The Kingdom, The Kids, & the Cowboys

Time does not allow me to reflect in this space all that has happened for us on this ten day tour of Great Cities churches in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. My plan is to use all of this week to post pictures and summarize my thoughts. Right now we are packing up and getting ready for a few hours of sight-seeing in Santiago before boarding a plane this evening, flying through the night to DFW, and arriving home at AMA at 9:00 Tuesday morning.

It’ll be nice to watch the Spurs wrap up their fifth NBA title tomorrow night on my own TV, from my own micro-fiber couch, with English speaking announcers describing the action. It’ll be nice to drink Diet Dr Pepper again. And we can’t wait to get to Blue Sky and Ruby Tequila’s!

It feels like I haven’t seen my girls in about a year. And it feels like months since I’ve preached. I can’t wait to get home. ‘

Yeah, home. Central. Home, Amarillo.

I believe I just realized that when I say “home,” I’m thinking about Amarillo.

Peace,

Allan

Happy Sunday from Santiago, Chile! This is the weekly anniversary of the day our God’s Holy Spirit brought out crucified King out of the tomb and made him Lord over all forever and ever. This is the day God’s ekklesia, his Church, his “called out” people assemble in joyful celebration of that great victory. We sing songs of loudest praise; we raise our voices and our hearts in grateful prayers of thanksgiving and adoration; we come together around a common table to share a common meal in the name and in the manner of our Savior who has reconciled us to our God and to one another forever.

We do it in Amarillo, in Santiago, and in Kharkov, Ukraine. We do it in Fort Worth, in Kilgore, and in La Paz, Bolivia. God’s people do this every Sunday in Austin and Oklahoma City, Sao Paulo and Sydney, Tokyo and Bangkok. For two thousand years now, ever since our Christ walked out of that garden tomb and ate dinner with his disciples, God’s children have come together every Sunday to celebrate that great victory over sin and death.

Today is that day.

While we miss our friends and family at Central, we take great joy in knowing that we are communing with them in spirit and in truth around our Lord’s table this morning.

Happy Sunday!

Allan

At the tail end of a long and glorious day in Cusco, watching Toy Story in Spanish on the hotel room TV (it’s either that or one of 94 different soccer games or replays of soccer games or descriptions and analysis of soccer games), looking at the dozens of pictures I’ve taken today, and reflecting on what our Lord has shown me in the traditional capitol of Peru.

I love worshiping our God in a Christian congregation planted by missionaries in a different part of the world. I love it because it reminds me every time that we serve and belong to a powerful God who truly reigns over this entire planet. I’m reminded up close that our God is praised every day in every language that exists. I’m reminded that our God is saving people, redeeming people, restoring people every single day in every country and culture there is. Our Lord is truly King. I’m reminded of that when I’m blessed to join other Christian disciples in celebrating that salvation, declaring him Lord over all, and worshiping him. What a blessing to belong to this God. What a joy to be the recipients of his matchless love and limitless grace.

Today, in a converted theater on one of the main strips in downtown Cusco that has no heat and barely any insulation, I felt the warmth of our God’s love and mercy. I experienced his grace and his hospitality. I exchanged greetings and hugs and laughs with people who have nothing in common with me except the truth that we have all been saved by a merciful God. And it’s so spectacular. I imagine the patience these Christians showed to me today is a reflection of our God’s patience with me every minute of every day. I know their hospitality is a reflection of the God who invites all peoples to his heavenly  banquet table piled high with the best of meats and the finest of wines. I understand their love for me and my gringo brothers and sisters from Amarillo was put in their hearts by our God who lives there.

And the music. Man, the music. I don’t know Spanish. But I can sort of read it. And when we sing “How Great Thou Art” and “Firm Foundation” and “Sweet Hour of Prayer” together, in four part harmony, in Spanish, in a foreign country below the equator, it’s just plain powerful. It’s powerful. It’s the one people around the Lord’s one table. No barriers of language or culture, national borders or gender or age. It’s unity and harmony. It’s a foretaste, a divine glimpse, of what our God is doing in the world. We got to see it today. We got to experience it. God revealed himself and his plan to us today. He showed us. Again. Wow, what a blessing.

I saw Christ in Cusco today. He was present in every greeting and hug and pat on the back. He was there at the Meal. His Spirit was there in our songs. Christ is in Cusco. And he is being glorified and praised.

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After lunch with the missionaries, our group of seven took in a downtown market and then spent an hour or so touring the ancient Incan Temple ruins upon which the Spanish built their cathedral in the 15th century. The Incan Dynasty began right here in the valley of Cusco and the perfectly chiseled and positioned 600 and 700 year old stones can still be found stacked ten or twelve high in many places. The Spanish cathedral here, which includes a rather large monostary and hosts regular mass and worship services every day, was built on top of the ruins of the original Incan structure and its system of arches and canals. It’s quite impressive. And beautiful. Just beautiful.

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I didn’t see one lick of the Spurs game tonight. Looks like I didn’t miss much. Yuk.

