And Elisha Went Over

Over the past several Sundays we have focused on the three services of the Christian community: 1) Attentive listening to the people in and around our community, listening to their needs and fears, hopes and dreams. 2) Active helpfulness by finding ways to help those in our community that doesn't hurt them but to help exactly where their needs are and help them to know a fuller life in Christ by showing them better ways to live. 3) To bear one another's burdens so that we may fulfill the law of Christ, by lifting up one another in prayer, by encouraging one another, and by walking along side one another, caring in deep meaningful ways. These three services are services that embody how a Christian community is to function and we function this way because it is Christ, who is our pioneer in faith, the one we are to imitate, who showed us how to function in a serving way.

Sometimes, preachers have the tendency to get in their own way when they preach. Today, I simply wish to share one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament that I believe embraces all we have spoke about these past few months.

After a very long week, in which Elijah built an altar and challenged the prophets of Baal to a “god-off”, he went on the run because Jezebel, seeking vengeance, made a vow to take his life. Being afraid, as we all would, Elijah fled to the wilderness. He retreated a day's journey into the wilderness, and under a solitary broom tree, alone, he prayed, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life away, for I am no better than my ancestors.”

Elijah is worn out, feeling depressed. He has been zealous for the Lord, being the Lord's prophet for many years, and he is done. An angel touches him and tells him to get up and eat because the journey will be too much for him. After laying down and waking again and eating once more, he went on for forty days and forty night to Horeb, the mount of God. He climbed inside a cave and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for you! For the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your alters, turned from you, killed your prophets, and I am left alone. Now they are seeking my life.”

The Lord spoke, “Go out and stand on the mountain before me. For I am about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong it tore down a 300 year old oak, but the Lord was not in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. A gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah answered once again, “I have been very zealous for you; for the Israelites have forsaken you and your covenant, tore down your altars, and killed your prophets. I am alone and they are seeking to take my life, to take it away.” The Lord said to you, “Go. Return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you get where you're going, anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Anoint Jehu as king over Israel. When you have done that, go and anoint Elisha as prophet in your place.”

Elijah sat out from there and found Elisha at the farm plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother goodbye, and then I will follow you.” Then Elijah said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” He returned from following him, took the yoke of the oxen, and slaughtered them; cooked them and gave them to the people, and they ate. Then Elisha set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

After following and serving Elijah, the time came for Elisha to take Elijah's place. They traveled together on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came to Elisha, asking, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” He looked at them and solmnely said, “Yes. Yes, I know; keep quiet.” Then Elijah said, “Stay here, Elisha; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

As they both were standing by the Jordan, Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, my friend, what may I do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”

Elijah, looking into his eyes, responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”

When he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” The water parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over and carried on.

Amen and Amen

When Landmarks Fall, They Fall Hard

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29 

A landmark has fallen and it has fallen hard. The big oak that stood out in the yard helped visitors and others know exactly where the church is when traveling down the Trail. All you needed to say was, “Follow the Trail down past the white farm house with the horses and sheep, and then on the left look for the big oak tree. It stood there like the tree of Gondor for 250 plus years when on Tuesday evening the old oak came down thanks to a powerful micro cell or a minor freak tornado. The tree ripped in two pieces creating an amazing wooded play area that made you feel like you climbing through forest of Endor. Thankfully no Ewoks were harmed. Wednesday, the clean up crew arrived and they are began the process of clearing out the tree.

For an estimated 250 plus years, 25 plus years older than Bruington Baptist Church, this tree has stood where now a stump remains. For many in this church, this tree holds a special place in their heart, it is synonymous with the church, serving as landmark for hundreds of years; and it is special because of the years many families have watched their children play underneath, enjoyed picnics, conversations, the raking of leaves, the falling of acorns and the meeting of squirrels. This tree represented the church for so many years and for so many reasons. I, even, once alluded to the tree as a symbol of the church's strength and deep roots in King and Queen County. Now, I allude to the tree as it represents Bruington Baptist Church in 2013.

It's not an allusion of death, it is an allusion of change and one of openness. All that remains of this tree is a three-four foot stump and only memories; yet out of that stump something beautiful will be created, something that will honor the memories of what was and celebrate the future that is. Many people believe the old church is dying, and in many ways, how we understood church to be is indeed changing, but this tree shows that while we may be cut to our roots, we can still be used for something new, something beautiful, just because we are up in age or low in number, does not mean God cannot still use us.

It is true this is a sermon in which someone will respond, "It's a tree. You really think too much. You need a vacation or a drink or both." And yes, it was just a tree but for some within this congregation it is more than tree. To them it is a tree that has withstood the pressures and pains of the earth and endured the hardships of a revolutionary war, a civil wars and a great depression, yet it remained, only to be taken down by a freak and random act of nature (something so true of life). To so this tree is a close part of their life and our church, and without something they identified with for so long, it can be painful to move on. To them, it is a tree that feels very much like the Giving Tree.

