Saturday, April 29, 2006
Explanation
Prosthetics rock. They enable. We overcome adversity with them. Insurmountable odds, you know? Climbing Everest on a fake leg. Sweeet. William Wallace. Freeeeeeedom.
I see the age of the church that we're exiting as an age of prosthetics. This is most easily evident in youth minsitry. Think about it for yourself. The very term youth, or teenager, is a construct that is not very good. the affluent 1950's culture that gave us youth ministry as it is, is going, going gone...
Youth ministry has been a great prosthesis.
Childrens ministry, too...
But God is calling us to be a whole family.
They were great prostheses, but they didn't stem the tide of divorce, adn brokenness that betrayed what was under the pantleg: we are MAIMED, american church!
and now, we're worse off! There's a footlet down there.
we're sentenced to about a generation of waiting for the completion.
let's not squirm.
let's not cut it off...
let it grow...
change our mobility.
our monthly budgets.
our expectations
our anticipations.
in light of the fact
that God
is healing us
painfully
setting things right
now scroll down and read that post.
For my new friend Aaron
imagine a man with one leg. For years he has had one leg. the other, lost, is a stump ending just above the knee.
His surgeries went well and the stump is blunt. the bones have healed without sharp edges, and the tissues have toughened on the end through proper use of more and more advanced prosthetic devices.
this man's present prosthetic leg is a marvel. It cost his insurance company about 200 thousand dollars. No kidding. the previous one was only 75 thousand dollars.
It has a computer in it that adjusts the pressure of the hydraulics to the terrain and rhythm of his step, gauging speed and activit--a technological wonder and a godsend to him. The dude can play BASKETBALL!!! Incredible. his life since the accident has been rebuilt. he wouldn't have it any other way. His triumph over disability is admired by all, and his mobility is even more than many people with 2 legs.
until the unthinkable happens...
redness, swelling, irritation, chafing--the stump, once so well maintained and toughened, has become somehow deformed. It doesn't fit in the prosthesis like it used to. In fact, it has a bulge--a protrusion of some sort.
Over the next month he is horrified to lose the use of his prosthesis as the irritation proves too much. One morning he rolls out of bed, looks at the now useless prosthetic and turns to curse his irritated stump. To his horror, there at the end of the stump, clearly visible, yet unbelievable, HUMAN FOOT.
Crazy, yes. But there it is. Just the size of one of those rabbit feet that you get on a keychain, is a human foot. Miniature. Pink. Present.
You've got to be kidding me! How could this happen? is this like that lady on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? The one whose tumor was her twin? Gross!
over the next few days there isn't any discernable change. The doctor figures it's an anomaly. Some sort of cell thing, maybe, yet unheard of in medical history.
Photos are taken. Students are lectured. Tests scheduled and finished...
...and the foot is cut off.
After almost a year, the stump is back to normal. for a week.
this time, no redness, no swelling. Just boink! Boom! Wake up, and there's another "FOOTlet" on the stump. This one is just like the first, and it showed up Overnight! The guy literally throws up. He's heartsick. Do you know what it's like to get used to a prosthesis? the bone of the stump trying to punch its way out with every step? Now he has to do all that physical therapy again.
A year later... operations over... stump almost back to normal again, and Boom! another foot.
By now the insurance is up. He's had a reversal of fortune and he's down on his luck. All the sick time has left him out of the kind of cash it'd take, so he has to leave the thing alone. He's a telemarketer, scamming old ladys for their SS#s. And he uses a wheelchair, now.
He starts to drink. He quits starting and just keeps drinking. He hates the foot so much. it ruined his life... He doesn't think of it as three feet.
...this one is the third, you know.
what?
...the third one.
so what... i hate you. you're ruining my life...
...the third one's a charm.
some charm. my life's ruined. i hate you...
...why?
because you're ruining my life with this foot thing...
...i love you.
i don't wanna talk.
and he drinks and scams and sulks and drinks and scams and sulks and drinks and scams and sulks his way through another year... except that he gets really depressed and to make a long story short, he cuts the thing off one night while on a bender. it doesn't heal right, so the prosthesis won't fit. Life not repaired.
So things are bad that year and you know what? Boom. Foot again.
aaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!!!
...what's that?
I HAAAAAAAAATE You!!!
...you who?
God, you know you're really killing me with this foot thing. It's not even a foot. It's just a... NUBB... With toes.
...would you give me a chance?
what?
...would
...you
...give
...me
...a
...chance?
to do what?
...to grow you a foot?
so duder gives up. now he's hearing voices. He grits his teeth, goes to work, keeps the deformity covered, and tries to make the best of it.
three more years pass and since he discovered that home amputation is the quick track to nowhere, he swears off the self mutilation.
New problem. His stump is now six inches longer and the foot is getting too big to hide. that's right. Longer and bigger.
he starts to get excited.
he's getting the idea.
sure enough, after two more years--there's a KNEE joint! And it's starting to work!
one more year and he can bend it really well, and he's buying size 5 shoes for the thing.
At this point it's a size 7.5, and only about 3 inches shorter than his other leg. He's going to church again, doesn't go on benders, and got a job in his field again.
He has a lot of back pain, and lost all that mobility, but at this rate, in a couple of years, he'll be playing basketball.
His vertical jump will be great without all that pride weighing him down.
there, Aaron. A rough draft.
His surgeries went well and the stump is blunt. the bones have healed without sharp edges, and the tissues have toughened on the end through proper use of more and more advanced prosthetic devices.
this man's present prosthetic leg is a marvel. It cost his insurance company about 200 thousand dollars. No kidding. the previous one was only 75 thousand dollars.
It has a computer in it that adjusts the pressure of the hydraulics to the terrain and rhythm of his step, gauging speed and activit--a technological wonder and a godsend to him. The dude can play BASKETBALL!!! Incredible. his life since the accident has been rebuilt. he wouldn't have it any other way. His triumph over disability is admired by all, and his mobility is even more than many people with 2 legs.
until the unthinkable happens...
redness, swelling, irritation, chafing--the stump, once so well maintained and toughened, has become somehow deformed. It doesn't fit in the prosthesis like it used to. In fact, it has a bulge--a protrusion of some sort.
Over the next month he is horrified to lose the use of his prosthesis as the irritation proves too much. One morning he rolls out of bed, looks at the now useless prosthetic and turns to curse his irritated stump. To his horror, there at the end of the stump, clearly visible, yet unbelievable, HUMAN FOOT.
Crazy, yes. But there it is. Just the size of one of those rabbit feet that you get on a keychain, is a human foot. Miniature. Pink. Present.
You've got to be kidding me! How could this happen? is this like that lady on "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? The one whose tumor was her twin? Gross!
over the next few days there isn't any discernable change. The doctor figures it's an anomaly. Some sort of cell thing, maybe, yet unheard of in medical history.
Photos are taken. Students are lectured. Tests scheduled and finished...
...and the foot is cut off.
After almost a year, the stump is back to normal. for a week.
this time, no redness, no swelling. Just boink! Boom! Wake up, and there's another "FOOTlet" on the stump. This one is just like the first, and it showed up Overnight! The guy literally throws up. He's heartsick. Do you know what it's like to get used to a prosthesis? the bone of the stump trying to punch its way out with every step? Now he has to do all that physical therapy again.
A year later... operations over... stump almost back to normal again, and Boom! another foot.
By now the insurance is up. He's had a reversal of fortune and he's down on his luck. All the sick time has left him out of the kind of cash it'd take, so he has to leave the thing alone. He's a telemarketer, scamming old ladys for their SS#s. And he uses a wheelchair, now.
He starts to drink. He quits starting and just keeps drinking. He hates the foot so much. it ruined his life... He doesn't think of it as three feet.
...this one is the third, you know.
what?
...the third one.
so what... i hate you. you're ruining my life...
...the third one's a charm.
some charm. my life's ruined. i hate you...
...why?
because you're ruining my life with this foot thing...
...i love you.
i don't wanna talk.
and he drinks and scams and sulks and drinks and scams and sulks and drinks and scams and sulks his way through another year... except that he gets really depressed and to make a long story short, he cuts the thing off one night while on a bender. it doesn't heal right, so the prosthesis won't fit. Life not repaired.
So things are bad that year and you know what? Boom. Foot again.
aaaaaaaaaaaaauuuugh!!!
...what's that?
I HAAAAAAAAATE You!!!
...you who?
God, you know you're really killing me with this foot thing. It's not even a foot. It's just a... NUBB... With toes.
...would you give me a chance?
what?
...would
...you
...give
...me
...a
...chance?
to do what?
...to grow you a foot?
so duder gives up. now he's hearing voices. He grits his teeth, goes to work, keeps the deformity covered, and tries to make the best of it.
three more years pass and since he discovered that home amputation is the quick track to nowhere, he swears off the self mutilation.
New problem. His stump is now six inches longer and the foot is getting too big to hide. that's right. Longer and bigger.
he starts to get excited.
he's getting the idea.
sure enough, after two more years--there's a KNEE joint! And it's starting to work!
one more year and he can bend it really well, and he's buying size 5 shoes for the thing.
At this point it's a size 7.5, and only about 3 inches shorter than his other leg. He's going to church again, doesn't go on benders, and got a job in his field again.
He has a lot of back pain, and lost all that mobility, but at this rate, in a couple of years, he'll be playing basketball.
His vertical jump will be great without all that pride weighing him down.
there, Aaron. A rough draft.
Lew is very busy
At CCS
At an event with bros...
at a local church tomorrow... check out Lewminator for deets.
At an event with bros...
at a local church tomorrow... check out Lewminator for deets.
JP preached
Last week, JP preached in his home town, at Lakeview UCC. He rocked it out for many minutes, sloshing Kingdom juice all over the peeps there... Go JP!!!
Congregational Transformation: Presby Event
today i joined my new friends Aaron Klinefelter and John Daley--fellow "revolutionaries"--at this local Presbyterian Church event. We were a 3-man panel: FAITH REVOLUTIONARIES: CONVERSATION WITH EMERGING CHURCH LEADERS.
It was super. Not that WE were super. We just belong to Jesus. He is super and our subject material is super. We just belong to Him. (by that i don't mean to specify anyone else's belonging or non-belonging to jesus. please relax and i'll try to, too)
deep breath...
it was super because the people we conversed with were so hungry for that certain, special "something". Their humility made us bold to speak out our hearts.
Thanks to all of you, especially You, Jesus, to whom we belong.
It was super. Not that WE were super. We just belong to Jesus. He is super and our subject material is super. We just belong to Him. (by that i don't mean to specify anyone else's belonging or non-belonging to jesus. please relax and i'll try to, too)
deep breath...
it was super because the people we conversed with were so hungry for that certain, special "something". Their humility made us bold to speak out our hearts.
Thanks to all of you, especially You, Jesus, to whom we belong.
Preaching to High Schoolers: CCS
Friday, I went to Aaron Klinefelter's Bible Classes at CCS...
the first class had really sharp students in it. I loved their hunger for God and great, challenging questions. Rebecca blew me away by pointing out that it doesn't make much sense to hear "sell your suv" from a guy with an apple laptop. Sweet. I don't make much sense, at first glance. I know. But the truth is truth, and I'm what you got.
The second class was different. Also very great youngstertypes. One super intelligent girl asked for an explanation about hell. So I painted my cosmology of hell on the whiteboard. Took over 20 minutes. Had flaws. I was honest that not too many people see it that way, and that I'm not theologically trained at a seminary. It was fun.
The Students were GREAT. They made me feel so welcome. I was amazed at how cool and gracious and willing to follow along they are. Aaron Klinefelter, thank you for asking me to come. It was a great, safe place to work out some of how I speak. Make sure the students get that list from Sider, too.
I was real hard on hell, in reference to Matt. 25. Sorry if it blows away some mind material. I'm really sure that Jesus can save us, though. Nestle in Him.
the first class had really sharp students in it. I loved their hunger for God and great, challenging questions. Rebecca blew me away by pointing out that it doesn't make much sense to hear "sell your suv" from a guy with an apple laptop. Sweet. I don't make much sense, at first glance. I know. But the truth is truth, and I'm what you got.
The second class was different. Also very great youngstertypes. One super intelligent girl asked for an explanation about hell. So I painted my cosmology of hell on the whiteboard. Took over 20 minutes. Had flaws. I was honest that not too many people see it that way, and that I'm not theologically trained at a seminary. It was fun.
The Students were GREAT. They made me feel so welcome. I was amazed at how cool and gracious and willing to follow along they are. Aaron Klinefelter, thank you for asking me to come. It was a great, safe place to work out some of how I speak. Make sure the students get that list from Sider, too.
I was real hard on hell, in reference to Matt. 25. Sorry if it blows away some mind material. I'm really sure that Jesus can save us, though. Nestle in Him.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Zach Nailed It: Simple Living Post (click here)
A lot of people hear the words of Jesus and ask, "How do we put this into practice?"
i am always hesitant to go farther than telling what Jesus says, but Zach has pulled Ron Sider's List. Read this post of his and you'll hear some good material on how to implement the teachings of Jesus... Love this list.
I spoke to a High School class today. This was the crux of the best questions. "How do we do it?" here is some "how.
i am always hesitant to go farther than telling what Jesus says, but Zach has pulled Ron Sider's List. Read this post of his and you'll hear some good material on how to implement the teachings of Jesus... Love this list.
I spoke to a High School class today. This was the crux of the best questions. "How do we do it?" here is some "how.
One Thing You Lack
click the title.
This GoodNews of total abandon to the care of our Father is the Goodnews that Jesus preached. It's the life of jubilee. Divorcing from the manymasters of this world and living with One. Jesus is saying, Pay attention to Me. It's all about ME. I'm the Way, Truth, Life.
The goodnews is that it's all about Jesus, from here on out. Livvers of this life, this King-led life, this goodnews life, are divorced from the old way... they become offensive oddities--reminders of the death of this world--awakeners from the matrix--proclaimers of That Day...
That Day--
Romans 2:16
"...on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus."
That Day...
the reality that we die, then live forever, eternally, by what we did with Jesus... Shouldn't that drive you to a kind of desperate, fearful, holy madness? Like grabbing an electric wire with your hand, Truth courses through you like a thousand volts... Exhausted, you pull away and retreat...
Yet to some of us, it kills off the lies that echo in our heads. It soothes our schizophrenia. It makes the false visions stop. It clears us to hear God speak Love to us. To some, we crave the peace that Truth brings. Charred. Bedraggled, we grab the wire again, holding our Bibles with charred fingers, our souls wracked with joy and freedom as the worthless is cast down and we begin to live...
That Day is pretty much the reason why for a ton of things we do that seem crazy to good churchfolks... why we come outside when there's shooting, to check for bodies and copy down plate numbers...
...why we stand between angry young men...
why we love our attackers...
...why we choose debt over plenty...
why we associate with failure and call it brother...
...why we eschew evil
why we aren't tolerant...
...why we are tolerant...
why we serve...
...why we can receive help...
why we...
That Day... Think about eternity--where we'll spend it--with whom... then think on the love He has commanded. think of the mission of the Gospel--how we're called to preach it to the Nations...
Now look!
There's the "church" in America spending millions on a building! Ouch.
