The idea of Pilgrimage

Here's an excerpt from page 11. I've included it here because it's a great place to move forward from, especially on a Monday morning.

I always feel renewed and challenged after a wonderful Sunday at church. I'm all about "engaging the rich meaning and the lavish possibilities of life before death." I really can't wait to see what each new day, new week, new month, or new year offers in the way of life-charged challenge!

• Traditionally, the concept of pilgrimage suggests some kind of a journey, along with a meaningful destination. For my part, this pilgrim path we are navigating is much more about the expedition phase than the arriving part. Although the two are bound together and I certainly anticipate all the promises God speaks regarding eternal life and the joy of unbroken relationship with my Creator.
• I remain convinced that in the here-and-now our life as pilgrims is primarily concerned with capturing and engaging the rich meaning and the lavish possibilities of abundant life before death. God’s kingdom is already available, and our opportunity is to live this kingdom life; and to live as if we really do mean it.
• In a sense pilgrimage is an experience designed to take humankind full circle. Because, if this pathway is to lead us any place at all, then that place is the garden.

Interface with facebook!

I'm excited about "No more part-time Christian"'s new connection with facebook. Last week I created a facebook page for the book, The Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian, and the page has started to pick up some fans.

This morning's status update was a phase from page 9: "This life is far too important not to embrace it with absolutely every ounce of enthusiasm we can muster."

I believe that thought is a good word for Monday morning! It's the beginning of a new week, many of us were refreshed with a dynamic worship experience over the weekend, and now it's time to put our life where are words are (our money where our mouth is), step up, and live as if we mean it... because God most certainly does.

Here's the supporting scripture, from Philippians 3:14. "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus."

The question is this: "What does pressing on look like for me this morning, today, this week?" Is pressing on an act of religious ritual? I don't think so. Pressing on is an act of commitment to The Way, the way of Jesus.

I'll be referring to our life of faith as "The Way" a lot in this blog. In the early days of the church, believers were know as "Followers of The Way." I like that concept a lot, because it moves us away from practiced religiosity and toward being disciples of Jesus.

Enjoy this new day, this new week, this opportunity to live as if we mean it.

Last week in Virginia, a man included the following phrase in his prayer: "Thank you for this day, Lord, a day we've never had before and that we'll never see again..."

Amen - DEREK

Trying to connect this blog with the new "Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian" facebook page...

This is an experiment... I have spent some technically frustrating hours setting up a facebook page for "The Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian". Step 2 is having this blog automatically upload to the "notes" section.

So, I'll just write a few perfunctory words here, add a photograph, and then see what happens. My guess is - nothing! I did, however, successfully plant a similar RSS feed that links my daily blog to my Derek Maul facebook page. But that was a long time ago, and I don't remember what I did!

All things are possible, the Bible suggests, for those who believe. Problem is, this is technology, and I'm not sure that I believe.

Grace and Peace - DEREK

Trying to start a conversation

Picture - at left - is of me with a couple of the 75 plus men at the Disciples of Christ (Virginia) Men's Retreat this past weekend. We had an awesome experience of fellowship and spiritual growth. Maybe you'd like to contact me about speaking at such an event? If so, let's talk. Go to my website at www.Derekmaul.net : there's a "contact" page that works just fine.

Well I finally bowed to all the peer-pressure and set up a facebook page for The Unmaking of a part-Time Christian. The thing to do, apparently, is to maximize on-line presence while simultaneously working hard not to annoy people with too much info!

It's a tough balance. It also kind of reminds me of one foundational principle from the book. That is, to live as an obvious Jesus-follower without being an annoying "odd for God" person who more likely turns people away from the gospel than offering a compelling invitation.

There should be something compelling about the way that we live that says "Jesus" all over the place. Or, as many people have repeated and paraphrased, "Preach the Gospel daily; if necessary, use words."

My next task is to attempt to link this blog to the "my Notes" section of the page. Don't hold your breath!

Meanwhile, if you are a fan of The Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian, then I urge you to become a fan, pass the word around, and see if we can make a difference for the Gospel. Let's live gospel lives in such a way that the world can't help but wonder, "What is it that's motivating these people? And why are they so darned full with life?"