We went back to Barton and Allison’s house for pizza and Incan Kola tonight and stayed later than we intended. Probably a little later than they would have liked. But we can’t help it. We’re inspired by their commitment to the Kingdom of our Lord. We’re encouraged by their selfless sacrifice for Christ and his Church. And we’re drawn to their infectious personalities and adorable little boys. They’re a joy to be with, an absolute joy. We ended the night by getting Barton and super-pregnant Allison, Gary and Jennifer, Lacee and Corinne in the middle of the living room and putting our hands on them and lifting them up to our Father. God is moving powerfully in Cusco through these wonderful young people. And this first leg of our trip has been a tremendous blessing.

Peace,

Allan

Carrie-Anne and I are on the first leg of a Great Cities Mission tour of churches in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile with John Todd and Kami, Craig and Donna, and GCM executive director Kelley Grant. There’s no time to be eloquent or overly reflective at this moment. I’m just hammering out a quick post this morning before the worship assembly here in Cusco just to let everybody know we’ve arrived safely and are having an absolute blast.

We arrived at the international airport in Lima at about 1:00 am Saturday morning and had to wait there for our flight to Cusco until 5:30. So far, that’s been the toughest part of the trip. Well, that, and the fact that the altitude sickness medication we’re all on, Diamox, makes Dr Pepper and any carbonated beverage taste like battery acid. Old battery acid. It’s disgusting. That’s a side effect nobody told us about. And it’s killing me. I haven’t had a DDP — none of us has — since Friday morning. Is that the reason for my headache, or is it because we’re at 12,000 feet?

Yesterday, we toured several magnificent cathedrals from the 17th and 18th centuries and then met the missionary / church plant team that’s been here a little over three years. We ate at a really nice restaurant and, yes, guinea pig was on the menu. Last night may have been my shot to try this traditional Peruvian dish. Guinea pig?!? Yeah, I know. We’ve been joking about it for three months. And here it was. I wanted to. I really wanted to. The picture on the menu really didn’t help. And Barton comparing the taste and texture to that of squirrel or rabbit didn’t help either. So, I chickened out. Officially, I changed my mind for, perhaps, another opportunity today or tomorrow. But, really, I think I may have chickened out. I opted instead, to stay with the local taste and be somewhat daring, for the alpaca steak. It’s not really llama… Well, yeah, it really is. I ate a llama steak last night. And it was good.

We’re worshiping with the Cusco Church this morning. And I’m very excited about that. I love worshiping with God’s people in far flung parts of this earth. There will be time for eloquence and reflection on that later.

Happy Sunday!

Peace,

Allan

“We want to be a church that is restored and always restoring. We do not discard our current biblical practices but we also seek to reclaim others we have neglected. We hold on to the best of our tradition but we move forward to what God calls us to be in a new generation. ‘Churches of Christ’ describes both what we are and what we strive to be: churches that fully embody the life and character of our Lord. We are not there yet, but we are on the journey.” ~from Renewing God’s People, by Gary Holloway and Doug Foster

We concluded our study of Renewing God’s People in our adult Bible classes this past Sunday with a time of reflection on the history of our American Restoration Movement and of pointing to the future as Churches of Christ. We asked some tough questions and engaged one another in difficult conversations. In our wimp-free (apologies to Randy Galloway) Jars of Clay class, the mix is about equal between those of us born and raised in and by the CofC and newcomers to our tribe. And the discussion was faithful. And full of hope.

Despite the final few chapters of the book outlining our recent sorry history of division (and divisions within those divisions!), sectarianism, and an over-emphasis on human effort to the neglect of God’s Holy Spirit, we focused our attention on the beautiful parts of our CofC heritage we’re all very interested in retaining. As a group, we really latched on to our movement’s origins. We’re still today moved by the original vision of being Christians only, of breaking down the barriers between disciples of Jesus and churches, of the Scriptural call for the unity of all believers. We’re proud of the way our tradition has always upheld the Bible as God’s holy revelation and will and authority for his people. And, as misguided as it’s been at times, evangelism is clearly in our DNA. We’ve always been very interested in reaching out to others and bringing them in to the Kingdom of God.

Of course, a look back at the past is only worthwhile if we use it to contemplate the future. And we’ve concluded in our Bible class that a reclaiming — some of it might possibly need more of a reworking or tweaking — of the very best parts of our history and heritage is exactly what’s needed to guide us into a more faithful future.

Yes, let’s go back to breaking down the walls between Christians and Christian denominations. Let’s focus on the many things we have in common in our Lord Jesus Christ and not on the few differences. Let’s pray more and dispute less. Let’s become as one so, in the words of our Christ, the world may believe.

