Burri

I never expected the lesson from a teacher like this.

It is far too easy to forget that we have such great museums in New York. One of them is the Guggenheim museum. On this day it was displaying the work of Alberto Burri, titled The Trauma of Painting. On this day, he became my teacher, and one painting became the lesson.

I wasn't expecting much from the display after the first few exhibits. But then I entered the Sacchi section, and was completely blindsided by one exhibit. I ended up staring at this one painting for the majority of my time at the museum. Even, after leaving the painting, I kept returning to look at it more, diving ever deeper into the movements on the canvas.

The museum described Sacchi below:

 

The particular painting that enraptured me was titled Sacco E Oro (Sack and Gold). Here is the museum description of this piece:

From the Sacchi description above the following sentence struck me as I saw this piece: "Lacerated and threadbare, the material evinces anger and shame, but also vulnerability and dignity."

As I stared at the image I was struck by the voices of anger and shame screaming loudly, and then by the subtle whispers of vulnerability and dignity.

The black spaces, not captured well in the photo below, are not devoid of texture and movement. Instead, they are rough, shiny, dull, smooth, flowing and still all in different ways.

The sack sections are rough, overstitched, pulled tight giving an almost Frankenstein-like appearance of skin. The patch like quality led me to think of skin torn and broken, trying desperately to cover the darkness below, not dissimilar to the rags someone impoverished might wear to keep warm. They spoke of years of pain and wounds stitched up and woven together, but with rough scars remaining.

The red spoke powerfully of a fresh wound, bleeding through, a place of acute pain and anger. Tiny in comparison to the whole painting, but placed in perfect counterpoint to the gold.

The gold spoke of a glorious past, one filled with dignity and prosperity. It spoke of a past longed for again, but probably never to be experienced.

Together, the painting spoke of a rich heritage, a hard life filled with damage and heartache, but still with hope. It spoke of an old man or woman, standing with dignity and claiming great power long since lost, in a body carrying the scars of a tough life. It depicts the many pictures we see of victims of trauma, holding themselves together with what they can, even as they bleed out for all to see.

I am well aware that art reflects the artist and the observer equally. And so I am aware that I saw myself within this painting, even as I saw the post war Europe of Burri's painting.

Those words from the original description of Sacchi stuck with me in this picture - evincing anger and shame, but also vulnerability and dignity. I cannot think of a better description of what life actually is like, and what becoming like Jesus in this world looks like too.

There is anger and shame as we encounter those parts of ourselves and others that are hideous or hurtful. There is vulnerability as we expose ourselves and receive the baring of others into our lives. I don't believe we can actually be truly vulnerable without at least the opportunity for anger, shame and hurt to be felt. In fact, I think those things WILL happen when we are vulnerable.

What I love most about this panting of Burri's is that it isn't beautiful in the classic sense of the word. It is rough, dirty, and hard.That is what life truly is like...rough, dirty and hard. That is what being a Christian really is...rough, dirty and hard. That is what Jesus was...rough, dirty and hard. But it doesn't stay there...because there's that gold piece, speaking of a long lost past, but pointing forward to a hoped for future. It is in the essence of vulnerability that our hope is found.

It is in the working out of that vulnerability...in the receiving and sharing of those wounds of our lives that we find dignity. I don't think Jesus was ever more dignified than when we was stripped bare, and with blood and sweat and tears be bore the anger and shame of my own brokenness. His vulnerability brought me dignity. His vulnerability brought you dignity. He invites us to share our vulnerability with each other so that together dignity might be experienced for everyone.

That's what I see...tell me...what do you see?

The Wall

A teacher met with a student to discuss her struggle with vulnerability. She described her struggle as being surrounded with a wall that she cannot break. The teacher, with divinely inspired wisdom, offered to walk the wall with her to find a gate.

It is the greatest secret in the world...we all have walls, built to protect us that in the end harm us. We build them to keep us safe but instead they insulate us from the very things we need to grow. We cannot find each other because our walls hide us...the real us!

And like that student we all need to find a gate.

But I wonder...who in your life offers to walk the wall with you. We all need wall-walkers. We all need people in our lives who will walk on the other side, talking and listening to us, while we search for gates to get out.

Gates! If only they were these large monsters of iron and steel. But, they hide, masquerading as brick and mortar. Hidden in shadows, they shift and flow, disappearing from one place only to appear somewhere else. So the search is not easy, and it takes wisdom, observation, and courage - which is why you cannot walk the wall alone.

So who is your wall-walker? And whose will you be?

Door's Howl: MockingJay 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Synopsis

The final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy (quadrilogy for the moneymakers!) meets, exceeds and fails to meet expectations. Just like the book, the movie is filled with surprised that are not expected. Katniss Everdeen faces her biggest challenges yet in this installment (the choice between two love interests, the choice between two authority systems and the choice about her role in the war to name a few). The Hunger Games series intrigued me from the first movie. I read all the books and then watched the following installments of movies. They were all good in their own way.

This final installment is slow...painfully slow at times. The beauty of the movie is found in its constant dashing of hope and the sheer unwillingness of Katniss to accept despair. Katniss is faced with choice after choice and her choices give the movie its up and down feeling. Her ability to fight is powerful, and keeps you engaged. Sadly, I think the movie would have been better as one movie with the first part of Mockingjay as this installment could have been much shorter. The other characters seem by-products in this movie with little development paid to each of them. Additionally, each step of the way heroes become villainous and villains become heroic. This is part of the Hunger Games meta-narrative.

The main actors each perform powerful roles. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson carried the Peeta role well. The others have little to work with and their screen time and lines are sporadic and disjointed.

