Gluttons Crave

How well do you do in resisting the temptation to eat too soon or too much? The deadly sin of gluttony has it's grip on you. And me. And it almost had it's grip on Jesus. How did Jesus resist the temptations of gluttony in the wilderness? What we learn from him might - it might just be helpful to us.

Here's the story:

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry.

The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread."
And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'" (Deut. 8v3)

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours."

And Jesus answered him, "It is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"(Deut 6v13)

And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the Temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,

 "'He will command his angels concerning you,
 to guard you,' and

 "'On their hands they will bear you up,
 lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" (Psalm 91v11-12)

And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Deut. 6v16)

And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
-Luke 4v1-15 (ESV)

There were three temptations - all variations of the deadly sin of gluttony. Gluttony is about craving food. But food is about life, and so gluttony quickly becomes about more than just one too many french fries. Gluttony is about craving too much, too soon, too eagerly - recognition and affirmation, attention and affection, sustenance and gifts.

What are the ways that gluttony is at work in your life? Your belly reveals your gluttony towards food and drink. Your impatience and anger reveal your gluttony towards accomplishment and accolades. Your insecurity and worry reveals your gluttony towards attention and affection. You can't hide your gluttony. You can misname it, deny it, or you can accept it and repent.

Jesus was human like you and me. The devil tempted him with real temptations. Forty days in the wilderness - would you and I resist the turning stones to bread? See, Jesus was re-enacting the story of Israel in the wilderness - that's part of the reason why he quotes from Deuteronomy 8. He's letting God test him. Israel failed their test in the wilderness, Jesus must pass his test in the wilderness.

Jesus was announced at his birth as a King. Just as Israel was promised a land flowing with milk and honey, so Jesus was promised all authority and glory. If the devil offered a short-cut, a more convenient way that bypassed crucifixion - would Jesus take it? A powerful temptation it was for Jesus. When he quotes from Deuteronomy 6, he is remembering the promises God made to Israel and to him...there is no easy road to greatness and goodness.

Jesus - his name means "God saves." He was called Immanuel at his birth - "God with us." In the midst of his hunger, his lonliness, his contemplation of the hard road ahead - will YHWH save Jesus? Is the LORD with Jesus? To be atop the Temple, the dwelling place of God - to test God there - it reveals great mistrust in Him. The devil quotes Psalm 91 - twisting the poem on trust to become a tool of testing. Jesus responds by referring to the story in Deuteronomy 6 again - unlike the Israelites who quarreled with God and doubted his ability to care for them, Jesus would stay loyal and full of faith.

Gluttony for bread, glory, affirmation. It's our story.
It's Jesus' story.

The deadly sin of gluttony was the starting point for the devil’s tempting of Jesus. And so it often is with us. To fail to resist this sin is to leave us too vulnerable with all the others.

The devil offered Jesus a short-cut, convenience, immediate results. The devil used lies, vanity, and fear; he sought to blind, to distort, to sow seeds of mistrust.

What are signs that you’re succumbing to the deadly sin of gluttony?
Do you crave short-cuts, to convenience, to immediate results?
Are you letting yourself get lied to? Do you let others appeal to your vanity? Are you often afraid? Is it easy for you to mistrust?

What To Do About the Deadly Sin of Gluttony?
It’s okay to stay hungry. God will provide - at just the right time, in just the right way.

There is only one way to greatness, goodness, and satisfaction. God is trustworthy.

Trust God to answer you when you call on him… and accept the form of help he gives you. God is with you.

Neighborhood Churches & Great COMMUNITIES

Tonight we met at Grace Presbyterian Church with Megan Kelly of Great KIDS make Great COMMUNITIES. Megan presented an overview of the 40 Developmental Assets, particularly those that congregations can build into kids and youth. It was a lot of good information, a very empowering session. Our 46808 Neighborhood Churches want to make our neighborhood a better place to live - and building assets into children and teens is a key investment.

During Lent Anchor Community Church and other congregations in the neighborhood are meeting during four Sunday evenings to learn more about how to better serve our neighbors. Click here to read more about our meeting last week with Judge Charles Pratt and Kate Rusher. Click here to read more about our helpful meeting with Megan Kelly.

If you haven't read it already, here's an article on our meetings in the Journal Gazette called Lent in a New Light by Rosa Salter Rodriguez!

Are You A Glutton?

Have you ever been a glutton?

Yes! Of course I have. Maybe you have too.

Next question: in what ways are you living as a glutton these days?

Well, I ate a whole bag of Cheetos on the way home from Toledo yesterday afternoon to help me stay awake. But I was shoving them in my mouth so fast, the only reason they kept me awake was the resulting pain in my stomach. Ingesting junk results in gastric suffering - which also helps me avoid drowsiness.

I could go on. You?

Who wants to admit they are a glutton? Sure, maybe you need to eat a little more healthier. And who doesn't eat a little more than they really need. Doesn't everybody eat fast-food at least once or twice a week?

Face it. You are a glutton. You are guilty of the deadly sin of gluttony.

Once you are able to admit it, you can do something about it. Staying in denial only prolongs the inability to resist the temptations. Jesus was accused of being a glutton. His first temptations in the wilderness were all variations of gluttony. The Spirit of God led him into the Judean desert for forty days, and while there got really, really, really hungry. And then the tempations started.

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. Luke 4v1-2 (ESV)

Jesus knows what its like to have to resist the temptation of gluttony. As a follower of Jesus, we can learn from his way of resistance and let it shape our life. During Lent, we are to reflect on our own life, our sins, and our need for mercy, our will to follow Jesus. This prompts a reflection of the story of Jesus in the Wilderness. It also prompts a reflection of Israel's wandering in the wilderness.



