"There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things." - Pam Beasley Halpert
The series finale of The Office aired last night and fans of Jim & Pam, Dwight & Angela, Kevin, Toby, Phyllis, etc. said goodbye to a fairly significant show in the history of television. It was one of those shows that sneaks up on you because for a while, you think that you are just watching a comedy, but in the end, you find that you were watching a commentary on our lives and how love and hope and joy and everything that we live for is actually found in the beauty of ordinary things with ordinary people that you never thought you would ever grow to love.
Over the years, I have watched The Office because of the awkward moments and the dry humor, which fits me pretty well. But, after going through the series on Netflix, it dawned on me that the appeal of this show was that it was one story of what happens when a group of people live and work and share their lives together for 9 years (7 years in the case of Michael) and are fundamentally changed by what seems to be an ordinary experience. At the end of it all, they become something like a family and they find that the very people that used to drive them crazy are the ones that they will miss the most.
"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." Andy Bernard
Shows like The Office have an appeal because they capture something real about our daily lives and our hopes and frustrations and what we are all wanting: relationships. We, as a people want to be known and loved and we want to know others. The characters in The Office, much like the show that it reminds me of the most in its diverse ensemble cast, Cheers, do not have much in common other than the fact that they work for the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company. They share cubicles and tasks and projects and meetings in the conference room and office parties, but other than that, they go home to their own lives. But, over the course of many years and trials and triumphs, diverse people with nothing in common become friends - and then they become family.
I will not make some kind of allusion to God here, even though my blog is usually theological in tone. God was not a character in The Office. There was no real redemptive quality. Marriages happened (Jim & Pam/Dwight & Angela) and marriages broke up (Stanley, Angela and The Senator). People came and went and there was success and failure. Michael Scott, the original main character, dreamed of a wife and children and he finally found it and then moved to Colorado. While it was not religious/spiritual in any sense, the coming together of people who were very different but found joy in their relationships with each other does remind me of what happens in the church - or, what is supposed to happen. We end up journeying through life together with people that we do not always have much in common with. We learn to love people who are difficult to love sometimes and find that we are also loved when we cannot even love ourselves. Day after day, week after week, we go through life and share birthdays and weddings and holidays and children's classes and potluck dinners and sickness and sorrow and prayer and Scripture and hope, and ultimately, salvation.
Eugene Peterson once said that we do not go to church to hang out with our friends - with the people that we would choose. We go to church to hang out with God's friends, with the people that he chooses. When I was watching The Office, I thought about that and thought about how the relationships that I saw on a TV show that were not real and that were full of both joy and anger, generosity and pettiness, were riveting because they reminded me so much of real life and the characters that you face in your own office, or neighborhood, or family - or in your church. I was reminded of how much we need people - people different from us who will walk through life with us and who will show us and help us see the beauty of ordinary things.
We spend so much time looking for the spectacular and hoping for something great to happen to lift us out of our boredom that we miss the beauty of ordinary things right in front of us. Stanley had his pretzel day once a year. Dwight got excited about being safety officer. Michael loved the office parties and the conference room meetings and for all his quirky oddness, he knew how to lead an office to success. Jim always wanted to leave and go on to greater things but, in the end he found what he always wanted and needed in that dingy office. Everyone had a role both in the company and in each other's lives. It was nice.
In writing about this, I am simply saying that a longing for community and friendship and relationship in the midst of our daily lives is at the core of who we are as people. The longing for it and the receiving of love from others is part of what makes us human. There was a lot of failure and brokenness evident in The Office and it was not all pretty, but the message conveyed is one that is fairly surprising in America in 2013. People matter, even the people you don't like and that you find odd and who are nothing like you at all - and, those people can become your family because there is something that unites us all down deep - a longing for love and relationships and community - that we all keep trying to get to beneath the clutter and noise and our own struggles.