You find the depth and surprises of Mockingjay Part 2 in little lines interspersed throughout the movie. They are said without fanfare, but if picked up, speak volumes about the movie. The obvious ones are about truth and lies (everyone lies to Katniss in some way...except Peeta who uses Katniss as the means to tell what is real or not). The Hunger Games and reality tv metaphor continues as does the larger discussion of what a free vote is. Katniss's choices right to the end make the movie powerful and sad, especially her last choice with Peeta. Less noticed lines like "If you die, let it be for a cause, not a spectacle" is powerful. Said in what might be a throwaway speech, it becomes a consistent metaphor right to the final speech of President Coin who announces the death of President Snow as more than a spectacle.

In the end the whole thing is a spectacle as all Katniss has ever wanted is to enjoy a peaceful life. Something each of us wants...and this for me is the most powerful metaphor. We are all Katniss (or at least we want to be)...courageous in volunteering to save others, skillful in our fights, looking for love, trying to avoid being a symbol for a political party, but entering the fight when we must and in the end wanting to raise our families in peace and quiet.

Her final line leaves us with the question that needs answering, as she speaks of nightmares she says, "Did you have a nightmare? I have nightmares too. Someday I'll explain it to you. Why they came? Why they won't ever go away? But I'll tell you how to survive it. I make a list in my head, of all the good things I've seen someone do. Every little thing I could remember. It's like a game. I do it over and over. Gets a little tedious after all these years, but there are much worse games to place."

Her solution to the nightmares is a game...what is ours to the nightmares of our time. And echoing in the back is the statement about death...die for a cause not a spectacle.

Score

Mockingjay Part 2 scores a Crescent Moon. The Hunger Games Series is a New Moon.

Scoring System

Wolves are thought to commonly howl at the moon. So, the better the moon, the greater the howl. Description of scoring system below.

Full Moon - best you can get, must watch and must own
New Moon - great movie, worth seeing and buying
Crescent Moon - average to above average, good to watch, but may want to wait for DVD
Sliver Moon - below average, not worth seeing and only get it on DVD when you have nothing better to do, like having a root canal
Moonless Night -not even worth mentioning - avoid at all costs!

The Gap and The Voice

No, I don't mean the clothing line (what happened to them anyway). I mean the gap a person experiences that causes a change or transformation. I've been thinking a lot about these gaps lately.

Recently our family has got into watching The Voice. While watching we heard the song Samson by Regina Spektor. The song struck me powerfully. You can hear The Voice recording here.

I downloaded the song (both The Voice version and Original) and found myself listening to it over and over. The song seems to be written from the perspective of Delilah and the romance she had with Samson in Judges 16.

The Bible tells us that Samson fell in love with Delilah. Delilah is bribed by the rulers of her country to find the secret to Samson's strength. She proceeds to search for his secret setting trap after trap for Samson. Each time he keeps his secret. Until verse 15 says the following:

¹⁵ Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’^c when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time^d you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.^e” ¹⁶ With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it. 

¹⁷ So he told her everything.^f “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite^g dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.” 

Listening to the song and thinking of the Bible account, I was struck by a number of thoughts. 

1. Samson's love for Delilah. Some might call him a fool, others blinded by love or lust. He wasn't exactly a great moral man! But I would say to those people that maybe they don't understand love. The same word here is used for Abraham's love for his one and only son Isaac. It's the same word used for the command to love God. Samson loved her.

2. The Bible doesn't tell us how Delilah feels for Samson, but the song suggests that she loves him deeply too. I hadn't thought about that before. Delilah was trapped - caught in the political power play of powerful men. I'm not excusing her actions, but I think we have a habit of denigrating people in the Bible by prescribing more to them than what the actual passage says. Delilah has been portrayed as evil, a bad woman, a prostitute, a manipulator and I've even heard her called a slut by some. But what if she was a poor woman, in love with a man who hid from her? The song gave me pause...that maybe we need to look at all people as God's children deserving his love and our compassion rather than evil reprobates. It made me wonder about Delilah, for she disappears from the Bible after this episode. She enters a gap that is never resolved. It bothered me. This woman, who for whatever reason betrayed a man who loved her, and disappears. What happened to her? We're left with speculation.

3. At the same time I thought of Samson. He gets taken into captivity. His eyes are gouged out and he is shackled and forced to manual labor. We don't know how long he does this for? It is his gap. During this time of blindness and labor, his hair grows back and during a period of his greatest humiliation, this humbled man calls on God for help.

4. It made me think of other gaps in the Bible - Moses gap of 40 years, Paul's gap of 11-14 years, Abraham's gap of 25 years, the gap in the wilderness for Israel, even the gap in Jesus life from childhood to adulthood. In each one, the gap brought a period of reflection, unlearning and/or learning and transformation. Yes for Jesus too - Hebrews 5:8 tells us that he learned obedience from his suffering. That was some of his gap.

5. It made me think further of our own growth as people and how essential the gap is for us. So often we preach the success, we talk about the success, we celebrate the transformation. But we forget the process...we forget the gap. The gap is where the change happens. The gap is where the work takes place. The gap, if it is essential and I believe it is, is where we need to go to find out who we are and who we are meant to be. 

We need to teach, preach and guide people in the gap and stop pushing them to the success. We need to create a place where people in the gap can find a place to breath and exist without pressure to change. We need to be a people of process, not a people of quick fixes.

