wonders and reflections in God's presence

Opens March 31 at the Baytown Little Theater

Shows on March 31, April 1, 7 and 8 at 8:00; April 2 and 9 at 2:30 PM

Tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for students.

Many of you know that I have been cast as Noleta Nethercott and Dwayne is cast as the Southern Baptist Preacher in the BLT production of Sordid Lives. Here is a link to an article about it in the Baytown Sun.

This is NOT a family play. It is a dark comedy with some foul language and adult topics. It is hysterically funny and has powerfully redemptive theme. There will be places where you won’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Please let your friends know … and put it on your calendars. Tickets can be reserved by contacting me or the box office. The box office is open 2-5 Monday -Saturday beginning March 27. Flex ticket holders can reserve tickets one week earlier. Check the BLT website for more information

So, the bible readings for today (OYB) included a lot of “rules” that God gave Moses to share with the Hebrew people. Some of them we still treasure today. Others we have dismissed because they just don’t seem to fit us the same way they used to for one reason or another … like we don’t sell our children into slavery anymore, so we don’t need rules on how to or how not to. It all reminded me of a phone call I had last Thursday … from another pastor in Houston. He asked, “how do we decide where to draw the line?” When are the rules “cultural” and no longer applicable? How do we know? How do we decide?

I felt I only had a trite answer … “pray about it”.

But when I heard the context of the question it hit me personally. He was on his way to visit someone who was trying to talk a good friend out of experiementing with new age mysticism … it says we should stay away from mediums and psychic things in the Bible, afterall. Well … little did he know he was talking to a woman who has personal experience with people close to her exploring psychic and mystical expression of truth. (My mom is a very good meduim… one who sees her gifts as a gift from God to be used for the common good.) hmmm …. this is too close to home. Everyone KNOWS the Bible condemns consulting mediums. So how do we know where to draw the line?

I deflected the direct question (something I’m pretty good at) and talked about what a great opportunity this was to engage a person on a spiritual journey … if they are interested in psychic and spiritual things we have a natural “in” to talk and walk our faith with them. That’s really good, in my opinion. Is it so important to convince her that she’s wrong to explore this other path? Why not allow her natural curiosity to help lead her to knowing Christ? Why is it that Christians want to begin a spiritual conversation with someone by explaining how they are wrong? Why can’t we just meet them and have honest conversations about our own spiritual journey in the process? And thank God for the opportunity.

OK … so I’m biased … my brother is gay and my parents are “new age”. (don’t you think we’d made a great sitcom?) Seriously, though, I’ve had years of both learning from them and, I hope, teaching them a few things, too. Could it be that my job isn’t to change them? But, perhaps to allow God to use them to change me into being a little more like Christ? Could it be that my role is to keep building the relationships of love and acceptance so that we can all experience the grace of God in real and tangible ways?

I guess I know that knowing where to “draw the line” is terribly important for most people. It just seems that everytime I seem to know where to draw it, God challenges me again. Maybe drawing the line, isn’t the important thing …. maybe crossing it is more important.

Comments are really welcome … really …

Interesting, I read the latest email leadership newsletter from Christianity Today this afternoon … and there was an article from Brian McLaren talking about why we (pastors) shouldn’t answer the “homosexual question” directly.

Usually when I’m asked about this subject, it’s by conservative Christians wanting to be sure that we conform to what I call “radio-orthodoxy,” i.e. the religio-political priorities mandated by many big-name religious broadcasters. Sometimes it’s asked by ex-gays who want to be sure they’ll be supported in their ongoing re-orientation process, or parents whose children have recently “come out.”

The question itself is complex. Either it’s a political questions seeking to separate “us” from “them,” or it’s a deeply personal issue that needs to be addressed through a deeper pastoral relationship, not a quick answer. And we are trying to reach real people with Christ, not making a political statement.

Most of the emerging leaders I know share my agony over this question. We fear that the whole issue has been manipulated far more than we realize by political parties seeking to shave percentage points off their opponent’s constituency. We see whatever we say get sucked into a vortex of politicized culture-wars rhetoric—and we’re pastors, evangelists, church-planters, and disciple-makers, not political culture warriors. Those who bring us honest questions are people we are trying to care for in Christ’s name, not cultural enemies we’re trying to vanquish.

The truth is the issue of homosexuality is much more complex that most of those on two “sides” will ever admit. Read the recent comments on the Harbour Blog and we see that illustrated time and time again … it’s just wrong, no question. Well, most of us realize that to take an absolute stand for or against homosexuality only divides us from the people we are called to serve. And even more than that … Brian admits that for many emerging church leaders … they just don’t know.

Frankly, many of us don’t know what we should think about homosexuality. We’ve heard all sides, but no position has yet won our confidence so that we can say “it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us.” That alienates us from both the liberals and conservatives who seem to know exactly what we should think. Even if we are convinced that all homosexual behavior is always sinful, we still want to treat gay and lesbian people with more dignity, gentleness, and respect than our colleagues do. If we think that there may actually be a legitimate context for some homosexual relationships, we know that the biblical arguments are nuanced and multilayered, and the pastoral ramifications are staggeringly complex. We aren’t sure if or where lines are to be drawn, nor do we know how to enforce with fairness whatever lines are drawn.

