Holy Community

We need community. A lot of us do not want to admit it, but we do. We cannot live without it. Christians especially need community. Ours is a communal faith. Even our God is communal: Holy Spirit, Father, and Son. But somewhere along the line we got the idea that we should only commune with other believers that believe like we do, think like we do, vote like we do, the list goes on. There are of course historical and cultural reasons we do this. Catholics killing Protestants; Protestants returning the favor. Baptists teaching Charismatics are full of demons; Charismatics disdaining Baptists, again the list goes on.
Is this how God wants it? All of our various denominations huddled in our corners, whacking each other and fighting each other for the biggest attendance. Calling each other names and arguing over some random verse that probably doesn't matter all that much. I don't think so.
I know what you are thinking. You agree that God wants us to be one, after all Jesus prayed for our oneness, but you KNOW you are right about . . . whatever your pet issue is. I have my pet issues too (just read some of my past blogs). But is the issue you are so concerned about more important than loving your fellow Christian?
We do not have to throw out our beliefs and never talk about what we disagree about, but we do have to throw out our pride and our need to be right. That's a hard one for me because I like being right and I like the person I am disagreeing with to know that I am right. It's hard for me to let go of the debate, but God is more concerned with me (and you) being loving.
Love means that we are committed to living and working out our faith together. It means that when we disagree we do so civilly. We listen to each other. It means that despite our disagreements we stay in relationship with each other.
There will be times when God moves you from the church you are in, or even the denomination of which you are a part, but if it is God you will still find yourself loving the people you have left.
We need community, not just as individuals, but as churches. My church needs your church. The Baptists need the Charismatics, and vice-versa. We must reach out to each other. We must try to understand each other, but most of all we must love one another. Peace

Will God Judge You For Your Vote?

I started to write this article in large part as a response to what Dutch Sheets wrote in response to the US electing Obama. (For the record I think Dutch is wrong on this one, but if history proves me wrong, I'll apologize. Any chance Dutch will do the same?) But as I wrote I realized how little I've done to end abortion in this nation, so this is more of a confession than anything else.

I have not done what God showed me to do years ago when I was praying about my role in ending abortion in America. Basically he showed me sitting on a bench outside of Planned Parenthood and praying. I have not done that. Oh, sure I've done it some, but not to the extent that God called for. For this I repent, and God willing I will pray more.

Only recently have I become concerned over what the women getting abortions are going through or what drove them to get abortions.

Even with this new found compassion I have yet to do anything that would positively effect these women's lives and give them a realistic alternative to abortion.

I have become cynical that God will actually do anything to end abortion in this land.

I have not been arrested for sidewalk counseling mostly because I have never sidewalk counseled.

Nor have I been arrested for protesting the killing of Iraqis.

Nor have I let my concern over the war drive me to actually do anything about it.

Nor have I prayed as hard and long as I should for the blessing of God to be poured out on the enemies of the United States of America.

I have been more concerned with fitting in and not rocking the boat than I have with speaking and doing what God has called me to.

I have, alot of times, chosen TV over God.

I have often responded to others out of fear or anger or annoyance and not in love. This includes those I disagree with politically and theologically.

I have also done numerous more things that I should not have done and have not done numerous more things that I should have done.

Of all these I repent and pray that God will give me the grace to live as he wants me to live.

I however, do not repent of the way I voted. First of all, I live in Illinois does anyone seriously think my one vote was going to change the outcome of the election in Illinois? Maybe if the presidential election was based on popular vote my one vote could have tipped the scales (but I doubt it).
Secondly, I don't think God is going to judge me for one vote. He is much more likely to judge me based on how I live the rest of the year.

The main problem that I see in the words given by Dutch Sheets and others is that they place too much emphasis on our political leaders and not enough on us. They told us to vote for Bush. Is the US really any more godly as a result? Have we made progress in making abortion illegal? Do we have more compassion for our neighbors? For our enemies? Does voting for someone who is pro-life negate the fact that he supports the killing of Iraqis? Or are our unborn more precious to God than the lives of boys and girls, men and women living in Iraq? Does voting for Obama mean that all the other things we do to defeat abortion mean nothing? Does a vote for McCain and Sarah Palin mean we are off the hook the rest of the year? Is how we voted more important than why we voted? If I am a racist and I voted for McCain does that mean I escape God's judgment?

Another problem with these words is it turns Obama and those who support him and those who did not support McCain into enemies rather than brothers and sisters. I do not agree with Dutch Sheets on his political stance, but I do not think he is evil. But he seems ready to judge me as such without really understanding why I voted the way I did.

To summarize (for those of you who want to skip everything else I wrote above): God is not going to judge me or any one else for how we voted. God will judge us based on how we live out our lives. I have lots to repent about.

Hope For Our Future

I did not vote for Barack Obama (I didn't vote for McCain either -- some day Green Party, some day), but I feel the weight of this historic day just the same. I think what made it hit home for me was seeing Jesse Jackson with tears streaming down his face. I wish that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. could have been standing there with him. I think of my own dear mother (a white woman) who bravely spoke up for African Americans at her all white high school and who endured her family's rejection to marry my Puerto Rican father. I think of my African American daughter Zemira whose first memories will include an African American president. This is a momentous occassion and a cause for celebration whether you voted for Obama or not. Can't you feel the generations of slaves rejoicing that America has finally gotten to this point? Can't you feel the satisfaction of reaching up into the tree the civil rights movement planted all those years ago and tasting this fruit? I can.
Is racism over? Certainly not, we still have a long way to go, but this election is a step in the right direction. This election was and is about more than just the issues of our day. It was and is about the spiritual state of our nation. It was and is about spiritual reconciliation. This is huge. I hope my white friends (especially my white Christian friends) realize how huge it is. When injustice is tangibly overthrown, when things that have blocked the blessings of God are removed, then justice and God's blessing can flow. This nation sinned terribly -- enslaving, torturing, raping, and killing other people, children of God, because of the color of their skin. Worse than that the American church participated in many of these sins. When revival broke out on Azuza street many Christians spoke out against it, not because of strange things happening, or miracles occurring, but because white and black people were worshiping together. Even today our congregations remain largely segregated. This should not be. The election of Barack Obama as president gives me hope that our nation can change. It gives me hope that our churches can change to become places where God pours out His Spirit on brothers and sisters of every color. It gives me hope for our future.