Creation and Community

I'm taking a group of youth to Lutherdale Bible Camp tomorrow. For several years I have been taking groups from various congregations I have served to camps in several states. It's going to be a great time for all of us.

In many ways my experience of camp has followed my growth in faith. Ten years ago I took a group to camp for the first time while I was an intern in Sioux City, Iowa. Located in the lakes region of western Iowa, Lutheran Lakeside Camp was a great place to come together as a community, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday and immerse ourselves in God's creation. But I have to admit I was a little afraid of being cut from modern life. I drove into town each morning to buy a copy of the USA Today in order to keep up with what was happening in baseball.

My favorite memory of that week, one I didn't expect, was the good people I met at camp. There were several pastors there who were easy to talk to and gave me many encouraging words since I was still in the seminary/candidacy process. About a month after I returned from camp one of those pastors, Ray Miltner, who himself was about to retire from ministry, sent me a gift of a prayer book that I have used in my devotions ever since.

So for me camp is certainly about the escape, the outdoors stuff, the bugs, the water, the trees, and the hikes... but most importantly it is about the people you meet and share community with for a spirit-filled week. Those connections have helped me in my faith journey. I know that has also been the experience of many of the youth who go to camp. They bring back home with tme memories those many connections they made with new friends and mentors. The seeds of the gospel have been sown in there heart.

As you live your faith, be intentional about getting out of your comfort zones and find new communities and new people that will help you grow.

This Place is a Zoo

I took the kids to the Lincoln Park Zoo on Sunday. It was a beautiful day for walking around, taking in the sights and seeing the animals. The highlight for the kids was watching the King of the Jungle standing and sitting high on top of a rock in the lion exhibit. It drew quite a crowd. Kinda like a scene from the movie Madagascar.

For me the most impressive animal at the zoo that Sunday was the human animal. In the couple of hours we were there we encountered families of many different races and nationalities speaking a wide variety of languages. To go with English I heard Spanish, German, Polish, Arabic and Chinese (or at least I think it was Chinese.) At times my kids were playing in the Children's Zoo area with kids who spoke English, but understood completely when their mother said "let's get going" in Spanish (or at least I think she said "let's get going.") It was the same way later on with a family which spoke Arabic.

The variety of people and cultures that can be found around the globe are too numerous to number completely. And you know what... they were all created by God. We live in a time of great tension and too many wars. Our natural instinct is to not trust one another. But on this day, in a zoo, we all spoke the same languages of family, togetherness, and a love for the nature God has blessed us with.

Sunday gave me hope. In God's good world, among God's children, there is hope for peace.

A Fish Out of Water

Have you ever felt like Chevy Chase? Me neither. Well... that was until Sunday. Valerie and I took the kids for a drive Sunday afternoon around Chicago. (I think I can live here for 40 years and never tire of seeing the impressive Chicago skyline as you approach the city. Since last summer we have often taken the kids to the city for a drive.) On this drive we found ourselves cruising around the North Side, ending up in an area called Wicker Park. I wanted to check out a pizza place I had read about in the Tribune. Amazingly, we found a close parking space on North Ave so we could park the SUV and drag the kids out for a bite to eat.

Of course there was hustle and bustle all over the city since it was Sunday, a beautiful spring day, and a good chance for residents to enjoy life. In the pizza place there were tables with college students and singles just taking it easy. Outside young couples were walking by on the sidewalk. Two or three women were walking their dogs. And they all looked modern, young, and stylish. Even the people who were scruffy seemed to look that way as a fashion choice. On-the-other-hand, the Dusso family looked like transplants from suburbia. It was not our choice to look scruffy. Picture this: the SUV, the noisy kids, my toddler running circles around pizza joint, and the young, urban, artistic professionals either looking at us funny or at least attempting to ignore us. See what I mean by Chevy Chase.

You know what though... it was fun. And the people working at the place where nice. After all this is Chicago and not New York. Yeah my family may fit in better at a suburban mall than walking around a hip and trendy urban neighborhood, but I'm always up for an adventure.

Christians should have experiences like this when it comes to faith, feeling like the Apostle Paul instead of Chevy Chase. Get out of the fishbowl and into the world. Bring the love of Christ into all the places you go through your outstretched arm, listening ear, and caring heart. It might feel odd at first, but when you look back you will be glad you went.

Faithful Expectations

I moved to the Chicago area in August just in time for football season. With no Chicago baseball teams in the playoffs the eyes of the Chicago sports world quickly focused on the the Windy City's beloved Chicago Bears. What a season they had. They went 13-3 in the regular season, clinching home-field advantage with nearly a month yet to play. Now they are in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1986.

But as I read my Chicago Tribune, week after week the last five months, I often came away thinking that this Bears teams was lousy and Coach Lovie Smith was one of the reasons. For example, from the beginning of the season most of the sports reporters felt that Rex Grossman should not be the quarterback of the Bears. When the Bears beat Arizona in October despite Grossman's blunders the press wanted Lovie to replace him permanently with backup Brian Griese. Lovie said he would not make a change at quarterback. He also stayed positive by pointing to the Bears' undefeated record. But the press mocked Lovie and expected the Bears to fail.

