All of my being centers on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus came to save us from ourselves by setting an example as the ultimate revelation of God. As this ultimate revelation of God, he set an example of love and non-violence which I carry in my very being. Commandments such as “Love your neighbor as yourself” and “Love your enemies” define who I am and how I treat others. From this, I find no grounds for war, capital punishment, torture, abortion, poverty, or oppression of any kind. How is killing our enemies answering our call to love them? How is aborting unborn children caring for them? How is killing our brothers and sisters an answer to “Love your neighbors as yourself”? I choose to ascribe to a consistent ethic of non-violence and pacifism not because I am a “commie-liberal,” as my father so fondly calls me, but because non-violence and pacifism are the ethics to which the Gospel calls us.
As I am writing this, there is one particular song that keeps playing in my head – “Rich Young Ruler” by Derek Webb. The song says, “Poverty is so hard to see when it’s only on your TV or twenty miles across town. When we’re all living so good that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood where he’s hungry and not feeling so good from going through our trash. He says, more than just your cash and coin I want your time, I want your voice. I want the things you just can’t give me... ‘Because what you do to the least of these my brother’s, you have done it to me.’”1 Why is it that we overlook these people? Why is it that we overlook Christ? And why is it that we ascribe to a Gospel of personal gain and success rather than to the true Gospel and look to the true Christ as our life model? Derek Webb sings of a counter-cultural ideology which should fit perfectly with the Gospel because the Gospel is in its very nature counter- cultural, but it is our consumeristic American brand of Christianity that has transformed it into a Gospel of personal gain and material success. All we focus on is ourselves when all of our focus should be on Christ and others.
Service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence can all be found in the Gospel and therefore also can be found in my ethics. I think it goes without saying that I am called to serve, and I think that it also goes without saying that all Christians are called to serve their brothers and sisters without any discrimination as to race, sex, religion, social class, age, or sexual orientation. “Love your neighbor… [and] your enemies” leaves none by the wayside. In my service of others, I should seek out injustice and give voice to those who are speechless from oppression and fear.
The reason that I can love my neighbors and enemies and seek to bring them justice is that I recognize the worth and dignity of every human being that God so lovingly created. Was it not Jesus who ate in communion with the tax collectors, the lepers, the downtrodden, the thieves, the salesmen, the prostitutes, and the otherwise socially unacceptable? Every created thing has dignity and worth, and it is the fault of humanity for not noticing. In his life, Jesus is an example for all of humanity to follow; the message of the Gospel is not getting out of hell. The message is to love each other as God so obviously loves us. As I seek to give voice to the oppressed, I must come to know them as a brother or sister building a caring relationship which will benefit the both of us; if I come to love the individuals or the people group, I will have a stronger drive to bring them out of oppression, poverty, and injustice. Jesus did not choose the Pharisees to follow him, to become his disciples. Jesus chose the uneducated fishermen and even a tax collector to be his disciples – to become like him, to follow in his footsteps, and to further his kingdom. Jesus chose to make relationships with the least of these, and he told us that what we do to the least of these, we do also to him.
I believe, given my previous words, that my integrity goes without question. In my quest for justice, I feel that the only way I can bring about change is to adhere to the strict moral and ethical code for which I am so diligently (and peacefully) fighting. And in order to bring about change, I want to be completely prepared, knowing every detail before I enter into a situation. That is precisely why I believe that education is of great import. Competence in your field is not a needless detail, but it is quite necessary for getting the job done and bringing about change and justice. Competence benefits the cause, while seeking justice, it is better to be well educated and informed so that the job can been completed effectively and efficiently. Jesus, for example, was well educated in Jewish law and scripture, so he could speak to the Jews, and the Jews could relate to him and understand him as he would quote scripture in the Sermon on the Mount and his many parables. The disciples though uneducated when they were called by Jesus hung onto his every word and soaked up his every lesson. They lovingly and respectfully called him “Rabbi” – teacher.
My heart is called to ministry, and I feel that I answer that call best when I am in humble service of others – and in humble service of Christ. My heart bleeds when I see the impoverished, abused, and oppressed. I do not work for social justice solely because the Gospel commands it; I do it because God has put others’ suffering in my heart. I have the gift of empathy and mercy, and that manifests itself best in relational service and loving kindness. And in writing this, I have the highest hopes that it will reach just one heart and cause it to stir for the Gospel. I hope that more Christians come to the realization that Jesus was not about getting out of hell but that he was about love, peace, mercy, and justice.
