!). If your feeling creative check out his blog of creative drawing and imagination exercises. – Ben

Some time ago, I was reading through the announcements at my church.  Something stood out to me.  If I participated with everything that applied to me, I would have come to eight to ten meetings to talk about God and the Bible.  It seems that we have come to spend much of our time in our communities of faith talking about faith. There is a world of difference between hearing a truth and experiencing a truth. 

 There is a  passage in John’s first letter that calls us to reach beyond talking about our faith and actually experience it as we love others.  But to do so, we must begin in a very paradoxical place. 

             “My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love.  This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality.  It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it.  For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.  And friends, once that’s taken care of and we’re no longer accusing our condemning ourselves, we’re gold and free before God!  We’re able to stretch our hands out and receive… (I John 3:18-22, The Message).

 The place we must begin to live in our faith is being honest with ourselves.  John reminds us that what limits us most is our own doubt and insecurity about ourselves. Our fear keeps us from reaching out, from fully engaging those around us, from really experiencing the grace that has been extended to us. 

 Too often we come to our churches wrestling with our own shortcomings.  We worry they will be revealed.  We worry that we do not measure up.  We too often come thinking we are here to prove something.  I wonder if John, as he was writing this passage, thought of another scene many years before when Jesus was on bended knee beginning to wash the feet of his friend Peter.  Peter struggled with believing the mystery of grace.  He did not want to be served.  He did not feel worthy.  And that is the point.  When we are worried about our worth we cannot receive the love and acceptance that Jesus freely extends to us and we cannot pass that love on to those around us.

 We are asked to come and trust what cannot possibly be true.  We are asked to trust that eating a little piece of bread and drinking a small sip of wine brings life to our spirit.  We are asked to believe that no matter what we bring in terms of our state of faith, God has already seen and known this.  It does not stop him from loving us.

 So as you reach out and consider the people around you, consider that reaching as a reminder that all has been made right for us with God and if we trust it, with each other.  There is more going on than we can understand.  Our job is not to explain it only to trust it.  As we receive what we can see, bread and wine, trust that we are also receiving what we cannot see – unconditional acceptance. When we truly trust this we will no longer live separated and divided.  We will live at ease with God and our neighbor and that will change the world.

Recently I have found myself in several discussions over what it means to be made in the image of God.  Based on Genesis 1:26-27, and my limited understanding of the rest of the Scriptures, I have found myself defending the argument that everyone is “redeemable.”  Not just that, but I believe that because we are created “in the image of God,” we are all capable of “doing good,” of creating something of value, of worshiping and glorifying the one true God.

It is because of this belief that I can’t stand to listen to Christian radio stations.  How in the world “christian” became a musical genre to begin with is beyond me.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when the Christian culture declares value or worth of something based merely on the beliefs of the person that created it.  For example, there was a song that came out in the mid-90’s called “I Believe” by the band Blessid Union of Souls.  It was a song filled with truth, forgiveness and reconciliation.  Many of you are probably familiar with this tune that boldly proclaimed that “love is the answer.”  Great song, boldly proclaiming the message of our Savior.  Needless to say, it was completely snubbed by “christian radio.”  That is until a few years ago, when the song had been apparently covered by some pop band that was on a Christian label.  The cover was mediocre at best and left all the lyrics exactly the same, but apparently that was enough for the song to now be deemed valuable and worthy of being played on the Christian radio station. I know there are other things that go into these decisions and I know it is a little more complicated of an issue than I have made it out to be, but it doesn’t change the message that is being sent.

What are your thoughts on this issue?  Are those who have not been “born again” capable of creating something of value, something that is glorifying to the Father?  Is there a need for our “christian” genres?  What makes music “christian?”  What makes a magazine “christian?”  What makes office supplies “christian?”  And are things that are  labeled as such any better for being so?  Doesn’t all of that just further muddle the definition of what it means to be a Christian?

Forget the homeless, stranger for a moment. In some ways it’s easy to offer acceptance to that person because we can do it from a distance. What I’m interested in hearing about is how well you accept the people in your daily circle of influence? Maybe a more applicable question is, how well do you know them? The people you work with? The people you sit next to in class? Your neighbors? Your very best friends? The people you serve with at church? Your family? Here’s my answer, you know them only as much as they are willing to let you know them. If we’re honest, we all have areas of our lives that we choose not to share, even with those closest to us. Why? As I ask this question I think of a red-faced and furious Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men erupting with, “You can’t handle the truth!” Are you prepared to hear that your best friend was repeatedly molested by a family member as a child? What would your responsibility as a Christian be to that person, and would it be different if that friend told you instead that they had cheated on their spouse in the past?

