Santa Is Dead

That's what came of our efforts to explain to Mary Grace about who Santa Claus is, why some people believe that he comes to their house on Christmas Eve to bring presents, and why he does not come to our house. That's right, we don't do Santa. No need to judge, I've already heard it all in the last month. The worst was from Mary Grace herself, when she found out the guy at the tree farm wasn't Santa, "Why did you put me on that guy's lap and let me tell him what I wanted for Christmas?!" Good question; it snuck up on us and we weren't ready yet.
So here's what we came up with. Odd that we have to "come up" with a story to explain the truth that there is no man sneaking into our house in a few days. But, I digress. Santa is another name for St. Nicholas, who is also called Father Christmas, or in Haiti Papa Noel. St. Nicholas lived a long time ago and he loved Jesus very much. He knew that God gave us Jesus, and Jesus gave everything for us, so he gave gifts to the children and people in his community. He died and went to be with Jesus in Heaven with God, where he is still alive. So Santa is real and alive, but he is not coming to give us presents, because he is with God. Other people pretend that he gives presents, and some people think they are not pretending. But we know that we get to give each other presents because we want to be like St. Nicholas, like Jesus, like God.
To you get it, Mary Grace? Yes, Santa is dead. Now, this doesn't present any real problems for me, except I'm not trying to ruin Christmas for everyone else in Easley. And where as I don't think moving away from an idea of only getting presents when you are nice and making a list of all the things you want to get ruins Christmas, there are a lot of people who disagree with me here. First, there is everyone, her teachers, church members, random people on the street, who ask her what Santa is going to bring her. If she tells them Santa is dead, well, people tend to get upset. Then of course, is the bigger concern of all her friends who believe that Santa will be coming to bring their presents and would be upset to find out that old Kris Kringle had turned up his pointy boots. Again, I don't want her to make people sad and upset.
So this has led to what I think is an even more fruitful conversation. Mary Grace, we know that Santa is not going to bring presents, that we will give each other presents on Christmas. But other people don't know that. And it is not our job to tell other people what they should think and believe. We can't control other people. We aren't the boss of other people. And we don't need to tell other people they are wrong. We need to be kind, respectful, and loving.
So yesterday some guy asked her if she had been good for Santa to bring her presents. And she just said yes. And she turned to me with a huge smile and asked me to bend down and whispered in my ear, "Daddy, I didn't tell him about Santa." Can you imagine a world where we all spent less time trying to be right and tell others where they are wrong? Can you imagine living in your convictions in a way that was thoughtful to the feelings and needs of others? Mary Grace can. Merry Christmas.

The Message of Reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:18

We've been back now for five days, and it is amazing how quickly things go back to normal. The first day or so, I was amazed by the smallest things: smooth roads, green grass, houses of brick and shingle, new cars and new clothes. I took the kids to the park in Greenville, which was also amazing, and on the way there, we drove down East Parkins Mill Road. I noticed, as if for the first time, the size of the houses and the property there. I guess its the American dream, big house, two car garage (or more), nice yard with green grass, maybe a boat, if you're into that. The thing that struck me was that this is not the Haitian dream. I don't think you're average Haitian wants all of that. I mean, sure they would take it over living in a shack with a leaky roof and starving. But the Haitian dream is probably a little simpler: a job, a two room house with solid roof, food on the table. What I'm struggling with is what is the standard of living that we should expect, not as Americans, but as citizens of the world?

Now, if you live on East Parkins Mill, please don't take this as a condemnation. I'm not trying to say we are evil for having so much when others have so little. What I'm trying to come to grips with is the statement people often make when we get back from Haiti or Salkehatchie. "It makes you thankful for all the blessings we have, doesn't it?" I don't ever say this to anyone, but what I always think is "No, it doesn't." It doesn't make me thankful for what I have. It makes me think I have way too much. It makes me question whether or not our wealth in the US is actually a "blessing from God" or a curse of our sinful greed, nationalism, racism, and casual disregard for the people of the rest of the world. Remember, Jesus says its super-hard for a rich person to find the kingdom of God. Maybe we aren't individually making evil decisions to hoard wealth while others starve. Maybe we are caught in systems of sin, set up long before any of us were born, that perpetuate the status quo while our broken theology gives us peace of mind by making us "thankful for the blessings we have." One way to talk about this is white privilege. Basically, that means that for the last 600 years the dice have been consistently loaded for white people to accumulate wealth at the expense of people of color, from slavery to colonialism to voting laws and property laws to redlining and unfair loan practices to educational opportunities and segregation. I'm not saying people didn't work hard, invent things, and use their God-given gifts to make a good life for themselves and their children. All I'm saying is that it is very questionable to assume that the accumulation of wealth propped up by systemic sin is actually the way God blessed us and intends us to live. Somewhere between Haiti and the American dream lies the truth of God's intent for us as a species.