There's the "church", calling for the death of Hugo Chavez by assassination.
There's the "church", hoping that Israel uses those Nukes we gave 'em to kill Iranian women, children and innocents, so the inevitable won't happen...
OUCH!
I recently tried to read a book about this stuff. John Hagee, a popular christian teacher, was tellign us that "...something must be done...", clearly calling for a military strike. 2lame.
I'm calling for a missionary invasion. The power of the Gospel up against the Power of the World. You know who the Power of the World is? You Know who Simon the sorcerer is? You know who he served? Simon was known as the "Great Power". Where'd he get his power? Acts 8.
You know what Ephesians 2 says about who that Power is? "...Prince of the Power of the Air...the spirit at work in the sons of disobedience..."
You know why this world is so full of antigod? antilove?
There is a real devil... are we playing into his hands? are you? does that SHOCK you?
This GoodNews of total abandon to the care of our Father is the Goodnews that Jesus preached. It's the life of jubilee. Divorcing from the manymasters of this world and living with One. Jesus is saying, Pay attention to Me. It's all about ME. I'm the Way, Truth, Life.
The goodnews is that it's all about Jesus, from here on out. Livvers of this life, this King-led life, this goodnews life, are divorced from the old way... they become offensive oddities--reminders of the death of this world--awakeners from the matrix--proclaimers of That Day...
That Day--
Romans 2:16
"...on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus."
That Day...
the reality that we die, then live forever, eternally, by what we did with Jesus... Shouldn't that drive you to a kind of desperate, fearful, holy madness? Like grabbing an electric wire with your hand, Truth courses through you like a thousand volts... Exhausted, you pull away and retreat...
Yet to some of us, it kills off the lies that echo in our heads. It soothes our schizophrenia. It makes the false visions stop. It clears us to hear God speak Love to us. To some, we crave the peace that Truth brings. Charred. Bedraggled, we grab the wire again, holding our Bibles with charred fingers, our souls wracked with joy and freedom as the worthless is cast down and we begin to live...
That Day is pretty much the reason why for a ton of things we do that seem crazy to good churchfolks... why we come outside when there's shooting, to check for bodies and copy down plate numbers...
...why we stand between angry young men...
why we love our attackers...
...why we choose debt over plenty...
why we associate with failure and call it brother...
...why we eschew evil
why we aren't tolerant...
...why we are tolerant...
why we serve...
...why we can receive help...
why we...
That Day... Think about eternity--where we'll spend it--with whom... then think on the love He has commanded. think of the mission of the Gospel--how we're called to preach it to the Nations...
Now look!
There's the "church" in America spending millions on a building! Ouch.
There's the "church", calling for the death of Hugo Chavez by assassination.
There's the "church", hoping that Israel uses those Nukes we gave 'em to kill Iranian women, children and innocents, so the inevitable won't happen...
OUCH!
I recently tried to read a book about this stuff. John Hagee, a popular christian teacher, was tellign us that "...something must be done...", clearly calling for a military strike. 2lame.
I'm calling for a missionary invasion. The power of the Gospel up against the Power of the World. You know who the Power of the World is? You Know who Simon the sorcerer is? You know who he served? Simon was known as the "Great Power". Where'd he get his power? Acts 8.
You know what Ephesians 2 says about who that Power is? "...Prince of the Power of the Air...the spirit at work in the sons of disobedience..."
You know why this world is so full of antigod? antilove?
There is a real devil... are we playing into his hands? are you? does that SHOCK you?
Neighbors/Yahoo Group
I was going to write this post about Orientation Concepts like Safety, Hospitality, and whatnot... But after my conversation with Rachel, I want to take a moment to greet.
Welcome to this messy blog. This, along with our Yahoo! Group, is the main way that we connect with info about what's going on in the GrubbyKupp Community. Check out the Yahoo Group: "Grubby_Kupp". Try clicking on the title of this blog.
Our community is often ashamed to use that word for all the pretension that the term has accrued over the years, as Wonderful strugglers have failed forward in Grace, showing their soft underbelly to the world, trying to embody the Master and His sermon on the mount...
But a community is what we are. The word comes from Latin, and means, "Ones who share their food". We are a table fellowship, incorporating preparation, eating, and cleanup into almost all of our scheduled events. Fasting isn't very popular among us. We are eaters... Community.
This blog is written almost exclusively by Lew, whose blog, Lewminator, is a vent for thoughts that have no venue in polite company... I am Lew, and i'm silly, writing in 3rd person... Let's get back to reality...
Yesterday afternoon was spent in a fashion that has become typical. JP runs Daisy (his 400pound energy dog of slobber), kids play in the back yard, Lew yells at kids to get off the cars, a visitor to us for a few days has an Audi and kids are using it as a shelf for their bike inner tubes... oh yeah, we're fixing three bikes--or four... There are bike parts everywhere...
Little D is running around with Seth. Seth has peeledhis shirt and is shoeless... I've seen Seth walk over broken autoglass without picking up a piece. Thank you God for protection and wise design...
Lew is yelling at kids to behave.
a neighbor dad/boyfriend comes to the fence and greets me again as Mr. Ross. I tell him that between us, I'm just old "brotha Lew". It breaks a dam and out pours one of the most healing conversations that I've ever had.
I get a call that tells me that the neighbors have come together to meet about ousting a family--Monty and Maurice's family. You go look through the archives--you'll see these guys. Look at Lewminator and check out my flickr. Look at the Yahoo Group today--that's little J. He's their little nephew... Tina, the mom, our friend, works day in and day out at Kroger for the lowest wage.
What is the minimum wage? ...and what is a living wage? Tina is a hard worker, and with a little time, and a little help from some of you, she may work for 9.00 starting at our thrift store... That is, if she doesn't get her housing revoked. The neighbors hate them because the kids have, for example, shot out car windows in front of their house, from the porch, with a BB gun. Stolen stuff. Broken stuff.
They are our neighbors and we want to keep them. They are hated on all sides, but we really really love them. We are really afraid to lose them because these boys aren't ready to go out there yet. They need to be discipled more.
They were baptized under compulsion by the local small mission church, but have no discipleship. Calvinism says just do it and let God deal with the mess.
Well He's trying, but we all have to work all the time, and these guys just get scraps. And they are hated. But we love them.
and then I had to stop and yell at some kids to get off the ROOF of the neighboring storage buildings, again. If they fall through those old tin roofs, they're gonna get cut up bad.
The Chase House is surrounded--surrounded on two sides by buildings that could be condemned with a phone call. Three buildings like that. Dangerous. And the kids are always climbing.
The playground is risky, though nice. We hope to inhabit it and displace the drug trade from that corner--the same corner where we held a funeral two nights ago.
I went into the house and did family, yelling at my own kids and having the best Bible time in a long time with my 11yr old. He got mugged last winter pretty bad. We engaged, forgave, preached, forgave, loved and loved. That's our formula. And I spent yesterday afternoon watching him pump up the bike tires of the boy who mugged him. My 11 year old is a profoundly effective missionary of Christ's love.
and i love life.
in recent days we've had a funeral, taken knives off the street, heard shots, seen the news...
and we love life.
we're in debt, out of time, behind schedule, over par, a day late, a dollar short... in over our heads...
and we love life.
because He who named Himself LifeItself, has loved us and through us, almost accidentally, is loving our neighbors into the Kingdom of Heaven.
that healing conversation included comments about how we aren't any experts, telling people like they don't know. heck, we all know about Jesus enough to believe. the bro said that we SHOW love, so people KNOW love, and it's changed his whole perspective on life.
i told him that he already has more Jesus than most pastors... he is not far from the Kingdom of God.
do you know how much we love you?
Tell the Truth.
Say your prayers.
--Bonhoeffer.
Welcome to this messy blog. This, along with our Yahoo! Group, is the main way that we connect with info about what's going on in the GrubbyKupp Community. Check out the Yahoo Group: "Grubby_Kupp". Try clicking on the title of this blog.
Our community is often ashamed to use that word for all the pretension that the term has accrued over the years, as Wonderful strugglers have failed forward in Grace, showing their soft underbelly to the world, trying to embody the Master and His sermon on the mount...
But a community is what we are. The word comes from Latin, and means, "Ones who share their food". We are a table fellowship, incorporating preparation, eating, and cleanup into almost all of our scheduled events. Fasting isn't very popular among us. We are eaters... Community.
This blog is written almost exclusively by Lew, whose blog, Lewminator, is a vent for thoughts that have no venue in polite company... I am Lew, and i'm silly, writing in 3rd person... Let's get back to reality...
Yesterday afternoon was spent in a fashion that has become typical. JP runs Daisy (his 400pound energy dog of slobber), kids play in the back yard, Lew yells at kids to get off the cars, a visitor to us for a few days has an Audi and kids are using it as a shelf for their bike inner tubes... oh yeah, we're fixing three bikes--or four... There are bike parts everywhere...
Little D is running around with Seth. Seth has peeledhis shirt and is shoeless... I've seen Seth walk over broken autoglass without picking up a piece. Thank you God for protection and wise design...
Lew is yelling at kids to behave.
a neighbor dad/boyfriend comes to the fence and greets me again as Mr. Ross. I tell him that between us, I'm just old "brotha Lew". It breaks a dam and out pours one of the most healing conversations that I've ever had.
I get a call that tells me that the neighbors have come together to meet about ousting a family--Monty and Maurice's family. You go look through the archives--you'll see these guys. Look at Lewminator and check out my flickr. Look at the Yahoo Group today--that's little J. He's their little nephew... Tina, the mom, our friend, works day in and day out at Kroger for the lowest wage.
What is the minimum wage? ...and what is a living wage? Tina is a hard worker, and with a little time, and a little help from some of you, she may work for 9.00 starting at our thrift store... That is, if she doesn't get her housing revoked. The neighbors hate them because the kids have, for example, shot out car windows in front of their house, from the porch, with a BB gun. Stolen stuff. Broken stuff.
They are our neighbors and we want to keep them. They are hated on all sides, but we really really love them. We are really afraid to lose them because these boys aren't ready to go out there yet. They need to be discipled more.
They were baptized under compulsion by the local small mission church, but have no discipleship. Calvinism says just do it and let God deal with the mess.
Well He's trying, but we all have to work all the time, and these guys just get scraps. And they are hated. But we love them.
and then I had to stop and yell at some kids to get off the ROOF of the neighboring storage buildings, again. If they fall through those old tin roofs, they're gonna get cut up bad.
The Chase House is surrounded--surrounded on two sides by buildings that could be condemned with a phone call. Three buildings like that. Dangerous. And the kids are always climbing.
The playground is risky, though nice. We hope to inhabit it and displace the drug trade from that corner--the same corner where we held a funeral two nights ago.
I went into the house and did family, yelling at my own kids and having the best Bible time in a long time with my 11yr old. He got mugged last winter pretty bad. We engaged, forgave, preached, forgave, loved and loved. That's our formula. And I spent yesterday afternoon watching him pump up the bike tires of the boy who mugged him. My 11 year old is a profoundly effective missionary of Christ's love.
and i love life.
in recent days we've had a funeral, taken knives off the street, heard shots, seen the news...
and we love life.
we're in debt, out of time, behind schedule, over par, a day late, a dollar short... in over our heads...
and we love life.
because He who named Himself LifeItself, has loved us and through us, almost accidentally, is loving our neighbors into the Kingdom of Heaven.
that healing conversation included comments about how we aren't any experts, telling people like they don't know. heck, we all know about Jesus enough to believe. the bro said that we SHOW love, so people KNOW love, and it's changed his whole perspective on life.
i told him that he already has more Jesus than most pastors... he is not far from the Kingdom of God.
do you know how much we love you?
Tell the Truth.
Say your prayers.
--Bonhoeffer.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Challis Family Located
We have been contacted by Chris Challis' family. A sister in Law found Zach through his Xanga. Behold the power of Google. And Praise The Lord! Chris has a brother who is close to death, himself, in a nursing home in Fairfield. Our prayers for his healing and comfort in the Father's love.
There will be a burial for Chris' body, now. How will it be paid for? Do you know? These dear ones will need help. These are not people of means. Get in touch to help out. It costs 760 dollars for a cremation. What will a burial cost?
There will be a burial for Chris' body, now. How will it be paid for? Do you know? These dear ones will need help. These are not people of means. Get in touch to help out. It costs 760 dollars for a cremation. What will a burial cost?
1325 Chase House
The Rosses are almost done purchasing the next Chase House. Our community is starting to split the seams. We have a lot of folks on the line to move in, and the next house houses about 11 souls.
If you've followed the story, you know that we felt that the Lord was pleased that we try to buy that house a few months back (like 4), but it was reposessed by the bank... Well it popped back up and now here we are with it under contract.
Thanks for praying.
If you've followed the story, you know that we felt that the Lord was pleased that we try to buy that house a few months back (like 4), but it was reposessed by the bank... Well it popped back up and now here we are with it under contract.
Thanks for praying.
Jean Vanier Quote
"When someone has lived most of his or her life in last place and then discovers that Jesus is there in the last place as well, it is truly good news. However, when someone has always been looking for the 1st place and learns that Jesus is in the last place, it is confusing!"
-Jean Vanier
recently a dear friend and brother in the Lord begged me to lighten up on the surrender and suffering talk. without exposing anyone, i will simply say that i cannot. it destabilized status quo, revealed fears, caused re-evaluation of the nature of our sojourn here, required greater faith, and caused spiritual growth... this Gospel of Joy and Love, in Hope is a Gospel of the Homeless Master--the Crucified Surrenderer... He gave Himself up, all his power and glory, to call us to follow... He has called us out of darkness--out of our manmade securities, our constructs of safety, our machines of responsibility, our abilities to provide for our own lives and those of our kids...
-Jean Vanier
recently a dear friend and brother in the Lord begged me to lighten up on the surrender and suffering talk. without exposing anyone, i will simply say that i cannot. it destabilized status quo, revealed fears, caused re-evaluation of the nature of our sojourn here, required greater faith, and caused spiritual growth... this Gospel of Joy and Love, in Hope is a Gospel of the Homeless Master--the Crucified Surrenderer... He gave Himself up, all his power and glory, to call us to follow... He has called us out of darkness--out of our manmade securities, our constructs of safety, our machines of responsibility, our abilities to provide for our own lives and those of our kids...
One Thing You Lack
Here's a thing that we don't disagree with. This is the kind of message that Jesus preached. In fact, the lion's share of it is from the Jesus Film... The guy who follows up on it is solid, too...
Living without health insurance? Unthinkable? Irresponsible? Only to the mind steeped in western affluent fear culture. I'm not criticizing you. I'm criticizing the poison stew we wade through. We're in the Slough of Despond found in the Pilgrim's Progress.
Jesus said to be wary about this world's concerns, fears and pleasures choking out the Kingdom of God in our lives...
We should agonize.
We SHOULD agonize.
Yes.
there's something to agonize over down here. It's that Narrow Gate:
------------------
Matt 7:13
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
------------------
Luke 13
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
I heard Chuck Swindoll teach on this years ago. I mean YEARS like 8 or ten... and he said that the greek word used here for "Make every effort" is [AGONIZU], pronounced agoNEEtsu. It is the root of our word "Agonize", and "Agony". I'm no webster, but I get it. It's a strong concept!
