Our Voice

Justice and the Outward Turn

2009-07-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Most of the moving boxes have been unpacked, and I am settling into my new role as Director of the Peace and Justice Center at St. Norbert College. A friend saw my new title and asked, "Peace AND justice? Aren't those kind of antithetical? I can see one or the other, but how can you have both?"

If justice consists of getting even, he would be right. Cycles of retribution do not bring peace; they prolong war. But if justice means establishing what is good and right, then it flows with peace in a single stream.

By grace, we are expected to stand in it. Regardless of our job descriptions, we share a calling to champion human dignity and be a voice for the voiceless. That is part of the outward turn that we talk about in LifeSpace. It is the spiritual discipline of loving others well, the transformation in which the Spirit lifts our gaze beyond the contemplation of our own selves, toward an ever-increasing love of God and others.

"Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

Bob

LifeSpace Sermon Links

2008-12-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some links to recent sermons in which I have been privileged to share messages connected to LifeSpace:

Frisco Bible Church (August 31, 2008)

Audio and Slides

Tulsa Bible Church (October 26, 2008)

Videos of morning and evening services

I am one of those people who does not enjoy watching or listening to himself, so I have not sat through these links myself. If you do listen, please let us know what you think!

Bob

Grief and Grace in Kenya

2008-01-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

Last week we watched with grief and grave concern as violence rocked the nation of Kenya. When the incumbent president was declared to be the winner of December elections, protesters took out their frustration on members of his tribe—the Kikuyu—and anyone else thought to be in league with him. As one of my Kenyan co-workers put it, “the tribal dragon raised its head.”

In scenes that brought to mind still fresh images from the Rwandan genocide, crowds marched with sticks and machetes and peaceful streets became gauntlets of fear. Shopping stalls, petrol stations, and trucks were ablaze on the streets of Nairobi. In Eldoret, attackers burned a church where families had sought shelter, killing at least fifty people inside. Things have quieted this week, but throughout the country as many as half a million people remain displaced from their homes.

“Never have we imagined that this could happen in Kenya.” Kenyans themselves have been shocked by the country’s rapid slide to the brink of genocide.

May they now be surprised by grace.

I received the following report from another Kenyan co-worker:

Yesterday my husband and I attended a prayer meeting at All Saints Cathedral that had been convened by the National Alliance of Churches. This was a united prayer to bring repentance to the Lord. The Church is suffering a credibility gap as it has been much divided. The lines dividing the people are the same ones dividing the Church. Thus this prayer meeting was for Church leaders to evaluate themselves and repent before the Lord and their fellow leaders. It was a very moving service; there were tears all over. The Media was politely asked to leave so that the leaders could lay themselves bear before the Lord and each other. A Kikuyu Bishop stood up to represent his tribe and invited a Luo Bishop and repented for the sins his tribe had committed against the Luos. This went on for sometime as Church leaders from different tribes repeated this.

Major political leaders were present at the service as well, remaining silent except to participate in the prayers of repentance.

Caravans of relief supplies have already begun rolling down Kenyan highways. More are being readied. Life-giving words of reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace-building will quickly follow.

By the grace of God, may they step back from the brink.

Bob

On the Radio Again

2007-12-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

We have been enjoying the opportunity to talk about LifeSpace on the radio. All the hosts have been well-prepared and truly delightful, but our favorite interview to date was with Kerby Anderson on "Point of View." Kerby is an old friend of ours and a former co-worker of Bob's, but this interview was especially fun because we joined him in the studio.

It always helps to see someone's face when you are in a conversation! Here is a link to that show, which aired on December 19: http://audio.ncfr.net/download/12192007.mp3. Enjoy!

Fashion Trend

2007-11-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Everyone at the Asian American Baptist Church retreat left with a new favorite shirt!

On the Radio

2007-10-20T17:20:00.001-07:00

What better to make available on "Our Voice" than our voices? Here are links to a radio interview that we did last week with Debbie Chavez of KGMI, a talk radio station in Seattle.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

Book Signing

2007-10-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we covered the metroplex from one end to the other, visiting Mardel stores in Fort Worth, Arlington, and Mesquite. Thanks to the good folks at Mardel for making that happen!

