The other day I was pumping gas at a Mobil in Pasadena when I noticed two teenagers standing on the curb watching me pump gas. I looked at one of the teenagers who was smoking a cigarette and his friend said, "I know, he (the smoker) shouldn't be smoking near the pumps", which is something that had never crossed my mind. I was thinking to myself that he was filling his lungs with something harmful to himself. I said to the one smoking, "You shouldn't smoke since you look like a 'baller". Now, of course I had no idea if he was good at basketball, and yes, I was making an assumption, which I did believe was true, but immediately he smiled and said, "You know I can play 'ball." I did not have a basketball, but I did have a football in my car, so I reached in the car, took out the football and pointed him, to "go deep", at which point he took off running across the "empty" section of the parking lot, catching the pass in stride. His friend had decided to cover him, so he took off running also. They threw me back the football, then I threw a pass to the other teenager, then they started throwing passes back and forth in the parking lot. When they were done, they ran back over to me, handed me the football and stated in the most respectful gesture I have ever been given, "Thank you sir." I felt a little shameful that they called me sir, because it hold such an ideal of respect, I am not exactly sure why I felt like that?
In my mind I was thinking that I need to develop an organization where opportunities are created for teenagers who "hang out" at gas stations. The problem is not engaging in dialogue, that is the easy part, as I am sure most Christians engage strangers in conversation, but how to invite those "strangers" into our worlds is more difficult. I also have fear, because obviously I don't know these people and I have a wife which I of course need to consider, but I was thinking of creating an organization whereby people who may not have had opportunities are given the abilities, which have been granted to others. In honest reflection, I can say that it has not been my own "hard work" which has allowed me to participate in everything God has created, but it has a lot to do with the fact that I am part of the dominant culture. I want that to change.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Gangs of the Church!
Personal Update: I am currently in my "almost last year" at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA. It has been and continues to be a wonderful journey. I have personally gained some marvelous insights into the inner workings of human development and interaction, as well as, processed my own faith journey, seeing how the "faithfulness OF Christ" has allowed me to experience God's amazing grace in difficult times. Kelly and I have taken on new responsibilities and we share our daily lives with one another, whether at home, at school, or at work, each area of our life overlaps one another.
So, enough about me. Anyways, I am currently doing some research on the appeal to gang life in the U.S. It is funny how some people can not understand why gang life is appealing to youth in our country as well as other countries. The question that I have encountered is, "Why do people want to join gangs?" To merely say that it is a "breakdown" in effect of the nuclear family does not encapsulate the overall appeal of gangs. Gangs are formed by a bond which transcends what only families can offer. Gangs are outlets for people to be able to freely express their anger, conflict, and sense of abandonment which they have experienced at the hands of other human beings. The Church is called to be that outlet for the anger, conflict, and therefore the reconciliation of being abandoned by other human beings.
When I was a police officer, the community offered within the Police Department, although sometimes extremely unhealthy was still more appealing than the community offered in the church, because meeting once a week could not provide the basis for dialogue which I needed as a human being to survive. If someone asked me the question, "Sum up Christianity in one sentence", I would have to say (although I do not believe it is possible to sum it up in a sentence) that, "Jesus liberates our language in order to express everything which is in us, so that we can be at peace with ourselves, others, and God." Without this language we can never experience healing, freedom, and release from sin. Gangs offer a language to others which may only be understood by other gang members and although unhealthy is still appealing to someone to know that they have a "brother or sister", i.e. another gang member who will die for them. Until gang members understand that God himself took their anger, rage, and death upon himself, and manifested it in the body of Jesus, i.e. THE CHURCH, what appeal is for them to walk in a different lifestyle. This is not the job of individual Christians to display this to other, but the vocation of the Church.
So, enough about me. Anyways, I am currently doing some research on the appeal to gang life in the U.S. It is funny how some people can not understand why gang life is appealing to youth in our country as well as other countries. The question that I have encountered is, "Why do people want to join gangs?" To merely say that it is a "breakdown" in effect of the nuclear family does not encapsulate the overall appeal of gangs. Gangs are formed by a bond which transcends what only families can offer. Gangs are outlets for people to be able to freely express their anger, conflict, and sense of abandonment which they have experienced at the hands of other human beings. The Church is called to be that outlet for the anger, conflict, and therefore the reconciliation of being abandoned by other human beings.
