Revolution #2

I've been reflecting on the Gospel of Mark. I especially like the way it begins. No nativity, no shepherds, no angels we have heard on high, no silent night, no roomless inn. All we have is a short, cryptic prophecy and it's fulfillment in a bug-eating nature-dweller.

John the baptist: wild man, holy man, pre-revolutionary. He is John the Barbarian, a guerrilla warrior, a slightly unhinged mouthpeice of the divine, calling his countrymen to repentance. Clad in camel-skin, rallying the people, preparing the way for the Annointed One.

Then we have Jesus joining a movement already in progress. Being baptised with the rest of the sinners, responding in like manner to John's call for departure from the status quo. Only Jesus' river experience is a little different. He comes up out of the water and (re)encounters the divine. As the Spirit of God decends on him he hears a message from God.

"You are my annointed. The chosen one, you are Messiah. You are my man!"

Jesus response to this epiphany is to be driven into the wilderness. The Spirit drives him out away from the crowd into the hinterlands of the Judean wilderness.

What a way to start a story.

Revolution

There's nothing like a good economic meltdown to help me come to my senses. Ever since this past week's message (at New Horizon) I have become increasingly aware of the fact that my primary allegiance is not to this country. I like this country and am thankful for the many opportunities afforded me here, but as a follower of Jesus I think my primary allegiance is to the Kingdom of God.

Here is a re-write of an impromptu poem/reflection I read on Sunday. It's not quite the same, but it's close. It's called "You have heard"

You have heard that our country is on the brink of total economic meltdown, but that's not true.
You have heard that the political system of our country is totally corrupt, but that's not true either.
You have heard that the leader of our country is a feckless thug, an avaricious warmonger, but this is certainly not true.
These things aren't true because for those of us who have decided to follow Jesus, our citizenship does not belong to these United States of America. We are part of a revolutionary new Kingdom, one that was created to change the world, conquer death, and beat back the gates of hell.
We are not called to be loyal to a flawed system of human government. We are called to be part of a movement that started over two thousand years ago. A movement that transcends politics and is destined to reinvent the cosmos.
You may have heard that it is the end of the world as we know it. That our country is imploding, collapsing, falling apart at the seams.
But you have heard wrong.

Hang in there. The Revolution is just getting warmed up.

Focus > Hocus Pocus

In an attempt to preserve my sanity, I am trying to focus my efforts on those things that are most meaningful to me. To that end, I will be shifting the focus of my blog to my teaching ministry at New Horizon. It will save me some time, help focus my attention, and hopefully augment my ministry here in Northern Indiana.

But maybe not.

My Blog Sucks

I think my blog might really suck. Seriously. I try to be introspective, deep thinking, influential. But I come across as a pissy little whiner. I would like to think that I am trying to be spiritually formative, but I'm really not. I would like to tell you I have Jesus-oriented motives for blogging, but I don't. I really just want a little notoriety to soothe my blistered ego.

On top of that it really just causes me problems. I tend to be a bit too honest in this format and then people read it and think I'm a heretic. Who needs the stress. Not me.

Back in Black

After a month long blog hiatus, I am back. The hiatus was good. I spent time drawing, having beers with guys from church, trying to catch up on sermon prep, worrying about money, and stressing about my sex life. All in all, a good month.

I have been illustrating a lot lately, which is good for me. I study the Bible more effectively when I am working on some sort of design project at the same time. We have been working on our own children's discipleship curriculum at church, and I am heading up the illustrating efforts. It's good, clean fun.

Speaking of good clean fun, I did "Flaming Dr. Pepper" shots with my wife last week. Fantastic, plenty of flame, no burns. It was a good night. Though I feel guilty blogging about it, for some reason. I am sure that somewhere out there I am being judged as a second-rate pastor by a fellow Christ-follower. You know what? I am a second-rate pastor, get over it, I sure have.

The whole alcohol thing kinda hacks me off. Why can't I feel free to talk about having drinks with my wife? I'm sure there are plenty of first-rate pastors who have blogged about having dinner with their wives. Nothing wrong with that, right? What's the difference between eating and drinking? Isn't it true that what makes these activities sinful is how much we indulge? It seems to me it's not the substance, it is slavery to the substance that entraps us and damages our spiritual self. I am not a slave to bourbon, scotch, or beer...are you a slave to food?

On top of all of that, a couple of drinks usually lead to sex for my wife and me. a couple of cheeseburgers rarely accomplish the same.