Images of Emergence

2007-09-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Even those of us who have been involved in the Emergent conversation for several years sometimes have difficulty explaining just what it is about. This short video, using images created by Emerging Grace, offers a pretty nice introduction.

Endorsements

2007-06-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

LifeSpace offers insights into Christian spirituality in ways that are wise, attractively written and humanly hopeful about our potential to receive the gifts of grace that are daily in our lives. Best of all, the book rings true in its message that we are closest to God when we love, and farthest away from that joy when we do not.

—Michael Malone

The word that echoes in my heart since reading LifeSpace is "expansive." I think about all the people whose faith has been boxed and shrink-wrapped, the people who feel claustrophobic in church, who feel they can't breathe or run or shout because of their religious constrictions, and I think, "They need this book." It did my soul good. The scientists tell us that God made an expanding universe: Joni Grace Powers and Bob Pyne help us have an expanding spiritual life to match it.

—Brian McLaren

Warning: Reading this book could be hazardous to your categories. Do not open unless prepared to consider, breathe, emerge, revel, rejoice!

—Sandra Glahn

LifeSpace releases you onto the wide open horizon of God's good creation and the deep love of Christ, lungs full of breath and hands outstretched. Powers and Pyne adeptly integrate the holiness of God with the joyfulness of our human journey. They remind us of the very central calling to be fully present to the life God has given us.
—Danielle Shroyer

"This book is not simply words on a page about God. It delivers what so many of us need, whether seasoned believer or wandering seeker---a fresh experience of the living God. The theology is shatteringly solid, the language warm and companionable. With Powers and Pyne as guides, I feel as though I’ve been given great draughts of oxygen---which is to say, a new look at the holiness and grace of God and what it means to live truly within that space."
—Leslie Leyland Fields

Powers and Pyne have carved out a nice, little book here that flies in the face of spiritual hogwash. They paint a picture of a lavish life with God that is not exasperated by lines and boxes. Upon reading this book, you will get a clearer picture of what Christ meant when he talked about giving life to the fullest. You will not be disappointed.
—Brian Tryhus

Bob and Joni have done a masterful job of reintroducing an expansive understanding of Christian living into a landscape that has become cluttered with models of sanctification bearing more resemblance to straightjackets and organized cubby holes than freedom in Christ. The authors explore the truths of Christian orthodoxy seeking to discover how the natures of and relationship between God and humanity matter to our next gasp of breath. They passionately argue from a perspective that honors both Scripture and church history while challenging some modern conceptions of Christian holiness. Their conclusions will likely be startling to some, reassuring to others, and the first step in a exhilarating journey for many more. All should love the symmetry between sound doctrine and evocative expression, biblical truth and genuine vulnerability.
—Tim Owens

So much more than just another book on the "How-To's" of living the Christian life! What you will find here are incredible insights expressed on every page into what it means to truly find and walk in REAL and LASTING LIFE! Let Bob Pyne and Joni Grace Powers lead you on a life-changing journey through the process of learning to breathe once again!! A true treasure of a book.
—Mark Zeigler

The chapters are copiously illustrated with a variety of experiences drawn from lives of the writers, as well as from a diverse congeries of authors ranging from Madeline L'Engle and Maya Angelou to Augustine, to Barth, to Buechner, and thankfully, to Flannery O'Connor. The reader will feel enriched and refreshed through the surprising array of Christian thinkers included in the text. Such unconventional thinkers as Annie Dillard and Emily Dickinson reflect the truth of Christ, but tell it "slant." Their perspectives on Christ catch us a little off balance, forcing us to reconsider our sometimes wobbly presuppositions about the Christian life. LifeSpace invites readers to celebrate Christ in real living - to be a people whose lives are marked by "the fire of God's wild breath" on our face. It is a book to be read, and then lived.
—Reg Grant

Field Trip

2007-05-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Each of the westerners at the Amahoro Gathering went on a field trip to observe and participate in a local ministry. Joni's group traveled 13 hours by bus to Rwanda, where they joined in the work of several local churches. They were profoundly moved by what they saw, and they had many stories to share after they returned to Kampala.