Does the Gospel cause you agony? When a preacher really preaches are you averse? Does it bring up all kinds of questions and doubts? Because listening to the linked audion on this entry will surely stir one thing or another in you... The Gospel calls us to a radical abandonment of our selves, our families, our lives, our nationalities... The Gospel calls us to the renunciation of the world, its pleasures, promotions and possibilities... The Gospel calls us to a life in the Spirit that scandalizes the ways of the world...
We are a waste of potential to some, as we follow the Way (who is a person)(Jesus).
We are misfits in church as we proclaim the Truth (who is a person)(Jesus), unless we belong to a powerfully repentant, grieving, confessional, prophetically driven church that has renounced affluence, influence and americana...
We die like lambs as we walk out the Life (who is a person)(Jesus).
If the church has a response to the evils of this world's kingdoms, it is to send the missionaries of the Gospel to die preaching, like the two witnesses of Revelation. Where is that call? Where are the ones who want to die young? This is the call of the Gospel--to live dead to this world and to die alive to Christ.
Click the title and be blessed...
Living without health insurance? Unthinkable? Irresponsible? Only to the mind steeped in western affluent fear culture. I'm not criticizing you. I'm criticizing the poison stew we wade through. We're in the Slough of Despond found in the Pilgrim's Progress.
Jesus said to be wary about this world's concerns, fears and pleasures choking out the Kingdom of God in our lives...
We should agonize.
We SHOULD agonize.
Yes.
there's something to agonize over down here. It's that Narrow Gate:
------------------
Matt 7:13
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
------------------
Luke 13
He said to them, 24"Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
I heard Chuck Swindoll teach on this years ago. I mean YEARS like 8 or ten... and he said that the greek word used here for "Make every effort" is [AGONIZU], pronounced agoNEEtsu. It is the root of our word "Agonize", and "Agony". I'm no webster, but I get it. It's a strong concept!
Does the Gospel cause you agony? When a preacher really preaches are you averse? Does it bring up all kinds of questions and doubts? Because listening to the linked audion on this entry will surely stir one thing or another in you... The Gospel calls us to a radical abandonment of our selves, our families, our lives, our nationalities... The Gospel calls us to the renunciation of the world, its pleasures, promotions and possibilities... The Gospel calls us to a life in the Spirit that scandalizes the ways of the world...
We are a waste of potential to some, as we follow the Way (who is a person)(Jesus).
We are misfits in church as we proclaim the Truth (who is a person)(Jesus), unless we belong to a powerfully repentant, grieving, confessional, prophetically driven church that has renounced affluence, influence and americana...
We die like lambs as we walk out the Life (who is a person)(Jesus).
If the church has a response to the evils of this world's kingdoms, it is to send the missionaries of the Gospel to die preaching, like the two witnesses of Revelation. Where is that call? Where are the ones who want to die young? This is the call of the Gospel--to live dead to this world and to die alive to Christ.
Click the title and be blessed...
Last Night's Funeral
I look forward to posting about other things, but I want you all to know how strong and blessed last night's funeral was. I'm serious. There was power among us as we took headon the one reality that this culture of greed works to keep from us. When I got up this morning I felt like a younger man. I'm so glad that Jesus loves us. That's all this day is for.
Judy's was kind of worried about me having these funny lumps all over the place: my arm, my leg, my hip, my belly... they've all popped up in the last couple years... I'll head off to the doc sometime soon. For those of you who don't know me, I'm probably the most ready for cancer guy around. Following Jesus, I've realized that we all pass on. I am pretty sure that it's not cancer, not that I can know anything about it. I just don't mind if it is cancer, knowing that if it's not one thing, its another. We all get sick. We all die. We all are weak.
Our best days come in the middle of the Father's discipline. I need His discipline. Suffering does a work in us. Peace comes when I'm out of the driver's seat, finally... Crushed petals. Steeped leaves... Pleasant Aromas.
Judy just got a skin biopsy on this spot she's been keeping as a pet for the last few years (try 5). We'll hear back on that one soon. I guess we're in a kind of a race. Hey, if we were to die young, wouldn't all you radical Jesus Freaks watch over our sons and make sure they don't just go to college, but that they get down to Louisiana and over to Africa to serve Jesus and do the messy radical?
I like to think that Aaron and Seth will grow up under the influence of JP and Prari, Zach and Laurel, and Chris, Sheena, Smitty, Lawless, etc... I'm kind of depending on you guys to get really radical and follow the Lord with reckless abandon.
Of course, there's no use in trying to figure out anything about the future. We are a mist, a seed of what we will be. We are Glory contained in Kupps. Our bodys are referred to as our tents, our Jars, KlayKUPPS, Jesus says we're clean, but need our feet washed.
Yes, surely one day I'll put off all this coolness and grooviness in which I'm wrapped. You should see this beard, man. It's easily 4 inches long, now. I'll put it off. Skateboarding. Guitar. Songs. Writing. Speech. Prophecy... all that will remain is what I have done in Christ. And that itself will be hidden for the time being, until He returns to Judge and straighten out this mess...
I love you, Jesus.
You read back a while and you'll see that I've had this thing about death and suffering going on for about 17 years. and LOVE! and JOY!!
There is such a love at the end of this life. Jesus calls us to carry the cross, dwelling at the end of this life, daily. There is such a joy in the surrender of death--each day a practise run for our deathbed.
Frankly, my practise runs go amiss quite often. I'm depending on the work of the Cross to atone for me. But I'm also depending on the work of the Holy Spirit to change me. It's really true around my kids and wife. I just don't love. Not easily. Not naturally. But I'm growing. And I'm loved. I'm so loved... the more I drink in that love, the more loving I become.
It's our best to dwell at the foot of the Cross, kissing mercy as Jesus wins righteousness for us, satisfying God's Justice.
[CLICK THE TITLE FOR A SCRIPTURE ABOUT THIS]
That is our best, to confess our lives, recline on Mercy, and be driven by the Spirit through this bedeviled desert of a life... Surely at the end, angels do come and minister to us...
Judy's was kind of worried about me having these funny lumps all over the place: my arm, my leg, my hip, my belly... they've all popped up in the last couple years... I'll head off to the doc sometime soon. For those of you who don't know me, I'm probably the most ready for cancer guy around. Following Jesus, I've realized that we all pass on. I am pretty sure that it's not cancer, not that I can know anything about it. I just don't mind if it is cancer, knowing that if it's not one thing, its another. We all get sick. We all die. We all are weak.
Our best days come in the middle of the Father's discipline. I need His discipline. Suffering does a work in us. Peace comes when I'm out of the driver's seat, finally... Crushed petals. Steeped leaves... Pleasant Aromas.
Judy just got a skin biopsy on this spot she's been keeping as a pet for the last few years (try 5). We'll hear back on that one soon. I guess we're in a kind of a race. Hey, if we were to die young, wouldn't all you radical Jesus Freaks watch over our sons and make sure they don't just go to college, but that they get down to Louisiana and over to Africa to serve Jesus and do the messy radical?
I like to think that Aaron and Seth will grow up under the influence of JP and Prari, Zach and Laurel, and Chris, Sheena, Smitty, Lawless, etc... I'm kind of depending on you guys to get really radical and follow the Lord with reckless abandon.
Of course, there's no use in trying to figure out anything about the future. We are a mist, a seed of what we will be. We are Glory contained in Kupps. Our bodys are referred to as our tents, our Jars, KlayKUPPS, Jesus says we're clean, but need our feet washed.
Yes, surely one day I'll put off all this coolness and grooviness in which I'm wrapped. You should see this beard, man. It's easily 4 inches long, now. I'll put it off. Skateboarding. Guitar. Songs. Writing. Speech. Prophecy... all that will remain is what I have done in Christ. And that itself will be hidden for the time being, until He returns to Judge and straighten out this mess...
I love you, Jesus.
You read back a while and you'll see that I've had this thing about death and suffering going on for about 17 years. and LOVE! and JOY!!
There is such a love at the end of this life. Jesus calls us to carry the cross, dwelling at the end of this life, daily. There is such a joy in the surrender of death--each day a practise run for our deathbed.
Frankly, my practise runs go amiss quite often. I'm depending on the work of the Cross to atone for me. But I'm also depending on the work of the Holy Spirit to change me. It's really true around my kids and wife. I just don't love. Not easily. Not naturally. But I'm growing. And I'm loved. I'm so loved... the more I drink in that love, the more loving I become.
It's our best to dwell at the foot of the Cross, kissing mercy as Jesus wins righteousness for us, satisfying God's Justice.
[CLICK THE TITLE FOR A SCRIPTURE ABOUT THIS]
That is our best, to confess our lives, recline on Mercy, and be driven by the Spirit through this bedeviled desert of a life... Surely at the end, angels do come and minister to us...
who Jesus isn't
There's this site called vintage21.com where they've got these 4 Jesus Videos on page 2 of their video section (click the projector on the home page). They're hilarious, especially NO.4. This is surely exactly who Jesus isn't. it's great that he's so awesome.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Challis Funeral was Blessed
Gathering
Silence
Song
Prayer
Silent Procession
Hymns
Prayer Circle on Chris' corner
Preaching
Back home
Rejoicing
quick rundown. Thanks to all who came.
Silence
Song
Prayer
Silent Procession
Hymns
Prayer Circle on Chris' corner
Preaching
Back home
Rejoicing
quick rundown. Thanks to all who came.
something is missing
"24 Nw I rejoice in what was sufffered for you, and I fill up inmy flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God inits fullness-- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints."
So... Now that Jesus has suffered to open the door, this man is standing, proclaiming the opportunity of escape to the whole world... He has caused turmoil in the status quo. He has been carried by mobs, imprisoned, beaten by soldiers... the guy is marked up...
He has rank, this scarred brother. Do you believe in rank? Do you recognize suffering in the cause as a reccommentder of the messenger?
Many today see suffering as a sign of Gods disapproval of a person. They postulate that these people must be under God's curse or discipline, otherwise they'd have an easier time. otherwise they'd be more like us--we who gravitate toward comfort...
why do you mourn while we party?
why do you rant and rave while others oooh and aaah?
But the apostle introduces a revolutionary (turning around-ly) concept here. It is that there is something missing at the crucifiiction!!! do you hear that? There is something lacking in Xist's afflictions!!! HERESY!!! Burn him!!! to the guillotines!
This is a concept that doesn't go down too smoothly--that the crucifiction wasn't enough...
What was lacking then? The suffering of the servants of the message.
Jesus was clear that to follow him was to bear the cross, to preach the gospel--later letters tell us exactly how (1 Pet 3:15)--to share in fellowship with Him in suffering (phil 3 7-11). These are people who are "becoming like Him in His death..." and "...attain[ing] to the resurrection from the dead."
Look at moses in the Hebrews 11 litany. He rejected the pleasures of egypt for a better resurrection. we do "attain" to the resurrection...
we win it. a prize in a contest...
this is an offensive line of reason to many of us. we value "fairness". ihave learned not to say "sorry". I'm not. I'm glad that the kingdom is. that the king is.
he is...he is...
think of our community's name: Grubbykupp... 2 Cor. 4 says earthen vessel/clay pot stuff about us...
it also says:
"We always carry around in ou body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed inour body. For we who are alive are alway being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed..."
pardon the mistakes, i'm still ona pda... but do you hear that? Where's the room for shying away from a strong "suffering rhetoric"? in church teaching today?
This is stuff that might empty th pews because it is about becoming poor for the sake o the message...of the Lord Himself...of the church... what?
when Jesus said, "it is finished", it was the beginning of a thing.
So... Now that Jesus has suffered to open the door, this man is standing, proclaiming the opportunity of escape to the whole world... He has caused turmoil in the status quo. He has been carried by mobs, imprisoned, beaten by soldiers... the guy is marked up...
He has rank, this scarred brother. Do you believe in rank? Do you recognize suffering in the cause as a reccommentder of the messenger?
Many today see suffering as a sign of Gods disapproval of a person. They postulate that these people must be under God's curse or discipline, otherwise they'd have an easier time. otherwise they'd be more like us--we who gravitate toward comfort...
why do you mourn while we party?
why do you rant and rave while others oooh and aaah?
But the apostle introduces a revolutionary (turning around-ly) concept here. It is that there is something missing at the crucifiiction!!! do you hear that? There is something lacking in Xist's afflictions!!! HERESY!!! Burn him!!! to the guillotines!
This is a concept that doesn't go down too smoothly--that the crucifiction wasn't enough...
What was lacking then? The suffering of the servants of the message.
Jesus was clear that to follow him was to bear the cross, to preach the gospel--later letters tell us exactly how (1 Pet 3:15)--to share in fellowship with Him in suffering (phil 3 7-11). These are people who are "becoming like Him in His death..." and "...attain[ing] to the resurrection from the dead."
Look at moses in the Hebrews 11 litany. He rejected the pleasures of egypt for a better resurrection. we do "attain" to the resurrection...
we win it. a prize in a contest...
this is an offensive line of reason to many of us. we value "fairness". ihave learned not to say "sorry". I'm not. I'm glad that the kingdom is. that the king is.
he is...he is...
think of our community's name: Grubbykupp... 2 Cor. 4 says earthen vessel/clay pot stuff about us...
it also says:
"We always carry around in ou body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed inour body. For we who are alive are alway being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed..."
pardon the mistakes, i'm still ona pda... but do you hear that? Where's the room for shying away from a strong "suffering rhetoric"? in church teaching today?
This is stuff that might empty th pews because it is about becoming poor for the sake o the message...of the Lord Himself...of the church... what?
when Jesus said, "it is finished", it was the beginning of a thing.
The day of Chris' Funeral
Today is the 20year anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
I woke up not knowing that, and the scripture from Psalm 118 "this is the day that the Lord has made" came to my mind.
did you know that in that psalm, there is a specific day that is referred to?
"the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...it is marvelous to our eyes...this is the day..."
the crucifiction.
The apostle Paul said that he only would glory in the cross.
...that he resolved to know nothing but the cross...
when i counsel a christian who forgets often who they are and how they are loved, I teach then to repeat, "the cross, the cross, the cross..." to remind themselves of the nature of God's love for them.
the only two undisputed winners of "sacrament status" in the church--Baptism and Communion-- both commemorate death-to-life. Communion is a repetitive proclamation of the death of our Lord.
Philippians speaks of the fellowship of His sufferings, and being conformed to him in His death.
Jesus tells us to take up the cross DAILY.
the cross
the cross
the cross
i wear a cross, handcarved by kenyan kids i look forward to meeting.
the cross-- a torture-killing
the cross-- a shameful death
the cross-- our divorce papers from this earth...
the cross
the cross
the cross
which jesus do we follow?
which jesus do we serve?
very few of the jesuses out there command that we suffer the cross.
yes, tonight we will commemorate the passing of
chris challis from this world-- nobody can find anyone of his family...
...i ask their forgiveness of that failure. I couldn't imagine finding out that someone I love died and missing it...
