Friday Fun.

Yesterday I spent my entire lunch hour perusing a local antique store. Let me tell you- it was fantastic.

I purposely left my phone in the car so I could just have some uninterrupted time to myself. I also purposely only brought in a small amount of cash so I wouldn't be tempted to make any big purchases...

There were literally thousands of little trinkets in that store- I was giddy at the site of it all! One of my favorite items to browse in any antique shop are the boxes of old photos. I don't know who would actually purchase old photos of someone else's family, or what they would use them for, but those photos are a huge reason why I love antique stores. My significance & individualization strengths were going crazy imaging story after story behind each picture.


I couldn't go away empty handed; I ended up with a few small knick-knacks, including this tiny box of crazy eight playing cards.


I loved crazy eights as a kid. I can remember how proud I felt whenever I would beat my mom (I'm sure she let me win--some of the time). As soon as I picked up the box, cue the nostalgia (as if I wasn't feeling it already just walking into the store).

While I walked the couple blocks from the shop to my car, I pondered why I was feeling so relaxed and at peace. Even inspired, in a way. All that stuff on display was from a time when life was simpler, (at least it seems like it was), and just being around it made me more relaxed. I think I need to make visiting that store a monthly occurence.

Suddenly Summer.

A week ago we had snow, and now it's suddenly summer! And not just in terms of the weather, but in other areas of life, too. Small groups and staff meetings have ended, and summer projects are just days away. I can't wait for a change of pace next week as I shift my focus to my summer plans. I've got quite a few things on tap for the summer, but many of them involve rest (vacations, catching up on reading, sticking to a 40 hour work week...) I can't wait. Also on tap: another seminary class, road trip to Colorado, iced coffees downtown with my favorite Amy, baby shower for my sister-in-law, parent's 35th wedding anniversary party, a visit from the Denver brother and girlfriend, wedding showers for some of my besties ... ! Can't wait.

Best Supporting ... Barista?

I've noticed a trend the last few dozen times I've been to my local Starbucks. Whether the coffee shop is packed or sparse, I always see one of the baristas not doing any customer service. They don't make drinks. They don't take orders up front, or at the drive-thru. Actually, it seems like they are practically ignoring customers, as they are focused on whatever task they are completing at the time.

They call this the "store support" role. This person brews coffee, re-stocks and replenishes supplies, and in general just supports the other baristas with whatever they need.

I read about this role on a blog, and the Starbucks employee (or "partner," as Starbucks calls them) said "nobody likes this role. It’s hard work, and not very gratifying. It’s boring. But it is also really necessary."

I think the blogger is right about all of this - except that no one would like that role.

I would love that role.

I would see how efficiently I could whip up a new batch of Pike Place, or restock the cups or organize the storeroom.

There are roles like "store support" in every company, no matter how small. For many companies, the HR department operates as a type of support role. Even when I worked at a little family owned company in college, they didn't have a specific HR person, but we all played this "store support" role in some way - prepping electronic materials so that when they were assembled together later, they could be done so more efficiently.

I loved that role.

It's no surprise I have this role again, on the Operations team. There's a definite need for supporting roles in ministry. There has to be people working alongside those on the field, who can serve them in vital areas. Pastors have admin assistants. Non-profits have bookers or accountants or financial teams. And Cru has the Operations team.

Who new Starbucks and Cru operate in similar ways? Maybe that's why I love them both.

Would Jesus Eat Frybread?

In my March ministry update I wrote about visiting a Native American tribe in Washington state. My office is helping plan a conference out there called "Would Jesus Eat Frybread?" The conference will focus on the idea of identity in Christ and identity as a Native American.

One of the most interesting things I learned during my 48 hours out west was that Christian Natives have to walk a very fine line. They identify with being Native, but they also follow Jesus. Can the two be combined? How? Where do you draw the line?

Every ethnic group of people must deal with this question. Each one has special characteristics and cultural aspects that can be incorporated into faith in Jesus. Reaching these ethic groups requires changes in the way we do ministry, which is called "contextualizing." We don't change the message of the Gospel, but we may change aspects of how we present it, or the way we live it out.

Musical worship is a great example of this. I grew up in a church that sang hymns out of a hymn book. I love hymns. There's something about holding the heavy book in your hand, and flipping through the worn pages to find the right song, that I love. Words are chosen so carefully. They have deep meaning.

Is there anything wrong with singing hymns, if they are theologically sound and help me experience the presence of God? Nope.

What about using an African or Native drum in worship? It probably would distract or hinder me from connecting with God - but for an African or Native American, using a drum would be totally normal. It's a common thing in their culture.

If someone told me that once I followed Jesus, I could never sing hymns, I'd be pretty bummed. Or if they told me I had to dress a certain way, or cut my hair, or stop speaking my language -- all of these would hinder me from following Jesus.

I'll never forget telling a Chinese student last summer that God speaks Chinese. The student was blown away. She legitimately thought God only spoke English and that she had to pray to him in English. She was relieved to discover God's not American, and she didn't have to conform to American ways of worship or conduct to follow Jesus.

