"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take?" -Wayne Gretzky
"The Lord spoke to Moses: See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft. Moreover, I have appointed with him Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have given skill to all the skillful, so that they may make all that I have commanded you..." -Exodus 31:1-6
As many know, I love videos of marriage proposals. I love the creativity and the smiles and the joy and the neat, original ways that people have concocted to tell someone they want to spend the rest of their lives together.
I'm obviously not married, so I haven't had the opportunity to contribute to the joy. However, I was a high schooler once. And when you're in high school, you get to go to prom. And when you get to get to go to prom, you get to ask someone to go with you.
And junior year, I wanted to go with Laura Boone.
I was pretty in love. We'd been basically best friends since freshmen year (which really meant I wanted her to fall in love with me while she wanted to be friends, so while I was waiting for her to realize I was the man of her dreams, we became best friends.) But she was single and this was my chance!
In my quest for her love, every day at lunch I would buy a package of the tropical Starbursts from the candy machine. Then, between 7th and 8th periods when our paths crossed on our way to class, I would pass along the orange ones (her favorites!) It was kind of like my personal version of The Princess Bride, except instead of "As you wish," I had "Hear are your orange ones." Very romantic, I know!
Fast forward to the spring. I had a plan. I called her mom and said, "Hey, Mrs. Boone, I'd love to ask your daughter to prom. If I can get her out of the house, can I come by after school and set some stuff in her room?" She was thrilled.
So, with the assistance of some of her friends, I got her out of the house for about an hour after school. I had gone to Costco to grab one of those 52-pack, commercial-size boxes of tropical Starbursts, 2 roses, and I'd printed out a little poem. I got to her house and started unwrapping A LOT of Starburst packages.
In her upstairs room, I took the orange ones (her favorites, remember!) and spelled out P-R-O-M-? on her bed and underlined it with the two roses. I took a bunch of red Starbursts and outlined a heart around the question and then took the remaining hundreds of little sugar squares and made a path leading out her room, down the stairs, and to the front door. And the poem? It read "Roses are red. Violets are blue. Nothing is sweeter than prom with you (not even 512 Starbursts!)" It was pretty magical!
Needless to say, she said yes. And we had a blast! And then we dated for like 5 months. Mission accomplished.
What's the point of this story? Only that this kind of silly and over-the-top adventure is part of what makes me me. It's part of the way God made me. It's what makes me unique. If I'd simply asked, "Hey Laura, do you want to go prom?" I would've felt totally uncomfortable.
Part of who I am is this love language. I also have weak knees and a pretty active metabolism. I'm intelligent with a good grasp of common sense. I'm pretty passive in confrontation but feel very strongly about my convictions. I'd rather bring people together who disagree than have divisions tear people apart. I'm relatively athletic and quick and witty.
This is how God made me.
Nowadays, at many graduations, speakers tell recent graduates to follow their dreams and be whoever they want to be. "Don't let anyone tell you what to be," they say. "Don't let anyone trample your dreams. Be whatever you want to be."
While there's nothing inherently wrong with this message, it's incomplete, isn't it? It sounds a little selfish. Be whoever you want to be and do whatever you want to do. Yeah, but what about everybody else? In many ways, this message assumes too little of people.
My favorite story in scripture is that of Moses and Bezalel and Oholiab. Who? Yeah, it's not usually in a "Top-10 Favorite Stories of the Bible" list. But it's mine.
It's my favorite because Moses was given all of the instructions for how to build the tabernacle and he was a little overwhelmed. He wasn't a carpenter. He couldn't sew. He didn't know how to work with metals. Those weren't the gifts God gave Moses. Moses was a leader for the people. Those were his gifts. So God gave Moses Bezalel and Oholiab.
They were two men in the big camp of Israelites who had lots of skills that would help construct the tent. God gave them certain skills, and what did they do? They helped lead the whole tribe of Israel in building a tabernacle for God to dwell among them. They were made incredibly special so that they could bless God and so that they could bless the rest of their people. They became the best they could be and then found a way to put those skills to use serving others.
We are all given special, unique gifts. And we shouldn't try to be someone we're not. We should learn to embrace what makes us special. But that's only the beginning. We have to embrace what makes us us, the way that God made us, so that we can go take that and make the world a better place. We're not unique so that we can go do whatever we want. That's not a big enough dream. We were made for so much more than that!