So my thoughts drift back to Delilah and I wonder how many Delilah's drift into and out of our lives looking for a place to process, but find instead quick fixes, entrapment or scorn. I wonder about Samson, and how many Samson's drift into our lives blind and weak looking for someone to guide their hands to a place of purpose but instead find people laughing at them and humiliating them in their time of process. And I wonder, am I a Delilah or a Samson?

Shards

I recently spoke at our Men's Prayer Breakfast talking about Paul's reference to his "thorn in the flesh" from 2 Corinthians 12. The word for thorn in the Greek is skolops. It can be translated in multiple ways. It can be a thorn, something small with an irritating prick in your skin, or it could be large, like a tent stake that drives a hole through your heart. It most literal translation is "what is pointed".

There is much debate over what Paul's thorn is, but I don't like the word thorn as used. I think I prefer the word shards. Shards carries a far better meaning to me, Shards is such an applicable word. Shards of glass...it captures images of brokenness and pain, of danger. Shards of rock, that poke and prod, leaving you uncomfortable at least. Shards of broken ceramic that clearly say the plate is beyond repair. Shards of metal that are cast off by the metal worker, but so dangerous if left unattended.

John MacArthur argues that Paul's thorn is a broken relationship in his ministry. He feels it is the best reason for Paul's pain and anguish in this chapter as he refer to the thorn as a messenger of Satan sent to torment him.

I think we can all relate to this pain. Broken relationships are by far the most severe form of pain I know. The break in the relationship can be of any reason: death of someone close, a parting of ways whether by choice or not, a betrayal, or something in-between. The writers used the word thorn to keep to the true sense of the word, but I prefer shards. A broken relationship leaves your heart, soul and even your body wracked with pain as if filled with shards.

Shards are broken pieces with sharp edges that slide into you and leave you filled with pain. They cannot be easily removed for to take them out means cutting you again. And when you get one, there are often plenty more. If the removal is done poorly a single shard can also break into more shards causing more pain. I think this is what broken relationships feel like to so many people - not a stake or thorn in your flesh. But shards in your flesh!

God's answer to Paul is that his grace is sufficient. What isn't answered is how you experience and receive that grace. It's different for each person.

For all those suffering from a broken relationship, I know your pain. I know your shards. My prayer for you and for me is that we would together find the grace of God that is sufficient for our healing.

Summer Adieu

Summer has been hot and wonderful - filled with all that makes up life - laughter, fun, highs, and cries, sadness and lows. As summer winds down and we look towards the fall (and all highs and lows it will bring) it is only fitting to say adieu to summer. It has been one of the best summers of my life...

Humidity Haze

Humidity is a blessing and a curse.

The blessing is how, when it's just right, humidity creates this warmth and softness to the air. It makes you want to be outside and just be...watching a live band, playing mini-golf, going for a run!

The curse is when it rises to that smothering level that feels like you're wearing two fleece blankets in the middle of summer. And it brings with it the humidity haze. Window's fog, your sunglasses cloud up, your clothes stick to your skin and it feels like the air itself is trying to suffocate you.

But, blessing or curse, humidity is better than 108" of snow!

C'mon Summer

Two weeks of summer has passed...and still trying to find that relaxed rhythm. Or maybe I'm dreaming about that relaxed rhythm. But, the weather is warm, sometimes hot, which is infinitely better than it was in the winter.

Summer means t-shirts, and shorts, sandals! It means outdoor games and sitting in the shade relaxing with friends - we'll just ignore the mad dashing and entertaining that means caring for kids in the summer.

Summer means rejuvenation, if you can find it. Summer means a fresh start after a long winter.

There was a commercial that used to play when I grew up in South Africa. It was about the start of the professional cricket season. I know, those of you who are American have no idea what the point of that game is, but the commercial used to evoke powerful emotions about Summer. It had the simple refrain of "c'mon summer" in it. And each time it played you chomped at the bit waiting for summer to come.

So now its here and all I can say is "c'mon summer!"

Door's Howl: Jurassic World

Synopsis

Jurassic World is the fourth installment in the Jurassic franchise. The movie pulled no punches in trying to be cutting edge and sci-fi like.  From rides of rolling spheres to holographic images it was a dive into theme parks of the future...with a little bit of horror. The story follows the ongoing Jurassic debate about genetic manipulation, corporate greed, science and ethics.  This installment even threw in the tried and true evil military applications. It's a long movie filled with action sequences. I saw the 3D version, but it doesn't really add much. Chris Pratt continues to move into the most sought after actor spot delivering a solid performance. Rumor has it, he's already signed for a 5th and 6th installment.  Bryce Dallas Howard plays the female lead, although the decisions about her wardrobe, hair and makeup reminded me of a plastic doll rather than a person. Her performance was not robotic but the context of her dress, makeup and corporate management role left her too distant to connect to in the movie.

Throughout the movie there are homages to the original franchise, (the raptor claw being dug up, the aviary dome, the raptors, the T-Rex and more). The movie is a good night out and worth seeing...but then, it's already the #1 movie in the States right now!

On a side note, its worth checking out AMC's Dine In Theaters.  Same price as a normal ticket, but with servers bringing you food (good food with a wide range from burgers, to tacos, to salads) and drinks. Seats are recliners with automated footrests and back adjusters.  

Score
Jurassic World scores a new moon
Scoring System

Wolves are thought to commonly howl at the moon. So, the better the moon, the greater the howl. Description of scoring system below.

Full Moon - best you can get, must watch and must own
New Moon - great movie, worth seeing and/or buying
Crescent Moon - average to above average, good to watch, but may want to wait for DVD
Sliver Moon - below average, not worth seeing and only get it on DVD when you have nothing better to do, like having a root canal
Moonless Night -not even worth mentioning - avoid at all costs!

