Faith Responsiveness in a Turbulent World

The vision and voice of Martin Luther King Jr. is as needed today as ever.  He led with passion and purpose in taking on systemic racism and blatant injustice.  He was battered and beaten down but he never quit.  He had his eyes set on a vision worth giving his life to. 

In the midst of our world’s turbulent dysfunction, his principles of nonviolence and steps for nonviolent social change can lead the way.  The key is getting folks to gather at table and map a future together.  

A lie of this world is that we can be totally independent from one another and to hell with the rest.  That does not work and it has never worked.  We need each other.  We need to walk together.  We need to work together in creating a better world.  Demeaning, dismissing, and ostracizing the other – no matter the other – leads to separation and loss.  Working together, building each other up, listening deeply and then diving in to work hand in hand will lead to life.  

On this week of Thanksgiving, for which there is so much to be grateful and yet so much to work for, I offer these words from the King Center website. 

SIX PRINCIPLES OF NONVIOLENCE

Fundamental tenets of Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence described in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. The six principles include:

1.      PRINCIPLE ONE: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. 

It is active nonviolent resistance to evil. 

It is aggressive spiritually, mentally and emotionally.  

2.     PRINCIPLE TWO: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. 

The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation. 

The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.                                                                      
PRINCIPLE THREE: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice not people. 
Nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims and are not evil people. 

The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil not people.

4.     PRINCIPLE FOUR: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform.

Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation. 

Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.    

5.     PRINCIPLE FIVE: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. 

Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body.           

Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish and creative.  

6.     PRINCIPLE SIX: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. 

The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win. 

Nonviolence believes that God is a God of justice.    

SIX STEPS OF NONVIOLENT SOCIAL CHANGE

The Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change are based on Dr. King's nonviolent campaigns and teachings that emphasize love in action. Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolence, as reviewed in the Six Principles of Nonviolence, guide these steps for social and interpersonal change.

1.      INFORMATION GATHERING:  To understand and articulate an issue, problem or injustice facing a person, community, or institution you must do research. You must investigate and gather all vital information from all sides of the argument or issue so as to increase your understanding of the problem. You must become an expert on your opponent's position. 

2.      EDUCATION:  It is essential to inform others, including your opposition, about your issue. This minimizes misunderstandings and gains you support and sympathy. 

3.      PERSONAL COMMITMENT:  Daily check and affirm your faith in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence. Eliminate hidden motives and prepare yourself to accept suffering, if necessary, in your work for justice.

4.      DISCUSSION/NEGOTIATION:  Using grace, humor and intelligence, confront the other party with a list of injustices and a plan for addressing and resolving these injustices. Look for what is positive in every action and statement the opposition makes. Do not seek to humiliate the opponent but to call forth the good in the opponent. 

5.      DIRECT ACTION: These are actions taken when the opponent is unwilling to enter into, or remain in, discussion/negotiation. These actions impose a "creative tension" into the conflict, supplying moral pressure on your opponent to work with you in resolving the injustice. 

6.      RECONCILIATION:  Nonviolence seeks friendship and understanding with the opponent. Nonviolence does not seek to defeat the opponent. Nonviolence is directed against evil systems, forces, oppressive policies, unjust acts, but not against persons. Through reasoned compromise, both sides resolve the injustice with a plan of action. Each act of reconciliation is one step closer to the 'Beloved Community.' 

Based on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" in Why We Can't Wait, Penguin Books, 1963.

We often view the Six Steps as a phases or cycles of a campaign rather than steps because each of them embodies a cluster or series of activities related to each of the other five elements.

The above cited from the King Center website.  http://www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy?fbclid=IwAR1TGUVldmpHk_zyFjCBjUEfMdEbSHdc-WHEKr4mf4DiUCQrO73RYtFzLmA

May we the church, through nonviolence, create a Beloved Community for the sake of all!  In Gratitude for all those who pour out their lives in service to humanity and all of creation.

Pastor Chad

A Hive of Endless Thanksgiving

We the church are a Hive of endless thanksgiving - each and everyone here gathered into community where all are blessed and all are fed.  

Take a moment and just consider the activity that buzzes around this place of Grace.  There is an unfolding work that takes place every day that in turn builds up the life of the body.  Each person – each ministry – each mission – creatively working together.  Moment by moment – person by person – the Hive generates life.  

It is God at work within us that makes this possible.  God picking us up – God giving us faith – God growing perseverance – God making something of us for the sake of the world.  