When I was a police officer, the community offered within the Police Department, although sometimes extremely unhealthy was still more appealing than the community offered in the church, because meeting once a week could not provide the basis for dialogue which I needed as a human being to survive. If someone asked me the question, "Sum up Christianity in one sentence", I would have to say (although I do not believe it is possible to sum it up in a sentence) that, "Jesus liberates our language in order to express everything which is in us, so that we can be at peace with ourselves, others, and God." Without this language we can never experience healing, freedom, and release from sin. Gangs offer a language to others which may only be understood by other gang members and although unhealthy is still appealing to someone to know that they have a "brother or sister", i.e. another gang member who will die for them. Until gang members understand that God himself took their anger, rage, and death upon himself, and manifested it in the body of Jesus, i.e. THE CHURCH, what appeal is for them to walk in a different lifestyle. This is not the job of individual Christians to display this to other, but the vocation of the Church.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Fixin' what ain't "broke".
The longer I am a follower of Jesus, the more I understand that Jesus continually invites us into his "space". When I use the word space, it is defined as the ministry in which Jesus himself is doing. The word "doing ministry" is thrown about in Christian circles, as if somehow, we are called to "do ministry" like I am fixing a car. "If anything is broke, we fix what is broke", whether it is people, churches, whatever. I have to confess that I have fallen into this paradigm, whereby I think that I "fix" whatever I need to fix.
This causes Christians to insert and assert themselves into the space of others, but never invite others into their own "space". I think that this happens because we have objectified the subjective, meaning those things which truly feel, think, change, reason, and love are not invited into our lives, but in some ways are objectified, things which we can control and attempt to fix. I think we should also use different language in Christianity in terms of our language of "brokenness". Human are created in the image of God, so maybe we should start there, (Genesis 1 &2) instead of Genesis 3. It also happens because we are shaped by our surrounding culture of the nuclear family and suburban living, this is the reason that it is so hard to communicate effectively to people we don't know, meaning make friends with people we don't know. (This is why so many people go to college, for the social networks)
Take for example the story in Exodus of Mt. Sinai, when Moses was on the Mountain receiving commandments from God, the Israelites, instead of focusing on the "subjective", Yhwh himself, they focused on an "object" which could be controlled, i.e. the golden calf. (Exodus 32)
The reason that I have been thinking about this concept is because I sometimes keep people at distances, because it is safe for me to do that, an invitation implicitly involves vulnerability, the possibility of rejection, so a lot of times we do not invite others to participate with us. Maybe if we started with this understanding, "Humans are going to hurt one another, whether on purpose or accidentally." Our churches have in many ways dulled our senses, they have created us in their image, which is an image of complacency, and image that says, "If there is no conflict, then I am becoming more like Christ."
I am also a person who continuously invites others into my space, so I continually have conflict. Sometimes I convince myself that the conflict is because of my sin or anothers sin, but then I think, "Jesus had so much conflict it is unbelievable, and I can be relieved." I still believe that these invitations into my space need to go further into the depth of God's care, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation though. Anyways, these are simply thoughts about what following Jesus should maybe look like.
This causes Christians to insert and assert themselves into the space of others, but never invite others into their own "space". I think that this happens because we have objectified the subjective, meaning those things which truly feel, think, change, reason, and love are not invited into our lives, but in some ways are objectified, things which we can control and attempt to fix. I think we should also use different language in Christianity in terms of our language of "brokenness". Human are created in the image of God, so maybe we should start there, (Genesis 1 &2) instead of Genesis 3. It also happens because we are shaped by our surrounding culture of the nuclear family and suburban living, this is the reason that it is so hard to communicate effectively to people we don't know, meaning make friends with people we don't know. (This is why so many people go to college, for the social networks)
Take for example the story in Exodus of Mt. Sinai, when Moses was on the Mountain receiving commandments from God, the Israelites, instead of focusing on the "subjective", Yhwh himself, they focused on an "object" which could be controlled, i.e. the golden calf. (Exodus 32)
The reason that I have been thinking about this concept is because I sometimes keep people at distances, because it is safe for me to do that, an invitation implicitly involves vulnerability, the possibility of rejection, so a lot of times we do not invite others to participate with us. Maybe if we started with this understanding, "Humans are going to hurt one another, whether on purpose or accidentally." Our churches have in many ways dulled our senses, they have created us in their image, which is an image of complacency, and image that says, "If there is no conflict, then I am becoming more like Christ."
I am also a person who continuously invites others into my space, so I continually have conflict. Sometimes I convince myself that the conflict is because of my sin or anothers sin, but then I think, "Jesus had so much conflict it is unbelievable, and I can be relieved." I still believe that these invitations into my space need to go further into the depth of God's care, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation though. Anyways, these are simply thoughts about what following Jesus should maybe look like.
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