The Consistant Ethic as Found in the Gospel
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Labels:
love,
ministry,
non-violence,
social justice,
theology
Healing
I've always shyed away from evangelical language, feeling like those "lofty, spiritual" words were too cheesey to really have any deep meaning. It seemed like in any time of suffering, fear, or doubt someone would always say "Oh, you just have to give it to God." Give it to God? How in the world can you give something to God? What does that mean anyways? It just seemed like whenever someone didn't have any actual advice that was what they came up with.
My mother was recently diagnosed with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL), which means that cancer has infected her brain causing her to be paralyzed on the left side of her body. Only about 1% of patients with brain tumors have this type of cancer, and most of the patients with PCNSL are HIV+. Mom does not have HIV nor is she old enough to have PCNSL(non-HIV PCNSL patients are typicaly over 60). My mother runs half-marathons and was planning to run the full 26 miles five days after her 50th birthday in November. She watches what she eats. She goes to church. She works hard at the job she has had for 22 years. She has faithfully loved my father since she was 13, and she has raised 3 children. Why? Why did any of this happen? Good person, good health, no cancer, right?
I have never believed that God causes the suffering in this world. God is the clockmaker who lovingly puts all of the gears together to work exactly right. God, then, lets the clock work on its own, but the gears break. I feel like God lets nature run its course. God does not control our lives like we are pawns in a cosmic game of chess, but rather God lets our lives run naturally. When things like the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and my mother's cancer happen, they happen. God can then step in and produce something wonderful out of tragedy. We may not always see it, but God does. As a result of the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, hunderds of thousands of people lost their homes, their families, even their lives. Hundreds of thousands of people also responded to the need, left their homes, and built Sri Lanka and Indonesia and Lousiana and Mississippi back up physically and spiritually. The day my mother was admitted to the hospital, over 5,000 people began to pray for my mother and for my family. 5,000 people. That is amazing.
When the neurosurgeon was finally out of surgery, he told us that there was no hope. Up until that point I had cried and cried and cried. I prayed for strength and courage. No hope? That's what he told us. And, I could not cry. I had not "given it to God;" God took this burden from me. God gave me the strength that my family needed. God gave me the strength to walk out into the waiting room and tell 15 of our closest friends and family that mom needs more prayer than we thought beacuse things were looking bad. I was a rock, a cephas. God made me the Peter of my family - a solid foundation for healing.
We all have banded together - my mother, my family, my friends, and 5,000 people we may or may not even know - and God has brought about a miracle. My mother walked out of the hospital on Monday. Walked. She washed dishes in our kitchen sink on Tuesday, and she continues to heal here on Wednesday. We still have a long and strenuous uphill battle to fight. But with 5,000 people praying, mom cannot help but be a miracle... not to sound too cheesey, right?
My mother was recently diagnosed with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL), which means that cancer has infected her brain causing her to be paralyzed on the left side of her body. Only about 1% of patients with brain tumors have this type of cancer, and most of the patients with PCNSL are HIV+. Mom does not have HIV nor is she old enough to have PCNSL(non-HIV PCNSL patients are typicaly over 60). My mother runs half-marathons and was planning to run the full 26 miles five days after her 50th birthday in November. She watches what she eats. She goes to church. She works hard at the job she has had for 22 years. She has faithfully loved my father since she was 13, and she has raised 3 children. Why? Why did any of this happen? Good person, good health, no cancer, right?
I have never believed that God causes the suffering in this world. God is the clockmaker who lovingly puts all of the gears together to work exactly right. God, then, lets the clock work on its own, but the gears break. I feel like God lets nature run its course. God does not control our lives like we are pawns in a cosmic game of chess, but rather God lets our lives run naturally. When things like the tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and my mother's cancer happen, they happen. God can then step in and produce something wonderful out of tragedy. We may not always see it, but God does. As a result of the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, hunderds of thousands of people lost their homes, their families, even their lives. Hundreds of thousands of people also responded to the need, left their homes, and built Sri Lanka and Indonesia and Lousiana and Mississippi back up physically and spiritually. The day my mother was admitted to the hospital, over 5,000 people began to pray for my mother and for my family. 5,000 people. That is amazing.
When the neurosurgeon was finally out of surgery, he told us that there was no hope. Up until that point I had cried and cried and cried. I prayed for strength and courage. No hope? That's what he told us. And, I could not cry. I had not "given it to God;" God took this burden from me. God gave me the strength that my family needed. God gave me the strength to walk out into the waiting room and tell 15 of our closest friends and family that mom needs more prayer than we thought beacuse things were looking bad. I was a rock, a cephas. God made me the Peter of my family - a solid foundation for healing.
