Kingdom Come!

You might like to read the latest correspondence between Donald Miller (who prayed at the DNC Monday night) and Barak Obama here… It might enlighten you to the relationship they have!

I’ve been reading a book.  No small wonder there, huh?  And every time I read a chapter, I get this deep “upset” inside and put it down.  (I won’t tell you the name of the book, because that wouldn’t be fair to all concerned.)

Now there are several kinds of “upset” I get when I read books:

1. I get upset when I read books that are just wrong.  Bad theology.  Bad paradigms.  Bad conclusions.  They’re muddle-headed in their thinking or they take scripture out of context to prove there esoteric point.  They espouse truth, but do it in a way that is both shallow and mistaken.  Upsets me.  Never finish the book.
2. I get upset when the book is so ego-driven that everything points to the author and his exploits and endeavors.  Somehow it comes across as if nobody else on the planet is actually doing anything but sucking air and eating Big Macs while everything good and noble burns in a crackling fire on the horizon.  But the caped-crusader author stands ready to save the planet!  Upsets me and I don’t finish the book.
3. I get upset when I read a book that is “bait and switch,” promising insight, cures and solutions but spends 8 of the 9 chapters redefining the problem.  In great detail.  And then the 9^th chapter is pretty bogus.  Hey! I bought the book for answers, not for questions – I got them already!  And I get upset.
4. I get upset when I read a book that says exactly what I’ve been saying for years – almost verbatim.  Even with some of the same charts that I’d used on blackboards and whiteboards all over the world (but better drawn!).  I read these books – pick them up, put them down and get upset.

Upset #4 upsets me that I get upset!  

And that’s the reason that I’m upset with this particular book I’m reading.  (no, I’m not telling you.)  It says what I’ve been saying and teaching for 20+ years in almost any venue possible!  And I guess I’m upset that this author said it, wrote it down and actually sold it back to me at an enormous hardback cost.  Hey! That was my revelation that I gave away free!

But I’m most upset that I’m upset.  Does that make sense? 

In my heart of hearts (and in my teaching) I believe I got the revelation from God.  God gave it to me.  I got it from studying the Word and praying and listening to the Holy Spirit and understanding.  I got it because God gave it to me over years of walking with Him and listening to Him and the echo in His people and giving my life to Him and saying to Him – almost everyday – that He could do with me as He pleased and that’d I’d follow Him wherever He led.  

And that I’d teach whatever He gave me to teach.  Whatever the cost.  Wherever the venue.

But then I read this book and – yikes – He gave it to someone else, too.  I’m not His exclusive agent for change and good in the world!  I’m not the only good-guy out there!  I’m not his favorite son!  I’m not alone.  And I wanted to be the VIW (Voice In the Wilderness) for my generation.  And apparently I’m not.  There are more voices.  God’s sharing with others too.  But He’s sharing my stuff.  Or actually, I guess He’s sharing His stuff. 

And I want to confess – right here on the inter-web – that one of the reasons I’m upset is that I don’t want someone to come up to me after I teach, preach, pray or prophesy and say, “That was very good.  But I read that same book, too.”  That make sense?

Well there you go!  I want to be exclusive in my relationship with Jesus.  For all my want-to-be humility, I’m a real loser.  Full of ego and pride – just like the guys in Upset #2.  I’m no better.  I want Him to speak to me so that I can be some big deal.  Just call me Mr. Splash.  I guess I’m some kind of pseudo-gnostic, wanting some sort of secret knowledge that can be my claim to fame.

Yikes!  And I thought I’d dealt with this stuff in my heart!

So as a form of repentance, I’m going to finish this book by a big-time Christian author who’s heard what I heard.  I’m going to recommend it to others like I did his previous books.  I’m going to smile when someone quotes back to me “my revelation” that they got from his book.  And I’m going to revel in the fact that there is very big God revealing Himself to many people in many great ways all over the world.  

And realize that perhaps I’m just an eavesdropper who gets some of God’s revelation and occasionally gets a chance to pass it on.

peanuts-theology.jpg (JPEG Image, 250×252 pixels)

Embedded Video

They say that God is everywhere, and yet we always think of Him as somewhat of a recluse.

This will be a busy week for us. We begin with house guests who are here for new missionary orientation for Globe. Andrea Burgess is already on the field in Nicaragua working with Sandy Carter and Globe International’s Children of Destiny. But now, instead of being a part-time, she’s upgrading to first-class! Andrea is a first-class lady with quite a story to tell and Phyliis and I are honored to have her in our home.

Orientation on Tuesday for several other people joining Globe including Ken and Denise Case who recently graduated from IGM.

Then on Wednesday we drive to Dallas for the House2House conference. I’ll be there with my new old friends Don Davis and David Havice. And maybe Danny and Judy Armstrong… Phyllis and I are attending for several reasons, but we are interested in seeing how Globe can serve the house-church movement as they begin thinking about House2Harvest. I’m convinced Globe can be a real asset to the movement! We’re flexible enough and experienced enough to serve any network of churches - organic, simple or organizational.

