Feeling the love

So, I had a wee bit of surgery on Monday. It wasn't a huge deal, but neither was it fun. I had a 'Squamous Cell Carcinoma' removed from my nose. If you're going to get cancer, this is a great one to get. The odds are very, very good that after this minor operation I won't have to worry about this little bugger again. Then again, it was cancer, and that's never a good thing to have. Now it's over, and I've just got to get this 10-stitch scar to heal and I'm all set. It looks like Harry Potter's scar tilted to one side a bit, and on my nose instead of my forehead. I'm waiting for my special powers. :-)

Before the surgery, I thought I would send out emails and let the folks I love know what's up. I don't really know why I wanted those folks to know, I just did. And as I added people's names to the email, and the list got longer and longer, I just couldn't believe how many names were on it. By the time I finally sent it, there were way more people on that list than I had ever expected. And I thought "Wow, there are a lot of people I care about."

Then the replies started coming back. Friends I hadn't talked to in awhile, family members I hadn't seen in years. And then I thought "Wow, there are a lot of people who care about me!" I gotta tell ya, that was a great feeling. It was so wonderful to get all those emails of love and support. I've never really had any kind of health crisis before, so this was new for me, but now I feel like I'm the most beloved person on earth. Cancer sucks, even this minor kind. But feeling this much love is just awesome. It really feels great.

Thanks, everyone! I love you too!

I made it rain. Again.

It's about an hour and a half before I need to go setup our booth for "Taste of Alpharetta." This is a festival that 60,000 people come to. The River is going to be there handing out balloons and doing face painting and sharing God's love and just letting folks know the church is out there. All of which sounds great, and would be great, if I wasn't going. Here's why:

Every time I go do this at a festival, it rains.

It's happened the last three times. The last two were complete rainouts. "Taste" is supposed to be 'rain or shine', but it's gonna be a whole lot more rain than shine. Last time I looked at the radar it was entirely filled with rain. North, south, east and west. The only dry places in three states were indoors. I doubt we'll get 6 people, never mind 60,000. All of which is lousy for growing The River, but is very good for Georgia. At last, the way to end the drought is clear. I just need to go to more festivals.

So if you know of any festivals, let me know. I'll go, and then we can take long showers again.

Theme Song #2

One a week, eh? Whoops. I'm sure you have found the suspense difficult to manage. :-) I apologize for that.

This next song isn't as happy as the last one. I chose this one because it motivates me. It's by Alanis Morissette, and it's called "Joining You." Full lyrics are here, and you can listen to the song here (again, please don't download). In the song, a friend has tried to kill herself. This conversation takes place after. Here's the chorus:

if we were our bodies
if we were our futures
if we were our defenses i'd be joining you
if we were our culture
if we were our leaders
if we were our denials i'd be joining you

She lists lots of other things: if we were our successes, projections, incomes, etc. All things that, if we actually were, she would join her friend in committing suicide. But she doesn't, because we aren't. Still, that begs the question: what are we? If not those things, then what?

This is my theme song because that is a question millions of people are asking. It is a question that sums up life in 21st century America. Life today is a quest for meaning, for purpose. Morissette herself sings as much:

you and I we're like 4 year olds
we want to know why and how come about everything
we want to reveal ourselves at will and speak our minds
and never talk small and be intuitive
and question mightily and find god my tortured beacon
we need to find like-minded companions

This is my theme song because I created The River for people like Alanis Morisette. People on a journey to ask questions, find God, and do it all with "like-minded companions." Listening to this song reminds of why I'm doing this, who it's for, and that the need is there. It gets me focused and centered. That's why it's my second theme song.

Coming in a few weeks: Theme Song #3, the one I listen to every Sunday on the drive to worship.

Theme Song #1

This is the first of my three theme songs. I'm doing one a week. This one is by U2, whom I consider to be the greatest Christian rock band ever. They don't fit some people's views of being a "Christian band" because they don't play exclusively spiritual music. That's nuts. They are Christians, they write songs about God and faith and life, and they live their faith out by making the world a better place. And they've sold a gazillion albums. Thus, the greatest Christian rock band ever.

You can listen to the song here (and please listen and don't download). It's called "Walk On," originally recorded on the album "All That You Can't Leave Behind." The version I linked to is from the live September 11th Benefit Concert America: A Tribute to Heroes, and was recorded days after the attacks. They were in London, hence the "Hello from London" at the beginning. On the studio version, there is a different beginning (studio lyrics here). On the live version, here's how the song begins:
Heaven on earth
I need it now
I'm sick of all of this
Hanging around
I'm sick of the sorrow
Sick of the pain
Sick of hearing again and again
That there's never gonna be
Peace on earth

The end is similar to the studio album, but goes like this:

I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on
Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind

All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you deal
All you count on two fingers
And all that you steal...
You've got to leave it behind
Hallelujah!

And the rest of the song is one dude singing "You gotta leave it behind" while the other one sings "Hallelujah." And thus we come to the reason why this is my theme song: because he's leaving behind everything this world tells us we need and he's happy about it! He's glad! He's singing about leaving behind everything this world holds dear to make God's kingdom (heaven on earth) happen, and his life is better!

