Uffizi Mission Project

I would like to beg the church, plead with the church, fall at the alter at the church and weep until they welcome in the apostles and prophets.  It is partially for myself, and for the church itself, and for those outside the church that I dress up in rags and address the citywide church.  I don’t know how to do it.  How do I pull it off?

Part of it is because once again I lick my wounds.  I get tired of defending myself.  I had a conversation yesterday where I had to face the existing mind set and try to explain myself.  This is what I get all the time, “Well, what are you going to do with the people once you reach them?”  We have really messed this thing up with the missionary idea.

My reply is this - “How many missionaries do you think there are in any given church, by percentage?”  I would argue less that one percent of the church population is equipped, sent, and backed up by existing churches.  There are probably very few local missionaries here in my city. 

Here is another part of my answer.  The work of mission, incarnation is “our” responsibility.  It is the shared responsibility of the entire church to be missional.  Not that everyone has to be the ones to be sent out as scouts (like Joshua and Caleb), but when these scouts return, it is the responsibility of all the tribes to move into the promised land.  It was the responsibility of Israel to be a central blessing point for the entire world.

Our problem is the same - we don’t want to do the work.  Poor, poor us.  I mean that, because we don’t get to see what the Lord can do together, and we don’t get to see the literal kingdom of God now.  We wait for the banquet table up in heaven (which I am looking forward to), but we have table scraps now.

The church cannot mature without apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers (along with the other gifts of course) getting along and working together.  Still I must defend myself, because people think somehow I left for some bizarre reason, either because I am a postmodern backslider or have some selfish have to do it my own way. 

Here is what happened to me - God, for whatever reason, switched gifts on me.  He gave me this apostolic call…  I didn’t get it then, but I do understand it now.  He also dumped a bit of prophet into the recipe and that sealed the deal.  This is not about better - it is about different but equal.

I stand on this soap box - if we do not find a way to get along, if we do not get and give equal voice, none of us will mature, including myself.  Right now the power structure is slanted - I pray for equal ground and equal voice.

Well, here you go - ways that you can be a salt shaker in Santa Barbara.  Pretty basic stuff - Jesus asks us to be salt, and there are places in the city where some Kingdom taste needs to be mixed in.  Rather than blame the culture, we can jump in and radically change it.

First, you can go to www.lifewind.org to read about where we are going - moving from relief to transformation.  You will also see this site now on my blogroll so you can check in any time.

To start with, Jesus said, “Follow Me.”  This is where He is taking the church of Santa Barbara (as well as other places).  Now what happens if salt does not desire to be salt?

*Prayer Walking on the West Side - Thursdays at 12:30pm at the Village Apartments

This Thursday we walked throughout the lower West Side.  An ex-gang member filled us in on everythings - prostituation rings, drug labs, gang headquarters.  One of the residents at the Village apartments created poems about peace to put up all throughout the neighborhood.  Her children helped put the poems up.  These are the foolish Jesus followers believing in the vision of the Kingdom of God.

*Meal Sharing with Friends without Homes - Wednesday 5:30pm at Pershing Park on Castillo

This Wednesday it is like a parable.  The Turner Foundation is hosting a talent show barbecue.  It will be a mixture of all of us, friends without homes, Village apartment residents.  Someone is planning to yodel, some children will play violins, and some of our street friends will be doing a puppet show for the children.  It is the poetic Jesus in motion.

*Buying Shoes and Saving Lives - www.buyshoessavelives.org - Wednesday, August 27th at 7:00pm at North Star Coffee Company

How often do you get to hear stories from inside Iraq, and support some brothers and sisters who are literally saving the lives of children in Iraq?  Well, join us this Wednesday and join the movement.

Liquid church is happening.  For a long time, I had to argue that it was possible.  I get to argue from the scriptures, from the way Jesus did things - to urge a return to Christology.  New communities are being born, because of the hunger of the people for the transcendent Jesus, who is in culture, but not owned by any culture.  He is already there, and we have been finding Him.  We just point to people and say, “See, He has been here all along - we just haven’t been paying attention.