Now I'm guessing that after you read that paragraph, you either already agreed with me before and are now nodding your head self-righteously, or you sniffed out a "liberal agenda" in what I wrote, already disagreed with me before you started, and are shaking your head at my lack of patriotism and judgmentalism. I didn't write the above to make you feel good or bad about yourself. I wrote it to try to bring you in to this new vision of the world God has given me through my trip to Haiti. I want to give you a glimpse of what our world looks like post-Haiti. All I can give you is a glimpse. If you want to gain clearer vision of the world as God sees it, you have to come with me to Haiti. And you can't go to Haiti just to "do some good" or "help some poor people," although those are noble pursuits. If you want to really do some good, you must go to build relationships with people in Haiti. Relationships take time and effort. And they are the only thing that really matters, that can really change the world.

That's what I understand the Gospel to be. God is saving the world by restoring our relationship with God, through forgiveness of our sins and restoration of our broken nature. God is doing this by restoring our relationships with one another, through peace and love. When this happens, faith replaces fear and hope replaces despair. The power of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, unleashed into the world, the church, and each one of us by the Holy Spirit, is the power of reconciliation. That's the litmus test for everything a Christian says, thinks, or does: does this further the ministry of reconciliation? Does it improve my relationship of love and peace with God and my neighbor? The good news is that God has not abandoned us in our wealth or the people of Haiti in their poverty. God is bringing us together so that we may find a more excellent way to live. Thanks be to God.

For the Sake of Ten

Genesis 18:32

Haiti is beautiful. Palm trees frame the moon rising over the Atlantic. Tropical plants rise from the concrete. The people are beautiful. They smile through the dust and the dirt. The kids sing and laugh and play soccer. Their moms watch over them, keeping them in check. The men work and sweat and talk and laugh. Many people here have asked me, "Do you like Haiti?" I say yes. Then they ask, "Why?"  "Because Haiti is beautiful, and the people are beautiful."
Today was a rough day. We went to the prison to visit the people there. I confess I have never visited the prison in Pickens County, but I plan to remedy that when I return. Here, men are kept in cages about the size of our hotel room, with 15-20 men crammed inside. We also saw a cell for young boys that was the same, the youngest being 14. The warden said some of them murdered people and are in for life. Our interpreter said that men will put the kids up to the murder because people don't expect children to be a threat. The women were out doing the wash. Here's the real kicker; they all have to buy their own food with whatever people bring them. So we gave the boys some money for food, and we bought purses from the men. The misery was overwhelming, because here was something we could truly do nothing about, and people had brought it upon themselves, to some extent. It was humbling.
We had two Bible schools. Here is hope; children who have not been discarded and locked away, whose lives have promise. I have been telling the story of Jonah through an interpreter with a lot of physical animation. I finally got a laugh today for Jonah riding his camel, indicating that these children had more to eat than some of the others we had visited, and therefore more energy. I've had fun playing soccer with the boys. We went to the souvenir market for more depressingness. The people say, "Come, look, buy my stuff, because I'm hungry and I want to eat!" It's a very fine line to avoid getting ripped off, while not negotiating away all of their profit.
Anna took mattresses to the children in the orphanage who had 30 kids on a concrete floor. They were happy, but mostly they wanted food. She also went to the site where the church is almost complete. We will worship with the congregation there before we leave.
Haiti is beautiful; Haiti is hard.

