Red and Yellow, Black and White...

I am a proudly confessional, liturgical, historical, Biblical Lutheran. I sing out of the Lutheran Service Book each Sunday, use Luther's Morning Prayer almost every day, sing A Mighty Fortress with gusto and cross myself obsessively.

I am also a Lutheran in the eyes of people.... that must mean I take liturgically colored gelatin cubes to potlucks, adore tuna noodle casserole (I mean hotdish), drink lots of black coffee, have German ancestors, and, of course, hate change.

Thus, the famous Lutheran joke....

How Many Lutherans Does it Take To Change a Lightbulb?

 

Answer:

CHANGE!?!?!

Or, this alternative answer.....

Enough to create a Light Bulb Committee to address these topics:
1) determine first if they need a new light bulb
2) If they determine they need one.... debate if it is worth the change
3) Research different light bulbs and present their findings to the church council who can make a recommendation for the congregational vote in November.
4) determine if they need a "change the light bulb team" to help turn the ladder while someone holds the bulb.
5) Arrange a service of dedication for the new light bulb
6) propose to the budget committee an estimated yearly cost for keeping the new bulb lit (which will ultimately be cut from the budget in 2012)
7) Find an appropriate Martin Luther quote about light to put on the bulletin the first Sunday of the new bulb so everyone knows what "Luther would have thought about a new light bulb"
8) call the seminary to make sure it is not unconfessional to use a light bulb that may have been made by Baptists.
9) seek out private donors in order to avoid a capital campaign fund to afford a new bulb.
10) Have church split because the largest donor's great-great grandfather donated theoriginal light bulb 50 years ago.


There's just one problem. I am a devoted, happy Lutheran who is mostly of Scotch-Irish and Cherokee background, with maybe four splashes of German and a bit of English. I speak with a drawl, eat fried okra, chicken livers, pecan pie and sweet iced tea. I don't drink coffee. And, most scandalously of all...
I prefer the front of the church, not the back pew.

But, really, let's be honest.
The Garrison Keillor, "Lutfisk, hotdishes, coffee and Jell-o Lutherans".... are dying.
Baptized membership in my denomination, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, is down by 2 percent.
Communicant membership is down by 1.5 percent.

None of the American Lutheran denominations are growing.... all of them are either holding steady of shrinking.


But all is not lost.

In 1910, 93% of the world's Christians were in Europe or the Americas.
Only 1.4 percent were in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Now, 23% of the Christians in the world are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 1910, 4.5% were in Asia/Pacific.... now it's 13 percent.

Technically, the US still has the most Christians.... followed by Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Philippines, Nigeria, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Germany and Ethiopia.

But, counting Christians in China is notoriously hard, and most of the sources I read figured that in all reality, China is probably the country with the most Christians.

Nigeria has twice as many Christians as Germany.
Brazil has twice as many Catholics as Italy.
And....
There are THREE TIMES as many Lutherans in Africa as in the US and Canada combined!

Of the 17 countries with more than a half a million Lutherans....
6 are African,
3 are Asian.

There are three African Churches that have more members individually than the LCMS.... The church in Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Tanzania.

The fast growing Lutheran Church... also one of the fastest growing the in world... is the Mekane Yesus church of Ethiopia.

The other thing it keep in mind is this--
Not only are African Lutherans gaining more converts... the age of marriage is lower, and the number of children per woman is higher.
Acording to this map, most of the countries experiencing the most Lutheran growth have an average of at least 5 children per woman.
And, this list tells us that most Africans are marrying in their early twenties or even late teens.
 It's not a bad church growth policy to think about!

So, no, the typical Lutheran is no longer a German eating hot dishes... or a Swede eating lefse.
It's a Ethiopian eating Injera, or a Malagasy eating romazava.

All together now!

"Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world,
Red and Yellow, Black and White,
They are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world!"

Besides, the more colors the better!

Bonus clip:

Letting Down Her Walls

Hello, down there!
Up here....
I'm the one in the tower!

No, you can't come up here.... it's too dangerous.

Nothing like that! The stairs are perfectly well maintained.... it's too dangerous for me.

Well, you see if  you came up here, I might have to let down my carefully constructed walls, and be vulnerable. I can't do that. Someone might hurt me.

Of course people have done that before! That's why I came up here in the first place.

Let me explain. You see, people don't really want to see your true self, they want to see the neat and clean version. They don't want to get the pain from my heart dumped into their arms.... that's called oversharing. They don't want to be forced to respond to cries of grief that don't have answers.

You think I'm cynical? Well, I probably am.

But it's safer this way!

I've seen it! I'm just working off of experiences..... Just basing things off of real life.

No, I do let some people in.... some of the time..... After a they've had a background check, passed the SAT, and found the Holy Grail. Then I let them in.