When defensive lineman Tank Johnson was arrested for the third time since 2004 outside a Chicago nightclub in November and his best friend was shot and killed a few days later, the media insisted that Lovie drop Johnson from the team. He was too much a distraction and will hurt team chemistry. Lovie said he would not and pointed to the relationship of trust he had with his players. Once again the press mocked Lovie and expected the Bears to fail.

When the Bears closed the season on New Year's Eve against the arch rival Green Bay Packers sports reporters reminded Lovie of his promise to make beating the Packers his number one priority when he became the Bears' coach in 2004. They asked if that promise still mattered? Naturally, the Bears played a flat game, looked awful, and were soundly beaten 26-7 by Brett Favre and company. The media was furious blaming everyone in blue and orange, and especially Lovie. But the coach did not waver from his confidence and high expectations for his team. Lovie reminded the press that the Bears were the best team in the NFC and assured them that they would be ready for the playoffs. Again, the media mocked Lovie and expected the Bears to fail.

But here we stand today with the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Guess who was right? Whose expectations were fulfilled?

When Jesus calls the fisherman Simon (Peter) to "be catching people" in Luke 5:1-11 there is an interesting twist that is unique to Luke. Before his conversation with Peter, Jesus uses Peter's boat to move a few yards away from the lakeshore in order to speak to a crowd of people. Afterwards Jesus instructs Peter to put his nets out for a catch. Now Peter and his partners had had an awful night fishing. They were not able to catch anything. Many years of experience told Peter that throwing out the nets again would be a waste of both their time and energy.

So Peter's first response to Jesus' request to go out into the deep water to catch some fish was one of doubt. "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing." But it doesn't take long for Peter to find some faith. "Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." Guess what... They caught so much fish their nets began to break.

What expectations have you placed upon yourself when it comes to living your faith? How are you doing with your prayers? How often are you reading Scripture? Have you talked to someone about the Bible or Jesus? Are your expectations about being a Christian so small that in your mind all you need to do is go "to church" on Christmas and Easter and that's fine?

The media did not expect much of Lovie Smith or the Bears this year. And for a Packer fan like myself, it was kinda fun to see. Whenever someone in my congregation was excited about the Bears I would say "yeah, but what are you guy's going to do about Grossman?" Or I would ask, "What about that Tank Johnson thing?" Now that the Bears are in the Super Bowl there are no seeds of doubt for me or the media to plant in the minds of the faithful fans of the Monsters of the Midway. They are all Lovie disciples now.

After hearing Jesus' message along that lake, Peter was faithful enough to throw his nets in the water, though he was doubtful. But after Peter witnesses that miraculous catch he and his partners James and John "left everything and followed him" without hesitation. They even left that record catch of fish.

Do you need a Super Bowl appearance or a net full of fish in order for you to raise your expectations about Jesus and faith? There are so many things you are capable of through the Spirit. You will miss so much if you allow those negative voices that insist that you're not good enough to affect you. Lovie didn't change his tune all year. Nor has Jesus ever changed his expectations. Keep your expectations high and open your life to the spiritual blessings that are available to you. Not only will grow in faith, but soon you will even be catching people. Catch the spirit and bring others to joy in Christ with you.

The Porpoise Diving Life

I'm a fan of Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life." True, I don't agree with all his theology. Yes, it's hard for me to get past Warren's scare tactics of the first few chapters ("days") that talk about standing before God at the "final exam" before entering eternity. But I got beyond those issues because Warren's book has shown millions of people that faith in Jesus Christ is worth living, and by living it you find a purpose that is greater than the "live for the moment, live for yourself" message of society. The book is excellent.

Then yesterday I came upon a website called "The Porpoise Diving Life" while googling for something completely unrelated. I asked myself, is this website the equivalent of "The Onion" or the "Daily Show" satire? Is it a joke? No, not really. Actually its a site with content by Bill Dahl that is a sincere effort to reach out to people who are looking to go beyond Warren's 40 days.

Dahl is part of the "Emerging Church" movement that's growing in the United States. In a nation with thousands and thousands of churches there are too many people who are turned off by the sloth of mainline denominations and the consumerism of some mega-church evangelicals. Those who call themselves part of the emerging church function outside of church structures and inside the media of this 21st century world: especially through the internet and blogs.

I must admit that I'm not necessarily on line with the emerging church movement, but I admire their mission and the fruit they seem to be bearing for Christ. The body of Christ includes all believers in Christ. If mainline denominations are missing people... if evangelicals are sometimes off track... if people feel left out... then their must be an "emerging church" for the rest. Christ will not leave any of his children out. I hope to learn more about the "emerging church" in the coming months.