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Blog transition

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:23:22 -0500

I apologize for not posting regularly at this time. Between the time I spend studying for class and working, I am trying to move my blog to another site and it is taking longer than I had planned. I hope to have my new blog up and running soon. I’ll send out launch date info on Facebook and Twitter ASAP! You can find me through these social media outlets until then. Thanks for Peregrinating Plaid! Jonn

Karma Gospel

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:56:52 -0500

Pat Robertson chastised the government of Haiti this week after news reports of one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history. Robertson said, “"They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal [...] ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other."” It is clear to me Robertson believes in a type of “Karma Gospel” that if you serve God faithfully, God will bless you. However, if you disobey God, you will be the recipient of God’s wrath or, you could be caught in the collateral damage from this wrath. There are stories in the Bible of people being the recipient of God’s wrath due to disobedience and stories of people being the recipient of God’s blessings due to faithfulness (i.e., Moses, Noah, etc.) with the greatest biblical reference to this Karma Gospel being found in Galatians 6:7 “whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.” But, what are those Karma Gospel stories trying to teach us? Is it as Robertson proclaims; anything “good” that happens to us is because we were faithful and anything “evil/bad” that happens to us is because we were unfaithful? Possibly. But, there are problems arising out of this Karma Gospel. Two problems with the Karma Gospel: (1) The Karma Gospel is a theology of the scapegoat. Historically, there is a belief that something/someone must receive all the blame for the bad/evil things that are happening. Once the scapegoat is pointed out, people rally to project all evils/sins on this scapegoat and send the scapegoat out, atoning for their sins. The problem with this, as a contemporary belief, is that Christian theology dictates that Jesus Christ became the final scapegoat for all mankind. No longer do we need to find a scapegoat for ourselves or for evil/bad things that happen. It has been provided for us in the person of Jesus Christ through the act of self-sacrifice on the cross. No longer do we have to find a scapegoat for the results from “evils” like an earthquake. (2) The Karma Gospel fails to address that age-old question of “Why do bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people?” Why would God allow those who are faithfully serving him to suffer in this earthquake? And, why would God allow those who are professing atheists (or apparent Satanists from Robertson’s perspective) to live and prosper (relatively speaking) in this environment? Some will refer to the story of Job and just shrug it all off saying, “God’s ways are beyond our comprehension.” But, I think this is just a way to copout to a truly difficult faith question. More importantly, the story of Job creates a related question much more difficult for us; “Can we believe in and faithfully serve God without expecting anything in return?” This is the only question that truly addresses the problems of the Karma Gospel: Do you think it is possible to live a faith that does not request of God to do something for you? If so, what would that kind of faith look like to you?

2010 Motivation

Mon, 4 Jan 2010 11:07:35 -0500

What’s my motivation? I often ask this right before the director yells “Action!”...ok, maybe not. But, I often find myself in introspective ponderings, asking, “Why am I doing this?” I need to be reminded “why” and I often need my mental drill sergeant to keep me motivated and focused. This pic motivates and reminds me to make all my 2010 dreams, ideas, goals, resolutions, schemes and plans glorify The Source of everything creative. What is motivating you for 2010?

Prodigal

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:16:19 -0500

We always host Christmas with my family. Anyone is welcome and people often bring someone who would otherwise be spending Christmas alone. We often have people of other faiths celebrating Christmas alongside us! It is a rare time spent catching up with family and friends, making new friends, laughing, and sharing that one thing we never have enough of--our valuable time. This year, our Christmas story included time with two “prodigal” relatives--a returning prodigal and one still sowing his oats. PRODIGAL STORY Maybe you know the prodigal story well. For those friends who are not Christians, the prodigal story is a story about a son who decides to cut his ties to his family and asks for his inheritance before his father dies. His father obliges him this selfish request and off to traveling and partying the son goes. He spends all the money and ends up homeless, steeling food from farm animals. It’s at this point he has a revelation that maybe, just maybe, he could return home to stay with his parent’s servants and be allowed to serve his family--for this would be a better life than he currently has. So, he begins the long journey home. However, his reception is nothing short of the miracle we all hope for when looking for redemption. His father, who is scanning the horizon for him, runs out to great him! After a huge hug and kiss, he gives him new clothes and jewelry and celebrates with a huge welcome home festival for him! PRODIGAL RETURNED Welcoming home a relative that we haven’t been able to reconnect with for over a decade was simply awesome. It was a beautiful thing to catch up. It felt like we hadn’t been apart for anytime at all! While I couldn’t shower him, and his wife, with the kind of gifts the father in the prodigal story gave, our joy was none the less. PRODIGAL SEARCH Spending time with my other prodigal was less then enjoyable. While physically present, he was mentally, emotionally and spiritually miles away. He barely exchanged a handful of words with anyone, save one person. It is sad. It is disappointing. I feel as though I continue to stand at the window, longing to see him return home. When, if, he does I will be the first to throw him a party! YOUR PRODIGAL Who are the people you need to reconnect with? Are you willing to welcome him or her with open arms, a kiss and throw a huge party to celebrate their return? With no questions asked? (photo: “Prodigal Son” painting by He Qi)

