Thanksgiving 1

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Ken G Crawford

#Thanksgiving 1

I’m grateful for the new opportunity for partnership in congregational ministry with Central Christian Church. There are so many great things about this congregation that intrigue me. Most importantly – They are hopeful, eager, even hungry to grow their ministries in ways that deepen and broaden the life-transforming impact of the gospel of Jesus Christ alive in and through them by the power of the Holy Spirit. In addition:

They have strong participation from their members in programming and events outside of Sunday morning – both on campus and in the community. They celebrated 10 years of hosting Dallas’ best dog park on their campus – providing space for their neighbors to create and experience community. They have partnered with Hispanic and Ethiopian Christian congregations on their campus. They are open and inclusive across all aspects of congregational life and leadership. They have a traditional service with great music – and have already incorporated AV technology into their sanctuary. They recognize the equal partnership in ministry between clergy and laity. They have partnered with @Connecting Point of Park Cities – a ministry that provides weekday programming for adults with severe physical and developmental disabilities. They provide a safe meeting place for one of the region’s strongest LGBTQ welcoming AA groups. They have organized and hosted theatre productions that included professional directors, crew and actors. They are a congregation of multitalented individuals who seem eager to see how God might use them in new and expanding ways. They have a building and campus ready for innovative ways to extend their ministry beyond its current reach.

#CountYourBlessings

More to come…

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Ken G Crawford

Sermon Study Thoughts for 100216
Text: 2 Timothy 1:1-14;
Also: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Luke 17:5-10

Even when things in our lives look bleak, we can trust that God is not finished with us.
There is yet a word from God for us and work yet for us to do.
Even a little faith in these promises can move mountains.

+++++++++++++++++++

It is easy to become discouraged. Life is hard. Bad things happen, even to good people. Bad people seem to get away. Justice is often left incomplete.

These are of course oversimplifications of complex situations, but the sentiments nonetheless ring true. Life is hard, and frustrations are sure to come. Whether at work, in our personal relationships, or with our community and society on a larger scale, things often don’t go as we think, feel and believe that they should. We imagine that if we were in charge things would be better. (Forgetting in the process the many times we have failed, fallen short, let ourselves and others down.)

On the landscape of our national consciousness several things loom particularly large right now. In particular, the presidential election process between two polarizing candidates, and the long-simmering and now growing and increasingly public tensions between “the police” and “the African-American community”. In both situations, it is easy to become discouraged, even fearful. It is easy to develop growing mistrust and cynicism toward “the other side”. Again, we think if only we were in charge we could make things better. But we are not, and feel that things may not get better.

First a reality check. Things are so much better in almost every conceivable measure of health, wealth and prosperity. The poorest of the poor in the USA enjoy more comforts than working class families of a century ago. Life expectancy has increased. Access to simple necessities and creature comforts has widened dramatically. Racism, oppression and related violence have decreased dramatically from a few generations ago. The conversation has shifted, but perhaps we’ve been lulled into complacency within the majority culture – absence of violence has been mistaken for peace and harmony.

God’s shalom is not simply a cease-fire. It is universal flourishing and a balance of wellbeing rooted in shared rhythms of work and rest. We are a long way from that, however far we have come. By many accounts we are disconnected from our own bodies, from one another, from the earth that provides our nourishment, and from the God who created us, sustains us, and redeems our sufferings.

So we have both reason to give thanks and reason to hope for more. If we focus too much on either our blessings or our challenges the result is a distorted view of reality undergirding ill-fitting and unproductive actions.

As Paul writes to his student Timothy, we do not know the full extent of the circumstances that have prompted the letter. Timothy has become discouraged by some series of events in his life and ministry. He’s gotten distracted perhaps by the headlines, or by the shiny things in the culture around him.

Paul comments Timothy toward several things that are also instructive for us:

Remember the faith of your ancestors – the faith in which you were raised. This is similar to parents calling out toward their children who walk out the door for a night or weekend away, “Remember who you are and where you come from…!” Again, we lack specifics, but it was apparently enough for Timothy simply to recall the faith of his mother and grandmother.
Remember the gifts of God that you have already received and expressed. God has already blessed you and worked through you to bless others. Whatever is going on right now is neither the beginning nor the end of your story. AND, you have the ability and responsibility to stir up that gift, to call it forth and put it to use – to exercise those muscles.
Remember the power of God that was at work in Jesus Christ, that you have seen at work in me, and that is at work in you. The things which have been done are not by your strength alone. Yes, you are a participant, but not a solitary agent acting on the world. You are interdependent with God to fulfill the Gospel call.
Remember that the hardest part is already done! Death has been conquered. There is nothing left to fear. There is nothing of which to be ashamed. No limitation that remains is greater than the love of God that is already at work in you.