Believe me, I understand an attachment to strange things. My dad once threw away several of my old GI Joes and I rushed to the dumpster where he tossed and climbed and took them back. Among them were the very first GI Joe I received for my third birthday or Christmas or something and the other was the very last Christmas present my Grandmother gave me before she died. These toys hang in my son's playroom because they are more than just toys, they are memories. But like the tree outside, these toys have endured hard battles and floods and vicious, destructive play that an 8 year old can cause, so they no longer look as they once did out of the box; but the memories remain and now they will be used in a different way than they once were.

The question was asked, "What will Bruington look like without it's landmark?"

The truth is we'll look different. I believe we will look as we truly are, a church that has a past to cherish and a future to challenge. A church whose community scars have been hidden from view and will now be visible. The pain of our own lives we thought was once something to keep hidden or in secret will be what draws others in, a sense of belonging to a group of people who struggle and experience the pain of life as we do. We will look different, we will not look as we did yesterday, but we will still be here. We will still be here because I believe there is still work left to be done in this place. I still believe we have a mission, a role to play in the kingdom of heaven, and I believe, with all my heart, we are not through being used.

As long as there are still teenagers and children, parents, adults (young and old) looking for a place where they know that there are no longer Virginians and Texans, no "Come Heres", no "Born Heres" no longer Gwathmeys and Ryalnds and Martins and Eades, or Greenwoods and Browders, or Bevans and Thompsons and Bagbys, or Schools and Wyatts, or Poores and Langfords, or Croxtons and Whartons, or Evans and Kendricks or Randalls and Porters, or Joneses and Princes, or Elliots and Locketts, or Halls and Shipes, or Walkers and Atkinsons and Stephens, or Mastins and Wrights, and anyone else who once, still, or will call this place home, we, all of us (as Paul writes in Galatians) are one in Christ, and we are none of us alone. We do indeed still have a purpose.

As long as there are people who are looking for a community of people who will love them and their idiosyncrasies, their hypocrisies, and love them in times of great joy and great sorrow, we still have a purpose. As long as there are people looking for a place where they can break open their alabaster jars as the woman did in the house of the Pharisee, and fall to their knees, cry their tears of sorrow and forgiveness, we still have a purpose. As long as there are those who have been regulated to the edges of society because of what something we don't like about them, because they do not fit our understanding of faith or understanding of life, or do not look and talk as we believe others should look and talk; as long as there are those on the margins of life being forced to live in the slums and disregarded like the young man who lived among the graves in Luke; as long as there are those who seek to be loved, healed, and belong, we, Bruington Baptist Church community, will always have a purpose. That purpose will always be to share the love of Christ by bearing with one another in love, actively helping those in need, and attentively listening to their fears, struggles, hopes, and dreams.

As we were gathered outside inspecting the damage, my son, Connor, ran over wearing his cape. He surveyed the damage, the fallen trees, and flexing his muscles said, "Don't worry! I can fix this." While he has yet to learn that not everything can be fixed, he has mastered the belief and faith that can move a mountain; and he reminds me that there is still work to be done because there are children in need of a place where they can learn to have the faith that can mend a broken tree. A place to belong.

A couple of Wednesdays ago, we explored the impact of the old hymn, “Amazing Grace” and how that hymn whether because of the tune or the lyrics, has the ability to touch Christian and non-Christian alike. We explored the history behind the tune and the man behind the music. We discovered that the U.S. Library of Congress has a collection of 3,000 versions of and songs inspired by “Amazing Grace.” We discovered that tune, like many negro spirituals sung by slaves, were built of the pentatonic scale, the five black keys of the piano. They didn't come to America knowing the “do re mi fa so la ti do” scale, they only had those five notes and they built the power and pathos of the negro spiritual on five notes. Many of the most powerful and beautiful hymns we sing today were written only using five notes.

We discovered the possibility that John Newton wrote the lyrics with the tune of an old negro spiritual because of his years walking back and forth, in and out of the bowels of his ship as a slave trader. The possibility that he heard this tune hummed as slaves were chained to the walls of the ship, and when he thought of the grace that spared him, he remembered that tune. Out of darkness, destruction, pain, evil, and the worse of humanity, came a hymn that within it's tune and lyrics, has the ability to draw in both the Christian and the non-Christian. The hymn, written 234 years ago, when played, gives a sense of meaning and belonging to everyone because everyone knows what it's like to never, truly, feel like they belong.

On a much similar scale, perhaps a smaller one, our church has that same ability. Something about this place has the ability to draw in others who are looking for a place to belong and a people to love them, and know about a God who so loved them. The old tree may have fallen and remnants of a stump remain, just as remnants of the original foundation lay under the sanctuary, and we are still here and we will still be here because we are more than a tree. We are a Christian community whose roots dig deep into the solid ground of Christ, and whose branches are open wide welcoming those who long to belong to a community of unconditional love.