My group flew to Nairobi, where we had very different experiences. Half of our team served alongside Pastor Edward and others from his church, participating in AIDS support groups in Kibera. The rest of us drove out to the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology to take part in a theological conversation.

We felt a little guilty touring the beautiful campus of NEGST. Part of the discomfort came from the fact that we had just had several days of conversation about the affect of colonialism on theology. Perhaps unjustifiably, that made some of us look a little sideways at such lovely surroundings. Even more so, however, we had just visited one of Nairobi's slums, and we knew that our friends were there again while we were taking pictures of the flowers. I have read, even assigned, C. S. Lewis's essay on being a student during wartime. I knew that our task was important and that education and reflection will never feel as urgent as most other callings. But I was squirming in our comfortable classroom. Frederick Buechner wrote, "Your life and my life flow into each other as wave flows into wave, and unless there is peace and joy and freedom for you, there can be no real peace and joy and freedom for me." Call it a test of connectedness.

The theological conversation went nicely. Brian McLaren was his usual eloquent and winsome self, and everyone rightly appreciated what he had to say. Naturally, I found their pleasant response disappointing. Anticipating controversy, I had been hoping that the miraculous quieting of some theological storm would justify our presence as theologians. But the reception turned out to be as lovely and placid as the campus itself. I was also disappointed that there were not more people in attendance. One of the students told me afterward that postmodern kinds of questions were simply "not on the radar screen" for most of the campus. We had seen a similar response among many of the pastors back in Uganda. Post-colonialism does not necessarily follow the same course as postmodernism, as one may doubt a colonial meta-narrative without doubting meta-narratives in general.

When we all returned to Uganda from our field trips, my story did not feel as dramatic as many of the ones I heard. Compared to theirs, my experience had been pretty routine. Looking back on it, I see that as a good thing. This trip made Africa feel less exotic . . . and more like home.

Bob

A Special Announcement from Bob

2007-04-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Looks like it is time to update the brief bio on our Team page.

I am delighted to announce that I have accepted a new position with African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM).

In the aftermath of genocide in his home country of Rwanda, Celestin Musekura founded ALARM in 1994 “to help the African church serve as an agent of change and transformation that goes deeper than superficial, nominal Christianity.” Now with staff and offices in eight countries of east and central Africa, ALARM is equipping leaders to bring about healing and holistic transformation in their communities.

Operating out of ALARM’s Dallas office as Director of Leadership Development, I will come alongside the African leaders in their fulfillment of this vision. My primary responsibilities will be in the areas of staff and volunteer learning, curriculum development, and donor relations.

When I started seminary, Julie and I hoped to be a part of theological education overseas, possibly in Africa. We did not expect the family circumstances that redirected us to Dallas, nor did we expect that I would teach at Dallas Seminary for 17 years. And we certainly never expected that God would bring us to this new place, restoring aspects of our original vision after so much time had passed. In short, we are as surprised by this as anybody, and we are absolutely thrilled!

Missiologist Andrew Walls contends that “the Christianity typical of the twenty-first century will be shaped by the events and processes that take place in the southern continents, and above all by those that take place in Africa. . . . The characteristic doctrines, the liturgy, the ethical codes, the social applications of the faith will increasingly be those prominent in Africa.” Further, “What happens about Christianity and nation-building in Africa . . . may indicate whether Christians have anything of importance to say or do about civil society, or any characteristically Christian way of influencing it, anywhere in the world.” ALARM is positioned to make a major contribution to this future, and we are grateful to God for the opportunity to join with them.

We would appreciate your prayers through this transition. This is an exciting time that will bring many changes!

