A couple of years ago, Andy introduced a much smaller crowd to an edgy study (or it seemed so to many at the time). Some didn’t get it; some just shook their head while others embraced it…whatever your take if you were here, none of us left without an opinion of Donald Miller’s book Blue Like Jazz and the loft take on it.

Full confession—I’ve been a fan of Donald Miller and his writing even before BLJ. That’s saying something of a guy as old as dirt and not hip—at all. But here’s the deal…he tells stories (aka parables, if you will) in an imaginary eventful way and has always drawn me in to look for the point…you know…the WOW thought that I’ve gotta consider if I’m going deeper in commune with God and community with others. Also, digging a little deeper, Miller just doesn’t talk the talk; he does walk the walk.  Check him out to see the Jesus things he’s started and is part of—impressive.

So, if you can buy that Miller is a 21st century story teller (with a divine purpose), he states and restates a number of times in his new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, his readers to “not just tell the story (aka Parable), but (our Father) wants us to enter the story.” It’s clear from his writing, Miller has embraced the notion that we are to enter the truth of the parable…scared or not; willing or not; invested or not; alone or together; pushed & prodded or not…and with an understanding that trouble is around the corner—most likely. Ouch.

Huh…enter the story; embrace the story; put on the story; live the story….then and only then just maybe us lofters will have a new parable to tell.   After all, isn’t that what ‘go, tell & do people’ suppose to do and be?  Maybe this Parable stuff is the same old; same old anyway; but it sounds a little uncomfortable. Hey—write and let me know how you are entering the story and what God is doing in your life.

East-out.

One common theme that is floating around in my peanut-sized, senile brain is this: “we’re getting it; we’re dialing in…show me more Lord and lead me to respond.” U?

Andy’s been exercised the last few days about the current state of Methodism, particularly in the United States with declining membership numbers. We seen it in his “tweets” and Facebook updates. Unfortunately, his facts represent the disturbing state in much of the U.S. Christian church today as our country is rapidly transitioning to a post-Christian nation (some say we are there already).

Fortunately, God is present and moving, the Holy Spirit is active and Jesus is proclaimed on both the TWUMC and loft campuses. We are truly blessed and anointed in a special way…and that always in Kingdom reality means that our remnant has special responsibilities.

The good news is that we are not alone. There are many other great and faithful communities of faith in the U.S. and throughout the world with the same touch of God among their midst.

Carrying on…pray for the church universal; pray for Methodism; pray for our body of believers and pray, especially, for the godly men and women who were sent by God to serve and minister to and with us.

Hey, I’m sure we are all excited about Jackie Key’s new CD release; the music is amazing YES, but she is even more so…the real deal…and we are very fortunate to have her and Matt with us on a regular basis. Indeed, we are blessed worshipping with such creative and God-centered servants.

I’ve jotted down some thoughts that I’ve had this past three to four months and will begin sharing them next week as we carry on “dialing-in.” Muse on this verse a few minutes a couple of times this week, will you?

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

 As always, let me know what you are thinking and doing as you carry on…dialing in.

More later. East-out.

We started the first week with Terence’s talk about faithfulness and have been dialing in ever sense.  Here’s a parallel thought from Laurie Beth Jones’ new soon-to-be released book on careering.

I Say Unto You, Arise!  (Taken from Jesus, Career Counselor, by Laurie Beth Jones)

Rise: 1 a: to assume an upright position especially from lying, kneeling, or sitting b: to get up from sleep or from one’s bed

2: to return from death

6: to appear above the horizon

8: to extend above other objects

13: to exert oneself to meet a challenge

The word RISE is used more than one hundred sixty four times in the Bible. It is the key foundational premise of Christianity. It is in the essence of everything Jesus says, teaches, and does. 
 It is also considered a “feminine” word form in the original Hebrew.

Jesus told the man who was crippled, “Rise, take up your pallet and walk.”

Then, in the context of careering, Jones challenges us: “I am wondering if you have yet truly “Risen” into your giftedness.”

Excellent question and career advice; excellent question for us lofters who are seeking to be God’s best in our life. U?

Up for some other sound advice?  Stay tuned for Avatar #4 this Sunday. More later.

East-out.

Our challenge beginning tomorrow is to move on and out. We don’t want to fall into the “if only” trap…

‘if only I had more time; if only I went to graduate school; if only I had saved more, so I can give more; if only I had more talent….’

Adam Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection (UM) in the greater Kansas City area reminds us in his book, 24 hours, that the Pontius Pilate crowd we read about this Easter season faced a decision:

“Standing before them on the one hand is Jesus (The Christ): someone who does his work lovingly, quietly, non violently. His head is bloody. He makes not a sound.

And on the other hand we have someone else also named Jesus (Barrabas) who acts out of aggression, and a need for instant gratification, and was obviously very violent. He is defiant, and bellows out in rage.”