What will Bruington Baptist Church look like now without it's tree? Everything we were and everything we are being called to be.

Superman is Superman and No One Else

I am a big comic book and superhero fan. I love them immensely and am not ashamed to use them as comparatives when I preach or write as they relate to Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, one of my favorite sermons is on the comparison of Batman's endurance/promise with that of the Christian community in the Hebrews letter. My issue is when people do not listen to the comparatives, instead take away the idea that one is saying __________ (superhero) is Jesus; when that is far from the case.

It is true that many superheroes have messianic qualities and a comparison with Jesus is natural and I think welcomed as it helps others to see the qualities of Jesus depicted in unexpected ways. Naturally, Superman has been the focus of many Christian writings and comparisons to Jesus because Superman has messianic qualities but to suggest that Superman is Jesus, is a disservice to the Superman lore and frankly a huge disservice to who Jesus is.

While Superman has messianic qualities, the one we most associate with him (in comparison with Jesus) is that he is sent to earth by his father. We have associated Kal-El's coming to earth as a religious overtone mainly because of how current writers and directors have depicted him. (BTW, reversing the earth's rotation to turn back time is like putting a car in reverse to think you can take the miles off, it doesn't work. Also Superman does it only to save Lois, not anyone else). When you hear Jor-El say, "They can be a great people, Kal-El. They need someone to show them the way; which is why I am sending them you, my only son." It is a beautiful line to hear as Kal's ship sails to earth and crashes in the prairies of Kansas. However, the truth is Kal is not sent to earth to be earth's savior, he is sent to earth so that he can survive and not be a causality among the destruction of Krypton. 

Superman comes to earth not to save it but to be saved and to live and to gain power. His father sends him to a place where he knows he can rule (wisely and compassionately) and become a powerful person. If it where not for Jonathan and Martha Kent, Superman may not have ever used his powers for good; something Smallville explored when the Luthors found him before the Kents. 

When we say Superman is Jesus, we fail to acknowledge, while Superman holds messianic qualities, they are completely different. Jesus lowers himself and freely gives up his power; while Superman does the opposite. Superman strives to be the ideal of what one can do with power, a point driven home in All-Star Superman in confrontation with a super powered Lex Luthor; Jesus strives to be the opposite. 

Jesus is not our ideal or perfecter because of his power; he is the idea because he gives up his power freely and demands that we do the same. Jesus is Jesus because he came to earth not to be served but serve, not to condemn but to save. Superman came to earth to survive and become like a god to people without power.While there may be messianic qualities, in reality, Superman is more different from Christ than he is alike. Lex Luthor is right when he says, "A god would share their power and save the world; not be selfish and use it only to save a few." 

Superman is not Jesus and Jesus is not Superman. Superman is Superman and Jesus is Jesus. One is greater than the other; yet chooses to be the servant, to give up his life. The other appears in monthly comic books available are your local comic book retailer. 

Oh How The Cat's In the Cradle

There is a crisis in our nation, well I guess there are several, but the crisis I speak of is one I believe to the most important, especially for the Church, and that is the crisis of fatherlessness. 64.3 million is the estimated number of fathers in America. Of those 64.3 million, 26.5 million are estimated to be fathers who are a part of a married-couple families and 2.5 million are single fathers. Of that 2.5 million, 8% are raising more than one child. Approximately 43% of US children live without their father. The crisis of fatherlessness is something that is real and has a greater impact on the social order than we can imagine. Here are just a few staggering statistics:

• 43% of US children live without their father [US Department of Census]
• 90% of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
• 80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes. [Criminal Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, pp. 403-26, 1978]
• 71% of pregnant teenagers lack a father. [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release, Friday, March 26, 1999]
• 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. [US D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census]
• 85% of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes. [Center for Disease Control]
• 90% of adolescent repeat arsonists live with only their mother. [Wray Herbert, “Dousing the Kindlers,” Psychology Today, January, 1985, p. 28]
• 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. [National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools]
• 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes. [Rainbows f for all God’s Children]
• 70% of juveniles in state operated institutions have no father. [US Department of Justice, Special Report, Sept. 1988]
• 85% of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless home. [Fulton County Georgia jail populations, Texas Department of Corrections, 1992]
• Fatherless boys and girls are twice as likely to drop out of high school; twice as likely to end up in jail; four times more likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems. [US D.H.H.S. news release, March 26, 1999]¹

These statistics alone show us the importance of being a father, of being a mentor, of men being a part of the lives of young men and young women; yet, every Sunday, less than 39% of the church population will consist of men. For whatever reason, women continue to dominate the church population on a Sunday morning; meaning roughly 60% of children attending church are attending without their most influential male role model. Not only are many, if not most, of our own children attending church without their most influential male role model, many attend without their most influential female role models, as well. Our youth and children are learning that there is a disconnect between the importance of a faith community and the importance of sleeping in; and when given the choice, the majority chooses the latter. Our youth and children are left to listen to the voices of the secular instead of the voices of the Christian community; so they begin to starve themselves because they don't feel skinny enough. They begin to sleep around because they do not feel loved enough. They become addicted to alcohol and drugs, all because they long to belong and the only acceptable crowd they can fit in is one that will eventually steal their lives.

