Worldly Holiness

Candy Store in Jerusalem, originally uploaded by papalars.

This is a foto of a little shop inside the old city of Jerusalem where I visited in March. The man was kind enough to let me take his portrait. I found his square unit very interesting if not a little claustrophobic. Space is a premium inside the walls. In fact space in the entire region seems to be a premium. It is sad that each inch has to be contested and that people are displaced and killed in an effort to get the upper had, to take possession of the Holy Land. How ironic. I wonder what God thinks about this? The Associated Press early today ran a story about the Birthday celebrations in Jerusalem for Israel's 60th birthday. The first part of the story read like this….

AP Story / JERUSALEM – Israel staged its 60th birthday bash with fireworks, air force flyovers and a great sense of pride Thursday, but also with uncertainty about its future and doubts about prospects for peace with the Palestinians. Across the country, Israelis held barbecues in backyards and public parks, and were entertained by parachute jumps. Israel at 60 is a paradox of exuberance and despair — a country enduring near daily rocket attacks from militants while producing scientists who have pioneered Wi-Fi and instant messaging. Six decades after rising from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish state is still plagued by threats from abroad and an identity crisis at home.

I am not an expert on Israel's place in the Middle East, nor the world for that matter, but it does seem to me that indeed the country is in a delicate if not precarious place these days. In my recent trip to the old city in Jerusalem you could feel some of the underlying tension that reflects the broader conflict in the region. In all honestly, it felt a bit like a tinder box.

The ever present security forces and cameras seemed to monitor every step of every citizen and visitor alike, making sure nothing came out of joint in the balancing game within the walls of the city. At one point I had difficulty accessing a stairway to the ramparts on the city wall. I thought I would just leap a small fence and be done with it, thereby gaining entry to the coveted perimeter wall and viewpoints around the city. My friends persuaded me to think otherwise. Then I turned and saw a camera. I wasn't in Kansas, that is for sure.

The city does seem to thrive with commerce, but not like what I grew accustomed to in Europe. Things began to close down much, much earlier in the evening and it became hard to find a place to eat after 9:00 in the evening. That is kind of when things get going back in Barcelona. And here in the States you can at least get fast food almost 24 hours a day. Not in Jerusalem.

I left the city with some good memories but also a lot of questions. I also found, in comparison, that the city of Amman, Jordan was much friendlier. I have no major conclusions to draw at this point as to why. These are just the simple observations of my first trip to the region. I wonder what Jesus thinks about the city today. Does he still weep?

Old Mansion, originally uploaded by papalars.

Yesterday I was invited to speak about my work with focus people in a Christian High School close to Black Diamond. Close to Auburn as well. The school is out in the woods and the drive took me on fun roads that are a little off the beaten path. Golden opportunity to drag my camera along and enjoy the views. I share with you one of my HDR [High Dynamic Range] photos for this edition of Friday Fotos. HDR is a process of making one dynamic photo and sandwich from 3 photos shot at different f-stops or shutter speed. It affords a greater range of color, sharpness and overall quality. 

This is an old mansion that is also a historical site in the region. The date on the sign says 1894. To realize we lived all last year in Barcelona where human civilization of some kind was in the area before the time of Christ makes me chuckle thinking of how relatively "young" this place is. I guess it goes with the territory in these parts. When Rome was building roads in present day Spain, the state of Washington was inhabited with some Native-American Indian tribes but probably mostly trees. Our broader culture was dreaming about building a mansion somewhere.

Anyway the class I taught today was very engaging. It consisting of 10 and 12th graders and went well. They were eager to learn and hear of what God is doing in the focus world. It continues to strike me how much our youth engage the focus world and are spiritually curious. When I ask in groups of people who has a friend from the focus world, most are under 30. I think they know something that my generation does not. Our future will have more to do with religious and spiritual stuff, discussions between religions, conflicts stirred by warped religious passions and much less about the goals that gave my generation apparent meaning. 

Our future is ultimately NOT about secularism and materialism which the leading thinkers of the 20th suggested. You may remember that Marx and others believed that the more educated and economically productive people became, the less religious they would be. Even though America did not officially subscribe to that doctrine [we believed in God and the other guys were atheists], we are perhaps the country that most embodies the idea–value is measured by material wealth. But David Brooks in the Atlantic Monthly states: "It's now clear that the secularization theory is untrue. The human race does not necessarily get less religious as it grows richer and better educated. We are living through one of the great periods of scientific progress and creation of wealth. At the same time, we are in the midst of a religious boom…secularism is not the future; it is yesterday's incorrect vision of the future." Atlantic Monthly, March 2003. 