The words spoken to me, that the doors of friendship building, incarnational and loving mission, and union with Christ would be opened throughout Santa Barbara for the church is happening.  Now, the decision is yours - individually and corporately.

Are we ok with 6,300 people living on the streets in our city?

Are we ok with the neglected on the West Side?

Join the transformational movement as we seek to find the answer together.

Comment on where you are salt, or where you want to be salt, or your answer to the above questions.

Well, all right - let’s just jump right into the crazy impossible.  A friend of mine mentioned on Friday morning in our mens’ group that he believed he would raise the dead.  I have not personally witnessed this happening - like many of you have probably heard stories about this in other countries.  And, there is the promise that we would do everything Jesus did in the gospels.  I am going to remain open.

 But the main part of the story for me is this - I encouraged him, that if he wanted to raise the dead, he would have to be around dead people.  I don’t think my encouragement went over that well.  Am I mixing Hollywood with God in some sort of Sixth Sense activity?

No - what I mean is this - if you want to be involved with the reality of the Kingdom of God as expressed in the gospels, you will have to find a way to be around the sick and dying.   We have to make a decision to actually live amongst the people Jesus did, which are not always found at Starbucks, the local Church, or the gym.  (Though certainly they are there as well - and everywhere where I am because I am one of them)

But let’s give up the excuses…  That’s why I can’t help but always dive straight into the practical.  If you want to raise the dead, you will have to be around dead people.  If you want to help pregnant teens, you will have to be around pregnant teens.  If you want to stop gang violence, you will have to be around gang members.  Yes, I believe prayer works - so we can pray for all these things - but we can’t remain that distant.

Check this out - http://buyshoessavelives.com.  I have personally met one of the young men behind the scenes, who spent a year in Iraq, and who has started a work to save the lives of children in Iraq with heart defects.  You can read more about it on the website.  I love the idea of pre-emptive love.

You can’t get anywhere without pre-emptive love.  This is the love that rushes to get there before the war starts.  This is the love of God - who races to the scene before the car crash.  I know that there are alot of questions about God and world peace and why is there suffering?  These are huge questions.  I am not dealing with that here…

 I am dealing with this question - “Where are we?”  I happen to believe that we can place ourselves at the scene of the crime before the crime happens.

 We have had two nights at the Village apartments where we have gathered to pray for peace before weekends where gang violence was hinted at… and both weekend were peaceful.  But, we were there. 

 Please join the pre-emptive love movement.  Buy some shoes from Iraq for these kids.  (You can come into North Star Coffee Company on State Street and donate right there)   Or, go where God has already been nudging you to go.

Your thoughts - comment please!

Not too many of you knew me when I was 20 years old.  It is probably a good thing.  I recently sat down with a couple of old friends in San Jose and we talked about the good old days at Calvary Baptist Church, when I first began volunteering in a youth ministry there.  I had recently literally met Jesus, and was looking for a place to tie in.  The youth pastor recognized that I didn’t actually know a thing about God, so he put me in charge of announcements, etc…  He also knew I was the class clown of my old high school, so he unleashed a bizarre beast upon the students there every Wednesday night and Sunday morning.

One of the characters that I created was the two headed happy clown.  My friend Andy and I would dress up as one big clown, and appear whenever we wanted to, even in the middle of sermons and run amuck.  One time we handed out what we called chocolate chip cookies to all the kids, but really the chocolate chips were peppers.  The life of Happy Clown was short lived.

But it may clue you in to why I am the way I am today, and why I am considering writing The Proposal…  I would love for some kind of a eerie theme music to occur every time you read The Proposal, but I can’t seem to figure out how to do that on this blog.