Fatherlessness is a Church issue and the Church should claim it and work towards ending the crisis. The Church cannot make men own their roles as fathers or husbands; but we can provide for these children who are absent fathers, men who desire to be encouragers, listening ears, spiritual guides, confidants, friends, and a mentor. The crisis of fatherlessness in America is a crisis that can only be solved through the work of the church, no matter how many government or secular programs are created, if we as men of the church, do not start taking our role as a spiritual leader seriously, along side the women of our church, how can we expect those who come after us to be any different? As the song goes, “The cat's in the cradle with the silver spoon.”

The influence we have on others is astounding. If this statistic is true: 15% of the time, when a mother comes to the faith—the rest of the family will. 35%, when a child comes to the faith—the rest of the family will. 90% of the time, when the father comes to the faith—the rest of the family will;² we hold a greater influence on the spiritual lives of our children than women do; yet we are constantly denying our role or abandoning our role for other important matters. A majority of men, when asked why they are absent from church, will say it's because they work all week and Sunday is their day of rest. They'll choose to sit in the easy chair, watch sports, and nap; over napping in the pew. When their children see this, they too will eventually take on the same attitude towards the church and towards the family. Men, when our children see us choosing work over family or time alone over time with the family; they too will take on those same traits and another generation of children will grow up without their father's active participation in their lives.

When all they see is a gender who judge their manhood on how many women they sleep with, how beers they can handle, how many hours they can work before suffering a heart attack, how many people they can beat up; when all they see is a gender who care more about being tough and creating a false sense of manhood, then how can expect we a better generation than the ones before us? If we are not reaching out, if we are not seeking to be a friend, a mentor, a listening ear, a presence to this fatherless generation, how do we expect build up young men and young women in confidence, love, and know their self-worth as one who is beloved by a heavenly God, who breathed his own spirit in us to give us life?

I believe, our best example of fathering the fatherless generation is that of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus. I believe he is the most overlooked and under appreciated character in the Bible. Remember, it is Joseph who secures the link between David and Jesus in Matthew 1. It is to Joseph that the dream comes to; it is to Joseph who God is commanding to marry Mary. It is Joseph who has a decision to make. Mary is going to have the child, she has no choice. God doesn’t give Mary an option to be the mother of Jesus. God does give Joseph an option. In his dream, God puts Joseph between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Joseph is caught between the Law and God; caught between the past and the future. Joseph has a choice to make.

We know nothing more about Joseph except that he is a carpenter and a righteous man; that is all we are given in Matthew's gospel. Yet, I offer an argument that Joseph plays a greater role in shaping who Jesus is more than anyone else. If Jesus grew up watching Joseph, playing with Joseph, following him around, perhaps learning the carpenter trade, do we not think Jesus learned what it meant to love others, to have compassion, to care for the hurting, or what it means to be called by God for a special task, from Joseph? It is not like Joseph was an absent father. It's not like he denied marrying Mary after an angel visited him. It's not like Joseph was not taking a risk in breaking the commandments of Moses and marrying woman who was having another's child. If we are going to look for an example of what it really means to be a father to someone who is not our own, then Joseph is the best figure the scriptures have to offer.

Should we not strive to train and equip men to embrace the role of a “father” for children who are not their own?

I was fortunate to grow up in a house with a very active and very present father. My dad once left an important conference and drove 200 miles to see me race because I called and said, "I need you here." If I called him today and said, "I need you here" he would drop every Mayoral duty and drive the 27 hours in a heartbeat (so would my mom). I was fortunate. But I know not everyone is. I have worked with youth and children who have absent parents, specifically absent fathers. The fathers may be present here and there but they are not involved in their kid's life. Every time I play catch with a kid, or take them to a movie, or listen as they share how another broke their heart, I embrace a "father" role to kids who are not my own. That was something my dad taught me by example.

This is indeed a church issue. Fatherlessness is a church issue. The importance of men and women being mentors to youth and children is a church issue. This is a holy issue that belongs to the church and I believe we need to claim it. The Church in America must embrace it's role in ending the crisis of fatherlessness in America. We cannot remain silent.

