Purpose Comes with Rest

Matthew 28:18–20

[18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

[This part was originally an email set on Saturday, May 24th]

I have this fear that if we walk too much about the purpose that Jesus has given us, I will wear you all out with it.

If you are reading this now, it is probably because you were driven to your email today because you had some sort of responsibility to fulfill. You have stuff to do. Each of us is swimming in “to do” lists, daily anxieties, and overwhelming fears that seem to flood our thoughts and bring us to a point of emotional -and even physical- exhaustion.

So, as not to overwhelm you even more, I am hesitant to remind us that Jesus has given us a purpose. It may feel like one more “to do” that will push us over the edge and into the fetal position on the floor. (Maybe that is just me :)

Yet, here is an off-the-wall thought: what if Jesus gives us his purpose to make disciples because it is the very thing that will bring us rest?

What if Jesus invites us in to his universal plan because he knows that if we enter in his purpose then we will actually find the rest for our souls that we long for, but hardly ever find?

If that is true- and I believe that it is- then I would fail you by not inviting us into Jesus’ purpose. We would fail each other by not helping each other live a life trusting Jesus by showing up in people’s lives to form and shape them to trust Jesus along with us.

It would be my joy to do that with you. Are you willing to do that (and learn to do that) together?

Wonder in the Waiting

Acts 1:4–5

[4] And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; [5] for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (ESV)

“So what do we do now?”

I can imagine that Jesus’ friends were asking him that question after being with him for 40 days after his resurrection. “You are here, Jesus. You are alive! Let’s conquer the world, together!” As they stood together, waiting for Jesus to speak, it is easy to imagine that they would be eager to go uproot injustice and confront their Roman oppressors. They wanted to do what many others tried (and failed) to do. The time- it seemed- was “now.”

That’s not a bad idea. But it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough for Jesus.

Jesus didn’t tell them to “Go.” He told his eager friends to “stay and wait.”

And this is how Jesus planned to bring his kingdom: through people who would wait.

I am sure those men enjoyed hearing “wait” the same way we respond when we are told to wait on something we want. Or, at least, I know how I would respond if I were there…and my impatience probably would have made the Bible, but not it the good way.

The Spirit of Truth leads us to consider why “waiting” was faithful. Waiting for the Spirit to fill Jesus’ people was the very best idea for Jesus to jump start his mission in his world, ending injustice and oppression by ending the rule of our selfish hearts.

Who Cares?

There are two questions spinning around in my head

1. What is Jesus’ pattern of making disciples?

2. Who cares?

The second question is a little strong, but that’s okay. I think it is the way that most people think…even Jesus’ people.

“Who cares if people become disciples of Jesus?!” We have our work issues to think about. Our finances are always either “out of whack" or “on the brink.” Our health is iffy and our economy is chaotic. We don’t have time for religious “hobbies” like making disciples. Maybe we should leave that to the paid professionals.

Maybe the real question is “what difference does it make” or “why does it matter” if we make disciples?

What if Jesus’ purpose in inviting us to be disciples and calling us to make disciples is more than mere religious duty? What if Jesus invited us in to be a disciple because he knows that it is exactly what we need?!

What if discipleship is Jesus’ process of leading people to the fullest expression of human life.

Maybe Jesus wants us to live fully alive. And, maybe, all of the stuff that seems like a greater priority than discipleship would be radically reshaped by our formation to be more like Jesus.

The plans Jesus has for us (Individually and together ) always, always, always include our discipleship and include our formation through making disciples. Always.

Acts of the Spirit

Matthew 28:16–20

[16] Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. [17] And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)

When Jesus called his first disciples to himself, he said to them “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” While the disciples were still in wonder at the reality that Jesus had died and was alive in front of them, Jesus told his friends “Go…and make disciples…” They had learned what it meant to “make disciples” because Jesus had shaped them to be disciples over the meals that they ate together, the days they walked together, and the adventures they experienced together.

But, this seems strange to us. Somehow- between Jesus exemplifying his own words and today- we have lost the meaning (and simplicity) of what Jesus said, settled for something different. Something more controllable and comfortable.

As we- together- start on Jesus’ next adventure for us, we will look to see how the Spirit is at work doing what Jesus did in our lives. We will start in a passage in Matthew, but dive into the book of Acts over the next weeks.

Let’s start with one question to consider together : who (or what) has formed you?

What relationships or experiences (or other things) have shaped you to be who you are today?

We are always being discipled (shaped, formed) by someone or something, who has it been for you?

DOUBTS, DISAPPOINTMENT, AND GENUINE HOPE

“After every crucifixion is a resurrection.”

This is always how our God works, but it is still hard to believe. We have had lots of deaths without resurrection, losses without restorations. Dreams for good things that we had in our 20s may have died in our 30s…with seemingly no hope of ever happening. We have lost loved ones. The end of a treasured relationship or death of person has left us feeling lost, defeated, deeply disappointed.