More to come - check in weekly - DEREK

Not Part-Time Christians but Eighth Day Believers!

When Rebekah and I got home from church yesterday I grabbed my camera and said, "Let's get an Easter picture." So I balance my camera in a plant, set the automatic timer thingy, and ran over to where she was standing with Scout Labradoodle.

Scout jumped up (you can see she's eating my tie), the camera clicked, and the battery died - all at the same instant. It turns out we had one shot at an Easter photo.

Today's a little like that. We have one shot at living the day after Easter like Easter People, like "Eighth Day Believers." No rehearsals, no posing, no re-do. This is it. What you see is what you get....

Of course, we have the same opportunity again tomorrow. But I'm more interested in today. It may well be all we have.

MEDITATION: It’s the day after Easter… Or is it? “After” is such an unsatisfactory word when talking about everything Jesus intended and accomplished via his heroic journey.

So I’m going to discard “after” in favor of the thrust of my wife Rebekah’s Easter message in church, yesterday. “Easter is the Eighth Day of Creation.”

Fact is I’ve never bought in to the idea that God has ever stopped creating. Creation limited to six days followed by “I’m done” simply doesn’t work. Rebekah’s concept of “We’re participants in Eighth Day re-creation – it’s part of what it means to be truly alive as Jesus followers” dovetails nicely in terms of where I think the observance of Lent has been taking us.

INSIDE KNOWLEDGE: I’ll let you in on some inside knowledge… I’ve spent a lot of time during the last forty-plus days outlining and writing my new book. It’s an Easter book (no cover design or title as yet) a series of essays/devotions designed to read between Ash Wednesday and Easter. It will be available before Christmas of 2011 – targeted for Lent, 2012.

It was never my intention to have the book wrap up on Easter Day, a nice, tidy ending with no loose ends. I’m more interested in where our Easter momentum is going to take us.

Easter Sunday has thee potential to be supercharged and electric; a life-saturated experience. But I’m concerned that the "charge" might be more static than empowering.

Last year Rebekah talked about how easily we consign Jesus back to the tomb come Monday morning. He’s a little safer there and he doesn’t bother us so much - especially if we roll the stone back. Then, later, we open the tomb up, just a crack, to take a peek at the Christ-life – but only every week or so.

Eighth Day Believers: This year’s idea takes it a step further. Eighth Day Believers live in the life-changing truth of resurrection. There’s no tomb visitation any more. It’s not about merely listening to the story; now it’s about taking part.

It turns out that Easter Sunday wasn’t our destination during Lent; Easter Sunday is a staging area for what comes next. If we really left the church as confirmed Eighth Day Believers, then we’re signed up to join Jesus in the re-creation business.

God is up to something significant, and we get to be participants.

Christ's plan - Part II: Interestingly, the physically risen Jesus was only a temporary factor, coming and going with brief appearances for a few days and weeks once Eighth Day set in. Jesus then “Ascended”, and he was gone. Resurrection Day set the new order in place – then Jesus moved on because part two of the plan was – and remains – his followers.

We’d better be Eighth Day Believers, because unless we’re participants in the new creation then we don’t have a prayer of accomplishing anything significant. Easter Sunday opened up the door to the possible. The journey has only just begun.

Don't be a Part-Time Christian during Holy Week!

The photograph is from my church in Brandon yesterday - Palm Sunday. If you're checking in with this blog as a reader of "The Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian" then this post should have something to contribute to the conversation.

Peace - DEREK

Some of us have been preparing for this week ever since Ash Wednesday. For others, yesterday's Palm Sunday observances served as a reminder "That's right - Easter must be next week!"

Whatever our route to this particular Monday morning, some of the momentum from the celebration-charged energy of Triumphal Entry probably still remains - at least enough to make some kind of a difference this morning. But is it enough to get us through the week?

Even those fortunate enough to have been physically present (in Jerusalem, the day Jesus rode a donkey into town) ran into a stone cold wall of reality before the "Hosanna's" ringing in their ears ever died down. It wasn't too long before they caved in to the status quo that seems to exact its levy with ease, facing only token resistance much of the time. It's a kind of taxation of the spirit.