Joy Is...

I wrote the following piece for our celebration service.  Thought others might like it.

Joy Is...

A Brady Pass to a Gronk Catch

As Crowd goes wild in the match

The last out in the final inning

The curse reversed cos we are winning

The first kiss after vow is made

Hands clap for couple arrayed

The sweet embraces of two lovers given

Over years and years of joyful livin’

Your favorite song and your favorite band

Experienced live at concert grand

The simple strum of a clean clear string

By an artful hand on the down swing

Shouts and cries,

Claps and sighs

The communal buzzing

of individual humming

It’s loud and soft, the bold who cheer

The crowd moving in high gear

For joy is better

When we’re together

That’s what Joy is…when it’s outside of here!

But in here, joy like that seems to disappear

Behind silent rows, and vacant eyes

Beneath this mystical disguise

This must not be,

It should not be…

For we have Thee

To joyfully see

For His arrival was with angel sung,

Good news, great joy for old and young

The Jubilee did He instate

With powerful words most potentate

Good news to poor, freedom from chain

Sight for the blind, still more we gain

The naked clothed, the hungry fed,

The sick made well, the sheep well led

The broken healed, the thirsty sated,

and Yet his Joy is unabated…

Grace He brings and mercy too

For us who sin from God most true

And that, dear church, is worthy stuff

For us to celebrate with joyous puff

His joy continued throughout his life

Right up to that most darkened strife

Where with last words, what would he tweet

Why… “My joy in you, your joy complete”

That is why we gather today,

Not for numbers, though they sway

It is for Him we gather

To help us close this chapter.

His work for us

… in us

… through us

…from us

You see, Faith Church, we have permission

To let loose our dumb condition

For we can with joyful shout proclaim

To God our Savior with great acclaim

That He is alive within our anatomy

“How?” you ask seeking clarity

From painted walls at Serenity

To prayers offered with sincerity

From groups that meet with authenticity

To humble work done with complexity

From children cared for oh most tenderly

To students reaching out so meaningfully

From baptisms done so forcefully

To stories shared so wonderfully

Yes, Faith Church, he is alive assuredly

Still more you ask for so expectantly

From tons of food raised so incredibly

To care teams working so compassionately

From global needs brought devastatingly

To us sitting here so quietly…

But why so quiet…Faith Community

Have you not heard of his activity?

Rise to your feet and join the throng

As we declare with word and song

Amen, Hallelujah, Praise God above,

The God of Joy, The God of Love

God is alive! So let’s celebrate

Let’s shout it out and emulate

God’s Word which says don’t hesitate

Come one, come all, lets celebrate 

Umm...Sleep Anyone!

I would love to know how those blog writers keep up a daily pace amidst the normal routine of life.

Life has filled these past weeks with...work, sermons, counseling, meetings, meetings and more meetings, soccer, lacrosse, piano, projects, school projects (you know the ones that start out as your kids and then become yours!), added responsibilities, surprises, support, friends, crisis, gym, diets and meetings again!

It's certainly the reason God gave us the story of Genesis 1 (not really to tell us the detail of his creative work - sorry literalists), but really to tell us two key things.  He created it all and he rested.

God rested!

He modeled the concept for us. He took a break!

I don't know what it means for God to take a break.  How does God rest? What does it look like for God to take a rest?

But let's not get sidetracked.

Rest is the key idea. God rested to tell us we should rest. Rich coming from the "stay up till 2am and get up at 6am" person I've become.

Perhaps this was sparked by a conversation with my son asking about why we need to sleep, He was incredulous that you could die from lack of sleep! That's the end result of not sleeping - death. So, since God is life, he rested!

All that to say...in life's busiest moments, it is more important than ever to take a time out and rest!

To all those fellow insomniacs, over thinkers and sleep strugglers - may you find some rest!

Jet Lag

I've been back from South Africa for a week now. I have a weird relationship with jet lag. I don't mind it, but don't love it either. South Africa is only 6-7 hours ahead of Eastern USA depending on daylight savings. On this return it means I am falling asleep at 8-9pm and waking up 4-5am.  That might sound like a regular nights sleep for an early bird, but I'm a late night owl.

The world is weird at 4am in the morning. The sounds are wrong and the light is wrong. I'm not sure I like it. However, it is quite nice to hit 8am and you're already ahead of your day and have everything working for you. The negative effect at night is having your wife laugh at you as you fall asleep on the couch, drooling and falling.

I prefer the late night owl - up till 2am, contemplating the universe, life and everything, waking up grumpy in the morning and having that first sip of delicious coffee. Yes, maybe that sounds weird to you early birders, but the late night owls are all hooting in agreement.

They say the early bird gets the worm.  I'm with Garfield on this one...some incentive!

I'll stick with coffee.  And I've discovered a new favorite this year - iced coffee! Enjoyed it last year, but loving it this year!

Africa Day 8 and 9: Safari

It was with little expectation that we arrived at Inverdoorn Lodge in the Karoo to see some game. It was a surprise to discover how much it became part of us. Most people travel to Kruger or Pilanesburg in northern South Africa to see game. They are great parks, but seeing wildlife can be hit or miss. Inverdoorn is a tiny reserve by comparison, but they do an excellent job in work and hospitality.

Game drives are wonderful and sightings are many. Of course the herds are small and many of the animals are rescues. But what better place to support than a lodge committed to rehabilitating cheetahs, elephants and lions.