This is the day that the Lord has made. Those words were first penned about Golgotha and the three crosses... the day of death... el dia de la muerte...
now they refer to any day that we take up the cross to follow Jesus in his suffering.
I woke up not knowing that, and the scripture from Psalm 118 "this is the day that the Lord has made" came to my mind.
did you know that in that psalm, there is a specific day that is referred to?
"the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone...it is marvelous to our eyes...this is the day..."
the crucifiction.
The apostle Paul said that he only would glory in the cross.
...that he resolved to know nothing but the cross...
when i counsel a christian who forgets often who they are and how they are loved, I teach then to repeat, "the cross, the cross, the cross..." to remind themselves of the nature of God's love for them.
the only two undisputed winners of "sacrament status" in the church--Baptism and Communion-- both commemorate death-to-life. Communion is a repetitive proclamation of the death of our Lord.
Philippians speaks of the fellowship of His sufferings, and being conformed to him in His death.
Jesus tells us to take up the cross DAILY.
the cross
the cross
the cross
i wear a cross, handcarved by kenyan kids i look forward to meeting.
the cross-- a torture-killing
the cross-- a shameful death
the cross-- our divorce papers from this earth...
the cross
the cross
the cross
which jesus do we follow?
which jesus do we serve?
very few of the jesuses out there command that we suffer the cross.
yes, tonight we will commemorate the passing of
chris challis from this world-- nobody can find anyone of his family...
...i ask their forgiveness of that failure. I couldn't imagine finding out that someone I love died and missing it...
This is the day that the Lord has made. Those words were first penned about Golgotha and the three crosses... the day of death... el dia de la muerte...
now they refer to any day that we take up the cross to follow Jesus in his suffering.
memorial for Chris tonight...
tonight, we'll meet at 1320 Chase for a time of contemplative prayer, worship, and intercession for our world.
We have been prayerfully considering how we might do a public memorial in the form of a streetlevel vigil. With a slogan or sign, and a watch through the night, to show solidarity with all the families and churches who are losing loved ones to gunfire in the city.
Ten youths were shot this week. Yesterday, a grandmother was hit with a stray bullet and died, at a bus stop in Avondale, near the zoo...
We have shelved the idea of a public protest. We'll do what the Spirit tells us, tonight. We know that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, and that prayers in secret speak loudly to the spiritual rulers of evil.
That is more important than making a public display. Let the public display be our love for one another, our disdain of this world's pleasure, and our faithfulness to follow Christ.
...we may be led to do something public, yes, but we'll be focusing on being hidden, in secret, until the Spirit gives us the next moves...
We have been prayerfully considering how we might do a public memorial in the form of a streetlevel vigil. With a slogan or sign, and a watch through the night, to show solidarity with all the families and churches who are losing loved ones to gunfire in the city.
Ten youths were shot this week. Yesterday, a grandmother was hit with a stray bullet and died, at a bus stop in Avondale, near the zoo...
We have shelved the idea of a public protest. We'll do what the Spirit tells us, tonight. We know that we wrestle not with flesh and blood, and that prayers in secret speak loudly to the spiritual rulers of evil.
That is more important than making a public display. Let the public display be our love for one another, our disdain of this world's pleasure, and our faithfulness to follow Christ.
...we may be led to do something public, yes, but we'll be focusing on being hidden, in secret, until the Spirit gives us the next moves...
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
you guys really bless me
thanks, Keith and Adam, for your loving, enocouraging comments. I want to take a moment to say that in the midst of all the heavy stuff we're in down here--the thin-ness of the crust of the earth, our suspension over a very real and eternal hell, the reality of judgment and the unfulfilling nature of every temporal pleasure-- that the community of the saints that is gathering to the Message--the Good News--is REFRESHING TO MY SOUL!!!
Now that Christ has come, we can love!
Now that Christ has paid the price, we can FINALLY give up all the stuff and whatnots and abandon ourselves to Father!!!!
...and there's a community--across state lines, across oceans--a COMMUNION, of people gathering to the Good News, the Truth, Jesus Himself, in our Generation under the Sun...
and it's flat our refreshing me!
Over the past two months, the gnawing loneliness I've had has been salved by the hearts of other pilgrims who have AFFIRMED our homelessness in anticipation of a better city!
No, we haven't found a home here, but we are each others' home as we pilgrim to our Father in Heaven.
Love Love Love!
Now that Christ has come, we can love!
Now that Christ has paid the price, we can FINALLY give up all the stuff and whatnots and abandon ourselves to Father!!!!
...and there's a community--across state lines, across oceans--a COMMUNION, of people gathering to the Good News, the Truth, Jesus Himself, in our Generation under the Sun...
and it's flat our refreshing me!
Over the past two months, the gnawing loneliness I've had has been salved by the hearts of other pilgrims who have AFFIRMED our homelessness in anticipation of a better city!
No, we haven't found a home here, but we are each others' home as we pilgrim to our Father in Heaven.
Love Love Love!
Wednesday Memorial for Chris Challis
We invite anyone who wants to to come to 1320 Chase on Wednesday night at 7pm for a time of remembrance and prayer around the passing of Chris Challis from this world.
Dinner will not be served, and we encourage you all to fast this week, according to your conscience and discretion.
Dinner will not be served, and we encourage you all to fast this week, according to your conscience and discretion.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Chris Challis' Passing
Yesterday, Zach and Lew were able to visit Chris Challis in the
hospital around 10:30AM. His nurse told us that since his condition
was worsening, and his wounds were fatal in nature, his care was
being restricted to the present level. That meant that there would
be no increase in any medication.
Around 6pm, I (Lew) got a phone call from the hospital. Chris' body
was totally shutting down. He was dying. They had put him on a
morphine drip and taken him off all the other drugs and feeding and
whatnot. His ventilator was put at a low level, and they were
waiting for the end.
At 8:01Pm, Chris' earthly life ended. His body is being processed
through the County Coroner's office. Details about how our
community will memorialize his life will be arranged on Monday.
Thank you all for praying for Chris after he left our community, and
as he was leaving this world. Please pray intensely for the coming
days, as we have an opportunity to honor the Lord in the way his
life and death are remembered.
hospital around 10:30AM. His nurse told us that since his condition
was worsening, and his wounds were fatal in nature, his care was
being restricted to the present level. That meant that there would
be no increase in any medication.
Around 6pm, I (Lew) got a phone call from the hospital. Chris' body
was totally shutting down. He was dying. They had put him on a
morphine drip and taken him off all the other drugs and feeding and
whatnot. His ventilator was put at a low level, and they were
waiting for the end.
At 8:01Pm, Chris' earthly life ended. His body is being processed
through the County Coroner's office. Details about how our
community will memorialize his life will be arranged on Monday.
Thank you all for praying for Chris after he left our community, and
as he was leaving this world. Please pray intensely for the coming
days, as we have an opportunity to honor the Lord in the way his
life and death are remembered.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Chris Challis update
Zach and Lew went to see Chris on Tuesday. He is very sick. The doctors say he is dying. He has had 4 operations: one for the initial liver repair, and three for necrotic fasciitis--a decay of the tissue of organs and whatnot inside him.
The doctor said that a person can survive with 20% liver function. Before being shot, Chris' liver was below 20%. Now, there is almost no hope that Chris will recover liver function. He is dying.
At this point, I want to make it clear that we are praying, trusting and believing that God is able, and has changed His mind in the past. We are reminded of Hezekiah's illness, when the Prophet Isaiah walks in and says, "Thus saith Yahweh, you're gonna die, so get things ready brah." and Hezzy turns to the wall and bitterly weeps. God says to Isaiah, "Scratch that, I'm giving him another 15 years to tread dirt."
what is that? That is our hope for brother Chris. That's what.
Chris was also involved in some really dark stuff--drugs and whatnot--at the time of his shooting. We had let him know that any time he wanted to return fully to Christ, we would be here for him in radical ways to help with his whole life. He turned us down. That was January. This is now. Now we're known as the church that gets mixed up with bad sinners... not bad, eh?
...so the doctor said that Chris' liver was below 20% before the shooting--that he'd have died of liver disease sooner or later was the implication. Now... he's really sick. He's unconscious, so there's no talking with him, but we've talked to him, knowing that people's spirits are often very active at this time. We've preached to him, assured him of our love and the Love and forgiveness of Jesus...
We're simultaneously preparing for his departure and for his return to us. We are able to hold the two in our hearts and minds at the same time.
may the peace of Christ rule in the hearts of the repentant.
The doctor said that a person can survive with 20% liver function. Before being shot, Chris' liver was below 20%. Now, there is almost no hope that Chris will recover liver function. He is dying.
At this point, I want to make it clear that we are praying, trusting and believing that God is able, and has changed His mind in the past. We are reminded of Hezekiah's illness, when the Prophet Isaiah walks in and says, "Thus saith Yahweh, you're gonna die, so get things ready brah." and Hezzy turns to the wall and bitterly weeps. God says to Isaiah, "Scratch that, I'm giving him another 15 years to tread dirt."
what is that? That is our hope for brother Chris. That's what.
Chris was also involved in some really dark stuff--drugs and whatnot--at the time of his shooting. We had let him know that any time he wanted to return fully to Christ, we would be here for him in radical ways to help with his whole life. He turned us down. That was January. This is now. Now we're known as the church that gets mixed up with bad sinners... not bad, eh?
...so the doctor said that Chris' liver was below 20% before the shooting--that he'd have died of liver disease sooner or later was the implication. Now... he's really sick. He's unconscious, so there's no talking with him, but we've talked to him, knowing that people's spirits are often very active at this time. We've preached to him, assured him of our love and the Love and forgiveness of Jesus...
We're simultaneously preparing for his departure and for his return to us. We are able to hold the two in our hearts and minds at the same time.
may the peace of Christ rule in the hearts of the repentant.
A response to Mr. Weiss' article on Tenacity (click here to view article)
Your article on tenacity makes me think of a reflection I had this week.
The most tenacious people I have ever known are tenacious because of their willingness to suffer for what they hold dear, namely our Lord Jesus and His Gospel.
The word Patience, itself is from the Latin verb “Patior”, which means to suffer.
The word “Paitens”, from which Patience comes, is a gerund form of that verb, literally translated “a suffering [one]”. A patient person is a suffering person.
Perseverance is also from Latin, meaning “through [cutting] extremes”. The meaning of this word is soaked in suffering, as well. “perseverance” brings up a word picture of someone having pieces of them cut off as they battle to the end. It is an image of loss for a cause. Jesus talked about us giving up this life. Jesus talked about us cutting off things that cause us to sin… Jesus said we had to lose this life to gain the next. Jesus said that we had to hate this life…
Tenacity isn’t in the King James, no. But look at the word image, there, too. It’s the image of someone hanging onto a branch, fallen over the edge of a cliff. Tenacity isn’t in the Bible, in my opinion, because it’s root strength is found in US. It is a word that speaks of OUR ability to hold on, for which we often take credit and glorify our own efforts.
Tenacity is a more worldly term, because it centers itself on human strength, and omits that essential quality of our Lord’s redemptive work through His servants—SUFFERING. Remember, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
It is a Christian’s willingness to suffer that produces in them the patience that surpasses all worldly tenacity. It transcends our ability to “hold onto” (from the latin root of tenacity-tenere). Willingness to suffer (Passion) produces in us patience that comes from our uncanny and otherworldly ability to “let go of”.
1 Peter 4:1 tells us that suffering is what lies ahead—that it is the readiness to suffer that is necessary for us to endure the “fiery trials’ that lie ahead of us.
Paul assures Timothy that all who endeavor to live godly in Christ Jesus will SUFFER persecution…
So… a word study on Tenacity is a lower thing than a word study in Patience.
By the way, “Patience” is not in the King James Bible, at least not the early versions (there have been LOADS of revisions). Patience is translated, “LONGSUFFERING”.
In my view, and that of the apostles, and Jesus, and the Psalms, and the Prophets, and the writings, and the Law of Moses, we should emerge from study of these things with a faithful, courageous, true “martyr complex”.
It is my prayer that Gods children die by beheading at the hands of their enemies, rather than advocate the shedding of their enemies’ blood. This is a subtopic of Patience, but it must be clear to all who call themselves Christian that it is through SUFFERING, ourselves that we “Fill up what is lacking in the Sufferings of Christ.”
And what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ? You are. He invites you into the ‘fellowship of his suffering’. This is where we really get to know Jesus. I’m excited about offering up my daily trials to Him as fellowship, giving thanks all the while that I’m purchased and adopted by the work of the Cross and the Holy Spirit. God forgive how I fail to do this, far too often.
Pray for me that I realize this goal in my life. I pray the same for you.
The most tenacious people I have ever known are tenacious because of their willingness to suffer for what they hold dear, namely our Lord Jesus and His Gospel.
The word Patience, itself is from the Latin verb “Patior”, which means to suffer.
The word “Paitens”, from which Patience comes, is a gerund form of that verb, literally translated “a suffering [one]”. A patient person is a suffering person.
Perseverance is also from Latin, meaning “through [cutting] extremes”. The meaning of this word is soaked in suffering, as well. “perseverance” brings up a word picture of someone having pieces of them cut off as they battle to the end. It is an image of loss for a cause. Jesus talked about us giving up this life. Jesus talked about us cutting off things that cause us to sin… Jesus said we had to lose this life to gain the next. Jesus said that we had to hate this life…
Tenacity isn’t in the King James, no. But look at the word image, there, too. It’s the image of someone hanging onto a branch, fallen over the edge of a cliff. Tenacity isn’t in the Bible, in my opinion, because it’s root strength is found in US. It is a word that speaks of OUR ability to hold on, for which we often take credit and glorify our own efforts.
Tenacity is a more worldly term, because it centers itself on human strength, and omits that essential quality of our Lord’s redemptive work through His servants—SUFFERING. Remember, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”
It is a Christian’s willingness to suffer that produces in them the patience that surpasses all worldly tenacity. It transcends our ability to “hold onto” (from the latin root of tenacity-tenere). Willingness to suffer (Passion) produces in us patience that comes from our uncanny and otherworldly ability to “let go of”.
1 Peter 4:1 tells us that suffering is what lies ahead—that it is the readiness to suffer that is necessary for us to endure the “fiery trials’ that lie ahead of us.
Paul assures Timothy that all who endeavor to live godly in Christ Jesus will SUFFER persecution…
So… a word study on Tenacity is a lower thing than a word study in Patience.
By the way, “Patience” is not in the King James Bible, at least not the early versions (there have been LOADS of revisions). Patience is translated, “LONGSUFFERING”.
In my view, and that of the apostles, and Jesus, and the Psalms, and the Prophets, and the writings, and the Law of Moses, we should emerge from study of these things with a faithful, courageous, true “martyr complex”.
It is my prayer that Gods children die by beheading at the hands of their enemies, rather than advocate the shedding of their enemies’ blood. This is a subtopic of Patience, but it must be clear to all who call themselves Christian that it is through SUFFERING, ourselves that we “Fill up what is lacking in the Sufferings of Christ.”
And what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ? You are. He invites you into the ‘fellowship of his suffering’. This is where we really get to know Jesus. I’m excited about offering up my daily trials to Him as fellowship, giving thanks all the while that I’m purchased and adopted by the work of the Cross and the Holy Spirit. God forgive how I fail to do this, far too often.