Leaving it behind for Jesus, and having life. That's Easter.
Hallelujah!

Getting dirty again

Once upon a time, I was not afraid to get dirty. I worked in a food pantry. I volunteered in a homeless shelter. I fed the hungry, clothed the naked. I believed that the Kingdom of God was at hand (as Jesus said over and over), and was out there sharing it. Then I started thinking strategically. I realized that if I got other people to help with that work, then the Kingdom would grow even more. So I stopped doing that kind of work myself. I've been talking about it, but not doing it.

One of my mentors, Dave, lives in Colorado. Bill Easum is a church consulting big-wig, and when Dave told Bill that Dave had no business spending time with the poor himself. That his job was to do what I'd described- to get others out there doing the 'grunt work'. But Dave told me that when he looks into the eyes of those he's serving, he sees Jesus. It keeps him grounded. It keeps him focused. It keeps him close to God.

That's something that's been missing in my life. As a result, I've lost my voice. I can't speak about the power of the Kingdom of God breaking into these situations because I haven't seen it myself in a long time. As a result, my strategy doesn't seem to be working. I'm less able to inspire others to do this kind of work because it's been so long since I've done it myself.

I'm gonna start getting dirty again. It's time to stop talking about the Kingdom of God and to start showing it. Time to stop thinking and talking, and time to start doing and showing. So I'm gonna get dirty, and I invite you to join me. Email me, call me, whatever, and we'll go get dirty together. Then I won't have to tell you about the Kingdom of God. You can just experience it for yourself.

Religion in the US today

Three different people (edit: four...and counting) have sent me a link to this article in the past day. Please read it. You can find the actual study here, and if you really want to dive in the data tables are here.

A couple of things that jumped out at me:
-the article begins "The US religious marketplace..." When did truth become something we buy and sell?
-the fourth largest religious affiliation in the US is 'none,' with 16% of the total population.
-most of those had an affiliation as children.
-only 1.6% of Americans are atheists, and only 2.4% are agnostics.
-that means that 12% (unaffiliated minus agnostics and atheists) believe in God but are unaffiliated.
-'no affiliation' is the fastest growing affiliation in the country.
-one in every ten Americans is an ex-Catholic...yikes!
-44% of Americans have changed affiliation during their life.

What does all this say to me?

First, 16% unaffiliated isn't all that bad. But when it's the fastest growing group, that's no so good for how we do church in America. Second, the last numbers I heard were that 40% of Americans go to worship (of any religion) on any given week. So there's 44% of the population that are affiliated but don't show up anywhere on a given week. That includes folks who go every other week, once a month, and a couple times year, so it's complex. But there are still lots of folks who are affiliated but not very active. I wish the study would have gotten into that.

Overall, this study shows me that there would be a tremendous market for The River if I thought truth was something to be bought and sold. But I don't. I'm also not all that worried about the numbers of 'unaffiliated' or the 44% who have switched affiliations. I don't care if folks who are The River view themselves as unaffiliated, Lutheran, or African Methodist Episcopal Spinach Tossing Bagel Munchers. Call yourself whatever you like. Truth is not something we're pouring from a denominational tap. It's a cup we're offering to anyone who is thirsty. Have a sip, chug it down, whatever. Stay for a swim or just dip a toe in, whatever. Because Jesus gives the water of life, not a denomination. And those who drink of the water he gives will never be thirsty, regardless of the tap it comes from.

To be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known.

This is really good stuff. It's a dramatic interpretation of the "Woman at the Well" from John 4:1-30. Click on the 'click here to preview' and watch it for free.

I was talking with someone Sunday who said that we no longer have a need for community. I had never thought of it that way before, but it's true. We fill up on 'activities' instead. Think about how much time we spend at them. Both adults and kids. We go from one thing to the next, and what we're typically doing is paying someone to provide a service to us. Karate, Basketball, Knitting, whatever. We're paying for a service. We aren't having conversation or experiencing relationships that involve authenticity or vulnerability because we don't have to. We go from activity to activity, day after day, week after week, year after year, and it's all about us: what we get. We hide our true selves, and live without a genuine relationship to be found.

Contrast that with this woman. She wants to be loved. And she knows that to do that, she has to be known. She has to be known! Otherwise, she cannot be loved. You can't have one without the other. Now, here's the really scary thing that she points out: despite our best efforts to hide, God knows you already. Hate to be the one to break it to you, but it's true. God knows you already. And God loves you. The real you. Not the one you bring to Starbucks or the one you show online. The real you. God knows the real you, and God loves you.

And if you're good enough for God, why worry about what anybody else thinks?

It's scary being vulnerable, but we are vulnerable to God. We like to pretend we aren't, but we are. Instead of fighting that vulnerability, do what she does and embrace it. Knowing we are loved by God frees us to be authentically known by other people, and so to be authentically loved by them. It's freeing.

So skip the activities. Instead, be known. And be loved.