Becoming mature is a frightening thing because it requires us to be responsible for others. To be mature involves selflessness, and this is a hard thing for us to learn.

Honestly, I can be pretty selfish—we all can be—but I have found that being selfish only shrinks my life. I have also found that when I am selfless, my life expands and becomes more beautiful.

Selflessness is a difficult thing because we must trust ourselves to other people. Most people today have a hard time trusting others. We might say that there is good reason, but the path of distrust is the way of cowardice. It is, in truth, a very selfish thing. “Protect the self!” is the cry of the person who cannot trust others. Never taking the risk of trusting someone means you will never be let down, but neither will you have a chance to find someone trustworthy.

The selfless person risks being hurt and let down every day. The selfless person gives people the opportunity to come through or fail—to love or reject them. The selfless person does not try to manage pain by insulating oneself from others, but instead, forgives and seeks the path of healing and peace—a path that passes through pain and out the other side.

This may be heavy stuff, but I really believe it is the better way to live—it really is the “easy yoke” that Jesus talked about. Think about it. Is it really an easy thing to do to live without trusting people? Is it really easy to be selfish? I don’t think so. I think being selfish is the hard and heavy load. Selfishness burdens us with anxiety, frustration, anger, bitterness, and contempt when we don’t get what we want. Not only are such things dangerous to our physical health, they are destructive to our souls.

So let’s continue to learn how to live selflessly (die to self) by following the Master. Let’s let go of that hard and heavy path of selfishness, and progress in maturity of trust, forgiveness, and love.

a reminder from last night...

We talked about "How do we live as strangers in a strange land?" as we looked at a couple of stories from Daniel. Jerry made a great point about the issue of allegiance. Living as strangers in a strange land doesn't mean we are weird in the superficially and unnecessarily weird things, but weird in the way that we don't buy into the ideas and values and allegiances of the foreign culture.

How do we live as strangers in a strange land? The same way we are to live at home. We are citizens of heaven, so I'm told. So we live as good citizens of heaven--redemptive counter-communities in this world, bringing heaven here.

One last thought--not exactly related. There is a Christian music group that identifies themselves as "a Christian parody band" (I won't mention the name). I thought that to be an unfortunate irony. When you study Revelation, you will see that the world that is opposed to God is a parody of the people of God. How has it come to this; that the church must be a parody of the world? With all do respect to the fans of this band and the creative effort put into their music, perhaps it is time we stop trying to make parodies of the world. Can we instead invest our creative energy and resources into things that will actually help in the healing of the world? What do I know? Maybe rewording Limp Bizkit and Rolling Stones songs is helping in God's redemptive plan for the world...

If you haven't read it, read Joel's entry listed directly below this one. Read it - especially if you r involved with water's edge.

Today I'm reading Brian McLaren's "The Story We Find Ourselves In." What an amazing re-telling of the kingdom of God.

As I am reading the final chapters, as our author is painting an incredible picture of the kingdom, it occured to me that my four year old daughter is increasingly entering kingdom life.

While the church has been so bent on pointing to our sins and failures for the past centuries, our children don't grow up that way. We teach them that way. Instead, Anna is asking God questions that concern the kingdom, that are inquisitive questions about heaven, about earth, about God's presence among us, about God's power, and about things that absolutely boggle my mind.

They are questions that are beyond my wisdom to fully answer, and they are questions that are beyond the wisdom of anyone to fully answer. These are the pressing questions of her mind.

Sure, she is also learing about being kind and good to others. She often fails. She is selfish. She is fully human, but she is quickly learning how to treat others when she leaves her selfish ways behind.

But those issues of particular sins in her life are not the big perplexing questions in her life. Nope. Her questions have more substance, and she's only four.

I'm excited; I'm really excited because it seems that the kids in our midst are asking the more imporatant questions. Anna is asking questions about the fullness of the kingdom of God and we as adults are too often stuck on the legalistic crap that has very little to do with being Christ followers.

Out of the mouths of children - and it wasn't me who said it first either. :)

I had coffee with Travis this morning. We talked about what we're doing at Water's Edge. One of the things I said was that we aren't about putting a 'show' together for people.

Sometimes I get anxious about how we are going to 'fill the time' at our meetings. We need to realize that perhaps the most important thing we can 'do' for people is to teach them to be still and silent and listen for the voice of God. People need to learn how to think deeply--and that requires time (in the immediate and long-term).

We need to remind one another that what we are 'doing'--and 'not doing'--is necessary and intentional. If we just put together another 'show' for people to come to, we will not have helped people. People don't need another 'show'. People need to learn the skills necessary for the life of following Jesus in this world. What we need is not just more information, but the means to employ the information we already have in the practice of folloing Jesus.

Dallas Willard said that the redemptive community (the church) is not your life. It fits and maintains you for life. First, it is to make you a student of Jesus. Second, it is to surround you in the Trinitarian reality of God. Third, it is to teach you how to do everything that Jesus commanded.

Our gatherings cannot become just one more distraction in people's lives. They will need to be a place to collect and integrate life; places of healing from the damage of noise, busy-ness, and the alternate stories of our society.

Gone will be our anxiety about impressing people or entertaining them. We can be honest: "We're not a show. If you want a good show, there are some great ones around--great teaching, great music, great drama, etc. So if that's what you want, there are more than enough opportunities around. We just think that people need some things that a 'show' can't provide."

I was reminded recently that we sometimes hear things from people that startle us. We hear people talk in ways that shock us and even hurt us. You know, people who you "thought were good Christian people"...and then they say something that sounds so heartless or so rude.

This is surprising because we expect more from those who profess to believe in Jesus. But as I think about it, I don't think we should be so surprised.

For too long, the church has said that it is okay for people to stay the way they were as long as they agree with our statements of faith. For too long we have accepted that people did not put off the old self--as long as they put off particular, superficial and culturally unpalatable parts of it. As for actual transformation of your attitudes and ambitions, well...we're no Christ.

So what I'm saying is this: don't be surprised when self-proclaimed Christians disappoint you with their 'ungodly' behavior. They haven't been told that discipleship is not an option.

This, of course, must change, and the change must start with you and me. Was it Ghandi that said, "You must be the change you want to see"? Well, before Ghandi, one of our people said that judgement must start with the household of God. If you want the world to change, the church must be transformed. If you want the church to be transformed, then you must be transformed.

Here's the news for today, Sunday, September 14, from Randy...

Hey Friends,

This is just a friendly reminder that water’s edge will be gathering this Sunday night with a couple of other faith communities. We look forward to the time together as we eat, worship, and celebrate God’s moving in our lives and among our communities.

Gathering for food around 5 p.m.

Worship somewhere around 6:30 p.m.

If you show up, try to take a dish or two to pass and lawn chairs. Friends are always welcome!

Directions: from the I-196 Hudsonville exit: Go south on 32nd Avenue. (turn left from G.R., and turn right from Holland) Turn left on Quincy. Turn left on Angling Road. Turn right onto Jackson (Angling Road runs into Jackson). Turn left almost immediately onto 12th Avenue. It’s the second house on the left.

I hope and pray that you profoundly sense God’s presence in your life this weekend.

In His Grip,
Randy

Other Directions
If you are coming from the east, take 44th St. west to 8th Avenue. Turn left (south) on 8th. Go south on 8th until you get to Jackson. Turn right (west) on Jackson. Take Jackson east until you get to 12th. Turn right (north) on 12th. It's the house with all the cars in the front and the horse fence on the north side.

Joel McClure has an article published at Next-Wave this month. I think some of the other stuff also has value. Here’s the link: http://www.the-next-wave.org/