You think I'm missing out? Well, I don't think so. I mean, I'm lonely, and a lot of the time I wonder why I feel so isolated, but I know it's for the best.

It's safer this way.

No, I do leave sometimes! I leave on occasion, when properly attired in Kevlar, combat boots, and a full face mask. No, it doesn't help with making friends, but.....

It's safer this way.

Oh, no, I've never had problems letting Jesus into my tower, I just make sure I've cleaned everything from top to bottom first. Can't have the Son of God in here without sterilizing everything first.

I wonder sometimes if people realize there's more to this girl than what they see. All they see is the crisp, clear put together me. What would happen if they saw the hurting, struggling, raw me. But they probably would recoil in horror.

It's safer this way.

Of course, it's possible that they would help me, listen to me, share advice and gift me with prayers..... but they also might gossip about me, or think I'm not strong... or leave me sitting in my tears....

It's safer this way.

You say that you promise to listen to me? You say that I can't say anything that will scare you off? Prove it!

But, I can't come down.... it's too scary.

Yes, I suppose you can come up here... But let me clean up first.

I don't have to Clorox everything before you come up? But then you'd see the mess.... you'd see that I don't have everything together.

That's the point?

Well..... I suppose you can come up here.

                                                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, here it is.... I know it's messy and covered in pain....

You don't care?

Nobody's ever said that before.

What's that?

Oh. I painted that a while back... it's not very good...

You like it? You're just flattering me.

You look serious....

Come down?! Show other people my art? But, that painting is my soul in canvas and oil paint! I can't! They'll laugh at it!

I guess I could try. But if it hurts I'm coming straight back here!

                                                              ~~~~~~~~~~
Who are all these people?

They want to help me? I'm not sure I deserve the help and friendship of all of these people.

Well....here goes nothing......

They like it! They really like it!

Hey.... thanks... I needed to do this.

Do you know if there's a cottage down here I could rent?

Maybe start going to church with you?

Forgotten Treasure

                                                   Happy Valentines Day Everyone!!!

                                      I hope you ate a lot of chocolate and celebrated with loved ones.

                                                                         And now....

                                                             Happy Lent!
Lent is a much forgotten jewel in the Christian's crown. It's the sort of thing that often gets classified only in the context of strange people who only eat fish on Friday for six weeks, and a vague notion of "giving something up..." Often, this involves giving up social media, sweets, or even something as nebulous as 'bad thought patterns.'

But yesterday, while the much of America enjoyed overpriced steaks in crowded restaurants, signed Hallmark cards, and gave lollipops with punny sayings to their children.....

I was in church with most of the world's Catholics, Lutherans, and Presbyterians.
We were celebrating something totally different.
Ash Wednesday.

There is nothing I can do to describe the feeling of going forward and having dirt smeared on your forehead as the pastor solemnly proclaims:
"Remember, you are dust
And to dust you shall return."

This morning I became aware of yesterday's tragic shooting, as a bitter, rejected young man shot and killed 17 people in his former high school. Many photos of the event show parents waiting in distraught horror....
Ashen crosses still on their foreheads from the morning's Ash Wednesday Mass.

I read the coverage here.... and it got me thinking.

When Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day fall on the same day, we the liturgical Church, have an opening. Let's talk. When a heartbreaking tragedy collides with both.... the Church steps forward.

Because, lets face it:
Nobody wants to talk about death.
Avoid it. Pretend it doesn't exist.
But, we'll never escape' them chilly waters.'

There have been 3 deaths at my church in 3 weeks.
All 3 were dear Christian ladies, ready to leave this painful world and go home.

Let's talk about my Christian homeschool friend, Jonah, who shot himself with his deer rifle.
He was only 16.
I was 14 when it happened.
But let's avoid it.

Could we talk about my friend Julian who was stabbed mercilessly (over 20 times) in the park?
I was still 14.

Or about my friend Najae from Rahab who got out of jail only to be shot brutally dozens of times?
She was left to die.
She never escaped 'them chilly waters.'
Let's pretend it doesn't exist.

But wait....
Remember.....

"You are dust,
And, to dust you shall return."

Grieving people wail that "They didn't deserve to die that way!" "They were "too young!"

Let's chat about my other friend: He was killed "too young," "before His time." He didn't deserve to be murdered. It's His ashes I wear on my forehead.

                                                                     Reminding me,
                                                                     As I sit in the dust:
                                                                     He sits with me.
                                                                     My Best Friend!
                                                                     My Lord and my God!

Love is Not An Open Door..... It's a Covenant

"Feelings!
Ooooooh, Ooooooh,
 Feelings!"