Everything Paul suggests here is encapsulated within the brief text from Luke 17:5-10 in which Jesus invites us to exercise faith as small, humble and simple as a mustard seed, trusting that even this much true faith might move mountains in our life and world circumstances. The promise is not that all of our problems will evaporate immediately. “Every valley lifted and every hill made low” is a promise for a future time of kingdom fulfillment (Isaiah 40:4). What seems to be at work here is that “Yes, the struggle is real, but God’s power is greater. Strength and courage are available to you to persevere and overcome the obstacles before you for the sake of the Gospel – so that all people might live in the truth that “our Savior Christ Jesus, … abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” (2 Timothy 1:10).

In order for others to believe and receive this promise we ourselves must first live and walk in it. This means that we will no longer be held back by fear or shame. We will not cower before things that seem too difficult for us. Perhaps we have tried before and failed. The crucifixion looked like failure in the short term also. But God redeemed the suffering and life conquered death. The promise is that this same power is at work in us by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Whatever has been, and whatever now is, let us rest in the promise of God that there’s more to come.

Pressing forward toward the goal

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Ken G Crawford

As I write this I’m sitting in the office at church trying to recover from participating as the swim leg of a Half Triathlon Relay Team in Kerrville, Texas over the weekend with two of my best friends and fraternity brothers from Texas Tech (git yer guns up!). While the accomplishment pales in comparison to others who completed the full Half Tri on their own, we felt proud to have completed it since this was our first attempt. And the reality is that these events are not about competing with others, but with oneself. The real contest I faced was with my own body, mind and emotions. Deciding to enter was the first struggle, and I almost said no because I was so intimidated. Once I’d committed, I still watched the “final drop date with full refund” to decide whether to follow through. At first I didn’t want to let my friends down, and then I didn’t want to let myself down. By the end of my training season I actively wanted to get up early and go work out (which is really weird and unfamiliar territory for me).

This process has prompted a wide range of reflection and insight. The first thing to note is that I didn’t want to make this journey. At best I “wanted to want to do it.” I did it not for myself but for my friends – because I believe in them and their dreams and they had a dream that we would do this together. They believed in me and in us even if I couldn’t. I didn’t know if I could succeed, and was pretty sure I didn’t want to work that hard to find out. But I went for it out of love for them.

And it was really hard. Training required sacrifice of sleep, other recreation, and even some family time. I was scared to swim a long distance in open water. (“What lurks in the murky darkness?” and “What if I cramp up, run out of breath, or God forbid have a heart attack out in open water?”) But I realize that going toward some things that scare us is really healthy and good. If I didn’t succeed, I would still be better and stronger for having made the journey. Failing to finish would not have let my friends down – failing to try would have let them and me down.

When race day arrived, I had butterflies. Was I ready? Could I do it? I mostly resisted the temptation to compare myself to the other athletes, most of whom looked like they had not been in the same room with carbohydrates in years – me, not so much. I realized that I had trained hard, and eaten well, and prepared mentally, and that I was ready.

Upon entering the water, I felt strong and confident. Within 300 yards that evaporated, and I began to panic. I couldn’t find my rhythm or pace. My swimming form was all off but I could not figure out how to correct it. I could not manage to swim straight, instead zigzagging across the course. I doubted I could finish or even make it half the distance. I was going to let everyone down. But not yet. I would swim as hard and far as I could, even if it didn’t look pretty like all the experienced competitors around me. As Dory says in Finding Nemo “Just keep swimming…” So I did. dory-just-keep-swimming

Another 300 yards along I began to regain my
confidence, to find my stride. I actually finished the race with reserve energy knowing I could have kept going. Throughout this six month process I have discovered that actively choosing to do something difficult, for the sake of others, has transformed me in body, mind and spirit. I’ve become someone who looks forward to working out and feels acute loss when I don’t get to do it. I’m physically healthier than I’ve been since I was in high school. And I find myself asking, “OK, what’s the next challenge? Where do we go from here?”

swimfinish This same process unfolds for us as individuals and communities and churches when we choose discipline and challenge over the easy path, when we choose to sacrifice now for benefits later, when we choose the needs of the community over our own fear and doubt. As we look toward the future, let us embrace the struggle to become our better selves and cast off the shell of false self that holds us captive. So much of what holds us back from excellence and flourishing is unnecessary limitation imposed from within as a coping mechanism we developed to face life’s difficulties. The time has come to stop coping and start thriving.

Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it in abundance!”

911 – A Litany of Remembrance

Posted on September 11, 2016 by Ken G Crawford

Today we remember not only those who died on that horrific and unforgettable day in our nation’s history, but all the losses of these years since then.

For those who were passengers and crew in the four airplanes, those in the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and on the ground, and the loved ones they left behind…