We probably relate more to Israel, though we strive to follow the way of Jesus. Israel complained and whined when the hardships came. The were caught mistrusting God, pining for security and stability of Egypt (despite the cost of their slavery there). They couldn't see the end goal of the Promised Land. They wanted to head to the Guaranteed Land. They failed their testing, they succumbed to the temptations of gluttony.

Jesus re-enacted the story of Israel, and he played the part well. When he got hungry, instead of quarreling with God, he wrestled to obey. Instead of whining and complaining about his hunger, he formulated the Lord's Prayer. Instead of taking matters into his own hands, he persevered to the end. Gluttony tempted him to satisfy his hunger now, on his own terms. Trusting God required him to wait for God's timing on fulfillment. There is always much at stake in these tests and temptations of hunger.

It's interesting that in the original language of the story, it's the same word for test and temptation. One way to differentiate: a test from God to see where your heart is at; a temptation comes from within or from the evil one to mistrust God and pull away from Him. God tests, he doesn't tempt; God provides a way out of the temptation, and he never tests you beyond your ability. The powerful urges of gluttony you feel - the Spirit of God could still prevail in your life...

What is the deadly sin of gluttony? Here's how St. Gregory the Great put it all those years ago:
Too Soon
Too Much
Too Avidly
Too Richly
Too Daintily.

Here's the question again: in what ways are you living as a glutton these days?
Do you ever eat too soon? Do you ever snack? Do you ever eat when you are not hungry? Do you ever eat alone when you could eat with others? Do you ever eat too much? Do you ever eat until you are stuffed? Do you ever eat a whole bag of Cheetos?

Do you ever eat too eagerly? Do you ever value your meal at the expense of others? Do you ever eat too expensively? Do you ever eat too cheaply? Do you place more value on the cost of the food than the nutrition or source of the food? Do you ever value the taste of the food over the health of the food?

Do you ever eat too carefully? Do you ever obsesses about your food? Do you pay too much attention to your meals?

Go ahead - admit that you are a glutton at times. Just say it: I. Am. A. Glutton.

Now, what can you do about it?
Here's what Jesus did: He fasted. He prayed. He meditated on Scripture. He fueled rebellion towards the Evil One. He sustained his stubbornness towards the temptation of gluttony. He became uncomfortably honest with himself about his desires.

To fast is to intentionally go without a certain type of food, or to miss a meal. By withholding nutrition from your body, you become acutely aware of how hungry you can get. And then you begin to get a sense of what you are up against in attaining self-control over your appetite. You'll need God's help, won't you?!

To pray is to listen to the Spirit's promptings about what to do next with your desires for food. Listen for hints of reality, of wisdom, of truth about yourself and why you eat the way you do.

To meditate on Scripture is to let God speak to you in the way he has spoken to others who would listen in the past. Let God shape your understanding of you, your hunger, and what is more valuable.

There is more to be said on this. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst more for righteousness - for the right thing to prevail in their life and those around them. Knock, seek, ask, and you will find...

Rebel against your gluttony.

Neighborhood Churches & Subversion

The 46808 Neighborhood Churches met tonight at First Mennonite Church with Judge Charles Pratt. We're a collection of churches committed to making our neighborhood a better place to live. Through our collaboration we want to subvert the powers of injustice and despair.

This is long-term work, but it's Jesus-work, and that's what we're all about. Coming alongside children and families and neighbors and meeting them in their world, offering a hand and heart and a way forward - that's what we're working to do.

Read more about our plotting at the Anchorblog.

Another Fat Tuesday

"I love Fat Tuesday!" That's Eli's summary of the day as he was watching me upload pictures for this post.

Our family has become fond of the day - feasting on the pancakes for dinner has become a great tradition. Not only do we enjoy adding all the extra-rich stuff to the feast, but it also is a great prompter to discuss what Lent is all about. As we're digging into our pudding-laden pancakes, we go around the table and share what we're going to give up for Lent. It becomes a family event, a spiritual collaboration.

If you're not familiar with Fat Tuesday, here are some posts from the past with info and links to bring you up to speed on the Christian holy day. Click here and here and here!

For breakfast we initiated the day with Paczki. They look a lot like a donut, but better (or worse... :) According to tradition - as printed on the box - this Polish treat comes from all the extra fattening stuff and sweet stuff that has to be disposed of before the beginning of Lent. The housewives would make a donut-like treat that became known as a Paczki. In Romania they are known as Gogosi, and in Ukraine they are called Pampushky.

Here we are in the evening getting the pudding ready for dinner! We mixed up some butterscotch and some lemon pudding to go along with the tapioca we bought at the grocery store.

Some of the other toppings to go on the pancakes...

Here we are feasting on a table laden with puddings and chocolate bars and whip cream and peanut butter and blueberry pie filling and fake maple syrup.

This was my second serving: fluffy-rich pancake with peanut butter, butterscotch pudding, whip cream, chocolate syrup with Twix bars. Mmmmmm...

A Prayer for Ash Wednesday

If you were going to spend the day praying, here are a few suggestions:

* Focus on praying at some point in the morning, mid-afternoon, and in the evening. You can either set a specific time, or just be mindful of a general time frame.

* Instead of praying "made-up-spontaneous-prayers" (which have their place), I'm suggesting you pray this scripted prayer, a modified version of the Lord's Prayer and the Great Commandment. When the disciples asked Jesus about how to pray, this is what he taught us.

* When you do pray, repeat the prayer several times - a form of meditation. As you do this, focus on a phrase, on a word that seems to lodge in your head and heart. The repetition lets the prayer settle deeper within you, sparks reflection and imagination.