One of the songs by U2 and Bono that I love is a song entitled “40.”  It is written as a Song of Thanksgiving - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XzHlySYR_Y.  As you listen what hope and life is grown within you?  What are you and we most thankful for?  Great questions to consider as we gather around tables this Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is an extra special time in our home.  For the last twelve years it seems there has always been an international ministry focus that has blessed us during that week.  Several of those years filled with travel to India to accompany ministry partners in the outreach and compassion work of Titus and his family.  In India, Feed the Hungry programs, Aids Relief Nutrition Food Packet Distribution, Sewing Center Graduation Blessings and Dedication, After School Tutoring Programs, Worship and Dance, time spent exploring the World Religions and their Holy Sites, learning about Gandhi and the way of peace, and shared inspiration while visiting the Taj Mahal.  All of it blessed because of the shared time as God’s family and friends.  Another year spent in Ethiopia and South Sudan dedicating the work of the ELCA and Reconciliation Lutheran Church and Medical Center.  In 2015, traveling home on Thanksgiving Day with our daughter Jewel.  We landed at Washington Dulles at 8 am, her papers stamped by US Customs as a future US Citizen, and landing in Denver to a joyous homecoming and first ever turkey dinner.  Oh the memories of this time of the year are rich with so much life transformation and blessing.  This Thanksgiving Day, after a banquet with our family here, Susan and I will be flying to India that evening to preside over the wedding of our Indian daughter Maraline.  We have watched her grow up and we now get to participate in a joyous occasion of her life.  What a precious and thank-filled time!  

The Hive called the Church has been the collaborative swarm that has made all of this life possible.

(this pic taken at the Glass Museum in Tacoma – it gave me the idea of the Hive and the Church)

I hold this very idea of the beautiful work of the church in the world in tension with an article I read this past week.  The article was published by the New York Times and the title is: ‘Toxic’ Is Oxford’s Word of the Year.  No, We’re Not Gaslighting You.  Here is the link:  https://apple.news/ACe1Es1KNSKW0FDKq2_ktfA.

Toxic?  The word of the year?  While I understand the dynamics out of which this word was chosen I simply refuse to accept this as the core narrative out of which we live.  Yes it is part of our human experience.  Yes it seems that a toxicity has infiltrated so many aspects of our lives, but there is so much more!  I admit that I do not know how to live by the conditions and terms of a toxic world.  We are made for so much more than that.  I also get to participate in the work of the local church where I see and know the stories of thanksgiving and generosity that are leading the ways of our life.  The swarm of the disciples of Jesus are seeking to make an impact and to take on the ills and broken places of this world.  The energy and spirit is there to do it.  The compassion and faith to do it is alive and well in God’s people.  When we see the heartbeat of God alive within the Hives of the church we celebrate it.  We shout it from the rooftops.  We draw others into the blessed work of being the church.  We catalyze one another and the entire body for blessing.  

One example at Grace is that the hungry are being fed and provided for, the systems of injustice that keep people poor and hungry are being addressed, the resources needed are being given, the network of partnerships are being continually knit together, stories of transformation are being told, and others are being drawn into this good work.  Little by little, day by day, person by person, the hive is nurtured and lives are being changed.

Toxic will get us nowhere.  A Hive of endless Thanksgiving will generate life.  What will you and I dedicate our lives to this Thanksgiving Season?  Whatever you are rejoicing over, I rejoice with you.  Whatever you are weeping over, I weep with you.  May we be open to the story of life that God is writing with us – right here – right now – for the life of ALL!

With Gratitude,

Pastor Chad      

A Charmed Life? and the Aha’s of God’s Grace!

On Sunday, two of our daughters were blessed to attend the Birthday Party of some dear friends here at Grace.  While they were in the midst of their fun, I drove the side roads of the surrounding area, took in the sights and sounds of the beautiful hillsides, and stopped by Elliot Bay Brewing to read a book.  The next two hours rushed by as I viewed one TV with three different games playing on the screen, two TV’s with the Seahawks game, and two additional TV’s with the Sounders soccer game.  All while, music from the 70’s and 80’s played over the loud speakers.  I was able to get through about 100 pages and jot down some journal thoughts on life as well but by the end of two hours I was tapped out with the noise and activity around me.  On the drive home thoughts of the last week flooded my brain as our daughter’s shared their love and laughter with me. 

I love when the spirit moves and the right words seem to just flow out from the mouths of babes.  There is innocence – wonder – and surprise!  Our daughter Norah, while sitting at the dinner table, with her inquisitive mind whirring, stated boldly, “we all need each other!”  Yes, yes we do!

She went on to articulate how the grocery store depends on the ice cream maker to make the ice cream and that the ice cream maker relies upon the farmer and the cows and that they all depend upon the truck drivers and that we all need jobs in order to have the money to buy the ice cream that makes it possible for everyone to experience life.  Whew!  We went on to add several more links in the chain, which brought even more laughter to the table.

We need to remember, “We need each other.”  Life is not meant to be lived alone or in isolation.  Life is not a pull yourself up by the bootstraps and hope for the best exercise.  Life is not about a declaration of independence but rather a humble and vulnerable experience of grace.  We are interdependent.  We need each other.  We need God.  We need grace.

I saw this quote this week and it grabbed me by the gut.  "There is no culture that can fully keep out the descent of God. And when God comes, stuff happens." -Dr. Esther Meek, in conversation with Chelle Stearns and Dan Allender at the Stanley Grenz Lecture Series.