This is what “doubting” Thomas felt after he witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and death. He had high hopes that died with Jesus. The courage that he had to go “all in” with his friend and Rabbi was spent as he saw that friend overwhelmed by the power of Rome, then the power of death. I can’t blame Thomas for hearing about Jesus’ resurrection and wanting definitive proof. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

Every death, every loss has a different purpose in our God’s way of shaping our lives. Everything that he allows to die becomes the soil that he uses to grow something new, something alive!

He shows this- definitively- in the resurrection of Jesus.

This is hard to believe. But it is true. It’s the center of faith in Jesus. If Jesus isn’t alive then Christianity is merely a myth to study…but not person to follow. But, if Jesus is alive (and he is!) then he is worth trusting wholeheartedly, even through our disappointed doubts.

Jesus Shows Up

A Guest Post from Our Friend, Danette Thrush:

I do not like the cycling and spiraling adrenaline rush and crash of shock, trauma and grief.

Peter is experiencing all these when he goes fishing in John 21. Total trauma. From others. From himself.

Peter's buddies, experiencing the same, tag along.

Muscle memory takes care of the fishing tasks, but can't shut off Peter's mind. He's hyper-processing an arrest he couldn't prevent, accusations he vehemently denied, crucifixion horrors he witnessed with all five senses, the debilitating grief of separation from Jesus for a dark-dead weekend, then the shock of seeing him alive again, but not knowing where he went, what this means, what to do, or where to go. 

Peter hits the open water with his fishing gear and a tormented mind that keeps reliving the events of the past two weeks, traumatizing him again. All night long.

"Early in the morning (after their fruitless night of fishing,) Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus." John 21:4

Jesus shows up.

"He called out to them, 'Friends, haven't you any fish?'" John 21:5

"'No,' they answered."

Jesus invites conversation with his question, one that has the disciples openly admitting the fruitlessness of all their efforts.

"He said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.'" John 21:6

When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!'"

Jesus blesses in a way that reveals to Peter and the others who He really is.

"As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he... jumped into the water." John 21:7

Jesus means more to Peter than the haul in his nets.

"When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, 'Bring some of the fish you have just caught... Come and have breakfast.'" John 21:9,12

The whole encounter is an invitation drawing them near to be with Him again, to talk with Him again, and to follow Him still.

Jesus, you show up in our trauma places, inviting conversation with your questions to our souls.

You bless again, after long seasons of our own fruitless effort, revealing to us who you really are.

You turn all of it into holy invitations to whole new encounters with you, drawing us near.

You mean more to us than the blessings you give, and you let us realize this right in the middle of the net-full-of-splashy-fish moments as they unfold.

You gift us places to let go, jump in, choose you, and express how much you mean to us, so that we will know it too.

You invite us to follow you. Again. Still. Always. Forever.

Oh, Jesus. We do.

A Common and Compelling Purpose

A good fantasy story often captures something about life that we would miss unless we entered into another world.

I used to think fantasy stories were strange. Honestly, I still do…and there is good reason to think that. Orcs, wizards, and animals that talk are otherworldy to us. When we dive in and immerse ourselves in the strange, new world of a good story we forget our own world for a few minutes…and it frees us up to see our world in a way we often miss. Good stories will do that for us.

One of my favorite parts of the Lord of the Rings books is how the characters become friends, a “fellowship.” Different people from a variety of backgrounds are forced together because they have a common foe and a compelling mission. Yes, I admit it is strange to read about Elves and Hobbits and Dwarves coming together to fight a battle, but what isn’t strange is the truth that is describes.

Here is the truth: real friendship, real fellowship do not come through merely spending some time together (as good as that is!). Real friendship and deep fellowship come through sharing a common and compelling mission. Getting in the trenches together. Fighting unwinnable battles. Facing insurmountable odds to bring about something compelling and good.

That is wired into us. That is how we are formed. That is how Jesus invites us into fellowship with himself and each other. Jesus wants to be near us so he invites us into his mission.

And, somewhere along that path, we find our closest friends have been with us the entire time.

But, ultimately, it is not enough just to find friends- even deep friends, heart friends, life long friends. As a friend reminded me yesterday, we long for friendship with the Ultimate Friend. We need heart connectedness with the God who made us and invites us into his friendship. And, like human fellowship, fellowship with God comes through time with him, walking with him, and sharing a common, compelling purpose. But, that, I’ll have to blog about more another day…

John 15:15: “I [Jesus] no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death…”

Emotions

A Post by Darlene Wagler of Olive Tree Counseling in Seattle

What in the world do we do with our emotions? The messages I hear every day are conflicting.

“Do what is right for you”

“Don’t follow your emotions.”

“Follow your heart.”

