Movin' On Up to the East Side...

...of Grand Rapids, Michigan, that is.

That's right, folks. After over 8 years of wonderful ministry here in Western Pennsylvania (5 in New Castle, 3 in Gibsonia), I regret to report that my wife Cherith and I are "pressing onward" in our ministry and will be moving to Michigan. We have prayed, sought the advice of trusted mentors, and believe that God has called us to serve in a new capacity. At the end of June, I will be leaving my position as Director of Youth and Outreach Ministries at Bakerstown United Methodist Church, to answer a new call as Pastor of Worship and Family Ministries at Saranac Community Church.

I can't say enough about my time at Bakerstown UMC. I have grown in my faith and in my professional abilities, and have had the opportunity to work with some incredible Christians. In particular, I need to give kudos to Rev. Mark Stewart for allowing me to partner with him in leadership. He is a gifted administrator, a gracious pastor, and certainly a valuable asset to the Western PA Conference (as I'm sure many of you know).

Unfortunately, my new position is not with the United Methodist Church. I do not in any way believe that God has called me away from Methodism. Rather, I see this new open door as an invitation from God to broaden my outlook of Kingdom ministry, and as a chance to utilize my major gifts of teaching, spiritual formation, and music for His glory.

I hope you all will continue to stop by this blog from time to time. I have loved being included in this conversation about our common goal of following Christ and providing leadership for His people, and I have been challenged by many of you. For that, I say a huge thanks!

There Is A Hope

I just learned of a relatively new praise hymn written by the great Stuart Townend, the British musician who wrote my favorite praise chorus: In Christ Alone. This new praise hymn is entitled There Is A Hope. I viewed a video this morning on the Worship Together website. The music includes accoustical piano and a Celtic flute. That alone transported me to another dimension...maybe to a green pasture in Ireland, maybe to Middle Earth. Not sure where, but it was awesome!

The lyrics are rich, both spiritually and theologically. Here they are:

THERE IS A HOPE
by Stuart Townend and Mark Edwards
Copyright (c) 2007 Thankyou Music.

There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for ev'ry passing day;
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiv'n;
and Christ in me, the hope of heav'n!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
to make His will my home.

There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Savior there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers, "Courage!" in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.

There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
and every longing satisfied,
then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.

Lord Jesus, May I heed these words this day and every day. May my life be defined by a hope rooted in the truth of Your glorious resurrection. May my dissatisfaction with "life as it is" remind me that I am called by You to embody a vision of life as You would have it. And may I always look forward, knowing that by Your grace, You will indeed lead me home. Amen.

What Are You Reading?

I don't know about you, but I find that my brain starts to resemble a pile of mush when I go any length of time without delving into a good book. I find I function best when I am absorbing the creative thoughts of other people, or just enjoying a good story. I think I already quoted this on a prior post, but a professor of mine used to say, "Leaders are Learners."

Here's a list of recent books I've enjoyed:

THEOLOGICALLY DEEP:

Hugo A. Meynell, Postmodernism and the New Enlightenment. A Catholic philosopher, Meynell argues that "postmoderns" are correct in their critique of many negative aspects of modernity (for example, their scientism, their utilitarianism that results in consumerism, their naive attitude towards the darker human passions, and their uncritical contempt for traditional ways of thinking). However, he maintains that the alternative offered by postmoderns (especially Derrida, Foucault, Rorty, and Lyotard) is actually worse than the modern. He proposes a third alternative, a "new enlightenment," which strives to rise above the modern-postmodern debate by emphasizing the need for attentiveness, intelligence, rationality, and responsibility in all areas of thought. Definitely not an easy read, but one which greatly helped me to understand the core issues in the current cultural transition.

Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. Having spent a great deal of his life among traditional Middle Eastern cultural realities, Bailey offers a fresh perspective on Jesus and the four gospels for those of us who have been trained to see them only through a modern Western perspective. This is definitely the magnum opus of a first-rate biblical scholar!

John R. Schneider, The Good of Affluence: Seeking God in a Culture of Wealth. A religion professor at Calvin College, Schneider re-examines and critiques much of the contemporary Protestant understandings of wealth, poverty, and market-driven economics. He challenges the anti-capitalist exegesis propounded by Marxist and Liberation theologies, but he also takes issue with the "simplistic" views of capitalism that are presented by people like Hauerwas, Sider, and Blomberg. No matter what your political and economic views, I'm sure this book will challenge your assumptions about the Bible's teachings on economics!

PRACTICAL MINISTRY:

Mark Dever, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. Senior pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., Dever presents a model of evangelism that is grounded in the proclaimed Word of God, but which also includes the necessity of authentic relationships. Perhaps the most illuminating chapter in the book is entitled "What Isn't Evangelism," which argues that much of what the church passes off as "outreach" is actually not central to the ultimate thrust of the Gospel message. A short and easy read, but definitely worth it!

Alvin L. Reid, Raising the Bar: Ministry to Youth in the New Millennium. In many ways, this book echoes the concerns of several of the excellent texts on youth ministry to be published in recent years. It too advocates a total transformation of how we do youth ministry. I recommend it simply because it focuses on three very basic factors: Pray Hard, Teach Scripture Well, and Live Authentically among the youth. These three factors are central. The other stuff, whether in its modern or postmodern package, is just icing on the cake.