Pray for me that I realize this goal in my life. I pray the same for you.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
thoughts immortalized
silly thought, immortalizing thoughts... I've been really keeping to the private blog lately. I'm thinking out some pretty heavy stuff, lately, if you didn't notice, so I don't want to put that on the grubbkupp blog because it's so radical that I'm not sure everyone in our community is up for owning my phrasing of it... funny thing. after getting thumbscrewed (ancient torture device attached to the thumbs, applying pressure to the cuticle...) in staff positions for "not being a fit", the question arises of whether I'm a "fit" for our own community... this whole "fit" thing is just plain silly. it's the fact that I'm not a fit at all that makes me any use to helping others grow. I'm not talking about sin being okay. I'm not saying that there's this "my failures and sins make me special" thing... it's a "my special 'ness' that Jesus put in me--being a prophet/teacher poet/bard raver/sage punk/priest-ness is not a fit, and necessitates YOUR growth" thing. If you don't grow, you'll hate me. I require you to grow in love and patience by virtue of failure and faithfulness. Without your hunger for growth in love in christ, you'll see me out of here... aaaw, not really. i know you guys can't help youselves, anyway... but you guys know how many of you have those, "Ah man, I used to just HATE it when Lew came around" stories? Those, "Lew used to totally just drive me crazy!" stories. Have Istopped? don't think so. Don't think I will. I love Jesus, as some have said, too much. Compared ot my love for Him...
Koschmieders in town
TodayTim's parents are in town!!! That's right, Tim from Germany, mycool son for a year,my what will we do without him son on a total scholarship because he's a genius exchange son Tim's parents are here from Germany! So from today till Saturday, I'm touring them around town.
It'll stretch us and bless us. Please pray for us to be able to give them a just tour and love for their gift of a son to us...
Pray for my body to heal. I'm still totally wacked out from my "knee surgery", as we've come to refer to it. Back's out, joints all hurt, can't sleep rigt (up at 4 everyday--no coffee, no naps, no matter what)... but my days are filled with life...
preparing for departure,
Your Lew
It'll stretch us and bless us. Please pray for us to be able to give them a just tour and love for their gift of a son to us...
Pray for my body to heal. I'm still totally wacked out from my "knee surgery", as we've come to refer to it. Back's out, joints all hurt, can't sleep rigt (up at 4 everyday--no coffee, no naps, no matter what)... but my days are filled with life...
preparing for departure,
Your Lew
faith comes by hearing
"I see dead people..."
I just love that line. Especially the way it lends itself to the wonderful satire tee shirt:
"I see dumb people." Hahahahaha...
But seriously, I love that little kid in the Sixth Sense. He's so isolated and innocent and strong and strained...
Don't you feel that?
It's a wonderful compassion you feel for the little guy.
I have been hearing voices in my head.
Real voices.
I'm not kidding.
...and what's really wierd is that they're the voice of a dead man talking to me.
He died in 2003. I can hear him clear as a bell, speaking from the other side of the grave. This phenomenon has been manifesting since the first year we moved into 1320 Chase Ave.
You know our house used to be a funeral home, right?
There was an embalming table in the basement laundry room, you know.
a 700 pound, cast iron, enameled table, with gut hooks and bone saws on it, displayed for inspection...
There have been minor encounters with the dead now and then, on and off, but these voices...this voice, it's unshakeable. the peculiar thing is that the voice coincides almost exactly with the purchase of my 512meg (that's half a gig, critics) iPod Shuffle.
Maybe i've become possessed by some dread spirit in retribution for my obvious hypocrisy of using the exploitative Apple technology...of spending God's money on my sick, selfish pleasures, despite preaching a message of self-denial and willingness to embrace poverty.
and the voice...
haunting...
rough and soft,
it becons me...
draws me...
words...
words I have come to know by heart, recognize at first blush, locate in scripture, and expound usefully to the edification and exhortation of the Body of Christ...
cheap trick. I know.
It's my sweet Johnny Cash reading the NKJV New Testament that doesn't even fit on the iPod. I load it one or two books at a time... I love it. I'm listening to Mark at least once a day, now. You know what?
It'll change your brain to listen to the voices!!!
The voice is driving me crazy, into that blessed foolishness that is more useful to me than all the money and wisdom of this world...
How i pray for a tidal swell of people getting driven fully, maturely CRAZY by the voice, whether it be Johnny Cash, or any other version...
All you iPod owners need to redeem your affluence by getting driven crazy. Won't you listen, hear, grieve, repent, sell all, and follow, taking up the cross? Love it!
It's a new day today! Live it with Christ and get driven Crazy... get voice!!!
I just love that line. Especially the way it lends itself to the wonderful satire tee shirt:
"I see dumb people." Hahahahaha...
But seriously, I love that little kid in the Sixth Sense. He's so isolated and innocent and strong and strained...
Don't you feel that?
It's a wonderful compassion you feel for the little guy.
I have been hearing voices in my head.
Real voices.
I'm not kidding.
...and what's really wierd is that they're the voice of a dead man talking to me.
He died in 2003. I can hear him clear as a bell, speaking from the other side of the grave. This phenomenon has been manifesting since the first year we moved into 1320 Chase Ave.
You know our house used to be a funeral home, right?
There was an embalming table in the basement laundry room, you know.
a 700 pound, cast iron, enameled table, with gut hooks and bone saws on it, displayed for inspection...
There have been minor encounters with the dead now and then, on and off, but these voices...this voice, it's unshakeable. the peculiar thing is that the voice coincides almost exactly with the purchase of my 512meg (that's half a gig, critics) iPod Shuffle.
Maybe i've become possessed by some dread spirit in retribution for my obvious hypocrisy of using the exploitative Apple technology...of spending God's money on my sick, selfish pleasures, despite preaching a message of self-denial and willingness to embrace poverty.
and the voice...
haunting...
rough and soft,
it becons me...
draws me...
words...
words I have come to know by heart, recognize at first blush, locate in scripture, and expound usefully to the edification and exhortation of the Body of Christ...
cheap trick. I know.
It's my sweet Johnny Cash reading the NKJV New Testament that doesn't even fit on the iPod. I load it one or two books at a time... I love it. I'm listening to Mark at least once a day, now. You know what?
It'll change your brain to listen to the voices!!!
The voice is driving me crazy, into that blessed foolishness that is more useful to me than all the money and wisdom of this world...
How i pray for a tidal swell of people getting driven fully, maturely CRAZY by the voice, whether it be Johnny Cash, or any other version...
All you iPod owners need to redeem your affluence by getting driven crazy. Won't you listen, hear, grieve, repent, sell all, and follow, taking up the cross? Love it!
It's a new day today! Live it with Christ and get driven Crazy... get voice!!!
if i were blogging....
Blog copy:
If I were blogging right now
...i would be talking about how people have attacked me over the last years...
About how my contemporaries wives have to work so hard...
...how that affects our marriages...
...how that affects our self-images...
About Shawn, Aaron, Mike, and many others just like me who have taken this road.
About the brothers and sisters who have chosen complacency and ease over grief and fasting over sin...
...over growth in the Spirit at the cost of their flesh...
...over kingdom life and the cross it brings...
...about the multitude of churches in our generation who have changed the Gospel into a AD campaign for God..
(continued through the next few posts... broken into pieces for your convenience...)
If I were blogging right now
...i would be talking about how people have attacked me over the last years...
About how my contemporaries wives have to work so hard...
...how that affects our marriages...
...how that affects our self-images...
About Shawn, Aaron, Mike, and many others just like me who have taken this road.
About the brothers and sisters who have chosen complacency and ease over grief and fasting over sin...
...over growth in the Spirit at the cost of their flesh...
...over kingdom life and the cross it brings...
...about the multitude of churches in our generation who have changed the Gospel into a AD campaign for God..
(continued through the next few posts... broken into pieces for your convenience...)
...about how we couldn't manage to scrape up two willing disciples of Christ to move in with Chris Challis...to watch over his soul, and keep him from death...
...and he's dying, you know. Zach and I saw him yesterday. He was almost gone. Bloated body, yellowed skin, skeletal face... Tubes, wires, tape, clamps bags, bottles arrayed in a net of sorrow about his bedside...
About a month ago, I was treated to a free night stay in a hotel and 125 dollars in order to test a new kind of hospital bed. I recognized Chris' unit as similar. These beds can be stretched out to like 9 feetlong, or retracted to child size. All without changing the mattress...
Chris's bed is pulled up to the "correct size", accomodating his lack of lower legs. His tattooed stumps, one with a moon and starry night, were sticking out from under his little gown. Why are those gowns so darned little and drafty?
...and he's dying, you know. Zach and I saw him yesterday. He was almost gone. Bloated body, yellowed skin, skeletal face... Tubes, wires, tape, clamps bags, bottles arrayed in a net of sorrow about his bedside...
About a month ago, I was treated to a free night stay in a hotel and 125 dollars in order to test a new kind of hospital bed. I recognized Chris' unit as similar. These beds can be stretched out to like 9 feetlong, or retracted to child size. All without changing the mattress...
Chris's bed is pulled up to the "correct size", accomodating his lack of lower legs. His tattooed stumps, one with a moon and starry night, were sticking out from under his little gown. Why are those gowns so darned little and drafty?
Do me a favor. When I get shot and hit in the liver, if I'm able to see and hear, please robe me or put a blanket over me! Moses, Man!!!
Please dignify me a bit, Maybe a quilt made in love, or a blanket with a picture of noah's ark, or something!!!!
I believe that our brother Chris is coming home. I once knew a brother who strggled on and off with drug addiciton. He returned to the Lord again and again, until one time, it really went deep.
We all could see that the conviction of the holy Spirit was bringing this man to his knees. All he begged of God was that he remain faithful to the end, and never leave Him again.
Within two weeks, he drowned in a rafting accident. What a mercy.
Behold the kindness and severity of God. We'll finish the story of that young man in glory, with Jesus as narrator...
So lies my dear friend and brother, Chris Challis. He is stricken, but loved. I know he's not forsaken. Zach, Adam, and I have been to his side and prayed over his life, that Jesus and angels visit him and take him home forever...
I serve the Lord of Last Minute Paradise. He is the God of the right-hand cross, come to collect thieves and vagabonds whose only offering is the confession of His goodness and their own unworthiness...
This is why God has nicknamed my work for the Church "Grubbykupp". So unclean I am.
So unfinished...
So used...
So stained by handling...
So, thus are we. This is we. Here we are...
...hate us for being fundamentalists.
...fear us for being charismatics. ...shun us for being pentecostals.
...find us catholic, shunning Rome's baggages...
...find us carrrying plenty of our own, discovering how to throw it down...
...accuse us of being critics, but we're just confessors...
Please dignify me a bit, Maybe a quilt made in love, or a blanket with a picture of noah's ark, or something!!!!
I believe that our brother Chris is coming home. I once knew a brother who strggled on and off with drug addiciton. He returned to the Lord again and again, until one time, it really went deep.
We all could see that the conviction of the holy Spirit was bringing this man to his knees. All he begged of God was that he remain faithful to the end, and never leave Him again.
Within two weeks, he drowned in a rafting accident. What a mercy.
Behold the kindness and severity of God. We'll finish the story of that young man in glory, with Jesus as narrator...
So lies my dear friend and brother, Chris Challis. He is stricken, but loved. I know he's not forsaken. Zach, Adam, and I have been to his side and prayed over his life, that Jesus and angels visit him and take him home forever...
I serve the Lord of Last Minute Paradise. He is the God of the right-hand cross, come to collect thieves and vagabonds whose only offering is the confession of His goodness and their own unworthiness...
This is why God has nicknamed my work for the Church "Grubbykupp". So unclean I am.
So unfinished...
So used...
So stained by handling...
So, thus are we. This is we. Here we are...
...hate us for being fundamentalists.
...fear us for being charismatics. ...shun us for being pentecostals.
...find us catholic, shunning Rome's baggages...
...find us carrrying plenty of our own, discovering how to throw it down...
...accuse us of being critics, but we're just confessors...
it's an easy, sensational sell to say that brother chris is in this trouble because of our neglects... It's easy to say that, but that's not the whole truth. Yes, we are less than we ought. Yes, our deeds are lacking before God. Yes, we have put down movements to pursue God... All of us. All...
...and its the children who have paid the price. Are any of you out there reading this older than 50? How do you feel about your generation's handling of the administration of the Gospel?
Bud? Do you read this? You devoured Barna in the Nineties, despising that the most anointed servants of God resembled crack addicted family members...
Bruce? You pastor a church like I'd like to serve at, with a father heart and an unwise compassion. Inspiring.
How about 40's?
Russ? You've taken the road I'd have liked to. I'm worried for your soul, man. It's such a suck heap, that mess that's asking you to buy into its "company man" mentality...
Don? You held your hands to my bleeding, asking the whole time why a guy would charge bayonets armed only with a flower...
Mike? You took the seed and have borne fruit--a lot of fruit... I weep over the blessed tenderness of your service to the feet of the poor. You cut your teeth on innocent passion, service--willingness to suffer for Christ. You are a fruitful servant, who stood before your congregation and declared that after years of attendance that you'd finally found Christ. what sweet scandal was born through you...
Some of you are too close for comfort. I won't mention your names, but I know how much the truth will cost you. For some of you, your job is to lose your church to gain eternal life... Some of what you have been given is that "offfering prescribed by Moses". Go present it to Jesus as a testimony before the Levites. A testimony of your healing... You'll be the freest 70 year old you've ever known if you lose this world's prestige and crown in the service of Christ. Tell th Truth and say your prayers. Don't hold back, as Isaiah says...
I've watched a gray headed man hold back, cool off, and buy into the bullies' lies, for lack of a freak to spur him on. Now it's all covenants and contracts! CAn't go ten steps without a PR patch. The house of God turned into an advertising campaign...
Well, the Kingdom of God is within all who would bleed their treasures to follow Jesus--who keep banging themselves against he Porch-Bulb of His radiance...
We're drawn to the romance of the God who has loved dirty sinners like us... we get high on prodigal redemption. we sniff it like glue. find us on the dirty street curb huffing away at the "...aroma of Christ to God..."
are you feeling homeless in your affluence? Try this: sell all the stuff you can. Buy your brother out of debt, save your neighbor from their burden, and then move into the "danger zone" of the cross, with Jesus...
...and its the children who have paid the price. Are any of you out there reading this older than 50? How do you feel about your generation's handling of the administration of the Gospel?
Bud? Do you read this? You devoured Barna in the Nineties, despising that the most anointed servants of God resembled crack addicted family members...
Bruce? You pastor a church like I'd like to serve at, with a father heart and an unwise compassion. Inspiring.
How about 40's?
Russ? You've taken the road I'd have liked to. I'm worried for your soul, man. It's such a suck heap, that mess that's asking you to buy into its "company man" mentality...
Don? You held your hands to my bleeding, asking the whole time why a guy would charge bayonets armed only with a flower...
Mike? You took the seed and have borne fruit--a lot of fruit... I weep over the blessed tenderness of your service to the feet of the poor. You cut your teeth on innocent passion, service--willingness to suffer for Christ. You are a fruitful servant, who stood before your congregation and declared that after years of attendance that you'd finally found Christ. what sweet scandal was born through you...
