A Conversation From Mars Hill

I just wanted to let both of you know that I am posting now at www.bradjones.typepad.com

I know, I know...paying for something that should be free. Well, I am also hosting at that site a community effort that has as its contributors a small group of people who meet in South Florida on the back porch. It is nothing new, just a place to discuss, think, dream and be challenged.

That site is www.bradjones.typepad.com/backporchconfessions

Let me know your thoughts.

Brad

Last week I was thinking a lot about the area in which we live and the opportunities we have to live missional, loving lives around people who hurt. To be honest, South Florida is a place where people live who 1) are getting away from something or 2) think that they have no other option for opportunity and a better life. It makes it hard because if you aren't fluent in "crazy" you have a hard time making it through many conversations.

I met this guy Sunday who was going through a lot. He was facing a court hearing the next day and was scared of the outcome. He is a young black man with a wife and 3 kids (with one on the way). As he sat in my office coming to grips that Jesus was all he had, he began to ask me if I could make sure that someone looked after his family if something happened to him. Did you catch that. Here is a guy who blindly asked the church (defined here as a local gathering of Jesus followers) if they would sacrificially live in such a way that the least of these would be loved and cared for.

I'm not sure about everyone else, but some things take me a while. Although there are endless possibilities to show love, it seems that this one actually came to sit with his family and ask me point blank, "will you love us."

Trust me...I am a selfish person and I still spent time fighting the idea, but this is one that I couldn't pass up. I sat with the man and his wife for about 5 hours on Monday while we waited for his case to come up...together. It was pushed back for a few weeks, so for now, he is sitting at home with his family.

And I am sitting here convinced that those 5 hours of sitting on Monday were the best days of "real ministry" that I have experienced in a long time.

I think this about says it all. My friends are back!!!!!

No really...I'm positive that all the pope needs to do is a simple "I'm sorry." I mean, does this look like a group that holds a grudge.

Note to Pope...you might not want to do it in person. These peaceful demonstrators might just rip you a new one.

After my post about Duane "Dog" Chapman, I read this article about the bounty hunter facing charges in Mexico. He might be sent back based on some loophole in the system. This is terrible!!!

I saw this shirt on one of my students this week. Let me set this up. This little guy walks in to a gathering for the first time. He is a little shy to begin with. I read the shirt out out loud as I begin to laugh. One of those laugh-before-I-can-catch-it laughs. Glad that I could make a middle schooler feel more awkward. He is just wearing the shirt. I think that the parents need to repent.

Let's give it up for some old fashioned nationalism.

Tonight as we came home with friends, we had several tastes of television entertainment. We could either watch sports or some feeble sitcom. We decided...ok, I decided that we would watch "Dog the Bounty Hunter."

Besides the most unique mullet that I have ever seen, a wife who manages to squeeze herself into the tight clothes and the obvious observations about the most famous trailer trash on A&E, I have to say that I love the show.

There are many moments of drama, action and conversation that sounds like we are surrounded by NASCAR fans. But the most humerous thing is that this guy claims to be a die hard, born again Christian. I mean, you drop the F-bomb 8 or 9 times in my church and that gets you off the born again list.

But as I watched 3 episodes in a row without blinking or peeing, I have to say, I really think he is a real follower of Jesus. And my observation comes from the end of every arrest he makes. It is a business and yet, when he makes an arrest, the people are saying thanks and he really is offering words of love, encouragement and hope. People who know Jesus...or are in the process of knowing Jesus, really show the fruit of such knowing. As my friend Sam says, cool people care. I think that the DOG cares.

Funny....but he shows more people the heart of Jesus than many that I know.

There have been so many things that I have been considering over the past few weeks about the geopgraphy of ministry and what role family plays in it. Many mentors of mine would be quick to call me to a life of leaving (home, parents, friends) for the sake of the gospel and planting ourselves in a new place...which we have done these past 3 years. But most of those people live in the same town that they grew up in. I do find it odd that even Jesus had his family very close as he was calling his disciples to follow while leaving all others behind.

Please understand, these thoughts are coming from a very shallow motivation. This comes as I am sitting here watching Alabama football today in a quiet house. I called my brother, my dad and some of my friends and they all are hanging out in tailgating situations and I have to say it...this time of year, I miss being in Alabama.

But that isn't gonna stop me. I do have my good friends James Westfall and Dr. Kenneth Noisewater with me and I will do my part to pull the TIDE past Vandy.

ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!

Mark 12:29-31 - Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (I think that I kept that one about 15 minutes today).

The second greatest commandment is to love people (I think that one was much less).
I think that there is a link from the greatest to the next greatest.