There is a Great Divide Between Us

Luke 16:26

"Though we are from different nations, we are joined together by you, the one God." Pastor Davide prayed these words today with Tenny, Ernest, and me. Can you hear these words, in the midst of all the flag waving, wall-building, cheering and jeering that is blasting out of Cleveland this week? Those noises are muted for us in Haiti. The sounds here are precious children laughing, pastors praying together, people singing. The language is different, the children have no shoes, the songs have a different rhythm. But I am constantly struck by our sameness, our unity as children of God in Christ Jesus.
Haiti is so hard. The problems are so deep. But the people are people. When I brought out a soccer ball for the children who were helping load concrete blocks on our work site, suddenly laborers were children again. They hugged me and cheered like I was a combination of Superman and Santa Claus. Which is not really a good feeling, because it puts me over them in a weird way. One minute, we are loading block together, the next they worship me, the next we are all playing and having fun together. It's like that feeling when your kids open presents from you on Christmas, times 100 and with added dehumanization. They have become objects to make me feel good about myself, and I have become a dispensary of arbitrary gifts to those I deem worthy. It is hard.
People are always trying to get something from you, because you have something and they have nothing. It is dehumanizing, but understandable. That's what I thought was happening when Pastor Davide called the American ("blan", yes even my African American brother Ernest is called "white" here) pastors together. I thought he would ask us for something. He did. It was our prayers. He wanted to pray together. He wanted to pray for his people to get a place for worship; for our people to come alongside them in their need; for the Gospel to spread in Haiti; for the Gospel to spread in SC. We prayed and we committed to continue praying for one another.
The last two days we have been on the worksite for the church, shoveling dirt and rocks to make concrete, twisting and fastening steel tie bars, and hauling blocks. The work is hard, hot, and sweaty. The Haitian unskilled workers are volunteers building their own church. It reminds me of Genesis 2:7 " the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being." We are literally forming this building from dust, sand, rocks, and cement, bound together and shaped with precision by master masons into a building for worship and community activity.  So we construct a building, and God will breathe into it the breath of life to be a living being in this community. The churches we have visited so far double as orphanages, feeding centers, and recreation centers. There will be a living, breathing body of Christ in this building, seeking to love God, love their neighbors, and thereby spread the Gospel to all those around. Let us all be in prayer for the churches of Haiti.

All Things Are Possible Through Christ

"I have nothing in my pockets, but I am a rich man. God preserves my life." These are the words of Pastor Louis of Christ Church. He pastors a congregation of 150 in a tin roof, tin walled hut. He also attends the care of about 6 orphans who live in one room and sleep on the bare concrete floor. We talk about sacrifices pastors in the US make; this man was well-off enough to attend 7 years of seminary, and now he cares for the poorest of the poor. He loves Jesus so deeply; it shines out of his eyes when he talked. He said his congregation would pray for us to get more resources so we could come back again and continue to build our relationship and help his community. People in the neighborhood bring food by for the orphans and church members help care for them. Some had no shoes; all were tiny for their ages. We played soccer, sang songs, did crafts, and gave them some food and drinks.
If you helped fund this mission, I hope you feel blessed by the prayers of the Haitian people for you. Your money is going towards food and toys for orphans, cement and block to build a church, and pay the Haitians who are working so hard with us.
We also met with 25 or 30 local pastors. Good men who have given their lives to serve God leading congregations of the poorest of the poor. We discovered something interesting in our conversation. The are leading big congregations, but need buildings to meet and worship in. We have big buildings, but our congregations are dwindling. I wish we could come together with our buildings and people. One observation we have made. To be considered poor in Haiti means that your children are starving. It is normal for adults to not eat everyday, and for children to eat only once.

Blessed Are the Poor

Tragic. Sorrowful. Painful. Joyful. Funny. Vibrant. Haiti is an assault on the senses and the heart. The first thing that hit me is the garbage everywhere. Then it's the shabby state of everyone's clothing. The children with no shoes. The babies with no clothes at all. But when we hiked up the side of the hill through the Bel Aire neighborhood, I was struck by the life everywhere. Kids are playing with toy cars they made themselves. Others are laughing hysterically at us, shouting "blan, blan!" Which in Creole for whitey. They call Ernest that too, even though his skin is browner than mine. Moms are making supper and washing clothes. Dads are talking and playing checkers. The Haitian people are no different than the rest of us. Moms will be moms, kids will be kids. God is present bringing life and grace in the midst of soul-crushing poverty.

