All of my life, I have been friends with people of different ethnicities, from different countries around the world, living in America, often 1st or 2nd generation Americans. For the past 3 years, I have been the foreigner, the stranger in a strange land. It has made me appreciate “home”  all the more and in some measure has increased my empathy with those living in a country that is not their native land. My two youngest children were born here and most of my family has met neither of them, so that’s a bit hard. Still, I firmly believe God led us here to this place. We are holding on to the promise, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) But I am digressing…

The point of this post is to let you know that I am stepping out into more of an independent contractor role. I will still be doing work for The Salvation Army, but I will be working on more independent projects. What this means is that a lot of the things I used to do for free or as favors for people I can no longer afford to. It is a bit of a leap of faith, even more scary considering there are now five of us in our little family. Here are a couple of things I would love for you to do:

1) Pray for us. Even if it’s just a one time thing, right now. We believe in the power of prayer and the power of specific prayer. Pray that God would continue to open doors for my ministry. Pray for our family’s health and financial needs. Pray for our children.

2) If you haven’t already, please check out the three projects I am leaving behind as I finish up here in Melbourne.

Hope.Glory — live worship album (CD/DVD) / www.hopeglory.com.au
God & Toast — 41 short verbatim Scripture songs for kids /  www.salvationarmy.org.au/cad
Quiet Spaces — solo piano meditations based on Psalm 23 / www.salvationarmy.org.au/cad

3) It may seem like a small thing, but social networking is very important. If you don’t already do so, please follow me on Twitter and Facebook, and spread the word to your friends as well. The more you retweet and/or share things I post, the more exposure my work gets, and the more likely it is that people will support the projects I’m involved in.

As I keep mentioning, there are at least 2 projects in the works at the moment. One is an EP based around the theme of surrender that will include “I Surrender” and “I’m In His Hands”. The other is a “family” album that I absolutely cannot wait to get started recording.

Thanks, guys! Let me know you’re listening by leaving a comment below or sending me a message through the contact form above.

You’re welcome. I mean, really, I could just stop writing there. Karate Kid. Fake Japanese houses. And Peter Cetera singing about the glory of love.

The words “glory” and “love”, when put into a Christian context however, are quite different.

Growing up, my understanding of God’s interest in me centered around personal salvation and personal holiness. I remember hearing little of God’s glory but much about His love. (That is not to say that glory wasn’t spoken of, only that what I remember hearing was mostly about God’s love.) Then in 1997, I met some Christians with an understanding of God that seemed to be more intentionally centered around His sovereignty and greatness. Not only that, they insisted that God Himself was also interested in His own greatness. This rubbed me the wrong way. It seemed arrogant and selfish of God to be concerned about His own glory. It seemed contrary to the character of Jesus to say that God was out to let everyone know how great He was.

Of course, this mischaracterization of the word “glory” comes from an improper understanding of God’s nature.

When Moses asks God to show him His glory, God responds by saying, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” (Exodus 33:19, NIV) God’s glory is incomprehensibly greater than we can fathom but it is essentially His goodness, His mercy and His compassion. And if God’s nature/glory is wrapped up in His goodness, and if His glory is infinite, how could the Creator of the universe not desire that everyone behold the greatness of His glory?

Every year at the major Christian holidays, something different seems to pop out to me about the story of Jesus. Two things in particular have stood out to me this Easter. First is the part of the story where Jesus is arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. Peter cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant and Jesus immediately heals it. Matt Papa tweeted poignantly about this and it really stuck with me:

Why heal the soldiers ear? Amid all the turmoil & betrayal? Why stop? Why bother? Why not just get it all over with? Mercy. Endless Mercy.

April 6, 2012 9:00 AM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@matt_papa

Matt Papa

Mercy. Compassion. Goodness.

