Comfort at Risk

Watch out when you hang around the young

Amusingly, in an almost perverse way, I have recently found myself being greatly impacted by two youthful generations, well youthful as in much younger than me. One interesting fact is that they both have caused me great angst and have prompted me to look at myself and how I relate to them. I find it is not the constant activity or attention they seem to seek, or demand, better want, rather the noise they bring to my well balanced, at least according to my mind and habits, Life and perspective. Noise is also defined as interruption of my view concerning certain items or ideas of importance.

The one is the generation of children, yes, even grandchildren, in the 0 yrs (but able to move around) to the 5 yr old and active. While one or even two such invading my space at the same time are somewhat consistent with my eagerness for community with them and my availability, even eagerness , to participate with them, even when they are siblings with all the historical competition, I find myself quite well strengthened to overcome the “interference” with my well ordered sense of perspective. Add a third and fourth and I lose the lines I have quietly formed and after but a short bit of time find my senses overwhelmed in the cyclonic activity and ever increasing noise. They are beautiful and individually exceptional in their own right, but put together they form some example of the damage that can come from any gene pool, even my own. I love these little persons to an extreme and at the same time am driven almost to the edge of my sanity by the huge difference in their means of entertainment as compared to mine.

The second “challenge group” is the generation of young adults, even more specific, young adults of similar passion or direction of passion as to complement my desire to be a most loving and affective impact on my dear friends in Rionchogu, Kenya. Yes, yes, I know how can there be any similarity of intrusion, yes, intrusion, by two such non-congruent people groups in two completely unrelated issues of one’s life?

Simply; at the limit when they become the most contradictory to my view or perspective, they also identify the point at which I am forced to face my own comfort zones. Comfort zones are about as high as you can get on my “I abhor” chart, yet they are so, comfortable, I, we, build them very carefully. A comfort zone according to my definition is established according to some conventional and some private or personal idea about priority and is rooted in fear and/or selfishness. Never the less, comfort zones these are and I am faced with my own personal demonstration of how difficult it is, in actuality how almost impossible it is to break down or through your very own, well constructed ‘comfort zone’.

The younger group is somewhat easily managed, call the parent on premise and instruct them on the need for intervention. Hey (name deleted to conserve family relationships) come get your kids, or kid and do something about this noise or whatever has crossed the line and endangered my comfort zone. The ‘unnamed’ parent may give a sideways look but they are as interested in preserving some sense of family peace as anyone else and the real purpose of this situation or series of situations is family and family is about as high a priority as I can place so, all works, well most of the time.

The other group though has as its priority an almost diabolical focus to challenge everything I think or have thought about the process of intercession in the social, cultural, economic, educational and relational challenges and opportunities which must be confronted, overcome, developed or replaced in both the short and long term concerning breaking the cycle of poverty and illiteracy which sheds its shadow of hopelessness across the generations of rural Africa in general and the village of Rionchogu specifically.

It may seem as if this would be the place where I would be most willing to have my comfort zone challenged and most willing to tread in unseen footsteps of the one who guides. The opposite is more accurately the unpleasant truth. Perhaps the zonal reality follows my, our, ability to remain in some sense in control. Experience some sense of purpose and some external acceptability of the efforts extended yet have planned well and work the plan with determination, dedication and focus. Set a goal and pursue it.

Fortunately or unfortunately in the case of work in Africa there has not been a plan, or even goals. I would say even the depth of the real issues at hand have only slowly risen in the upheaval that is this cycle of poverty and illiteracy. The comfort zone has been in some ways the lack of a plan to work. So my younger adult irritants point to the need for a developed understanding of what our Purpose would look like, in real terms, in terms that relate to the daily life as lived in the village and surrounding area and here, in this place of abundance.

End the comfort of the “solo Performance” and approach those of means, with a compelling view revealing how we see the cycle being broken. Stand up and be exposed in public for what you say is an answer to a concern which so far has evaded corrective efforts, even by governments.

Bring on the 0 to 4’s or 5’s bring ‘em on, by the dozen.

Their invasion is the easiest zone to get past.