We all have banded together - my mother, my family, my friends, and 5,000 people we may or may not even know - and God has brought about a miracle. My mother walked out of the hospital on Monday. Walked. She washed dishes in our kitchen sink on Tuesday, and she continues to heal here on Wednesday. We still have a long and strenuous uphill battle to fight. But with 5,000 people praying, mom cannot help but be a miracle... not to sound too cheesey, right?
Finding Meaning
Your guide toward meaningful work
by David Batstone
The pursuit for meaningful work must be at the top of many people's minds these days. All of a sudden I am receiving a slew of invitations to speak on the subject of vocation and meaning at university campuses and professional forums.
Individuals yearn to pour their talents and deepest interests into work that matters. They are tired of being one person at work, another with their family, and possibly yet another in their community or political activity. Sustaining these multiple personalities quickly becomes exhausting and makes us feel spiritually fragmented.
Of course, many people in the world do not have the privilege of choosing work that means something beyond a daily wage. But for the majority of SojoMail readers, that is not the case. Education and economic conditions offer choices.
It's exciting to watch traditional boundaries on work blur. In many cases, the decision whether to join, or launch, a nonprofit organization rather than a for-profit enterprise comes down to personal strategy and circumstance. In other words, your skills alone do not determine your career path. In that respect, I know some very talented managers and business minds who find their niche confronting the problem of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa or designing low-cost housing in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. In like manner, I met some remarkably creative and values-led people at Dell Computer Corporation where I spent last week delivering workshops on ethics and sustainability in a global economy.
Following the publication of my last book, Saving the Corporate Soul, I went on the road for two years visiting all kinds of organizations about significance and purpose at work. I discovered that when individuals explain what motivates them they keep coming back to three basic drivers: purpose, passion, and profit. So I designed a short inventory to identify how individuals take a primary orientation from one of these drivers. I call the tool the Triple P Quiz: Purpose, Passion and Profit - and it's available online.
I like to use the word orientation because we truly operate with a mix of motivations. Nonetheless, I discovered that nearly everyone I interview points to a primary driver that shapes their experience at work.
In designing the tool, I aim not only to help workers learn more about themselves, I want to offer the workplace a language for job engagement and the range of motivations that inspire team members.
It may be helpful to offer here a thumb-nail sketch of each p. Passion-led individuals value inspiring and creative work. No matter how much an organization touts the higher purpose of a job, if they do not feel passionate about the activities the position involves, they are not likely to find the job enticing. In other words, passion-led people shiver at the thought of waking up to a month of Mondays and face a set of tasks that are uninspiring.
I meet purpose-led people most often in the nonprofit and civic sector. Don't get me wrong, these individuals are not disappointed to take on creative tasks. But what inspires them is the larger mission of the enterprise of which they are a part. Purpose people do not fit into a one-size-fits-all box, however. While one person may want to find a cure for cancer, another purpose person finds motivation for designing a new software. You want purpose people to help drive the mission and core values of your organization. They keep the enterprise on course.
Profit-led people are the most rare in the non-profit world. Profit does not solely refer to bottom-line financials. More broadly, profit-led people find meaning in achieving a set of determined deliverables. They are the ones who provide discipline and structure to the organization. If you have ever started your own enterprise, you know the valuable role that profit-led people play, especially once your operation began to scale.
The deeper I engage with organizations, the more I appreciate the range of motivations required to make an organization healthy and successful. Individuals are not all wired the same; they find meaning in very different ways. Unfortunately, we do not always value the differences.
Last week I received a cynical note from an individual who took the Triple P Quiz and proclaimed that passion people are self-indulgent. In short, here's his message: It is well and good to seek inspiration, but get over it, because the world is full of suffering people. This purpose-led individual doubts the sincerity of other people who do not share his own motivation. In my experience, it is always a temptation for purpose-led people to feel that any other motivation for meaning is inferior, if not selling out.
His position reminds me of a dilemma that a CEO presented to me recently. The company was a victim of its own success; it was experiencing wild economic growth. When the company launched over a decade ago, the very passionate founder attracted a first wave of employees who also believed fervently in the products of the company. Once the company passed the $100 million mark in sales, the management team saw the need to bring in profit-led people who could better discipline its operations. The early-generation workers, of course, viewed the intrusion of the profit-led people as a threat to their passion-led corporate culture. The profit-led people felt less than welcomed. For their part, they wondered how such a chaotic, undisciplined crew could have gotten so far in business.