“Your feelings can’t be trusted.”

“We just fell out of love.”

“Don’t let your emotions overcome you.”

While the message of the church not to follow our feelings might be a necessary response to the overemphasis of following our feelings in other spaces, I believe that neither message is necessarily correct nor incorrect. While I am no Hebrew or Greek scholar, a quick glance at Scripture doesn’t reveal that the concept of what to do with emotions or feelings is really addressed. The fact that we have emotions is assumed in Scripture, but we are not told whether or not to follow our emotions. I believe this is because emotions aren’t the central issue. Worship is. When Jesus says, “You can’t serve two masters, because you will love the one and hate the other,” we should not conclude that the solution is to try to love money less or try to hate God less. Our emotions are not the problem. The problem is what our emotions are motivated by.

So how should we think about emotions and what do we do with those emotions?

• Emotions can be a signpost pointing us to other things.

  If the fuel light goes on in your car and beeps periodically, I hope that you do not simply turn off the beeping and ignore the warning. I also hope that you do not come to a screeching stop in the middle of the interstate the minute the light goes on, despairing because your life is over. Like our fuel lights, emotions can point us to things we need to pay attention to in our lives. Envy can point to a place in our lives where we feel sadness and need care and attention. Anger can point to injustices in our lives or in the world. Joy, awe, praise, and love can point us to the love of Father dwelling in and through his creation. Rather than trying to silence our emotions or disregard them, we can listen to what they reveal about our hearts. If I decide to do what feels good for me in the moment such as having an affair, the issue is not so much seeking pleasure as it is self-worship.

• Emotions can fuel us to action.

  It might sound like I am saying to allow your emotions to lead you and maybe I am. In the life of Jesus, I see him moved with compassion, healing the sick. I see Jesus fueled by anger, turning over tables in the temple. I see Jesus moved by sadness, weeping with his friends over Lazarus’ death. I see Jesus, enduring the cross, by looking forward to the joy he would feel. We tend to think that our emotions get in the way of objective decision making, but in fact, this isn’t true. Emotions move us to action by helping us feel empathy, compassion, and connection with others. One of the things that can happen when we try to NOT follow our emotions is that we can get paralyzed by the fear of doing things for the wrong reasons. ie. “I would like to lead music in church, but if I want to do it, it must be wrong.” or “If I am angry, I shouldn’t confront that person’s behavior or let them know how it impacted me.” While there is probably wisdom in not bringing the full force of our anger to an encounter or not leading music for the sole reason of getting praise, not doing something just because we feel emotions about it can be unhelpful as well.

• Emotions are not just a human experience

  When I hear people talk about Jesus having emotions, sometimes it sounds like “Jesus experienced emotions so he would know what it was like to be human.” In fact, Scripture indicates that God has emotions. If God didn’t love us or only thought objectively about his Creation, he would have never sent Jesus to die for us. At different points in Scripture, God is said to feel anger, (Numbers 11:1) compassion, (Judges 2:18) jealousy, (Exodus 20:5) joy, (Jeremiah 32:41) love, (John 3:16) and more. The fact that God feels all these emotions also debunks the notion that there are good emotions and bad emotions. We don’t need to only try to feel joy or love; anger and jealousy can be holy emotions as well. What Scripture says about anger specifically is “Be angry and do not sin.” If we think of anger as inherently sinful, we have a hard time understanding this verse. If we understand how to approach our emotions, we can diagnose core issues more effectively rather than silencing the symptoms.

• Emotions transformed by the Holy Spirit are unexpected

  While it is evident that God has emotions, the emotions in Scripture defy earthly standards. For example, Jesus commands us to love our enemies. In Matthew 5: 46-47, 44, Jesus says “If you love only those who love you, why should you get a reward for that? Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are nice only to your friends, you are no better than anyone else. Even the people who don’t know God are nice to their friends. But I say to you Love your enemies and pray for those who treat you badly” (ERV). I can be at least a little nice to my enemies some of the time, but loving them is pretty impossible without divine intervention, especially when we consider that love is not just excusing or explaining away their bad behavior. Another mind-bending concept in Scripture is finding joy in suffering. James 1:2-3 says “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (HCSB). Or in 1 Peter 4:13 it says “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (NIV). I believe that these unexpected emotions are possible first of all, because of the power of the Holy Spirit, (Romans 15:13) but also because we worship Someone bigger than ourselves. We can offer love because we have been radically loved. We can feel joy because we know that there is more to the story than what we feel in the present moment.

In conclusion, how we handle our emotions isn’t so much a matter of trying to silence them or follow them, but understanding them as messages, motivators, and mirrors of God’s image. Our emotions can get tangled up with false gods, glorified as gods, or used to worship and glorify God. The core issue is not how we feel, but Who we worship.