Their marriage is imploding. TV cameras are filming the meltdown. Paparazzi line up outside the house. Both Jon and Kate are accused of affairs. Kate is traveling all the time promoting her new book and taking part in speaking engagements. Jon is partying at night and brooding over his miserable life. Their lives are a wreck.
But, the show goes on.
They're doing it "for the kids."
The money is too much to turn down.
Kate wants to keep going. Jon just wants to get gone.
They are churchgoing Christians who are caught in a trap.
Wow.
Jesus said that you can't serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24). You will love one and despise the other. He warned us about all of this. James 4 says that we quarrel and fight because of the desires that are within us that are not submitted to God So, as they pursue fame, fortune, freedom, and pleasure, their lives fall apart and the kids that they claim to be doing this for are sacrificed on the altar of what they think is best.
There are more important things than providing college for your children.
There are more important things than a $1.2 million house.
I am not judging this family. It is a shame and anyone can fall into this trap. They need our prayers and they need to turn the cameras off and give up their lifestyle for the sake of their family and their souls. But, deception does its work on us and if we are not careful, we end up going down a path that we never thought possible.
We are all susceptible in many different ways, although our stumbles are not broadcast on national and written about on blogs by people who read the news. I really feel bad for them and I know that God has a better way. I pray that they find it. They desperately need to experience the grace, mercy, and healing of God. This life is not all there is.
Last night, I couldn't get to sleep. My mind was racing. Finally, I drifted off, but not before I ran through a dozen different subjects. I've been told by friends that I have adult ADD. Maybe so. It would explain a lot. Normally, I write essays for this blog because it is really rewarding for me to lock in on one topic and explore it and I use it as a teaching platform for my church. Today, I'll take you on a random tour of what I'm thinking about in classic, stream-of-consciousness form. Each of these thoughts could be a blogpost all their own and they have been building up in my head. So, I think I'll clean out my brain a little so that I can think more clearly and start over.
I'm going back to India at the end of next month. Around midnight last night, I called Thom Wolf in India and talked with him for awhile. It was almost noon there. He was my professor and intellectual mentor in school back when I lived in San Francisco and he lives in New Delhi. We will go north to the Himalayas and do our normal thing with the ministries there, and then possibly travel with him for a couple of days to the south of India to meet some people doing very interesting things.
I am working through Paul's letter to the Philippians right now in my Bible study and my preaching. I am also writing essays to go along with each topic. Philippians is a great letter to address the "God as a means to an end" syndrome that plagues contemporary Christianity. I am thinking of releasing the essays after I am through with this. It has been really interesting. Today, I am working on one called "Chains" about how Paul volunteered to put himself in less than ideal situations so that the gospel would be spread to others through his life and suffering. Check out Philippians 1:7-14. Am I willing to do the same?
"According to some estimates, Christians in developed Western countries now represent only 37 percent of believers worldwide. As I travel and also read chruch history, I have observed a pattern, a strange historical phenomenon of God 'moving' geographically from place to place: from the Middle East to Europe to North America to the developing world. My theory is this: God goes where He's wanted." ~ Philip Yancey, Finding God in Unexpected Places.
I ran across a fascinating article today on urban development in post-Katrina New Orleans on Newgeography.com by Andres Duany. Duany, of Cuban descent, says that "New Orleans is not among the most haphazard, poorest or misgoverned American cities, but rather the most organized, wealthiest, cleanest, and competently governed of the Caribbean cities." He says that New Orleans is not really an American city at all. Rather, it is a Caribbean city. Jimmy Buffett, after Katrina hit, said that the northern Gulf of Mexico is actually the northern part of the Caribbean, not the Southern part of the U.S. I agree. Being from there, it is different that the rest of the country, and I love it. Totally different way of thinking, worldview, and lifestyle. Maybe this is why Baptists have had so much trouble reaching the Gulf Coast? Hmmm.
My two favorite songs on my ipod right now are "Rocket Man" by Angie Aparo and "A Change is Gonna Come" by Ben Sollee. They are both cover songs, but the music and vocals are really intriguing. If you haven't heard either of these guys, check them out. Here's a live version of "Rocket Man." I think about this when I am travelling too much.