So may we all find those things that make us who we are. May we find our prom invitations or our carpentry skills. May we find the gifts and quirks that God gave only to us. But may we also move beyond them to find the places in the world and in our communities where those gifts are most needed to shine a little bit of Heaven into places and lives feeling isolated and in need. And may we take what makes us us and help our neighbors see the God who made us that way.
forever unfinished...
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 7, 2015
Birthdays in Uganda...
"When I think about the things that we've been through, I know just one thing is true. Life is better with you." -Michael Franti, Life is Better With You
"Then he said to his slaves, 'the wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests." -Matthew 22:8-10
I've written a lot lately about being a pretty independent guy. It's true. I'm an introvert and love time to myself. I pride myself on being self-sufficient and not asking for help. Ha! What a crock.
That's why I'm always glad when God finds little ways that turn into big ways to dislodge me a little bit and remind me just how much I need others and how much better life is when we get to share it together, the best parts of it and the hardest ones.
As I've written about before, for the past 9 years (wow, it doesn't feel that long!) I've sponsored a young man named Sande Ronald in Uganda through the organization Compassion International. It all started out with a strange nudge in my stomach to find a way to give, but the idea of putting money in a tray being passed down an aisle was SO uncool. So, I thought, "Sponsoring a kid in Africa seems like it could be cool."
Boy was I right, although I had no idea just how cool. Sande and I were paired because I wanted to find someone with a birthday near mine. Sande's is only 4 days after my birthday. It was a match made in heaven. Over the years, we've written probably fifty notes back and forth. He tells me about school and his family, the crops that are growing and the games and songs he is learning. It's gotten to the point that those are the envelopes I most look forward to and are the ones that bring me the most joy.
One of the really neat things about Sande and I is that when we write letters in January and February we get to celebrate one another's birthdays.
As I said, I am a pretty independent guy, and I hate celebrating my birthday. I hate when the attention is on me. This past year I had a night class and wanted to skip out on any other kind of celebration, including any kind of celebrating with my significant other at the time. Her response? "We're not going to NOT celebrate your birthday! I don't care if we just get dinner. We are celebrating!" We got Mellow Mushroom and then I went to class.
But Uganda does birthdays much differently. When Sande's post-birthday letter arrived, it painted a pretty awesome picture. He said that to celebrate his birthday, there was a party and dessert, which were the only things I wanted to think about when I was his age. But then he wrote something that stuck out and stopped me for a while. He wrote, "The best part is that the whole village celebrates together so that we can share the dessert."
The best part is sharing?! I didn't want anyone else to touch my cake when I was a kid, and all Sande wants to do is share it with his neighbors? Somehow I was sure that Sande and those in Uganda had it figured out much better than I ever could. Birthdays are not to be hoarded. Celebrations are just an easy excuse to let everyone share the most joy!
Recently, I got some other good news. I've got a friend who has spent the better part of recent years living on the streets, particularly in the spaces right around our church. He's a veteran who like many others had landed in homelessness. Since he spent so many nights right around the youth building, we got to know each other and share bits and pieces of our lives.
A few weeks ago I got some really exciting news. He had gotten approved for housing assistance and was moving into an apartment in downtown Fort Worth! How incredible is that! More amazing: he had heard there was a blessing in the United Methodist Church for new homes and he asked if I'd be a part of that ceremony for his new place.
Yesterday afternoon I had the privilege of heading the few blocks from the church it was to the apartment and getting to bless the new home. I got the VIP tour of the new digs, and let me just say that he's landed in a pretty awesome set-up. Then we prayed over his new place. We prayed that God would watch over this new home and that its new owner would be blessed and bless others because of it.
And then we broke bread, just like Jesus did with his friends at the table. At that moment, I became aware that something holy was going on in our midst. I was so humbled to have been invited to be a part of it all. I was so humbled that my friend had invited me to share something that should be celebrated from the mountaintop. And it was clear, in that instant, that God was in the midst of this celebration and that it had to be celebrated together, among friends.
There are few instances in scripture of people being alone. Sure, Moses was drawn to be by himself at the burning bush. And yeah, Jesus retreated often to recharge. Obviously, there are moments throughout in which God finds people alone and speaks.
