Come on out to Neighborfest!

Freeeeee hamburgers! Need I say more. Actually, it is more important than that. You get to see me dunked in a dunking booth. And if that is not enough, it gets us all together for a great time with a great community in order to spread the word about FBC Memphis. Hope to see you there!

Balance is everything!

...and it begins with the acknowledgment of imbalance. Yes, that's correct. Sometimes a person can gain energy and motivation by simply being honest that something just isn't right. Simple acknowledgement that things are "off" can cause a person to pray, seek counsel, and even start reading a new book.

I admit it. I haven't read much of anything in four weeks. And when I catch myself not reading, it means that I am not resting. If I am not resting, then I am not having meaningful conversations with my family and friends. If I am not working on those relationships then life becomes dull and "have to" oriented.

Several months ago I was running, working out, reading, praying, eating right, and maintaining meaningful times with family. And then suddenly it just got away from me. The floatation devices that make life truly special suddenly became water logged and they all became part of the problem. I didn't sleep last night and that didn't help my attitude.

But at least I am realizing it before I begin to feel the soggy mire of monotony. Tomorrow I will resume reading The Sun Also Rises. I will coach my son's t-ball team with joy because I am investing in his life. I will watch something on TV that is stupid and will make my wife and I laugh. I will run tomorrow evening if I kills me and then upload it in order to make my Nike Ipod woman happy. (She has been wondering where I am lately)

Gaining balance can be seen as mushy, soft, and even lazy to some. I can understand that. We as Americans are supposed to be busy and always accomplishing something. But I don't find that in the New Testament. Taking care of mind, body, and spirit rings a bell. And Jesus said it. I doubt he ran in the evenings but I man who has no where to lay his head at night probably doesn't need to invest in endurance running. It's time to ask yourself, "When is the last time you lost yourself in something?" "Are you eating the right kind of things?" Not because of the old, tired temple of God reason, but because it will make you live longer and give you the energy to do the kind of stuff listed above. "When and what was the last book you read?" Comic books do not count. "Have you prayed while doing the mundane things of life?" Folding clothes and cooking can be spiritual also!!! After all, you are helping your family be a clean, healthy place for community. "Have you tried a new hobby or interest?" Pick up a book on photography or border collies. Who knows, you may have an interest to take a picture of a dog but you won't know how because you haven't been reading......OK, that was dumb. But you get the picture. ha. I didn't mean to do that. And all these puns from a guy who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

In the meantime...don't delay!

Years and years ago, way back in the early ‘70s, I had a vision of the end time. It was probably no coincidence that the world itself was looking pretty terminal at that point. John and Bobby Kennedy had both been buried by then, along with Martin Luther King Jr. Boys I knew were so afraid of being drafted for Vietnam that their hands shook when they dialed the combinations on their mailboxes at the campus post office. Meanwhile, the rest of us were making all the noise we could, taking over administration buildings and marching in the streets. A girl our age had been shot dead by National Guardsmen during a protest at Kent State. We had all seen the picture.
One night in the middle of all this there was a terrific thunderstorm. I lay on the bed in my dorm room watching the sky light up with blast after blast of raw electricity. Even though it was way past midnight, the sky was luminous, with all the nightlights of Atlanta hitting the low clouds and thudding back down again. The color was greenish brown -- not a right color for the sky to be, which made me feel a little queasy inside.
I could not sleep. I had not slept well in weeks. I did not know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I did not even know if I wanted to grow up in such a violent, crazy world. Then I heard myself say, "Come, Lord Jesus" -- just like that -- and then I said it again: "Come, Lord Jesus." I remember thinking I should be afraid to say something like that, but I wasn’t. I was relieved to go ahead and ask for the end. Please come back and finish this thing up. We are no good at it. We have never been any good at it. Come, Lord Jesus, and don’t delay.
Then I looked out the window and saw (imagined?) a bright spot in the sky that grew bigger and bigger, with clouds boiling all around the center of it like big curling waves. Then the head of a beautiful white horse pushed through them, then the front legs, then the chest, until finally this gleaming creature was galloping right toward me with a rider on its back who was too bright for me to see. There was a lot going on in the background too, like the wake behind a giant speedboat, but I never got a good look at that because I could not take my eyes off the horse and rider.
It lasted only for a second or two. Then I stopped imagining (seeing?) and the thunderstorm moved on. I fell asleep, survived college, grew up, got a job -- but that vision of the end remains vivid for me. It is embarrassingly literal, I know. In my part of the country, it might be called a vision of the rapture, and there are plenty of people who would be happy to tell me exactly where it comes in the final lineup of events.
I remember something one of my professors told me once, about how the second coming of Christ was an idea cooked up by some church father with only two fingers. The truth, he said, is that Christ comes again, and again, and again -- that God has placed no limit on coming to the world, but is always on the way to us here and now. The only thing we are required to do is to notice -- to watch, to keep our eyes peeled.
Go ahead and make the decision, write the letter, get the help you need, find someone to love, give yourself away. Why waste your time making preparations for an end time you cannot predict? Live prepared. Live a caught-up life, not a put-off life, so that wherever you are -- standing in a field or grinding at the mill, or just going about the everyday business of your life -- you are ready for God, for whatever happens next, not afraid but wide awake, watching for the Lord who never tires of coming to the world.
Who knows? Ours may be the generation that finally sees him ride in on the clouds, or we may meet him the same way generations before us have -- one by one by one, as we close our eyes for the last time. Either way our lives are in God’s hands. Either way, God leaves the living of them to us. To God be all honor and glory, now and forever.
-Barbara Brown Taylor

Tell Me What You Think...