* This isn't a legalistic religious task, but a spiritual formation opportunity. We are spiritual beings, and specific kinds of prayers and reflection open us up to the Way of Jesus and the direction of God's Spirit. 

Here is a suggested prayer for Ash Wednesday:

Our Father in Heaven,
Holy is your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done:
To love the Lord our God
With all our heart, soul, mind and strength;
And to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Amen.

That's What Easter Is All About, Charlie Brown!

What? You missed that holiday special? Me too. :) But if there was one that didn't focus on bunny rabbits and chicken eggs, what would it be about? It's all fine to have a nostalgic Christmas story about a baby being born in adverse conditions. But can you make a popular Easter cartoon show for a national audience based upon the supposed resurrection of Jesus? Umm... no. Which is fine, we don't need Charlie Brown to spread the good news.

Easter is obviously all about the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. But what is the resurrection really all about? When the apostles went around Palestine announcing the good news of Jesus' resurrection, what was the good news? That a dead man lived again? Or was there something more to the story?

To get behind more of the impact of the resurrection story, it helps to be familiar with the Exodus story of the Israelites. Jesus was an Israelite, as were all the apostles and almost all the first Christians. As Jews they immersed themselves in the Exodus stories of the Passover and Passthrough. The meals where they remember God sparing them from the angel of death, and again sparing their lives with the parting of the Red Sea - this all shaped their sense of identity and destiny.
God had delivered them once, when would he deliver them again?

This is where Jesus came into the story: he claimed to be the one that God was going to send to Israel to deliver them once and for all from the great empires of the world. One problem: the way of Jesus clashed with the dreams of the rulers and elites. Jesus got crucified before he could fulfill the deliverance they thought he promised. And here is the great irony: in Jesus' crucifixion was a re-enactment of the Passover, and in his resurrection was a re-enactment of the Passthrough. Jesus did bring deliverance... just not the way everyone imagined.

Jesus was recognized as a king, though he was quite unlike any king we would ever imagine. Which is fine, since most kings we have recognized turn out to be violent and corrupt. So Jesus is a new kind of king that gets killed because he won't be violent. And then this Jesus is resurrected - a king you can't kill! Yikes!

And what does this resurrected-king-Jesus do when he gets together with his disciples? Forget revenge and retribution, he goes for announcements of forgiveness, directions for peace, commands for continuing the work of God's deliverance for the world.

So here we are today, having "celebrated" another resurrection Sunday. What can resurrection mean for us today? If it means anything, it means we can have deliverance from the powers that wreck us in this world, it means that God can bring good out of anything, it means that trusting God's way results in unpredictable outcomes that we all look back in hindsight with gratefulness and awe. 

Resurrection today has meaning for us when we recognize our need for a modern-Exodus. What oppresses you or those you love? What are the burdens that hang around your neck or those of your neighbors? What are you enslaved to? When you need deliverance, the resurrection becomes necessary. 

The resurrection promises that if you trust God for forgiveness and direction and power, the old you will die, and a new you will be emerge. This is what happened with the Red Sea Passthrough: the Israelites were afraid of death on one side, but once through, were forever (albeit imperfectly) marked by gratitude and awe. Resurrection prompts us to be thankful and full of awe: what God did once for Jesus, he will do for all who trust Him. 

The resurrection was God's way of continuing his original work, yet beginning something new in the world through Jesus. The resurrection continues to be God's way of delivering the world through those who trust and follow Jesus. Without the resurrection there is no Jesus-story worth telling. But with the resurrection story of Jesus, and the promise of our resurrection someday, we have a powerful incentive to love boldly, to forgive profusely, to make peace courageously, to deliver unceasingly. 




The resurrection reminds us that God can bring good out of all the evil stuff humanity does to one another. God is never the author of evil, but he is always subverting it, undermining it, and rescuing us from it. And more than that, through those that are willing, God is overcoming evil with good. 




For those with a weak belief in the resurrection, we're reluctant to let God use us to deliver the world from evil. We are scared of what might happen to us. But for those with a strong belief in the resurrection, in our moment of decision, we choose to pray and breathe out, "your kingdom come, your will be done...." 

This is what Easter is all about. Well, mostly. But you get the idea. I'm still working out in my own life the implications of Jesus' resurrection. This entry is one more step for me to come to terms with it. Maybe it's been helpful to you too. 

The Root of Your Plagues

Sometimes it is difficult to discern the connection between our sins and the undesirable circumstances that plague us. How does that famous law of science go? For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction.

It's a truism for both the material world and the emotional/social/spiritual world. However, as is expected, in the world of emotions and relationships and spirituality - it's not nearly as easy to connect the reactions to the original actions.

A bat hitting a ball is a fairly simple connection. A cruel word hitting a wounded heart becomes a complex reaction spread through time and body and attitudes and choices and identity and values and faith. For most of us, we fail to understand the power of our words and actions - the power to hurt and wreck and derail.

We often fail to make the connection between the sins we've committed and the outcomes they produce in the lives of others. And the reverse is true: we often are mystified as to how the sins of others against us affect us.

And then we wonder what's wrong with our world. We even get upset with God for not doing more to prevent more "wrong" from wrecking our society and globe. When we see or hear about a terrible tragedy or a catastrophic weather event, we wonder why God would unleash such terror on innocent people. There is no simple answer for such complex situations. But before we go abstract, let's stay personal.

What about the plagues in your life? Where do they come from? Are they unexplainable curses by God upon you? Is God angry with you - and you have no idea why? What if the root of your plagues is connected with your sins and those that have sinned against you? What if what is wrong with you stems from the wrong you have done and the wrong others have done to you? The plagues of your life, and the plagues of Egypt, were intricately connected to the personal and societal sins of many, many people.