I was thinking this morning of the times that I helped someone out. A couple of those were when I was driving down the road and saw someone with a flat tire and a look on their face that tells me that they have never changed a tire before. I have pulled over and tried to beat my personal best time in changing said tire and beating my personal best time (just under 4 minutes). A few other times I have helped someone move out of a house when they have just been evicted. I have even helped a couple of old ladies out now and then. One of the things that these have in common is that they are spontaneous acts that arise out of a perceived need.
And the problem is...these are the only things that come to mind.

This might sound funny coming from a pastor (or par for the course depending on your perspective). But most of the serving that I do is planned. Planned or not, giving and serving is THE life of a Jesus follower. I love being involved in planned acts of service. Whether it is a mission project, larger social action or teaching others about the same, they are acts of grace that we show to the world because of the grace given to us.

But I want more of the unplanned things. There is no doubt that there is need everywhere. I do not want to be so self consumed or agenda driven that I miss the God moments. I don't want to be like Jacob (the guy in Genesis) that woke one morning and had that sinking feeling that God was there the whole time and he didn't even know it.

I don't want love to be something that I plan to do, but I want love to be the driving force behind all I do, which causes me to be led by a love agenda.

Love Wins....

I am off today. That usually means that sleep later (yeah I know, I already sleep late enough on a regular day) and that I do some things around the house that need to be done. In our case, it is finishing the floor and going shopping for appliances.

So as I have been sitting here reading the news, I saw that the "Price Is Right" was on. There is nothing like this in the world. I turned it on this morning in hopes that I would have the same experience that I did last time I watched it...let me explain.

About 3 weeks ago, I turned on the television and was immediately taken into the the studio of our favorite advocate for controlling the pet population. Waiting on contestants row was four, very ethnically and generationally diverse people. There was the college student, the middle aged mom (wearing some shirt about how she was in love with Bob...who is pushing 90), the guy in uniform and then there was this little old lady who looked just like the noodle woman in Patch Adams. She was cute...always bidding WAAAAYYY over the actual retail price. But somewhere in the second half of the show, she happened to pull the "I'm bidding one dollar over the guy next to me and guarantee my place on stage" move (which she won). So in the midst of her finding the stairs, needing help walking them and then trying to reach up and kiss Bob, the show was about to get good.

Bob does the lead in to tell her what she has won and that is when it hit me...she is going...oh my gosh...play for....a.....NEEEWWWW CCCAAAAARRRRRRR. The announcer says it and the crowd goes wild. This lady with a slight case of osteo was jumping up and down on her new graphite hip and doing spins that she hasn't done since the 20's (not her's...the 1920's). I couldn't help but laugh and get a little giddy inside...wouldn't it be cool if this lady won. Well...she played one of those games that will confuse the fool out of you...take the price of an ordinary bar of soap or some feminine product and if the total comes out to be the last two numbers in the first....you get my point. I was lost from the beginning....the woman had no idea what she was saying and was calling out all kinds of crazy things....Bob kept stopping her to make sure that he heard her right which always made her change her answer.
When the last number popped up....the "ding, ding, ding" happened....lights flashed....SHE WOOOOOONNNNNNNNNN. I was pumped. I mean for about 10 minutes she kept us on edge. We fought hard to get her that car and there was nothing that day that was more satisfying...well except for the showcase showdown.

To make it short....the noodle lady was the top winner, which makes her the first person to bid on a showcase at the end of the show or pass it to the next person. It was hilarious...the first showcase included furniture, trips and even a sailboat....but this lady was a hold-out. She was going for the 2nd car of the day and didn't care who knew it. She passed it to the next girl.
We all waited as the next series of items came out for her to bid on. Things like an ironing board, pool cleaner...you know..enough crap to know...there is going to be on really awesome car in the mix. And then again...the guy says....A NEEEEEWWW CAAAAAARRRRRR.
By this time I am kneeling in front of the TV yelling out random numbers and holding up my fingers (with a 52" HD Widescreen, you feel like you are there). Then comes the moment of truth...she is asked to give a bid and it happens again....she says something like forty.....eight.....thousand...dollars (you get the point) to which the audience screamed in unison NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! and to which Bob goes, excuse me? She then, clever as always, says...I'm confused...ok, $15,000.

After the commercial break, Bob revealed that the second girl had gone over her price and the Noodle lady won by a margin of like $10,000. And I was going nuts. 2 cars...one day and this lady didn't know that she was even on the planet.

In the middle of my search for meaning and beauty and truth, there is something about a lady at the end of her life being the biggest winner on the Price is Right in years. I turned off the TV with a smile. The noodle lady made my day.