Jesus calls us away from "The Way Things Are":

There's a great story I heard from my friend Trevor Hudson a while back: Passover, as we know, was a huge deal in ancient Jerusalem. Jews from all over the known world converged for the celebration, literally crowding the streets with people. The Romans knew this, too, and took steps to assert their ascendancy and reinforce the visibility of a military presence in the city.

Typically, there were a limited number of soldiers posted in Jerusalem. But at Passover, the Roman governor would bring in a show of force (from the garrison at Caesarea) and enter Jerusalem, parade style, to remind everyone who was in charge, who was "Lord", and who would step on their throats at the slightest sign of insurrection.

Hudson pointed out the irony of Palm Sunday, suggesting that Christ entered Jerusalem from the East, riding a donkey, waving palm branches, offering "Peace, not as the world gives..." and that he came in full knowledge that the Romans had their own parade going on, entering from the West, riding war-horses, carrying weapons, offering oppression.

Glorious:

It must have been glorious, loaded with anticipation and excitement and a realization of the freedom they were missing... But then soon enough, probably later that same day, these same people got a good look at the Romans again and they realized how their religion was pretty-much hand-in-glove with the occupying forces... and that the powers-that-be were on the same page with the Romans and the status quo... and that the power-&-value system their lives operated in was - essentially - life and breath to them and their families. And they thought about what all that cumulative weight of soldier + religion + commerce really stood for, and they thought about what they had always been told was important... and what mattered... and what life was all about... and they just lost the glory if it all.

They just lost the glory of it all.

So I have to 'fess up that I'm worried this morning that we will lose the glory of it all in short order and that - just like the people in Jerusalem - we will sell out Jesus in a heartbeat because we're just so used to the possessions and values and priorities that have come to define our lives...

...And that we too would crucify him come Friday if he said one more thing to tip the balance of stability away from the materialism and the power and the politics that protect the real stuff that has our allegiance and that we worship...

Think about it today. Tomorrow we'll take another look at the message that got Jesus killed.

- DEREK

Moving through Lent with purpose - and with Jesus

If you stumbled on this page because you're reading "The Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian", then welcome, it's good to have you visit! This week I'm simply duplicating the post for Wednesday, March 24 from my daily blog, "A Life Examined."

I pray you will be blessed.

"Jesus Gets the Fog Out!

(Image found on the Internet)

For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” - John 18:37

DEALING WITH THE FOG:

Today I woke up to an early morning shrouded in fog; I could barely see across the road at the beginning of my walk. The air was so damp that Scout stopped every few minutes to shake her coat - as if we'd just come in from the rain.

Walking down Miller Road, Scout caught the scent of something interesting and did about 200 yards of her best vacuum-cleaner impersonation - snout hugging the ground and tail high in the air. "It's like seeing Sherlock Holmes and his bloodhound emerging out of the London fog!" the crossing guard at Durant Road exclaimed.

We laughed, and continued on as the soft dawn light gradually began to establish a foothold on the day. We arrived home damp and shivering, more than ready for the pot of "Equal Exchange" Ethiopian coffee that was waiting in the kitchen.

Even now, well past 8:00, visibility is limited and the light is all a muted gray.

I grew up in England, so I'm well acquainted with fog (Okay, that's a huge potential opening for jokes, but I'm not walking through that door this morning!). Sometimes the mist would lay so heavily on the crowded Straights of Dover that huge ships would run into each other, despite the persistent drone of foghorns. (Fog/boat image from Internet)

Typically, there are two things that can remove a thick layer of fog such as the one I walked in this morning. First, a breeze. A fresh movement, an inflow of of air, can carry the mist with it. It doesn't have to be much; sometimes just the hint of a breeze is enough. Then, there is sunlight. In fact, looking out my study window, the sunshine is just now chasing the last remnants of mist. My semi-opaque morning is yielding to translucence via the power of the sun.

Likewise, two particular actions of God's grace work to eradicate the dullness that creeps into my spiritual life like a pernicious vapor. The Holy Spirit, at times a gentle breeze and times a bracing gale, comes as clarity. The Son, cutting through the shadows, deals with clouds in terms of incisive light; the Way of Jesus is the way of discernment and visibility. Then, sometimes, Christ is a signpost, and walks with me as I navigate back to the light.

Regardless, Jesus is The Way.

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. - John 18:36-38