Unmanageable Deep

Ezekiel 47:1-12, is a poetic and symbolic picture of what life with Jesus is intended to be. Ezekiel is taken by a river that flows from the temple of God and told to measure it. This river is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Ezekiel examines what he sees, the river gets deeper and deeper. At first it is manageable, barely a trickle. As it flows on, it becomes so deep that it would sweep the prophet away if he gave himself over to it.

I’ve been swept away down and actual river like that. It is scary. Having something (or someone) take over control of your life is panic inducing. We get anxious and we then we fight. We try to “grasp for straws” as people drowning, desperate for a manageable life again.

We start a series Sunday reminding each other of our mission together as an expression of Jesus’ Church in our city.

You do not need me (or anyone) to try to put together a creative vision for our lives that you are encouraged to follow. You don’t need pithy thoughts or easy memorizable statements to guide your lives. You have everything you need in God’s word and his Spirit.

What we all need is a reminder. A reminder of who our God is and what matters most. It is easy to go to sleep, wake up, do real life, and- through it all- forget what matters to God.

My heart’s desire is that the Spirit would use his Word (and each other) to both encourage us to follow where his River will take us…and have the courage to live in the unmanageable deep.

We start with “expressing that Jesus is our treasure”- or saying it another way- worship.  We plan to walk through Romans 12 over the next few weeks, starting Sunday evening with verses 1 and 2.

Prepare by reading Romans 12. Prepare by willfully allowing the Spirit to have his unmanageable way in you.

Troublemaking

1 Kings 18:17–18: When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. (ESV)

It is as if I (Wes) have two competing desires wrestling around in me. The first desire is the desire to stay on the sidelines, not get in the fight. I want to keep the status quo and- to say it another way- “keep the peace.”

Then there is another desire that barks and fights against the first: the desire to be a troublemaker.

Because I am typically quiet and reserved, the “troublemaker” side of me surprises people. For some, they don’t believe that I can be a troublemaker. That’s probably better, I guess. If I came across as nothing but a troublemaker then that would communicate a message I don’t mean to share.

I read the passage quoted above earlier this week and stopped quickly at Ahab’s description of the man of God he was speaking to. Ahab saw Elijah as a troublemaker. Ahab perceived the prophet as a man whose actions were disrupting the peaceful status quo of Ahab’s reign. King Ahab and his determined Queen, Jezebel, were having their way with the people of Israel; the people willingly and eagerly followed their lead in turning their hearts from the Lord to loving the ways of the Baals.

Elijah was a bump in the road of the Crown’s search for political power. Elijah’s words calling people back to sincere devotion to the Lord was making trouble for the regents in ways no one else would. 

Elijah was a problem that needed to be solved; a man who would not submit to Ahab’s type of peace. In Ahab’s eyes, Elijah was a troublemaker of the worst kind. In God’s eyes, Elijah was creating a kind of trouble that pleased Him.

Peacemaking is, in a way, troublemaking. Yes, there are great dangers in being a “troublemaker” in this way, but, if you are like me, I am more in danger of dishonoring God by my inaction…out of fear working to keep the “peace” that keeps people comfortable in their devotion to anything but Jesus.

I want to be a troublemaker. I want to be a maverick. I want to be a disturber of the peace. But, the kind of peacemaking that disturbs the selfish status quo is not, destructive or selfish. It is, at its root, loving like Jesus is loving. Jesus was not (is not) afraid to disturb our selfish, painted on peace, in order that we might find real peace that comes from life with him.

I am not sure how to do that like Jesus does it, but I want to follow his lead in this. Will you come with me and learn from him? Let’s seek his heart and his ways together!

Patient Vision or Anxious Action?

"It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of ages, while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run, and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that." A.W. Tozer

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:7 ESV)

Sincerest Form of Flattery

Hebrews 13:7: Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 

Can I tell you a secret? My college degree was in “Practical Theology.” Okay, that’s not a juicy secret. Its a boring one, honestly. I can hear what you are thinking because many have the same response: “How can theology be practical?!” At the time I started, I didn’t give much thought to the degree’s name. I just had to choose a course load I was interested in. So…”Practical Theology” it was.

In this case, what “Practical” meant was to train us in certain skills: leading a meeting, preaching, teaching, studying, creating mission statements. Stuff like that. I don’t remember a class on “talking to real humans” or “being there when people are hurting” or “how to be prioritize your family over work.”Those things see more practical to me. 

I bet you would agree.

There is another practical question that was left unconsidered: what makes a “spiritual leader”?  Notice that I am not merely talking about those people (like me) whose income comes from being an official leader. I am talking about those of us who God puts in position of some sort of influence with other people so that they might trust Jesus. That means every follower of Jesus, in varying ways. Does someone have to get a “Practical Theology” degree to be used by God to encourage, build up, and challenge other followers of Jesus?

I bet you know the answer to that question.