The plagues were not random acts of violence by a bloodthirsty God upon an unsuspecting civilization. Read the story carefully. Read your life carefully. God is not out to get you - but sins must be judged, they must be punished, and you must be set free.

As you begin to perceive the roots of your plagues, you have a couple of choices. You can harden your heart like Pharaoh, and refuse to deal with reality, refuse to accept your guilt, refuse to learn from the consequences. Or, you can soften your heart, accept forgiveness, and seek wisdom on how to make amends.

The roots of sin go deep into us. Some of the plagues may never completely be blown away. But accepting forgiveness of our sins, forgiving those who sin against us, cuts off the more of the roots of sins power in us. We create more room for love and new opportunities for good when we soak up forgiveness. At some point the plagues we cursed become the instrument for our freedom. If that's what you want.

As you read through the story of the plagues (or signs), and as you study the culture and religion of the ancient Egyptians, you can make more astute connections between the five sets of signs (or plagues) and the sins of the pharaoh, the people, and the religion against the Israelites they had enslaved.

Each sign/plague was both judgment for their sins, a shaming against particular gods and goddesses used to prop up a regime of enslavement, and a tool for bringing about freedom for the oppressed.

1. River of Blood
2. Multiplication of Frogs

3. Infestation of Vermin
4. Swarms of Dog Flies


5. Diseased Livestock
6. Scourge of Boils

7. Hailstorm
8. Locust Invasion


9. Descent of Darkness
10. Firstborn Deaths

God gave repeated opportunities for the Pharaoh, the ruling elite, the priestly class, and the people to repent, to change their ways, to let the people of God go into the wilderness to worship Yahweh. But the pain of letting the people go was greater than enduring the plagues. Until the end. Sometimes that is how change happens for us.

The root of a lot of your plagues is often a hardened heart, a stubborn will, a prideful spirit - and it will take much sorrow and afflictions for you to change. God is interested in setting you free from what plagues you - from the power of your sins which are rooted deep into your soul. Will you let him? 

Will you learn how to let him set you free to love him? Will you open yourself up to let God love the world through you? This is when your plagues become the instrument through which God not only saves you, but by which he uses you to save others. If you want.

The Reality of Becoming Free

How free do you want to be?

What would you do with all your freedom?

What's the greatest kind of freedom you can experience? Political freedom? Economic freedom?

This Lent we're walking through the Exodus story, the one about where God insists that Pharaoh let the Israelites go so that they may worship the LORD in the wilderness. God demanded freedom to worship. This involvement by God to free his people was in response to the cry of the Israelites. They cried out for deliverance, and so God sent them Moses. The story doesn't quite go like you would assume; here's a shortened version of how it starts:

Moses to Pharaoh: Let my people go…

Pharaoh to Moses: No way!

Pharaoh to Slavedrivers: Work ‘em harder!

Israelites to Pharaoh: Why?

Pharaoh to Israelites: You’re lazy! Get to work!

Israelites to Moses: Thanks a lot!

Moses to God: Do you even know what you are doing?

God to Moses: You gotta trust me.

Moses to Israelites: You gotta trust God on this one…

Israelites to Moses: Thanks but not thanks.

God to Moses: Ready to try this again?

Moses to God: Umm… I don’t think I want to do it

This is a great line from Moses towards God - note the raw honesty and skewed perspective on reality: Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

God was rescuing Israel that they may be free to worship Him. God is rescuing the world he loves that we might be free to love him in return. God gives us freedom that we would use it to love. This is what Paul is getting at in his letters to the Galatians: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself”

It Get’s Harder Before It Becomes Reality.
We want to be more free, and we want to give and receive more love; but as we move in that direction we get easily discouraged when it gets more harder. If you want to be more free, you'll have to work harder than you are right now. If you want to give and receive more love, you'll have to work harder than you are right now.

Somewhere we start thinking that once we start to do the next right thing, life will start to get easier. But the story of the Exodus reveals to us that it is only with great difficulty that one begins and endures the journey of freedom.

There’s the Endless Work of You Becoming More Free, More Loving…
There’s the Endless Work of You Helping Others Become More Free, More Loving…

This Lent, as you feel the Spirit's conviction to focus on being free to love more, be prepared to work more, to sacrifice more, to surrender more. This Lent, as you feel the conviction to help others be more free to love, be prepared for reality to become more difficult. But also be prepared for reality to become more good.

More Plotting: Church, Community, and the Court System

Our neighborhood churches spent four Sunday nights during Lent gathering to learn more about how the court system works in our county. I still marvel at the willingness of our churches to meet and partner and collaborate and plot. And I'm thankful for the willingness of Judge Charles Pratt and his friends to invest in us, to encourage us, and to guide us in this new journey.

Our fourth Sunday was spent at Grace Presbyterian Church, and the goal was to put forth some action-items. With what we learned about the Family Court Division, we wanted to know: what now? Judge Pratt encouraged the church members to consider these options for volunteering and making a difference:
* partner with the YWCA and help care for women who are victims of domestic abuse
* get the training to become a foster-parent; also - consider adopting foster-children
* join CASA - child appointed special advocate
* help families get counseling from a Biblical, Christian perspective
* incorporate the 40 assets in the congregation

Some of the neighborhood pastors met this morning to keep the momentum going and discuss what's next for us. It was important for us to hear from each other what we wanted to do next. We charted out a process for points of contact - what is our plan for when different individuals and families reach out to us for help regardless of where they are at in their involvement with the courts and prisons. We highlighted what programs or actions are already being implemented or supported, but we also noted some new areas to investigate. It was really helpful to chart out where in the process we have much to offer, and where we need to improve.

