Saving Mr. Banks & Why I Have Hope for the Church

    Today my wife & I enjoyed Saving Mr. Banks (Movie Trailer) together at our favorite local theater, the Allen.  I enjoyed the Disney story, the human dynamics, and what struck me most deeply was the story of salvation.

     The title hints at "saving" and takes us to the wounds of families and life journeys. We see these wounds healed, redeemed, restored with a play-filled new vision of old pain.  This is the first layer.  The second, is the saving of a promise and vision, for Walt Disney himself. He honors a 20 year old promise to his daughters even when the challenges are monumental.  Still, what struck even more deeply for me was the metaphorical intersection of this movie and my life of faith, at the intersection of salvation.

     P.L. Travers, author of Mary Poppins, touched me early on with the spirit of fearful propriety.  She held rigidly to a view of her book as it is, not fully aware of the sources of pain she hugged tight by her tenacious guardedness.  Likewise in her entrenched safety could she see the possibility of wholeness and hope.  The church I love, too often has those who don't dare embrace creativity, imagination, and newness.  I can only speculate at the roots and fears, but I feel palpably the persistent survival mentality.

    Walt Disney's spirit of play and possibility spoke hope to me and connected me to life-changing power almost immediately.  And set against Traver's reticence, it  felt remarkably like the tension between those who want to freeze-frame the church in a time recently past and those who dare to dream of a fuller future.

    I understand both fear and imagination.  I hold both within me.  In all fairness, I also have a predilection for creativity and play.  Owning that, what I saw in the movie became, in my experience, a metaphor of new wholeness for the church.  It may be difficult.  Certainly it will take relationship and effort.  Most importantly it can happen when imaginative, creative faith, like that of the God who imagined and created this world to begin with, is embraced.  What a celebration.

    Perhaps a new heaven & a new earth is not a magic kingdom, but it is a place of new happiness, new healing, new wholeness and new possibility.  That's what I'm looking for in my life.  It is my hope for the church.  (Can you imagine a place called church that is fun, freeing, and draws people?)  I believe that playful, creative, learning along with spiritual companions is what makes for a great church as we follow in the steps of Jesus.  What about you? What do you see?

4 Steps to Handling Divisive Issues

Bishop John Schol speaks passionately about a church for all people.  I echo his call for creative, faithful, gracious Love.  I believe there are 4 practical steps to handling hard issues that divide us.

1- Talk to real people.   No important issue is theoretical for a follower of Jesus.  Each one has complexities and real lives involved.  We don't have to agree, but we do need to talk together, understand one another and respect one another. This takes love lived in honest, face-to-face, relationships.

2- Seek to understand first.  Seek to understand different viewpoints well enough that you can articulate all sides of the conversation to the satisfaction of your partners in debate.  Without compassionate understanding we cannot love.

3- Lean into discomfort.   I trust we all hold the beliefs that we feel are most logical, faithful and practical...even when we differ.   My experience is that you will not change my beliefs and opinions, nor I yours, with a tirade, a condemnation, a bible verse, or even a lengthy passionate presentation.  It took me a lifetime to get to where I stand.  Changing strong opinion takes trust, new experiences and time.  Trust, new experience and time requires staying in difficult and uncomfortable conversations and relationships. Lean in with love.

4- Love boldly and Trust God.  I may be wrong on any opinion or belief.  I don't think I am or I wouldn't hold the position that I do.  I trust you are in a similar place.  I do know that a biblical theme and a consistent action of Jesus is to love others boldly. This often disturbed others and prompted disagreement.   I don't have to agree with someone in order to demonstrate love.  I just have to give of myself and trust that God is bigger than my beliefs & yours, my fears & yours, my passions & yours... God is bigger than anything.  If God is not bigger than all this, then we're just arguing over opinions that hold little ultimate importance.

I intend to love all, work for wholeness in the church, and follow Jesus with everything I've got.  I think Bishop Schol has articulated these truths in a difficult season.  I invite your to the journey, and I'd love to hear your thoughts along the way.

5 Shots at Disease

     "This may hurt!"  In the muscle, and not... the shots began.  Polio, Yellow Fever, Hepatitis, Meningitis, Tetanus, and then add the meds for Malaria, "Traveler's Diarrhea" (nice name for a bad situation) and all to get to Kenya.
     I am so grateful that I have generous people supporting me with prayers, gifts and encouragement.  It makes the shots a bit easier.  Thank you.
     Today began the medical process that will continue well past the Feb. 6, 2014 departure.  Month's ago began the process that is preparing me to be a part of the teaching team, who are preparing pastors to fulfill their calling.
      A sore arm is a small price to pay for health of body and many spirits.