For those who don't know the Karoo is a semi-arid desert region of South Africa. There is no exact definition for the Karoo but I find it a hard place to live. Animals and plant life struggle to survive. Because of this hardship there is what I call a cruel beauty in the Karoo. At first glance it looks bare and barren, but if you are quiet long enough, and able to observe closely, you'll see a beauty emerge that takes away your breath and sneaks into your spirit.

Animals emerge, sometimes right out of the bushes next to you to show off their beauty. Insects call, the sky shouts and the horizon whispers of allurement and suffering delicacy. Before long, you've fallen in love with the dusty roads and scrubby bushes. The animals become soulmates and the land becomes your body.

This love is not the infatuation of young love, it is the love of poets and songs, the love of the great classics. You are Romeo and the land is Juliet. Leaving does become a sorrow and the memories live with you forever.

I offer to you just a brief look into our 24 hours in the Karoo with this video file (please let me know if you can't watch it).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vd8acvapd5pcja5/Safari%20-%20Inverdoorn.mp4?dl=0

Africa Day 7: Leadership

Today was a day about leadership. I spent the morning with my pastoral and fatherhood mentor, my uncle. We spoke about many subjects from caring for my mom, our families, leading in the church and how to address the growing challenges to Christian thought and practice. I left feeling encouraged and inspired as usual with the usual twinge of sadness at not seeing him more.

We filled the afternoon wrapping up the leadership development trip to New York and Washington DC. It is a great trip that will inspire, teach, challenge and release leaders into the world.

Tonight is a celebration of the work of the week over dinner. I don't think we've done that yet this week!

Africa Day 6: Strategy

Today was all about planning together and forming the future years of HC. Some of us couldn't handle the pace and needed time out to "prayer".

Observing South African teaching and schools was amazing. Students doing work beyond their grade level (DNA extraction of a banana), caring for a living lab, feeding animals and doing normal school stuff. Teachers pouring their souls into kids.

Peter H got to consult on his own cafe and business experience with school catering staff.

As an executive we looked into the future and saw a future filled with young people helping young people. As part of the work we began planning our advanced leadership development program. It looks awesome.

We ended the day speaking to over 80 parents and children about visiting New York and Boston in December. Already 20 families have committed to coming.

Today was a good day as we lived out our vision: sculpting teachers and learners for dynamic change.

Huzzah to Bacon and Gold!

Africa Day 5: New

Today was about new experiences, new thoughts and new heights. Our strategy sessions for Hammer and Chisel are coming together nicely. New trips being launched and new programs being developed. We enter day 2 of strategy today.

During the morning break Peter Holscher needed yet another view of Cape Town. This led to a new experience and a new height on our trip - a helicopter ride around the Cape Peninsula. 

Strategy sessions continue tonight as we look to the next 3 years and the growth of HC. Some intriguing concepts have emerged that require further study and survey.

More to follow tomorrow as we visit a local school and meet some parents for a trip to the States.

Africa Day 4: Madiba and Dumisani (or The Mountain and the Prison)

Today was a work/cultural exchange day. We took an HC board member and local HC staff and families up Table Mountain and then to Robben Island.

Table Mountain revealed herself for the first time this week with no wind and no clouds. She was spectacular. The ride up and views were breathtaking. Maybe the photos will provide some insight.

On the cable car down our ride was ended with a quote from Nelson Mandela (affectionately called Madiba in South Africa). "Whether the cat is black or white, is not important, his ability to catch mice is." Good way to end one icon (the Table) and head to the another (The Prison)

Heading out to Robben Island on the ferry is alway enjoyable. Being on the island is always reflective and somber for me. Robben Island has been a prison in years past, a hospital, a leper colony and then a symbol of apartheid and struggle.

The tours are done by former prisoners and it is deeply personal. In the pictures you will see the depth of Apartheid control - even to food allotments. You will also see photos of Madiba's cell, from inside and outside and the courtyard where they exercised and labored. The lime quarry contains a pile of rocks placed by released prisoners each year they returned to honor the suffering they endured on the island.

Dumisani was our tour guide and his final words on the tour were a soul searching play on many levels. He invited us all at the end to take our "short walk to freedom". At its most surface level it was a clever quip on Madiba's book "Long Walk to Freedom". On other layers it was a reflection on how easy it is for us tourists to walk to our own freedom and how low our price has been for that freedom compared to his. A short walk indeed.

In the pictures you will see two photos in black and white. They are of the Island as seen from the Mountain and the Mountain as seen from the Island.

You would do yourself a favor to save up money to come and discover this beautiful country that bears the scars of its past and the dreams of its future. You would do well to come and laugh, play, eat, dance and socialize. You would do better to come and listen. You would do best if you came to breath it into your souls and take a piece of South Africa back with you.

Africa Day 3: Wine

Today was spent relaxing and enjoying good conversation, lamb on the spit, sun and connection while on a wine farm. Tonight is all about Avengers.

Sitting at Backsberg wine farm eating our lunch (for over a wonderful 4 hours) is good for the soul. The conversation, like the sun, washes over us as we explore the depths of the universe, the depths of depravity and the lightness of laughter.

All done under the African sun as we are surrounded by wine land, Outeniqua mountains and the African bush.

In between we got to visit with cousins and extended family and solve education crises in the world.

It has been a good day.

Africa Day 2: Surprises

Today we visited V&A Waterfront and an old workplace. The site of Planet Hollywood Cape Town. It is now a stunningly beautiful food and stall market that screams the hopes of what South Africa specifically and Africa could be.

Walking around the venue that used to be Planet Hollywood brought many surprise memories. Of serving people, managing, experiences etc.