I live in a religious world in which we speak of trusting in God’s work through us, but tend to celebrate and rely on skills. The one with the greatest set of skills gets the most attention, the most accolades, the most respect. That is normalized and (almost) unquestioned. In this respect, the “world” I live in is not much different that how the other “worlds” function.

In reality, it is easy to believe that all we need is skill and then we can be an effective leader. That is the default mode in how think about most things. It is often the default mode in how we think about spiritual leadership.

“There is no need to rely on God’s Spirit. We have everything we need in our skills.”

Notice the difference between that thinking and the way of thinking that the author of Hebrews had. Where we seek out greater and sharper levels of skill, the Spirit inspired the writer to focus on faith.

Now, in light of the context of this part of Hebrews, “faith” is not equal to Christianity or a belief system or possibly willful, ignorant “trust” (read: “blind faith”). “Faith” is a substantive, intelligent, reasoned confidence in the God who is alive and at work…reliance on a Person who makes promises and gives us a heart to believe he will fulfill his promises.

The Spirit inspired these words to reshape our thinking on what matters to him. It is not mere “skill” that our God is interested in, but a man or woman who is growing deeper and deeper in a heart confidence in a Father who loves to give good things to his children. 

The main skill (will you allow me to put it that way?) that a spiritual leader needs is not something we can practice like public speaking or throwing a baseball, but an inward posture of child-like trust. People do not need our skills nearly as much as I believe they do. What they need is a model. They need someone who has surrendered to a loving Father and found him to be practically loving. 

The theology that is most practical is the theology- knowing God- that leads us to trust him despite difficult or disappointing circumstances. A knowing of a Person that affects us more deeply than the trouble that surrounds us. 

I am going to go as far to say that the leaders that the writer of Hebrews is talking about are not really Spiritual leaders unless they possess a growing confidence in the Father instead of a reliance on their own abilities.

We want people to imitate our simple confidence in a faithful God, in real life everyday stuff. We want them to believe Jesus’ words, the Father’s heart, and the power of the Spirit. Trusting in our abilities may be entertaining if we do it well, but that confidence will not be life-giving for them.

People need to trust in the One who can (and will!) come through for them. Our role is to model that type of life so that they will say to themselves “I want the authentic faith that I see in him!”

Be (breath) Still (breath) and Know (breath) I am God

Be still and know that I am God: A Post by Darlene Wagler

As I meditated on these words, I began by breathing in the word “God”, reflecting on who he is. Next, I added in the word “know” and took in the ways of knowing God. How does it change when we know God in our felt sense, in our bodies?

When we know God, not as an abstract idea, but whose very breath and life runs through our veins. When we know God like we know a comfortable and familiar grandfather who always took time for us and delighted in everything we did, just because we were his. Like new parents watching their newborn baby breathe, marking every breath with awe, God knows me.

But in the moment, I sensed that I was too full of distractions to know God like that. I was too full of clutter to listen. I couldn’t hear God because I was listening to too many other voices. And then came the words “Be still.”

The context of Psalm 46 describes a cacophony of destruction and chaos. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall, the earth melts. Is this not our world today? Global wars, global warming, the destruction and polarization is not escaped by the smallest innocent child.

Being still in moments of chaos and pain is one of the hardest things to do. When we stop, we feel the depths of grief and helplessness. We hear the parts of ourselves that have been silenced and exiled. We hear our cries, our longings, our loss, our despair. The waves of pain and aloneness wash over us and we are swept under. In our silence and stillness, we are emptied of the things we use to keep our pain at bay. We are hallowed out in an excruciating process that opens us up to receive with humility what we do not know. As we are emptied, we come to know the truth about ourselves.

We are deeply loved, but we are not special; nor do we need to be. No amount of work or brilliance will elevate our status above others and no amount of embarrassing moments or deep shame will diminish our value and place of belonging.

We are loved because we are his and the best thing we can do is: Be still. And know. That he is God. 

A Confession and A Challenge (from our Celebration Gathering July 30)

Romans 15:18:

"For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed…”

The Confession: There is Pain in Living Life In Our City

One of the reasons I want mission teams to come is because I can see our city and our life through their eyes. I love taking them to Gas Works Park where they get to see the beauty of our city from far away. But, looking at the gleaming downtown towers and the idyllic lake, they only get hints of what it is really like to live here. But then I send them out walking the streets.

Then they see people living homeless. They smell dried urine on the sidewalk along with messy piles of trash. They notice used needles and hear the honking of impatient drivers. They start to notice that the friendliness that they first encountered wears off and people seem to become impatient and prideful.

I see city through their eyes…and it can be painful. 

There is pain in living here. Pain the teams won’t know because they only come for a week or so.

There’s a reason why people don’t want to move into the city. 

Many don’t feel safe. 

It is crowded. Loud.

Governmental corruption is hidden, but only thinly hidden.