The Proposal is simply this - we need 7 local churches to cooperate.  One will be the host church, and six would be churches that would sell their property and put it into a fund to serve the local poor.  Each church could then have one member on a board who would decide how the funds are used.  I think it is pretty simple and straight forward?  I’ve run it by a few people, and they either just laugh it off or demand that I write it.  What about you?

I know there is alot more you would have to deal with, but couldn’t we find a way for each of these churches to get the building for a day for their programs, etc?  After all, we do live in Santa Barbara.  About 80% of what we need to do could probably be done outside in local parks where it is usually 70 to 80 degrees.  (This is not to mention houses, coffee houses, and other meeting places where men and women of peace would welcome us)

We are talking about millions of dollars here that could be given toward the betterment or development for the local poor - more housing, job training, education, etc…  That’s alot of cups of water given to Jesus while He is hungry, thirsty, in prison.  You know the biblical drill.

Oh, you see, there are these budget cuts.  I have been reading about them in the paper, and who they will affect.  It usually comes down to services or education for the poor.  And I think we still have some stereotypes going around about the poor.  Those are easily dispersed when you sit down at Pershing Park or meet some friends at the Village.  Each woman or man has issues, like all of us, but the matter is really quite complex.

We make big claims about Jesus and about the church.  Growing up Baptist, I heard this phrase all the time - “The church is the hope of the world.”  I read the passages about salt and light, and I think I believed them.  I still do.  Maybe clown does not fit me so much now, but fool is probably ok.  We could grow up if we were more foolish with our money.

If The Proposal isn’t the right thing to do, what is?  Your chance to comment…

First of all, thanks to all who commented on last weeks mental rant.  I appreciate it - and I love your comments, whether in agreement or disagreement (and last week had both!)  This week, I seemed to find myself in the midst of agnostics, and what fun it is.  I had three conversations with self-proclaimed agnostics back to  back to back.  The reason I like it so much is because these men and women are saying, “I just don’t know.”  It seems reasonable to me in the midst of the turmoil we are in, to say, “I have no idea.”

 The intellectual evidence could make anyone human bi-polar.  Just spend a day watching the History Channel.  I just watched something on the history of alien activity on earth, and after that on the UC California channel a couple of moments about the latest thinking with evolution, and after that a movie on what Shell has done is foreign countries to find oil and the health ramifications upon poor natives.  In the midst of that you can find a religion station that talks about the prosperity Jesus promises…

And now about the island of plastic out in the ocean?  Have you heard about that?  See it at http://popsci.typepad.com/popsci/2007/10/giant-island-of.html

I intellectually understand the agnostic position.  I would gravitate toward it myself if I had not heard the call of Jesus, and experienced the love of God.  The love of God and the mercy of God is what draws right?

 It’s all about “missing.”  Not missing the point, or missing the mark, but that act of missing someone.  I have old high school friends that I “miss.”  I just miss being with them.  I believe this is close to the actual heart of God for all of us.  He misses being with us, and he initiates with us - the love of God compeled Him to send Jesus.

Our problem is not the actual intellectual sharing of the Gospel - we have done that and will continue to do that.  The problem is that we don’t “miss” old friends and new friends like God does.  We don’t carry enough love in our hearts. 

I am growing to love Facebook.  I know that there all kinds of opinions about it.  One is that it is not real community at all, or doesn’t really have anything to do with relationships.  But here is how I see it - people do want to know and be known.  The fact that they will put their lives out there, shows me that we are relational animals - and confirms the gospel message.  We crave love, we want to give love.  We just don’t know how to do it.  I love even the possibility of a new friend.

 Christ followers should just admit our need, and start leading the way.  I often say that Paul shared with us this secret - that love never fails.  Love is the only thing I know that never fails.  Other things often fail me, and I fail at - but learning to be a good lover is never going to let us down.

 Here is sadly what I feel - we are not with friends outside the walls of the church enough because we don’t love them.  Short and simple, but a painful epidemic.