If we wish to see a better generation, if we wish to see a healthier generation, a more faithful generation, a loving generation, a generation who seeks to love God and to know they are loved as they are, then we need to look for ways to be “fathers” to a fatherless generation. If we are to bear one another's burdens, then this burden is one we must bear together.

I have stated this before I believe this to be to true, it doesn't take much to be a “father.” It's not about what material we have in Sunday school. It's not about being like other churches. All it really takes is spending time with our “kids” playing ball, going fishing; attentively listening as they share about their hopes, their dreams, and their fears; actively helping them in their times of need. It doesn't take much to end the crisis of fatherlessness in America.

Will the church help in this matter? Will you help in this matter? This is, above all, a Church issue.

1Statistics taken from The Fatherless Generation website ttp://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress/statistics

2 http://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress/week-of-e-findings

The Crisis of Fatherlessness

Father's Day and Mother's Day become a really interesting time in my world. Since I am friends with mostly ministers, the discussion usually revolves around how to incorporate the day in a respectful worshipful manner or ignore it all together. The week of Mother's Day, my newsfeed is flooded with post after post on the importance of celebrating women in general and not just mothers. There are posts on the importance of remembering those who long to be mothers but are unable; those who have lost mothers, those who have no desire to be a mother but feel like their womanhood is questioned if they do not have children; or posts on how Mother's Day creates an image/ideal that no woman can fully live up to.

Post after post is shared and thoughts are shared on how to create a holistic worship service that appropriately integrates a secular holiday into a Christian worship service. Of course, you have those who ignore it all together, riding their high horse concerning the day, I'm one of those or at least I was.

We do not do anything crazy special for either Mother's or Father's Day, except to say a prayer honoring all men and women on the appropriate day. As I thought about the day and climbed down off my condescending high horse, I became convicted (good Christian word) about the importance of the two special days. They may have been created with secular intent (so was Christmas) but can the church not claim the day and turn them into holy days of celebration, remembrance, and the importance of being "mothers" and "fathers" to those longing for such in our community? I mean we were able to claim Christmas from the secular, at least claim enough to make it a holy day, to an extent.

A few years ago, I read a book by Donald Miller titled, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and in the book, Don writes about his experience meeting his dad for the first time since his dad left his mom when he was little. As he wrestled with the desire to meet his dad and his personal issues, he became inspired to start an organization called The Mentoring Project. He tells how the story came to him because he desperately wanted to talk the fatherlessness crisis in America, and he discovered his was not alone. (I invite you to explore The Mentoring Project here).

As I think on this upcoming Father's Day, the creation of TMP came into my mind because it serves as an example of what it means to take something secular and claim for it for the holy. Family is something that is holy and sacred and as we read the scriptures, while we get explicit commands of the roles of the parents and children, we get stories of dysfunctional families and we get stories of men and women taking on the role of mother or father to ones who are not their own.

Mother's Day and Father's Day should be holy days and the Church should claim them and create a worship service that embraces and honors the roles we men and women should embrace and play in the community. And I will over-step and say this, especially Father's Day.

I invite you to spend some time looking at different websites regarding the crisis of fatherlessness in America, and perhaps around the world. Here are a few startling statistics: 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes; 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes; 85% of all children who show behavior disorders are from fatherless homes; 80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes; 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.

And that is just some of the statistics regarding the crisis of fatherlessness. I invite you to read more here.

Of the estimated 64.3 million number of fathers across America, 26.5 million are estimated to be fathers who are a part of married-couple families and 2.5 million are single fathers. And the statistics of how many single fathers are raising more than one child is 8% of the 2.5 million.

This is post is not about spilled milk or the lack of attention on Father's Day; nor is it about which day is more important. It is about, at least I believe, claiming these days for the Church, and the Church becoming more active in creating sacred space for all families and creating a scared space that provides adult mentors for young adults, adolescents, and children. Why should Boys & Girls Clubs or Boys/Girls Scouts have sole claim to these mentoring programs? Why can't the Church claim the day? How can the Church not lay claim to these days?

According to a survey in 2011, 39% of men attend church; which means roughly 60% of children are going to church without their most influential male role model. On any given Sunday, the odds that I am preaching or ministering to families who are there without the husband/father are almost 90%. Fatherlessness is a church issue and the church should claim it and work towards ending the crisis. The Church cannot make men own their roles as fathers or husbands; but we can provide for these children who are absent fathers, men who desire to be encouragers, listening ears, spiritual guides, confidants, friends, and a mentor.