Christians talk about acceptance and forgiveness, but don’t these concepts, in our lives, often have boundaries? I wonder if the limits to which we’ll share is relative to that which we’ll accept. I have some friends that are not afraid to peel back layer after layer of themselves, like an onion, and expose to everyone the depths of their souls. I have a certain respect and admiration for that kind of openness but, truthfully, it also scares me because I know that I am not always willing to reciprocate with the same level of openness. Fear of rejection, judgment and/or condemnation often keep us from sharing our hurts and struggles, leaving us bound to the sins, failures, victimizations and insecurities of our past and, at the same time, crippling our present. We are products of our pasts; good, bad and indifferent.

During a recent church service we incorporated what is called a “cardboard testimonial”. Friends wrote on one side of a piece of cardboard something that they’ve struggled with in their past. On the other side of the cardboard they wrote how God used that situation to change them. Nearly 20 people shared pieces of their stories in this way. The purpose of this presentation was to highlight the transformational powers of Christ in our lives. What we discovered was the potential for a deeper healing of the soul as a result of sharing our vulnerabilities with our community. Hurts, tragedies, and sins were offered for all to see, and it was beautiful to watch them received with the love and compassion of Christ by our body.

Can we actually live a life of freedom from the shackles of our past, and how can we help each other succeed? James 5:16 tells us to “…confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” What if we really lived like this text asks us to? My questions, to this point, have revolved around how we accept others, but the bigger question is how willing are you to share yourself with your community? Can you really allow yourself to be seen? Do you believe that God promises deliverance from that which binds our hearts?

Below is a link to the cardboard testimony of another church. I dare you not to be moved as you watch this unfold. Also, as you witness the redemptive stories of others, I challenge you to consider the following:

What about your past is crippling you today? Are you willing to share yourself  so that your community can pray for you, and so God can heal you? We cannot heal what we cannot feel. Let’s use this space as our cardboard testimonial. I’ll go first. My cardboard reads on the front, “Struggle for Control in my life” and to highlight God’s transformation in me, the back of my cardboard reads, “Finally Gave Control back to God!”

What does your’s say?

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:36-40

Isn’t it interesting how we ourselves at times are our greatest obstacles to living the life God created us to live?  This can get particularly tricky when we talk about the Almighty’s desire for us to be instruments of his mercy and justice.  The last thing some of us need is a greater focus on ourselves as some already possess honorary doctorate degrees in self-centeredness.  However, there is a need for asking the Lord to help us in tending to our own junk in order to allow Him some solid space to work in and through our lives.

One of the great manifestations of this obstacle of self is that of self-pity.  I am fascinated by Jesus again and again, and his way of wording these important laws in Matthew 22 is no exception.  He did not say that we are to love our neighbors more or less than ourselves but rather love them AS ourselves.  Some folks struggle time and time again to love and serve others in a healthy way because they are so incredibly consumed by self-pity and with that, at times, self-punishment.

“The great and spirited novelist D. H. Lawrence once said, ‘I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.  A small bird will drop dead frozen from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.’  That’s because wild things live lives of pure action.  Today, the more I live like a ‘wild thing,’ taking action instead of meditating on my sad condition, the faster self-pity drops away.  Chronic sadness seems to become more a thing of the past. . . It took me years of looking back to see that self-pity had become an addiction of the worst kind in my life, a very nasty habit.  It acts on the system much like heroin.  It hooks you into feeling numb to life.  It makes creative action impossible.” – Steve Chandler in ReInventing Yourself

Self-pity can indeed become a bizarre and powerful addiction, and from that, one heck of a block to us doing our part in ushering in God’s kingdom here on Earth.  I of all people know how easy it is to get stuck in one’s head and over-think things in the name of meditation, education, and/or rational analysis.  (To top that off, I’m a licensed professional counselor, ha!)

So how about you?  What in your life is keeping you from living the life of intentional action that our Lord desires for you?  Is self-pity your drug of choice or is something else?

What would it look like for you to be freed from the pressure of others’ expectations and/or your own fears?

Be free and live wild!

I’ve been talking for about a year about the contrast between people who understand they are “image bearers” and those who don’t acknowledge this. The vision is important because if we are made in the image of God, then we were made to create and contribute. We have what it takes to create life around us and great things are possible when we believe that. What happens when you believe you already have enough? Enough stuff, enough relationships, enough experience, enough support, enough strength- to be the best you that you can be right here and right now. Adam and Eve walked in the garden with God, and enjoyed it. They were people, His creation, and He was God- and He was big enough to take care of them.  This changed when they believed they didn’t have enough.

