Reflection: Bonfires and Bonding

This year at our Nuru all-staff summit, we started a new tradition, or maybe we continued an older tradition in a new format. We gathered around a fire on the first night of our summit, and shared stories of ways in the past year different members of the team stepped forward and went above and beyond to carry the mission forward. This time of celebrating wins was not entirely new at Nuru, but, the bonfire was.

Sitting around that fire and enjoying some pizza and solid conversations and catch-up times with teammates as the sound of Pacific waves crashed in the darkness beyond us brought back several other memories for me. Back when I was more actively engaged in my tribal community, we would circle up around what we called "Indian-TV" or more specifically "Shawnee-TV" and conduct similar activities. We would enjoy meals, catch-up with one another, share stories, and laugh together as we enjoyed the dance of the fire/"TV" before us. My understanding is that our staff living in Ethiopia and Kenya also have fire pits around which they gather fairly often.

My tribe has a New Year's ceremony (not in January) in which the nation's fire is stamped out to signal the close of the old year and the start of the new year (there's much more to the ceremony, but this is one key element). As the fire is stamped out, individuals are encouraged to make amends, to forgive, and to leave the hurts of the previous year in the past. In this way each year starts with a clean slate.

I can remember heading out to one of my old roommate Lucas Harriman's family home in West Virginia during my undergraduate years too. We would gather about indoors, eat a ton of buckwheat cakes and pizza while simultaneously downing pot after pot of coffee, and then we would make our way outside to a fire pit, and gather around to sing praises to the Creator of the universe, share testimonies of what He was teaching us, and even take time to pray for one another.

I've always thought about a fire as a tool for survival, a place to keep warm, and a place to cook food and share meals, but in reality a fire represents a gathering place, and in some regard, the breath and life of a community. It's no wonder that people talk about relationships ending as "fires going out" or even of death in a similar fashion "their fire burnt out too early."

While I know that there are modern equivalents for gathering spaces, I can't help but think that a fire as a gathering space is unparalleled, especially a fire in the night. The fire calls us away from the darkness, calls us to warmth and laughter, and allows us to see one another more clearly rather than only seeing shadows.

Do you have any fireside memories? May we each make a practice of spending time together with others around a fire, and celebrate community, warmth, and connectedness.

Charlie Hall Band Album Released

After listening to the free web-streaming of the album about five times last week, I bought the new Charlie Hall Band album, “The Rising.” It was just released on iTunes and in music stores today, so this album is fresh off the mp3/CD burner.

So what do I think about the album? Over the years, I’ve grown more and more impressed with CHB and their music. These guys are passionate about their faith in Christ, and their music reflects an authenticity and soulfulness the likes of which I’ve rarely heard.

As I was listening through my download for the first time last night, I found myself thinking about the members of this band. They have all been friends for years. They’ve experienced deep losses as well as amazing spiritual highs during their many years together, and that’s the really touching part. These guys have stuck together. Their music is not the central aspect of their lives. Their fellowship, their community, and their faith in Christ is the heart of who these guys are.

And what I believe happens when these guys get together to worship God is something truly beautiful, and one of their concerts or listening to an album is an invitation into an intimate encounter they are having with the Creator of the universe.

While I listened I noticed the way the various instruments and the singing worked together with one another to create a compelling group effort filled with mutual encouragement, mutual respect, and mutual desire to worship God wholeheartedly. I believe these guys have each grown as musicians, but even more they have grown in their ability to worship God together. I found myself thinking about this simple truth while I was listening to them. If I went to see them in concert (which I have had an opportunity to do a few times in the past), I don’t think it would matter hugely if there were five or five thousand people joining these guys. Their music is less about a performance for the crowd and more about an opportunity to worship together the risen Savor they love. It is truly a gift that they invite you and I to join in their wholehearted and raw praise of the God who is there.

If you are a Christian, then I think you will appreciate both the heartfelt expression of this new album’s new lyrics, and if you are not a Christian, I think that while you may disagree with the content of the lyrics, you will be impressed with the talent of the musicians who are playing so tightly together on this album.

And, if you can see these guys in concert, by all means GO!!!

Praising Jesus Through the Pain

I took this photo of my dad on April 17th during our Passover Seder meal in Morgantown. I realize April 17th wasn't Passover, but we typically celebrate a little different than the norm. During the evening, my dad was tired, and was dealing with some chest pain, and I took this photo of him as he was worshiping God in the middle of that fatigue. It was during this weekend that we talked about him going to see his doctor about his fatigue and his chest pain.

After three visits to the emergency room in Parkersburg along with a multitude of tests, it was finally determined that my dad had something going on with his heart. When he heard that he might need a heart catheterization, he asked if he could move to the Charleston Area Medical Center, because they have some of the best heart surgeons in the region, and specialize in these procedures.

We're all really glad he made that decision. After an ambulance ride from one hospital to the other saturday evening, he got settled in and was given a stress test early sunday morning, it was determined that a heart catheterization would be a good idea. Last night around 7PM the procedure was done. He had several blockages, among them was an artery with 99% blockage. 99%! That's virtually closed. In fact, it is believed that a small blood clot from the catheterization is what provoked what came next. My dad had a massive heart attack. He was taken back into surgery, and the doctor had to attempt a quadruple bypass in order to make sure dad could be stabilized.

To further complicate things, it was noticed that dad had blockage in his neck as well. While attempting to care for the heart blockage, there was a possibility that the blockage in my dad's neck could cause a stroke. Thankfully, that did not happen. In fact the doctor told us this afternoon that Dad's heart is fully recovered from yesterday's attack and subsequent surgery.

But, we aren't out of the woods yet. What my sister was told is that these next 24-48 hours are the most critical. My dad's recovery from surgery has been slowed slightly because he is still bleeding pretty badly. For some reason his blood isn't coagulating like it should. So, while you are reading, would you mind taking about a minute and praying for my dad to 1) have a speedy recovery. 2) Not be afraid, discouraged, or depressed as he regains consciousness in the recovery room.

Two years ago, my mom was on similar apparatus (ventilator and heavy sedation), and I'm sure this recalls memories for him of that space. My sister said it was incredibly hard for her the first time she went back because it brought up memories for her. While we were able to praise God through the difficult times with my mom, it's always hard to see a loved one in a weakened state.

As a kid, my dad was my hero. He was the coolest, the strongest, the funniest, and the most supportive dad in the whole world. He still is all of those things. He's incredibly tough. Last fall, he climbed a 7% grade for four miles on a bicycle. There aren't too many 68 year olds who can do that. (or 18 year olds for that matter). I think that's part of the difficulty with the whole thing. My dad had all of this blockage, and he could still out-do most people walking or riding a bike.

But now he's in a tough spot. His body is trying to heal from surgery and he is bleeding a bit more than the doctor would like to see. So again, take a minute and pray for him. Thanks so much!

Thaitownbuddha

Thaitownbuddha, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I was thinking about a recent message I did at h2o about worship and saw evidence of it. One doesn't have to look far to find evidence. We were made to worship, and whatever it is we worship, we dedicate our lives to it. I am in a small neighborhood called Thai town. My friend Nic would love it! There's a place to buy coconut soup on every corner. This morning I walked by a Buddha shrine about a block away from where I'm staying right now in Hollywood. It was early in the morning, and there were already many offerings left at this shrine. It is interesting because this act of worship is extremely visible whereas other things worshipped are not so readily visible. We give our lives to what we worship. What do you worship? Do people around you know what you worship? If someone asked them, what would they say?