I think if Jesus were here - he would be on Facebook.  I was even thinking of doing a page for Him myself, but wouldn’t want to get the biography wrong…  He would be very interested in inviting new friends, creating groups, poking people, using super powers…

 What do you think?

I feel like I should write quite randomly now, about my mental state and also what strikes my heart.  So, here it goes, and total random free writing.  (You know, I used to want to be a writer, so this is quite natural for me, though it may make no sense to you - my apologies ahead of time)

*I read a blog a friend sent me, where a pastor critiques The Shaping of Things to Come.  Most of it was fine, until he stated the church in California is quite fine, still working, and still largely respected in the culture.  Maybe Santa Barbara is not in California?  Can someone show me a map?  It is not what I pick up on the streets - is there a parallel universe?  And there was also the following statement, feeding people is not as important as sharing the gospel.  Well, just how do we separate it out like that?  I thought Jesus followers would be known for their grace, generosity and love?  If we don’t have that, can we just claim assent to the verbal gospel then and be done with it.  You know, I talk with Jesus every day to help me…

 *I experience real senses of “lostness”… for sure humanity has lost its way.  This is verified to me at Pershing Park, State Street, and the West Side.  You have all kinds of addictions - some because of riches and some because of poverty.  The addictions of the rich are found at Starbucks and stores where you can buy jeans for $500, the ability to buy whatever you want and hide your addictions… the addictions of the poor are obvious and don’t really need mention, except to know where our following Jesus occurs… (you can see the other pages for that info!).  But how about the crazy little thing called the lostness of the church, which may be a little bit harder to see.  But we have lost our love which compels us out and we have lost our mission.  We should be honest about both.

*I don’t like the phrases - “God only” or “God’s best.”  I hear God only all the time, like God only works in this way or that, as if we know all the mysteries of God.  Surely I hold on to this, Jesus is Lord and the Lordship is central.  I believe He as Lord gets to do whatever He wants whenever He wants… I heard “God’s best” today in a meeting where a gentleman said that “God’s best is immediate healing.”  While I agree that we pray for immediate healing, I know from my friends with addictions that healing is at best a long term process, and I don’t want to heap guilt on them for not getting better right away.

*I hear the liberals talk about doing the things of Jesus on radio 134o but they don’t necessarily want Jesus.  I hear the conservatives on 990am talking lovingly about Jesus but not necessarily wanting to do his works.  What?  Is there another radio station I can tune into?

*Do we want to be a Christian nation?  Surely a Christ following nation would be cool?  But how have we become the #1 arms dealer in the world?  I can’t get my head around that one.  I don’t think I am a complete pacifist, because I realize we need a military in a real world.  But perhaps Jesus would move us down the list to be #2?

*I am thankful for my friends and my family, whoever they are.  I am refreshed that I have some friends.  Thank you for being my friends and taking the time to read this.  Join in the adventure any time.

I was listening to the Nick Beeson radio show on am 1340 on Sunday afternoon.  I hardly ever hear someone on the radio talking about the homeless situation in Santa Barbara, but lo and behold someone cares! 

He had a guest on from the Santa Barbara housing authority, who shared that on any given day there are 6,300 homeless people in Santa Barbara.  Now this number includes all kinds of people, including individuals and families, who are sleeping on floors and couches with others, but nevertheless it is a daunting number.

After two years of meal sharing with these men and women, I can remark a bit about the challenge and some potential solutions… but I think the main need is for men and women to get involved personally and build friendships, and see where it goes from there.  Over these few years, some of our solutions are developing organically and because we are together - a process is developing.

Here is where we are headed:

#1 - We are committed to friendships.  This is first and foremost, because friendship is redemptive.  This is the wonder of the incarnational way, of the leading of Jesus.  Other things may grow, but we won’t leave this simplicity.

#2 - We are moving from relief to betterment and development.  We have set for ourselves the goal of developing a community that cares for itself and is empowered to do so.  This will take some time, but it is where we are going when fall 2008 hits.