Bob

Another Book Update

2007-03-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

As of this week, we and the editors at Regal have finalized the text of LifeSpace: the practice of life with God. It is now in the hands of the design team, who will prepare the page layouts. The book is due to be sent to the printer on May 4, and it should be in stores before the end of the summer!

Book Update

2007-02-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

It is in.

We finished the book manuscript on Tuesday and sent it off to the publisher two days before our deadline. Yea!!

Our reader groups helped us immensely. Their suggestions led us to rework some chapters substantially, making for a really busy month, but the book will be better for it. Thanks especially to Sandi, Lauri, Reg, Sara, Wendy, Brian, Louise, and Danielle for their gracious feedback.

Now it is the publisher's turn to work with the manuscript, and it is time for us to celebrate!

Emergent Cohort

2007-01-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

On January 30 we will be leading a discussion with the combined Dallas and Fort Worth Emergent Cohorts. We will begin where the last conversation left off, talking about a theology of the body, and we will share ideas about what it means to practice an embodied spirituality. Our goal is not to escape our humanity, but to fulfill it.

Join us at the Coffee Haus in Arlington (210 S. Mesquite St.) on Tuesday, January 30, at 8pm. Here is a map.

Book Update

2007-01-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all who have been praying for our progress in writing. We have finished the first full draft of our book, LifeSpace: the practice of life with God. With our due date still over a month away, we will spend the next few weeks processing reader comments and refining the manuscript.

Anne Lamott encourages writers to find "someone out there in the world--maybe a spouse, maybe a close friend--who will read your finished drafts and give you an honest critique, let you know what does and doesn't work, give you some suggestions on things you might take out or things on which you need to elaborate, ways in which to make your piece stronger. . . . Feedback from someone I'm close to gives me confidence, or at least it gives me time to improve. Imagine that you are getting ready for a party and there is a person at your house who can check you out and assure you that you look wonderful or, conversely, that you actually do look a little tiny tiny bit heavier than usual in this one particular dress or suit or that red makes you look just a bit like you have sarcoptic mange. Of course you are disappointed for a moment, but then you are grateful that you are still in the privacy of your own home and there is time to change."
Well, that is the stage we are in now. Please pray that our friends will be both insightful and kind. Pray that this refining process makes the book better. And pray that we survive it!

Burning Our Virtues

2006-10-29T20:25:00.000-08:00

I recently preached at the Dallas Seminary chapel on "Burning Our Virtues." Those who have been through one of our LifeSpace classes will recognize the theme, but you might still enjoy watching or listening to the message. It is available for download here. (You will need to scroll down to "Pyne" on the speaker list.)

Bob

LifeSpace: The Book

2006-10-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

It looks like the book is finally going to happen! We are under contract for a book, tentatively called LifeSpace, that should be available next fall. Our manuscript is due on February 15, so most of our words are being channeled toward that project for the time being. Please pray for us and our publisher, that the book will express well the message of LifeSpace and be a help and encouragement to many.

Joni and Bob

Back from Rwanda!

2006-08-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

We are back from a tremendous trip to Rwanda, where we led about 90 pastors through the LifeSpace training. At times the medium was as new to them as the message. They had never been asked to work with colored paper, scissors, and glue sticks, and they had never seen Play-Doh, but we all greatly enjoyed the fellowship and the interaction. Most importantly, we found that the love of God required no translation. We woke each morning to the pastors' exuberant singing, and we shared laughter and tears with them as we talked about the practice of life with God.

The terror of Rwanda's recent past remains painfully close to the surface. We visited the genocide memorial in Kigali, where 256,000 souls are buried in mass graves.

But life continues, and hope lives on. As we worshipped with these brothers and sisters in Christ, we confessed that we have never heard such singing. They sang spontaneously and freely. They sang often, and they sang long. They sang so loudly that the translator quit trying to make himself heard. They sang of hope and rejoiced in the goodness of God. As I hear their voices and see their faces, I am reminded once again of the words of Frederick Buechner: "What's lost is nothing to what's found, and all the death that ever was, set next to life, would scarcely fill a cup."

