MLK

Today we celebrate a man who was cut down too soon. We take the day off. So many don't know what he did. So many don't know what he stood for.

As history goes on, fewer and fewer people will know all that he did and died for. It will be simply a few paragraphs in a history book. One of the first times I think i heard about Dr. King was in a U2 song on the Rattle and Hum album.

We need to tell the story. We are not too far from segregation. There are still reminders of it all over the place.

In the courthouse in the county I work it, if you go to the top floor near the library, if you look you can still read "white men restroom."

In my home town when I grew up there was "the campus." It was the black school until integration in 68 ( i think). It was still there as I grew up in the late 70's and 80's. We would pass by it and I remember it being pointed out as "the black school."

It is torn down now. I don't know if that is good or bad. Maybe we need reminders of the ignorance that divided our society. Maybe we don't. It is a fact of history. It is one thing to read about it in a history book, it is another to be able to walk up to it and touch it.

"early morning, April 4, shot rings out in the Memphis sky, free at last, they took your life, they could not take your pride......"

Home Town Hero

I went to visit a hero today. He has pastored in my home town for I guess 30 years. He has worked bi-vocational for many years as a chaplain as well. He is in the hospital, but PTL he is going home today.

He is a faithful man. He has faithfully cared for the small flock that God has given him. The church he pastor's probably has never been over 100. Maybe higher. But he has cared for them. He has loved them, married them, buried them and gone through life with them as well.

Pray for him.

Book Report

I have been reading another great book. It is called Dirty Word - The Vulgar Offensive Language of the Kingdom of God - by Jim Walker.

This is one of those books that really kicks me around and makes me think. It makes me think about the way we do church and ministry. I like people that make me think.

In the book is a passage from a book by one of my hero's, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In his book Life Together, he has a quote:

"God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary idea of community demands that it be realized by God, by others, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own laws, and judges the brethren and God Himself accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he see the community going to smash. So he becomes first a rejecter of his brethren, then a rejecter of God, and finally the despairing rejecter of himself."

Walker uses this in talking about building community. He ask the question, "How do we conjure up authentic Christian community? We don't. Because frankly we cant. He says that it happens naturally. It happens when we are surrendered and humbled. Koinonia will take place naturally.

Challenging.

Reflections of a Weakling

I am reading one of the books hat I got in San Diego. It is called "The Faith" by Charles Colson. Colson was involved in the Watergate Scandal back in the 70's. He is involved in prison ministry. This book is about helping to define the faith that we have.

In the chapter about Exchanging Identities - where we take on the identity of Jesus and give up our own identity he talks about two of my heroes: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Mother Teresa.

I h ave read lots about Bonhoeffer. He was a Lutheran Pastor from Germany. He became an enemy of the Nazi's. He became involved in a plot to kill Hitler. He was arrested and was sent to prison. In his prison cell, he continued a routine of worship every day. he lead church services and witnessed to everyone he could. The first few days of his imprisonment were not this way. He was very depressed and contemplated suicide. He then began a routine of a vibrant life in prison of reading, prayer, witnessing and writing. His family was allowed to bring care packages into him. Bonhoeffer often shared the things that came in with the other inmates. During one of the allied bombings all he inmates were moved to a basement for protection. Dietrich never flinched as people ducked and hid from the attack.

The prison doctor tells of the account of the last few moments of Dietrich's life. After they took his clothes, he knelt down and prayed fervently to God. This non-believer was struck by how passionately and fervently he prayed. He said that Pastor Bonhoeffer (this is how the Dr described him) prayed as if God would actually answer him (imagine that). Dietrich climbed up the gallows and stood brave ad composed. The camp Dr who had seen many people die in this prison said he hand never seen anyone dies with such submissiveness to the will of God.

I read about this brother and I am so moved. I want to have this passion for God in the hardest of circumstances. I at times allow hard stuff to distract me from my worship. I take comfort that a man such as Dietrich could remain composed in these times.

The part about Mother Teresa that really touched me was that she often struggled with depression. it is said that she had bouts of depression when she reflected at what she was not able to do. She was depressed at the abortion in the Western world. It is said that she took on the grief and pain of those she ministered to. I am told that this is not proper for a pastor to do. but I do it. I emote the pain of others and feel the hurt that they hurt. And I battle depression.

Both of these children of God died to self. This death that the endured is not gentle. Dying to self and caring for others is not a gentle death. they both trusted Christ in the darkest of times.

God help me to do the same. Help me to be at peace with your will. Help me to bear the grief of others. Help me to not lose the ability to hurt and cry with those who hurt and cry.