Institution
01 August 2007
31 July 2007
30 July 2007
A night out...
Christel and I spent a few hours off the hill tonight together. This is the first time we have been able to spend some time alone since a few weeks before summer. We drove into Midpines, near Yosemite, and ate at the Yosemite Bug Hostel. It was very reasonable and we were able to send the rest of the money that we did not spend to World Vision...
Ok, ok...
I have to tell you something and I hope I don't lose a lot of credibility but I was joking about it being my mom. My mom is in the midst of dementia and wouldn't know what end of the mouse is what. I thought the issue was silly. I agree it is important to sign your name on the document, but it doesn't negate the question.
The issue, for many of you, was the anonymity of the commenter and not what was asked. I came back with my thoughts and few if any commented on what I said, but the concern stayed with what was the name of the commenter. I said I didn't care and you pressed about the name. And then when I threw my mom into the mix the dialogue broke down.
Those were real questions and no one cared about the answers or the questions. There is something about that. I wasn't offended. I appreciated James' kind words, and other's defense but many people have accused me of the questions raised and no one asked me if it was true. Or how I felt during this time.
Some don't what me to ask questions of the institution because they think I am attacking it, some feel like the place I have is to bring feelings of camp to them, some what to just see things that make them feel good.
I don't feel good, I am not a big fan of camps that just entertain and never bring up questions of what is happening in the world and what is the Christ-response. I am writing this blog to ask real questions, bring out real issues, try to get people who I love and have a relationship to follow the will of Christ to allow the Kingdom to come on earth as it is already in heaven. I am concerned about the hell that people live in now that the institution never deals with except to make sure they don't become ordained. I see young men and women, who come to this camp, share their life stories and when I ask have they ever shared any of this with the youth group they look at me like I am asking them to have a reporter put it on the front page of the local news paper. They tell me the last place they are safe is in the church. Huh?
We tend to be about being clever and not significant.
Timbo, you asked where can you send the six dollars that you didn't spend on nachos:
World Vision
P.O. Box 9716, Dept. W
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
Dakota House
203 W Dakota Ave
Fresno, CA 93705
Invisible Children
2705 Via Orange Way, Suite B
Spring Valley, CA 91978
Save Darfur Coalition
Suite 600
2120 L Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Just to name a few...
The issue, for many of you, was the anonymity of the commenter and not what was asked. I came back with my thoughts and few if any commented on what I said, but the concern stayed with what was the name of the commenter. I said I didn't care and you pressed about the name. And then when I threw my mom into the mix the dialogue broke down.
Those were real questions and no one cared about the answers or the questions. There is something about that. I wasn't offended. I appreciated James' kind words, and other's defense but many people have accused me of the questions raised and no one asked me if it was true. Or how I felt during this time.
Some don't what me to ask questions of the institution because they think I am attacking it, some feel like the place I have is to bring feelings of camp to them, some what to just see things that make them feel good.
I don't feel good, I am not a big fan of camps that just entertain and never bring up questions of what is happening in the world and what is the Christ-response. I am writing this blog to ask real questions, bring out real issues, try to get people who I love and have a relationship to follow the will of Christ to allow the Kingdom to come on earth as it is already in heaven. I am concerned about the hell that people live in now that the institution never deals with except to make sure they don't become ordained. I see young men and women, who come to this camp, share their life stories and when I ask have they ever shared any of this with the youth group they look at me like I am asking them to have a reporter put it on the front page of the local news paper. They tell me the last place they are safe is in the church. Huh?
We tend to be about being clever and not significant.
Timbo, you asked where can you send the six dollars that you didn't spend on nachos:
World Vision
P.O. Box 9716, Dept. W
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
Dakota House
203 W Dakota Ave
Fresno, CA 93705
Invisible Children
2705 Via Orange Way, Suite B
Spring Valley, CA 91978
Save Darfur Coalition
Suite 600
2120 L Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
Just to name a few...
