Waiting on Superman, Ip Man, and anyone else kick ass at this point...

Spent some time with friends last night. Needed time, honestly. Just a few beers and a kung-fu movie that we took a chance on buying at Blockbuster. The movie was Ip Man, a film about the life of a kung fu master who never had a student until his people were over-run by the Japanese in the early 1900's.

This man, who was peaceful and enjoyed the art of kung-fu utilized his skill when needed to inspire, free, and gather his people to unity and action. It makes me wonder what things in my life I call normal or mundane that will one day be utilized for someone (or a whole people's) benefit. I wonder if this is one of the reasons God sent Jesus, because we
are ALL God's children, and God would not let us fall too far from grace, and Jesus was with those while he was on earth who were dangling towards the edge of grace (if there is an edge at all).

I worry a lot. Honestly. Too much.

For instance, when watching the movie, I related to so much of it...but only in theories and thoughts and the leathery skin I got from goosebumps when he fought for a bag of rice to feed his family. This saddens me so much.

Will I ever be given the opportunity?
If I am, will I be able to go beyond self and live for others?
Do I do that now?

I thoroughly believe that Jesus is the example of this, living with and healing people because He loved them, not because of simple need but because of desire. Waiting on someone else to stand with is futile, we are all a community that God desires, and this is seen in Jesus Christ and the works of the Holy Spirit in the early church up to now. Standing with Jesus, is standing with God, is standing with ALL of Humanity with eyes of fiery desire to see us healed and blessed.

Thanks and Giving

We had a great “family dinner” last night at the Mathews Apartment. We invited the Brewery, and many showed up, brought great dishes, and my lovely wife made an awesome Turkey!! (and carrot cake) As we talked outside on porch, over plates of food, and drinks we realized throughout the night that God has done something in the Brewery that we never could have asked for, or orchestrated ourselves. What began as a “bible study” to vent about jobs, life, school, etc. has become a wonderful and honest community of faith that helps each other, loves each other, and would willingly sacrifice for “the other”.

As Ed and Mikey and I were talking privately, sharing words of thanks and giving to one another about our lives and who we are to one another, we overheard a couple cussing and yelling and saying horrible things revolving around something about a cell phone and such. This all in front of their daughter. It made me think and sit in my blessing, that my wife and I “fight well” when we fight, and keep ourselves away from trivial pursuits of frustration. My life growing up involved a lot of domestic violence, drug abuse, and all out fights amongst many different members as years developed. I am not saying Amanda and I are perfect by any means, but that we have seen enough destruction, and we have looked at it and chosen a different path, on purpose, with purpose, allowing ourselves, God, and the people around us to transform our lives.

Remember this Thanksgiving, that your life is never lived alone, even monks go into the desert to return after communing with God. Be thankful. Be giving. Trust. Love. Keep yourself awake because, if you have friends like mine, miracles will happen in your life!

Peace.

Harley

 P.s. - we missed dearly our friends that couldn't make it, but you were mentioned in prayer and conversation and love.

Fear.

 "Fear is a state of nervousness only fit for children. Men should not fear. The only thing man should fear is God. To fear anything other than God is to offend God." Marcus Garvey, read in The Tao of Wu by The RZA.

There are a lot of things going on in my life.
I have given up on things.
I am gaining things.
Perspective mostly.
I need a lot, and am given a lot.
I am appreciative and confused at how much grace is still needed for me.

Most of it is responsibility, time management, but some of it is blood-drenched tears. That kind of sorrow that Jesus went through, keeping me up at night, looking at the pin-dot of light in my wife's eyes, even in the pitch black, knowing it must be in my eyes as well...even when i cannot see it.

I know "namaste" isn't a christian word, but it means the world to me. I know that people hold in themselves a "spark" of God, that thing that pulls on them when they do wrong.

Fear is as strong as death, but according to Solomon (in a point of wisdom) so is love! I hope I love more than i fear.