We all know which Jesus the crowd chose. Examining our lives this season, we are challenged to look deep into our soul and ask —how often have I also followed the crowd seeking instant gratification?

Lofters, I need some more room for God to move; how about you? Next week we will take a look at two that made the right choice. Stay tuned.

As always, I’d love to hear from you.

More later. East-out.

Hey, the resurrection does matter! We’re getting it. For some (or many) of us, it’s time “to go to the mattresses.” The Christ shows up a number of times to the surprise of all after they witnessed his death and burial; he teaches, encourages and lays out the battle plan for his warriors.

Jesus is again pushing ahead with his mission. So…it’s time for us to go to the mattresses—‘to prepare for war (maybe get better prepared) or develop a REAL warlike stance’ as we movie and TV buffs know from The Godfather and The Sopranos. Break out the movie DVD and set the scene:

Clemenza:

“That Sonny’s runnin’ wild. He’s thinking of going to the mattresses already.”

Sonny:

“No, no, no! No more! Not this time, consiglieri. No more meetings, no more discussions, no more Sollozzo tricks. You give ‘em one message: I want Sollozzo. If not, it’s all-out war: we go to the mattresses.”   (The Godfather, 1972)

So, here’s the deal. Most of us want some more time to get rid of the junk in our lives so God can really move in and through us. I wanted more time after the encounter with the young boy and his family in the spring of 1968 I blogged about earlier this week. But—Jesus was (and is) pushing ahead with his mission. I wish I could say that I joined the JC Sonny and Clemenze’s crew ( figuratively) and prepared for war, but I didn’t. For me, it was a beginning.

In the 40 plus years since that spring day in 1968, I’ve learned Jesus does want all of us; and that life is much richer for us when we give Him what we’ve got. I’ve also learned through experience and lots of Godly counsel, that Jesus always uses willing hearts even when we’ve got some more dying to do.

So…this week I’ll share a couple of more blogs about Entombed and the response two others made when challenged about their lives…but I’m praying hard that you’re getting it; you want in the battle; you see Jesus movin’ ahead; and, by faith…you have “ developed a REAL warlike stance.”
That you choose to jump in side-by-side with other lofters who are ‘dying and changing’; living and pushing ahead with and by the power of the Spirit; seeking God and where He is moving; and, with a willing heart, join in and shout out “My soul follows hard after thee.” (Ps 63:8)

Can’t you just see Andy, the talking head (AKA-Sonny), chasing after us with his mattress? And look, there’s Terrence running side-by-side with the loft banner.  Jeez,  I wished they’d catch up.

As always, I’d love to hear from you.  More later. East out.

Being the literal, type-A personality Jesus freak I am, I thought about  last Sunday’s talk late into the night. I asked myself a simple question -‘when have I’ve seen Jesus face-to-face?’ (confession: my fav Bible story is the Genesis story of Jacob wrestling with the angel.)

Here’s part of my story…bear with me for some quick context and background.
First, I need to say that I realize that we all have stories to tell; I’ve chosen one meaningful to me.

Also, I realize that many of us may have strong and differing opinions about the military, the proper defense of America and the necessity of or justification for war.  Most of us have some heavy baggage in our past that we don’t often want to think about…don’t we?  But this is life and here’s part of mine…love me anyway.

It was late spring of 1968; I was a world and lifetime away from my comfortable life in a WASPY upper middle class Oklahoma home—it was Sunday, in a place called Vung Tau, South Vietnam. For most of my team in our small U.S. Army airplane company it was our first “free” day off in over 4 months.  We were determined to eat, relax, party and eat some more. (I admit some had other plans)

Our sole task, from a military perspective, was to gather and analyze the Army’s electronic and aerial surveillance intelligence for the ‘middle third’ of the country and along the ‘parrot’s peak’ border with Cambodia. Frankly, we were exhausted, stressed-out and ready for a break from the 12-16 hour shifts we had pulled since late December when the North Vietnamese started massing on the border for what become known as the Tet Offensive in late January, 1968.

I arrived late to the party (don’t I always) and the food was about half gone. I grabbed my grilled medium rare 22 oz. steak and big baker with one hand and a half-pound burger with the other. I found an empty seat to chow down and relax a little.

After a couple of minutes, I heard rummaging in back of me and turned to see what was up. I saw a small boy (maybe 3-4 years of age) with a half-eaten and discarded baked potato in his hand.  I looked over and saw his brother and mom standing a few feet away.

I saw Jesus that day in that little boy; I saw what is called the ‘least’ face-to-face…and my life was changed.

My–in many ways sheltered comfortable and cozy–self as a young 20-something  ’American outsider’ had not faced (seen) the ‘least’ this close up very often before. I finally started to learn that life was not just about “me.” (that…friends, is hard for me to say)

The good news is that a number of us responded. We fed and loved on the mom and kids for about an hour. We raided the frigs in the mess hall and gave them some more food to take home; finally, we drove them off the base.  Hey, we even continued to see them from time-to-time—and yes, they always had big smiles on their faces.

