Gone is my first marriage…

It was last April that one of my closest friends, a co-worker in my church, and guardian to my boys called me and asked if I could meet him to talk.  I could tell in his voice that he was deeply upset, so we met on the shores of Lake Washinton in Kirkland and walked.  We walked for hours.  I listened to him tell me that everything he had worked for was over, including his relationship with his wife.  He was wealthy, successful and happily married to a wonderful woman.  That was until something changed in him and he confronted some tough issues in his life and why he had made money a God, and had used his marriage as a decoy.  It was five years ago that I stood before them and married them before hundreds of friends and family on a stunning summer day.  They were the first people I ever married…what an honor to have your closest friends be your first ceremony.  They were a huge part in me moving out of the mega-church and here to Kirkland to lead a small slow-growth faith community.  We even lived with them for 3 months while we looked for an affordable house here in the eastside.  They are truly great and generous people who I love more than they know!  Well, today I am emaotional, heart broken and distracted.  After months of walking with each of them during this horrible journey, they met yesterday to sign divorce papers and to say their goodbye’s.  I know that each of them will bounce back and live great and fruitful christian lives, but today it all sucks.  It sucks that we won’t have another dinner together…it sucks that they can’t babysit my boys together…it sucks that they don’t come walking into our church together anymore.  I pray that he finds his needed answers and that she finds healing.  Peace and Love to them both!

Revolutions…A Church’s Role

I recently had the opportunity to travel with eight friends to the tiny country of Swaziland Africa where we spent 10 days becoming aware of the many social, spiritual, political, and physical problems being suffered each day in a relatively unknown country.  Swaziland is a country which nearly 47% of it’s people are HIV positive…the highest percentage of any country in the world.  Poverty is increasing every day, children are recieving little to no education and the jobless rate is at over 30%.  The parlaiment of Swaziland is in complete denial of it’s problems and continues to report to the world health organization that it is a middle-class country in terms of it’s economic status.  This means that they recieve little help and food from other countries and many people are going hungry because of the lies it’s government tells the world.  The US has backed off from much of it’s aid due to the fact that Swazi officials are making it so difficult for countries to give.  It really is heartbreaking!  While I was there a missionary friend told me that he’s hearing word of young men going to Johannesburg South Africa to be trained in organizing and leading peaceful revolutions.  They are learing how to mass communicate, stage protests, and have face to face conversations with the government.  They hope to eventually overthrow the King of Swaziland by the use of a peacful revolution.  Now, I have some questions about this…1) Can there really be such a thing as a peaceful revolution? 2) Should the church have a role in supporting/resourcing these revolutionaries?

This has been haunting me for weeks now and I’ve talked to many people about this and suprisingly, I’ve received little opposition to the idea.  I had the chance last month to sit with a distant mentor of mine, Brian McLaren and I asked him if he thought the church should play some role in helping people over-throw unjust goverments.  He shared that he’s heard this is beginning to happen in other African countries and it’s been something he’s just now exploring as well.  He even reminded me that this was essentially what the the race movement of the 60’s with MLK was about…the church opposing government.  I think this is a good example but it brings me back to my first question…can it really be done peacefully?  I’m sure there are churches doing something…I just wish we knew more about what’s happening here in the american church to help others’ like those in Swaziland. 

Peace and Love.

Black Friday…

I’m sitting in my living room watching tv on this long holiday weekend and I’m beginning to get very bored.  I’ve played with the boys, watched movies, sat by the fire talking to my wife, and ate way too much food over the past 3 days.  I need to work!  Despite my boredom I refuse to venture to the mall like so many others.  Partly because money is extra tight this year and we have to wait a bit to buy our presents, but mostly because it’s my little way of protesting retail america.  Over the past several years I’ve become increasingly sickened by the way people act in their attempts to get that great “deal”.  People die every year as a result of being crushed, pressed against or even stampeded inside our retail stores.  Well, today I read a blog that I happen to follow fairly regularly and came across some very thought-provoking comments.  I’ve attached the link to Eugene Cho’s blog and I would like to know your thoughts on this.  Do you agree with his friend that this “buy nothing day” is for white people with a guilty concience?  What about the idea of the “enlightened evangelicals”?  I think this is a conversation worth entering…

http://eugenecho.wordpress.com/2007/11/24/reservations-about-buy-nothing-day/#more-546

Peace and Love

Rex

I Love Lamp!

So my 3 year old son has begun telling jokes.  As many kids do, he’s discovered the thrill of the knock-knock joke.  I’m not sure where he learned this art of humor but he’s sure having fun with it.  He looks me in the eyes and says “knock-knock”, and after I ask “who’s there?”, he then looks over my shoulder and says whatever he happens to notice first.  Yesterday, he said “wall”.  It reminds me of Steve Carell’s hilarious role in Anchor Man where he says “I Love Lamp”…just because he happens to see the lamp.  Now, there’s nothing funny about the real knock-knock jokes (they’re the lamest of jokes)…but to see my son try and make me laugh and to watch him look around at the most random things to insert as the punchline is truely funny.  I love just knowing he’s trying to make me laugh.  I know that one day he’ll know better…he’ll see that his knock-knock jokes suck really bad, but as far as his dad is concerened I hope he doesn’t get too smart too quick.  Right now, jokes that involve “wall” are okay with me.

Painting and Prayer

As many people in my life know, I work as both a pastor to Redwood Hills church in Kirkland and I have a painting business to help support the family while the church grows and develops.  I’ve been doing this now for about 18 months and it’s gone very well.  At times, I have been in over my head with too much work.  That was until September came.  This fall I have had only 2 little jobs and suddenly finances has become very difficult.  I’ve called contractors, mailed letters and business cards to many friends and associates, and still nothing has come my way in two months!  The past two nights my wife and I have prayed…more like pleaded with God to bring work.  I have had many theological struggles with prayer and how exactly it all works.  I’ve prayed for miracles before and never have they been answered…yet for some reason I can’t get myself to stop believing that God does indeed answer prayers of urgency.  I do doubt, but I can’t stop believing that there is something super-natural in conversing with God.  Well, all that to say, this morning I got an email from a customer who needs work done to their home this week.  Is it a miracle?  I don’t know, my problem still can’t compare to what so many are going through, but it has been a comfort today to know the bills will get paid and I can keep going on in this journey of depenedance upon God. 

Peace and Love

Rob Bell in Seattle

I had the chance to listen to Rob Bell at the Moore Theater last night and was very impressed with both his content and his ability to communicate the message of God.  If anyone had the chance to hear him…what we’re your thoughts?  What questions arose from the discussion of God not being angry with humanity?