It is expensive. More than I knew. We did much better financially in Texas than here.

Relationships are hard. Most people stay to themselves, keeping a polite distance. It takes extra work to start a relationship and, often,  those relationships tend to be unstable and fragile.

We are deeply grieved that people we dearly love leave because of the city. Though we understand, it still breaks my heart.

I get angry at people in our city. I resent that people will take advantage of the fact that I will defer to them and serve them. I am angry when I pick up trash at Summerfest and I look up and people talk to me as if I am the hired help.

The influence lostness has on my girls…and us…is painful. In one of his books, David Wells states that “Worldliness is whatever makes sin look normal and righteousness look strange.”

We live in a society that celebrates sin and thinks of God’s ways as strange.

This worldiness creates a society that people indulge in, but then want to leave. Sin is self destructive to people and to societies.

The darkness in the city and the darkness in people is darker than I thought it was.

And then there is the matter of whether or not God is at work. I often question whether he is or not. Some days it is clear that he is working and doing good. Some days that understanding seems foreign to me.

There are days I don’t want to be here. Don’t want to invest my life in others. I want to give up. There are days I want to give up everything almost everything in me says it’s not worth it.

The Challenge: Don’t Give Up on our City. Don’t Give up on the God of our City

My challenge is not for you to love Magnolia. Nor to love Seattle. Those are just names given to areas. The challenge is this: don’t give up on the people. Don’t give up on Jesus’ work and his heart for people.

I have long left behind a romantic view of living in the city. Reality is never as romantic as we think it will be.

Now my desire is merely to live a life in which I can look back on 30 years and recognize- wholeheartedly- that Jesus accomplished something through us. To look back and to have have the joy of knowing it wasn’t on my shoulders, not my work, and the joyful burden of people’s lives is his to carry.

You may agree with these words, but still object by saying, “I am not called to what you are Wes”. There is truth to that. What Jesus will accomplish through me will be different than what he will accomplish through you. 

That’s good!  Our callings are only different in who we are called to, who God has placed us among in our everyday lives.

We are called to the same thing: to live a life of love, just as Jesus lived a life of love.  (Ephesians 5:1-2) An “incarnate” life. Present. Available. Compassionately joyful, sacrificially serving, and long-suffering.

First Thessalonians 2:8 says “so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”

I had a very simplistic view of that, thinking that if I loved people in the way Jesus loves people then they would appreciate and honor that. Sometimes that is true, but the reality is that most are left unaffected, guarded, protective, self-absorbed, only looking for what they can gain from others. It makes me want to be protective and self-absorbed too and maybe just lob the gospel at people rather than sharing my life with them.

Sharing life with people can be disappointing. It will be disappointing, but a life lived pouring ourselves out for the good of others is more life and more life-giving than retreating into our self and staying safe. The call to love people like Jesus loves people is not just for their sake it is also for ours.

We are workers together with you for your joy, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:24.

We have a decision in front of us.

It is the same decision for the people of Israel had when the spies came back with a fear laden report that the people in the land were too strong. The decision is real: will we trust what Jesus has said, even if, the circumstances are overwhelming or will we shrink back and miss out?

But here is why our decision is different than theirs. There’s was a one time decision. They made the decision not to go in the land…and they made it once. 

Ours is a daily decision. It is a daily decision, as to whether we will believe what God says or not. Will we believe his character, his power, his heart or will we lean on our own understanding and rely on the way we think about things?

Will we settle for a life that we can control and feel safe or will we follow Jesus to places that are wild and adventurous and out of our control?

Will we follow him to people who are broken and need more than we can give them? Will we follow Jesus to people who are wealthy, seem to have it together, who don’t think we have anything they need?  

Will we look at our own soul and recognize that- in someway- we were just like them before we were rescued by Jesus?

Our calling is not to build a city, but to help bring a kingdom. A kingdom defined by grace. The invitation from Jesus is not to go to the easy and deserving (they don’t exist!) but to love real people who don’t deserve God’s goodness or our love. That Spirit-given grace for others is what will transform our city and its people, from the inside out.

Will you commit to the people of our city since Jesus has committed to them… and only because Jesus has committed to them?

Will you commit to living a life that is out of your control…one that only Jesus can accomplish?

When we run out of patience,  and love, and desire, and hope then we will find that Jesus will accomplish his long-suffering, love, desire, and hopefulness through us. 

Like the Tide Coming In

Long Beach (near the Washington side of the Columbia River) is the longest beach in the world. I was today years old when I found that out. I have even been there and didn’t know just how hallowed the sand was that squished between our toes.

When our family went to play there a few years ago we found out two interesting facts:

1. it is forbidden for people to get in the water because of the rip tides. (What is a beach without being able to get in the water?!)