The food mart shows the breadth of South African cuisine from local delicacies (mopane worms) to local staples (pap and vegetables and meat pies) to adopted favorites (sandwiches, barista coffees). Also filled with local shops offering stunning things - a spice shop, a balsamic reduction stall next to a local honey producer and more.

I sat thinking this is what this place should always have been - not a commercialized theme restaurant but a community of entrepreneurs working together to raise the level of each person.

It was beautiful on a personal, social and corporate scale. Workers sit eating their staple lunch next to tourists trying new food while the blend of exotic spices, sounds and smells wash over them.

If all of Africa became like this it would be the breadbasket of the world and the emotional soul of humanity.

We ended the day seeing Camps Bay. This is a place that until today I had not realized kept a piece of my soul. Walking on the beach and feeling the sand brought a flood of memories - playing volleyball, many tournaments, weekend after weekend sitting with friends, training and more. Left the beach leaving more of my souls and heart behind.

Africa Day 1: Arrival

Nice entry into South Africa. Very warm day which was lovely after a long cold winter. Relaxing day shopping and then sitting till late in he night drinking wine, eating steak and lamb and laughing and talking. Great first day.

Thank You for Sacred Spaces

We have come to the end of another Holy Week and our church wrapped up Sacred Spaces tonight. The team that pulled this together has been incredible - from creative genius, to courageous challenge, to humble servants - all of them. They are led by a courageous volunteer management expert (who will totally deny that she is one!). We saw more people go through the spaces this year then before.We heard of incredible moments of transformation and spiritual connection. It all happened because a group of people chose to volunteer their valuable time and gifts to make this happen.

Thank you to a team that has captured the heart of what it means to guide others "One Step Closer to Christ". It is a privilege to work with you and see the impact of your work on people.

Lord Jesus, remember them and bless them for the work done on your behalf. They are servants worthy of the honorific "Good and Faithful".

Door's Howl: Divergent

Divergent

Synopsis

Yet another one in the realm of young adult books becoming movies hoping to make millions. And it has so far, with the second coming later this month (Insurgent) and the third being split into two movies for 2016 and 2017. I did not see this in the theater, but the Insurgent trailer looked interesting and so I got it on DVD. I enjoyed it,

Divergent is about a dystopian future where people are forced into factions based on 5 foundational virtues. It's kind of an extreme life deciding personality test with a career path, home life and community decided for you. Yet the hero in the show emerges as a "rare" divergent, someone who is motivated by more than one of the virtues. She is rare, different and therefore does not fit in. By the end of the movie divergents seem to be far less rare, so that leaves one wondering why this is the first time it happens, but that's the movies for you. In the end, the introductory movie sets up the battle for the future much like Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Twilight and a host of other trilogy movies aspires to do. I think the series will do well and I certainly will be watching the rest...but probably from the comfort of my home than the theater.

The movie commits many movie mistakes (I think CinemaSins would have a field day with it) but overall the movie is good, the story line engaging and the cast good. Shailene Woodley does a great job in this role and is well supported by a new upcoming cadre of actors who will replace the current A-list for sure. But for now, they are new and growing.

ScoreDivergent scores a Crescent Moon.Scoring System

Wolves are thought to commonly howl at the moon. So, the better the moon, the greater the howl. Description of scoring system below.

Full Moon - best you can get, must watch and must own
New Moon - great movie, worth seeing and buying
Crescent Moon - average to above average, good to watch, but may want to wait for DVD
Sliver Moon - below average, not worth seeing and only get it on DVD when you have nothing better to do, like having a root canal
Moonless Night -not even worth mentioning - avoid at all costs!

S-I-N

What's that you say? Sin...oh that old fashioned word from the days of the modernist, scholastic and Christian era. Yeah, we're past that these days. Sin is an outdated and irrelevant term. We're not sinners these days - that's being preachy. Today we're learners. Today is all about experience and making sure your experience is good for you and not forced on anyone else. It's called tolerance - except for those that are not tolerant. Only one problem with all of that - it does not work! Just ask the victims of ISIS, or the hidden poverty in the West, or undocumented workers, those trapped in the sex slave trade or a hundred other examples of postmodern living that shows the brokenness of the world in all its infamy. If history teaches us anything it is that we are not learners, we are repeaters and that is what is captured by that word "sin". Personally, I prefer to talk about our brokenness these days, so why would I pray it in the Jesus prayer?

Here's why.

I am praying about sin in the Jesus prayer because that is what I am - a sinner. Please note, I said, "I AM". I am a sinner. I am broken. I am a failure. I have many ideals and goals, but fail to achieve many of them with any consistency. Sin is that ever present disease that hampers my every effort. This is where I think we have gone a little off the rails in Christendom. We seem to spend more time telling other people they are sinners, instead of starting with us. This is the very essence of Jesus' story of the man with a plank in his eye trying to remove a speck from someone else's eye (Matthew 7:1-5).

So, my praying the Jesus prayer is about my sin, my failures, my brokenness and the constant call to Jesus to rescue me from my own failures. It is not a judgement on others, but a judgement on myself. The wonderful thing about Jesus is that He pours on grace not condemnation. He pours on mercy, not punishment. He pours on love, not brokenness. And as Mathew 7:1 encourages, that is the judgement I want to pass on to others - the grace of God instead of the condemnation of sin, the mercy of God instead of the punishment of failure and the love of God instead of the brokenness of humanity. Grace, mercy and love.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Mercy

When I was in high school we used to play a game called Mercy.  It involved taking a deck of cards and whacking each other on the knuckles until someone called for mercy. I went to a boys only school, hence these games of macho bravado (often called "stupid" by more intelligent people) I am sure there are many versions of this sort of game.