29 July 2007
The culture vs. the institution...
The difference, in my mind, of the institution and the culture of the institution is that which is superfluous to the institution is culture. That which is negotiable, trendy, reaction to an event, political, academic, etc. is more about the culture than the work of the institution. The work of the institution, the people of the institution, the clearly stated goals and mission of the institution are not the issue right now for me. It is the culture.
The issue I have right now is that many are holding fast and defending the culture, while the mission is suffering and not operating at a level of much success. The mission is not to bring people to the mission, it is to bring the mission to the people which in turns brings people to be a part of the mission. The Ten Commandments on the courthouse steps are culture. Music, books, christian paraphernalia, concerts, worship services, etc. are more about the culture than the mission.
We tend to talk a lot about injustice yet do we bring justice to those being unjustly treated? What are we teaching the next generation but culture? Do we equip or entertain? Do we broaden their understanding or do we create petri dishes of prejudice and narrow mindedness in the name of preserving the gospel. Last time I looked the gate of hell will not prevail. Are we so afraid of that that we continue to cast out any sin in order to save the institution. We don't discuss that which if not addressed in the youth will bring about devastation to the adult.
Has the institution forgot the mission in order to survive in the culture? Do we really think a t-shirt a, a tattoo, or an earring will send a kid to hell or will we begin to see that the kid is beginning to ask is heaven relevant to a culture which sublets rooms to hell. Do we wait for the next Stott, McLaren, Maxell, or Peterson book to define our institution or do we rely on the Holy Spirit to move and define in each one of us what the Kingdom has come to do? When we pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done..." are asking it to be done to us or through us? When do we realize that the bread and wine in the communion is really the flesh and blood of Christ which we participate in that it becomes our flesh and blood. The argument isn't does it become the flesh and blood in our stomachs but does it become the flesh and blood of Christ on our hands, words, wallets, feet, etc..
The institution doesn't need to be relevant to the culture, it needs to be relevant to the Kingdom...
The issue I have right now is that many are holding fast and defending the culture, while the mission is suffering and not operating at a level of much success. The mission is not to bring people to the mission, it is to bring the mission to the people which in turns brings people to be a part of the mission. The Ten Commandments on the courthouse steps are culture. Music, books, christian paraphernalia, concerts, worship services, etc. are more about the culture than the mission.
We tend to talk a lot about injustice yet do we bring justice to those being unjustly treated? What are we teaching the next generation but culture? Do we equip or entertain? Do we broaden their understanding or do we create petri dishes of prejudice and narrow mindedness in the name of preserving the gospel. Last time I looked the gate of hell will not prevail. Are we so afraid of that that we continue to cast out any sin in order to save the institution. We don't discuss that which if not addressed in the youth will bring about devastation to the adult.
Has the institution forgot the mission in order to survive in the culture? Do we really think a t-shirt a, a tattoo, or an earring will send a kid to hell or will we begin to see that the kid is beginning to ask is heaven relevant to a culture which sublets rooms to hell. Do we wait for the next Stott, McLaren, Maxell, or Peterson book to define our institution or do we rely on the Holy Spirit to move and define in each one of us what the Kingdom has come to do? When we pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done..." are asking it to be done to us or through us? When do we realize that the bread and wine in the communion is really the flesh and blood of Christ which we participate in that it becomes our flesh and blood. The argument isn't does it become the flesh and blood in our stomachs but does it become the flesh and blood of Christ on our hands, words, wallets, feet, etc..
The institution doesn't need to be relevant to the culture, it needs to be relevant to the Kingdom...
27 July 2007
The Anonymous issue...
This guy or woman did not bother me and let me tell you why.
I have been asking myself those same questions as well as a few other people. I was not trying to be gracious I was trying to articulate my heart and thinking.
My reputation is now in the hands and heart of God, instead over the past few years it has been in the mouth of fools and it has caused me much pain. People who worked with me but never clearly asked if these things were true but continued the spewage really have hurt the worse.