But more often than not, God shows up and draws people together. Jesus had 12 (and many more) disciples who were invited to share his story. Joseph's story is full of people who intersect him in one way or another. Paul's letters show a relationship between mentor and church, between Paul, Timothy, and his other students. Jonah's experience with God is made all the richer knowing there were others of different faiths in the boat with whom he was navigating the waves.
As I've said before, the most compelling image in the gospels for me is the image of the banquet feast. When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, one of the images he refers to often is that of a banquet hall with the multitudes sharing food around the table. Even if people pass up their RSVP with other engagements, the host goes out and sends out invitations until the hall is full, because celebrations are meant to be shared. I think that's what the Kingdom of God is like.
Time alone is invaluable. We need solitary times. But if my recent experiences have reminded me of anything, it's that celebrations and sorrows are meant to be shared. From the very beginning when God noticed Adam was lonely in the garden, it was clear that humans were made for community and life together. So may we invite others into the great joys and the deep despairs of our lives. And may we learn to celebrate others well and empathize with them equally deeply. May we learn to cherish the gift of community for which God has so intentionally invited us. And may we learn to live as they do in Uganda: together.
forever unfinished...
"Then he said to his slaves, 'the wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests." -Matthew 22:8-10
I've written a lot lately about being a pretty independent guy. It's true. I'm an introvert and love time to myself. I pride myself on being self-sufficient and not asking for help. Ha! What a crock.
That's why I'm always glad when God finds little ways that turn into big ways to dislodge me a little bit and remind me just how much I need others and how much better life is when we get to share it together, the best parts of it and the hardest ones.
As I've written about before, for the past 9 years (wow, it doesn't feel that long!) I've sponsored a young man named Sande Ronald in Uganda through the organization Compassion International. It all started out with a strange nudge in my stomach to find a way to give, but the idea of putting money in a tray being passed down an aisle was SO uncool. So, I thought, "Sponsoring a kid in Africa seems like it could be cool."
Boy was I right, although I had no idea just how cool. Sande and I were paired because I wanted to find someone with a birthday near mine. Sande's is only 4 days after my birthday. It was a match made in heaven. Over the years, we've written probably fifty notes back and forth. He tells me about school and his family, the crops that are growing and the games and songs he is learning. It's gotten to the point that those are the envelopes I most look forward to and are the ones that bring me the most joy.
One of the really neat things about Sande and I is that when we write letters in January and February we get to celebrate one another's birthdays.
As I said, I am a pretty independent guy, and I hate celebrating my birthday. I hate when the attention is on me. This past year I had a night class and wanted to skip out on any other kind of celebration, including any kind of celebrating with my significant other at the time. Her response? "We're not going to NOT celebrate your birthday! I don't care if we just get dinner. We are celebrating!" We got Mellow Mushroom and then I went to class.
But Uganda does birthdays much differently. When Sande's post-birthday letter arrived, it painted a pretty awesome picture. He said that to celebrate his birthday, there was a party and dessert, which were the only things I wanted to think about when I was his age. But then he wrote something that stuck out and stopped me for a while. He wrote, "The best part is that the whole village celebrates together so that we can share the dessert."
The best part is sharing?! I didn't want anyone else to touch my cake when I was a kid, and all Sande wants to do is share it with his neighbors? Somehow I was sure that Sande and those in Uganda had it figured out much better than I ever could. Birthdays are not to be hoarded. Celebrations are just an easy excuse to let everyone share the most joy!
Recently, I got some other good news. I've got a friend who has spent the better part of recent years living on the streets, particularly in the spaces right around our church. He's a veteran who like many others had landed in homelessness. Since he spent so many nights right around the youth building, we got to know each other and share bits and pieces of our lives.
A few weeks ago I got some really exciting news. He had gotten approved for housing assistance and was moving into an apartment in downtown Fort Worth! How incredible is that! More amazing: he had heard there was a blessing in the United Methodist Church for new homes and he asked if I'd be a part of that ceremony for his new place.
Yesterday afternoon I had the privilege of heading the few blocks from the church it was to the apartment and getting to bless the new home. I got the VIP tour of the new digs, and let me just say that he's landed in a pretty awesome set-up. Then we prayed over his new place. We prayed that God would watch over this new home and that its new owner would be blessed and bless others because of it.
