Change is coming

Change is on the way and we aren’t going to like it.
How do I know? I don’t know I just know.
I look at how desperate political types are and the problem is the only people listening are the die-hards.
I look at God’s people and how unwilling we are to change, not our principles but our commitment to religion and it scares me.
I read about layoffs and then turn up at a local store and see how little inventory is in stock and I smell trouble.
I’ve written three articles that just sit on my computer because I know the response that will follow and part of me is too tired to listen to the rhetoric, there will be so much rhetoric.
The other day a guy walked up to me to offer his opinion on something political and I asked him to be quiet.
I really did, I couldn’t believe it came out of my mouth but I’m so tired of people barfing up the same tired verbiage and refusing to look for answers.
Changes are coming. Life as we knew it is not coming back. Unfortunately we will turn out to be our own worst enemy.

We Started a Church

Sitting in a coffee shop I’m ready to talk with God.

It’s just me, a friend, a cup of coffee, a Bible, some books and a jar with a little wine in my coat pocket.

On a whim I called the guy and said let’s meet at the coffee shop at 7:15 Sunday Morning.  We had no agenda, no study materials, we forgot the worship band and since we both have jobs we didn’t need a collection plate.

We just sat there and did church. What that consisted of is unimportant. If I told you someone (including myself) might try to make it into a formula.

We prayed out loud but didn’t bow our heads, raise our hands or in anyway try to draw attention to what we were doing. We didn’t need to try to be “Christian Examples” for others to see. What many of us fail to understand is when we do some of those very natural “Christian” things the world is turned off not turned on to Jesus.

I’m not ashamed of what I believe but I lost that desire to be an example somewhere between church A and Church B. Instead I live my life the best I can and trust God to do what He wants with it after all He is God and He’s really powerful.

My dad used to like to pray out loud in restaurants and even hold hands because he thought it was a good example for others. He and I don’t agree on that so I don’t do it. If you do, that’s fine, to each his own.

Towards the end of our time (in church) I pulled out the little jar with red wine in it. We pretended to break bread and drank a little swig of wine, prayed for each other and went home.

It was really quite cool. It felt unplanned and organic.

We’ll probably do it again but there is no set schedule or time. We may meet at the base of the South Sister sometime and invited a bunch of you to join us. We want to climb the mountain and try something really difficult to challenge our beliefs and see where we stand.

My opening statement was a lie. I just used it to get your attention. I have no intention of starting what Jesus already began.

As I think of it how can anyone really start a church? Jesus already did that. Perhaps that’s part of the problem we keep trying to recreate what He already created. We have this urge to add to what needs no additions.

Perhaps we keep planning and building and adding and blah, blah, blah when we don’t need to?

Look Beyond What your see.

My friend Jimmie Reynolds saved me the other morning. It wasn’t just Jimmy, but he had a lot to do with it.

I was having one of those days when you feel like slipping your head under a blanket and not coming out until the next morning. You’ve felt like that too, right? It’s not just me.

Anyway, moment after moment I was slipping deeper into a fog and ended up at Goodwill to shoot a video blog for the February RickDancer TV show.

My friend and photographer showed up and he too was having a rather crappy day. We walked into the room and there was Jimmy.

The phone calls, the bad decisions, yes, the irritation lifted as Jimmy stood up and smiled at us.

I don’t want to reveal the story behind Jimmie and me. Something he said many years ago opened my eyes to people, to God and how I see the world.

I think God gives us people at certain moments to quiet our nerves and calm our fears. Jimmie did that for us today and he didn’t even have to try. It’s just who he is.

I wish I could tell you more but that will come in a video soon.

As we started to leave you could tell we had brightened Jimmie’s day too. When I told him there was one more thing he had to do for me he said “What’s that Rick?” I said please stand up. He looked surprised and pleased when gave him a huge hug.

Yes, that is what this life is really about. It’s about the Jimmies, it’s about those moments when you just can’t do it anymore and someone says just the right thing.

Yep, Jimmie is still teaching me a lot about life.

Jimmie has Elephantiasis and asked me today if I knew that beauty is only skin deep? Yes, Jimmie i’m starting to understand that.

The Public Eye has Limited Vision. Chip Kelly

Have you noticed how quick we are to offer our limited vision when something happens in the public forum?

Chip Kelly was in the news the other night and people were going nuts speculating about what he was doing and why.

I had to laugh. When I left KEZI the rumors were flying and people were dying to give their two cents (which was really worth about ½ a cent).

When I ran for office the speculators knew exactly what I was planning, why I was planning it and the reason I was doing it and they were all wrong.