The most overlooked, under appreciated character in the bible, I believe, is Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus. We know nothing more about Joseph except that he is a carpenter and a righteous man; that is all we are given in Matthew's gospel. Yet, I offer an argument that Joseph plays a greater role in shaping who Jesus is than anyone else. If Jesus grew up watching Joseph, playing with Joseph, following him around, perhaps learning the carpenter trade, do we not think Jesus learned what it meant to love others, to have compassion, to care for the hurting, or what it means to be called by God for a special task, from Joseph? It is not like Joseph was an absent father. It's not like he denied marrying Mary after an angel visited him. It's not like Joseph was not taking a risk in breaking the commandments of Moses and marrying woman who was having another's child. If we are going to look for an example of what it really means to be a father to someone who is not our own, then Joseph is the best figure the scriptures have to offer.

Should we not strive to train and equip men to embrace the role of a "father" for children who are not their own?

I was fortunate to grow up in a house with a very active and very present father. My dad once left an important conference and drove 200 miles to see me race because I called and said, "I need you here." If I called him today and said, "I need you here" he would drop every Mayoral duty and drive the 27 hours in a heartbeat (so would my mom). I was fortunate. But I know not everyone is. I work with youth and children who have absent parents, specifically absent fathers. The fathers may be present here and there but they are not involved in their kid's life. Every time I teach a kid how to swing a bat, or throw a ball, or listen as they share how another broke their heart, I embrace a "father" role. That was something my dad taught me. This is a church issue.

A friend of mine, along with her husband, (and this shows the importance of mentors in the church, because we would not be where we are in a faith without them) recently became a foster parents and they specifically believe they are called to help families heal in times of brokeness. They provide a place where kids who are removed from their homes, can find healing and love. Even though I have never met Buck, I watch through social media, as he shows us how we can all help make a difference to kids who are not of our own genetics. The Baskins are just one of many examples of how the Church can impact this crisis. I invite you to read about their story here.

Fatherlessness is a church issue. The importance of men and women being mentors to children is a church issue. These are holy issues that belong to the church and I believe we need to set our high horses free and claim these two days as our days, creating them to be holy days in which we continually highlight the importance of having men and women in the Christian community. The Church in America must embrace it's role in ending the crisis of fatherlessness in America. We cannot remain silent.



Listed below are a few articles on the crisis of fatherlessness:

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2011-10/why-do-men-stay-away

http://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/

http://thementoringproject.org/

http://www.whychurch.org.uk/gendergap.php (It's a UK article but worth reading)

http://www.fathers.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700137767/Fatherless-America-A-third-of-children-now-live-without-dad.html?pg=all

Wandering Through the Dark Forest of Mirkwood

I like being around people and at the same moment dislike being around them. It's a strange personality type but I have always enjoyed the company of others and enjoy my quiet times. According to my Big-5 Personality Traits, I hover between extrovert and introvert; and if I am not careful, one trait will dominate the other. Usually, it is my introverted side that will dominate and without my extroverted side, and my extroverted wife and extroverted son, I would be content wandering through the woods and never get out.

When my introverted side kicks in, it can be very unhealthy. I end up shutting down and shutting out others. It gets a little dangerous because it leads me into a bit of depression; which means if I have shut  myself off for longer than a day or two, you would be right to guess that I am in the midst of a wrestling match with my inner self. Now, I know myself really well and I am not usually surprised by my emotions or my own struggles. I do a pretty good job of seeing the storms roll in and know how to brace myself. The struggle is that when these clouds roll in, I can become too self reflective and in my depressed state I can easily get lost in the woods of Mirkwood. I lose sight of the path in front of me and, like the dwarfs on their way to the Misty Mountians, think there is no end in sight or think nothing good is happening.

When those days come, I am thankful for people who can help shine a light on the path and show me where in fact some good has happened. As I tread along in the woods of my soul, I am thankful to be a part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Fellows partnership. I am thankful for this partnership, not only because I get to walk along side 24 other ministers, I am being provided mentors and coaches to help shine a light when needed. I would be lost inside my own forest if were not for my ministry coach to point out the good that has happened because I became too focused on getting to the end of the forest. I forget to see the roses growing off to my left because my gaze is towards the horizon of never-ending trees.

The beauty of the partnership is not only the assistance to help me see the light; it is also provides me with people who are willing to bear my burdens for just a little while so that my shoulders can rest. They do not seek to remove the burden completely from me, like parents do, or seek to agree with me or commiserate with me like other colleagues do, nor do they seek to fix me, like seminaries do.  Their goal is not to practice their pastoral care skills, as some do when listening to friends, instead they seek to help me become healthy and well. Their goal is to create a sacred space for me to grow into my  true-self, and welcome in my faults, struggles, and my wandering in the dark forests of Mirkwood.

It reminds me of a story:

One day, a wild and willful lassie named Gwen, had a terrible accident which crippled her for life. She became very rebelious and angry. In her murmuring state she was visited by the Sky Pilot, as the missionary among the mountaineers was termed. He told her a parable of the canyon.

"At first there were no canyons, but only the broad, open prairie. One day the Master of the Prairie, walking over his great lawns, where were only grasses, asked the Prairie, "Where are your flowers?" and the Prairie said, "Master I have no seeds."