And then we broke bread, just like Jesus did with his friends at the table. At that moment, I became aware that something holy was going on in our midst. I was so humbled to have been invited to be a part of it all. I was so humbled that my friend had invited me to share something that should be celebrated from the mountaintop. And it was clear, in that instant, that God was in the midst of this celebration and that it had to be celebrated together, among friends.
There are few instances in scripture of people being alone. Sure, Moses was drawn to be by himself at the burning bush. And yeah, Jesus retreated often to recharge. Obviously, there are moments throughout in which God finds people alone and speaks.
But more often than not, God shows up and draws people together. Jesus had 12 (and many more) disciples who were invited to share his story. Joseph's story is full of people who intersect him in one way or another. Paul's letters show a relationship between mentor and church, between Paul, Timothy, and his other students. Jonah's experience with God is made all the richer knowing there were others of different faiths in the boat with whom he was navigating the waves.
As I've said before, the most compelling image in the gospels for me is the image of the banquet feast. When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God, one of the images he refers to often is that of a banquet hall with the multitudes sharing food around the table. Even if people pass up their RSVP with other engagements, the host goes out and sends out invitations until the hall is full, because celebrations are meant to be shared. I think that's what the Kingdom of God is like.
Time alone is invaluable. We need solitary times. But if my recent experiences have reminded me of anything, it's that celebrations and sorrows are meant to be shared. From the very beginning when God noticed Adam was lonely in the garden, it was clear that humans were made for community and life together. So may we invite others into the great joys and the deep despairs of our lives. And may we learn to celebrate others well and empathize with them equally deeply. May we learn to cherish the gift of community for which God has so intentionally invited us. And may we learn to live as they do in Uganda: together.
forever unfinished...
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Miss Jonetta...
"This is my wish for you: comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes..." -Unknown
"And the one who was seated on the throne said, 'See, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.'" -Revelation 21:5
I have a door in my living room.
I realize that's not a particularly noteworthy statement by itself, of course. Most people have doors in the their living rooms to one thing or another. But my door is different. It's not attached to any hinges. It doesn't lead to any other space. It just leans against the wall.
I got this door from my friend Jonetta. She lives in Rock Hill, South Carolina and takes care of her grandchildren a lot of the time. We met about 6 years ago when I was leading a group of high school students at a camp called Salkehatchie. We spent the week in stupidly humid July heat replacing Miss Jonetta's roof and the floor in her kitchen. It was a full week's worth of work to say the least.
One of the minor projects we took on as well was replacing Miss Jonetta's front door. It was old. It had cracks covered in duct tape and the panes of glass were held in by nothing more than thick layers of caulk. It was leaking heat and A/C, causing her electricity bill to skyrocket, just stretching her already thin budget even tighter.
Miraculously, someone had volunteered to donate a new front door if our group would install it. What a guy or gal! When we'd finished replacing the door, we took the old one over to the dumpster and prepared to toss it in. And then I got an idea.
God uses an awful lot of the "wrong kind of people" in the Bible. Moses was a murderer. Rahab was a prostitute. The disciples were a hodge-podge bunch. David was so unimpressive to Samuel that Samuel thought to himself, surely not this runt! Paul was a genocidal systematic killer. Abraham was old. Heck, Jesus was from the wrong side of the tracks and was born in a sheep trough.
And Jesus spent a lot of his time with the wrong kind of people, and every kind of wrong. He spent time eating with the tax collectors and Pharisees, the people we pick on today in sermons for being self-righteous. He spent time with teenagers and fishermen, the every day kind of workers. He spent time with the lepers, who were kicked outside the city gates to live in a separate community because they were unclean. He spent time with women and Samaritans. He spent time with the lost causes.
It's a lot like Miss Jonetta and her door. It would be really easy to dismiss her. If I hadn't had a reason to meet her and get to know her, I'm sure I would've overlooked someone like Miss Jonetta. She didn't have lots of money and lived in a fairly "left-behind" kind of neighborhood.
And her door didn't have much use. But I saw art in it somewhere. So I took it back to the church and stared at it for two months. Seriously! It just sat there while I thought about what to do with it. And then inspiration started to sink in. So I got some paint. And I printed some pictures. And this is what came out:
God doesn't forget about lost causes. I've become convinced that lost causes aren't a concept in God's vocabulary. I imagine that when God looks at all of creation, us and all the rest, God sees a lot of masterpieces that just need a little refresher, a little love, just like this door.