I don't really care if they don't leave their name. I am glad they are asking the question. I would rather have the conversation with a non de plume and deal with their insecurities than with someone I trusted to never talk to me at all. I got rid of the security code on the comments because I really want the conversation.
I have appreciated the friendship with you all and the honesty with which you speak to me regarding the things I am thinking (writing) about. I love the conversation. I hope I provoke some thoughts and some new ideas to which the Kingdom of God would greatly be served. I am not about mental masturbation, I hope what would come out of these conversations would be more love, more power, and more of us in the life of Jesus.
There are many dying each day because of something that can be bought, thought, or created. We can do some amazing things for people who do not have the opportunity because of governmental and institutional corruption and oppression. I want to continue to think out loud with you and hope that you would think outside the box and out loud with me and then one day soon we will do something together again to make a difference in the lives of people who would love to meet you and me because we have come to set them free.
I hope that I am thought of more than just a camp guy who is giving the news of Calvin Crest. I cherish my place here and am thankful for the many people I know because of this place, but there is more to do than just remember what we once did here. Hopefully what we learned and did here will make a difference out there or it would have been for our own gluttony that we were privileged to be called for a season to be together and that would break my heart worse than these fools over the past few years...
I have been asking myself those same questions as well as a few other people. I was not trying to be gracious I was trying to articulate my heart and thinking.
My reputation is now in the hands and heart of God, instead over the past few years it has been in the mouth of fools and it has caused me much pain. People who worked with me but never clearly asked if these things were true but continued the spewage really have hurt the worse.
I don't really care if they don't leave their name. I am glad they are asking the question. I would rather have the conversation with a non de plume and deal with their insecurities than with someone I trusted to never talk to me at all. I got rid of the security code on the comments because I really want the conversation.
I have appreciated the friendship with you all and the honesty with which you speak to me regarding the things I am thinking (writing) about. I love the conversation. I hope I provoke some thoughts and some new ideas to which the Kingdom of God would greatly be served. I am not about mental masturbation, I hope what would come out of these conversations would be more love, more power, and more of us in the life of Jesus.
There are many dying each day because of something that can be bought, thought, or created. We can do some amazing things for people who do not have the opportunity because of governmental and institutional corruption and oppression. I want to continue to think out loud with you and hope that you would think outside the box and out loud with me and then one day soon we will do something together again to make a difference in the lives of people who would love to meet you and me because we have come to set them free.
I hope that I am thought of more than just a camp guy who is giving the news of Calvin Crest. I cherish my place here and am thankful for the many people I know because of this place, but there is more to do than just remember what we once did here. Hopefully what we learned and did here will make a difference out there or it would have been for our own gluttony that we were privileged to be called for a season to be together and that would break my heart worse than these fools over the past few years...
25 July 2007
24 July 2007
The return of the bbqer...
My dear friend, Todd, came back for a week in the forest with us. Upon arrival he shouts out my name and we embrace for a long time. We sat and talked about the past year and the changes and consistencies of our lives.That time made all the difference in the world to me.
To my anonymous friend...
...from the previous post's comment.
I think it is my position that gives me the freedom to express my opinion. It is more than a position it is that which puts me in this position that, I pray, has given me the opinion. It is working with college students for 15 summers, many church leaders and committees, left wing mennonite relief organizations that change my paradigm because they use both sides of their hearts and minds as well as both hands to make a better world, right wing hispanic leaders who create conversations which provoke conservatives and liberals to reach into the neighborhood to show the love of Jesus and do the work of the Kingdom. It is conversations with rural and downtown pastors, farmers, saleswomen, clerks, unemployed, single moms, and many others over my 53 years of life and some 40 years of christian cognitive development. I have had to have my own opinion in some development of program, which a lot of people have told me they appreciate and a few disagree but tell me why and I have tried to include their perspective into the conversation. I value opinions and I value yours. Your criticism and harsh questions make me think and improve. I have asked myself those same questions a few times in the past few years and some others who hold me accountable have as well. Hopefully this is the answer to those questions.