Then he spoke to the birds, and they carried seeds of every kind of flower and strewed them far and wide, and soon the prairie bloomed with crocuses and roses and buffalo beans and the yellow crowfoot and the wild sunflowers and the red lilies all summer long. Then the Master came and was well pleased; but he missed the flowers he loved best of all, and he said to the Prairie: "Where are the clematis and the columbine, the sweet violets and wind-flowers, and all the ferns and flowering shrubs?"

And again he spoke to the birds, and again they carried all the seeds and scattered them far and wide. But, again when the Master came he could not find the flowers he loved best of all, and he said, "Where are those my sweetest flowers?" and the Prairie cried sorrowfully:

"Oh, Master, I cannot keep the flowers, for the winds sweep fiercely, and the sun beats upon my breast, and they wither up and fly away."

Then the Master spoke to the Lightning, and with one swift blow the Lightning cleft the Prairie to the heart. And the Prairie rocked and groaned in agony, and for many a day moaned bitterly over the black, jagged, gaping wound.

But the river poured its waters through the cleft, and carried down deep black mould, and once more the birds carried seeds and strewed them in the canyon. And after a long time the rough rocks were decked out with soft mosses and trailing vines, and all the nooks were hung with cleamatis and columbine, and great elms lifted their huge tops high up in the sunlight, and down about their feet clustered the low cedars and balsams, and everywhere the violets and wind-flower and maiden-hair grew and bloomed, till the canyon became the Master's favorite place for rest and peace and joy."

Then the Sky Pilot read to her: "The fruit--I'll read flowers--of the spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness--and some of these grow only in the canyon."

"Which are the canyon flowers?" asked Gwen softly, and the Pilot answered, "Gentleness, meekness, longsuffering; but though the others, love, joy, peace, bloom in the open, yet never with so rich a bloom and so sweet a perfume as in the canyons."

For a long time Gwen lay quite still, and then said wistfully, while her lips trembled, "There are no flowers in my canyon but only ragged rocks."

"Some day they will bloom, Gwen dear; the Master will find them, and we, too, shall see them." (Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, pg 85-86).

I am thankful for those who point to the flowers that grow in the Mirkwood when we, ministers, are too self absorbed to see.

The Faith To Run The Race Until We Cannot Run Any Further

Life is often compared to a race, better yet, a marathon. It is an endurance test of the human will to push itself to the limits and then push itself even further. Faith enables us to push through the barriers and continue until we have reached the prize that awaits us. During a race, the runners continually remember the finish line that lies ahead of them. They envision crossing that line with their arms raised, the crowd cheering, and the race finally finished. They endure the months of rigorous training for just a few moments of pain and a brief moment of glory.

This race metaphor of life is nothing new. The New Testament is full of analogies that stress the importance of running the race before us, enduring all that is in our path for that final moment of glory.

I spent a better part of ten years as a runner. I chose running over other sports because I found running to be more of a challenge. It is just the runner, the road, the pain, the miles, and God. And in order to make it through, the runner had to be willing to go through Hell itself. I absolutely loved it. I don't anymore but I did. Being a runner drew me to several parts of the New Testament. I thought it was cool to read about an Apostle using the running imagery as a way to develop a Christian life. As time went on, I began to understand the need for endurance in the Christian life.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, the author encourages a suffering community to preserve, endure both physically and mentally in their race. The author of Hebrews writes a beautiful sermon to a struggling people. The few clues Hebrews offers to the identity of its audience point to a second generation of Christians that has suffered in the past and is undergoing another form of persecution.¹ While endurance is stressed in the letter, the author makes a valid point that is crucial for his/her audience: They are not alone.

One night before a cross-country meet while I was in college, I was cruising the videos at the local Hollywood Video store, and I came across a movie titled, On the Edge. It starred Bruce Dern, who I like, and it was a running movie, so I rented it looking for some nightly inspiration. However, at the end of the movie I was deeply surprised. Here was a character who desired more than anything to win, and as he approaches the finish line he stops, extends his hand to a sixteen year old girl, who then extends her arm to a 55 year old woman, and by the time they reach the finish line, seven runners are crossing the finish line hand in hand. It is above all, the greatest picture of a Christian community.

In a long race, a runner can often forget that there are others who are running the exact same race. Some are further along than others, but they are still enduring the same path. The author offers encouragement for those of us in the race, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer” (12.1-2a).

These clouds of witnesses are not spectators watching their “successors” as they in their turn run the race.² These witnesses do not look at us, but we look at them as encouragement. The author encourages the audience to look to those who came before them and know that if they can do it, so can we. We are running the race with a crowd of believers who have, are, or will endure the struggles that come in life. We are none of us alone, those who have come before still run with us.