He suggests we put a five-year moratorium on making pronouncements. I don’t know how sucessful that would be … the Presbyterians have been trying that … and after two moratoriums, we are still in the same bloody fight. What’s wrong with just putting aside the question for now … and focusing on building our relationship with Christ and in community with all those who want the same relationship. I believe that over time, Christ will lead us all to the answer that is best.

That is why Eklektos is not making pronouncements saying homosexualty is good or bad any more than we say sexuality is good or bad. We realize that there are layers of complexity which go beyond our understanding, there are Biblical and pastoral issues that are beyond giving the “right” answer, and too many of us just don’t know for sure.

I wish God spoke to me as clearly as God seems to speak to others. I pray, I listen, I read scripture, and I listen to trusted spiritual leaders. But I am constantly aware of the complexities of life and relationships. I don’t see black and white, I see shades of gray. I see God’s Truth as beyond our limited thinking … and that means our ideas and our understandings of that truth are ALWAYS distorted, blurred, limited, and shallow.

I am angry about that. I don’t want to be looking through a mirror dimly … I want to see God face to face. I want to know what Christ knows, I want to be certain that what I do is ALWAYS right. But I guess that’s what faith is … stepping out into dangerous waters and doing your best to keep your eyes on Jesus through the fog.

God doesn’t speak to me face to face, and even if I were to receive those direct words of wisdom I long for so much … as soon as I held on to them, they, too, would be distorted by the limitations of language itself. That’s why I can’t read the Bible literally … words are limited … the communication of an idea from one person to another is very difficult to portray through words alone. Those words are shared along with a relationship of past experiences, feelings, intuitions, facial and bodily expressions, and inflections. The Bible has to be experienced the same way … and the truths expressed there are often misinterpreted even as the words shared between intimate partners can be misinterpreted.

That’s why I belong to a church that hold high the motto … reformed and always being reformed. I was born questioning. My mother says I drove her craze as a toddler asking “How come?” about everything. And my mom and dad, to their credit, would always welcome my questions and answer them to the best of their ability.

I see homosexuality as being a “gray area”. I have asked questions … and the biggest is “why?” Why would God consider love between people of the same sex as a slight against him? Why would expressing that love sexually be so dangerous to their souls? I don’t see it. I DO, however, see how the hostility, hatred, and judgementalism that is shown to GLBT people IS HARMFUL. I can see its destructiveness. I can see its evil. I can see lots of harm and destruction in sexual expression … but I see the same sin in both gay and straight relationships. Our sexuality itself is, in my opinion, morally neutral; how we express it … and the relationships that are hurt and encouraged by it … that’s where the goodness and evilness is discerned.

I realize, though, that I could be wrong. I wish … I only wish … that people who disagreed with my stance on homosexuality could only admit that they, too, could be wrong. Or does God really speak more clearly to them?

(this was originally published by me on the Eklektos blog)

It’s official. According to an article today in The Baptist Press, Faith Harbour has been “disaffiliated” with the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention because of its relationship with Eklektos.

The article states:

Biles recounted that the committee hoped to clarify Faith Harbour’s stance toward a church it is helping sponsor and allowing to meet in its facilities, which bills itself on its website as welcoming and affirming of homosexual, bisexual and trangendered people.

Additionally, the new church, Eklektos, has a female senior pastor. Biles said the committee and Faith Harbour pastor Randy Haney were unable to resolve their differences over Faith Harbour’s involvement with Eklektos.

Aside from the fact that Eklektos is not a “church” in any official capacity, and I am not the Senior Pastor, it’s a shame that the political climate of the SBTC is such that merely associating with a ministry outreach that does not condemn homosexuals is so threatening. Does Jesus condemn homosexuals? No, Jesus goes out of his way to associate with people the church of his day condemned, and he offered them love.

I realize that many people differ on the Biblical interpretation of Scripture surrounding issues of homosexuality. My hope is that Eklektos will minister within that controversy and seek Christ in the midst of it. I acknowledge that even the most faithful Christians can disagree over whether homosexuality is sinful — Randy and I differ on that issue — but this ministry is here to reach people who are typically ostracized and hurt by the Church, and to offer them a loving and non-judgemental community in which to seek Christ and grow in discipleship. Even if we all agreed that homosexuality was a sin, should a church require gay and lesbians to be celibate or “convert” to heterosexuality? No. Not anymore than the church should require divorced people to reconcile, wealthy people to divest their money from companies that promote unrepentant consumerism, or gluttonous people to go on diets.

Randy, I know you have suffered greatly for beng a friend to me and to Eklektos. I am sorry that the state of the church is such that men and women are still persecuted for following Christ’s example. Your witness is greatly appreciated.

Comments?