Off to Haiti

Tomorrow morning at4:45 we get up to head to Haiti. Anna and I are so excited to meet our SC team at the airport, Tenny and Ernest, and the rest of the Empowering Haitians team in Cap Haitian. Thank you again to everyone who made this trip possible with your financial support. Please keep us in your prayers. We will be working on a church in the mornings and playing with and teaching kids in the Bible school in the afternoons. We will also be meeting with 25 local pastors while we are their to learn from their experiences. Most of all we look forward to learning from Patrick and the rest of the Haitian team how to build a community empowering mission. 

Kids Today

So this will be the first of occasional thoughts that I put out for people to read. My goal is not to make these argumentative, but grace filled appeals to compassion and understanding. We'll see; arguments are easier.

I would guess that I spend more time than the average person my age with people who are 60 and over. These people are often wise, experienced, and caring. They have seen and experienced a lot, and they care for the communities and institutions that have been important in their lives. For better or for worse, many of these communities and institutions are changing and many are declining. Civic organizations, churches, you name it and these pillars of the 20th century community are in decline when measured by members and money. (One could argue that this is not the best way to measure such things, but that's not what I'm here to do.) And these folks are asking all the time at meetings and gatherings I attend, "What can we do to get millenials (younger people) to be a part of our organizations and institutions?"

Now, as a called and employed pastor in the institutional church, I admit that my perspective is probably bias. But, I do believe that civic institutions are not a dying vestige of an older culture. True, the culture has changed, but one thing has not changed. People still desire to be social with other people. That is how we are created. The very first problem that God identifies with God's otherwise "good" creation is that "It is not good that the man should be alone." (Gen 2:18). We are created to be in community with other people, and churches, clubs, and civic organizations provide venues for that. So, theologically speaking, these are good things that can help us be who we are created to be.

The problem that I hear identified most often by the leaders and members active in these organizations that is causing them to decline is with "kids today." It is usually expressed in general terms, to sum up an entire generation with a few words, and goes something like this. "Kids today don't want to join our [church, club, group] because: a) they are stuck in their digital devices. This usually refers to video games, FaceBook, or mobile phones. b)  they just want to be entertained. This implies a shallowness, suggesting this generation values good coffee and music above all else. c) they don't care about their communities or other people. Most solutions to the problem are based off of these assessments and there by seek to engage millenials through digital media, good coffee and music, and me-centered programs.

Here's the thing. The "kids today" I know do not bear out these diagnoses of their generation. The articles I read about the generation at large don't either. So, if institutions of the 20th century want to reach "kids today," they/we need to do some serious rethinking about who "kids today" are and what drives them.

I also interact with a lot of millenials. Although I am technically in "Generation X" and I am just old enough to remember a world without mobile phones and the internet, I am much more at home in the digital, social media world than my parents. I do not have these answers. But here is what I can tell you about kids today, based on the ones I know.

Our culture is placing tremendous demands on them without the promises of yesterday. You should be married and start a family by 30, but your chance of divorce is 50%. You should exercise and eat right, but your life-expectancy is lower than your parents' generation. You should go to college and get a career, until that interferes with expectation 1, in which case, women should drop their careers we told them to get and go back home. Oh by the way, college and day care are more expensive than ever, while wages have only seen moderate increases. And it is true that our culture at large no longer tells them that they SHOULD be a part of a church or civic organization. So, given all the other demands on their lives, many of them are not.

Kids today are not shallow people who want video games, coffee, and music. The ones I know work hard. Really hard. And they care deeply for their friends and family. Hmm, that sounds an awful lot like the people over 60 that I know.

Kids today want community. They don't just want acquaintances, people to talk sports and weather with; they want family. They want people to love and support them for who they are. And they want to love and support their communities, but not in the fundraiser way. They want to get involved, to have relationships, to get their hands on something, to see a face and shake a hand, not read a report.

Hope for the over 60s reading this: Kids today are not as different as you as you think. Yes, your organization may have to change a little about what you do and how you do it. But the fundamental principles of building community are still solid.

Hope for the kids today reading this: People over 60 are not as different as you think. Try to see past their generalizations. Yes, they want their organizations to continue. But fundamentally, they just want to be in relationship with you, to teach you what they know, to share their passions with you, and to love you.