__Peace

Blowing the Jesus whistle

"Let the caller and the called disappear; be lost in the call" -Rumi

Yesterday was a great series of events. I met with our new lead Pastor from St. John's here in Corpus. My wife is at a weekend retreat of sorts, honing her scrapbooking skills with her “crew” the Paper Dollz. This has become a spiritual practice for her, creativity is God's nature, and my wife excels in it! Then after a long day at work, I met with a great friend, Robert, and we shared what God is doing, has done, and will do in our lives. We laughed, teared up, shared wisdom, cussed, screamed, and watched a movie with guns and blood. An over-all great day. I wanted to share some things that came out of this day.

At lunch with Pastor Mel Hazlewood, a deaf man came by and layed what looked like regular crucifix key chains down in front of all the parishioners at the bar-b-q place we ate and asked through a printed tag on them for donations. Mel, with an interest in his eyes, laid down 5bucks on each of them and without saying words we prayed for him with our faces in thought. So many prayers are wasted when we use words.

As the day went on, I thought of this kind man who was deaf and at the will of generosity of others.

My wife's day was becoming more chaotic than bearable, our car broke again and we are riding our bikes around town and after taking her check up to deposit it there was a mistake, so she had to go (up wind) back to her job and ride another mile to bank. Spiritual discipline is a bitch, but we love her anyway! She needs this weekend, like I needed the Euc Retreat and I know she is laughing and having great expressions of fun! Thank God for you Paper Dollz.

When I got home, I had enough time to kiss Amanda goodbye for her trip into creative rest, which was a wish I had before I left for work. And I waited for Robert, to have “guy time”.

Robert and I ventured into Barnes & Noble and talked about his experience of sabbath and rest and intentional retreat, and it inspired me, to be honest. My friend needed it, and I know now what I must have looked like after Lebh Shomea or the Retreat in Athens, TX.

We talked, and he said something that stuck with me. “I have to be me, not someone I admire, and to be an open book and share my past, present, future with others, with community. Honestly, IF YOU DON'T SHARE, PEOPLE WILL MAKE THINGS UP”. The truth of this, is not in “snitches or bitches” that could come along and manipulate you, but of self giving into the trust of community and faith. Risk involved, and encouraged, because life is well lived with risk and value and friends.

As we were talking, I realized that the crucifix was a whistle. It amazed me, that I was given a noise making religious item from a deaf man. The gospel is like that, isn't it? Where the deaf play piano, and the blind paint with brushes better than any elite known painter. My goal, in life and in ministry is to be the person who loves and hands out grace so much, that I blow whistles that deaf men and women hear, because Love wins and transcends our simple ideas.

Thank you all who are part of my life, who allow me to speak to you, and for speaking back. Sometimes you think you are whispering, and it sounds like beautiful fury to my needing heart!

Jesus Turns-tables

JESUS TURNS TABLES...

 Last night, I stayed up wondering about a statement I often use. I have always loved the image of Jesus turning over the tables in the temple. The raw worship involved in “beating out that which left people out of the temple” was something that I wanted to inspire others to do. This has often come at a price, like people becoming revolutionaries for ranks they don’t even belong too. I am not trying to say who is an isn’t apostate to the faith. This is just a plea to understand what you have gotten yourself into when choosing the gospel.

Paul the apostle asked the people of all his churches to “contend for the faith” and this is not some sissy walk in the park, but it isn’t a bloody mess either. The culture of the early church was full of mix-it-yourself religion, and Christianity at the time stood out as a monotheistic competition with the other fear-bids for people’s submission. Christianity that Paul mentions is that of freedom, and a divine Son of God who came to deliver a people, and the difference between what others would say are “similar religions” is that this Son of God wasn’t here to make converts, but disciples, committed people to relationship with God, and to save all rather than those who were “holy.”