This weekend I take another road trip up north, with a full load of speaking engagements on Sunday. First, I get to share in worship [that means preaching], followed by a Q & A for Sunday School. After that is all over, I then take a boat trip with a bunch of men where I give a different talk on marriage, parenting and family. The title of my talk with the guys is "Relational Fidelity: Reaching the Summit, Going the Distance." I took some time in the woods the other day, thinking and praying about what in the world I could share with a bunch of men about relationships. This is a bit of a new challenge for me. I don't feel adequate to the task. I know I could be doing a lot, lot better in this area of my life. Who am I to give a word about this topic? Pray for me this weekend on this topic in two ways. 1. How I actually live the stuff I'm going to talk about in my family. 2. How I speak about it with others in such a way that God is brought into the equation, showing us the way. But for now, enjoy my Friday Foto!

Drop me a line when you have time. Would love to hear from you. What do you think of the photo? What is your vision for the future? What do focus people have to do with your future?

St. Helens crest looking into crater, originally uploaded by papalars.

I leave tomorrow for Europe and the M.E. I asked for prayer in my last post for this 3 week trip. Briefly, I'm headed first to Barcelona to reconnect with ministry partners and friends, followed by our staff retreat in Southern France. Mark Novak, our conference Superintendent in the North Pacific Conference, is our speaker and I get to be his and wife Marilyn's special host for a few days in Barcelona before we head across the border to France. Should be fun.

After two weeks in Europe, I join 3 others for a trip to the M.E. to observe some things going on in that region. This will be my first venture into that part of the world but is very important for our ministry. I'm a tad bit excited and eager to learn, listen, observe, pray and discover. Pray for our team, for safety and God's hand to be upon us each step of the way. So I will be on the road for awhile. Hope to post some stories from abroad but we will see if I have time.

Besides being on the road, I'm also in training.  I suppose you could say this applies to at least two areas in my life right now. Clearly, I am still learning what it means to be a messenger of the Good News to focus people. I started on this journey in midlife and do not have command of the holy language nor years of experience under my belt. But clearly, God has called and continues to lead in significant ways. I used to look at my "liabilities" as something that disqualified me for this work. Now I view them as assets. They keep me focused and trusting God.

I'm also training for another adventure. This picture gives a hint. Since January I have been exercising and doing small climbs in the area in a regular training regime to climb Mt. Rainier with a group of friends this summer. The picture above is from the summit of Mt. St. Helens, looking into the crater. You can see a new peak that is pushing up the rocks, making a new summit for the mountain, slowly but surely. I took this before we left for Spain, in the summer of 2006. I hope to get back up this one sometime this summer but the big goal is Rainier in August.

As I sit here in my favorite chair, I'm aware of the soreness in my legs from training. I am also aware that it takes time to prepare for reaching the summit. Climbing is a bit like spirituality and the fruit of ministry. It doesn't just happen. Nor does it come from merely trying. It requires training and concerted, focused effort, while also leaning on God. But the rewards are great! Join with me in training and living the race set before us. "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14.

Lower Falls, originally uploaded by papalars.

I am nearing the end of a longer road trip that has taken me to Santa Barbara, California, north to San Francisco via the Central Valley of the state to visit family and see the beauties of Yosemite under cover of snow….yes, I took the photo above last week…notice the little stream of water coming off the lower falls. Anyway, this trip just finished up in Chicago for the Covenant's Midwinter conference. I have been speaking in churches to multiple age groups about our ministry to focus people, ranging from a middle school group to a senior citizens gathering at a retirement center. Yesterday, I just finished a 3.5 hour workshop with my ministry partner, Ken S to a gathering of Covenant pastors, leaders and cross-cultural workers.

The time has been very rich. It has been most rewarding as I see people respond to the approach of showing love to focus friends. I have been also amazed at the number of people in our churches who have focus friends. Last weekend in one church over 50 people raised their hands in response to the question of whether they had a focus friend. One of my underlying texts is 1 Peter 3:15. "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." I am excited to see this seems to be the predominant ethos and attitude among the people in our broader church community. It seems there is a strong, pervasive desire in our churches to really live this way before focus people.

Well this month is almost over and I am ready to get back home, after a few more stops. I get to take some time to visit a few longtime friends over the weekend. One is a young man I discipled for several years in Mexico who now lives in the Chicago area, with his own family. It will be great to see Chuy again.

Here is a Friday Foto. February should be a better month for pictures and regular posts. Have a great weekend.