The second thing that has resonated deeply with me this Easter season is the prayer that Jesus prayed in the garden right before being arrested. He begins by speaking of glory. He ends speaking of love. And in the last few verses of John chapter 17, Jesus’ prayer ties together so beautifully both the love of the Father and the glory of the Father. What stopped me in my tracks this year is the last sentence. In it, Jesus expresses His desire, not just that we would be filled with love, but that the very same love God the Father has for the Son would be in us. The same love. In us! Think about that. It is incomprehensible. Truly unfathomable.

I encourage you to read Jesus’ prayer in the garden this Easter and meditate on His last words, His prayer for you and me, the believers who trust in Him because of the faith and witness of every Christian who has gone before us. As He faced His final hours before death, the mocking, the beating and all He carried on His shoulders, He laid out His purpose plain and clear. His prayer is that we would be one and that we would know the glory of love shared between Father and Son before time. Meditate on that reality during this Easter season as you think of all He has done.

From Paul Baloche‘s new album The Same Love:

The same God that spread the heavens wide
The same God that was crucified
Is calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name

Have a great Easter…

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Autism is five times more prevalent in boys than in girls and does not seem to be a respecter of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. A recent study shows that about 1 in 88 children in America has been identified with an ASD. That number is significantly higher than a 2002 study which estimated 1 in 150 children. There is much debate over whether the rise is due to an increase in prevalence, improvement in diagnosis, or both. Most people diagnosed with autism live with it their entire lives. No conclusive research has determined its cause, but most scientists agree it is somewhat genetic. Here’s a few more statistics from the study linked above:

• Medical expenses for those with an ASD are about 4-6x greater than those without
• Costs associated with autism reached $126 billion per year in the United States, or triple the figure it was six years ago
• Many parents of children with ASDs notice a developmental problem before their child’s first birthday

When my second son, Aiden, was born 3 years ago, there were no immediate signs that anything was wrong. However, as months went on, he had trouble sleeping through the night (more so than normal), became agitated easily and just wasn’t developing verbally. He didn’t seem to enjoy being held or cuddled and would often not respond to his name. He was very active, crawling nearly as soon as he could turn over; he began walking at 9 months. All babies put things in their mouths, but with Aiden it was more about licking things. Nothing was safe from Mr. Tongue. I have a great picture of him on the outside of a sliding glass door with a big fat tongue pressed up against it, drool streaks running down both sides of his mouth.

The hardest thing for me, though, is something almost unquantifiable. It’s hard to put into words other than to say I just didn’t seem to be able to connect with Aiden. With my firstborn and now with my youngest, I sense they are aware of me and love me, feel affection for me and are able to reciprocate loving actions. (In some cases, even initiating them.) My middle child does these things (kissing, hugging, etc), but it seems mostly a mimicked behavior rather than his own expression. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but it’s the best I can describe it. He has real trouble if there is deviation from a regular routine.

Late last year, Aiden’s pediatrician referred us to an early intervention centre for autism. Aiden was monitored and given a series of tests and games to measure his motor skills, cognitive and social abilities. After several weeks, we received the diagnosis of autistic disorder with developmental and language delay.

We do not have all the answers and at this point—several months in from the diagnosis—we are even unsure of how to pray, what to hope for, what to expect. It is difficult to know what part the spiritual realm plays in all of this, but I believe God has the ability to heal and deliver any person from any affliction, including autism. (That doesn’t mean necessarily that He will, but I believe that He can.) For now my prayers are around healing and wisdom. Whatever the case, it’s clear by the latest figures that there is an epidemic of sorts that needs unraveling.

Let’s help raise awareness about autism tomorrow and throughout this month. Find out more at: www.lightitupblue.org (www.lightitupblue.com.au).

Once after taking the bus home from school, I found myself locked out of my house, having lost my keys. As fate would have it, there was a gang that just happened to be strolling through my neighborhood at that very moment. Lucky me. One of the guys in the gang—a black guy—pulled a knife on me and thrust me up against the door of my house. I was forced to choose between kissing his foot in front of his friends or getting stabbed. Sad to say, I didn’t have the courage to take a knife wound that day.