In the Jesus Prayer, when you pray for the Lord to have mercy, it is not out of pain being inflicted on you by God, or because of some form of surrender due to a being conquered. It is a cry for help to someone who can rescue. Of course, there is a cry to not receive the punishment we deserve, but when I pray it, it is more a cry for God to be a generous, gracious rescuer to save me from the trouble I have put myself in.

That's the God I worship and believe in - One who rescues, One who saves, One who shows mercy in abundance. And I need it.

I am astounded by my ability to sin...by purposeful choice and coincidental exposure. I am grateful for God's mercy, a mercy so evident in the Bible (even the hard parts to read) and in my life (especially the hard parts).

What comes to mind as I pray this prayer is Jesus parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21. A servant is given incredible mercy from his master for a huge sum of money. However, in return he gives no mercy to a fellow servant who owes him very little. As I cry for mercy from God I hear Him whispering, give mercy to others.

There are many areas of my personal and professional life where this is needed. So, as I pray this prayer I ask for one more thing - God open my eyes to where I can give mercy in my personal life and in my ministry.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Is there such a thing as a 5 o'clock shadow of the brain?

I know people talk about the sluggishness of the afternoon work load. I mean, that's why there's 5 hour energy, coffee and the plethora of Dunkin and Starbucks around right? And good friends don't let friends drink Starbucks!

But, as the 5 o'clock shadow grows on my chin, I feel a shadow creep on my mind at the same time. I genuinely feel more awake at midnight than at 5pm. So as I write this in my sleep induced shadow of the 5pm afternoon I wonder - what is the solution for this mind numbing feeling.

I am sure many will say coffee, caffeine, a power nap earlier, a goodnight sleep the night before...but I have tried all those and that sluggishness of mind and memory still persists.

Is there the equivalent of a quick shave for the brain out there?

You're whose son?

During the writing of my master's thesis I focused my thoughts around the story of Jesus as recorded by Matthew. One of the key questions to the book is "Whose son is the Christ?" Throughout the book Matthew presents thoughts and evidence pointing to Jesus being the Son of God. At the end of the book, Matthew presents his answer through a highly unlikely source for a Jewish writer - a Roman soldier. Here is what he writes:

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54)

What his disciples struggled to get, what his opponents refused to accept, what sounded incredulous to any who heard it was now stated openly by a soldier - Jesus was the Son of God. This is why this phrase is so central to the Jesus prayer.

By praying to Jesus, the Son of God, we are not just praying to another person, or another deity.  We are praying to the very image of the invisible God. Jesus says this himself - Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9). For Matthew, calling Jesus Son of God, means equating him to God.

When I pray the Jesus prayer to Jesus, the Son of God, I believe I am praying to the second person of the Trinity - the very essence and representation of all that God is. Furthermore, the Father gives His Son all authority. Therefore, praying to Jesus means I am praying to One who is in complete control of this world, my life and all that happens in it. Who better to call on each day?

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

What is Jesus' Last Name?

I bet many thought "Christ". But, Christ was not Jesus' last name - it was His title. In Hebrew it was "Messiah", in Greek, "Christ". Both mean "Anointed One". Calling Jesus, Christ, means acknowledging that he is the Anointed One of God. The truth is we don't know Jesus' last name.

In Old Testament times privileged people were anointed: prophets, priests and kings. Typically, a priest or prophet conducted anointing ceremonies. The equivalent experience today would be a coronation ceremony of a king.

Despite Jesus being called the Anointed One, the only real anointing He received is recorded in Luke 7:36-50. Luke describes this woman, as someone who "lived a sinful life". Her response to Jesus is one of weeping and love. Her public demonstration of love and worship may have made some uncomfortable. Jesus looks through the display and sees a woman in need of forgiveness. He grants her this need and lets her know that her sins have been forgiven - not because of the extravagant display but because He is the gracious, merciful and loving God who can grant forgiveness.

As I pray the Jesus Prayer, this encounter is helpful to me. As I pray to Jesus the Christ, I would like to think that I want to be more like the sinful woman in the story rather than the self-righteous pharisee. I want to seek Jesus out with weeping and worship to forgive my sins. I want to anoint his feet and head with rich perfume to show the depth of my affection. I want to hear the words of Jesus, "Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

But, I am all too aware that I probably would be the pharisee questioning Jesus and this over-the-top public display. I truly need to experience the Christ, the Anointed One, who is the prophet, priest and king of our faith.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The Name Above All

Praying the Jesus prayer as often as possible felt hard today. Perhaps it was the intensive meeting schedule, the ever present cold or the impending doom of the Polar Vortex cold of the next few days. It just did not flow.

However, praying to the Lord Jesus, regardless of how many times is always fruitful and a blessing. When I did pray the Jesus prayer, I reflected on the second word - Jesus.

His name is the name above all names, the name by which we are saved, the One who reveals God to us and the One who brings us to God.

His name means, "The Lord Saves", and in Hebrew is Joshua.  

His name is one of the most common names given to children in some cultures today as a sign of love and respect for who He is. Thousands of times a day people unwittingly shout out the very gospel of God - the Lord Saves, the Lord Saves. 

Knowing His name speaks to a fundamental truth about what Jesus came to do...provide a way to develop a deep and personal relationship with God. There is an intimacy implied in knowing his name. Jesus speaks about this intimacy in one of my favorite passages from the book of John, found in the Bible. It comes from John 15:13-17:

^"13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other."