Yes, let’s continue to uphold Scripture as the authority for God’s people. But let’s do away once and for all with the three-part “command-example-inference” hermeneutic. Let’s read and apply the Bible as the continuing story of God’s mighty works on behalf of his people and his people’s struggles to live faithfully into the story. Let’s stop pretending that the Bible contains every answer for every particular church problem. Let’s live into it, let’s assimilate it into our lives, let’s taste it and breathe it, let’s glory in it as the mind-blowing good news that it is. Let’s view the Bible as a vivid description of a heavenly feast, not a cookbook full of recipes.

And, yes, let’s get back to evangelizing the lost. I’m not talking about inviting your friends from other CofCs to your congregation or even attempting to get your Baptist or Presbyterian friends to switch. No. I’m talking about your friends, your neighbors, your classmates and co-workers who do not have a relationship with our King. Invest in them. Talk with them. Listen to them. Serve them. Pray with them and for them. Don’t just invite them to visit your church; invite them to be a part of your faith community. Bring them in and allow them to experience what it feels like to be in a group that selflessly serves other people, that considers the needs of others more important than their own, that recognizes a bigger picture and lives into that reality.

When we asked our class what they believed God was calling the Churches of Christ to be in the next twenty years, the answers were beautiful and evidenced some serious theological reflection. A church that is known for loving people and serving others. A church that upholds faithful traditions and doesn’t fight over man-concocted ones. A group that cares less about “Church of Christ” and more about “Kingdom of God.” A church that is intimately involved in redeeming the world. A church built on the holy energy of relationships and testimony that prove the power of our God.

Again, from Renewing God’s People:

“If we could wear our denominational name — Churches of Christ — lightly and could view many of our institutional practices as less fixed, then we could again be a movement for the good of the Church at large. We could invite our fellow pilgrims to journey with us. We could be Christians only, not the only Christians.” 

Is there a spiritual awakening taking place today in the Churches of Christ? How do you know? What evidence do you see? Can you prove it? What’s happening in our churches, in our culture, in the world, that gives you great hope for our movement?

Peace,

Allan

From start to finish, the Scriptures call God’s people to be different from the rest of the world. We are called to be separate. To be distinct from the culture. The apostle Paul sets his argument up in 2 Corinthians with a series of five rhetorical questions in which the answers are all negative. The answers to his questions are either none or nothing.

What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Nothing.

What fellowship can light have with darkness? None.

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? None.

What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? Nothing.

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? None.

What true Texan roots for the New York Yankees? None.

Paul could have gone on and on. And he kinda does. But he’s making the point that this point doesn’t really need making. It’s obvious. The Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are at severe odds. They always have been. We are called to stand out to the world as being very different from the world.

Now, let’s be clear, Paul is not talking about Christians withdrawing from the world. He’s not saying that Christians should only do business with other Christians, that we should only live in Christian neighborhoods, and eat only with other Christians in Christian restaurants. He’s not saying we have to play on Christian sports teams and go to Christian schools and exercise with Christian yoga groups at Christian church buildings. Those kinds of things aren’t even options, and never have been, throughout most of the world throughout all of history. Being involved in and in community with non-Christians is not only unavoidable and necessary, it’s actually essential for the spread of the Gospel. Paul’s not talking about a church commune out on a big ranch somewhere or a Christian compound up in the mountains. He’s talking about purifying the Christian community in order to do ministry.

We will not be able to minister to the world and thus fulfill God’s purpose for his church unless we show the people of the world that we are different.

From Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon:

“The most interesting, creative, political solutions we Christians have to offer our troubled society are not new laws, advice to Congress, or increased funding for social programs. The most creative social strategy we have to offer is the church. Here we show the world a manner of life the world can never achieve through social coercion or governmental action. We serve the world by showing it something that it is not, namely, a place where God is forming a family out of strangers.

The world needs the church, not to help the world run more smoothly or to make the world a better and safer place for Christians to live. Rather, the world needs the church because, without the church, the world does not know who it is. The only way for the world to know that it needs redeeming is for the church to point to the Redeemer by being a redeemed people. The way for the world to know that it needs redeeming, that it is broken and fallen, is for the church to enable the world to strike hard against something which is an alternative to what the world offers.”

The ministry of the church is not just to spread a message. The goal of the ministry is not merely information. We don’t assemble together and live and die together like we’re students in a classroom taking notes on theology. We are a pocket of God’s presence in the world. And from this pocket of God’s presence we are taking his world back from enemy hands. We live in enemy occupied territory. And God uses our alternative faith community and our transformed ways of thinking and speaking and acting to win it back.

“God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.” ~1 Thessalonians 4:7

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Speaking of Hauerwas, score another one for P-Grove! My great friend Jim Martin has been announced as the new vice-president at Harding School of Theology in Memphis. Jim is a godly man; beyond reproach; trustworthy and true. Our God speaks to Jim and I know that Jim listens. He is God’s dear friend. And I believe our God regards Jim as one of his greatest servants. And now our Lord has given him that next job.

If the people he leads at Harding receive just a tiny fraction of the blessings and strength and wisdom that Jim has given to me… Man, I can’t imagine the great impact this is going to have on God’s eternal Kingdom.

Peace,

Allan