Many of the readers here at Paradoxology have commented on how they enjoy reading my "Blog-within-a-Blog" section (in the far right column).  Well, here's a chance to comment and dialog about the various topics and articles I've posted there.

Enjoy!

In overly simple terms, we experience God's mercy when he chooses NOT to give us what we deserve (in relation to our sin).  This stands in contrast to grace -- receiving that which we do not deserve and cannot earn.

Lamentations 3:22 declares that "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end"

And yet, Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:7, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow."

God DOES extend mercy to us -- and it appears that there is an endless supply.
And yet... despite (or is it, in addition to?) his extending of mercy, he also makes sure that we "reap what we sow".

Somehow, God's mercy in our lives does not eliminate or negate God's disciplining of us:

If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children.  Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them.  Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live?  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, be he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. (Hebrews 12:8-10)

There's a tension here.  God is a God of mercy, and yet... he is also a God of justice, and more importantly -- a God of love; for it is his love which compels him to discipline the children he loves.  And we are his children.

Maybe we can refer to God's mercy, then, as "responsible mercy."

Akin to problems associated with "cheap grace", many professing believers seem to take God's mercy for granted.  This weakened understanding of mercy becomes a sort of "license," used to excuse a selfish, self-serving lifestyle.

In a culture that is becoming increasingly disheartened by war and violence, and that continues to affirm the need for peace, many Christians seem disinterested in anything that smacks of correction, judgment, or punishment.  We love the idea of experiencing God's love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy -- but would rather not hear about reaping what we've sown, or of being disciplined by the Lord, etc.

But there's a glimmer of hope.  In today's postmodern world, reductionist either-or thinking is giving way to the valuing of both-and realities.  Maybe, in part, this will help believers to grab hold of God's mercy without turning a blind eye to his justice and discipline.

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I look forward to hearing your thoughts and insights concerning this.

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picture credit: © avisualplanet.com

Some will undoutedly hail McLaren's latest book as his best ever -- and for good reason.  Scheduled for release in the next week or two, "The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything" is an easy-to-understand treatise concerning Jesus' revolutionary teaching concerning the kingdom of God.

Having practically been weaned on the insights of George Eldon Ladd regarding the "already-not yet" nature of the kingdom of God, I personally found myself not very surprised by McLaren's revelation that the kingdom is both a present reality and opportunity.

Serious students of the Gospels have long recognized the political, socio-economic, and spiritual implications embedded within Jesus' teachings. Three prominent works that immediately come to mind are: "Binding the Strong Man:A Political Reading of Mark's Story of Jesus," by Ched Myers (1988); "Jesus and the Spiral of Violence: Popular Jewish Resistance in Roman Palestine," by Richard A. Horsley (1987); and "In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins," by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza (1983).

McLaren is certainly not trailblazing any new territory here.  But what he is doing, in fact, throughout The Secret Message of Jesus, is introducing his target audience (and it's NOT the theological intelligencia) to the idea that Jesus actually "came to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution that would give birth to a new world" (p.4).  And you know what?  He does an excellent job of doing just that.

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Thanks to Anna Aven at Deep Soil, I found out about a site that will take your blog site and generate a "word cloud" -- a really cool expression of what your blog's all about!  The site will try to sell you a t-shirt, but you don't have to buy one.  You can just copy the word cloud image it generates.

Give it a try.  Thanks again, Anna!
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Whether by means of selfish living, unchecked fear, or excessive enculturalization, the number of "professing" Christians -- specifically, those who lack any substantive evidence in their lives that they are indeed a follower of Jesus Christ -- is mind boggling! One reason why more and more people are pursuing their spiritual lives in places OTHER than in the Church, is because the people they see attending church seem to have the same problems and aren't any better off than the people they know outside the church.