While we’re out that way, we want to see some of Phyllis’ relatives in Wichita Falls, TX and be back for another orientation on September 4.

And while traveling, Phyllis and I will celebrate our 36th Wedding Anniversary! She’s been with me for 36 years and we’ve been all over the world! Raised our kids in Africa and the Middle East and wow! She still loves me! (grin!)

And I’m working real hard on some new teaching materials for Globe Europe’s Mission School in September. Phyllis and I will be in the UK and Germany 17-29 September.

I read Ed Stetzer’s blog a few weeks back and got excited about his book SENT. So I ordered it.  Ed is the super cool Southern Baptist missional guy who writes a book every 36 hours…  Little did I know that SENT wasn’t just a book but a 5 part video course on the sending nature of God!  You can see an intro here.  (And you know I’m pretty passionate about the sending nature of God and the missio dei.)  But now here I am with a cool book (I love the way it’s laid out and the graphics are great!) but I don’t have the video — which I suspect is the real meat of the project!  And I can’t fork out another 60 bucks right now for some “resource material.”  But watch the video and see if it’s something I should get and recommend to some churches who are exploring missions and being missional.

Back at our place in Pensacola!

We arrived last night after stopping in Donalsonville for a true Southern lunch (we’d probably call it “dinner”) of veggies - white acre peas, silver queen sweet corn, colored butterbeans - and cornbread. Yikes! It was great to spend a short visit with mom. She will be 79 in November and doing great after the broken hip in 2007.

Leaving Valdosta is always bitter-sweet. We love the wee house we have there. Phyllis especially loves it and enjoys digging in the dirt, planting and replanting. And cleaning. Phyllis cleans and cleans and straightens and vacuums. And seems to enjoy it. And we love the friends we have there. Last week we had all sorts of people in and out. Stephan, Paige and Olivia Shadrick came for dinner one night. As did Gerald and Aleta Spell and john and Linda Sparks. Jimmy and Pat Smith came by one afternoon for lemonade and great conversation.

And of course we traveled to the Georgia Coast for Josh May and Mary Anderson’s wedding. Even though it was held on St Simons Island, it was a Valdosta event with folks mostly from Valdosta. Jeff and Terry May - parents of the groom - have been friends for ages. During the wedding festivities we were able to reconnect with Howard and Lorraine Goldstein, Scott and Dale Crane, Randy and Debbie Stephen and Tom and Denise Megow — all old time Valdosta friends. And we even stayed in the home of Dan and Annie Walton who are great friends from a lifetime ago - in Valdosta! And this rich landscape of relationships plays into the the emotions of leaving Valdosta for the “wilderness” of Pensacola. Especially for Phyllis.

And of course our children (who are now adults! Yikes!) are in Valdosta.

---

This week we will be in the office at Globe. Next week we have an orientation day for several new missionaries and then the last of the week we travel to Dallas for the House2House Conference. The theme is House2Harvest and the discussion among house church networks will be how they can be participants in the world-wide harvest and the sending of missionaries. Phyllis and I will be there to hopefully answer some questions and also renew some acquaintance of the house-church movement.

I’ve been quiet about all this for the last week when the news first broke. You know I’ve had my reservations and have had real concerns about how we run around looking for the “next big thing,” as if Jesus, The Spirit, The Church, The Mission and The Kingdom are not enough. But my acquaintance (and good friend of a good friend) Lee Grady does a good job here regarding Todd and the mess we - as God’s gullible church - find ourselves in. (A lot of other folks are pointing to Lee as the gentle spokesman in this debate.) When someone gets his revelation from angels, just run. Okay?

To the citizens of the United States of America:

“In light of your failure to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.”

“Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas ,which she does not fancy).”

“Your new prime minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.”

“To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. “You should look up “revocation” in the Oxford English Dictionary, then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.
2. “The letter ‘U’ will be reinstated in words such as ‘favour’ and ‘neighbour.’ Likewise, you will learn to spell ‘doughnut’ without skipping half the letters, and the suffix -ize will be replaced by the suffix -ise. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up ‘vocabulary’).
3. “Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as “like” and “you know” is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter ‘u’ and the elimination of -ize. You will relearn your original national anthem, ‘God Save The Queen’.
4. “July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.”
5. “You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns,lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you’re not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you’re not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you’re not grown up enough to handle a gun.
6. “Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
7. “All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we mean.
8. “All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.
9. “The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline)-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.
10. “You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.
11. “The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of British Commonwealth - see what it did for them.
12. “Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie McDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one’s ears removed with a cheese grater.
13. “You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will,in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). Don’t try Rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.
14. “Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.
15. “You must tell us who killed JFK. It’s been driving us mad.
16. “An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty’s Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).
17. “Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; strawberries in season.”

“God save the Queen.”

(This is not original with me… and probably not John Cleese… but you can see the problem we’re in if we can’t find better candidates for president… Where is Grover Cleveland when you need him? Or even just Grover from Sesame Street… )