Bob

(See the OpenSpace forum for more about the trip.)

Off to Rwanda!

2006-07-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are on our way to Rwanda! Please pray!

We will be conducting pastoral training from about 9 to 5 each day. We will also be responsible for group devotions in the morning, preaching on Sunday, and evening programs each night. Please pray for our creativity, our ability to connect well with the group, and for the message to be clear in spite of cultural differences and translation.

We have not yet seen the schedule for the rest of our team (friends from West Virginia and their teenagers; Bob's teenage sons; and Joni's teenage daughters), but we expect it to be busy. They will be doing some preaching, evangelism, classroom visits, sports outreaches, and lifeskills training. Some of them will work in the medical clinic or in construction. Please pray for their safety, their ability to flex with whatever they are asked to do, their endurance, their clarity of communication, their relationships with one another, and their ability to model gracious love.

Thank you for your prayers. We will be back soon with sightings of delight from Africa!

Bob

Labels

2006-06-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Like tags on the web, theological labels enable us to sort information more quickly. Once we know what a particular person is, we can make assumptions about what they believe without having to ask lots of questions. At least that is the idea. But a label is only as helpful as whatever shared meaning it carries. I will never forget the student who asked me if I was a "progressive dispensationalist." "Tell me what it is," I said, "and I will let you know."

"I don't know what it is," he responded. "All I know is that it's bad."

Others have a similar reaction to words like "evangelical," "emergent," or "postmodern." Is that what I am? Can I be all those things at once? And if those words do apply to me, in what way do they no longer apply to others? If I am an evangelical, does that make you a fundamentalist? If I am postmodern, does that make you modern? Radically postmodern? Post-postmodern?

At a recent gathering of the Emergent Coordinating Group, we were struck by the wide variety of perception about what constituted "Emergent." There have been attempts at formal description, and there have been more recent responses to critics, but the label has been put on and off so many times that it seems to have lost its stick.

We are friends of Emergent Village, and we like the language of friendship, especially in this context. It takes time to have real conversations about what people believe--conversations that make most of our labels unnecessary and insufficient. The better we know someone, the less we know what to call them. Fortunately, friends come with names.

Bob

DaVinci ReConsidered

2006-05-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

Disclosure statement: On June 10 we will participate in a seminar titled, "The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction?"

Additional disclosure statement: We wrote on this topic back in January.

Another additional disclosure statement: We are somewhere between offended and embarrassed by the way many Christians have responded to the book, the movie, and the hype.

A Google search on "Da Vinci Response" pulls in over 8 million hits. Most are Christian critiques in which The Da Vinci Code has been cracked, broken, debated, decoded, debunked, exposed, explored, examined, unlocked, unwrapped, or unraveled. With the movie arriving in theaters this weekend, there may be as many sermons about Da Vinci this Sunday as there were about resurrection on Easter.

Director Ron Howard argues that "The Da Vinci Code" should not be mistaken for a documentary. "This is a work of fiction that presents a set of characters that are affected by . . . conspiracy theories and ideas." Author Dan Brown used to say it was more than that, that the historical theories described in the book were in fact true. He has since backed off from such claims, stating on his website, "While it is my belief that some of the theories discussed by these characters may have merit, each individual reader must explore these characters' viewpoints and come to his or her own interpretations."

Fair enough. And I am glad that helpful and accurate resources are available for those who have serious questions after reading the book or seeing the film.

But how many people believe in the historical reconstructions presented in The Da Vinci Code? Perhaps no more than believe the moon landings were faked. Do they really need all the sermons, seminars, and books? And are they paying any attention? I heard one preacher, addressing an audience of senior adults, tell them they needed to know the truth about Mary Magdalene and the Nag Hammadi documents so they could answer their grandkids' questions. Is that really the best strategy? Do they really think the grandkids are going to ask about the Priory of Scion?

