Viral Faith

"The captain wired in he had water comin' in and the good ship and crew was in peril. And later that night, when his lights went out of sight, came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"--Lyrics from "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot I cry out to you because you answer me.  So tilt your ears toward me now—  Listen to what I’m saying!   Manifest your faithful love  in amazing ways  because you are the one  who saves those  who take refuge in you,  saving them from their attackers  by your strong  hand.  Psalms 17:6-7 CEB On November 10th, 1975, the largest freighter that ever sailed on the Great Lakes (at that time) capsized during a storm in Lake Superior.  As a kid listening to Cleveland, Ohio, radio stations, I remember the real-time pleas for prayers for the 29 crew members aboard.  The fo...

  "Some who walk this wide road represent themselves as sheep, but inside they are hungry wolves.  Watch out for these false prophets.  You will know them by their fruit.  Do grapes come from a thorn bush or pears from thistles?  Will a sick tree give good fruit or a healthy tree bad fruit?  No! Healthy trees give good fruit and sick trees give bad fruit.  It is the trees with bad fruit that are cut down and used to make a fire.  When you see the fruit of their ways, you will know them.  Not everyone who calls me their Great Chief is walking the good road from the spirit-world above.  The ones who do what my Father from the spirit-world above wants are the ones walking this road."  (Matthew-Gift from Creator Tells the Good Story: 7:15-21 FNV) "Discernment is not decision-making.  Rather, discernment is allowing God to show us who we are to be in this world.  Maybe God doesn't care much about what you do, but cares a great ...

  There are six things that the LORD hates,  seven things detestable to him:  snobbish eyes,  a lying tongue,  hands that spill innocent blood,  a heart set on wicked plans,  feet that run quickly to evil,  a false witness who breathes lies,  and one who causes conflicts  among relatives. (Proverbs 6:16-19 CEB) Culture has become the buzzword in leadership circles for the past 30 years. Leadership Guru Peter Drucker is quoted as saying, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." What he meant was that an organization's culture (the assumed, spoken, and unspoken roles, responsibilities, and relationships within an organization) is a better indicator of its success than a particular strategy or methodology.   Culture, according to Mosaics Church Pastor Harry Li is the assumed understanding of "how things get done".  The culture of an organization or a society is shaped by what is celebrated and prioritized.  For instance, a...

  The Forgotten Common Good   “A certain ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to obtain eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God. You know the commandments: Don’t commit adultery. Don’t murder. Don’t steal. Don’t give false testimony. Honor your father and mother.” Then the ruler said, “I’ve kept all of these things since I was a boy.” When Jesus heard this, he said, “There’s one more thing. Sell everything you own and distribute the money to the poor. Then you will have treasure in heaven. And come, follow me.” When he heard these words, the man became sad because he was extremely rich.” (Luke 18: 18- 23 CEB) ) If you have spent any time in church, undoubtedly you have heard sermons and teachings on the text of the Rich Young Ruler (described elsewhere as young and rich). This interaction of Jesus is particularly hard for many of us to understand, when we come from a social location where we are among the most...

  Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had known every act the LORD had done for Israel . (Jos 24:31 CEB) "Mediating narratives of supremacy that originate in diseased theological and social imagination--and ultimately unresolved trauma--must be replaced by alternative, healthy theological imagination that contributes to human flourishing." -- Charles Kiser and Elaine Health in Trauma-informed Evangelism This past week, I have enjoyed watching the Olympic games in Paris.  There is something about competition, involving the world's best athletes that is awe inspiriting.  What I have been fascinated by is the massive social media reactions of self-professed Christians to an opening ceremony float, and an Algerian female boxer.  Both situations are very small portions of the Olympic games, but the attention to each situation, and the intensity of emotions behind posts and my favorite, social media argumen...

  "To be a place of we the people, we have to be a place that is truly for all people, and how do we do this if we don't talk about the stolen land that America rests on?" -- Kaitlin B Curtice in Native     The LORD proclaims: Stop at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths.      Where is the good way? Then walk in it and find a resting place for yourselves.      But you said, “We won’t go!” (Jeremiah 6:16 CEB) July 4th is a time of celebration, where we commemorate the declaration of independence from the formerly British colonies, known as the United States.  In the nearly 250 years as an independent nation, it has grown from an economic experiment for the British empire to an empire that impacts nearly every economy on the planet.  With that growth, the quality of life for many has improved as indicated by lengthening life expectancies, disposable income, retirement systems, and accessible healthcare. ...

    Justice is a joy to the godly, but it terrifies evildoers (Proverbs 21:15 NLT) The LORD spoke to me, taking hold of me and warning me not to walk in the way of this people:  Don’t call conspiracy all that this people call conspiracy. Don’t fear what they fear, and don’t be terrified.  It is the LORD of heavenly forces whom you should hold sacred, whom you should fear, and whom you should hold in awe. (Is 8:11-13 CEB)   "Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Mt 7:20 NLT) I was recently speaking with a leader in the denomination that I am part, and the leader, who I greatly respect, shared his ongoing concern and shock at the continued justification of violent and brutal behavior by Christian leaders.  He was correctly identifying the disconnect between civil religion, or nominal Christianity (those who identify as Christian but deny, deprioritize, and diminish the life, teachings, death and resu...