There's definitely a strong sense that we are part of a God-thing here. Jesus, when he announced his arrival, read from the prophet Isaiah, announcing that the good news would, amongst other things, help set the prisoners free. This is what we are about - our neighborhood has many individuals and families who need the good news, who need deliverance, who need community, who need help breaking free from the prison-industrial complex. The whole gospel for the whole person. If we're part of the neighborhood, and we're going to be good news, then we have to bring light and hope to those walking in the dark.

Worship As Prelude to Liberation

You might be a rock ’n’ roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a businessman or some high-degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief


But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
~ Bob Dylan

It is too easy to take for granted the privilege we have to gather on any day we want, in pretty much any place we want, for as long as we want, to worship God. These days not even 30% of Americans gather with a church for worship of the Lord. Maybe when worship is so easy to attend, and maybe when most services of worship are boring, or maybe when there are so many more relaxing things to do on a Sunday morning...we miss the subtle and subversive power of worship.

We're in the middle of the Lenten season, a period of forty days traditionally observed to prepare for worship of the Resurrected Christ on Easter morning. This season is about reflection, about repentance, about introspection and anticipation. Lenten is the "leanest" time of the year, that period in centuries past when people stretched their food supplies and prayed to God they wouldn't starve. Nowadays we struggle just to skip a meal. I guess worship and dinner come too easy to us now.

During Lent we also remember the story of the Exodus, of how God liberated the Israelites from the cruel slavery of their Egyptian taskmasters. They cried out to their God, and He heard them, saw them in their captivity, and set to work to set them free. God called Moses, and then gave him a message for Pharaoh: Let my people go that they might worship me in the wilderness.

Worship was the goal of liberation. God aimed to set his people free from the slave-cities so that they could worship Him in the wilderness. Worship was also the means of freedom - inviting the Israel-slaves to worship YHWH subverted the authority of the Great Taskmaster: Pharaoh. Worship at this point wasn't about song selection and chair arrangement, about dress code or liturgy choices - it was about freedom and justice and mercy. Worship was both a response of gratitude as well as prelude to liberation. Worship was the sign of readiness for slavery to cease as well as sign of trust that God would deliver them.

Do you cry out to God for help? Do you want the LORD to intervene in your affairs and rescue you? Worship of God is both your goal and your instrument for liberation. Your choice to worship God with your whole-heart prior to deliverance is both sign of readiness and of trust. But to be saved from your trials is not the end of the journey - you are drawn out of your troubles that you may worship God. If you have no desire to worship God, why would you ask him for help?

Do you hear the cries of those who seek help from God? Do you ever hear God calling out: Let my people go! Is your worship of the LORD about duty and pleasantries and entertainment? Or is your worship of the LORD a call to action, an invitation to liberty, an inspiration to be used to rescue and save and deliver? Your worship of the LORD was and is prelude to greater liberation - not only for you, but for those God puts in your life. Your gratitude to God and your submission to him position you to bring even more glory to Him: it is sign of your readiness to join His Great Rescue Work.

How would we know that you worship the LORD? How would you know when you have worshipped the LORD? Is it just when you bowed your knees? Is it when you raise your hands as you sing? Is it when you show up for worship with a smile? Or is it when you have agreed to submit your life once again totally to the rescue-work of Christ Jesus, readying yourself for another week of trusting and serving and celebrating God's promises and accomplishments. If only worship was an easier task...

More: Church, Community, and the Court System

This past Sunday night Anchor hosted the neighborhood churches, our third gathering during Lent to learn more about the court system of Allen County. Of course we started off the evening with a wide-array of homemade soups and other delish dishes. After feasting we headed upstairs for a session on the adult court system.

Stan Pflueger crammed a semesters' worth of criminal justice stuff into a seventy-five minute meeting. As the presentation got under way, I was a little nervous - what if the content gets a little boring? But when we hit the sixty-five minute mark it was obvious that just about everybody was intensely interested in the information.

I still marvel that about seventy or eighty people from the neighborhood churches gathered for a crash course in criminal justice stuff on a Sunday night. And liked it!

Some conclusions from the session with Stan: putting people in prison is punitive and expensive. It is crazy insane the system we put up with that sends people to jail as the primary punishment for committing a crime. I'm all for justice being served to criminals - but for most of them, prison is not about justice, but convenience.

It costs taxpayers about $55 a day for each inmate in prison, about $40 a day for each inmate in jail, and about $15 a day for each person involved with community corrections. Once a person is sent to prison, odds are they will return there upon their release. While in prison they are "hardened", they are further disconnected from participating in a healthy way within society, they are unable to work (or get work when they get out...), and thus instead of paying taxes and learning to contribute, they absorb tax dollars and remain unchanged..

What if we could reimagine a way to apply justice to crimes, justice that didn't require prisons as the primary strategy. Sure, some people need to be imprisoned, but not most.

Here's a very interesting takeaway from the last three meetings (dealing with kids, youth, and adults in the court system): positive relationships are the KEY to really helping people change their life. If the church wanted to make a difference in the lives of families who are wrapped up in the court and prison system, consider how to offer a community that loves.

This isn't a new or novel idea, but apparently it is often overlooked, it is more effective than assumed, and harder to do than imagined. Friendship, mentoring, hospitality, kindness, neighborliness, community are KEY factors for instigating and sustaining transformation.