I keep asking myself, "What can I do here for ten weeks with families, elementary school, junior high, high school age students who pay money to come up to Calvin Crest in the beautiful Sierras to spend a week trusting me and the staff I pick through great college students for their spiritual and recreational time. I don't take that lightly and neither do the people I get to work with. It is the conversations that we have up here which will hopefully cause an effect down there. Are we having meaningful conversations? I think so. We are not curing cancer but we are loving and praying for those who's hope needs to be in a Savior who may heal them through the laying on of obedient hands or through the skilled hands of a surgeon. Our position is still the same. We pray and love. And it is not a question of camp versus the "real world," the question is are we obedient in the place that God has planted us to speak the words, to till the soil, to paint the house, etc. that He is telling us to. And yes, I think I am being faithful.
I don't think I have caused enough trouble. If you are who I think you are, I hope to continue conversation with these fine folks. But I do want to say to you, I did not cause people to get fired, moved, get a hair cut, or change their socks, I do not have that kind of power or authority. I have said things that I have had to apologize for - and I did, take some medicine for some thoughts that I have thought - and I do, walk off some pounds because I ate too much of too good food - which I should, and other things, but to the objective view they would say that these people needed to move on. I quit taking credit for the good things people have done and I no longer accept responsibilities for the things that others do wrong. Maybe my hair will start growing back.
One last thing: I am no longer attacking the institution, but the culture of the institution...
I think it is my position that gives me the freedom to express my opinion. It is more than a position it is that which puts me in this position that, I pray, has given me the opinion. It is working with college students for 15 summers, many church leaders and committees, left wing mennonite relief organizations that change my paradigm because they use both sides of their hearts and minds as well as both hands to make a better world, right wing hispanic leaders who create conversations which provoke conservatives and liberals to reach into the neighborhood to show the love of Jesus and do the work of the Kingdom. It is conversations with rural and downtown pastors, farmers, saleswomen, clerks, unemployed, single moms, and many others over my 53 years of life and some 40 years of christian cognitive development. I have had to have my own opinion in some development of program, which a lot of people have told me they appreciate and a few disagree but tell me why and I have tried to include their perspective into the conversation. I value opinions and I value yours. Your criticism and harsh questions make me think and improve. I have asked myself those same questions a few times in the past few years and some others who hold me accountable have as well. Hopefully this is the answer to those questions.
I keep asking myself, "What can I do here for ten weeks with families, elementary school, junior high, high school age students who pay money to come up to Calvin Crest in the beautiful Sierras to spend a week trusting me and the staff I pick through great college students for their spiritual and recreational time. I don't take that lightly and neither do the people I get to work with. It is the conversations that we have up here which will hopefully cause an effect down there. Are we having meaningful conversations? I think so. We are not curing cancer but we are loving and praying for those who's hope needs to be in a Savior who may heal them through the laying on of obedient hands or through the skilled hands of a surgeon. Our position is still the same. We pray and love. And it is not a question of camp versus the "real world," the question is are we obedient in the place that God has planted us to speak the words, to till the soil, to paint the house, etc. that He is telling us to. And yes, I think I am being faithful.
I don't think I have caused enough trouble. If you are who I think you are, I hope to continue conversation with these fine folks. But I do want to say to you, I did not cause people to get fired, moved, get a hair cut, or change their socks, I do not have that kind of power or authority. I have said things that I have had to apologize for - and I did, take some medicine for some thoughts that I have thought - and I do, walk off some pounds because I ate too much of too good food - which I should, and other things, but to the objective view they would say that these people needed to move on. I quit taking credit for the good things people have done and I no longer accept responsibilities for the things that others do wrong. Maybe my hair will start growing back.
One last thing: I am no longer attacking the institution, but the culture of the institution...
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