Kingdom Relevancy and Which Kingdom Defines It

A recent Facebook post by a friend posed this question for thoughtful comment;
Heard on Twitter this AM.

"Most pastors suffer from a large dose of entitlement and cultural irrelevancy."

I did, what I thought was thoughtful, and decided not to comment. A couple of days later I still have this question roving in my mind. So, rather than comment on Facebook in a few words I decided to blog this and then post the blog. This may be the greatest insight into my own way of looking at such comments.

When I read comment the first thing I thought was, “who was it that made this statement and why”. It seems we all get in that place where we ask rather pointed questions about others and possibly the most poignant piece of the interaction is the mind of the one that asks. So, simply I did not comment because the response depends, it seems to me, on the purpose of the comment. The statement seems less about a person’s point of view or plan of action rather more about the character of individuals by group of who we have a predetermined expectancy, albeit our expectancy can be more off track than the one we question.

For a view on this question I have to ask who, because I think the why may come from the who. All this is not to say the statement if asked as a question is not in itself relevant because I do think it speaks volumes about the church and the determination that the church should be culturally relevant.

My response requires I make two distinctions; one is that this comment came from a person Called as a Pastor in some doctrinal context; the other is that this person is not so called and looking from the outside, if you will. So my comments take two tracks and I here hope to share them with whomever might be interested in my opinion, or just amused that someone would even take this comment this far. There is a third option and that is this statement was made by someone with a grudge against Pastors or faith in general and for that person it is somewhat like hitting a telephone pole with a baseball bat, get rid of the anger and go on.

For either of the first two options I wish to comment on one definition asks its own question, cultural relevancy, what is it? I mean what does it look like and who decides. As I ask that question another pops up, was Jesus culturally relevant or was he Counter-culturally relevant? Can you be relevant to your culture and still rebel against it? I am sure this falls under the heading of ‘in the world but not of it’ however this circle comes back to; what was the purpose to even make this statement. Just as important for me is a recognition that we are in a war between two Kingdom cultures and which kingdom decides the definition of our relevancy.

So my comment is, or are, if this is a Pastor making the statement, it seems there is way too much concern about how someone else approaches their call and way too narrow a view in definition of that call. I am reminded of a recent devotion from Oswald Chambers in which he says “Whenever a thing becomes difficult in personal experience, we are in danger of blaming God (or doctrine or messenger, italics mine), but it is we who are in the wrong, not God; there is some perversity somewhere that we will not let go.” A speck in your eye, log in mine kind of thing. SO, my comment follows a line that the church has a long history, in my opinion, of building a very small box for God which leaves only room for a narrow definition, I suspect this is from our desire to follow the narrow road. For a Pastor to decide their peers are too focused on entitlements or are culturally irrelevant seems to be a witness against others rather than for the one whom that Pastor declares they are following for all things, ALL THINGS.

The second, and most likely in my opinion, is that the statement was made by one not called to the office of Pastor. If, in fact, this is the case then it may, in my opinion, speak volumes about the training and maturity of the person making such a declaration, of course the adage ‘walk a mile in my shoes’ fits. However my own view is that this is a common outcome of a church, pastoral or doctrinal failure to challenge the understanding of those of us who sit in the pews regarding our responsibility for ministry. Somehow we see the Pastor as “called’ and therefore in some way with regard to the responsibility to the God who issued the call, and His subsequent declaration to take up your cross and follow, this Pastor has greater purpose and therefore requires greater personal deference to a greater good than his or her self, than those sitting in the pews. It seems for this group, those of us who are not called as Pastors, the statement or rather the question that begs asking is for each of us to look at that somewhat familiar face in the mirror and ask, “What do I think I am entitled to and what or how am I relevant to the culture of the Kingdom of God or counter culturally relevant to the kingdom of the world.

A statement about a group of people, however they see their own accountability to whatever or whoever the source for their current situation just seems cowardly to me. When we accept that each of us is called none of us more or less than the other and each is faced with the temptation of entitlement and relevancy of the world culture, for each of us the only path or high road is, I think, a very personal walk on the path of repentance. My soul seeks independence and my Spirit asks obedience, who am I to serve and which kingdom is my life priority?