(if you didn't get that reference..... watch this..... Now you can finish reading)

Or, in more modern words-----
"All my life has been a series of doors in my face
And then suddenly I bump into you!

 

I was thinking the same thing! 'Cause like
I've been searching my whole life to find my own place
And maybe it's the party talking or the chocolate fondue...."

So... as we in the US approach Valentines Day, I figured I'd get something out of the way...

We've all seen them. They're glued together like Siamese twins. Always petting, always kissing. Gushing to everyone in sight about their partner. Totally, hopelessly, well... silly. Forgetting their keys... their lunch.... all their old friends.

They're "In Love"
They're "Fallen in Love."

Have you ever thought about that phrase? How exactly did they fall in love? Did they trip? Was it something they couldn't stop? Is this a Calvinist saying? Is there no free will around here?

I looked up the definition of "Love" in Merriam Webster:

Definition of love                                                     

1 a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties

• maternal love for a child

(2) : attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers

• After all these years, they are still very much in love.

(3) : affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests

• love for his old schoolmates

b : an assurance of affection

• give her my love

2 : warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion

• love of the sea

3 a : the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration

• baseball was his first love

That is one word with way too many definitions. Everything from Mother-child love, Husband-wife  love, Human-God love...... and Human-Candy Corn love.

 

"I love you, Mommy!"

"I just love ice cream!"

"Love ya, Sis!"

"I love you so much, Jesus!"

I love you, Honey! Will you...."

 

Gracious!

 

How exactly did we decide one word could handle all that pressure?!

 

I've been told that in many other languages, there are many words for love.

 

The Greek used in the New Testament is one.

There's Eros, that's sexual love.

And Phileo, that's brother/deep friend love.

Storge, which is parent and child love.

And finally Agape, which is the deep love of God for us, and the church for each other.

 

The only one that can really be "fallen into" is Eros.... also know as lust, physical attraction, or the 'hots'.

The other three require friendship, time, and work. Mostly work.

This quote says it all:

"Young love is a flame; very pretty, often very hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. The love of the older and disciplined heart is as coals, deep-burning, unquenchable."

Henry Ward Beecher

To put it bluntly.... This thing we've been calling love is nothing more than warm fuzzies. There is nothing wrong with warm fuzzies... they have a place. But they come and they go. They get smothered under work, children, and trials.

 

True, real love on the other hand, is hard. It's work, blood, sweat, and tears. Every day, forever. It's choosing everyday that you're still going to do this thing. It's refusing to let your hormones drive the train. It's deciding every second to serve, to give, to sacrifice. Until you die.

 

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

then let me give you a picture of True Love....

 

That is love. And we're never going to be able to do it. That's why we try. Over and over. And say we're sorry. And forgive, and forget, and throw away all the records. And cry, and laugh, and pick ourselves up and dust each other off. Forever.

 

So, no, you don't fall in love.

And no, what you feel on your second date isn't love.

Or what you feel on the day you propose, although you might be getting a hint.

 

This isn't love

 

 

 This is.

 

And, since you made it this far, I'm going to give you a reward for busting your eardrums earlier....

And before I go---
Shouts out to all my poor readers, everywhere. We're international, folks! We're from the US, Jamaica, Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, India, Spain and Slovakia! Howdy to all of you!
(And yes, I'm on a photo high.) 

When Nobody Cares......

First off, If you haven't read my post on The Rebelution Blog, here it is.

Thought I'd expand a little on something in that post before I continued with my series in Dating and Relationships.
Here's a quote from that article:

"After a while, people stopped asking me how things were going. Their lives continued, while I wondered if anyone cared. "

One of the hardest things in my life right now is that I often feel underappreciated, under supported, and unnoticed.

You'd think that someone in a hard, visible ministry would get lots of prayers and support, but I've learned something.


People want happy stories. They want to ask you how you're doing and get a cool story about how God is using you, the miraculous, the spectacular. They want something worthy of The Cross and The Switchblade.

They want to make a movie out of your ministry. Or at least a drama.

What they don't want to hear is stories of agony, pain and seemingly pointless effort.

Sometimes, I have stories of people who came to Jesus and have changed totally, and gotten themselves all straightened out.

More often, I can't find any good stories worthy of a self respecting magazine article.

But that doesn't mean I'm not making a difference. It's just not as cool as most people would want. Or as I would want.

What do you do when you feel like nobody understands how hard something is? Or when your hard earned results don't sound as spectacular to people that you talk to?


You take refuge in the fact that Jesus understands everything. He always wants to hear how your day went, no matter how horrible. He is just as excited for every little victory as you are.....

He will always hold you close in the scars on His palms.

No matter how little recognition you get from others.

And His is the only notice that really matters, anyway.