Breath of Fresh Air

Be a Uniter, not a Divider

I'm currently reading a book entitled Return of the Remnant.  It's about the revival of Messianic Judaism.  Aside from its poor treatment of the Trinity (it's a mystery), it's a very revealing book regarding the divisions caused by Christians and Jews alike, against each other.  It got me to thinking about how there are always people like that...

For example, John Chrysostom's divisiveness that he leveraged between Jews and Christians.  He basically wanted people to stop being Jewish.  What was wrong with the traditions of the Jews?  Were they evil of themselves?  Were they not a part of the true, historical body of believers, now responsible to embrace Yeshua, Son of the Living God?  Did that mean they had to cast off the celebration of the Passover, which Jesus Himself celebrated with His disciples? 

None of these are easy questions.  John Chrysostom came up with his answers to those hard questions.  I'm sure some of his arguments had merit.  But then, I think John Chrysostom became a control freak.  Unfortunately, it's what dedicated people often become.  They care so much about what they've learned or built or dedicated their lives to, that they forget how to do the right thing for others.  They forget to think about others before themselves. 

Why do people start divisions?  Why must it be a fact of life?  WHY CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?  Well, the good news is, we can.  It starts with each of us.  Decide to be a Uniter, not a Divider.  You have the responsibility to not speak ill of your brothers and sisters, including those who are divisive.  You may have been hurt by someone else.  Jesus says pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.  But don't just sit back and take the beating!  Go out and build relationships.  Decide that, for every division that you see brought into the world, you're going to bring in a reunion.  Heal some wounds, bind up the brokenhearted.  There is much good work to be done, and many good reasons to do it.  God is good, and He has a plan for this Earth.  Let's not forget that, and let's be inspired by it to do our very best each day!

Facebook and Christadelphian Unity

Spend some time on the Facebook website, and you get a feel for reality.  Isn't it ironic that we look to a non-Christadelphian website for our greatest sense of unity?  Doesn't God work in interesting ways?

It's ironic, alright.  Ironic because I've been trying so hard to help people appreciate how we (as humans, as Christadelphians, as Arkansans, as Americans, as owners of vehicles and workers of jobs and parents of children) are so similar, yet I always keep coming up empty.  In contrast, the guy who's running Facebook isn't trying at all to unite Christadelphians, and he's doing it!

How so, you may ask?  By making OBVIOUS the FACT that we're all the same.  You can't help but see yourself in others' pictures.  You can't help but appreciate the at-most "six degrees of separation" in our tightly-knit community.  It's obvious that we're all in this together.  Obvious that we're waiting patiently (and anxiously, sometimes) in our One Hope and One Spirit, for our One Lord's return.  Obvious that we share the One Faith, as the One Body, having been baptized into the One Baptism, provided by our One Father!

The wonderful thing about it for me, through what I see on Facebook, is that, try as people might, it CANNOT be denied!

REAL Christadelphian MAN Weekend

How can one distill a MAN weekend into a single post?  We lived 1,000 lives over that weekend…

Well, the MAN weekend did not disappoint, at least for the attendees.

We were TRULY saddened by the loss of 3 brethren to the patheticness of American Airlines.  We hereby call upon ALL Christadelphians to forever boycott that pitiful excuse for an airline company.  The IllinoyBoys couldn’t make it, and they will have to wait until next year to enjoy the wonders of the Arkansas Wilderness (see picture below). 

The gist of the weekend was this:  we are a band of brothers who are committed to each other on the basis of our mutual love for the Creator and what He has told us to do.  We talked about our identity in regards to our beliefs.  We talked about our identity in regards to our behavior.  We talked about a path forward for our issues here in Arkansas.  Right now, we have a group of Christadelphians locally who are in desperate need of our help.  That is our focus – what we do MUST be motivated by love, and our desire to help people (locally and distant) know there are REAL Christadelphians here in Arkansas.  We also had a fresh discussion on the Memorial Service (MS) that we practice as Christadelphians.  Unfortunately, what could be a fine ritual, useful for reminding us of our individual commitments, has turned into a debacle.  We talked about the relationship of our children to the MS – for example, the children are an integral part of the Passover feast in Judaism, in fact, you might argue that teaching them is the focus of the Passover celebration.  We also talked about how sometimes it seems like we bring the service to a grinding halt when we come to the MS, instead of logically flowing into the MS as part of our discussion, as a logical thing to do.  Is this due to the abuse of the MS that we’ve seen be certain Instigator Christadelphians over the past few years (i.e., using it as a tool for exclusion, instead of a tool for inclusion?  WHAT AN ABOMINATION!!!)  We talked about how the first century believers may have practiced it, how wine and bread would have been present at every house – staples of everyday life – and easy to incorporate into a simple reflection on our Lord and Master’s life.  What simple reminders do we keep around that might serve as symbols for an impromptu MS?  Should everyone have a bottle of Mogen David handy???