Some of you may be new to the world of blogging. I am. Makes me feel like I'm 15 again. But hopefully this will add a personal touch to what is going on at FBC along with many other thoughts, perspectives, and updates. Let me know what you think. Comment on something to let me know your out there. Give me your suggestions. Tell me your opinion. I would love to hear from you.

Cute Children with Cups

Wow! What a successful fundraiser we had for The International Justice Mission. On Sunday May 6th, our FBC children wouldn't let anyone out the door without making a donation. It was quite hilarious. I was actually quite surprised at how interested, excited, and intense the children were about raising money and handing out worthless items in a bag. My own 5 year old son was so excited that he received a $20 bill but when we were eating lunch he became disappointed because he thought he was raising it for himself. We explained that wasn't quite the way it worked. Ha. But we will begin counting money soon. Let me say thanks to all who donated to this wonderful organization.

Islands in the Stream

While on the way back from Princeton, I finished Hemingway's late book Islands in the Stream. I'm having a difficult time forgetting this one. I may not refer to it as my favorite novel but I'm close to doing so. If I was to judge a book entirely on the manner in which it moves me, then I would rank it as the best. Islands in the Stream is a tale about Thomas Hudson's nautical life off the coast of Cuba. Images of loss, heartache, loneliness, and adventure come to mind as I reflect on this classic piece of literature. His attention to detail is unlike today's pop culture writers. Hemingway is able to make the reader understand what hunting for a turtle boat in the mangroves is like without using many adjectives. He simply puts you there. He is also allows the reader to gather what Hudson's emotions are like by what he experiences. Therefore, one can understand his motivations for doing something as strange as hunting down German submarines in a sailboat. Ultimately, I find myself envious of Thomas Hudson's character but at the same time thankful that I am nothing like him. Hudson has constructed a life which revolves around sailing, romantic love, painting, and alcohol. Sounds like a splendid life upon first glance. But in the end, the reader is left with wishing him something more.

More on Princeton...and NY

Princeton Theological Seminary is the leader in theological research and reflection concerning youth and family ministry (www.pts.edu). Youth leaders across the country can finally be encouraged. One day the local youth minister will not be considered just the "energetic yahoo" who exists to keep the youth entertained. Rather, research is indicating that the youth and family minister should be considered the resident theologian in the church. It is possible that the one who works with those in their first 1/3 of life will actually be considered the minister who best understands and interprets the culture. This is the challenge for all churches who mistakenly and unknowingly operate on a 1950's model of ministry. For instance, teenagers and young adults are driving what America is about. Whether it be fashion, technology, movements, or voting...young people are where you go to figure out where the world is heading. The struggle will be found in how well churches allow the youthful energy to find a place in the structure of the church. For decades the church has seen the congregation operate fairly well as long as the youth and children stay in their separate departments and designated area. This was described as the two-eared Mickey Mouse model where the larger church is symbolized by a circle with youth and children ministries symbolized by attached yet smaller circles. What would the church look like if these two ministries were active within the larger circle of the congregation? I would love to see this model at work.
A "just under the surface' reason that I attend the PTS seminars is to remind myself of what a great church FBC Memphis is. There are many troubled churches and many depressed ministers in this country. Many of them love to attend conferences so they can get away, become inspired, and complain to others. Well I got away...I became inspired....but I did very little complaining. FBC Memphis certainly has an uphill climb. It will be a while before we are prepared to write a book on church growth and discipleship. But I pray that we are well on our way. The survival of our church will never be based on glitz, glamour, or even programming. And for this we should not be ashamed. Just trying to attract people to the church is an old, tired, model that people do not trust. Rather, midtown will respond to a church that has a purpose, community, and offers opportunities for connection. But even more so, the church will move ahead because it is filled with imperfect believers who will not settle for anything less than a lived-out understanding that God dwells within them. Remember, if we simply believe that God is NICE, then we will only believe that the goal is to be nice to one another. This will not allow true and significant relationships based on faith. And if Jesus was simply therapeutic, meaning that our faith is only about the individual, then we will never see the needs around us. A life constructed by any person is never a life worth living. And if our image of God is deistic (God divided) then we will never really understand that God has made his dwelling place within his followers. He is not over there, or somewhere else, Jesus abides within me. Sounds radical but it is merely biblical.

Oh, and I did have an opportunity to visit New York. I always travel on the train into New York so that I can be reminded of why I love green grass, fishing ponds, and a slower pace. Great place to visit though.

Trip to Princeton

Well it is May 4th and I will be heading back to Memphis today. I miss the children and I am ready to get back to work. Princeton is a beautiful place and I feel refreshed every year that I return. The Princeton Youth Forum is the best thing going because it actually combines youth/family work and theology in ways that were unheard of 10-20 years ago. We actually were able to listen to two lectures by Stanley Haurwass. Haurwass is a nationally known ethicist and theologian. Who would have ever believed we would have such an opportunity? In addition I listened to ways in which to strive toward multicultural community in the church, learned about research being done that is proving that their is a new day in youth and family work (www.exemplarym.com), and listened to the leading writer in family ministry. Overall, it was the best conference that I have attended in my 3 years of coming to this place.