My challenge is to help every member of an organization recognize the value of an orchestra with many instruments. No organization can sustain itself without a strong mission (purpose), a creative and inspired dynamism (passion), and clear set of achievements and deliverables (profit). When any one of these values dominates in such a degree that it squeezes out the comfortable space the others offer, the organization will falter. Those enterprises that value the uniqueness of their personnel, on the other hand, design work environments where productivity thrives.
by David Batstone
The pursuit for meaningful work must be at the top of many people's minds these days. All of a sudden I am receiving a slew of invitations to speak on the subject of vocation and meaning at university campuses and professional forums.
Individuals yearn to pour their talents and deepest interests into work that matters. They are tired of being one person at work, another with their family, and possibly yet another in their community or political activity. Sustaining these multiple personalities quickly becomes exhausting and makes us feel spiritually fragmented.
Of course, many people in the world do not have the privilege of choosing work that means something beyond a daily wage. But for the majority of SojoMail readers, that is not the case. Education and economic conditions offer choices.
It's exciting to watch traditional boundaries on work blur. In many cases, the decision whether to join, or launch, a nonprofit organization rather than a for-profit enterprise comes down to personal strategy and circumstance. In other words, your skills alone do not determine your career path. In that respect, I know some very talented managers and business minds who find their niche confronting the problem of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa or designing low-cost housing in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. In like manner, I met some remarkably creative and values-led people at Dell Computer Corporation where I spent last week delivering workshops on ethics and sustainability in a global economy.
Following the publication of my last book, Saving the Corporate Soul, I went on the road for two years visiting all kinds of organizations about significance and purpose at work. I discovered that when individuals explain what motivates them they keep coming back to three basic drivers: purpose, passion, and profit. So I designed a short inventory to identify how individuals take a primary orientation from one of these drivers. I call the tool the Triple P Quiz: Purpose, Passion and Profit - and it's available online.
I like to use the word orientation because we truly operate with a mix of motivations. Nonetheless, I discovered that nearly everyone I interview points to a primary driver that shapes their experience at work.
In designing the tool, I aim not only to help workers learn more about themselves, I want to offer the workplace a language for job engagement and the range of motivations that inspire team members.
It may be helpful to offer here a thumb-nail sketch of each p. Passion-led individuals value inspiring and creative work. No matter how much an organization touts the higher purpose of a job, if they do not feel passionate about the activities the position involves, they are not likely to find the job enticing. In other words, passion-led people shiver at the thought of waking up to a month of Mondays and face a set of tasks that are uninspiring.
I meet purpose-led people most often in the nonprofit and civic sector. Don't get me wrong, these individuals are not disappointed to take on creative tasks. But what inspires them is the larger mission of the enterprise of which they are a part. Purpose people do not fit into a one-size-fits-all box, however. While one person may want to find a cure for cancer, another purpose person finds motivation for designing a new software. You want purpose people to help drive the mission and core values of your organization. They keep the enterprise on course.
Profit-led people are the most rare in the non-profit world. Profit does not solely refer to bottom-line financials. More broadly, profit-led people find meaning in achieving a set of determined deliverables. They are the ones who provide discipline and structure to the organization. If you have ever started your own enterprise, you know the valuable role that profit-led people play, especially once your operation began to scale.
The deeper I engage with organizations, the more I appreciate the range of motivations required to make an organization healthy and successful. Individuals are not all wired the same; they find meaning in very different ways. Unfortunately, we do not always value the differences.
Last week I received a cynical note from an individual who took the Triple P Quiz and proclaimed that passion people are self-indulgent. In short, here's his message: It is well and good to seek inspiration, but get over it, because the world is full of suffering people. This purpose-led individual doubts the sincerity of other people who do not share his own motivation. In my experience, it is always a temptation for purpose-led people to feel that any other motivation for meaning is inferior, if not selling out.
His position reminds me of a dilemma that a CEO presented to me recently. The company was a victim of its own success; it was experiencing wild economic growth. When the company launched over a decade ago, the very passionate founder attracted a first wave of employees who also believed fervently in the products of the company. Once the company passed the $100 million mark in sales, the management team saw the need to bring in profit-led people who could better discipline its operations. The early-generation workers, of course, viewed the intrusion of the profit-led people as a threat to their passion-led corporate culture. The profit-led people felt less than welcomed. For their part, they wondered how such a chaotic, undisciplined crew could have gotten so far in business.