Years ago I invested a little over an hour in Bridges of Madison County. It was packaged like a true story, and many of us wondered if there really was a National Geographic photographer named Robert Kincaid. There was not, but it did not matter. The book was popular for other reasons. If it were discussed at a book club, one might spend a few minutes talking about covered bridges, but the conversation would quickly turn to romance and fantasy.

Likewise, a discussion of Da Vinci might briefly consider its pseudo-history, but more important questions might be:
1. If the Da Vinci story were true, what would you like about that? Why?
2. What would trouble you? Why?
3. Why might people not like the way Jesus has been presented by the church?
4. Why do they reject the church, but still want Jesus?
5. How do all the references to the Sacred Feminine relate to the subject of gender within Christianity?

Enjoy the movie. Have some conversation about what is really important. Roll your eyes at the rest of the hype.

Bob

Pastoral Training in Rwanda

2006-04-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

In mid-July, we will be in Kigali, Rwanda with African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM). Approximately 100 pastors, representing 31 denominations and at least a half dozen countries, will gather for a week of training in the concepts of LifeSpace. Most of the men and women in this picture will be with us. Look at their faces. Pray for them.
Some of our teenagers (two of Bob's and both of Joni's) will join us on the trip, and they will engage in many kinds of ministry. We are thrilled for the opportunity! As we prepare, please pray for us, for the kids, and for those to whom we will minister.

Lousy Churches

2006-04-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Theologian Miroslav Volf said at a recent conference, "I would not be a Christian because of churches. I have seen too many lousy ones. I am a Christian because of the gospel." My first impulse is to agree. We could tell some stories about the churches we have seen! But I am a Christian, in part, because of lousy churches.

The first church I attended as a child was doctrinally shaky and filled with conflict. It was lousy, but that is where I was introduced to the biblical story of Jesus. We later moved to a church that was known for having better theology. Unfortunately some of the people were so mean-spirited in their purity that they repeatedly made my mother cry. That was definitely lousy. The next church was big enough to offer something for everyone. They ran tram shuttles from the parking lot. We heard lots of good teaching there, but our favorite pastor left in a scandal, and nobody seemed to notice when we found other things to do on Sunday morning. Again, lousy.

Every church experience, given time, will disappoint. So will every church member. I have been a member of lousy churches, and I have contributed to their lousiness. But that is one of the remarkable realities of grace. "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves" (2 Cor. 4:7). God offers grace to imperfect people through imperfect people, and we gather together in imperfect--even lousy--churches. In our experience of life together, we recognize that forgiveness is necessary, gracious love is distinctive, and hope will not be satisfied this side of heaven. But we also share moments of glory, when the beauty of God is revealed most clearly in a human face.

I am a Christian because the Spirit of God has helped me to embrace the truth of the gospel, communicated faithfully through centuries of lousy churches. For all their failings--perhaps even because of them--they remain communities of grace, earthly expressions of the glory and goodness of God.

Bob

No Magic Pill

2006-04-04T11:31:00.000-07:00

An Anglican priest recently resigned her pulpit. She could not continue to preach peace and reconciliation after the death of her daughter in the London subway bombings. The March 7th London Times wrote: "Mrs. Nicholson's loss is great and her faith troubled, but her integrity is intact. To extend forgiveness to the misguided, the mistaken, or the ignorant is significantly easier if they offer repentance. Suicide bombers do not linger to explain their actions."

Forgiveness is a gift we give those who love poorly...and the hard truth is that we all love poorly. Henri Nouwen

We will teach on forgiveness in our LifeSpace class this week. We keep several people very close to us on this topic. Our dear friends, Celestin and Bernadette Musekura, are Rwandan pastors who preach reconciliation across Africa. They stare in the face of the horrific genocide and call their fellow human beings to extend the God-given grace of forgiveness.

We also are informed by Miroslav Volf as we encounter him in his writings and when we see him periodically. In his book, Exclusion and Embrace, Miroslav explores his journey to forgiveness after the genocide in Eastern Europe. He speaks of embracing the "other" as a divine calling.