#3- We are considering developing a church for our friends without homes.  We will keep meal sharing the way it is at the parks, but a few of us are considering a place where are friends can gather more specifically for relevant and culturally saavy prayer, teaching, worship.  This dream has come from talking with them as much as from the organic leadership which is developing.

#4 - The dream is no homeless friends on the streets.  There are no homeless in heaven, which is the model for earth.  Who can forget the memorable words - “on earth, as it is in heaven.”

Today I talked with a friend outside North Star coffee who is willing to work, but his construction skills are not necessarily needed.  Two Wednesdays ago I met a family who lost their home, and found us by chance on their way back to the midwest to live with family.  And recently I talked with a friend with a mental illness who drinks because he cannot afford medication, and drinking softens the voices.

Remember, there is no one story, so don’t believe those who don’t have friends who don’t have homes.  Come join us Wednesday night at 5:30 at Pershing Park and keep the dream of God alive.

I remember watching the old Bugs Bunny cartoon with Pete Puma.  Bugs Bunny asks him how many lumps he wants in his tea, and wallops him five times on the head when he says, “oh, three or four.”  (see the complete story at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045063/quotes)  I am sure some of you have seen the cartoon and get the whole idea…

I often find myself in this tug of war within the current church culture.  What kind of a prophet is God sending?  Does she or he need to be cold, luke warm, or hot?  Does the prophet come in fluffy silent slippers or with a hammer and a garbage can lid?  No, I am certainly not advocating violence, more just wondering what does it take to wake us up?

The argument for me comes from Ephesians 4 (a very biblical passage) and the idea that we need apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the maturing of the church.  I still argue that the pastors and teachers get a pretty good say, but what about the prophet.  I am not speaking about offices here, but ordinary people who are being swept up by the Spirit in unique ways.

My sense on the streets, via the sacrament of conversation, is that many of those who are having problems with current church models (though still loyal to the church Jesus died for, and lives for) are having issues because the apostle and the prophet have to be silent.  If we just keep the talk local - why is there such a difference between Montecito life and West Side life? (though a mere 5 miles separate them); what do we do with brothers and sisters who live on the streets?; what do we do with the disappearance of the middle class in our city?

People I know are receiving their lumps (hopelessness, addictions, being weathered by outside living, spiritual darkness, etc…).  Admittedly, each of us must take responsibility for our own lives.  I believe that - we can’t fix everyone and everything.

As a church, we are taking our lumps as well (not being effective missionally, having fears of “the other,” being isolated, etc…)

These five (and more) giftings must spin a web back to themselves.  We should revive the voice of the apostle and the prophet, while not disarming the pastors and teachers.  The apostle wants to press the kingdom of God to the fringes, and the prophet cries out to be very practical in our living out of the gospel.  We can talk about the heavenly and the very practical together.

I went on a prayer walk with my friend Hans on Sunday at the Village.  We were about to have a pancake breakfast there, and we decided to pray around the area beforehand.  We met three women who were trying to pack their car before leaving on vacation.  We were able to help them fit far too many things in far too small a vehicle.  A very practical gospel thing.

I am willing to take my lumps and move forward.  I don’t believe in a cosmic Bugs Bunny with a mallet - no I believe in a loving Father and a world in need of salvation.  The lumps are just about being human.  We can’t avoid them.  I hope the church can take the lumps from its prophets - whether cold, luke warm or hot.

Invite a prophet over today…

Comments?

A friend of mine who leads the blessing charge on the West Side, mentioned to me a few weeks ago that he saw a little girl at the Carrillo apartments jumping with an “invisible jump rope.”

This leads me to wondering, is the family so poor that she cannot afford a jump rope?  Is that a real possibility in Santa Barbara?  Sadly, I now realize that it is indeed a reality.