I'm not sure that I'm explaining contextualization right, so here are some awesome links with more info:

• a brief explanation of contextualization
  
• a list of Cru's contextualized ministries
  
• Contextualization 101 - from The Gospel Coalition

Coffeeless Lent.

I gave up coffee for Lent this year.

(No, seriously. I did).

It has been so .... hard. And good. And so very enlightening. To deny myself the routine of a cup of brewed coffee first thing in the morning, or a latte at Starbucks in the afternoon, was hard. Really hard. It's silly how hard it was.

Not having it made me realize how much I rely on it to fulfill desires, like wanting to feel at ease in a stressful environment, or wanting to feel happy in the midst of a bad day, or wanting to spend time with a certain friend, who I know also loves coffee...so naturally, why wouldn't we get coffee?

These wantings are not necessarily bad, but is coffee really always the best way to fulfill them?

The first couple weeks, I had to remind myself I wasn't drinking it. I'd mentally prepare myself when I walked into a coffee shop; No, you're going to get hot chocolate, or chai- or nothing at all. You're not going to break this fast. I would literally have this internal dialogue going on the whole time I was in the store.

It got much easier, and I wouldn't think about it as much. For the first week, I didn't tell anyone I was giving it up, which helped me keep my focus on the purpose. (I actually cut back the week before in preparation, which was smart). Slowly I started telling a few people here and there, mainly because they would offer me free drink coupons or BOGOs and I had to explain that no, I wasn't crazy for shooting them down, there was a purpose to my refusal.

There have also been some surprising benefits, which are not why I gave it up. For the first couple weeks I slept. A lot. By 930pm my eyelids were drooping and when the alarm went off at 630am I would wake up realizing I didn't toss and turn as much as I normally do. And I didn't need to snooze because I felt rested.

Another surprise is my finger nails. It's possible that my unusual success at not biting them can be attributed to something other than my lack of coffee. But I think having less caffeine (...a LOT less caffeine) over the course of 6 weeks decreased my anxiety levels. For the first time in 27 years, I have fingernails I can actually paint.

And then there's the financial benefit. The funny thing is, I got quite a few birthday gift cards to favorite local coffee shops. I did use them up on hot chocolate and chai when I was out with friends or had a meeting at a coffee shop, but they definitely wouldn't have lasted as long if I were drinking coffee.

Benefits aside, I'm so glad I gave it up. It's caused me to die to my selfish desires, to buy what I want when I want even though I don't need it. It's caused me to realize how often I turn to something other than Christ to fulfill my longings.

I'll definitely keep drinking coffee regularly after Lent. In fact, I've got a coupon for a caramel macchiato, so I'll probably use it Monday morning. But I don't think I'll ever view coffee in the same way again.

Today I went to a funeral of a friend of mine. He was 27. He died suddenly, with no warning, one week ago today. It was a total shock.

As I think about his life and reflect on some fun memories, it's hard not to ask why. I know that's usually the first question many people ask when a loved one dies or something bad happens. In this case, the why seems a little more legitimate. Dave was a faithful servant, who was passionate about sharing the hope of Jesus with other people. He was so young with so much life ahead to live. We know of no cause of death at this time- no preventable accident or disease. There's no one to blame, no reasonable cause. He just died.

The last blog post Dave wrote was entitled "Oh Death, Where is Your Sting?"

He wrote, "Because of the Spirit, and my faith in God's sovereignty, I trust that He knows what He's doing... Although death is often a harrowing time in the life of many, my prayer is that Christ is displayed as the Victor over it in our lives and in the lives of others as we love them."

I know I can question God all I want, but he doesn't have to give me an answer. In the midst of the questioning, I trust Him. He's Sovereign. He knows what He's doing.

Dave's life was short in our earthly standards- but it was so full; of love, faith, challenges, victories, and fun. His 27 years here were a gift, and I'm so thankful for them. He loved well, he lived well and he honored God above all else. May I live the same way the rest of my days, however many there are.

"This life is not my own, this world is not my home, the gospel must be known."

Blogging.

I've been avoiding my blog for the last few weeks. Every time I try to write a post, I get halfway through and can't seem to muster up the discipline to finish. Suddenly I want to re-organize my sock door, floss my teeth, or bake a pan of pumpkin bars I've been meaning to make for months.

I have 12 drafts started. Twelve. Then there's the 5 e-mails in my personal inbox that I sent to myself in the last week, saying "blog about _______" - with a few sentences explaining my thoughts on the matter that I can only hope will jog my memory enough to actually finish a post.

I don't think I really have a point in writing this. But it feels good to write it. At the very least, this will be one post that I start and finish without getting up to check my half gallon of milk in the fridge to make sure it hasn't expired yet.

Maybe this is why so many people have blogs. They just want to write, even if it seems pointless or uninteresting to the reader. I've heard before that somewhere between 60-80% of blogs are abandoned within 1 month of being created. That still leave millions of bloggers out there. Some blogs serve a specific purpose that wouldn't be fulfilled if no one read them. Other bloggers care not whether the reader is inspired or encouraged; they blog because of the things they discover in the midst of blogging.