"...where thoughts has its birth in conflict and concern..."

"By the Balcony, I do not mean the gallery of a church or theater. I mean that little platform in wood or stone that protrudes from the upper window of a Spanish home. There the family may gather of an evening to gaze spectator-wise upon the street beneath, or at the sunset or the stars beyond. The Balcony thus conceived is a classical standpoint, and so the symbol of the perfect spectator, for whom life and the universe are permanent objects of study and contemplation.... By the Road I mean the place where life is intensely lived, where thoughts has its birth in conflict and concern, where choices are made and decisions are carried out. It is a the place of action, of pilgrimage.... where concern is never absent from the wayfarer's heart."

John Mackay, Footprints of God

"God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill. I hope so. He may -- may well be with us in all manner of controversial stuff. Maybe, maybe not. But the one thing we can all agree -- all faiths, all ideologies -- is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.

God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

Bono, Prayer Breakfast

"...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

The King, Matthew 25:40

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It's amazing how easy it is to let the study of problems and solutions distant us from actively engaging in problems and implementing solutions. It has been my ongoing pursuit to never let my my mind drift too far from my body. It is extremely tempting to remain in a theoretical state where we dwell in concepts and analogies. In fact, many including myself, often assume that gaining ground theoretically can justify our physical paralysis. So we carry on in assessing cases and constructing models only to find ourselves living a life that requires no courage or faith. We sit around in our study groups, interpreting scripture, analyzing intriguing facts about biblical history, watching documentaries on genocide and poverty abroad only to sit back down to dig deeper, with no end in sight, into the issues once again. While some believe that we must be informed before taking action, I've come to think that information is grasped and embarassed most in the midst of an act.

Infinitely Aloof

"That God can be known by the soul in tender personal experience while remaining infinitely aloof from the curious eyes of reason constitutes a paradox best described as

Darkness to the intellect
But sunshine to the heart.

(Federick W. Faber)"

Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

Self-righteous about the Self-righteous

For many of us who feel they have awakened from the matrix of institutionalized religion, there appears to be a deeper issue that has been drowned out by our loud protests for authentic, back to the roots spirituality. Yes we've made it clear time and time again that it's not religion but relationship, not buildings but people, not members but family, but I've come to realize that somewhere along the road to restoring "real", "just like the early church", "relevant" Christianity, we have ironically taken on a self-righteous legalistic attitude towards the very self-righteous legalist's we preach against. Tim Keller's book had me do a double take on a simple line "[Jesus] is not a pharisee about Pharisees...".

The root of the issue is what I would call the one up factor. Once there is an asset one receives that produces a sense of supremacy, be it a piece of good or bad, new or old philosophy, revelation or method, there is great temptation to pier down at those who have yet to attain such knowledge. This new wave of organic, simple, relevant or emerging approaches to church and theology are revolutionary and important for the mission, but if it carries with it a sense of supremacy and pride to the more traditional or reform approaches, it actually surfaces the same problems of the past. What the world needs is not a better strategy for church growth or a radical new perspective on theology, the world needs a church of humility and grace. The kind of humility which imitates that of Christ. The kind that would be willing to die for another.

Philippians 2 shows Jesus as one who was perfect, flawless, supreme and all knowing (like many of us seem to think we are), but it goes further to point out that he gave up his position of authority to be a servant, his pure beauty for the appearance of man, and traded his right to command to be one who obeys. If you ask me, there is no instant productivity or immediate advancing of the kingdom with this kind of restraint, but I guess that is what is so beautiful about the cross. It is a picture that explains how weak is strong and how poor can be rich. It signifies to us all that humility is what works, that death is what lasts.

Although I am completely behind the evolution (or rather deconstruction) of church methodology, I feel like we all need to beware of pride. It really does come before the fall.

One side note...this weekend rocked! I went to Vegas for a church planting training on the UNLV campus and received so much from those I met. I never knew I could have so much fun in Vegas without being on the strip :)

Riding the Pendulum

I heard once that it is necessary to live unbalanced in order to be balanced. Although some would say to just "trust your instincts", I find that following instincts often hinders me from tapping into qualities that those natural instincts do not trigger. I end up living somewhat lopsided in the qualities that come natural to me. If I am outgoing I will always feed my charisma and approachable quality, if I am unorganized and spontaneous I will highlight my flexibility and willingness to change. Although I see the benefit in highlighting my positive attributes I also think that is important to go the opposite way and at times overemphasize attributes that I currently lack. With some aspects in our life it is necessary to counter our destructive habits with extreme actions/inactions that go completely against our instincts. This scene with George Costanza came to mind while I was chatting with a friend about this topic yesterday.

