I have a large group of friends who are all in ministry. They work at retail stores, inns, foundations, hospitals, camps, churches, urban and neighborhood centers, Christian schools and universities, lecture tours, some foreign, some in the USA, etc... They give their lives daily to that which they know that God has called them. They wake up each day and get ready to teach, clean, cook, counsel, decide, host, care, preach, provide, correct, sell, consult, coordinate, learn, feed, account, sing, design, build, talk, dream... Some work with their families and spouses, some see them at the end of a day, some don't see them for days or weeks at a time. There are people who get to work with their hands, minds, talents, and gifts, They don't get paid much, some get paid better than people living in the secular market. Some have their homes provided and some have huge mortgages. Some have great bosses who inspire, some wonder how the guy got in his position. Some deal directly with people and others no one knows their names outside of the office. At the end of the day they all talk to God and close their eyes and sleep.
Many of these people are in the midst of great turmoil; relationships, issues with money, expectations, leadership, confusion, trust, vision, faith, hope... It is not easy. There is an uneasiness, things aren't stable, less certainty, more ambiguity. That which once sustained is now worn out and dry. It is not confusion, yet that which seemed true once now brings doubt. Deep integrity missing. Change.
There is something in the air, like a new wind before a storm. One can sense it but not feel or see it. We are reaching for something that is farther than our grasp. Names don't come mind and vision is foggy.
The church has blended with the culture. Paris Hilton speaks of God. The pope is elected with media coverage and commentary. Icons are tattooed on pastor's arm. California is 50% hispanic and English is the only language most mainline churches speak. Good neighborhoods have iron gates at the entrance. Movie stars are governors and presidential candidate have botox injections. Rappers sing of destructive sex, win awards, and thank Jesus, their lord and savior, from whom all blessings flow. Churches don't say anything about the genocide of tribes but complain when the 10 commandments are not allowed to be in a courtroom hallway. Child care is a greater topic at elder meetings than child abuse and neglect.
My dear friend is in great pain and doesn't know what is going on in her body because the tests are inconclusive. More test, less results. Her laugh is missing from the office and she hasn't painted in quite a while.
I have a deep sadness but a deeper joy. I don't want my faith defined by a bumpersticker or a t-shirt. Peace cannot be provided by Homeland Security. This Jesus has got to be real and my life needs to start reflecting that which I believe to be true. The reality of the Kingdom has got to sustain my life in an environment which is not conducive to the spiritual world, even in a christian ministry or industry. I need to open my eyes to the reality of that which has been propagated over the last few decades did not produce a generation of strength. This generation more identifies with Paris Hilton than Mother Teresa. Things will never seem right as long as we are more concern with the outside than the heart, the songs sung than the message, the candles than the Light.
Enough.
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