Some thoughts on mission...

This past winter Sandi and I spent a few days in Washington D.C. While there we had a few hours to visit some of the historical sights near the Lincoln Memorial. After about 30 minutes we stumbled onto this, The Korean War Memorial.

I must admit, looking into the haggard faces of these exhausted and frightened soldiers left quite an impression on me. As these men walked through the fields in their platoon, what thoughts were going through their minds? Were they focused on their mission? Were they just trying to survive another day deep into enemy territory? Were they day-dreaming of home, a warm bed, and a hot, homemade meal? I wonder...

For the thousands that never made it home, did they breathe their last believing that their sacrifice was worth it?

I guess what I wonder most about is how much they believed in their mission. This is probably because those of us in church leadership talk a lot about mission these days and how important it is to be missional people living in missional communities as part of the Missio Dei, blah, blah, blah...

This all sounds so good, so inspiring. In fact, we often feel like we have really accomplished some important aspect of our "mission" simply because we talk so much about it and hurl so many complaints against the "established, institutionalized, modern church". Then we go out with our Christain friends and sip on some cappuccino, or maybe drink a couple of beers and smoke a cigar (if we are part of the "emergent" crowd) and congratulate ourselves for being the few who really "get it".

Well, I'm not here to heap anymore criticism on anybody, except maybe myself. I, for one, would like to go on record admitting that I am not a very good soldier. In fact, most days I forget that there really is a mission that I have been sent on that really does matter. Most days I am far too consumed with accomplishing the next task on the list to even begin thinking seriously about how I can live out my day as one of Jesus' "sent ones". The gravitational pull of my life is away from God, away from the world, away from other people, away from any meaningful engagement - and toward my own individual happiness. And it's nothing short of incredible how justifiable and dignified all of this can look in the religious culture that I operate in.

I'm sort of feeling like maybe it's time for a change. And maybe this change has something to do with embodying the love of God to those who can in no way repay me for it. What would life be like if us Christians were "good news" to the marginalized, the poor, and the powerless? Now that's a question that my Christian heritage never asked...

What does "sexy" look like at 39?

Here's the scene. I am up really late the night before watching an old Burt Reynolds movie that will haunt me for the rest of my life. It's a Friday night and I am taking the next day off. Saturday morning rolls around and I sleep in (a rare but precious blessing from God that I have learned to in no way take for granted). I roll out of bed, and walk through a very quiet house (kids are still sleeping) and come into the kitchen. I look at the clock - it's about 8:30 a.m. The sun is streaming into the room on this absolutely beautiful spring morning.

I walk over to the window and notice some activity in the driveway. I look and see my wife, standing by my truck, with a rag in her hand, making this odd, circular motion. I'm dumbfounded...what is this strange sight? What could it mean?

As the realization dawns on me about what is taking place I start asking another set of more disturbing questions; what has she done? How much do we owe? How much did we "save" this time? Or worse yet; what's his name? Is he taller than 5'6"? Are these really my kids?!

What is a guy supposed to do who's been married to the same woman for 17 years and wakes up one morning to find her washing AND WAXING his pickup truck? It was terrifying...

But in the end I found out that she woke up early on a Saturday morning to wash and wax my truck just to say "I love you". Now I ask you men, have you ever looked out your kitchen window and seen anything more sexy than that? Didn't think so.

The Life of a Soccer Dad

The 3 or 4 of you who pay really close attention to this world class blog I have put together have noticed an eerie silence from me over the past month or so. What could possibly keep me away from publishing my innermost thoughts and hoped-for daydreams from an awaiting world? Have I been ill? Has there been a crisis? Have I passed over to that yonder shore?

None of the above! We simply have had our first experience as a family with May math. For the uninitiated, May math is end of the school year activities + the end of soccer season + the beginning of baseball/softball season + the end of the scouting year = a lot of crankiness and a little indigestion.

Well, with all of that crankiness and indigestion, I just haven't got around to my real job - blogging! So, to offer some proof for this lame excuse, I offer this photo I snapped today of Megan and one of her friends after a hard fought soccer game. And yes, there will be more of these photos to follow...year after year...season after season...until my camping chair and rear end become permanently fused.