Terry Wardle, Healing Care, Healing Prayer. Wardle is a professor at Ashland Theological Seminary (I have to give a plug for my alma mater!!!). I recommend this book because it skillfully combines biblical spirituality with informed counseling techniques. It is practical and has helpful resource lists for further reading. In having some deep conversations with my youth over the past few months, I have found myself drawing on its concepts and helpful illustrations. It also emphasizes the central role of the Holy Spirit in all healing that is truly Christian.

JUST FOR FUN:

C. S. Lewis, Prince Caspian. In preparation for the movie's release this weekend!

Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian. It was the title that drew my attention (you know, me being a history buff and all). As for the plot, all I'll say it: Dracula a la The DaVinci Code. Check it out!

So....What's on your reading list?!?!?

"What I've Done" - Sin and Responsibility

Recently, the youth praise band here at BUMC introduced me to a song by Linkin Park entitled What I've Done. It's a single from their latest studio album, Minutes to Midnight, which was released exactly one year ago. That I am just now introduced to it reveals the sad truth that I am at least one year "behind the times" when it comes to much of popular culture. On the other hand, considering that I'm a child of the '80's, I guess I'm doing pretty well.

The music itself is an interesting mix of a hauntingly repetitive piano motif, juxtaposed with very raw-sounding electric guitars and percussion. But what caught me was the lyrics:

In this farewell
There’s no blood
There’s no alibi
‘Cause I’ve drawn regret
From the truth
Of a thousand lies

So let mercy come
And wash away
What I’ve done

I'll face myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done

Put to rest
What you thought of me
While I clean this slate
With the hands of uncertainty

So let mercy come
And wash away
What I’ve done

I'll face myself
To cross out what I’ve become
Erase myself
And let go of what I’ve done

For what I’ve done
I start again
And whatever pain may come
Today this ends
I’m forgiving what I’ve done!!!

What I’ve done
Forgiving what I’ve done

If you preview the video on YouTube, you'll see that these words and music are intermingled with incredible visual images revealing the reality of sin in our world: drug abuse, war, terrorism, racism, pollution and environmental destruction, materialism, evil dictatorships, and nuclear destruction. Clearly, all of these images point to the consequences of our fallen human nature and our rebellion against the sovereign Lord of the Universe.

The typically modern view of sin (if sin is acknowledged at all) is that it is something out there, in the world, in society. We humans are essentially good, modernity taught us, and that the evil in the world is all of these external evils such as war, poverty, ignorance, etc... Sin can be overcome merely be combating these external evils and removing them from the earth, so that we humans can thrive with our natural goodness. In general, modernity tended to shy away from the "dark side" of human nature, believing that we are all in a natural process towards progress. Human reason and motivation are infallible and good, and they alone can save us.

This is certainly not the vision of What I've Done.

While the video depicts all of the external evils rightly abhored by modernity, the lyrics go to the heart of the issue by focusing on what I've done. The lyricist/singer has no illusions about his own essential goodness, or the purity of his motives. He takes full responsibility by acknowledging his own sinful actions, and he hints that mercy must come to him from somewhere outside himself in order that those sinful actions can be fully washed away. While he does declare presumptuously that he will forgive himself, he acknowledges that starting again and forgiving himself must come at the cost of great pain.

Authors such as Hugo A. Meynell and Robert Webber aver that modernity's naivete towards human evil has gone out of fashion among the postmodern generations. Contemporary people, especially the young, are not only more willing to talk about the evils inherent in life, but they are also willing to deal honestly with evil's manifestations in their own minds, hearts, and actions. "The power of positive thinking" and the "cult of self-esteem" has given way to a more realistic assessment of the individual person who, while having clear aspirations to the true and good, acknowledges the limits (even the corruption) of his own reason and volition.

The song What I've Done illustrates a significant scriptural truth, that the individual must fully deal with the log in his or her own eye, in order to see clearly and then deal with the speck that is in our neighbor's eye. It also suggests that our culture today is much more open to hearing a biblical view of individual sin and responsibility - a view which much of the church has failed to proclaim in our world.

Too few Christians are hearing from the pulpits a Word-informed anthropology which stresses the full weight of what we've done as individuals. We are rebels against a holy and righteous God, and we constantly set up false idols to fill the absence of His presence. Certainly, the world beyond the church is not hearing this truth. As it is, we are not giving people a true reason for being Christians in the first place: to receive God's incredible forgiveness and justification in Jesus Christ, to have our sins washed away in sanctification, and to live in the reality of His grace and mercy.

Clearly, Linkin Park (and obviously much of their fans) understand the need to face themselves honestly, to have mercy come to them, to have their sins washed away and the slate wiped clean, and to feel the joy of forgiveness. It's about time that we proclaim the whole Gospel without fear of offending others, so that those inside and outside the Church can be convicted of their sin and thereby return to the One who bore the pain of our forgiveness and Who accepts all of us in spite of what we've done.