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Monday_Reflections: New_Is_Better

Amy and I enjoy the show "How I Met Your Mother". (For those not familiar with the show, it's a sort of "Friends" for millennials). One of the main characters is an extreme philanderer named Barney. Barney is prone to outlandish statements and proclamations of ridiculous rules that explain the world from his perspective. One of his favorite sayings is "new is always better." (I try to invoke this rule with my wife when I get tempted to buy some new piece of technology...it doesn't really work). 

A few weeks ago someone was telling me about a situation he was dealing with. Another someone had a brand new "theological" insight regarding a controversial issue within the church.  

As I was listening my intellectual side was tracking with the argument...even though it was new, it kind of made sense, and I could follow the logic (to a degree) that had led to the conclusion.

But something didn't sit well with me.  

I couldn't figure it out for a while, and I felt like the only response I had was "well that's wrong," or "we don't do it that way." The issue came up again recently in a conversation about the passage in Luke on new and old wine skins.

Admittedly, I gravitate towards the new most of the time. I like new ideas, new gadgets, new books, new music, etc. 

But the rhetoric that goes along with new (i.e. progressive) ideas is often one of convenience. As in: how convenient that you found this new idea that justifies your world view, that's awesome! 

But convenience is never the path that Jesus took, and that is ultimately what didn't sit right with me as I listened to my friend. The new idea was cool and interesting and definitely worth a serious conversation.

But it lacked sacrifice. There was no laying down of lives or taking up of crosses. Stories of convenience lack any kind of power. Stories of sacrifice stir the soul and inspire action. 

It wasn't even about whether the issue at hand was right or wrong (at least for me)...the serious point that was being missed was the exchange of sacrifice for convenience. 

There is a part of me that wants to declare "new is always better," but I am learning to weigh the "new" with a lens (a hermeneutic) of sacrifice and cross bearing. Of course, on this point, I can always be accused of spiritual masochism or a joyless theology, so I will acknowledge that danger. But I will always trust "new" ideas that have passed through the crucible of suffering and sacrifice and life-laid-down-experience over a theology of convenience. 

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kickoff


another full and fun week of launching sojourn expressions all over the city. here are a few pics from a kinect event at UMASS (my favorite moment is documented here: the solo approach was rejected in favor of group participation). the rest are from our city-wide kickoff event. enjoy!

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cruisin'


dinner/dancing cruise last night with good friends on the ship: the spirit of boston. fun time out from the hecticness of the first week of school, and some cool perspectives on the city from the harbor. also, a fun opportunity to mess around with the camera. enjoy!

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first_week


some highlights from the first week at northeastern. our first club fair on this campus plus a kickoff picnic!

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Last year we started at Northeastern (NEU) with a student. That was pretty much it, but that was all it took to get going and from there we were off an running.

This year we start with 2 staff, 4 student leaders, 1 alumni volunteer, a core of about 12 awesome students, and status as a recognized student organization. Who knows what might happen this year!!!

Love our leadership team (pic) and I am so impressed by this group of students: by the diversity of their backgrounds, giftedness, and passions. Can't wait to share stories of what they experience and accomplish as they go on mission together on their campus and around Boston.

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summer_projects

I helped Reunion write our community groups curriculum this summer (which will be used in groups this year: September through June). We got them yesterday from the printer and they look pretty sweet. Can't wait to hear feedback as people immerse themselves in the story of Jesus.

In other big news, we've spent the summer revamping our web page and it's up and running now! Please go check out Sojourn's page and let us know what you think. The great Bobby VB put in a TON of work and it looks great.

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Summer_Reading

It's been a good summer for reading with traveling, vacation, and long bus rides to PT appointments providing plenty of space to plow through my stack of books. Here are some of the highlights (in chronological order)...

Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me A beautiful memoir, gracefully told. Heartbreaking and hopeful Cron tells a story of family brokenness and healing. There are a lot of "evangelical" memoirs out there right now, and I have to think this is one of the best (if not the best).

The Great Emergence I have read a lot of books about the "emerging church." WAY too many. Most of them go like this: hey-there's-something-going-on-in-our-culture-and-I-think-we-should-maybe-think-of-some-ways-to-respond-to-it-so-here-are-some-ideas:story-candles-Jesus-mission-ancient-future-post-turn-down-the-lights-blah-blah-blah. Tickle stays far away from mechanics and offers one of the most interesting and compelling looks at historical trends that have shaped our current moment, not just recently but throughout the whole history of the church. Fascinating stuff.

