The Small and Local

If we desire to make wide sweeping change in the world, I think we must begin in the small and local. In today's global society we have become so enamored with the elephant-size agendas and global-change that we foolishly dismiss change at the local level as unimportant and insignificant. Nothing could be further from the truth!

If you look at the Scripture you'll quickly recognize that the seeds of God's global work almost exclusively begins in the small and local.

The world redeemer was born in a manger and raised in an unimpressive villiage called Nazareth. Conceived in the small and local.

A handful of men from the same local fishing village called Galilee, called by Jesus, would spear-head a movement that eventually changed the world. Conceived in the small and local.

A small group of men in England (the Wesleys and Whitefield) who met regularly for personal change were used by God to usher in sweeping change over the landscape of 18th century England through arguably the worlds most significant revival movement. Conceived in the small and local.

Our world today is bored and utterly unimpressed with the small and the local. But, God's ways indeed are conceived in the small and local.

The pulse of the gospel beats (I'd argue most powerfully) in the ordinary, the small and the local. When Jesus forged for us God's greatest desire for humanity, he did not call us to far-reaching global change, he commanded that we love our neighbor as ourself. Of course, within this "small and localish" sort of statement, rests Jesus' brilliant philosophy of global change. All global change, according to Jesus, must begin with personal love in the locality of my own small world. Want to think globally? Then act locally. It can be no other way.

Maybe God has called you to change the world. Maybe he has not. Either way, one thing is certain. All global change and subsequent transformation must start within the sphere of your own little life. Within your own heart. In your own home. With your neighbor. If change is to happen at all, it will begin in small and the local.

Everyday we have an opportunity to "embody the gospel" in these small and local ways.

Want to kill injustice? Love the neighbor who is taking advantage of you, melt his/her heart and gain their trust.

Want to see world hatred come to an end? Practice intentional acts of kindness directed towards those people who God has placed on your heart.

Want to put to death rampant individualism and the lonliness epidemic in American society? Take a young person going through a difficult time out for a coke, listen to their heart and model loving presence to them.

It really is simple. You see, if the kingdom of God is to flourish anywhere in your life it will, according to Jesus, not look like the cedars of Lebanon, but more like a small mustard seed.

Sort of takes the pressure off....the realization that I don't have to change the world, just do my part in being Jesus in the small and local. May you set your sights on those small and local opportunities that face you today. Act in the way of Jesus with those matters and let God take care of the sweeping-global changes.

Tjhe Absurdity of it All

Each year around this time we reflect and re-remind ourselves that Christian orthodoxy has at its core the belief that our God's greatest victory was bound up in His demise. His greatest act of heroism was His humiliation. How absurd.So absurd that the Romans of the 1st century could hardly take such a teaching serious. This crude depiction of a crucifix is historically the first known representation of Christ on the cross. It dates back to the late first century and comes in the form of anti-Christian graffiti. Etched into the Palatine, the chief of Rome’s seven hills, the caption reads, “Alexamenos worships his God”. The artist reveals the absurdity of this so-called
"God" named Jesus by giving him the head of an ass. You see, the Easter story really is absurd, even ridiculous. After all, what kind of king would suffer death on a cross? What sort of transcendent being would allow Himself to be beaten and spat upon and slapped and scorned by mere mortals? The way of the world screams in unison, “absurd”! Only a fool. . . only a jack-ass would willingly suffer such a fate.

But, we are called not to rely on human wisdom, but a deeper, mysterious wisdom sourced in the loving way of God himself. Drink in the rich insight of Paul's words. “For the message of Jesus is foolish to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ."For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the absurdity of what was preached to save those who believe. . ."For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the impotence of God is stronger than man’s strength. . .”

(I Corinthians 1:18, 21, 25).

This Easter let’s embrace the absurd humiliation that Jesus experienced because of love.
His love is so amazingly absurd! And He beckons me to live more a life marked with the same loving absurdity.

Poise

It's March madness time. NCAA Men's Basketball tournament is in full swing. And, judging by my last glance at Sports Center a lot of games this last week have won or lost on poise. The most successful basketball coach in NCAA history, John Wooden, listed poise among the top virtues in his famous "Pyramid of Success".

Poise. It's a weird word and definitely underrated. Don't hear many folks speak of it these days. So what is poise anyway?

Poise is the ability to keep one’s head when all those around are losing theirs. It is the ability to keep a larger, stabilizing perspective in mind when our little worlds seem to be collapsing . Men of Scripture often acted with poise. Daniel defied an empire and spent the night with lions with poise at his side. David’s steady hand carefully selected five smooth stones with poise written all over them. Jesus’ eye to eye showdown with Pontius Pilate…”You would have nothing if the Father had not given it to you” was done with the calm authority of a man who exuded great poise.

Poise. We live in anxious times. We live in a nerve-racked, unsettled culture with a media that offers a thousand new flurries of fears daily. We can let these nerve-racking flurries settle deep inside us, creating an anxiety avalanche in our soul. Or, we can choose to live with poise. We can choose to live guided by the confidence that God is with us, "to whom shall I be afraid?"

As you see a nervous player at the free-throw line this week sweating bullets under a load of stress, be reminded of how often life puts us in the same situation. And, before you shoot aimlessly take a breathe deeply, relax and remember God's in control.

The Compelling Vision

Our staff has been thinking about our vision statement for Hayward Wesleyan Church. In pondering our specific statement, I spent some time musing over God's vision. What is God's greatest vision for this world? What is his primary dream for His universe? While the mind of God is ultimately unsearchable and any desire to place our fingers on the totality of God's vision is an exercise in futility. . .I do think from Scripture we get at least some insight in the vision of God. I think Dallas Willard sums up that vision in a holistic and imaginative way. Read this basic vision slowly and meditatively three or four times. Think, ponder, imagine and envision this statement as a reality. And, in doing so, God will unveil himself to you in a deeper more tangible way.