That having been said – all those novel ideas that no one has ever thought of before, these genius products that were only possible because the brain power which was assembled far exceeded any that has ever come together in one place before – reminds me of the Parable of the Bud Light Can.

The Parable of the Bud Light Can

Such novel ideas may be likened unto an event you surely experienced when you were a young boy.  You had ventured far into the woods, further than you had ever before ventured away from your house.  I mean, you could hardly even see your house any more.  And you thought:

“I wonder if I’m the only person who’s ever been here.”  And then, you look down, and there’s a Bud Light Can sitting on the ground right next to you.

This has happened to you at various other times as you’ve grown.  A few years later, you found yourself on your first camping trip with Dad or Uncle Steve, and you wandered a bit off the trail, always in search of an adventure, and you thought:

“Certainly, with all the miles and miles of open country, this one spot on the ground has never seen another human being.”  And there, again, lies the Bud Light Can.  You start to wonder if it’s following you…

And even this weekend, as we explored the natural and spiritual wildernesses, we found ourselves on the Ozark Highland Trail / Shores Lake-White Rock Western Loop.  Remote?  About as remote as you can get.  Miles from dirt roads.  Stray a little off the path, and maybe, just maybe…

Nope.  There’s the Bud Light Can.  Actually, this time it was a Ten of Spades.  An actual playing card.  How humbling.

Here is the interpretation of the matter:

Our novel ideas are a lot like this encounter with the Bud Light Can.  It’s late at night, and the philosophy is running deep (and maybe there’s other “deep stuff” being thrown out, too – the kind that requires waders).  You think:

“Surely no one has EVER come up with this idea before!”  And you close your eyes for a moment, so proud of your unequaled mental capacity, and there, in the darkness of your mind…

is a Bud Light Can, left by some other human in search of God’s Way. 

More on Real Christadelphians

One other thing I feel about Christadelphians, and it's bad news.  Yes, it's something that Real Christadelphians are not very good at. 

It's hard to face the music sometimes and accept your weaknesses.  I have a friend who recently ran into a bunch of problems at his church.  He says to me, "Dyron, I'm thinking I should just start coming to your church."  I told him, "If you're coming to our church to escape problems, you're barking up the wrong tree.  We've got plenty of our own." 

But it got me to thinking - Christadelphians, by and large, really understand what it's like to be human.  Some of us have even learned by experience!  Really, it's something we do well.  But that's not what I wanted to talk about.  No more patting yourself on the back about how human you are. 

What I'm talking about is something we do really bad.  I mean, we're not good at this at all.  And some say that we should be ashamed of it.  What is it?

Shunning. 

That's right, Real Christadelphians are not good Shunners.  If you find someone that calls themselves Christadelphian, but they don't make you feel welcome, they seem to be good at Shunning, you might wonder if they're Real.  Christadelphians are pretty consistent in their inability to Shun. 

Yes, sometimes Shunning is the easier thing to do:  I mean, if someone hurts your feelings, you could just give him the old Cold Shoulder Shun for the rest of your life, and you wouldn't have to risk having those feelings of betrayal, distrust, and disappointment ever again!  I mean, imagine seeing this person in the grocery store in your hometown, both of you just attending to life's necessities, and you get to pretend that the person isn't even there!  Doesn't that sound easier than putting yourself through the whole Un-shun process?  I mean, isn't forgiveness a PAIN?

If you've ever seen The Office, you've seen Dwight Schrute do a good "Shun, Unshun" routine.  I've never seen it, but I'm told it's good.  Dwight Schrute is apparently an efficient Shunner.  This is a clear sign that he's not a Real Christadelphian. 

Because Christadelphians are called, although sometimes reluctantly, to forgive.  And we sometimes forgive reluctantly, and permanently Unshun folks - get this - even if they don't deserve it.  Why, you may ask?  It goes back to that thing we do well - we know ourselves, and we know what it's like to be human...

Some of us even by experience.