The War of Art Pressfield's work has been around for a while now, but what a breath of fresh air this was! Not what I expected at all, it's unlike most books I read in several ways. Definitely a "this book found me at the right time" read. I especially enjoyed his section on the professional vs. the amateur. Very challenging and something I needed to hear this summer.

The Millennium Trilogy Summer is a great time to read some fiction, and though I am super late to this party, these three books about the Girl who did a bunch of crazy stuff were perfect (especially on those bus rides).

The Homiletical Plot Super helpful book on sermon prep, sermon writing, and approach to the teaching process. But also, a lot of good stuff on how story works, why we respond to it so powerfully, and how tension and arch are essential to great teaching (whether it is from the pulpit or not).

The Faith of Leap I had extremely high expectations for this book, so, honestly, I was actually a little disappointed in it. That said, I love what the authors are doing here and agree completely with their basic premise: risk and adventure are inherent in the gospel (and in mission) and should be a center holding our theology together, rather than an outlier experience we only have from time to time.

(Other summer reads: Why the Mystics Matter, How (Not) to Speak of God, Quitter, The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership, A Hidden Wholeness, For the City, My Losing Season, Falling Upward)

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Putting_It_Together

Last week I did a three post series on Why_We_Do: Campus, Church, and Community. Today I want to tie it all together with two addendum's.

Addendum 1: Campus, Church, and Community are a convenient way of organizing and talking about what we do as an organization, but it is helpful to think of these categories using a good-old Venn Diagram. Each one speaks to the others, informs the others, and, ideally, bleed into each other. These are not siloed values. In fact, a lot of times students can hide in one of these environments and that can be detrimental to their growth and health. For example, a student with an activist bent might be drawn to our "community" programs and avoid church. Or another student might "hide" in church to avoid engaging the scary campus. We try hold all three in tension, or in conversation, allowing each environment to inform how we approach and engage the others.

Addendum 2: This is what we do as an organization, but it is not who we are. This reality is especially important when dealing with students individually. Sojourn exists to help students on their journey back to God, to call them to tell a better story with their lives. A better story is defined and shaped by Jesus, by growing into his likeness. Yes, it is important to be engaged with the church, on campus, and in the community, but busyness and activities are not how we measure growth and maturity. 

I find these disclaimers, or addendum's, to be helpful reminders that we are not (organizationally and individually) defined by what we do. Church, community, and campus help us organize and know what to say "yes" to, but they are not the ends to which we aspire. 

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Why_We_Do:_Community

Social justice, justice, compassion, and mercy ministries  have become a focus, and even a buzzy phenomenon, among Christians in the last 10 years. Many (if not most or all) college students want to serve tangibly in some way, want to make a difference in the world, and are incredibly aware of the imbalances and inequalities in our country and around the world.

But where do you start? When there is so much to do, and so many issues to get involved with, how do you know which one to give yourself to?

For us that began with paying attention to local needs, partnering with local organizations and churches, and learning about the neighborhood dynamics of our city. There are many stories and stats to share, but I think one line sums up the approach we have dedicated ourselves to. 

John Perkins, in the book Welcoming Justice, says that "if you care about a place, you'll care about the kids in that place." And so we have chosen to involve ourselves deeply in neighborhoods and the kids in those neighborhoods.

Most of our partnerships are youth related, and more specifically focused on education. Our Quincy Street community, our partnerships with Episcopal City Tutoring, Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring, and several other youth based organizations and causes are examples of ways that we are living out that commitment to love the kids "in this place."

I could write a dissertation on why this is such a core value and why we have chosen to invest in youth, but I think this image is more powerful. A few blocks from Northeastern University is a K-8 school called Orchard Gardens. I have some experience with the school from my days with Bird Street Community Center. Three years ago it was one of the worst run schools in the city and nearly closed down. However, the city chose instead to revamp the leadership and faculty. Then they closed down a school in the Dudley St/Quincy St neighborhood and decided to bus all those students to the Orchard. The school has many issues but with a majority of the students speaking another language first, literacy is a huge challenge. Many kids will graduate and go to high school not to being able to read at grade level. And it lies in the shadow of a fantastic university. This story can be repeated all over the city.**

One of the great inequalities that exists in Boston lies in the enormous amount of resources that lie in the universities while at the same time the city's public school system is closing down schools and failing its kids. As my friend Nathan says, "brothers this should not be so!"