 If you drive by the apartments on the corner of Carrillo and San Pascual, the Carrillo apartments are indeed in a sad condition.  Since I work at the Village apartments now, I get to see these other apartments several days a week.  I have done several prayer walks through the area.  A few of us mapped out the many ways that we could bless the apartments.  Many have no screens, ancient doors - all settled in the midst of a setting of dirt (no lawns, play area, pool, community center).

What does it take to get a new jump rope to a girl with an invisible one?  Is that the question that might open the way to greater blessings?  How would you find her such a simple thing, and get it to her?

Meanwhile, good things are happening on the West Side.  In the past month we have witnessed a baptism, a new Christ follower this past Wednesday, and a prayer gathering of community members and Village dwellers.  The prayer gathering asked for a weekend of complete peace on the West Side, and they got what they asked for.  (If you want to find out about the Village apartments, you can click the link on my website)

But there are still areas of “invisibility.”  What I mean are things quite possible but not yet realized, and with the power of God these things can come into being.  I believe God would have us partner with Him in this.  After all, I don’t know if an angel is going to appear with a golden jump rope and give it to the child we are considering here.

There are “invisible” better jobs needed - there are “invisible” father figures for children without dads - there are “invisible” addiction cures - there are “invisible” friendship builders - there are “invisible” prayer walkers.  The list could go on…

 God is creative - creates out of nothing.  He is the master of miracles and most of the time these miracles are quite practical.  Let’s do away with dualism.  Dualism might say that giving a girl a jump rope is not a spiritual act - but Jesus does away with this by his comments on the power of giving someone a cup of cold water.  But someone, some community, must be committed to the simple work of being there.  I continue to invite you all in, to make the invisible visible.

Please comment on this - how would you find this girl and get her a jump rope?  Can this simple act be essential to the larger idea of redemption and salvation?

I can remember walking into a pastors’ prayer meeting, holding a copy of the Bible and another book, The End of Poverty, by Jeffrey Sachs.  I have to admit that I was equally excited about reading them both (though the one of poverty was on top that day!)  Another pastor wandered over, gave me a bit of a condescending look, and said, “You know, Jesus said the poor would always be with us.”  I got the message - “don’t get too excited about the social justice bit…”  I know this because he did not stick around to talk about it.

Could that be the kind of Jesus we have - telling us not to try too hard because the poor will always be here, so get used to it buddy.  Sounds a bit depressing to me.  Especially since you can go back to the gospels and see at the announcement of his birth (the song of Mary) and see God’s heart for the poor, you can find it in His message (the beatitudes), and you can find it in who he associated with on the streets.  God loves those who are poor, and in fact aligns Himself with them.  If you really want to get pressed, start reading Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren.  (It gets good more in the middle for me…)

Now, I spent a good amount of time in Deuteronomy 15 today, praying through it, considering it.  You should read it for yourself… but in it God flips you around like a rubix cube (do they still make these things?)  He says that if you follow Him and His commands, you won’t have poor in the land, while at the same time He tells us indeed the poor will always be with us.  So, which one is it?  Well, to me I think His thought that the poor will always be with us is more like a call to move in compassion toward them.  He specifically says for us not to “close our hand” toward those who are in need.  So I would suggest that there is a plan, a loving strategy, to move toward those in need and work side by side with them for their welfare.

 You know His first message, tied to Isaiah 61, was that He came to bring “the favorable year of the Lord.”  This is tied to the idea of “jubilee,” which in turn is connected to forgiving debts and equalizing the financial playing field.

The Uffizi Mission will continue to work hand in hand with Jesus in bringing the favorable year of the Lord, and determining what that means in a 21st century culture.  New things are in the works - partnering with new churches, developing a commission to understand and meet the needs of the poor through the Turner Foundation.  Please join us of course.  Jesus invites you in.

I want to consider the top three issues in Santa Barbara, specifically related to the poor.  If you have thoughts on what those are, please leave a comment - or comment on other things.