GEORGE COSTANZA - The Opposite



I wouldn't say that this is the most healthy method in curing toxic characteristics, but we all have to admit the courage involved in this approach. It sure isn't mediocre nor is it passive, and sometimes in life we need to act now, we need to push the envelope in dealing with our pride, fears, insecurities and our need for approval.

I heard recently that psychologists have now found it harmful to cure phobias by placing individuals amidst their most fearful situations. It pretty much means that sticking a young girl who is scared of spiders in box filled with them is not the most effective remedy, and I think we can all agree with that.

However, there is a great wealth of inspiration and hope that results from viewing our fears and deficiencies from a new light. And often times the only way to change your angle is to dive into an unknown realm, a space that in most cases are uncomfortable, unnatural and for a lack of better words 'scary'. For some, who find themselves always lacking courage, that realm may force you to speak up to those you disagree with, for others, whose opinions are usually heard a mile away, that foreign realm may demand silence and restraint. Many will need to step into the deep end, some may feel the need to speak in front of the class, others might have to start dating again, whatever positions you in a place of fresh perspective will help you overcome.

I echo my friend who writes at the end of every email "Do something everyday that scares you!"or my other buddy that tells me that "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." It could help to occasionally take moments to swing to the opposite side of the pendulum to see what we look like from the other side.

Door Prize

I had the honor and privilege of learning a new term last week. Here's the definition:

A "Door Prize" occurs when a...

CAR DOOR

intersects with a....

BICYCLE


CAR DOOR + BICYCLE = DOOR PRIZE

So last Tuesday I'm riding down Harvard Ave when out of no where this freakin door opens up in front of me. My front wheel crashes against the door bending it way back while my shoulder slams into the door frame. I was talking after to the bike expert guy and told him what had happened and he was like "chuckle chuckle..... you mean a Door Prize?". It wasn't very funny at the time :) Luckily I had no injuries, but poor Bertha suffered some severe damages to the front fork and tire.

It's now in surgery at the shop until Wednesday.

I really actually thought that I'd have the cat reflexes to dodge opening doors, but they really do come out of no where. It's a good thing Jules got me a helmet a few days before :) No need to worry mother, I'll be sure to just slow down traffic and drive in the middle of the road from now on.

Think Just Enough to Act

"In Hebrew philosophy, a belief was not a belief until it was acted on. And all beliefs affected community, because the actions they spawned affected every area of life. In Greek philosophy, belief could be separated from action. Thought and action suffered a painful divorce into upper and lower stories of existence.

Greek thinking led to dualism, a separation between the material and spiritual aspects of life. The material world -the realm of the senses and action-decline in value. The spiritual world-the realm of the mind and emotions-represented a higher plane of existence. The work of earning daily bread played second fiddle to the pursuit of philosophy. Greek thought infiltrated the early church and gave birth to a separate class of priests, clerics, and a host of monastic orders. This thinking still pervades modern society and the church in a variety of ways.

The Hebrew philosophy seems comparatively simple. No dualism. No separation. If you love someone, you will meet her need. If you meet someones need, you love her. Hebrews did not separate the heart from the mind, or belief from action. They were one and the same. What you believed affected all you did, from cooking a meal to building a city. What you did reflected what you believed. Therefore, work became an act of worship, and no vocation was viewed as more sacred or higher than another."

- The Ascent of a Leader

Currently, I am pursuing the goal of dismantling the disparity between thought and action, sympathy and physical assistance, or intention and fulfillment. It's amazing how we've come to the point where we need to reprogram our lifestyle to align the boldness of our thoughts with the courage of our hands. I've come to the conclusion that over-thinking is the cause. We predict way to often and continually remain in state of inquiry and assessment.

To tilt the scale back into a state of balance my weeks aim will be to think just enough to act.

We'll see how well I do :)

Encouraging to Note

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."

Albert Einstein