That you believe isn't as important as what you believe

A random sampling of newish holiday movies reminds us that it is really important that you believe.

Polar Express is about a young man on the age of lost innocence when we are at that age when we begin to face some realities about Christmas.  At the end of Elf, it is clear that with danger lurking, it's people's willingness to believe that makes it possible for Santa to do his thing.

Even a mere immortal civilian like Peter Pan relies on the believe signified by clapping of the audience to do his thing.

Science isn't exempt.

In a New Yorker article called The Truth Wears Off, Jonah Lehrer describes a phenomena called publication bias and selective reporting that seem to indicate that even in rigorous scientific methods we "still have to choose what to believe."

In the world of religion and learning and applying the ways of our faith, it isn't until we can articulate and make decisions based on what one another of us believe that significant things happen.

What you believe attracts me to you.  Why you believe it is important and how you manifest your belief is a big part of the story.  But what you believe makes it possible for us to do our thing.

We get tripped up on the right thing to believe.  There is anxiety about what's going to happen to us or our organization or our nation or our eternal station in life if we don't believe the right stuff for the right reasons.

So much anxiety in fact:

We often forget to speak about what we believe.  And what it has caused us to do.

As we search for peace, justice, and truth: may we take a moment to consider what we believe.

Let's take some time to hear about what other people believe, too.

Santa's journey, Peter Pan's flight, or whether or not Dorothy will get back to Kansas don't depend on it.

But what we can and can't do, together as a community of faith, hang in the balance.

What would the shepherds have been able to share about the story, really?

When you consider your nativity scene and the incarnation story in the second chapter of Luke, what role do the shepherds play?

If your view is an Evangelical one with a capital E, the take away might be that we too, should take a cue from the shepherds and "tell the story."  We might take a moment to take stock of how we probably don't do a very good job of "telling the story", and that we need to do better at "telling the story."

The cue I take away is the limited understanding of the story they would have been able to tell.

"Something happened.  I didn't really understand it, but it was incredible," is a long way from the 4 spiritual laws and the key to eternal salvation.

As we encourage one another to do a better job of "telling the story", I wonder if we might also remind, at least ourselves, of how little of it we understand.

We might take a moment to express praise and glory to God that he continues to join us in fantastic experiences of his grace.

If you aren't sure where you are going, consider what your driving

You might be riding an elephant.  Let's face it unless you have a few people helping that know what they are doing, you're going where the elephant wants to go.  It might look like you are steering, but come on, really.  It's an elephant.  Ever seen one go on rampage?

Maybe you're at the helm of a cruise ship.  There are alot of people on board.  Don't expect sudden turns.  If you want to change direction, pick a point on the horizon and start change course, try a few degrees at a time.

A sports car might be more your speed.  It's fun to make sudden starts and stops.  You can really make some dazzling turns and you don't really need to have much vision to do some sporty moves.  One thing to consider: you won;t have too many passengers with you.

You might be in a rental car.  Let's face it, the senior minister of Hertz or Avis really doesn't care where you are going.  That's OK.  Just make sure you make your payments and return the car full of gas and without any dents or dings and no one will be the wiser.

Got a hybrid?  Doesn't leave as much of a footprint.  Seems kind of cool and trendy.  Is it built to last though?

Maybe you're just walking or riding a horse or a bike.

Is that because that's what you want or because that's all you can find to drive?

There are advantages to all modes of transportation.

The main take away may be to know what you're driving.

If you don't, you may not even being riding the elephant, but it's probably in the room with you.

Why I now use Google Chrome, and hope to be a Chrome OS beta tester

There's plenty of wheels around.

I don't know if there is a patent for it anymore, but who would want to invent it again, right?

Well.  It would depend on why you want to reinvent the wheel if you want me to join your wheel reinvention movement.

I know that because there are already "enough" web browsers.

Explorer isn't really that cool, but it works.  If it doesn't, Firefox can do most anything you need.

If you happen to be a Mac, Safari is fine.

Why renivent the web browser?

Well, if you are talking about Google Chrome, here's why as far as I'm concerned.

Because you are not only going to reinvent the web browser, you are going to reinvent the operating system and how computers work

Because why in the world does it take so long for a computer to boot up and why do you have to have constant updates to programs or programs at all for that matter.  And another thing: don't you realize the operating system for a touch screen devices have one kind of functionality and keyboarded devices have another?

Addressing these issues is why Google Chrome is reinventing the wheel or the browser and the operating system.

That's why I'm now using Google Chrome and applied to be a tester for the Operating System as well.

Ultimately the developers at Google believe if you came from outer space and looked at the way we use computers and operating systems, you would think: why are they doing it that way.  It would work so much better if they...

How can we benefit from this way of thinking?  If say God came to Earth and saw the way we were doing ministry would he say: why are they doing it that way.  It would work so much better if they...

I hope soon, once we get the word out that we want to reinvent the ministry wheel, we will have people use our browser and sign up to test our operating system.

Are you more theological than a sixth grader? Advent and waiting for not waiting

Start with ketchup and a group of sixth graders.  Talk about whether or not ketchup these days doesn't taste as good as it did when you had to wait for it and you'll discover some ideas about how technology has changed the taste of ketchup.

You'll hear about how the tomatoes might be crushed now versus back then. Theories about regulations about trans-fat and "how now stuff has to be healthy", which means not-as-good-tasting could come into play.  And then talk over the squeeze bottle and the upside down bottle.

With some patience, you can get to how stuff you have to wait for tastes better.

If the conversation turns to a rich young ruler and what you have to do to inherit eternal life, the thinking among 6th graders runs more along conservative lines.  You have to die before eternal life can begin.  Literally.  The thought that eternal life can take place here in this age is pretty much already over for 6th graders who are even marginally religiously active.

Where do they learn this stuff?

In the words of the PSA about marijuana use among children:

Maybe they learned it from watching us.

The Season of Advent is among other things characterized by the strange concept of waiting and anticipation of the greatest gift of all.

And the greatest gift of all is among other things characterized by the strange concept of not having to wait for eternal life and living eternally.

I'm not sure which one is more revolutionary, but it seems maybe we can get to the latter through the former.

We might have to start with 5th graders, though.  We may have already lost the 6th graders.

When ministry is messy, think meshy

Ministry is either growing or it's dying.  Staying the same isn't an option.  If during this season of evaluation, you feel like your ministry is about the same as it's been, it's not.  It's dying.  One way to consider vitalizing story telling, idea sharing, and space creation is to look to the mesh for ministry. 

The Mesh by Lisa Gansky characterizes a mesh business or organization as one that typically:

· offers something (products, services, raw materials, experiences) that can be shared within a community
· utilizes web and mobile data networks at a high level to track activity and gather feedback
· focuses on value (short term and long term) of deliverables and the sustainability of goods, including their recovery
· transmits offerings, news, and recommendations largely through word of mouth, augmented by social network 

So then:

If you neglect to get the announcement about the yard sale in the bulletin, but don't have to grovel to the lead volunteer because "now nobody's going to come", you might be meshy.


If you form a small accountability group of folks looking for a job or career and you rely on the Catholic church across town to provide the nuts and bolts job ministry components, you might be meshy.


If the golf tournament, the wednesday night class on social principles of your faith, and the phone call from the annoying social justice fanatic all work to develop a few core relationships that move toward an inner city community development movement, you might be meshy.


Ultimately whether or not you are meshy or want to be meshy may be a simple of matter of "Do you want to live?"


or

"Do you want to stay the same?"

Given the choice: choose life.