This doesn't necessarily require a church to start a new program! Whew! It basically requires a church to...wait...wait...ready for this? It requires a church to be an accepting community! And it also requires mature Christians (character, consistency, love, wisdom) to volunteer in programs initiated by the courts and prisons! It also requires Christians to volunteer in organizations that partner with jails and community correction institutions. But it doesn't mean a church has to start a new small group, a new Bible study, a new series of classes.

Relationships: Connecting. Empowering. Listening. Being Present. Accepting. Inspiring. Praying.

We all know that Jesus Christ is the one with the power, the ability, the capability to change lives. And we also know that we are the hands and feet of Christ - we are the ones that Christ works through to change lives. We don't change lives, Jesus does that - but he works through our lives, our words, our actions, our decisions, our character, our consistency, our love, our wisdom.

If we want to make our neighborhood a better place to live, we need to keep letting Jesus work in us and through us - in this case, in the lives of families who are part of the courts and prisons. Individuals and families who are part of our neighborhood.... who are part of our church.


** This is info sent by Stan Pflueger via email of some info he presented Sunday Evening.

1. What percentage of the offenders sent to prison return to the community?

95%


2. What Country in the world has the highest documented rate of incarceration?

United States (751/100,000)
Russia is second (627/100,000).

The median incarceration rate for all nations is 125/100,000.
Other nations: England (151/100,000), Germany (88/100,000) and Japan (63/100,000)


3. How many people in the United States are currently incarcerated in local jails and prisons?

Approximately 2.4 Million


4. How much does it cost for an individual to be:
in prison ($55.00/day or 20,000 per year)
in jail ($40.00/day or 14,600/year)
on community supervision ($15.00/per day, most of which is paid by the offender)


5. What percentage of individuals who go to prison are re-arrested within 3 years of their release?

67%


6. If an offender is sentenced to a ten-year prison sentence, how much time are they likely to serve in Indiana?

A maximum of five years is likely with good time credit, and the time in prison could be adjusted down even more if the offender completes programs in prison like substance abuse, GED and others.

You May Call Me Moses...

You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say

You’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.
~ Bob Dylan

What kind of difference do you want to make in the world? 

It's easy for us to entertain dreams for what kind of difference we want to make in the world, but it's not easy to figure out what to do in order to make that dream a reality. Or, we may know what to do, but we lack the courage to do what we know we ought to do.

For Lent we are wandering through the Exodus story, a way for us to prepare for the Resurrection story. Moses is central to the story of death and freedom. So, if we take some time to get to know Moses better, we'll get some helpful insights into the heart of the Exodus story, of the Resurrection story, and our own story.

If we buy into Bob Dylan's song, you've accepted the reality: you're gonna have to serve somebody. No matter who you are, no matter what kind of name you've made for yourself, you gotta serve somebody. The question is: who are you serving? And the one you are serving - the one who is "over" you - what have the promised to do with you, for you, and through you? When God called Moses to serve him, he promised to make a difference in the world through him. Not bad terms of service.

But, when Moses was presented with a way to make a difference in the world... he declined. When God made the terms clear, Moses declined. When God promised that he shall overcome, Moses declined. When God promised that he would be with him every step of the way, Moses declined. Moses wanted his people to be free from slavery, but he didn't think he was the man for the job. But God did. 

God needs you. God needs you to be a Moses. God works through people to make a difference in the world. God needed Moses to lead Israel out of slavery, and God needs you today. People are still enslaved today. They need someone from the outside to reach in and rescue them, help set them free.

Know this: God is preparing you now to be part of his rescue plan in the world. Moses didn't know he was being prepared for EIGHTY years - but once he accepted the challenge, it became obvious how God had been at work in his life for a long time. You don't need to know right now what God is preparing you for. But when the challenge comes, when the call comes - whether to do something small or big in the world - know that you have been prepared for it.

Whatever God calls you to do - little or large - it will be a task that still requires God to make it happen. Yet... you are indispensable - and you must use all the wisdom and courage you've been given to help make it happen. You may not think you are indispensable - you may see all your flaws, all your sins, all your shortcomings as signs that you are not the man or woman for the job. But... if God is prompting you to take action, the prompt signifies that God sees in you enough to help make the difference in the world we need.

Jesus was Moses to his world. The Resurrection was God's sign that Jesus was indeed the Rescuer sent from God - that the crucifixion was not a sign of God's disapproval. The cross ended up becoming a sign of Exodus! Someday you too will be resurrected... if you want to, if you went along with God's plan to make a difference in the world. The Resurrection will be God's sign that you indeed were a Rescuer sent from God, Jesus' hands and feet in the world.

If you read through Exodus chapters three and four, you'll discover a delightful and provocative interchange between God and Moses. Take some minutes to mull through the dialogue, and consider what God is calling you to do. If you care about something, if you've told yourself that somebody ought to do something about that "thing", that is God's prompt to do something. Let him inform what to do next.

You Gotta Serve Somebody...

You may be a state trooper,
you might be an young turk;
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame;
You may be living in another country under another name.
But you're gonna have to serve somebody,
yes You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
~ Bob Dylan

It's Lent, that season of change in the Church when we are given an opportunity to remember, reflect and repent. To repent is to accept the need to change, to admit reality, to avoid denial of wrongdoing and start taking steps to remedy and renew the situation, the relationship, the heart. Obviously remembering and reflecting are crucial to this journey. Which is why Lent can be such a gift to a family, a community, a neighborhood, a home.

For Lent at Anchor this season, we're remembering what many including Bob Dylan have written and sung and preached and learned: you're gonna have to serve somebody. For you, who's it going to be?

When we pause to consider it, there are lots of people we serve: family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, teammates, classmates, etc. For some of these people, it's a joy to serve them, for others, not so much. Once we realize that we're already servants to many others, it doesn't have to be a hard step to serve God. For all the people we want to serve well, serving God is the best way to serve others best.