2. Two, contrary to what I expected, the water isn’t eroding the beach, but building it. The rip tides both threaten swimmer’s lives and create more beach for those swimmers to enjoy.

Slowly, but surely, the beach is encroaching on the water’s territory.

Jeff Christopherson said (my paraphrase) that the kingdom of God is the realm in which King Jesus gets his way. We can tell when Jesus’ kingdom comes when what he wants to happen in the lives of people happens.

When families are drawn back to each other through repentance and forgiveness.

When the “prodigal” comes to his senses, comes home, and enjoys the Father’s love more than the fleeting pleasure of sin.

When the weapons we use to force our will on others through war are reshaped into tools to create and sustain the fullness of life for people.

When the poor have both the resources and the desire to live in community with people rather than the margins.

Many days, I feel like that those days are not coming, but Jesus promises that they are.

His kingdom is not a kingdom of this world (not of the same nature of this world) and it is not as visible as the powers that oppress people and keep us tempted to love sin, but- and this is a huge deal- Jesus’ is bringing his kingdom everyday.

Like the rip tide building the beach, Jesus is creating a realm that wasn’t there before. Wave by wave he is creating a world in which we his heart and his ways are being lived out in real life. I long to be more and more a part of that world.

Let’s live that kind of life out, together.

The Kind of Fear We Long After

Haunted houses. Bungie jumping. Swimming with sharks. Slasher movies. We willingly do things that scare us.

Scary movies have never been my thing. Maybe it is because I am typically fearful by nature, but I just don’t want to spend a couple of hours watching a story that creates fear in me. Though I don’t go see them, not only do many people go see fear-inducing movies- by choice- but they get excited about them! That makes me curious: what does that say about us that we not only want to be scared, but we will even pay someone to scare us?!

I believe that everything we do whether good, bad, or indifferent tells us something about who we are…what we deeply long for. We may choose actions that are destructive to ourselves and others, but even the (twisted) action is a hint to something in our nature that God created for his glory and our good. We are always (at least unconsciously) longing after something beautiful in Jesus even if we seek something ugly from the world.

Maybe we seek to be jump-scared because our hearts secretly long to be full of fear- a Godly fear. Maybe the ways we scare each other are substitutes for something better.

When Jesus calmed the storm that was swamping his boat, his disciples got silent too. They had been in real danger. They had been swamped by real fear. Then they watched as the wind and the waves “bowed the knee” to Jesus of Nazareth, Mary and Joseph’s son. Then, as the scripture says, they were afraid. A deep, profound, life-changing fear. A fear that did not cause them to fight or fly, but to follow Jesus more closely. Awe overtook them. They were awakened to a man who was more fear inducing to them than the storm they just lived through.

Maybe we go see scary movies or jump out of planes or swim with Great Whites as a weak substitute for an encounter with One who would create real fear in us, make us feel smaller than we would choose to see ourselves, but also fill us with a deep sense that  the fear is profoundly good.

Join us Sunday evening as we explore Jesus’ authority over his creation…a creation that willingly obeys his commands. By God’s grace we will encounter the same kind of fear that the disciples experienced…and the same life-giving awe.

We are Disturbing

“Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.” Jim Elliot, from his journal.

Yep, I do write titles (like the one above) to grab your attention. Honestly, I am not trying to be cute or clever, but just to say something from scripture that we would normally ignore or yawn at. I think we should constantly look at what God has said to us from a different point of view.

We are disturbing. For real. Or at least we can be disturbing. This is what I mean:

No one who has ever encountered Jesus (or those in whom Jesus lives) has ever been the same after the encounter. Jesus is always a man who disturbs our “peace” to bring us to a decision. Always. The selfishly confident religious leaders of Jesus’ day were never left unmoved by Jesus’ words and presence. They either humbly saw Jesus as the Messiah that their heart’s longed for or the threat to their self-salvation project. Jesus was disturbing to them.

We are not much different than those first century religious gatekeepers. When we encounter the reality of who Jesus is, it is impossible to be left unmoved.

Many of the religious leaders were disturbed by Jesus and rage overtook their religious sensibilities. They became blinded by their desire to guard their self-made goodness…and sought to destroy the One who threatened them.

Others- usually the ones who were disturbed by their corrupt hearts- gladly welcomed Jesus’ disturbance. They saw his presence as a threat, for sure, but only a threat to what is killing them. Those people typically let Jesus’ disturb them with the audacity of his grace towards them.

The question is: which way will the thoughts of our hearts move us? Will we let Jesus disturb our sin and give in to his life-giving grace towards us?

Go I go a little further and ask this too: are we willing to be disturbing for other people’s good? I mean…if we already are disturbing like Jesus we might as well live it out!

Join us Sunday evening as we (together) live out Jesus’ “disturbing” resurrection life.

We Are All Skeptics

… and Easter is for skeptics.