Reporters used to ask me what my plan “B” was if I lost. I’d say I don’t have a plan “B” I’ll figure it out when I get there.

They just wouldn’t or couldn’t believe me. They thought sure I was feeding them a line. How can anyone leave a job, run for office and not have a plan “B”?

My thought was how could I give this my all if in the back of my mind I’m planning to lose?

I’d hear conservative radio hosts bitch and badger me for not being conservative enough and the liberal folks were scared to death I was going to win.

Everyone had a story, everyone had an answer and most of them didn’t know s..t.

My wife, my staff and my advisors and I would sit there scratching our heads. It was a great education for a former reporter. I saw the ugly side of the business, the industry and quite frankly people.

So when someone like Chip Kelly looks at other options I figure that’s life. Only he knows what he’s truly doing. You can speculate if it makes you feel better but chances are you don’t know the whole story and you may end up with egg on your face.

Was Jesus a Failure?

By today’s church standards Jesus Christ would be a failure. He didn’t have a mega church in fact His followers were but a handful until long after He died.

He didn’t own a lot of “Church” property. He never talked about a growth plan heck He didn’t even have a regular meeting place. A lot of His church was done with just 12 people and often times it was just a few at a time walking along a dirt road.

So if this is what Jesus looks like then why does the American Church looks so different. We wear (I don’t) these little bracelets that say WWJD and yet we do the exact opposite.

Jesus asked questions and we are discouraged from doing so. He lived His faith and we are taught to copy what others do.

We think reading the Bible everyday is living our faith. Reading the Bible everyday is great but that’s not church.

I wonder if people in His day said stupid things like “Jesus seems so real?” I bet they didn’t because Jesus was real. We expect our religious leaders to be fake and then get all excited when we discover they are just people. (Yes pastor puts his/her pants on just like you do)

Jesus didn’t get paid to preach He taught and questioned because He loved people so much.

The church in Jesus’ day was not a business, didn’t sell taped series or even have a bookstore. (He didn’t really like moneychangers in His church)

Jesus wasn’t trying to build an organization or a ministry He was building up people and introducing them to God.

Jesus didn’t complicate church with legalism in fact He came to set us free from additions to the law.

Jesus continued to follow the law but the church today ignores it. We don’t celebrate the same holiday’s He did but have traded those for holidays steeped in pagan roots.

If Jesus were to walk into the American Church today would He ask questions? If so, what would those questions be? If He interrupted a sermon with a question would He be ushered to a “quiet room” and told to leave or just shunned into submission?

I have a feeling Jesus would ask a lot of questions. I think He would be asking the same things He asked more than 2000 years ago.

Why are you making this so difficult?

PS. I don’t think Jesus would mind at all that I ask these questions. He would not feel threatened and would understand that the reason I ask them is because I do love His church.

Wanted Real Church

Before I start let me explain a couple of things. I’m reading a new book that I won’t give out the title of just yet because I’m not finished so I have no idea if this is a good book.

What I do know is it is raising some amazing points.

What I’m not looking for is “The Answers.”

What I am searching for is God’s heart for His church.

I do not care if your church is the perfect place and I know that churches are made up of imperfect people.

Now that we have that take care of I have a few questions raised by this book.

These are questions that have resonated with me for more than a decade and when I ask them I usually get the same religious responses and no real answer to the questions.

All I ask is that you think about it. You don’t have to say or write anything, just think for a minute.

1)           When did we get to the place where questioning church or church leadership was wrong?

Jesus did it.

2)           Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus was brutally killed by devoutly religious people?

3)           How did we get to a place where asking questions about church or leadership is considered irreverent?

4)           Would Jesus attend a mega church?

5)           If Jesus looked at a church budget would he agree with how the money is spent?

Now, here are some simple yet complex statements Jesus made during his short time on this earth.

1)           He warned against the teachings of the religious leaders of his day.

2)           He said: “ They worship me in vain: their teachings are but rules taught by men.

3)           He said: You have let go of the commandments of God and are holding onto the traditions of men.

This is normally the place where I try to explain what I am not against. I try to ease people’s minds by saying I’m not against this or that but I’m done with that.

All I am doing is asking questions, the same questions Jesus asked in His day.

If that bothers you take it up with God but to ignore this stuff is denial.

I’m excited because I’m ready to jump into church in a different way.

What that means I have no idea. I’m ready to do something and I’m relieved to know I don’t have to go back to anything to do it.

God, let’s go. I’m placing a classified ad right now.

Wanted: Your Church, not the one steeped in traditions or afraid of difficult questions. I want the church you want. So, show me what that looks like.