We sit at the feet of our friends and hear their stories. Stories of redemption in the midst of unfathomable pain. Stories of the Spirit moving to free humans from the constricting, suffocating bonds of anger and hate. We believe God transforms even that which we cannot yet see as worthy of redemption.

As we teach this week, our prayer will be lifted up for our sister across the ocean. We doubt that her integrity is much comfort as she reels from the loss of two great loves: her daughter and her work. There is no magic pill for forgiving. It is a long and arduous journey...or it can happen in a heartbeat. May our sister be open to the bright-winged presence of the Spirit in the fullness of time...and may God comfort her in the midst.

Joni and Bob

Opening Day

2006-04-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

It is the weekend of the Final Four, the climax of March Madness, the Big Dance. But it is also the last weekend of spring training, and Monday is Opening Day.

Steve Spencer, our friend at Wheaton College, reaches for his Opening Day tie. Today he will teach theology through stories of the Cubs (longsuffering hope) and the White Sox (inexplicable grace). Down at the ballpark, box seats and bleachers buzz with people who realize for at least one day that the economy will survive without them. The familiar voice of John Fogerty carries over their happy conversation:

Well, beat the drum and hold the phone - the sun came out today!
We're born again, there's new grass on the field.
A-roundin' third, and headed for home, it's a brown-eyed handsome man;
Anyone can understand the way I feel.
Oh, put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Put me in, Coach - I'm ready to play today;
Look at me, I can be Centerfield

Hope abounds. The past is forgotten, and every team is tied for first. The new kid has a chance to bat 1.000. Both starters are thinking no-hitter. Even the vendors are giddy. Intensity can wait for the playoffs; today the atmosphere is simply buoyant.

I love this moment.

I ask myself, Why do church worship services not feel more like this? Why do they often feel more like a baseball game in late August, when the team is tired, the sun is hot, and the few faithful fans either revisit past glory or talk about next year? Do we need to sign some free agents and release those who have performed badly? Do we need to take a few months off and start over? Or is the problem my own expectation? Have we lost the pace of the liturgical year? Have I forgotten the excitement approaching with Easter?

But such thoughts travel the wrong direction. To paraphrase Buechner, I am Adam, and today is my birthday. It is Opening Day, minutes from the first pitch. It is a wonderful moment, a good gift from God who gives us all things to enjoy. Hope abounds.

Bob

On the Will to Embrace

2006-02-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

Theologian Miroslav Volf wrote an excellent book on reconciliation titled Exclusion and Embrace. During a recent conference at Yale Divinity School, he was asked, "How does one get the will to embrace an enemy?"

He answered that the will to embrace is a gift of God that comes through communities of faith. Forgiveness is expressed individually as a personal choice of the will, but the will to forgive is forged in relationship with others who forgive and love well. It is nurtured in families and in churches. It is cultivated through common participation in the liturgy of worship. It is God's gift, but he gives it through people.

God gives gifts through community, intending that they be expressed in community. Who in your life helps you to love well? How are you nurturing such gifts of grace in others? Hebrews 10:24 says, "let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good works." The will to exclude comes all too easily. May we encourage in one another the will to embrace.

Bob and Joni

Spirituality and the DaVinci Code

2006-01-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

Get ready to hear more about Dan Brown's bestselling book, The DaVinci Code, in the next few months. The film version, starring Tom Hanks, will be released May 19. It is expected to be even more popular than the book.

Amazingly, we continue to see multiple copies of The DaVinci Code every time we get on an airplane. What has made it so popular? Dan Brown tells a good story. Everyone enjoys being let in on a secret. But the book is much more than a rivetting bit of revisionist history. It gives legitimacy to what a lot of people have been thinking--that religion is mostly about power, that the church has suppressed authentic spirituality, and that the real Jesus must have had something different in mind.

People are ready to take Jesus with them to another religion

Many books have been written in response to DaVinci. Most react to Brown's historical reconstructions. They argue that he doesn't have the story right. Fair enough. We need such critical responses. But many readers, perhaps even most, do not care whether the author has all his facts straight or not. They like what the book has to say. They are convinced that spirituality must be more personal, more dynamic, and less oppressive than what they have experienced in church. They believe the book--not because they have studied art history or delved into ancient manuscripts, but because they are ready to take Jesus with them to another religion.