For some of us, we aren't just servants to other people, we are also slaves. We are enslaved to the opinions and attitudes of others, their judgements and critiques. We are enslaved to our addictions, addictions to approval, to pleasure, to success, to substances, etc. We are enslaved by tragedies of our past, by our expectations of the present, by our fears of the future. We are burdened, we are oppressed, we are chained down, we are afflicted in so many ways. And into these situations the Lord comes to set us free. This is the story of Exodus, of God coming to rescue the Israelites from the Egyptians.

God came to the Israelites while they were slaves to Egypt, and offered them freedom - a way out of slavery. But this kind of delivery is built upon a relationships - the Israelites trade slavery to Egypt for servanthood to Yahweh. Israel isn't set free so they can do anything they want, Israel is set free so the Lord can make them His servants. Israel is to be a kingdom of priests, God's nation in the world to bless the earth and everyone in it. Quite the different vision than Pharaoh had for the Israelites.

Who do you serve? There are lots of people that you serve, people that you'd like to serve better. Choose to become a servant of God, this is the best way to become the best servant you can be to others. It's also the way you find freedom from what enslaves you, from what burdens you, from what oppresses you. God sets you free from slavery of the mind and of the heart in order to make you His servant of love and shalom in the world.

You gotta serve somebody. Serve God and become somebody able to set others free. Remain indecisive about serving God and you will miss the rescue attempts - both for yourself and those whom you could help. God needed Moses to rescue the Israelites. God needs you to rescue your family and friends, your neighbors and coworkers, your teammates and classmates.

Will you let God rescue you? Let God rescue others through you. 

Church, Community, and the Court System

What's it take to make a neighborhood a better place to live? Lots.

It takes all sort of key people within the community to care, to collaborate together, and to be helpful. The churches in a neighborhood ought to be the most obvious place for this kind of helpful, collaborate care. Well, that's the attitude that Anchor has, along with a bunch of churches in our neighborhood.

I have to say, I was very, very, very proud of Anchor - nineteen of us showed up for the first of four meetings with Judge Charles Pratt and our neighborhood churches. We're meeting together to learn more about how Judge Pratt's Family Court operates, as well as how the court system works for juveniles and adults. By learning how the courts work, we better learn what role the church can play - to be helpful to the courts and to the community.

Our church is becoming home to more and more individuals and families that are currently dealing with the courts and/or prisons. Or it's a part of their past, and is still yet affecting their life. As the church embraces and disciples more people with this stuff going on in their life, more and more wisdom is needed to be more and more helpful.

It's an honor to have Judge Pratt so eagerly partner with our coalition of neighborhood churches, to instruct us and invest in us. And we are eager to help him be more effective as a judge.

Yesterday First Mennonite Church hosted our meetings, led by Pastor Peter Janzen. Judge Pratt introduced us (some of us for the second or third time...) to the 40 Assets, a key component to helping families actually change for the good. He then walked us through a case study of a little girl who was allegedly molested by her father. Judge Pratt explained how his court worked, how DCS gets involved, how foster care gets involved, and how different decisions by the parents create different potential outcomes. Sad and fascinating stuff.

It's important for churches to be emotionally supportive of families involved with DCS, but to not enable them, or to nurture any kind of disregard for DCS. There are many sides to one story, and it's always wise to accumulate facts before making decisions to "help."

Next week Dr. Steve Cain of Trinity United Methodist is hosting, then Anchor, and then Rev. Laura Sherwood of Grace Presbyterian. Rev. Hal Thomas of Faith United Presbyterian is also involved. Rev. Dave Altman and North Highlands Church of Christ, Rev. Larry Maddox of Three Rivers Wesleyan, and Rev. Don Sandman of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran are also interested and involved in our coalition, willing to find ways to help make our neighborhood a better place to live.

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

This is the kind of work we are doing. The Same Spirit that was on Jesus is at work within and amongst us. As churches, we want to be good news to the neighborhood. We're getting there...

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday

We celebrated Fat Tuesday tonight in order to prepare for Ash Wednesday tomorrow! The point is to feast in the evening prior to the day of fasting. Last year was the first time our family had a Fat Tuesday dinner - unfortunately Tara wasn't able to join us. Tonight, not only was Tara feasting with us, but so did my Mum and Dahd. It was fun to have the table full of family and fat food!

The traditional fare for Shrove Tuesday (another name for the day) is pancakes (in Britain the day is known as Pancake Day); so tonight we made our pancakes a little extra rich - an extra egg, extra sugar, extra vanilla. Then for toppings - well that's the real fun part: chocolate pudding, tapioca and whip cream; chocolate, caramel, maple syrup; huckleberries, strawberries, and bananas; peanut butter and M&M's! Mmmmmm..... Mum also cooked up some thick sausages and cheesy hashbrowns. Yup - we were feeling full when we pushed back from the table.

After dinner the kids shared what they are giving up for Lent (very cute...) and then we explained how we were going to put back a quarter a day during the season as a way to support our friends who are missionaries in China, Azerbijian, and Peru. Since each kid gets to put in one quarter a day, Tara and I are going to have to be making lots of change in the next couple of weeks! But I hope the kids get in the habit of finding quarters around the house and putting them into the folder (instead of finding quarters and then hoarding them in their toy box!).

With all the fun we had tonight with dinner, I'm looking forward to tomorrow as a day to reflect, repent, and renew. I need it.

Repent! It's Lent.

Anchor is preparing to observe the Lenten season again this year. It begins this week on Ash Wednesday and ends on Black Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday.