I wish I could see people the way God does. I wish I could see people as beloved children of God in every situation. I wish I didn't overlook people or dismiss people for this reason or that. I wish I could always see the Master's craftsmanship in my own life, let alone my neighbors'. There are no lost causes in God's family. Things in need of a touch-up? Absolutely! People with some scratches and dents? For sure! But God's never left someone behind because they didn't have it all together or because they'd gotten too scuffed up.
May we all learn to see God's fingerprints in our own lives as well as our neighbors'. May we be the kind of people who point others to their worth instead of drawing attention to their scars. May we be the kind of people who move beyond the guilt of the cross and celebrate a God of resurrection and shalom! And may we learn to make masterpieces out of the lives God has crafted.
forever unfinished...
"And the one who was seated on the throne said, 'See, I am making all things new.' Also he said, 'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.'" -Revelation 21:5
I have a door in my living room.
I realize that's not a particularly noteworthy statement by itself, of course. Most people have doors in the their living rooms to one thing or another. But my door is different. It's not attached to any hinges. It doesn't lead to any other space. It just leans against the wall.
I got this door from my friend Jonetta. She lives in Rock Hill, South Carolina and takes care of her grandchildren a lot of the time. We met about 6 years ago when I was leading a group of high school students at a camp called Salkehatchie. We spent the week in stupidly humid July heat replacing Miss Jonetta's roof and the floor in her kitchen. It was a full week's worth of work to say the least.
One of the minor projects we took on as well was replacing Miss Jonetta's front door. It was old. It had cracks covered in duct tape and the panes of glass were held in by nothing more than thick layers of caulk. It was leaking heat and A/C, causing her electricity bill to skyrocket, just stretching her already thin budget even tighter.
Miraculously, someone had volunteered to donate a new front door if our group would install it. What a guy or gal! When we'd finished replacing the door, we took the old one over to the dumpster and prepared to toss it in. And then I got an idea.
God uses an awful lot of the "wrong kind of people" in the Bible. Moses was a murderer. Rahab was a prostitute. The disciples were a hodge-podge bunch. David was so unimpressive to Samuel that Samuel thought to himself, surely not this runt! Paul was a genocidal systematic killer. Abraham was old. Heck, Jesus was from the wrong side of the tracks and was born in a sheep trough.
And Jesus spent a lot of his time with the wrong kind of people, and every kind of wrong. He spent time eating with the tax collectors and Pharisees, the people we pick on today in sermons for being self-righteous. He spent time with teenagers and fishermen, the every day kind of workers. He spent time with the lepers, who were kicked outside the city gates to live in a separate community because they were unclean. He spent time with women and Samaritans. He spent time with the lost causes.
It's a lot like Miss Jonetta and her door. It would be really easy to dismiss her. If I hadn't had a reason to meet her and get to know her, I'm sure I would've overlooked someone like Miss Jonetta. She didn't have lots of money and lived in a fairly "left-behind" kind of neighborhood.
And her door didn't have much use. But I saw art in it somewhere. So I took it back to the church and stared at it for two months. Seriously! It just sat there while I thought about what to do with it. And then inspiration started to sink in. So I got some paint. And I printed some pictures. And this is what came out:
God doesn't forget about lost causes. I've become convinced that lost causes aren't a concept in God's vocabulary. I imagine that when God looks at all of creation, us and all the rest, God sees a lot of masterpieces that just need a little refresher, a little love, just like this door.
I wish I could see people the way God does. I wish I could see people as beloved children of God in every situation. I wish I didn't overlook people or dismiss people for this reason or that. I wish I could always see the Master's craftsmanship in my own life, let alone my neighbors'. There are no lost causes in God's family. Things in need of a touch-up? Absolutely! People with some scratches and dents? For sure! But God's never left someone behind because they didn't have it all together or because they'd gotten too scuffed up.
May we all learn to see God's fingerprints in our own lives as well as our neighbors'. May we be the kind of people who point others to their worth instead of drawing attention to their scars. May we be the kind of people who move beyond the guilt of the cross and celebrate a God of resurrection and shalom! And may we learn to make masterpieces out of the lives God has crafted.
forever unfinished...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)