Before I got married, I was paying at the outside window of a gas station late at night. A black man approached me and asked me for some money but I didn’t really have any to give. Minutes later, I found myself with a gun to the back of my head, this same man now not asking, but demanding money.

When my wife and I decided to move from Atlanta to Boston in 2006 to finish my degree, we rented out our house to two close friends of ours. The agreement was based largely on trust (a big no-no, I know), but we had no reason to think we would be let down. A year later, the rent payments started coming in late. Despite numerous grace periods, it wasn’t long before payments stopped altogether, with no explanation. Two of our close friends—both black—had now betrayed our trust and left us thousands and thousands of dollars in debt.

Several weeks ago, a young black man in a hoodie was killed by a Hispanic man in Sanford, Florida. No matter who you are or where you come from, when you heard the news about Trayvon and Zimmerman, your initial reaction was most likely based on your skin color and your experience with people of different skin color or ethnicity. And because of your different experiences (or lack thereof), it is likely that you were seeking (or at least had an inclination/temptation to seek) an explanation of the situation that would confirm your own biases/suspicions.

Based on the stories I’ve related to you above, you would probably think that my initial inclination would be to come to the defense of Zimmermann. Surely with all of the injustices perpetrated upon me by black people I would have developed a hatred or distrust of African Americans. But you would be basing your judgment on incomplete information, because I haven’t given you the whole story.

You see, growing up, my parents were instructors at a college of sorts. One of the students was a black man named Kelly who used to take time with me weekly on the basketball court, teaching me the basics of how to play.

In 10th grade, one of the first and few people to befriend me was my chemistry partner, a black guy named Mahir. Mahir was hilarious and got us both in trouble with the teacher more than once, as I recall.

Out of high school, my first “responsible” job was as an assistant music director, working under my friend Bill. Bill has for years mentored young black men, and he took me under his wing as well. I really thought I knew it all, but I had a lot to learn in the way of work ethic, accountability and leadership.

I also conveniently left out the fact that there were many times in my childhood (particularly while attending a nearly-all-white private Christian school) that I was physically bullied by plenty of Caucasian students, publicly belittled by white teachers or verbally berated by white music instructors. But then, that wouldn’t be as interesting, would it?

The first news most people heard of the Trayvon/Zimmerman tragedy was almost immediately tainted by the racially-charged politicking of some black politicians. But as the news has unfolded and details have emerged, we have learned that the case is not as clear cut as it first appeared to be. Others in the black community have stepped forward (including a friend of the man who shot Trayvon) to ask that those tempted to rush to judgment would let justice run its course. The public outcry and rallies (not to mention consumeristic exploitation) seem to have been based on incomplete information. Not necessarily false information, mind you, but information that at best only shows part of the story.

I do not mean to imply that there is no injustice in the killing of Trayvon, or that racism does not exist in America and, particularly, in the area of the country where the shooting took place. (If anything, I think the conversation should take place around the issue of gun control, gun ownership and the carrying of concealed firearms in public, but that’s a different blog post.)

Instead what I am trying to get at is the issue of what we choose to believe.

I grew up hearing a grandmother mumbling racist remarks under her breath whenever a non-white person would come on the television. I also grew up witnessing my parents (Salvation Army officers) extend charity and courtesy to everyone they came in contact with, regardless of race. Based on those formative experiences and my life experiences, I have the option of choosing either to believe negative stereotypes or to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I could choose to have selective memory and say that Trayvon probably got what he deserved (whether or not it’s true). Or I could choose to reserve judgment until all the evidence has been aired. I could choose to treat people on an individual basis, judging them on the “content of their character.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Regardless of whether race had any part to play in the Trayvon shooting, the cultural tragedy (above and beyond the personal tragedy for Trayvon’s family) is the apparent rush to judgment by some (in the media, in political establishments and in special interest groups) who cannot seem to see any issue but through the lens of racism, which in turn, ironically, makes their statements seem racist. To them I would paraphrase Dr. King and say that racism cannot drive out racism: only true justice can do that.