We might have this subtle idea that people who lived in the 1st century AD were more gullible than we are. You know, they didn't have the science and stuff we do so they must have been ignorant or superstitious, right?

(Have you ever noticed that we tend to think the people who came before us weren’t quite as smart as us?)*

If someone you knew and trusted came to you and (excitedly) told you his loved one who died recently had been resurrected, at best you would be confused. Your friend is usually a trustworthy person, so the "crazy talk" like someone rising from the dead might be coming from excess grief or stress.

The surrealness of that conversation would have been the surrealness of the conversations Jesus’ disciples had about his resurrection! They were not all that much different than we are; they would have been just as surprised…and skeptical.

But, Resurrection Sunday is for skeptics like them, and skeptics like us. We might agree with the reality that Jesus was resurrected (and is alive now!), but do we rely on that fact? We are still skeptics in some ways, even if we believe.

What matters more than our feelings (or how much we agree that Jesus’ resurrection happened) is whether or not Jesus’ resurrection is true? Did Jesus rise from the dead?

If he didn’t. Move on from him. He is a dead teacher among a list of dead teachers. It would be foolish to base your life off of a dead man.

But if he did defeat death and is alive now, what difference does that make? I mean, what real, everyday, difference does His life make?

If he is alive, wouldn’t be foolish not to go all in with him?

Join us Sunday evening as we celebrate the reality that the Jesus in the pages of scripture is the Jesus who is (fully, irrevocably) alive today…and he makes all the difference for skeptics like us.

*C.S. Lewis called that "chronological snobbery” and we all have a touch of it, at least.

The Holy Thirst

Jesus didn’t often draw attention to himself on purpose…at least not for a meaningful reason. It must have been startling to his disciples- not to mention the crowd around him- when he stood up and cried out “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believe in me, as the scripture has said ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (see John 7:37-39)

It would be startling because it seemed abrupt, even for a crowd that had come to a festival. It would also be startling because no one makes promises like Jesus did at that time- at least not a sane person.

But, Jesus said it. And he meant it. Though few would have understood it, his words were an invitation to something. Something that was not only soul-thirst satisfying, but also life giving to others. But, it wasn’t literal water…

John was in the crowd that day with Jesus. He may have understood what Jesus meant just a little bit more than anyone else, but it wasn’t that much. With years in between the day Jesus said it and the day he wrote down Jesus’ words, John writes these words, explaining what Jesus’ said: “Now this he said about the Spirit…”

The Spirit. The Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Christ. The “shy” person of the Trinity. Just as much God as the Father and the Son are God. The God we forget about. 

Jesus doesn’t say much more about God the Holy Spirit on this day, but what he says is world-changing: The Spirit quenches our holy thirst.

When a corrupt heart influences this thirst, we seek after anything but God’s Spirit. Possessions. Illicit sexual experiences. Pleasing people. We drink whatever we can that seems like it will quench our thirst, but ultimately- if it isn’t the “living water” Jesus promised- we just get thirsty again.

Our journey through Ephesians leads us to Paul’s commanding invitation to be filled with the Spirit in chapter 5. The Spirit seems mysterious, illusive, and maybe scary. But, God is inviting us to drink deeply of the One he gives us that will quench our souls’ deepest thirsts…and overflows to fill those around us too.

A Spotlight on our Desires

(A riff on C.S. Lewis’ parable in the book, The Four Loves:)

Imagine that you traveled to another country to spend a few days of much needed rest and relaxation. You had planned the trip for months, researching the “I HAVE to see that!” kind of places and making sure to take in all that you could of what is unique about the country.

Since you want to experience how the local people live, you decide one night to visit the most popular show in the country, Das Oodfa Ewa Orshipwa. You are amazed you got tickets because the show sells out every evening!

As you take your seat and the lights go down you notice that the theater is full. Not an empty seat in the building. There is a buzz of contagious excitement in the room that moves you and you notice everyone’s attention is focused on the stage in front of them with anxious expectation.

The lights dim. The curtains open at the front of the house. And, one bright light illuminates something in the center of the platform: a table with a covered dish on it.

When the well dressed man walks from behind the curtain towards the covered dish He slowly, patiently, takes the cover off of the dish, revealing a plate of pork chops, mashed potatoes, and green beans. You hear people gasp and then see them faint. Others (who are normally obnoxiously proper) try to run up to the stage before they are stopped by security. Many stare in stunned silence with a glistening of drool falling from their mouth, without shame.

You get up quietly, confused at the scene…but you are the only one who tries to leave. There is a sacred hush in the room as you make your way out.

You wonder to yourself as you walk out into the night air, “What’s wrong with these people?” And then, immediately think, “The way they think about food is all messed up.”

And, like Mr. Lewis finished his tale in the book: “And would not anyone who had grown up in a different world think there was something equally queer about the state of the sex instinct among us?”