My challenge is to help every member of an organization recognize the value of an orchestra with many instruments. No organization can sustain itself without a strong mission (purpose), a creative and inspired dynamism (passion), and clear set of achievements and deliverables (profit). When any one of these values dominates in such a degree that it squeezes out the comfortable space the others offer, the organization will falter. Those enterprises that value the uniqueness of their personnel, on the other hand, design work environments where productivity thrives.
The Church
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Labels:
bible study,
ministry,
reflections,
songs,
the church,
theology
Wedding Dress
words and music by derek webb
if you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
should that be all i’ll ever need
or is there more i’m looking for
and should i read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
to make me handsome, rich, and wise
is that really what you want
(chorus)
i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i’m a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you
so could you love this bastard child
though i don’t trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood
(chorus)
because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife
What does this mean? One of my youth came to me after we had discussed some of Derek Webb's other lyrics, and she asked me to explain these lyrics to her. So, we made a whole impromtu bible study out of it. If you weren't in this bible study, I would like for you to read Hosea and then these lyrics again. Draw some parallels and leave me a comment.
Grace and Peace.
p.s. look over these lyrics as well:
The Church
words and music by derek webb
i have come with one purpose
to capture for myself a bride
by my life she is lovely
by my death she’s justified
i have always been her husband
though many lovers she has known
so with water i will wash her
and by my word alone
so when you hear the sound of the water
you will know you’re not alone
(chorus)
‘cause i haven’t come for only you
but for my people to pursue
you cannot care for me with no regard for her
if you love me you will love the church
i have long pursued her
as a harlot and a whore
but she will feast upon me
she will drink and thirst no more
so when you taste my flesh and my blood
you will know you’re not alone
(chorus)
there is none that can replace her
though there are many who will try
and though some may be her bridesmaids
they can never be my bride
(chorus)
words and music by derek webb
if you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life
should that be all i’ll ever need
or is there more i’m looking for
and should i read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
to make me handsome, rich, and wise
is that really what you want
(chorus)
i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i’m a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you
so could you love this bastard child
though i don’t trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood
(chorus)
because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
when you have knowingly deceived his wife
What does this mean? One of my youth came to me after we had discussed some of Derek Webb's other lyrics, and she asked me to explain these lyrics to her. So, we made a whole impromtu bible study out of it. If you weren't in this bible study, I would like for you to read Hosea and then these lyrics again. Draw some parallels and leave me a comment.
Grace and Peace.
p.s. look over these lyrics as well:
The Church
words and music by derek webb
i have come with one purpose
to capture for myself a bride
by my life she is lovely
by my death she’s justified
i have always been her husband
though many lovers she has known
so with water i will wash her
and by my word alone
so when you hear the sound of the water
you will know you’re not alone
(chorus)
‘cause i haven’t come for only you
but for my people to pursue
you cannot care for me with no regard for her
if you love me you will love the church
i have long pursued her
as a harlot and a whore
but she will feast upon me
she will drink and thirst no more
so when you taste my flesh and my blood
you will know you’re not alone
(chorus)
there is none that can replace her
though there are many who will try
and though some may be her bridesmaids
they can never be my bride
(chorus)
What does it mean to be Christian?
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Labels:
bible study,
ministry,
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the church,
theology
Here's a shortened version of a bible study I did this Tuesday. I'm leaving out my own commentary on purpose because I want you to read through this, process it, and leave your own commentary.
T-Shirts
they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
at anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare
they’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
they’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
like anyone on earth is living right
and isn’t that why Jesus died
not to make us think we’re right
chorus
when love, love, love
is what we should be known for
love, love, love
it’s the how and it’s the why
we live and breathe and we die
they’ll know us by reasons we divide
and how we can’t seem to unify
because we’ve gotta sing songs a certain style
or we’ll walk right down that aisle
and just leave ‘em all behind
they’ll know us by the billboards that we make
just turning God’s words to cheap clichés
says “what part of murder don’t you understand?”