It may well turn out that race played a factor in the killing of Trayvon. It is certain that race is playing a factor in the reaction. It’s impossible to divorce race from the equation completely. Anytime someone is killed by a member of a different race—and, in America especially (given our nation’s history), when a black man is killed by a lighter skinned man—there is the propensity for the population identifying with the victim to vilify the other race entirely. But it is possible to withhold judgment and refrain from race-baiting while seeking justice and allowing our judicial process the chance to evaluate the entire body of evidence.

And that is what we should do.

Increasingly people are choosing to live large portions of their lives as alternate online characters, but even more fascinating is the fact that millions more do so in their everyday, real-world lives, putting on and taking off identities like clothing…

Christians also take off and put on identities in different places. One can have an evangelical Christian worldview, a secular sex life, an economic rationalist approach to money, conservative vote, and a liberal approach to humor. However, while we may become adept at holding together so many divergent beliefs and personalities, the strain is most certainly felt. Psychologist Kenneth J. Gergen has labelled this breakdown into multiple selves and commitments multiphrenia. Theologians Richard Middleton and Brian Walsh point out that in many ways this contemporary phenomenon of multiphrenia bears a strong connection to Jesus’ encounter of the demoniac in the gospel of Mark: “When we search for a biblical analogy to multiphrenia, the demon-possessed man of Mark 5 comes to mind… “My name is Legion, for we are many” …Controlled by many spirits, the man in the biblical story was tormented, homeless, and in need of healing. So, it seems to us, is the contemporary, post-modern psyche.” We have much in common, then, with Legion, a man tormented by hundreds of demons, a man torn apart by multiple identities and entities. Multiphrenia does not bring us any closer to wholeness. Instead, we are fragmented, our identity smashed in pieces.

The book is a fascinating read so far, and this section in particular has echoes of Kierkegaard’s definition of purity of heart being “to will one thing”. I am looking forward to finishing the rest of the book and would recommend it to anyone struggling with issues of identity. Mark is the founder of über, “a ministry that specializes in issues of youth and young-adult discipleship”. (I bought The Vertical Self after attending “The Road”, a great 2-day mini-conference that coincided with another book Mark has just written. Check out all of his stuff at www.redchurch.org.au/mark-sayers/)

“To reform worship within a prophetic spirit is the heart of our tradition, and to deny that is to disallow the subversive and dangerous memory of Jesus in the church.”
-Kelly Pope

“What I realise in other churches is that there is a lot more time spent worshipping than in the Salvation Army.”
-Mhairi Smeaton

Please, nobody send me Romans 12:1. The English language doesn’t do us any favors here – for lack of better terms, the issue we’re raising is one of corporate adoration, not day-to-day living out the Christian life (Romans 12:1 can be rendered either “spiritual act of worship” or “reasonable act of service, depending on your translation.)

“Perhaps if we were to understand that it’s always about growth…which does involve change as a normal process of this – then we would begin to step out in which ever way is relevant for our particular community – and see what power would come from that?”
-Marj Rava

Ok, so far it’s been all ladies commenting. Hey, men, where you at?

“I was told… ‘If you don’t like how the army is, find another church.’ Needless to say, I was shocked and, frankly, crushed.”
David McQueen

Ouch. Unfortunately, I’ve heard this same sentiment echoed not just by a few people here and there, but by some in high leadership positions. It goes to the heart of what the Army’s “non-negotiables” are. Who is more of a Salvo (the Aussie term for a Salvationist – I kinda like it): someone who wears a uniform, doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke (what do you do?) and only comes to a meeting once a week, or the adherent that volunteers with the Army to help feed the homeless during the week and then goes out for a beer with his friends on the weekend? Both? Neither? Who defines “how the Army is”? And is that open to change? Is it open to evolution (the methods, not the mission)? Call me crazy, but I see a real parallel here between what is happening in the Army today and what happened when “Gentiles” were first included in the community and mission of the early Church—some Jewish Christians wanted to make them first become Jews before becoming Christian. And we know how that went down.

