There are many ways to see the Scriptures, many themes, many narratives. Is it poetry? History? Metaphor? Instruction? Of course, the answer to the question, ‘which is it?’ is Yes. But, today, I’m sitting here on my loveseat, looking outside at flurries in late April, taking the perspective that it is the story of an amazing, unpredictable God holding our hands and leading us forward, away from the tiny, constricting idea of God we have created.
The prophet Ezekiel received his vision, communicating with God ON THE SHORES OF BABYLON(!!!), the last place in the world that God should be found.
Jacob had his dream in the middle of the desert, waking up, saying, “God is in this place and I did not know.”
The entire book of Jonah is confusing – everything you think should happen, doesn’t. Every person you think should be doing the right thing, doesn’t. And every person who should not do the right thing, does.
Jesus eats with people He shouldn’t, heals people He shouldn’t, touches people He shouldn’t. He loved everyone – which nobody should ever do – until it killed Him.
These things don’t make sense. As soon as we know what God wants, who God wants, and where God is, we are shown that our prideful understanding is, frustratingly, inadequate.
We started this community with that in mind. In fact, it is this very perspective that began my personal journey from atheism to a relationship with Jesus. (I was going to write, ‘from atheism to faith,’ but they are, obviously, both faith, so that phrase was silly and ignorant and needed to be changed.) So, our mission is, not to take God anywhere, but to open eyes to the God who is already there, loving you with the same passion He loves everyone, regardless of gender, geography, or anything else that looks to all the world like a wall.
So, I took stances against religion, church, and Christian art – all institutions that imply that God is exclusively there (and not at work, the gym, the movie theater, or pop radio). My business was to swing a sledgehammer at any division of sacred v. secular. God is everywhere – not just in your temple, I shouted, loving everyone – not just your clique.
And, that’s right.
But a strange thing happened. In my zeal to let God out of institutions that limited His size, scope and intent, I was rebuilding those walls right where they were, behind Him, deciding that He would not be in those places or groups. But, of course, there is no ‘behind’ God. Surprisingly, everywhere is, actually, everywhere. I am Jacob – God has been in this place all along, and I did not know. My small perspective is keeping me from hearing His voice in Jerusalem, as well as in Babylon. And, as He has been doing since forever, He covers me in a loving embrace, holds my shaking hands, walks next to me, and blows my mind wide open.

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Good morning.

It is an overwhelmingly beautiful day, with full sunshine and the promise of spring.  With no precipitation in the forecast, we will meet tomorrow at 10:30 at the Mays.  And I, for one, can’t wait.

We’ve spent some time apart lately, so please remember to turn your clocks tonight – I’d hate to miss any of you.

See you tomorrow!!

Love. peace.

Good morning.

Well, this shot of weather has taken me a bit by surprise.  We are concerned about 934, which has historically been a serious problem in situations like  this.  To take the chance that even one of us could be in any danger seems irresponsible.  So, we will cancel today, and continue our study next week, when this relentless winter is one week closer to spring.

Enjoy your day.

Love. peace.

As the snow continues to fall, we are forced to give some attention to our service tomorrow.  I am hopeful, even with the accumulation, that the rising temperatures will make cleanup possible.  In this case, we will meet at the regular time at the regular place (10:30 AM at the Mays), to be followed with our community meal.  If this is not the case, we may change either time or place.  Unless we cancel altogether, any change will still include our meal.  Please check this website tomorrow, I will make a decision and post by 9 AM.

This weather (sub-zero temperatures, new snow EVERY day!!) is beginning to wear on all of us, but there is one very welcome side-effect.  We slow down.  The usual pace of culture is exhausting, chasing ‘productivity’ every moment of every hour.  We try to fit gallon jugs in shot glasses, we run until we break.  This weather forces us to sit down under blankets, playing games, eating as families, talking, listening, holding hands, taking naps.  We can finally breathe again, slowly, deeply, peacefully.  And that is no small thing.

Enjoy.

We will NOT be meeting this morning. We will continue our study and share our meal next week, 2/22/15.
Love. Peace.

This Sunday, we will continue in our conversation of Colossians. Chapter 3 carries many large, troublesome ideas (seemingly inconsistent with chapters 1 & 2) into our lives and sets them down in the middle of the living room, so we’ll wrestle with what it means when what we read just doesn’t make any sense. And, hopefully, by the time we’re finished, it just might.
This weekend, we will also engage in one of my very favorite practices. After the service, we will stay and eat together. Everyone is invited to share this wonderful food together, unhurried and fully aware of the sacred nature of the community meal.
I hope to see you all there.
Of course, there is the possibility of weather being an obstacle to our gathering. If this occurs and we are forced to cancel, I will post here, so you may want to check before you brave the snow and, as I heard a newscaster state, “life-threatening wind chills.”
Love. Peace.

Last Sunday, Kelly Ohlin taught on ‘Speaking In Tongues.’
Now, if this were my message, I would’ve spent 10 minutes explaining spiritual gifts, 30 seconds on tongues, and 35 minutes more reminding us all that we don’t have to do anything to be accepted by God, that we already are. This would’ve been my message because I’ve been damaged by the church. I’ve been damaged by people who told me I had to do something. I’ve been told that I wasn’t really a Christian if I didn’t speak in tongues; that I hadn’t actually fallen in love.
This would’ve been my message because I spent the first 25 years of my life distrusting the whole business of God. Over and over, the news carried thieves, murderers and adulterers, all ‘men of God.’ Church was on TV, with bigger and louder shows. The religious extravaganzas became assaults, unrecognizable from the rest of the programming, as they railed against ‘the world.’ Always, these spectacles showcased people falling over like logs, and others shouting out all over the audience in languages no one knew or could understand.
I decided they were all hucksters, fakers, all, as Holden Caulfield would say, phonies.
I balled Jesus up with them and turned my back on everything.
Eventually, I would meet Jesus and fall in love and realize that, if anyone hated inauthenticity more than me, it was Him. He spent an awful lot of His time wearing out the religious folks that were very good at keeping rules and telling others how awesome they were. He wasn’t pointing fingers and shouting, His was a very different agenda.
Which is why, I think, Kelly’s message has resonated with me all week, why I can’t stop thinking about it. They had the same agenda.
She said, this is what it means to speak in tongues, and here it is in the Scriptures. Then, she did not tell us we had to, she told us we could. And in that one word, could, it all made sense. She said, this is available to you, it’s been wonderful for me, maybe it would be for you, too.
Let’s say you had a house that had a dance floor behind a special door in the basement. Wouldn’t you want to know it’s there? Wouldn’t you want to know it’s available to you?
The Nirvana album, Nevernind, has a secret track after the last song, as do countless others. Many video games have secret levels. DVD’s have things called Easter Eggs with special hidden content. These things are available to you, don’t you want to know?
The difference between ‘had to’ and ‘could’ is Kelly gently handing you an invitation.
The difference between the agendas of the religious elite and Jesus is the same, the invitation. Jesus comes, not with more rules and instructions, He comes with an invitation to know Him, to be with Him, to hold His hand, to love Him. He will not make anyone do anything. He will not coerce, shame or manipulate. Instead, He will invite you into Him, introduce you to yourself – as you have been created, and nothing is ever the same again.