Conversation #2: Don't Mock-Be Real

Moments after posting "4 Tips to Life-Giving Conversation" a friend messaged me (imagine that, my thoughts a conversation starter :-).  He asked if I'd seen this video link below.  I hadn't.  I clicked.  I learned.  Now, I've shared...

Some conversations are hard...so true!  All of us encounter hard conversations...equally true (unless we're hiding from them, and that will kill us)!  "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free," are familiar words and the One who spoke them was all about Love and Truth.  That's why this is so important and effective.

What are your hard conversations?  How might you begin to hold them with the necessary people?

P.S.  Thanks KB

4 Tips to Life-Giving Conversation

Brian McLaren's brief video offers a bit of truth that me thrive in community, be it church, civic, family, friends...any community.   I believe that the following four things give me mindful guidance for entering into my conversations and reflecting on my conversations.  (FYI  I know I don't do all of these, all the time,  with all of my abilities...and yet I'm working on it.):

1. Listen First: I seek to take time to really listen so that I  understand the other's viewpoint to their satisfaction.  A coaching colleague of mine relayed the acronym W.A.I.T.  (Why Am I Talking) as a reminder to listen first and to talk with purpose;
2. Open to Learning: I admit that conversation can't truly happen when my conclusions begin an exchange.  It's worth considering "I may be wrong" or "I may be able to learn something new."  I've never been disappointed by finding that I knew all there was to know, or by not learning something new about the topic at hand or the person with whom I was talking;
3. Honesty Sharing:  I find that after listening and openness, it's critical to be honest in expressing my personal beliefs, perspectives, and opinions with neutral language, as well as appropriate passion.  When I fail to be me,  I cheat others from listening and learning.  I also often feel powerless.  Neither is good or necessary;
4. Love Generously: I don't need to agree with you to love you.  In healthy conversations my love/respect won't be misconstrued for approval of all you have said.  We all believe what we do because we think it's right, the best option.  We all have convictions and passions and no one has all the answers, so we do well to begin and end with gracious love that respects our conversation partner's experience, convictions and person.  

 What helps you have better conversations?

What Do You Choose?

What do you choose each day?  Love?  Anger?  Patience?  Isolation?  I don't like to believe I get to choose, because then I'm responsible.  But Jesus did say Come and see, and Follow me and both of them a choice.

I want to invite you to choose, life, love, joy, peace, wholeness and all that is good.  A friend shared a video, This Is Water  that's worth the 9:23min to be reminded and inspired about our daily choices.

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Here's another good link on choices!

When Life Hurts... Love Works!

I'm disturbed by what I see around me.  At so many levels we fight, not debate, with callousness and brinksmanship that frightens me. 

I believe that our different opinions are a gift and worth listening to and that when we're creative and loving we can find ways work together. I don't mean always compromising to the least common denominator, but collaborating in ways that lift everyone up.

I believe that our fears too often drive us.  Fears (like mine in writing this) that others will attack, call names, agitate, or ambush.  Fears that if we don't defend our convictions with violence and vitriol we have somehow abdicated our beliefs and failed.  Fears of all shapes and sizes that weasel their way deep into our hearts and minds.

I believe that perfect Love trumps fear every time.  I believe that it's OK to be hold differing viewpoints.  I believe that variety is interesting and designed by God.  I believe that I get stronger in conversation with others, especially when I am challenged with thoughtful, caring, creative and kind debate rather than the spirit of gridlocked, self-interested, aggressiveness I see and experience too frequently around me.

I hold many opinions on things. I wouldn't hold them if I didn't think they were the best to be had. (And my challengers, I trust believe the same of their opinions.) However, honesty, history and humility call on me to hold my opinions loosely enough to love and grow in relationship with others. And truthfully, I've had some of my opinions changed in my life.

Bottom line for me is Live Love, which begins with God and extends to all I meet.  And that shapes my opinions on Food Stamps, Faith, Guns, Gays, and so much more.  I like what I believe, and I might be wrong.  My beliefs are born of painful and joyous experience, logical and creative thinking, fears and confidences, and so much more.  

Today I pray for two things:  

      First, healing for us all that we might find many places 

            of creativity, safety and peace; and 
      Second, for many good conversations... 

            that will challenge, affirm, provoke, and heal.

I'd love to continue the conversation with you.  Peace on the Journey.