I have just taken a solemn vow to never use the word “postmodern” in a sermon or article again, unless the article (or blog entry) is about why I refuse to use the term. The reason for the vow is that using the word is totally unhelpful. Say “postmodern” and some people hear “relativism” and others hear “funky worship,” while still others hear “this guy is trying to be an intellectual elitist by using a term he knows 99% of us don’t understand.”
From now on, I’m simply going to talk about “our world” or “contemporary culture” or the “neighborhood,” since that’s what most people relate to anyway. If we are now living in a transition time between two intellectual epochs known as postmodernity, then its time to stop defining it as some kind of entity out there be to studied, dissected, and then referred to from afar, and instead start getting down to the hard work of enculturating the gospel in the postmodern/modern world around us(that’s the last time, I promise) so that Jesus is present and recognizable in some form or fashion.
A Solemn Vow
30
I just turned thirty years old. Actually, I was born in the central time zone so I’ve been thirty for a couple of hours now.
Garnett
Now that its official I can blog about it.
Last week I was offered and I accepted the position of preaching minister at the Garnett Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is the potential ministry opportunity Ive written about several times in the past. Its taken several months for both of us to complete our due diligence, but finally they were able to say to me and I was able to say to them, Lets walk down this road together.
Heather and I couldnt be more thrilled. We are excited, overwhelmed, humbled, and pumped all at the same time. The way this thing has come together has been truly amazing. Ive never really had a God story of my own that I could tell. Ive never had something happen to me that was too far-fetched, too out of the blue, too beyond the scope and ability of human conniving and engineering, to be attributable only to the will of God. Until now. God has brought something to pass in my life in a way that has bolstered my faith and shamed me for the ways Ive doubted him in the past.
In agreeing to work with Garnett, I believe Im signing on to work with a top-notch staff that dreams big dreams and prays big prayers. Ill be shepherded by a group of sensitive, informed, and energetic men who are passionate about taking of care of the flock. Ill be working with a congregation of people who want to see Gods Kingdom come in all its fullness to the city of Tulsa, the state of Oklahoma, and the world beyond.
My first Sunday to speak there will be on March 16th. Were hoping to move down there ASAP in order to have plenty of time to find a house, set up shop, and get settled in before that day. My house in Ferndale, Washington is for sale. If you want to buy it, let me know. We’re going through our closets and throwing away everything that we don’t love or isn’t necessary. We’ll start packing boxes this week.
Ill have much more to say about the move and my role at Garnett in the future, but for now I think its appropriate to quote Steve Martin from the classic film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma
Relevance is Overrated
A friend of mine celebrated one year of sobriety today. We got to talking about Alcoholics Anonymous and how helpful it has been to him. He said that from a marketing standpoint AA is hopelessly antiquated. The material was written in 40′s. It uses sexist language, outdated illustrations, and awkward syntax. Yet countless people from all walks of life come to AA and are given the tools they need to make a change in their life. Nobody gripes about the way AA does things. As far as my friend knows, there is no feminist agenda within AA to update the masculine pronouns of the Big Book. There are no young people campaigning to make AA more relevant to their generation. At AA those things are not issues. AA is made up of a bunch of alcoholics who have hit rock bottom and have no other place to go. This reality allows them to see past the irrelevance and grab onto what really matters: a plan that works and a group of people who understand and are there for you no matter what. I guess when you’ve got those things, relevance isn’t that big of a deal.
I wonder how much of our effort in churches to stay relevant, to be hip, and act cool is actually a sign of how little we really understand the gospel. If our churches were full of people who have been grabbed by the gospel—what it means to be lost, what it means to be saved from sin, what it means to die someday and give account to our creator for the mess we’ve made of our lives, what it means to join God someday around his banquest table in the new creation—then would they really care how relevant we are? If they could come to our churches and have their lives changed, really changed, would they gripe about the length of our services? If they found in our assemblies people who really cared and welcomed them into the family and loved them into a relationship with Jesus, would they hop from church to church looking for better music? I don’t think so.
Rock bottom alcoholics aren’t looking for a cool program. They’re looking for one that works. Sinners in search of salvation aren’t looking for a cool church. They’re looking for one that can show them the way to salvation.
Until we understand this, everything else is irrelevant.
Gangs of New York
I saw “Gangs of New York” tonight and was underwhelmed. I wanted to like it. I thought I was going to like it. It’s even got U2 singing the title track. But it didn’t do anything for me. Afterwards, the guys in the theatre bathroom were talking about how powerful a film it was (Yes, guys talk to each other in the Men’s Room, but we NEVER make eye contact.) and all I could do was stare at the wall and wonder if I had missed something or was just in the wrong mood tonight to get into it. I will say this though, Daniel Day Lewis turned in an amazing performance. He made his larger than life, foul-mouthed, bigoted character detestable and almost likable at the same time.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
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