Surely the gospels (and Jesus himself) require holiness of us, but that is the gift of the Spirit, not of our own discipline. Not that there aren’t disciplines we follow, but the disciplines are inclined by the Spirit that was given at the day of Pentecost, that Spirit that was with God stirring the dark waters birthing creation itself. To think that that is the gift we have been given to empower us to not just stray from sin, but to demolish the enemies of our lives and the lives of others. This comes by power of God, just as the resurrection of Jesus came from the power of God and not some ‘reaching of perfection’ within spiritual growth or self-examination. Let us not be deceived!

The benefit of committing ourselves to Christianity is that we have the function (created in God’s image) fashion (the ability by the Spirit) and the desire (our response to God in action) to free others, to become for the world the hands and feet of God in the world. Jesus’ favorite book may have been Isaiah, he quotes this prophet often. “The year of the LORD is here” “set the captives free” and Jesus said that He fulfilled this promise (and so many others) made so long ago! What do we do with that? Easily we can wield our Bibles like swords and stab at peoples hearts hoping for some magical change of heart. We can likewise, become so dull with our knowledge and commitment to the LORD that we shake at the thought of freeing people from sin, sometimes not even believing in sin ourselves because we are “so free.” But, like Jesus, there is a proper (holy) way of doing things.

This gets me back to “turning tables.” The place where Jesus was ‘cleansing’ was the places in the Temple that were meant for “others” (non-Hebrews) to come and experience God’s day of sacrifice and to see how things work when in relationship with Him. Of course, this system was flawed, but it was close to the heart of Christ, to see gentiles come into the “heart of God” by way of the temple worship experience.

This ‘cleansing’ also may have been a forecasting of His own death that was emphasized in His own ministry. Christ wanted to know that He spoke for God and God was saying that there are not any divisions separating you from God because of His message. This requires commitment; it is not an easy road, as is easily seen in the life and messages of the disciples of Jesus both in His earthly lifetime, and the disciples since then. We (Christians) are called into this lifestyle, this worship, this value, that God himself would come down and declare (and work out) salvation for all people. But this is not easy, the life we must live. This is also not condemning, we should embrace evangelism, and sharing the gospel with zeal and passion as a response to what God has done in us! This will, sometimes, mean turning tables in prominent places (sometimes churches) in this ‘worldly kingdom’ so that God might be given room to seek.

What to do? We have signed up, crossed the line, and are Disciples of Christ. We will not have to look hard to see what is unjust, and what needs fixing. The ‘cleansing’ of our hearts is always first, and serving the world is always met by that clean heart. We are not ‘converting’ but ‘making disciples’ (Talmidim) and that involves us being good disciples, examples of what others should be like. So, to those who I have led into places that they immediately want to turn tables, do it in passionate love for the “others” never forsaking love for those money-changers. God loves the CEO of nike as much as He loves the children making their shoes. Don’t hear me wrong, HE will go to rescue the children in danger, and will call some of us to do such rescuing. All people are called to embrace salvation and the life that comes with it, Jesus “brought low the hills, and filled the valleys” of our lives and to show in His kingdom that the LORD is right, and nothing is higher than Him.

This is the problem with “rebels” who worship rebellion, who want to turn tables and hate those at the tables, this is not the story of Jesus’ in the gospels. It is also not as simple as “love the sinner, hate the sin” which has become to abused it shouldn’t be used anymore. The love of the Father “drove” (same ‘drove’ as Spirit ‘driving’ Him to the desert after baptism?) Jesus to cleanse the Temple, to show the moneychangers that they were in sin, and salvation is for all, and God is for them as well as those they are taking advantage of.

Are those of us ready to ‘fight’ ready for this kind of servant-rebellion? Join up if you want, but this army doesn’t hand you a weapon, but a new heart, the stone that falls off the old one is to be saved and shown to the world, so that they can see God is working even in our “modern age.” How has God moved into your life? How will He share the gospel with your life? What tables were turned over in your heart, and how can this “drive” you into the places that need change in the world?