So our community involvement fights against this inequality while at the same time it provides an avenue for our students to see God's Kingdom play out in a tangible and real way, and it helps fire their holy imaginations for God's justice and mercy, and to experience how they can use their time, talents, and resources to further God's purposes in the world.

Again, there are a million causes to be involved in, but there is where we have committed ourselves, and this is why we do community.  


**From Nathan: 55,000 students in BPS and 300,000 college students in the metro area (ration of ~6:1) and the 2010 graduation rate for BPS students to finish highschool in 4 years was about 62%.

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Why_We_Do:_Church

Parachurch ministries, by definition, have an interesting relationship with the "church." Are we helping, supporting, and challenging, or rebelling, isolating, and criticizing? Campus ministry in particular has a historic propensity to build alternative realities disconnected from local churches.

This was driven home (for me) this spring when some of our team had the opportunity to meet with several other campus ministry leaders, many of whom have been in the city for a long time. The gathering was highly encouraging as we were able to hear about God's work all over the city, to learn from one another, and to share the ups and downs of ministering to students in an environment like Boston.

One thing stood out though as being far outside of our experience. To a person the other staffers voiced frustration in their relationship to the local church. They shared experiences of losing leaders and expressed difficulty in figuring out how to navigate any semblance of partnership.

Which are struggles we have not had due to our relationship with Reunion (and the ones we are growing with North and SouthPointe in Providence). We gain a lot from our partnership with Reunion, for sure, but ultimately the beauty of partnership is that students grow in discipleship in the context of a multi-generational, multi-ethnic, vibrant, missional-minded church environment. When(if) they leave they do so knowing how to function in a church, valuing church involvement and service within a body, and with the skills to help lead the church in significant ways. They leave knowing the church is a place for them!

I believe we are helping to grow future church leaders, and that, among many other reasons, is why we do church.

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Why_We_Do...

I had the opportunity last week to speak with one of our supporting churches about Sojourn's progress and growth over the last couple of years. We've spent a lot of time working through our language, process, and simplifying how we talk about our work in Boston. I felt it would be helpful to share some of thoughts in this space. Over the next three days I'll explain the why behind campus, church, and community.

Why_we_do: Campus...

Over the course of the next four weeks the student population in Boston will swell to over 250,000 (some put this number much closer to 300,000 now). I don't know if this is true or not, but I do not believe that there is such a concentration of students anywhere else in the world (close to 300,000 in a 15 mile radius).

There are over 35 different campuses in the immediate Boston area (more if you go out farther). This includes Harvard, Tufts, and MIT, routinely listed in the top Universities in the country.

20% of these students are international, and the majority of them will return to their home country after their studies are completed.

25% of the major world leaders have spent time studying in Boston (including our current president).

100% of these students will spend money, go to class, read books and articles, engage in academic thought and process, and spend significant time with class mates and professors.

Most, if not all, will use social media, watch tv, date, discover passions and gifts and talents, make and lose friends, use public transportation, move several times, and make major decisions about who they will be, what they will do, and who they will do it with.

At best, 2% of them will have any significant involvement in church or a campus ministry.*

And that keeps us awake at night and energizes us when we wake up in the morning. It doesn't matter what group of people you are talking about, 5,000 of 250,000 should be incredibly unsettling and seen as a major missional opportunity. (With our expansion to Providence, where the percentages are very similar, we are able to reach another 80,000 students, and 10 more campuses including Brown University).

That need, coupled with the tremendous potential for influence represented by the type of student Boston attracts, is why we care about Campus.


*stats are pooled from various campus ministry reports.

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some_things


- flowers i bought for amy.


- medal won for finishing the providence half-marathon.


- trip to rockingham, nh to talk with a supporting church about sojourn's work in boston (and now providence).

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new_week_new_month


august is upon us which means we are a month away from the madness of a new school year! there is still a ton to do in the meantime...here's what august looks like:

• half-marathon in providence next sunday (check out the progress in the running journal)
• amy starts a new schedule at work which gives her more time in the middle of the week (and more time for students)
• fundraising/networking: lots of phone calls and letter writing
• staff disc retreat, should be super interesting
• reading as many books as possible

Good things but I can't wait for September!