Some of you are too close for comfort. I won't mention your names, but I know how much the truth will cost you. For some of you, your job is to lose your church to gain eternal life... Some of what you have been given is that "offfering prescribed by Moses". Go present it to Jesus as a testimony before the Levites. A testimony of your healing... You'll be the freest 70 year old you've ever known if you lose this world's prestige and crown in the service of Christ. Tell th Truth and say your prayers. Don't hold back, as Isaiah says...
I've watched a gray headed man hold back, cool off, and buy into the bullies' lies, for lack of a freak to spur him on. Now it's all covenants and contracts! CAn't go ten steps without a PR patch. The house of God turned into an advertising campaign...
Well, the Kingdom of God is within all who would bleed their treasures to follow Jesus--who keep banging themselves against he Porch-Bulb of His radiance...
We're drawn to the romance of the God who has loved dirty sinners like us... we get high on prodigal redemption. we sniff it like glue. find us on the dirty street curb huffing away at the "...aroma of Christ to God..."
are you feeling homeless in your affluence? Try this: sell all the stuff you can. Buy your brother out of debt, save your neighbor from their burden, and then move into the "danger zone" of the cross, with Jesus...
Monday, April 17, 2006
1755207132
cooked goetta and eggs for breakfast. Going to visit Chris Challis in the hospital at 1pm. It's 1212 now.
for prayer, please remember chris. we've been really reticent to say anything, but his relationship with Christ was really distant... He really denied the faith a lot in his life after he got moved into the apartment... Its a mess...
We have been "waiting in the wings" for God's next move, and here it is-- a shooting?
It's this kind of thing that really awakens us all to the gravity of forsaking God. We could be dead tomorrow. How well ought we be listening to the voice of God?
You know what I do? I listen to my Bible on CD using my iPod shuffle...
haha you know what? someone got on the comments of one of our blogs recently and lambasted me anonymously for having an iPod. i love it!
they went on about how i have a minivan, an iPod, a laptop, and a whole lot of other things!
a minivan that is waaaaay out of our budget. yes. a mistake? Naaw. A SIN. that's prolly more of a fit...
an iPod? yeah. a shuffle half-gig full of worship music and scripture to keep me growing! a hundred or so bucks well spent...
three years ago or more, a thousand dollars was donated for a computer for me. I've used that same amount to trade my way through three units, landing me in an ancient, ailing apple laptop... i am proud that it's been broken for months, and that I"m presently typing this on a tiny pda tha was donated by a great friend... this unit is also from the year 2002... it's worthless to the market today...
ipod, laptop, minivan-- how about this huge house? What splendor and luxury, the way the rain always comes in through th walls, lately. We need a carpenter so badly.
yeah, it's nice to be criticized for something ridiculous, because there's so much truly cutting and really needed criticism that's filet-ing me daily, here.
thanks for leaving the daily struggle to keep my tongue in check--i fail so often...
thanks for overlooking my neglect of my family to do the work of God...
thankd for not bringing up my struggles to manage my sexuality in a righteous and self-controlled way, in the midst of a pornographic generation...
thanks for not mentioning my TV watching, neglect of prayer, lack of attention to the Scripture, profane talk, coarse joking, and the rest...
Why is it that you are so willing to point out superficial stuff when there's such an abundance of real material for accusation and criticism?
here's a tip when you're trying to lambast me:
make sure to point out the juicy stuff... don't leave it to just the van and the ipod and the computer...
talk about my struggles and victory over pornography...
talk about my strained marriage and wife who works so hard while I am preaching and teaching for free...
talk about how i am incapable of fixing hte house...
talk about how I leave my kids with a nanny for 12 hours a week, so Ican visit the hospital, pray, read scripture, and prepare for the needs of teaching...
...also I have to do all the errands in those hours, too...
talk about how I got fired from a United Methodist Chuch for"notbeing a fit".
talk about how I dabbled in Catholicism... or how I won't become Roman Catholic...
talk about how our church is made up of nothing but a bunch of cat-dragged-in Christians...
talk about what a failure I am on this earth...
and I'll just keep nestling in the feathers of My Father's wings. Because I am beloved of Him.
and that is all that will ever matter to me.
I'll be dead soon enough, and the only thing left will be how He has loved me.
We will all be dead in a matter of years, unless Christ returns and we're among those who witness the resurrection adn are caught up at the trumpet blast...
...so how ought we live? I'm locating my hypocrisies in Northside, where I can love the walking dead close up... i do it poorly, stumbling over my own selfishness. stumbling and selfish... hypocritical and failing... but not only those things.
...soooooo beloved.
for prayer, please remember chris. we've been really reticent to say anything, but his relationship with Christ was really distant... He really denied the faith a lot in his life after he got moved into the apartment... Its a mess...
We have been "waiting in the wings" for God's next move, and here it is-- a shooting?
It's this kind of thing that really awakens us all to the gravity of forsaking God. We could be dead tomorrow. How well ought we be listening to the voice of God?
You know what I do? I listen to my Bible on CD using my iPod shuffle...
haha you know what? someone got on the comments of one of our blogs recently and lambasted me anonymously for having an iPod. i love it!
they went on about how i have a minivan, an iPod, a laptop, and a whole lot of other things!
a minivan that is waaaaay out of our budget. yes. a mistake? Naaw. A SIN. that's prolly more of a fit...
an iPod? yeah. a shuffle half-gig full of worship music and scripture to keep me growing! a hundred or so bucks well spent...
three years ago or more, a thousand dollars was donated for a computer for me. I've used that same amount to trade my way through three units, landing me in an ancient, ailing apple laptop... i am proud that it's been broken for months, and that I"m presently typing this on a tiny pda tha was donated by a great friend... this unit is also from the year 2002... it's worthless to the market today...
ipod, laptop, minivan-- how about this huge house? What splendor and luxury, the way the rain always comes in through th walls, lately. We need a carpenter so badly.
yeah, it's nice to be criticized for something ridiculous, because there's so much truly cutting and really needed criticism that's filet-ing me daily, here.
thanks for leaving the daily struggle to keep my tongue in check--i fail so often...
thanks for overlooking my neglect of my family to do the work of God...
thankd for not bringing up my struggles to manage my sexuality in a righteous and self-controlled way, in the midst of a pornographic generation...
thanks for not mentioning my TV watching, neglect of prayer, lack of attention to the Scripture, profane talk, coarse joking, and the rest...
Why is it that you are so willing to point out superficial stuff when there's such an abundance of real material for accusation and criticism?
here's a tip when you're trying to lambast me:
make sure to point out the juicy stuff... don't leave it to just the van and the ipod and the computer...
talk about my struggles and victory over pornography...
talk about my strained marriage and wife who works so hard while I am preaching and teaching for free...
talk about how i am incapable of fixing hte house...
talk about how I leave my kids with a nanny for 12 hours a week, so Ican visit the hospital, pray, read scripture, and prepare for the needs of teaching...
...also I have to do all the errands in those hours, too...
talk about how I got fired from a United Methodist Chuch for"notbeing a fit".
talk about how I dabbled in Catholicism... or how I won't become Roman Catholic...
talk about how our church is made up of nothing but a bunch of cat-dragged-in Christians...
talk about what a failure I am on this earth...
and I'll just keep nestling in the feathers of My Father's wings. Because I am beloved of Him.
and that is all that will ever matter to me.
I'll be dead soon enough, and the only thing left will be how He has loved me.
We will all be dead in a matter of years, unless Christ returns and we're among those who witness the resurrection adn are caught up at the trumpet blast...
...so how ought we live? I'm locating my hypocrisies in Northside, where I can love the walking dead close up... i do it poorly, stumbling over my own selfishness. stumbling and selfish... hypocritical and failing... but not only those things.
...soooooo beloved.
Last Sunday Night
this is an interesting blog. As far as I know, by word of mouth, a lot o people are reading it. But there are very few comments. Am I scary?
Last Night was... well, about 9 of our neighbors-- mostly teenagers or aaron's peers (one was 7)-- came in to worship with us.
Nobody from "our church" showed up. There was one sister who was "on time", but most of the folks who don't live in the 'hood--heck even most of the folks who DO, were out with family fo easter or something...
so we waited a long time and hung outside with our neighbor friends. Maurice and Monty wanted to come in to church. They knew it was serious, too. I used to not let Maurice in.
When Rick and Jackie arrived, Rick just went and flat out invited one of our guys--Ramond--to come in. I let Rick know rigt then that it's a closed meeting and that we don't let the neighbor kids in without there being a serious committment to Christ, but that I also believed that God is more involved in the breaking of that rule than in the keeping of it...
So the dam burst and in flowed JP, Prari, CHris, Lew, Rick and Jackie with about 9 of our neighborhood rascals.
We worshipped musically with rap songs that Chris wrote himself.
I preached without a Bible, not making them read, but letting them hear the word in plain language.
We got everybody praying for healings and miracles of changed situations together.
People are in dire need of the church down here.
After, they ate and left. They are our little brothers, in from the stom.
I told them to make sure to pray for the sick in their families, this week, and to ask Jesus to do miracles in their lives,as they venture to follow Him.
I said that when you live at risk in the street because you roll with Jesus, you're gonna see miracles, because you're a disciple when you follow him. that's that.
These guys will turn this city on its ear if we keep discipling them. period.
Please pray with us to that end.
Last Night was... well, about 9 of our neighbors-- mostly teenagers or aaron's peers (one was 7)-- came in to worship with us.
Nobody from "our church" showed up. There was one sister who was "on time", but most of the folks who don't live in the 'hood--heck even most of the folks who DO, were out with family fo easter or something...
so we waited a long time and hung outside with our neighbor friends. Maurice and Monty wanted to come in to church. They knew it was serious, too. I used to not let Maurice in.
When Rick and Jackie arrived, Rick just went and flat out invited one of our guys--Ramond--to come in. I let Rick know rigt then that it's a closed meeting and that we don't let the neighbor kids in without there being a serious committment to Christ, but that I also believed that God is more involved in the breaking of that rule than in the keeping of it...
So the dam burst and in flowed JP, Prari, CHris, Lew, Rick and Jackie with about 9 of our neighborhood rascals.
We worshipped musically with rap songs that Chris wrote himself.
I preached without a Bible, not making them read, but letting them hear the word in plain language.
We got everybody praying for healings and miracles of changed situations together.
People are in dire need of the church down here.
After, they ate and left. They are our little brothers, in from the stom.
I told them to make sure to pray for the sick in their families, this week, and to ask Jesus to do miracles in their lives,as they venture to follow Him.
I said that when you live at risk in the street because you roll with Jesus, you're gonna see miracles, because you're a disciple when you follow him. that's that.
These guys will turn this city on its ear if we keep discipling them. period.
Please pray with us to that end.
for andrew
i had a great time at your house last week. your dad's a good friend to me.
if i could start a band, I'd have you do the singing and we'd be a pop-punk sensation... I'd provide rhythm guitar and old school grit...
if i could start a band, I'd have you do the singing and we'd be a pop-punk sensation... I'd provide rhythm guitar and old school grit...
monday morning with tea
sitting at the big table with my cup of tea. lipton. hot.
typingaway at this cute little fold up keyboard... what a cool day...
last night's meeting was different. We had nine of our local youths--all male, all teenagers but one-- in for worship together.
our music sounds awful to them--they just don't get praise choruses. So we didn't do it that way. We had worship with some songs that Chris Deering has written that are rap performance pieces with me on the guitar...
We passed out our worn out djembe and our broken bongo, our egg shakers, too...
total respect and participation from all the yoots. It was great to lift praise to God with the guys who mugged aaron and bought weed on our street all last year...
we had preaching and prayer in a way that I know was new to them, too. we got themall praying for each other, laying on of hands, thinking about what they are asking for, and from whom it's coming...
we taught them that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are given friendship with God, if we obey the gospel and live in the truth, and not lies.
We told them that Jesus is calling them to be ministers in this neighborhood.
It was a truly good night. A youth night here at the Chase House.
We'll be bringing that vibe to our Friday Night Meetings, so these guys will have a good strong connection to such stuff.
I'm serious: these guys: Monty, Maurice, Devante... our backyard kids... our street brawlers... these guys--who I've personally taken by the ear before!!! They are the church here!!!
I think we're in for some growing pains.
typingaway at this cute little fold up keyboard... what a cool day...
last night's meeting was different. We had nine of our local youths--all male, all teenagers but one-- in for worship together.
our music sounds awful to them--they just don't get praise choruses. So we didn't do it that way. We had worship with some songs that Chris Deering has written that are rap performance pieces with me on the guitar...
We passed out our worn out djembe and our broken bongo, our egg shakers, too...
total respect and participation from all the yoots. It was great to lift praise to God with the guys who mugged aaron and bought weed on our street all last year...
we had preaching and prayer in a way that I know was new to them, too. we got themall praying for each other, laying on of hands, thinking about what they are asking for, and from whom it's coming...
we taught them that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are given friendship with God, if we obey the gospel and live in the truth, and not lies.
We told them that Jesus is calling them to be ministers in this neighborhood.
It was a truly good night. A youth night here at the Chase House.
We'll be bringing that vibe to our Friday Night Meetings, so these guys will have a good strong connection to such stuff.
I'm serious: these guys: Monty, Maurice, Devante... our backyard kids... our street brawlers... these guys--who I've personally taken by the ear before!!! They are the church here!!!
I think we're in for some growing pains.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Pull the blog
today someone better than me suggested that since my voice tends to be harsh and cutting, that I pull it from the web, at least from the public sector. Maybe pulling it off the grubbykupp blog list, since I represent a community, not just my own opinions.
interesting suggestion from a person I trust... I'm thinking on it. they followed up with that they'd love it if I wrote a book, so it's not about them not liking my message or whatnot, just that I'm hard to take.
hey all you grubbykuppers! think of how many of you have shared about how you couldn't stand me before!
here's a tip: when reading my blog, open up the sciptures a lot and ask honestly what my friend Robbin, who couldn't stand me, asked herself: "is what he's saying truly Scriptural?"
By so doing, Robbin not only saved our friendship, but to some extent her own soul. You duke it out.
interesting suggestion from a person I trust... I'm thinking on it. they followed up with that they'd love it if I wrote a book, so it's not about them not liking my message or whatnot, just that I'm hard to take.
hey all you grubbykuppers! think of how many of you have shared about how you couldn't stand me before!
here's a tip: when reading my blog, open up the sciptures a lot and ask honestly what my friend Robbin, who couldn't stand me, asked herself: "is what he's saying truly Scriptural?"
By so doing, Robbin not only saved our friendship, but to some extent her own soul. You duke it out.
about life in the streets, lately
I've been really talking with a lot neighbors lately. Some folks recognized me in the grocery store, and folks are out on the streets a lot, so there has been a lot of opportunity to 'chat'.
These people have major issues with their children! I mean, these kids are on the loose, getting involved in gang life, can't read... the shcools let the kids in my 'hood out at 1030am or noon because they just can't behave! They're out here all day, just hanging around and doing nothign good...