A different kind of church

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:11:20 -0500

I’m re-posting a Facebook conversation I had this week. The names have been changed and profile pics removed (accept for mine.) Ben R. Driving past a ton of churches reminds me that ATL doesn't need another church, it needs a different kind of church. Yesterday at 7:42pm via Twitter · Comment · Like Shannon M., Scott J. and 3 others like this. Karla B. uh.. amen. Yesterday at 8:06pm Jonn McDaniel God's been brewing something in my soul about just this very thing.... Yesterday at 8:23pm · Delete Ralph P. Or a lot of the churches just need to do what Briarlake has done and change the way the message is packaged. That is change you can beleive in! Yesterday at 8:46pm Rob Y. I thought the same thing driving a few weeks ago. We need different kinds of Christians. I pray God will continue to change our hearts. Yesterday at 9:29pm Melba K. Are you saying senior citizens aren't Christians because we don't think like our children? We are feeling left out in our Church just because of this attitude. We need young people to understand that change is not always good. Clarify the change. Can't we worship in a suit and tie and feel God's presence? I was taught to always bring your best to God and I love to dress to go to Church. Is this wrong? 14 hours ago Jonn McDaniel Melba, I love it! You are so right! People can worship in shorts, a suit, or in robes and with electric guitars, pipe organs, or in silence! That's what makes faith so awesome! It's about everyone being free to be "just as they [are]" as they worship and live a real faith. I think the issue the quote is addressing is not about who is or is not a Christian. And, it's not about change without a clear, Holy, purpose. It's about being open to living Biblically. Jesus, and people of faith in the Bible, both respected God honoring faith traditions and challenged people to practice faith in new ways that were never thought of as ways to live out faith before. It's "old time religion" to us, but to each of them, it was new and a lot of "change." It is not wrong to dress up for church when your purpose is as you stated to "bring your best to God." That is authentic and God honoring! This should be the sole reason for determining whether change is "good" or not: if it is authentic and God honoring. Our understanding of/for that change is secondary (as difficult as that can be sometimes). But, our unhindered support of that change should be based on this criteria and this criteria alone! I didn't meet God on a road to Damascus or from being healed to walk. I grew up attending 3 church services a week in a suit and tie singing hymns. This is the context of how I met God. But, I am excited as I think about new ways for people to meet God that will be just as different a setting as those stories! 10 hours ago · Delete Patti R. I love seeing all those churches in Atlanta. I remember living in places where there were hardly any churches. All those churches represent people who desired (hopefully still desire) to spread the good news. about an hour ago Write a comment... What do you think? What would a “different kind of church” look like to you?

The “I” in birthday....

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:35:47 -0500

iDNA Yesterday was my birthday, on Thanksgiving day. It has only happened a few times in my life. I remember it happened once as a really young kid and thinking, “Wow, look at the parade! Everyone is having fun celebrating my birthday!” I wish I could contribute this thinking to the egocentrism of being a child. But, narcissism runs deep in my family. It’s hardwired in my DNA. It is one of the things I have chosen to Jihad with in my life. WHAT ABOUT “I”...OR, IS THAT “ME”? I remember reading as a teenager to write love letters with the word “you” instead of “I”. I remember hearing my coaches yelling, “There is no ‘I’ in team!”. I remember pastors teaching from the scriptures saying, “Less of me and more of you, Lord.” But, then I remember a therapist saying, “When dialoging with your love, start all of your sentences with ‘I’”. I remember thinking, “Yeah, coach. But there is an ‘I’ in win and not one in loss”. I remember pastors teaching from the scriptures saying, “God has created me unique. His Son was thinking of me when He redeemed me.”, as well as, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” YOU AND I Oh, narcissism. You are so fickle. That’s my Jihad. What are the healthy ways you have learned to view yourself?

Holidays! On Your Mark...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:36:23 -0500

Thanksgiving is the “On your mark. Get set. Go!” shotgun start into the holiday season for me. It begins the holiday sprint from Thanksgiving through Christmas into New Years which seem to pass in a blur every year. Decorations. Parties. Family. Friends. Trips. Crowds. Food. Drink. Music. All these seem to overwhelm me at some point into sensory input overload. I just become comfortably numb. ON YOUR MARK! As I get ready for this season, I feel like I’m an olympic track star, pacing back and fourth, shaking my legs and arms, keeping myself loose and waiting to hear the inevitable “Runners! On your mark!” of Thanksgiving...but I really want to make things different this year for myself and my family. It never hurts to think about what the Bible might say on the issue. GET SET! What I learn from the stories of Jesus is that there were times when he took time to get away from the crowds. The Savior of all mankind, the one who came to meet the needs of people on this planet, needed to get away, chill out, decompress. If Jesus needed to do this, how much more should I be intentional about doing it? In addition to what I find in the stories of Jesus, I have found that most of the world’s religions have some type of meditative practice. These religions view it as a re-centering of one’s self around that which helps to clarify, purify, enlighten, empower, redeem. It is taking time to remove one’s focus from external storms to internal still waters. It is tuning out the noise of the crowd and focusing on the still small voice. It’s not fretting about what happened yesterday or worrying about tomorrow. It’s about being in the now. The Buddhists call this being “fully in the moment.” It’s being fully aware of everything that is right now. It’s how Jesus lived. Fully in the moment. Enjoying everything and everyone in that moment. Not worrying about the people he didn’t heal in the crowd or town yesterday. Not becoming stressed about the things still left on the “to do” list for tomorrow. Just being fully in the moment, right now. GO! I want to live like Christ this entire holiday season, fully in the moment, enjoying every moment for everything it was created to be, and taking time to step away from the holiday madness and be revived, re-centered, renewed. Let the race begin!