“There is nothing inherently wrong with contemporary so long as we do not treat the transition like another protestant reformation movement and, in the heat of the “battle” ongoing, label the traditions of others as antiquated. That would be greatly exaggerating the plight of the younger generation and demonstrates a lack of respect owed to those who have labored before us. To that I would say that in time, what you deem “contemporary” will one day be traditional and not quite as welcome.”
- Thomas Monroe

“One fascinating thing is that it seems to be that many feel it easier to develop a contemporary music program.  Not so, and that is where I think we might find a lot of push back.”
-Bob

Bob, I completely agree.  When I have the chance to speak about musical groups, I always mention one of the advantages a brass band has over most contemporary teams, strictly in terms of musical excellence, is that the structure is such that one more or one less instrument doesn’t overly affect things. If you’re just starting to play (and this is true with symphonies as well), you are bettered by the people around you playing the same part. It takes a ton more effort and individual instruction to get an average understanding of your typical one-person-to-an-instrument worship team.

“As epic as a band piece can sound, they hardly evoke the same kinetic effect found in the music of Coldplay or even Skrillex. You can’t dance, stomp or mosh to a brass band.”
- Gary Whimburg

Maybe not most Salvation Army brass bands, but I could definitely move my feet to this.

Perhaps the best comment is from my friend Randy. I have to admit that it hit me good:

As I approach middle age and find myself reflecting, I believe I have to accuse myself and those in my generation of an offense: we have been arrogant.

In an effort to bring about a new revolution or revival, we disregarded the experience and efforts of generations of those who had gone before. I think the most egregious of these was the accusation that they were irrelevant and passionless.

If I were to answer your initial question – “Why are there not more modern expressions of Salvation Army spirituality and ecclesia?”, it would be simply that those of us trying to do so lacked the proper humility and respect warranted for such an endeavor. We focused on the form rather than its function, we emphasized the method over the Messiah, and we were offensive (sometimes unknowingly) in the process.

Most modern expressions of ecclesia are the result of a collaborative spirit of those who see new soil ripe for harvest. They are willing to either start completely from scratch or use existing resources available to them through an accountability structure. However, in the latter scenario accountability must be about integrity and orthodoxy, not methodology. The conversation has seemed to have been centered around methodology which would be why I believe these “modern expressions” have been less present.

With that said, if such communities are going to be present in the future, it will require that the revolutionary engage without arrogance but with accountability knowing there are those who have gone before with experience and knowledge who are vital resources. And the traditionalist must engage without fear but with open hands knowing that the message of the Gospel never changes, but the address to where it is being delivered does. In the end, the common ground here is the Gospel being proclaimed from generation to generation and new communities established to reach their ever-changing worlds for Christ.

be assured my comments are strongly stating a need for open hands for those who have the ability to encourage (and resource) the new pioneers. Otherwise, it’s possible we’ve allowed our methods, sacraments, or structures to become idols.

As much as the world moved quickly in my youth, it moves at lightning speed now and we can’t expect our communities and expression to look the same in this day and age. It takes an open mind, an open heart, and open hands to see it, to feel it, and to encourage it. The question we all need to ask is: are those kind of leaders present? Am I that kind of leader or have I clenched my fists?

Well said. Thanks, Randy.

I wanna apologize if I offended anyone – I tried to choose my words carefully so that they would be seen not as disparaging what forms and traditions are present/former and effective. If anything, I think the best way to understand and honor those traditions is to see them in the light of the history that is being written. New and vibrant and relevant (think Paul at the Areopagus) forms and expressions that are true to our heritage, when implemented in an authentic and humble way, will only serve to deepen our appreciation of that heritage.

(And yes, every image on this page is linked to the TSA Wardrobe website, simply because I love their stuff. No, I’m not getting any royalties.)