The fact there is a “crowd a witnesses” implies that there is an implicit struggle, and so in order to compete well, the readers are encouraged to cast off whatever might weigh them down³, “Let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely” (12.1). During a race, a runner will often hit a metaphoric wall. In order to get through this wall, the runner is going to need to find some resilience, endurance, and encouragement to break through this wall. We are only able to cast aside our burdens when there are people around us who have endured much of the struggles of faith as we have. Remember the third Christian service: to bear one another's burdens?

There was a statement about six years ago, making it's way through church offices that said, “No perfect people allowed”. Many churches would take it to be their motto of the month, it is a statement which implies that such a place will foster the openness where people can be a community, the body of Christ, lifting each other up in our failing and becoming that which is perfect where done right when our eyes are fixed upon Christ: the Christian community.⁴

During a race, a runner is often told to find something to fix their gaze upon. The longer they focus on this object, the easier the race becomes. There are fewer distractions to a runner when they become fixated on the road below them. The author tells us in verse 2, to look to Jesus. All we have to do is fix our eyes on Jesus and allow him to pull us through. Jesus is the front runner of the race and Jesus differs from the witnesses in verse 1 because he completed the course and received the prize. Like us, Jesus endured hardships, trials, suffering, death, but also resurrection. From his example the audience learns the power and value of endurance in the face of suffering.⁵

Jesus becomes our model to imitate in our own struggle; we “too are drawn into the history of faithful endurance.”⁶ The scope of Christ’s life provides a powerful image for us, and the reader who find running the race grueling and difficult. By focusing our eyes on Christ, we are able to cast off the weights of sin and break through the wall that is necessary for spiritual growth.

Steve Prefontaine is a hero of mine. His running had a major impact not only on the way I ran but the way I live as well. In the movie “Without Limits” Bill Bowerman and Pre are talking strategy about running the upcoming 5k at the Olympic trial. Bill is trying to get Pre to use some sort of strategy where he sits on Bill Young’s heels and steals the race at the end. Pre replies, “I don't want to win unless I know I've done my best, and the only way I know how to do that is to run out front, flat out until I have nothing left.”

While we are surrounded by a “cloud of witnesses” and run this race together; we still have to run the race. Often times, a runner will become complacent in the race and hang back. While others are giving their all and pushing themselves to the limits of their heart, they hang back waiting and steal the race at the end. To win the race, it doesn’t take a great effort. Many races in the Olympics have been won with mediocre efforts.

The same can be said for those who claim to live the Christian life but they say one thing and do another. Often in our spiritual walk, we become safe, afraid of what will happen if we truly lived as Christ lived. We become complacent and become more concerned with protecting our spot, our position, our place of importance, and then at the end have not really earned the prize we are rewarded. When we rest on the memories of past triumphs, we will discover that we live in a museum. The only way to finish the race is to keep running. No matter how tired we get, no matter how far ahead others might seem, we must keep running. As Augustine says, “For the minute we say we have had enough, we are finished.”

At the end of “Without Limits”, Coach Bowerman this of Pre’s life:

“All my life, man and boy, I've operated under the assumption that the main idea in running was to win the race. Naturally, when I became a coach I tried to teach people how to do that. Tried to teach Pre how to do that. And Pre taught me. Taught me I was wrong. Pre, you see, was troubled by knowing that a mediocre effort can win a race and a magnificent effort can lose one. Winning a race wouldn't necessarily demand that he give it everything he had from start to finish. He never ran any other way. I couldn't get him to, and God knows I tried... but... Pre was stubborn on holding himself to a higher standard than victory. 'A race is a work of art' is what he said and what he believed and he was out to make it one every step of the way. Of course he wanted to win. Those who saw Pre compete or who competed against him were never in doubt how much he wanted to win. But how he won mattered to him more. Pre thought I was a hard case. But he finally got it through my head that the real purpose of running isn't to win a race. It's to test to the limits of the human heart.”⁷.

We do not live in a museum full of decaying family portraits and rusted trophies. We do not run this race just to win. We run this race to show the world that the love of Christ can in fact change people’s lives, governments, and that we can bring forth the kingdom of God. The writer of Hebrews understood the purpose of the Christian life and community. The author understood that it was necessary to strive, persevere, work together, and avoid complacency in order to run the race to its fullest. The purpose of the Christian life is not to remain small and not grow. We are called to continue our spiritual growth in Christ. We are called to grow and live together. There is no life in a museum, only memories that give a warm glow and no challenge.⁸

1 Mitchell, Alan C. Hebrews pg 11

2 Bruce, FF. The Book of Hebrews pg 333

3 Mitchell, Alan pg 268

4 AJ Williams

5 Mitchell, Alan pg 269

6 Mitchell, Alan pg 269

7 Moore, Kenny “Without Limits”

8 Grimond, John pg 24