We, as image bearers, have the DNA to listen and trust when that “still small voice” speaks to us saying “you have what it takes to make a difference…”  This trust characterizes people today who regardless of their income, social status or situation- believe they were made to make a contribution to this world- and they have been given enough to do so- today. These folks are attractive to say the least. We follow people like this because they give us courage to believe and hope in the fact that we have big time value, and we can make significant contributions to a greater good. They provide leadership just because they have a “sound estimation” of who they are- and they act with confidence with this knowledge. Their anxiety is limited, and their hospitality big, no matter what measure of “stuff” they have on a scale determined by the world.

On the other side of the coin are most of us- who believe we don’t have enough. We (I say “we” because I spend more time in this camp) are Consumers. We believe we need more. We may not acknowledge it, or show awarness of how our behavior reflects this, but most of us live life as if being a consumer is not just something we do, but someone we are. This isn’t just about material possessions, or the entertainment that most of us believe is paramount to a full life. Its about relationships, skills, belief, ability, gifts, context. Most of us believe that we need “more.” This is reflected in behavior that shows an expectation of the consumer to spectate and not participate. We evaluate and engage in constant transaction….its commerce at all levels- economic, social, spiritual, physical. In church- many people go, and evaluate it, and ask each other- did you like it? Was the singing good? Much of the questions center around the quality of whats presented, and how we would “rate” the experience. These are similar to questions we would ask about a new Mexican restaurant, or a movie we saw last night.

The contributor, however,  expects a life of collaboration.  They plug in.  They accept responsibility for their part, and trust the responsibility of others to live into their part.  They see life as participatory, and listen for cues from the Master Story Teller.  They trust that they have a specific role to play, and when they choose not to act- it is a choice based on trust, not an ambivalent lack of engagement.  I am developing these ideas weekly, and diving into this “consumer vs contributor” conversation more and more. I would appreciate your questions and comments.

I want, lastly, to comment on an experience I had last week that brings home this question of how we see ourselves. I had the privilege of being the keynote speaker for the annual vision dinner to raise funds for Camp David of the Ozarks in Rolla, Missouri.  This post is already a little long, but I have so much I would like to say about that experience.  The directors of this camp, who serve the children of incarcerated adults, are Ben and Grace Smith.  They are young, and not trained as social workers or counselors or coming off seminary degrees.  They just simply acted on a calling to help these children believe they are loved through a camp experience.  They are making a generational difference, and they started this big time work just 5 years ago.  When I got to tour the camp- I saw a beautiful piece of land, with a multi purpose building, a ball field, and a few small “covered wagon” tent cabins surrounding a fire ring in the woods.  This was camp!  No lake, no blob, no zip lines, just campers together with staff who love them and stay with them even when they’re difficult and resisting the very love they desire so much.  And, pretty much all of the urban children whose parents are in prison had never been out of the city or into the woods before their week at Camp David.  Oh yeah, and they all get to come to camp for free.  The Smiths just believed that people would come through and finance this great idea…. I mean, this calling.

Ben says that when the kids fight- he doesn’t like it, but it is a great opportunity for everyone to learn because they’re being honest at this time.  Ben gets it, and is “engaging adventure” by entering into their fights, making peace, and listening.  Behavior management is important in this camp community of “at risk” kids- but its not the ultimate goal.  Changed lives of kids who know they’re loved …. that’s the goal.  Its happening, too.

So, I show up to this fund raiser- and there’s almost 400 people there.  Everyone is local, from or around Rolla, population 16000.  There are people from the local college, groups representing Catholic ministries, homeschoolers too.  I met a guy who works for the Southern Baptist Convention as well as the Pastor of the local Assembly of God Church.  College students and local business folks were also in attendance.  The guy who was running the fund raising portion of the dinner said “This is our camp, this is Rolla’s camp.  What a difference we could make tonight if all of us who believe we are truly blessed, gave like we are blessed.”  Ben and Grace never once described their camp is “little.”  They spoke of needs, but spoke mostly about the kids, and how God is changing their lives.   It was also obvious that people who were coming around this fantastic work, were inspired to do so by this young couple who just said yes.  The Smiths didn’t bring a big endowment, or advanced degrees, or a persuasive multi level marketing plan.  They just changed their lives to love kids who are hurting- and they believe that they’ve got enough.  The dinner just was a method to share the joy everyone had who was already involved, with those who could claim their identity as contributers- and collaborate in this work of God.

The evening came to a close.  Everyone there seemed genuinely glad to be a part of the Camp David family when it was over.  I was inspired.  This “little” camp with its upstart leaders helped redefine what “big” can be.  They provided hope that we all can be true contributors.

They also raised over $33,000 that night.

What have you been made to contribute to?  What have you been made to create?

ck