Yet, knowing His name, and having that intimacy with Him, must never become mundane. He is my friend, but my friendship must not lead to presumption. He is God, He is King! He deserves and has earned my respect, my adoration, my worship and my submission.  I am reminded of Dr. Lockridge's famous sermon (Seven Way King) and the many clips of a segment of that message. Jesus is my friend and He is my King. Do you know Him?

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Yes Lord...

The opening word of the Jesus Prayer takes some guts to pray with authenticity..."Lord Jesus Christ..."

The greek word for Lord is kurios.  It implies absolute master, the equivalent of the Hebrew YHWH name for God. (YHWH is the name God gave Moses which is translated as LORD in the NIV - see Ex 3:14).

To have an absolute master means to have someone who is always in charge of you, always right, and always in control. To have an absolute master means to be an absolute servant - one who submits, surrenders hands over control to that master. Praying "Lord..." these past few days has highlighted how much I am not a servant who submits.

Submission is hard! I don't like submitting and I think many people don't like submitting either. We pride ourselves on being self-sufficient and independent.

But, the Jesus Prayer begins with the posture of submission. As I pray that word my mind fills with all the times I have not submitted, I have not made or kept him Lord. It's hard to pray the Jesus Prayer when you spend more time asking for forgiveness after the first word, than it takes to pray the entire prayer.

My heart's desire during this Lent season is that Jesus would be Lord in my life. Not just Savior, but Lord.

Jesus, Be Lord of my mind; Lord of my body; Lord of my soul; Lord of my family; Lord of my life; Lord of my past, present and future - Jesus be Lord over me and guide me in submission.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Overcome Evil with Good OR How to make it through a School Vacation Day!

Our lounge has become a tent making industry...and not the type that helps with income.

Rather my children have turned blankets, chairs, clothes pegs and pillows into a sprawling complex that would make any architect jealous. Their building is empowered by Pandora (Katy Perry station which plays more Rihanna than Katy Perry - go figure).

Then...a cat jumps on the tent and it falls like the old Vegas Casino implosions.

And so, on this snowy and cold school vacation day, the goodness of tent making is hampered by the evil of a black cat called Luke. The solutions of the moment: an array of bags that will trap the cat by its own curiosity for anything boxy, much yelling followed by cries of despair. The tent has been built at least 3 times and the boys have yet to discover the truth of Paul's words to "overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

As the battle between Cat and Boys continues, I am reminded by how hard it is to live by that verse in our current society - how's that for a segue and burying the lead!

How can we not be overcome by the evil of our day but overcome that evil with good? What does it mean to be good to ISIS, to be good to political corruption, to be good to systemic and transitory evil? This is not a rhetorical question...I would love your thoughts. Feel free to leave them in the comments section...they might even help with a certain black cat!

And Jayme, you thought I could not write today!

Ash Wednesday

You probably have seen them all over your social media...what people are giving up for Lent. Sacrifice is a quintessential Christian act.  Living on less or giving up something for a period of time to allow you to better focus on God is a good practice to have. And it works.

This Lent there are many things I would like to give up on...

...all this snow for one!
...bad news reporting would be another!
...an end to violence!
...demands on my time from all areas!

But let's be more realistic...none of those is going to happen. The snow will be here till the Ice Age ends, bad news reporting is an epidemic, violence (well say no more) and demands on my time...I might as well step off the planet (and who made me the center of attention - as though my time is worth more than anyone else's!) Jesus faced nearly all of those challenges - bad news reporting about him, violence surrounding him, and constant demands (in fact many of his miracles were due to interruptions). I'm not convinced Jesus faced our snow...so I have that one...maybe.

So here's my Lent sacrifice, small as it is.

I want to take each day of this Lent and pray the Jesus Prayer as often as I can.

The Jesus Prayer:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

I'll post thoughts on this as they come to me.

Here we go again and the week of hell

It has been some time since I last blogged.  A comment sometimes repeated to me in hurried conversation with SOME people who like to harass me (not think of anyone in particular...no really, not ONE).

It's about time I took this back up again. I find myself filled with thoughts about what is currently going in and wish I had a way to express myself...and then I remember...I do...that funny blog with the weird pizza on it.

Of course, getting back into an account that is years old takes some doing. But here we are...

CNN called this past week: Religion's Week from Hell. I am dumbfounded by the seeming growth of religious hate and violence - and it is not all muslim. There has been religiously instigated violence from Atheism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. As a pastor and as a person I can't stand violence. Please, I get squeamish at the thought of killing a mouse (spiders, on the other hand, are dealt with in Armageddon-like finality)! However, the need to kill someone whose views are different from your own leave me bereft of reason and thought. I can understand the hatred, but I cannot understand the action. Forget the moral, theological, political or social arguments, historically, this line of action is a monumental failure.

Killing someone for religious reasons in order to advance your own religion and eradicate another religion has never worked. At least, to the best of my knowledge. Martyrs become heroes and the cause gets stronger as a result. ISIS is doomed to fail with its current tactic.  They now have Egypt, Lebanon, USA and Israel amongst others standing against them. It would seem more will follow.

I, also, cannot stand with those that would call for the eradication of all religious extremists. I find the call for violence against violent acts a tough pill to swallow. I am fully aware that this is a necessary step when no other course of action is left open, but it is not a good choice. In the end...we all lose! Perhaps this is what saddens me most of all - the current state of affairs from this hellish week shows only losers, no winners.

I cannot offer solutions, but I do think we have an action. God calls us to pray - pray for our enemies, pray for His intervention, pray for our own repentance and witness. I know it seems insipid and weak to talk about prayer in the midst of beheadings, shootings and slaughters, but prayer is where it begins.

Join me in prayer1