In the midst of our human madness, God comes here and stuff happens.  It is the experience of grace that keeps us going.  It is the shared experience of grace that draws us together.  It is the never throw in the towel spirit of God that changes us.  How often we forget that.  How often we rebel and desire to go it alone.  How often O Lord have we missed the grace amongst us.

In our family’s recent journeys of endings and beginnings, several who have gotten to know us have stated how it seems that we live quite the charmed life.  Each time that the words were stated I busted out in a fit of laughter.  Yes, we are surrounded with much joy and grace AND we are no picnic of perfection.  In the midst of the madness called US, we try as much as we can to choose joy.  Not always easy and we often miss the mark.

Try riding in a mini-van of madness with our five and you will soon discover that it is close to an experience like the movie A Night at the Museum.  All hell breaks loose early and often.  When we arrive at our destination, it takes a good five minutes for mom and dad to compose ourselves. 

The pace of life for a family of seven is intense.  We spin the plates called homework, housecleaning, laundry, dishes, arts and crafts, a home based business, a pastor, lawn and garden, fish and a favored dog, bedroom messes galore, after school activities, and the making of family memories – and sometimes the plates come crashing down.  We stopped buying glass dishes and are into cheap but durable.  The crashing of the plates seems a bit more bearable that way.  In the midst of the hive of busyness, there is grace.

Our oldest really struggles in school.  Academically yes.  Relationally even more so.  The daily rodeo of bull riding for her is going to be a challenge.  Our prayers a bit longer and yes a bit more intense.  Recommendations are helpful and the list of decisions to make is long.  Which pathway do we take O Lord?  Sometimes those school fights come home to our doorstep and they spill into the evening of relating to one another.  Where did I put my zebra striped shirt and whistle?  Wait, I can’t whistle because our dog barks and freaks out to that blowing sound.  The last thing we need is more barking.  Sometimes one of our littles will climb up on one of our laps and offer up suggestions on how we failed as parents and how we can do better tomorrow.  Ahhh, to be understood and corrected at the same time.  Keep spinning, and transforming, and moving forward. 

Leaving friends and family behind in our moves, it bites.  Having two mortgages the past seven months is dizzying.  I tip my hat to those who can manage two homes with grace.  For us it is stressful.  Feeling angry comes easy.  The first week of every month I find myself a bit grumpy and a little less willing to laugh.  As the month progresses I sing “Let It Go” on repeat and de-ice a bit with each passing day.  Just as I begin to emotionally regulate that all is well the first of another month rolls around.  My joke of owning a vacation farm home in a county without a natural lake doesn’t tickle my fancy as much.  This financial stuff has long-term consequences on our kid’s future education choices and on our ability to be a blessing to others in the here and now.  The good news is we can cover the bases and that certainly means we are spoiled.  We live in an area of increasing homelessness.  Folks sleep on our church floor each night because they have no place else to lay their heads.  That reality smacks us in the face every day.  The old adage of focus on what you can control and let go of that which you cannot crosses my brain daily just like the old Good Year blimp crossing the field with an advertising banner during the holidays.  Okay, I will remember – I will remember – I will remember – and I keep telling myself that. 

Family and friends dealing with physical and medical challenges, Parkinson’s disease, a heart attack, home health care, pregnancy struggles, cancers, retirements, college funding, relationship hurts and hopes, and the list is endless.  The world continues to spin.  New Life. Life Struggles.  Transformed Life.  End of life.  Parts of our life are charmed.  All parts of our life are graced.  Can we see and hold on to that?

We all need each other!  We all need God.  In the silent, momentary, laughter-filled, stress-induced, pauses of each day I want to remember that.  Will you remember that with me?  Will we each remind others all along life’s way that God’s grace is here – in the place we find ourselves – wherever that place may be? 

Little by little the bird builds the nest.  One little offering at a time. 

Onward,

pc

Living Saints

A few years back I was traveling in Tennessee and ended up one night at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.  With a bit of luck I ended up with a ticket to the evening show.  It is the longest running live radio show in America.  As part of the entrance fee, we got a backstage tour and got to stand on the stage and hold the mic that most sing from.  It was pretty cool to stand where so many have stood and performed their greatest life’s work.

Later that evening, Randy Owen came on stage.  He was the lead for the band Alabama.  I remember listening to his music as a young man and would often run the section with his tape playing in my headphones.  That evening the Grand Ole Opry was raising funds for St. Judes Children’s Hospital.  Randy, through his band and his life’s work, had spearheaded an effort that has raised over 400 million for this work.  So he talked about that blessing and then he brought his children and their children on to the stage.  And then, two children who were patients from St. Judes came forward and stood with him as they all sang together, Angels Among Us.  This was one of my childhood favorite songs of Alabama. 

It was powerful.  Tears streamed down my face as my mind ran like a motion picture of those heavenly saints and angels who have gone on before us.  The earthly saints and angels danced in my mind as I thought of how they continue to teach us to live, pray, give, and guide with the light of love.       

Take a moment today to watch this video and reflect on the Saints both in heaven and on earth.    Our call to action??????  Be living saints with the life that we have been given!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_4Xfj2LRSA

Peace and Hope

Pastor Chad