but we hate our fellow man
and point a finger at his grave
chorus
they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
telling ‘em their sins are worse than ours
thinking we can hide our scars
beneath these t-shirts that we wear
Matthew 19:16-28
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,'[d] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'[e]"
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[f] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Rich Young Ruler
(vs. 1)
poverty is so hard to see
when it’s only on your tv and twenty miles across town
where we’re all living so good
that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood
where he’s hungry and not feeling so good
from going through our trash
he says, more than just your cash and coin
i want your time, i want your voice
i want the things you just can’t give me
(vs. 2)
so what must we do
here in the west we want to follow you
we speak the language and we keep all the rules
even a few we made up
come on and follow me
but sell your house, sell your suv
sell your stocks, sell your security
and give it to the poor
what is this, hey what’s the deal
i don’t sleep around and i don’t steal
i want the things you just can’t give me
(bridge)
because what you do to the least of these
my brother’s, you have done it to me
because i want the things you just can’t give me
I Repent
i repent, i repent of my pursuit of america's dream
i repent, i repent of living like i deserve anything
of my house, my fence, my kids, my wife
in our suburb where we're safe and white
i am wrong and of these things i repent
i repent, i repent of parading my liberty
i repent. i repent of paying for what i get for free
and for the way i believe that i am living right
by trading sins for others that are easier to hide
i am wrong and of these things i repent
bridge
i repent judging by a law that even i can't keep
of wearing righteousness like a disguise
to see through the planks in my own eyes
i repent, i repent of trading truth for false unity
i repent, i repent of confusing peace and idolatry
by caring more of what they think than what i know of what we need
by domesticating you until you look just like me
i am wrong and of these things i repent
T-Shirts
they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
at anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare
they’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
they’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
like anyone on earth is living right
and isn’t that why Jesus died
not to make us think we’re right
chorus
when love, love, love
is what we should be known for
love, love, love
it’s the how and it’s the why
we live and breathe and we die
they’ll know us by reasons we divide
and how we can’t seem to unify
because we’ve gotta sing songs a certain style
or we’ll walk right down that aisle
and just leave ‘em all behind
they’ll know us by the billboards that we make
just turning God’s words to cheap clichés
says “what part of murder don’t you understand?”
but we hate our fellow man
and point a finger at his grave
chorus
they'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
they'll know us by the way we point and stare
telling ‘em their sins are worse than ours
thinking we can hide our scars
beneath these t-shirts that we wear
Matthew 19:16-28
16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
18"Which ones?" the man inquired.
Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,'[d] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'[e]"
20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[f] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Rich Young Ruler
(vs. 1)
poverty is so hard to see
when it’s only on your tv and twenty miles across town
where we’re all living so good
that we moved out of Jesus’ neighborhood
where he’s hungry and not feeling so good
from going through our trash
he says, more than just your cash and coin
i want your time, i want your voice
i want the things you just can’t give me
(vs. 2)
so what must we do
here in the west we want to follow you
we speak the language and we keep all the rules
even a few we made up
come on and follow me
but sell your house, sell your suv
sell your stocks, sell your security
and give it to the poor
what is this, hey what’s the deal
i don’t sleep around and i don’t steal
i want the things you just can’t give me
(bridge)
because what you do to the least of these
my brother’s, you have done it to me
because i want the things you just can’t give me
I Repent
i repent, i repent of my pursuit of america's dream
i repent, i repent of living like i deserve anything
of my house, my fence, my kids, my wife
in our suburb where we're safe and white
i am wrong and of these things i repent
i repent, i repent of parading my liberty
i repent. i repent of paying for what i get for free
and for the way i believe that i am living right
by trading sins for others that are easier to hide
i am wrong and of these things i repent
bridge
i repent judging by a law that even i can't keep
of wearing righteousness like a disguise
to see through the planks in my own eyes
i repent, i repent of trading truth for false unity
i repent, i repent of confusing peace and idolatry
by caring more of what they think than what i know of what we need
by domesticating you until you look just like me
i am wrong and of these things i repent
Dynamics of Faith
I am constantly wondering about the dynamics of my own faith and where I stand on certain issues. I don't know the answers to most questions, and I certainly have plenty more of them to ask myself. Paul Tillich defines faith as "the state of being ultimately (actively)
concerned" and this ultimacy "demands total surrender... and it promises total fulfillment." I struggle with my faith daily; sometimes I don't even know what I believe anymore. I feel like I'm flailing my arms for something to hold on to, knowing that there is something there but it is just out of my reach. I keep searching for the God whom I know in my heart but struggle daily to see. I feel like a fog has settled over my certainty to blur my view, but could that fog really bring me clarity? Best-selling author, Ann Lamott, says that the opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty. Do we discover our true faith in our disillusionment? In my upcoming entries I will give you my thoughts on the topics I struggle with most. Until then be forming your own opinions on this: There is often a symbolic relationship between a religion and its culture. So, is religion culture dependant? Or, does religion transcend cultures? Are all religions of all cultures equally valid? Can there be truth in every religion? Is universalism a valid argument?
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