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a_post_about_blogs (friday_reflections) 


despite being a frequent blogger for almost 5 years now, i've never really spent a lot of time reading other blogs. to be more specific, i've never spent much time reading "christian" blogs. i read a lot of giants/baseball blogs, a few political blogs if something really interesting is going on, and my friend's blogs, but not much else.

when rob bell's controversial book, love wins, came out i will admit that i got sucked in to a world that i never knew existed (and sometimes wish i still didn't). turns out there is an endless number of christian folks out there with all kinds of blogs. its quite startling. maybe even more startling is the number of people who comment on these blogs. this past week another mars hill lead pastor (mark driscoll, different mars hill) got himself in hot water in the blogosphere for a comment he made on facebook. 

my point here is not to argue in favor of bell or against driscoll (or vice versa) but to say that i think christians use the internet poorly. 

here are a few conclusions i've come to. first, i have nothing against technology and the internet. in my opinion, while there are numerous changes in technology these days none of them are inherently bad...they can all be abused, of course, but i am not an anti-technology advocate. i have a mac, i tweet, i'm on facebook, and i have a blog, so it would be pretty hypocritical to try to present myself otherwise. that said, we might be wise to do some fasting from certain technologies (myself included).

second, i think most christians are doing blogging the wrong way. now, i don't do this for a living, so i understand that the way to make money as a blogger is to get people to your site and the best way to do that is to make strong, critical points. the problem is this: the beauty of our technology (especially blogging) is that we can now share information and life like never before, but most christian blogs are the equivalent of yelling at each other. or worse, just yelling and hoping someone will comment on it.

i love blogging (and all of the blogs on my blogroll) because they are forums for people to share the great stories they are telling with their local communities. there is a big difference between ripping bell for being a liberal (or driscoll for being a homophobe), and  describing how God is at work in your life, community, and ministry.

i do not think the internet is the place to do theological discussion (or pastoral correction for that matter). most of the folks yelling at each are not what i would call theologians (sorry if that is a bit judgmental). theology is done best in local communities of people who are committed to each other and the place they live in. 

so, for those of you who are doing blogging well, please keep it up, you are a breath of fresh air. and for those of you who are yelling, consider the proverb: creation is the best critique.

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community_groups


some pics from the board after last night's training. getting read to talk a lot about Jesus this year. (primarily from John and a little Luke for good measure).

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i_made_something_awesome


for amy's birthday. strawberry shortcake from scratch!

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a_new_year


spent the day with the sojourn team working on the calendar for the 11-12 year. good stuff. can't wait for the semester to start and super grateful for the people i work with!

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27_years

every time you sign in to facebook it asks "what is on your mind?" i wrote a little tribute to my dad a few weeks ago and as I process the last month and this past weekend (my parent's final Sunday at SVCC) one thing (among others) i've been fixating on is 27 years.

i just finished a book on the plane called Quitter. the author argues against our culture of quitting and tells many stories of the numerous jobs he's quit and the lessons he's learned along the way. it was a good book that reflects many patterns in my own story. next summer will mark 10 years since i graduated from pacific (undergrad). since that time i have had 4 different ministry roles, lived in 3 different states, moved six times, and held five different part time jobs. i haven't stayed in any of the places, roles, or jobs for more than 4 years.

my dad was the pastor of SVCC for 27 years. that's 8 to 9 times longer than anything I've done in my entire life. now that I am into my thirties I suddenly crave and value stability. i yearn to be somewhere doing the same thing for 10 years. and that's still just over a third of the time my parent's dedicated to salinas valley. 

when i think about my parents there is a lot i admire: their integrity, character, marriage, passion, faithfulness...i could go on. but their commitment to a place and a community for 27 years is remarkable in this day and age. 

i had a chance once to have breakfast with shane claiborne. the thing i will never forget from that experience was shane sharing with us a conversation he had with the great john m. perkins. shane recalls asking dr. perkins when he first saw progress and change in the community john served in. perkins replied "oh, after about the first ten years." whoa!!! his point: commit and stay in a place if you want to be radical and change the world.

again, i could on and on about things i admire in mom and dad. choosing full-time ministry is radical. taking a two year old to india for a year is radical. moving somewhere new and planting a church is radical. but staying there for 27 years is maybe the most radical thing a person can do in modern america. and to do it all with dignity and character is even more compelling and challenging. 

so, today, i'm thinking about 27 years.

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back_in_boston


back home after two great weeks in california with both sides of our families. lots of laughing, crying, fun, relaxing, visiting favorite spots, and eating really great food!