I feel there's no alternative but for the church to provide an alternative! Our people are all under school debt, working their tuckus' off all day, coming home and haivng just the littlest slice of time to provide to these kids and it's MAKING ALL THE DIFFERENCE!! It's working!
Yes, Chris and Aaron got beat.
Yes, Aaron Ross got mugged and jumped.
Yes, Chris Challis turned back to the dark side for a while and got shot.
Yes, it's life and death around here...
but it's worth it to Jesus! I'm probably talking to almost all my readers when I say that you can help this mess get turned around for Christ's sake. You can put your time to work for Kingdom, in the midst of the darkness. It's all about where you live. Where your house is. I'm serious.
God gave you a head. Use it! if Jesus Christ hangs all of the judgment on your involvement with the "least of these my brethren", how are you gonna fare? You, the affluent church leaders who invest abroad while mouths go hungry and souls perish for need of love. No kidding. what?
I mean, at least a gut wrenching prayer of "help Lord, it's true! We've become rich and think we need nothign, but we've lost YOU!", at this point would be an appropriate cry from the church. Defensiveness? NO place for it, today.
And don't tell us we're brave, adn that you'd never have the guts to do what we're doing. That doesn't fly with Jesus. Just don't say it. It's patronizing, although it is 'nice', too. and thanks to all who have said it, but you just don't get it yet. you're such nice people--a thing Jesus hasn't called us to be, at all.
How I love the Body of Christ! How I love to attend large meetings. How much I have wanted to just be on staff, among a people who are passionate to equip the kind of discipleship that the Master has called us to... I need you all so much! please join THE TRUTH and plead with the Master to put you to his works, today. Titus tells us to be eager for good works! Be eager for good works! yearn to do stuff for Jesus, today.
I'm getting tired and we need refreshment. We don't do this because it's fun or because it makes us feel puffed up! We feel broken and need the Church to come to help. how? Start by stopping with the defensiveness! We're not talking about what you feel like we're talking about. We're not saying anything about being "good enough". NONE OF US ARE GOOD ENOUGH! WE START AS SINNERS, HATERS AND PREDATORS. WE CONTINUE AS BEGGARS...
Your church leaders are talking about tithes and program involvement, trying to get you to discover the Love Jesus is talking about...
JEsus himself?
He's talking about your SUV, your 250,000 dollar homes, your SeaDoo jetskis, your house on the lake that you can't use because you're too busy...
JEsus himself?
He's talking about GETTING RID OF STUFF, THEN USING THE FREE MONEY TO HELP THE POOR. What? Where is your head?
Some people say that your head is to keep you out of trouble, away from poverty. Jesus gives us the "mind of Christ", that brigns us close to the lowly. Deal with Him. Deal with truth. Deal with Him.
Christian truth isn't a creed, as comforting as they are. Christian Truth is a Person--Jesus Himself. When we speak the truth, we're turning you to Jesus. Go with it. Who knows where you'll land.
Kenya?
northside?
over the rhine?
what?
Isn't that what it is?
what did you think it was? aaaah. no. it's not that. it's this. seriously.
These people have major issues with their children! I mean, these kids are on the loose, getting involved in gang life, can't read... the shcools let the kids in my 'hood out at 1030am or noon because they just can't behave! They're out here all day, just hanging around and doing nothign good...
I feel there's no alternative but for the church to provide an alternative! Our people are all under school debt, working their tuckus' off all day, coming home and haivng just the littlest slice of time to provide to these kids and it's MAKING ALL THE DIFFERENCE!! It's working!
Yes, Chris and Aaron got beat.
Yes, Aaron Ross got mugged and jumped.
Yes, Chris Challis turned back to the dark side for a while and got shot.
Yes, it's life and death around here...
but it's worth it to Jesus! I'm probably talking to almost all my readers when I say that you can help this mess get turned around for Christ's sake. You can put your time to work for Kingdom, in the midst of the darkness. It's all about where you live. Where your house is. I'm serious.
God gave you a head. Use it! if Jesus Christ hangs all of the judgment on your involvement with the "least of these my brethren", how are you gonna fare? You, the affluent church leaders who invest abroad while mouths go hungry and souls perish for need of love. No kidding. what?
I mean, at least a gut wrenching prayer of "help Lord, it's true! We've become rich and think we need nothign, but we've lost YOU!", at this point would be an appropriate cry from the church. Defensiveness? NO place for it, today.
And don't tell us we're brave, adn that you'd never have the guts to do what we're doing. That doesn't fly with Jesus. Just don't say it. It's patronizing, although it is 'nice', too. and thanks to all who have said it, but you just don't get it yet. you're such nice people--a thing Jesus hasn't called us to be, at all.
How I love the Body of Christ! How I love to attend large meetings. How much I have wanted to just be on staff, among a people who are passionate to equip the kind of discipleship that the Master has called us to... I need you all so much! please join THE TRUTH and plead with the Master to put you to his works, today. Titus tells us to be eager for good works! Be eager for good works! yearn to do stuff for Jesus, today.
I'm getting tired and we need refreshment. We don't do this because it's fun or because it makes us feel puffed up! We feel broken and need the Church to come to help. how? Start by stopping with the defensiveness! We're not talking about what you feel like we're talking about. We're not saying anything about being "good enough". NONE OF US ARE GOOD ENOUGH! WE START AS SINNERS, HATERS AND PREDATORS. WE CONTINUE AS BEGGARS...
Your church leaders are talking about tithes and program involvement, trying to get you to discover the Love Jesus is talking about...
JEsus himself?
He's talking about your SUV, your 250,000 dollar homes, your SeaDoo jetskis, your house on the lake that you can't use because you're too busy...
JEsus himself?
He's talking about GETTING RID OF STUFF, THEN USING THE FREE MONEY TO HELP THE POOR. What? Where is your head?
Some people say that your head is to keep you out of trouble, away from poverty. Jesus gives us the "mind of Christ", that brigns us close to the lowly. Deal with Him. Deal with truth. Deal with Him.
Christian truth isn't a creed, as comforting as they are. Christian Truth is a Person--Jesus Himself. When we speak the truth, we're turning you to Jesus. Go with it. Who knows where you'll land.
Kenya?
northside?
over the rhine?
what?
Isn't that what it is?
what did you think it was? aaaah. no. it's not that. it's this. seriously.
Update
I finally got through University Hospital's protective privacy measures to see Chris Challis, yesterday. He is in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. He was the reicipient of one gunshot Wound to the belly. His liver was lacerated (shot up). He is unconscious, with many tubes, IVs and all manner of monitors and whatnot. They are taking great care of him there. Their privacy policies have been fair, and their protectiveness is really a sign of the excellent care that they practise there.
Now, a number of our poeple are on the list there, able to visit Chris. Adam Waters of the Orchard, up in Maineville, and I prayed over Chris for healing and restoration. We're asking that he be restored to Christ, above all-- that he would fully surrender to Jesus' winning love and call. What I mean is that Chris turned back to the drug world, and his apartment became, once again, a center of evil in our neighborhood. We were forced out of his life, and have been praying ever since for him to turn back (or maybe for the first time, really) to christ and follow.
All of this makes us all think of our lives and how we sin daily in many ways, not all small ways, either. Romans 2 was on the table this morning in our community. Read it and pray mercifully and thankfully for all of us and for Chris.
When the News 12 guys were here, they asked me if I'd say a few words about the Prodigal Son. I was stymied. I literally was at a loss. I tried to see an angle on it, but all I could say was somethign like;
We don't see Chris as a prodigal at all. We see ourselves as prodigals--all of us--coming home, together.
I'm nobody's father! They're not my sons! I'm the brother who has a choice to rejoice at the lavish love the father has for the prodigal. Luke 15... what?
Now, a number of our poeple are on the list there, able to visit Chris. Adam Waters of the Orchard, up in Maineville, and I prayed over Chris for healing and restoration. We're asking that he be restored to Christ, above all-- that he would fully surrender to Jesus' winning love and call. What I mean is that Chris turned back to the drug world, and his apartment became, once again, a center of evil in our neighborhood. We were forced out of his life, and have been praying ever since for him to turn back (or maybe for the first time, really) to christ and follow.
All of this makes us all think of our lives and how we sin daily in many ways, not all small ways, either. Romans 2 was on the table this morning in our community. Read it and pray mercifully and thankfully for all of us and for Chris.
When the News 12 guys were here, they asked me if I'd say a few words about the Prodigal Son. I was stymied. I literally was at a loss. I tried to see an angle on it, but all I could say was somethign like;
We don't see Chris as a prodigal at all. We see ourselves as prodigals--all of us--coming home, together.
I'm nobody's father! They're not my sons! I'm the brother who has a choice to rejoice at the lavish love the father has for the prodigal. Luke 15... what?
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Chris Challis Shot on Blue Rock
Chris Challis, our houseguest last winter for two months-- the brother who lost his legs 8 years ago, who moved into our neigborhood, whose place was getting robbed, who Crossroads helped with his rent...
...was shot two nights ago in Northside. He was hit in the abdomen, and is in critical condition at University Hospital.
There was a thing on channel 12, last night, where Lew and Zach were interviewed, too. This is such a sad time for us all. Let's all pray a lot for Chris' recovery, and that we can reconnect with him.
Last winter, just after he moved into his new apartment, while the local street crowd was busy robbing and harassing him, he gave into the pressure and invited some people from the neigborhood to move in with him. He was soon pulled under a current of peer pressure and "old ways" of living.
It was very hard for us, but he hasn't wanted to be around us fo the last 4 months. We have been waiting and praying for him to draw near again.
Please join us in praying that we can be of service to Chris in his healing and convalesence, as well as in his full return to the life of Kingdom and Christ...
written quickly on pda. please forgive weaknesses and faults...
...was shot two nights ago in Northside. He was hit in the abdomen, and is in critical condition at University Hospital.
There was a thing on channel 12, last night, where Lew and Zach were interviewed, too. This is such a sad time for us all. Let's all pray a lot for Chris' recovery, and that we can reconnect with him.
Last winter, just after he moved into his new apartment, while the local street crowd was busy robbing and harassing him, he gave into the pressure and invited some people from the neigborhood to move in with him. He was soon pulled under a current of peer pressure and "old ways" of living.
It was very hard for us, but he hasn't wanted to be around us fo the last 4 months. We have been waiting and praying for him to draw near again.
Please join us in praying that we can be of service to Chris in his healing and convalesence, as well as in his full return to the life of Kingdom and Christ...
written quickly on pda. please forgive weaknesses and faults...
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Laptop
Yeah, it's an interesting story about my laptop.
learning that I'm a tecchie, you might envision a guy who spends a lot on his toys. I guess I have. Just nowhere near what you'd have to normally.
but a lot is a lot. time, especially. I've learned that time is worth more than money.
anyway, I got a steal on my laptop. I found an apple at my shop-- laptopworld.com for 999. I talked them down to 750. sweet. tha was a year ago, while I was teaching french at the co-op.
It was a great deal. I bought the Laptop for 750, service for about 50, and a RAM upgrade to make it faster for about 100. 850 total.
I especially liked the service thing. They totally guarantee the whole thing, including the screen! Better deal than anywhere... I was really high on Laptopworld.com...
So, Poor Zakky's computer needed a hinge replaced. I naturally sent him to LaptopWorld.com. Who wouldn't.
two weeks.
no sweat.
at five weeks, they told us it would be done in a day or two--it was on the table...
at 8 weeks, they told us that it would not take much longer.
at 10 weeks, they told me that for 100 dollars, we could have it back with a partial fix, but still in two pieces.
otherwise, it would still cost 75 dollars.
then a hinge broke on my apple laptop. then the cdrom stopped working right. all this in addition to their refusal to repair a previous problem...
actually they didn't refuse. they asked me to please not insist that they fix it... sad...
soo. I broke down and brought my computer to them, pertheir request, for evaluation. The owner is in charge of it. Nobody else can tell me anything about it...
No calls back.
No information
no documentation
nothing...
3 weeks.
850 bucks... interesting.
It would have been better to pay a thousand at th apple store for a computer that wasn't five years old,
that wouldn't break as soon
with backing by a reputable company...
caveat emptor!
let the buyer beware...
well, that's that story.
now there's the whole questionof how to get refunded, or to get the repair done... Now that this is happening again, I see that LaptopWorld.com is a business in trouble.
Pray for me that I wouldn't shame our Lord in how I handle this.
learning that I'm a tecchie, you might envision a guy who spends a lot on his toys. I guess I have. Just nowhere near what you'd have to normally.
but a lot is a lot. time, especially. I've learned that time is worth more than money.
anyway, I got a steal on my laptop. I found an apple at my shop-- laptopworld.com for 999. I talked them down to 750. sweet. tha was a year ago, while I was teaching french at the co-op.
It was a great deal. I bought the Laptop for 750, service for about 50, and a RAM upgrade to make it faster for about 100. 850 total.
I especially liked the service thing. They totally guarantee the whole thing, including the screen! Better deal than anywhere... I was really high on Laptopworld.com...
So, Poor Zakky's computer needed a hinge replaced. I naturally sent him to LaptopWorld.com. Who wouldn't.
two weeks.
no sweat.
at five weeks, they told us it would be done in a day or two--it was on the table...
at 8 weeks, they told us that it would not take much longer.
at 10 weeks, they told me that for 100 dollars, we could have it back with a partial fix, but still in two pieces.
otherwise, it would still cost 75 dollars.
then a hinge broke on my apple laptop. then the cdrom stopped working right. all this in addition to their refusal to repair a previous problem...
actually they didn't refuse. they asked me to please not insist that they fix it... sad...
soo. I broke down and brought my computer to them, pertheir request, for evaluation. The owner is in charge of it. Nobody else can tell me anything about it...
No calls back.
No information
no documentation
nothing...
3 weeks.
850 bucks... interesting.
It would have been better to pay a thousand at th apple store for a computer that wasn't five years old,
that wouldn't break as soon
with backing by a reputable company...
caveat emptor!
let the buyer beware...
well, that's that story.
now there's the whole questionof how to get refunded, or to get the repair done... Now that this is happening again, I see that LaptopWorld.com is a business in trouble.
Pray for me that I wouldn't shame our Lord in how I handle this.
Time on my Back
Had some major time on my back recently. You see, I got a little operation that starts with a "v", that men sometimes get when they are done having kids naturally, since there are so many kids needing adoption, and my wife has "extenuating circumstances" that endanger the whole process...
soo... this little elective surgery usually takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and is done "outpatient". That means it's done in an examination room, not an operating room. Cool.
Well, everything was ready for everything and everything, so there I was, and the doc is there and the nurse is there and everything is starting, and there's some mild pain, injections of novacaine, whatnot...
"no scalpel" is the new technique, you see... it's all about using sharp clamps, rather than fishing throug an incision, or something...
...aaaaanyway, there ended up being plenty of scalpel. The whole procedure, with all its painful squeezing, pulling, and clamping (whoops! they clamped something I'm keeping) lasted well over an hour.
Out in the waiting room, judy watched as the whole staff went from happy normal, to ominously silent. Word has spread that things weren't going well...
She took me home without a pain prescription, advice to ice, and th prediction that I'd be more sore than they had warned.