According to Christian History, the early church began the practice of baptizing initiates into the faith on Easter Eve. For forty days prior to that Saturday service they would be trained in faith and way of Jesus. Forty is a significant number in the Scriptures and life of Jesus. According to tradition, Jesus was in the grave for forty hours - from sundown of Friday to sunrise of Sunday. Jesus also spent forty days in the wilderness preparing for his gospel work of restoration to Israel.

The early church set aside forty days for new followers to prepare for baptism and begin their gospel work of restoration to the world. Eventually the church called every believer, not just initiates, to observe the forty day period as preparation for the Easter celebration and all that it represents. The season became a time of reflection and repentance, prayer and fasting, a time of preparation.

For too many Christians, the energy of Easter comes from the special songs we sing on the morning, the upbeat music, the breakfast feast, the new dressy clothes, the smell of the lilies. Obviously that is very superficial, and misses the whole point of the holy day. Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead - it is a foreshadow of our future.

At the End of All Things we too will have our bodies resurrected from the dead and we will join Jesus and all who followed him in the New Heavens and the New Earth. This belief has profound implications for how we live now - which is part of the reason why we need Lent - to reflect and remember, to repent and be renewed by the promise of our resurrection.

We need to be willing to repent of our sin in all seasons, not just the Lenten season. That is obvious; but what is not often acknowledged is how rarely and how few people actually repent of their sins in all seasons. What often happens is that people sin, and then they get mad at God because their life is full of junk and is a big mess. Part of the confusion also comes from an unwillingness or inability to recognize which of their actions/attitudes/words is sin.

We sin, and we wound, and we are wounded, and we wonder where God is in all of this. And God promises repeatedly to grant mercy to those that are willingly to receive it. But it is his mercy, and he gives it on his terms, and once he gives it, he controls how the mercy unfolds. It's a free gift, but it's the kind of gift that we don't take and then turn our backs on the Giver. To receive this gift of mercy is to receive the Giver as well.

During Lent we pair together physical actions to remind/spur on spiritual commitments.

~ We may forsake physical intimacy with our spouse for prayers/listening to the LORD.
~ Or we may forsake food for times of confession and penitence.
~ We may take a time out from technology so that we may be in silence, solitude - more open to hear/be with others.
~ We may put a temporary halt to our hobbies and instead invest in serving others in our home/work/church/neighborhood.
~ We may put back coins and dollars to give away to a good cause of the Gospel.

Most sins are rooted in pride (self is foremost), greed (stuff is foremost), or anger (wounded pride or unchecked greed). So it may be that you commit to surrender your sins to the LORD, that you would confess your sins of pride, greed, and anger to the LORD and resolve to repent of them whenever you are guilty of committing them.

This Lent commit to receiving mercy/forgiveness from the LORD when you commit these sins, and then letting the LORD redeem you from these sins (bringing good out of them).

 And the way you remind yourself (and spur yourself) to keep giving up these sins during the next forty days of lent is by giving up something physical and engaging in a spiritual work.

Super Fat Tuesday

Some say it is taboo to mix politics and religion. Some times that is the case. But not today.

Today is Super Tuesday: 24 states are holding a primary - Tara and I are having fun watching CNN track the races. It's been a great routine, pretty much every Tuesday for the last month we've been tracking and talking politics! Right now Huckabee is making a speech, something he typically does a good job of. But will he do a good job as president...I just don't know. McCain doesn't thrill me, and Romney bores me. Clinton scares me. Obama...I like him, but we don't line up close enough on some key issues. But...

Today is Fat Tuesday: 48 days until Resurrection Sunday, tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and the first day of the Lenten Season. That means that today is the traditional day when you eat heartily, load up on the rich foods and have a good time - because tomorrow is a day of penitence and fasting as we begin the almost seven week preparation for celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. If you'd like some background on Lent, read this article at Christian History - concise summary and chronology that is helpful.

Tara had other plans for dinner, so that left me and the kids to make the traditional fare for Fat Tuesday: Pancakes! There are several names for today: Pancake (Fat) Tuesday is the traditional name for British-influenced Christianity; Mardi Gras is the French translation of Fat Tuesday and is celebrated in Catholic-influenced regions: New Orleans, Venice, Brazil, etc.

 We made the pancakes extra rich: three eggs instead of one, four extra spoons of sugar, and then we drizzled chocolate or caramel syrup on top of them. We also had yogurt, chocolate pudding, and frozen cake for dessert. Whew!

It was fun explaining - in very simple terms - to Emma why we were having pancakes on Tuesday night instead of our regular Friday morning slot. I shared with her that on Ash Wednesday evening, we would have a special prayer we would pray following the routine bedtime prayer. I'm looking forward to introducing my children to some of the rich traditions of the church as we remember and honor the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.

Today is Mardi Gras, Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday

Did you know that Ash Wednesday is the day after Mardi Gras, otherwise known as Shrove Tuesday?

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of a forty day spiritual experience, the Lenten Season, marked by fasting, abstinence from meat, and repentance of sins. Shrove Tuesday is the Carnival day where one has a final experience of non-fasting, non-abstinence, and non-repentance (apparently Carnival in Latin means "farewell, meat").

Though Ash Wednesday has not been a day observed in my religious heritage, I will be acknowledging it this year by fasting and repentance of sins. During Lent I plan on abstaining from some items that I have chosen which, by doing without, I believe will be a good experience for my soul.

How about you? Are you interested in observing Lent this year? Do you feel a prompting to begin fasting once a week? Do you sense that there is something you should abstain from for the sake of your soul? Do you have somethings you need to repent of in the next forty days?

 Maybe Ash Wednesday could be a New Day for you?