“ The aim of God in human history is the creation of an inclusive community of loving persons, with himself included as its primary sustainer and most glorious inhabitant.”

On My Blog

I need to clarify something. Many of the thoughts and ponderings that will appear in this blog emerged over the course of the last year and a half. I'm a journaler by nature. I find solace and often sanity through the practice of writing. The confusing maze of life, oddly enough, makes most sense to me with pen in hand.

My journaling is intensely personal and was not written with some impersonal "blog site" in mind. However, due to some prodding of a couple faithful friends, I have decided to wade through these entries and share those thoughts, insights and ponderings that I feel might be helpful to others.

So, the postings I offer may not be the thoughts of today. They might be the scratchings of a journal entry last year, last month or last week. I had to laugh. I met with a friend on Thusday who, after meeting with me, went home and read my last blog which discussed in detail this strange funk I was going through and the rotten day I had. Of course, her thoughts were "Well, thanks a lot Heath. Glad I made your day." After laughing about it, I explained how I'm penning this blog, and reassured her that my funk actually took place months prior to our meeting and that my day on Thursday went quite well!

Small Group Leadership-Jesus style

Jesus started a small group. For three years his group rode the tumultuous ride of life together. The twelve he chose were marked often by confusion and failure. There is this scene in Mark where Jesus shakes his head and asks, “Do you still not understand? Do you have eyes but not see? Do you have ears, but do not hear?” Sound familiar? Of course, any of us who have sought whole-heartedly to see others grow in discipleship share the same frustration. People commit, yet do not follow through. They put on the yoke of discipleship and instead of finding it easy and light, believe that they have been shackled with a load too difficult to carry. People are given to failure. How many times have we muttered under our breath, “think I’m just wasting my time with _________” (you fill in the blank).

We discover as we look into the eyes of our Master that his way with others is unusually patient. His discipleship of the 12 is marked with more failure than success, yet he never gives up on them. At times they are indifferent, confused, terrified, slow to see, and show little faith. But, perhaps the greatest failure of all was that when it was all on the line “they all forsook him and fled.” Not long after this scene, Christ’s own body would collapse on the Dia Valorosa taking up the cross that he bid his disciples to carry. They refused; so the incarnate Son of God took hold of the beam and forged the way.

Perhaps that’s the role of a mentor, a discipler. To model with our own life, at our own expense, in both times of success and times of failure, the way to God. It seems that Jesus’ example is more transformative than his words. "I am with you as one who sacrifices on your behalf. So, love one another". "I am one among you who washes your feet like a slave. Go, serve one another". Jesus asked His disciples to follow nothing but His own example.

So often I want my leadership of others to be based on my keen insight, unique giftings, and personal potency. However, Jesus’ leadership of the 12 is framed through the lens of follower-ship. The secret to Jesus’ leadership is his unswerving desire to follow. His followership, not his leadership, transformed his small community. This too will transform our communities.

Your investment in lives of people might seem like its yielding little to no results. Perhaps the people God has placed in your life are slow to see and they just can’t get on board with you. If so, take heart. Remember your Master. He drove his way into your life by means of the nails that pierced his own.

Successful discipleship for Jesus didn’t come fast or easy. It was slow and agonizing for him. Why should it be any different for you? Bear patiently the cross you have been called to bear, praising God all the while. "Do not grow weary in well doing, but remember you will reap much if you do not give up". Do not be consumed with the mantra “lead them”. Rather, listen to what the Master commands. “Follow Me.” Follow Him and you will lead others to Him in the process.

One of those Funky Days

We all have those kinds of days where we are just in a funk. I had one of those days today. One can’t rightly reckon why or how these sorts of day occur. In fact, it’s hard to actually describe what’s wrong…maybe it’s a lack of sleep, or a crook in the neck, or whiney kids, or just an itch to be ornery. I swear, sometimes we just seem to get out of bed with a notion to prove to the world that natural depravity does indeed exist. For the life of me I can’t figure out why these funks occur or how to avoid them.

And, don’t go quoting Scripture to me at this point and preaching to me that the righteous don’t have funks, or those who read their Bible’s and pray everyday don’t have “off” days. I’ve lived long enough to know that whether I’ve done my devotions or prayed or taught a theology class, these funks still come over a body. And, I think any attempt to figure out precisely why we get into these funks is an exercise in futility. We human beings are simply too whole, too integrated, too terribly complex to pin down what specifically ails us.

I’ve found that I can’t always find a good reason for what ails me. Why I don’t know the cause, I do know the cure. Today I went out for a 45 minute snowshoe hike in the woods. I brought my funk with me into the woods. I shared my frustration and today’s failures with God. I didn’t hear a direct answer, but encountered a beautiful gulley tucked away in the woods that I hadn’t noticed before. I followed a fresh blanket of new snow into an inviting pasture. I listened to my breath quicken as a marched up a ridge. At the top, I stopped and rested hearing nothing more than the rustling of a gentle breeze through a nearby pine. I sat in silence and in reverence of the beauty around me and was reminded that there is One who sustains and fills voids with beauty, even in the cold, lifeless seasons of existence.

Sitting there, I came to the realization that all the world is in its own strange funk. Even creation itself groans and awaits the day that it can be released from its own bondage. A cursed creation and sinful mankind form a perfect concoction for one gigantic ailment. Given this simple truth, I’m surprised we’re all not in funks more often!

Perhaps we should realize that being in a funk isn’t all bad. Maybe being in a funk every now and again is God’s way of reminding us that all is not yet well. That this world is not alright. And, maybe this realization brings us towards a hope of One who is at work sorting out all this mess. One who presently at work amidst my pain, setting all things right and making all things new.