Somehow, followers of Jesus ought to live like they are followers of Jesus. In their lives, they should bear the marks of Christ. And I don't necessarily mean marks of a sort that remind us of Christ's passion. Although... there always have been victims and martyrs in the persecuted Church around the world. Rather, I am primarily thinking of "marks" as evidences -- some sort of outward sign or evidence that at least tips off an astute observer that the person is a follower of Jesus.

Within the general Christian population, there remains a deeply-rooted aversion to any kind of personal assessment that is dependant on "externals" such as appearance, language, or in some cases, even behavior.  Because God "looks on the heart" he isn't concerned about such things.  Or is he?  Jesus clearly taught that we would know a tree by it's fruits -- and he wasn't talking about literal trees, he was talking about us!

As part of what is now a well-known "Nooma" video, Rob Bell draws attention to an ancient Jewish proverb: "Follow a rabbi, drink in his words, and be covered with the dust of his feet."  In antiquity, disciples were known to follow so close, they would end up being covered in the dust of their teacher. But today, many people would be hard pressed to find any "dust", any evidence that professing Christians were, in fact, followers of Jesus Christ.

The world we live in is generally not a place were people can wear (or not wear) whatever they like whenever they like, wherever they like.  As far as I am able to observe, today's culture doesn't really struggle with various and appropriate standards for dress -- especially in the business world.

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FDR's recent comment on my post, "Why is Pastor Chris a Princess", has got me thinking about clothes -- what we choose to wear to our worship services and gatherings, and what we choose not to wear:

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There is a tension, between wanting people to be comfortable in the house of God, and wanting to foster and nurture a sense of respect and "awe" for the Holy.

He goes on to say that:

I think the key to this, as in all areas, is to be "hard on ourselves, and easy on others."

Which leads me to the following questions:  "Are we what we wear?"  To what extent does is what we wear an expression of who we are, what we value, where we've been, and where we're headed? 

And those questions lead me to an entirely different set of questions:   Why did God provide such detailed instructions in the Old Testament concerning  the robes of priests? Why did Jesus apparently wear an expensive robe? Apart from cultural peculiarities, why does Paul draw a connection for the Corinthians between earthly attire and what it says to angels?

And finally, we obvioulsy live in the age of Individualism -- what impact has this had on the Church's standards and guidelines for dress in the modern world?  Does none of this matter anyway?  Or are there lessons to learn, and if so -- what are they?

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Photo credit: Google images

Our congregation is currently looking to add a new person to our ministry team, to serve as our Pastor of Christian Formation and Youth.  This is a full-time position that we hope to fill this Spring, and certainly before Summer.

This represents a bit of a shift for our church -- moving away from a traditional youth ministry model, and wanting to see something broader develop, resulting in a greater impact not only among students, but throughout our congregation (esp. 20 & 30-somethings) and the community we are in.

If you know anyone who has a passion for Christian formation, experience in multiplying disciples, leaders, and groups, and who might either be in transition right now, or who might be interested in joining our team here in the High Desert of Southern California, please have them email me at desertpastor [no spaces], at earthlink[dot]net.

Thank you.  And please be praying for me and our congregation as we seek after God's leading and will in filling this position.

- Chris Monroe

It seems like every time I wear my robes, I get kidded (explanation: it's only been over the past year that I've begun wearing my robes for special services and occasions).  I've been called a 'gigantic marshmallow', the 'Michelin Man', 'really pretty', and a number of other things .  But what happened yesterday afternoon took the cake!

Following our final worship service yesterday, we held a special service in order to consecrate one of our leaders as a lay pastor in our congregation.  As I stepped forward to begin the service, one of the children turned to his mother and asked, "Why is Pastor Chris a Princess?"

Pretty funny, huh?  Kinda cute, don't you think?  But the comment was also innocently honest, and reminded me that SO OFTEN, I take the simple things, the little things, the common things for granted as I seek to minister and serve God's people.  All too often I let teachable moments slip past me.  And yesterday, the Lord used a precious, pure, and honest child to point out that often there are probably adults in our congregation who may also be wondering 'why' the pastor is dressed like a princess!