Within a few hours we were on the phone to another doctor, who prescribed a couple days worth of a pain killer.
I was mortally wounded. I was unable to walk for about 5 days. I walked, but I payed. On day 7 I had to fly to Denver. I paid for that. A small infection set in.
I called all my homies. they prayed, and the sitch got better almost immediately.
Today, It's over 2 weeks later and I'm still unable to run. No kidding. Amazing. I'm getting better a little each day. Amazing.
10-20 Minutes. wow.
There's a clue into my cyber absence.
soo... this little elective surgery usually takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and is done "outpatient". That means it's done in an examination room, not an operating room. Cool.
Well, everything was ready for everything and everything, so there I was, and the doc is there and the nurse is there and everything is starting, and there's some mild pain, injections of novacaine, whatnot...
"no scalpel" is the new technique, you see... it's all about using sharp clamps, rather than fishing throug an incision, or something...
...aaaaanyway, there ended up being plenty of scalpel. The whole procedure, with all its painful squeezing, pulling, and clamping (whoops! they clamped something I'm keeping) lasted well over an hour.
Out in the waiting room, judy watched as the whole staff went from happy normal, to ominously silent. Word has spread that things weren't going well...
She took me home without a pain prescription, advice to ice, and th prediction that I'd be more sore than they had warned.
Within a few hours we were on the phone to another doctor, who prescribed a couple days worth of a pain killer.
I was mortally wounded. I was unable to walk for about 5 days. I walked, but I payed. On day 7 I had to fly to Denver. I paid for that. A small infection set in.
I called all my homies. they prayed, and the sitch got better almost immediately.
Today, It's over 2 weeks later and I'm still unable to run. No kidding. Amazing. I'm getting better a little each day. Amazing.
10-20 Minutes. wow.
There's a clue into my cyber absence.
Message to the World
This morning I'm sitting at the Sidewinder Cafe, typing out on this miniscule keypad, enjoying neigborhood conversations and NPR as a background.
The wireless here, and the purchase of a CF card and extra battery have enabled our communication via blog.
I'm pleased with the medium...
There's been a ton of activity in the 'hood this week. The weather has broken, so truancy and street crimes are rising...
Last night a man in a wheelchair was hit in a crossfire on Blue Rock Street in our neighborhood-- Northside.
I have hoped an prayed for that man, wondering if he is Chris Challis. Chris now lives as a neighbor to us, down the street. You may remember him from last winter, around November... that's fall. Yeah, Chris lived with us for two months last fall/early winter...
I remember how he had to go outside to smoke, and the house got sooooo cold every time because the handicapable door is right in the main dining room...
I remember how he would cook up those funny round ball-shaped hamburgers, covered with chili powder. they were great.
I remember our kitchen transformed into a candle factory.
I remember how the dishes were always clean, the kids were always laughing, and our house was joyful because Chris was shining in our home...
Now, Chris lives with tons of room mates down the street. He has turned us down on the offer of Christian fellowship. His room mates are really into drugs and he isn't inclined to compromise his bond with them... We still love Chris and are praying for love to rule us...
That's a story that's not over yet...
The wireless here, and the purchase of a CF card and extra battery have enabled our communication via blog.
I'm pleased with the medium...
There's been a ton of activity in the 'hood this week. The weather has broken, so truancy and street crimes are rising...
Last night a man in a wheelchair was hit in a crossfire on Blue Rock Street in our neighborhood-- Northside.
I have hoped an prayed for that man, wondering if he is Chris Challis. Chris now lives as a neighbor to us, down the street. You may remember him from last winter, around November... that's fall. Yeah, Chris lived with us for two months last fall/early winter...
I remember how he had to go outside to smoke, and the house got sooooo cold every time because the handicapable door is right in the main dining room...
I remember how he would cook up those funny round ball-shaped hamburgers, covered with chili powder. they were great.
I remember our kitchen transformed into a candle factory.
I remember how the dishes were always clean, the kids were always laughing, and our house was joyful because Chris was shining in our home...
Now, Chris lives with tons of room mates down the street. He has turned us down on the offer of Christian fellowship. His room mates are really into drugs and he isn't inclined to compromise his bond with them... We still love Chris and are praying for love to rule us...
That's a story that's not over yet...
Good Morning in April!
I don't care to think about how long it's been since I've blogged. I hope you're still out there.
Some of the things that have happened in the last month, from having my laptop break down to having a small surgery beocme a complicated week on my back, provide excuse material. I'm not interested in filling you in on all the gory details because, especially in the case of the small surgery story, they're gory.
I'm okay, though. And Im using an old Pocket PC with a portable keyboard instead of my laptop, which languishes in the repair shop at Laptopworld.com. It's interesting to note that my life is kind of okay without instant, daily access to the web. I can write in my book, or type thoughts out on this Pocket Pc. Heck, I even get to blog...
Well, thanks for reading. Thanks for keeping up with our life here In Northside.
Tonight, Tim's family is coming. That's Tim, my German son. It's wonderful to have them. They'll stay one night, then go on with Tim for about 4 days of touring somewhere...
They'll all be back soon for a few days of touring around Cincinnati. I'll show them the sights and views. It's great.
Some of the things that have happened in the last month, from having my laptop break down to having a small surgery beocme a complicated week on my back, provide excuse material. I'm not interested in filling you in on all the gory details because, especially in the case of the small surgery story, they're gory.
I'm okay, though. And Im using an old Pocket PC with a portable keyboard instead of my laptop, which languishes in the repair shop at Laptopworld.com. It's interesting to note that my life is kind of okay without instant, daily access to the web. I can write in my book, or type thoughts out on this Pocket Pc. Heck, I even get to blog...
Well, thanks for reading. Thanks for keeping up with our life here In Northside.
Tonight, Tim's family is coming. That's Tim, my German son. It's wonderful to have them. They'll stay one night, then go on with Tim for about 4 days of touring somewhere...
They'll all be back soon for a few days of touring around Cincinnati. I'll show them the sights and views. It's great.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Newsletter!!!!
Hey! Our guys, Smitty and Zach, have gotten a bunch of us together and produced a pretty nice newsletter! It's cool. I'm sending it out to people.
I like the newsletter because there are so many perspectives in it. I'll see if I can get some of its articles in here...
I like the newsletter because there are so many perspectives in it. I'll see if I can get some of its articles in here...
More thoughts on Jubilee
Jubilee has been on our minds in the chase house community. Weve been at table scheming how to live out the reality that Jesus is the Jubilee, incarnate.
If you are unfamiliar with the Jubilee, throw down a good thorough search of the Old Testament. It's there to show you How God wanted his post empire (post-egypt) children to live.
The Jubilee included the freeing of slaves, canceling of debts, and restoration a all lands to their assigned families.
In our meeting the other week, we brought up the concept of the interest free loans tha Jesus told us we ought to be giving. I was delighted to hear that a local christian group is doing that very thing. I mean, who would do tha? Interest free? Awesome. What a testimony to the truth that we really believe in Jesus. Let's "all the more" that one, everyone!
Anyway, this question gets raised about the cancelation of debts and interest free loaning. I was postulating that Christian churches should get busy about the relief of the people's debts. I was saying that it is imperative that we remove the blockage that is hindering mission among the young disciples around us.
For example:
one couple inour goup represents 80,000 dollars in debt! Why? School. Plain and simple.
Another young missionary with us has 30,000... school again... school
school
school
school
school
and what is being done with all the schooling?
well, some good stuff, but overall, it woul dhave been greater for these youngsters to have spent time in international mission, or in service in america, somewhere, or in work in the workforce... but instead, they get put in four year college, and they emerge with tons of debt... and a degree in communications or PR or, french...
this is a limited medium, and I have limited time... I'm not trying to shame the GREAT intentions of parents who urge their kids to go to college. Thank God for the love of parents that has spurred them o urge us to go to shcool... thank s to our parents, too. Love ya mom and dad.
I'm just remarking about the idea that now, the church is ina bind. Workers to the field--godly disciples who are worthy of their keep-- are hindered by causes that simple obedience to th eteaching of Jesus could solve. dissolve.
soo... the question about loans, debt relief, and whatnot was... WHAT IF A PERSON IS IN DEBT BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN FOLLY? WHERE DOES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY COME IN?
great question:
In the meeting, I pulled out 1 Timothy 5 and discussed that there are leadership issues at work there. Godly overseers are to administrate which people get what kind of hlep... help...
But later, I was ruminating on the Jubilee--our example. You know what? Here's a dangerous beauty: ALL debts were canceled for citizens.
ALL citizen slaves were freed...
ALL lands were returned to the inheritors...
Within the Community of Israel, relief was unconditional--everyone got relief. No exceptions.
From the fool to the sage, everything got set straight. everything for everyone.
There were no exceptions. All citizens.
How does this inorm our administration of love within the body?
Are citizens possibly an image for baptized disciples? OOPS! did we go and baptize a whole lotta people who aren't disciples? OOPS! did we go and let the church become a den of snakes and wolves in sheeps clothings because we were afraid that we'd lose the building? or our staff positions? or our influence?
and now we can't live jubilee because things are so messed up?
Well, let's table together and work it out! all together. because Jubilee is for Jesus, for us, for the world to see.
JN 17.
again, limited medium, limited time. some statements are weak, unexpanded... so try to complete them in the comments. do you hear what I
m scratching at, here?
If you are unfamiliar with the Jubilee, throw down a good thorough search of the Old Testament. It's there to show you How God wanted his post empire (post-egypt) children to live.
The Jubilee included the freeing of slaves, canceling of debts, and restoration a all lands to their assigned families.
In our meeting the other week, we brought up the concept of the interest free loans tha Jesus told us we ought to be giving. I was delighted to hear that a local christian group is doing that very thing. I mean, who would do tha? Interest free? Awesome. What a testimony to the truth that we really believe in Jesus. Let's "all the more" that one, everyone!
Anyway, this question gets raised about the cancelation of debts and interest free loaning. I was postulating that Christian churches should get busy about the relief of the people's debts. I was saying that it is imperative that we remove the blockage that is hindering mission among the young disciples around us.
For example:
one couple inour goup represents 80,000 dollars in debt! Why? School. Plain and simple.
Another young missionary with us has 30,000... school again... school
school
school
school
school
and what is being done with all the schooling?
well, some good stuff, but overall, it woul dhave been greater for these youngsters to have spent time in international mission, or in service in america, somewhere, or in work in the workforce... but instead, they get put in four year college, and they emerge with tons of debt... and a degree in communications or PR or, french...
this is a limited medium, and I have limited time... I'm not trying to shame the GREAT intentions of parents who urge their kids to go to college. Thank God for the love of parents that has spurred them o urge us to go to shcool... thank s to our parents, too. Love ya mom and dad.
I'm just remarking about the idea that now, the church is ina bind. Workers to the field--godly disciples who are worthy of their keep-- are hindered by causes that simple obedience to th eteaching of Jesus could solve. dissolve.
soo... the question about loans, debt relief, and whatnot was... WHAT IF A PERSON IS IN DEBT BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN FOLLY? WHERE DOES PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY COME IN?
great question:
In the meeting, I pulled out 1 Timothy 5 and discussed that there are leadership issues at work there. Godly overseers are to administrate which people get what kind of hlep... help...
But later, I was ruminating on the Jubilee--our example. You know what? Here's a dangerous beauty: ALL debts were canceled for citizens.
ALL citizen slaves were freed...
ALL lands were returned to the inheritors...
Within the Community of Israel, relief was unconditional--everyone got relief. No exceptions.
From the fool to the sage, everything got set straight. everything for everyone.
There were no exceptions. All citizens.
How does this inorm our administration of love within the body?
Are citizens possibly an image for baptized disciples? OOPS! did we go and baptize a whole lotta people who aren't disciples? OOPS! did we go and let the church become a den of snakes and wolves in sheeps clothings because we were afraid that we'd lose the building? or our staff positions? or our influence?
and now we can't live jubilee because things are so messed up?
Well, let's table together and work it out! all together. because Jubilee is for Jesus, for us, for the world to see.
JN 17.
again, limited medium, limited time. some statements are weak, unexpanded... so try to complete them in the comments. do you hear what I
m scratching at, here?
For What Its Worth
I'm so happy to be back on the blog after a long hiatus. You see, I have lost the normal use of my portable computer. I'm blogging this out at the Sidewinder from my PDA--a fairly ancient iPAQ Pocket PC. iT'S A neat trick, with a little folding keyboard and tiny, tiny keys...
Well, John and Prari are married and honeymooning in WV. The wedding was really fun. They told me ot make it fun, so I started out with "Maahwedge...Maahwedge ids wha bhings ufs twogedbvah twodaay... aaand whuv! Tvhruuh Whuv!"
--
From the Princess Bride Movie... It was really fun to preside with Adam Waters of the Orchard, over that wedding.
I'm really liking this church. In this experience of church,there's such an emphasis on truth, scripture, prayer, healing... all the main things occupy center space. It's church as it ought to be.
As a leaderservant in the church of Jesus--the bride of Christ-- the body of christ, which is in the world but not of it-- the pillar and foundation of the truth-- the proclaimer of God's manifold wisdom to the rulers of the heavenly realms--
...let me try again--as a brother in the Lord whose life is consumed in the work of the Gospel, whose earthly substance is occupied in the work of teaching and preaching the Truth about Jesus from the Scriptures, and from the leading of the Spirit...
I have to say how great it is to be a part of this local experience of church. In our meetings, the Word goes out clearly, and there's a wonderful give and take and sharing in spiritual gifts. It really builds us up. I mean, I'm the "pastor", and I'm getting so much out of sharing in this mutual encouragement.
Then, during the week, there's prayer with each other, and a constant, godly scheming in prayer and counsel together about how to more fully serve Christ in His kingdom, while we sojourn this temporal empire...
Well, John and Prari are married and honeymooning in WV. The wedding was really fun. They told me ot make it fun, so I started out with "Maahwedge...Maahwedge ids wha bhings ufs twogedbvah twodaay... aaand whuv! Tvhruuh Whuv!"
--
From the Princess Bride Movie... It was really fun to preside with Adam Waters of the Orchard, over that wedding.
I'm really liking this church. In this experience of church,there's such an emphasis on truth, scripture, prayer, healing... all the main things occupy center space. It's church as it ought to be.
As a leaderservant in the church of Jesus--the bride of Christ-- the body of christ, which is in the world but not of it-- the pillar and foundation of the truth-- the proclaimer of God's manifold wisdom to the rulers of the heavenly realms--
...let me try again--as a brother in the Lord whose life is consumed in the work of the Gospel, whose earthly substance is occupied in the work of teaching and preaching the Truth about Jesus from the Scriptures, and from the leading of the Spirit...
I have to say how great it is to be a part of this local experience of church. In our meetings, the Word goes out clearly, and there's a wonderful give and take and sharing in spiritual gifts. It really builds us up. I mean, I'm the "pastor", and I'm getting so much out of sharing in this mutual encouragement.
Then, during the week, there's prayer with each other, and a constant, godly scheming in prayer and counsel together about how to more fully serve Christ in His kingdom, while we sojourn this temporal empire...
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