Two years ago, as part of a series on DaVinci, we did a presentation at our church called "Spirituality Unplugged." The audio file from that presentation is available here. We addressed how the practice of life with God has been unplugged or disengaged from Christian tradition. We talked about the perceived differences between spirituality and religion and the widespread desire for our own personal Jesus.

Some of the LifeSpace concepts relate directly to these concerns. How should we approach life with God? What does it mean to truly delight in His glory? Why has Christian spirituality felt so confining?

Whether you liked the book or not, The DaVinci Code had people talking about life with God. The upcoming movie should do the same thing. As you discuss it with friends, remember: the question may not be whether the story is true, but why it rings true to them.

--Joni and Bob

p.s.--If you are interested, additional presentations on DaVinci are available here: http://www.nbctexas.org/equip/januaryseries.htm.

EMPTY CHAIR

2006-01-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

Laughter and jesting started immediately when we left the hotel. Through chilly streets of downtown Philadelphia, past Independence Park, during questioning for directions, finally into the City Tavern. A group of five in the November night, perched on the cusp of this year's holiday season. Friends: some very old...a few quite new. Hot toddies for all. Signature pot pie for most. Waxed candlelight flickering on our faces. The conversation turned more serious. Words swirled around the debate of theology, the agonies of being church, the details of kids and parents and being sandwiched in between.

Our individual glances rested for stolen moments on the empty chair at the end of the table. The absence of a human form was not planned for that chair. It happened when the waiter did the seating dance with us. Providential emptiness for that chair had been strangely ordained. On another night this past February, Stan Grenz occupied the chair. Change the locale to balmy San Diego. Different restaurant. We laughed at Stan's notoriously corny jokes. We drank a voluminous red wine. We talked of Stan's sweet Edna and her upcoming doctoral status. Goodbyes were waved late into the darkness. See you in Philadelphia!

People say, "Stan died suddenly." Would that not be true for everyone? There is a moment when you are alive. There is the next moment when you are not. There is a moment when your chair is occupied. There is the next moment when it is empty. The suddenness of death relates to those of us who sit at dinner in Philadelphia or Vancouver or any other earthly place. We expect to groan at Stan's jokes one more time. We expect to bask in the presence of Stan Grenz, gentleman and scholar extraordinaire, one more evening. Suddenly, a group of six has only five members.

The candles at the City Tavern burned down to nubs. We could put it off no longer. Corporately we turned to the empty chair. We raised our glasses to Stan Grenz. For all that was and all that will be. For eternal life without death's intrusion. For angels that are required to laugh at corny jokes. We raised a glass, finally, for those of us who are left behind...with empty chairs.

Joni and Bob

Thank You

2005-10-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

We first write jointly to thank the cadre of friends and family who support us as we fling the Lifespace message. Tim and Julie, the spouses, provide constant encouragement to follow our dreams for LifeSpace. They put up with our agonizing over one specific word or that perfect image. We become obsessed, and Tim and Julie are the anchors to sanity. Our parents, Lois, Jim, Don, and Mary raised us to love the Lord and to seek His face. We are forever grateful for their legacy.

Monte, Matt, Marcus, and Celeste are the creative team behind the LifeSpace concept. They make us look good, so we love having them around! Friends like Sara, Jeff, Patsy, and Laurie keep us sharp with their insightful input. Our church, Northwest Bible, in Dallas, Texas, continues to be a primary venue for our teaching. We appreciate the ongoing opportunity there.

Above all else, we thank God for wooing us with His love. Our greatest dream is to gaze upon Him for eternity. Through the grace of Christ, we are afforded our dream. We praise God in His majesty and for His glory. We dedicate our efforts to Him that He may be praised.

To each of you, we say, "Welcome to the Lifespace community!"

Joni and Bob