Ours is a post-Christian culture, and many of our people grew up never having been exposed to church stuff (like robes!).  It's not that they don't like robes -- it's actually quite the contrary (really!). Surprizingly, I'm noticing that the wearing of robes seems to 'lift' the significance of what we're doing -- whether it's baptizing/dedicating an infant, performing a wedding, or conducting a special service like yesterday's. Maybe it's because robes seem to accentuate the fact that a sacrament or ritual is being performed (i.e. something considered holy).  Yet despite all this, I can't forget the likelihood that many people (and children!) remain clueless about the symbols, vocabulary, and practices of our faith.

I guess Princess Chris had better get busy.

I can safely say that not every congregation I have visited over the years has been "friendly."  But what has always puzzled me over the years is how common it is for some congregations to be friendly without being "friends."  Whats up with that?  Is it a symptom of an overly privatized culture?  Is it a lack of social skills, or a fear of opening up to strangers? Or... is it because, as leaders in the church, we have taken a backseat approach to how followers of Jesus should relate to one another?  I confess; I've probably been much more guilty of this over the years than I care to admit.

The witness of 1 Peter 1:22, however, has always inspired me:

"Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love [phileo], love [agape] one another deeply from the heart." (NRSV, emphasis mine)

If you're like me, you occasionally hear people touting an attitude that sounds something like this: "Well...even though I can't stand that person, I guess I love 'em in the Lord."  But Peter urges something very different.  Not only should we love one another with unconditional love (like God's love for us - agape), we should also love one another with "brotherly love", like friends (phileo).

In today's post-Christian world, it will take more than "friendliness" to reverse the negative stereotypes associated with "Christians."  We need to be a friend to the people we meet.  And for scores of Christians, this means that if they cannot learn to be a friend to other believers within their own congregations, what chance do they have for being a true friend to the neighbors, co-workers, and others they meet?

But back to faith communities for a moment.  What are we telling the world by our being friendly toward each other, but without really wanting to be friends?  And then, what message is all of this conveying to our Creator?  And can we really continue our practice in light of Jesus' own words:  "I do not call you servants any longer...but I have called you friends" (John 15:15)?

Now, I'm sure that some cleaver person will jump in and point out that what constitutes a "friend" to one person may be quite different from another person's definition.  Granted. but I'm not interested in playing semantic games.  I'm much more interested in the outcome.  Can people find some of the most amazing friends within the church or not?  If not, I fear that we do violence to qualitative fellowship Christ intended his body to enjoy and extend to others.

Am I crazy?  Or do you also consider it important for followers of Jesus to not only be friendly, but friends as well?

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picture credit: Google images

It's been five years now that our congregation has been observing Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season.  Although our noontime service is rather brief (30 min.), those who attend always find it to be thought-provoking and personally meaningful, including the imposition of ashes.

There have also been a number of other, older, faith-practices which we have introduced into our weekly worship gatherings.  Praying ancient common prayers together, standing for the reading of Word, and reciting the Nicene and Apostle's Creeds are among these.

Despite the fact that many Protestant groups have long incorporated practices like these into their respective liturgies and services, people in our congregation repeatedly encounter folks who say to them, "isn't that Catholic?"

What's behind that?!?

Is it simply the ignorance of Evangelical believers (I've never heard a Lutheran or Episcopalian say this)?  Or does the practice betray something deeper?  One thing I'm thinking of is how much "Catholic-bashing" has taken place within some evangelical denominations in recent decades (e.g. Calvary Chapels and Southern Baptists), leading them and other groups to "distance themselves" from anything that remotely looks or feels "Catholic."

I'd be interested in hearing your 'read' on all of this -- not only regarding it's cause, but on what it will take to turn the tide, helping people to be better informed and less suspicious and/or critical of our more ancient faith traditions and ecclesiologies.

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image credit: avisualplanet.com