Part II of my story takes place 23 years later and will be told in my Scribbles blog early next week. I’m certain that many of you have better stories…I’d love for you to share them with me sometime. Lofters are called to be disciples who enter the story and be part of the story— not just observe or listen about  Kingdom adventures.

Here’s the deal guys. Andy’s right; we’ve got stuff to put to death, if we want God to move and do something new in and through us—then and now.

More later. East-out.

P.S. – Over 40 years later, I still have a couple of pictures of that day….in print and certainly in my fading mind.

It has a great melody and I like how others have revised the words to fit their own singing style including blues , rock/pop and gospel. Well, I thought I’d embarrass myself (a lot) and push the envelope on Hallelujah a little further by drafting a Lofter version of it—maybe Jackie and Matt can clean it up sometime and we can sing it together at the loft (or not).

Anyway… I couldn’t think of a better way to transition from the DISEASE series to Entombed as we begin to focus on the Cross of Calvary than the thought behind these lyrics. The highlighted words are my take on wellness, wholeness and holiness.  I hope you are blessed; thanks loft talking heads for blessing us.

The world heard that lofters were getting well and whole,

That faith and prayer were secret chords they played– it pleased the Lord, Hallelujah

Others said they needed proof; believers said they just knew and believed,

Wellness, wholeness and holiness go hand-in-hand with faith

And Lofters wrote that in the sand, and all believers sang,  Hallelujah

 Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah <<(held for a long time) Hallelujah <<(held for a long time)

well, there are times when you let me know
what’s really going on below
but, sometimes I do not know,  but I still believe
I plead God… remember when I moved close to you
and the Holy Ghost was moving, too
and every breath we lofters drew was, …hallelujah

hallelujah, hallelujah

well, we proclaim there’s our God above
and all I’ve ever learned  about love is you
and how you’re been there when I’m in need
it’s my cry that you hear at night
from your little child in need,  
how it’s hard and cold here on earth; but seeing Lord Jesus standing by is good, halleluah

halleluah, halleluah

Hallelujah <<(held for a long time) Halleluah <<(held for a long time)

More later.  East-out.

I  also see the cross symbolically  at this time of beginning. Looking up…we seek God; oh how we want an intimate relationship with Him! Looking down at the foot of the cross; we see our firm foundation…the rock–Jesus–God, in the flesh, who became our sacrifice. With the horizontal cross beam I see my community on one side standing firm, encouraging me and holding me accountable toward pursuing a life of holiness. On the other, I see the unique mission or purpose God, the Holy Spirit, gave me for this season of life this day of Pentecost. I look up, down and side to side…I press forward.

As we stop for a moment and reflect about our first two series, Duct Tape and DISEASE, I say I have work to do.  U?

More later. East-out.

” ‘…My Undeterredness for His Holiness. “Whether that means life or death, no matter!” (See Phil 1:21.) Paul is determined that nothing shall deter him from doing exactly what God wants. God’s order has to work up to a crisis in our lives because we will not heed the gentler way. He brings us to the place where He asks us to be our utmost for Him, and we begin to debate; then He produces a providential crisis where we have to decide—for or against, and from that point the “Great Divide” begins.’ ”

Chambers first delivered these meditations between 1911 – 1917 in England to a bible school and the YMCA.  Kinda sounds the same as the talking heads real message to us. Another take on the debate – “that moment becomes a great crossroads in our life” from an updated edition his work.  (1992)

I guess we each of a decision to make if we really want to be fully devoted, well, heathy, and whole. How’s it going for you?  Are you pursuing an unstoppable determination for His holiness? I’ve got work to do with…no debate.

More later. East-out.

What, if anything, are you really passionate about day after day…season after season?  We learned in January at the loft that Duct Tape doesn’t provide the Rx—even the really pretty duct tape like red or purple.  

So, the real challenge is for us lofters pursuing hard after wellness is understanding how health and holiness work together so that we are NOT DEFEATED. “Passion does not dwell in the heart of the defeated.” – Take it to the bank. Repeat it often.

So here’s the deal.  I want passion to dwell in my body, mind and soul; I need that balance in life to live a life of purpose and to join with others to make a contribution beyond ‘for me’ to ‘we and for others.’  I see many lofters really striving to be well and do good.  I believe that’s one reason God is moving here. My desire is that you, too, want to live this way; to be part of the body of Christ healing the world through the gospel of Christ. 

I suggestion reading the first few chapters of the Book of Acts this week to rediscover what  those early disciples called Christian learned (with a little help from the Spirit) that were not defeated when Jesus was crucified.  It’s a great read during Lent and finish to the DISEASE series. Pursuing wellness and holiness with the hope of the cross behind us and before us will sustain us–now and forever. 

You game? You in? I pray so.  More later,

East-out.