And, Ben Sollee on the cello. Yes, the cello. This is amazing.
This week marks the 3 year anniversary of us finding a lump on Caelan's chest that was a cancerous tumor. It has been a hard three years, but I praise God everyday for His faithfulness. Last night, Erika told me that the little 3 year old girl that my family has been praying for since we saw her at Caelan's last scans died last week. Her name was Cassie. My heart was broken over that. Maybe that is why I keep singing "A Change is Gonna Come." Ben Sollee, covering Sam Cooke, says he doesn't know what's beyond the sky. I do, and more and more each day I pray that God's Kingdom come.
"As heretical as it sounds today, it is probably worth telling Americans that you don't need Jesus to have better families, finances, health, or even morality. Coming to the cross means repentance - not adding Jesus as a supporting character for an otherwise decent script but throwing away the script in order to be written into God's drama. It is death and resurrection, not coaching and makovers." Michael Horton, Christless Christianity.
Baseball season is about to start. I really don't like baseball. Too slow for my taste. During the dead of summer, it is almost like there are no sports going on. I'm just waiting for football. Although, our church has formed THREE softball teams with about 50 players and they'll be playing mostly on Monday nights, so I am glad for the fact that a lot of people from our church will be hanging out together and building relationships. Being blind in my right eye caused me to never play baseball because I have no depth perception, so maybe that is why I don't like it. I do plan to play summer league basketball, though.
The groundbreaking for our church's new building is April 5, right before we have a huge neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. We've been reaching a lot of teenagers in our community lately, and God really moved in their lives at a youth retreat that we had this past weekend. Several came to Christ and many more opened their hearts to Jesus. We have also started tutoring, GED classes, and are helping with job placement. God is doing some amazing things. The building is just a tool to help us with this, and it should be finished by October. I'll be very happy.
I keep watching Jon & Kate plus Eight. I don't know why. Erika keeps asking why I stop there when we are watching TV and I have the remote and I told her that I really can't believe how mean Kate is to Jon and I can't fathom how they manage eight kids like that. Wow. It's like a car wreck. I have four kids of my own. Do I really need to watch someone else's stress? Strangely, I'm drawn to it. That, and Clean House, which is about people who live in an unfathomable mess. I guess that it is cathartic to see other people's stress and mess instead of my own. Normally, these shows come on right after we put the kids to bed. Hmmm.
I turned in my taxes yesterday and I'm trying to get some insurance stuff taken care of. It's a pain and seems to be taking forever. Car tags have to be paid on Monday and I'm doing a TV interview tomorrow for a local religious broadcasting station about our work in India. I lump all of that together because it all feels about the same to me - stuff I have to do that I don't like doing. I'm not just trying to be humble about the TV thing either. I HATE stuff like that. Communication should be two-way and interactive with feedback, not captured on a television for people to pick over and misinterpret as they wish. Maybe I'm just insecure.
Books I'm reading right now (they happen to all be "Christian" books, which is not good - I need to vary things up a bit and learn from some other disciplines):
Finding God in Unexpected Places by Philip Yancey - picked it up in the airport last week. Yancey writes essays about where he sees God working in the world. Excellent.
Christless Christianity by Michael Horton - states that the American church has given itself over to an alternative gospel that he calls, therapuetic moralistic deism.
No Place for Truth - Or Whatever Happened to Evangelical Theology by David Wells. This came out about 15 years ago, but it was recommended to me by a friend of mine. It is pretty dense, but a good read. Makes some of the same claims as Horton, but from a historical perspective.
My church is always heavy on my mind and my heart. I graduated from seminary over 9 years ago. I've been the lead pastor of our church for 3 1/2 years. I'm realizing more and more each day that I am not smart enough, talented enough, entertaining enough, or gifted enough to do what needs to be done, no matter how many books I read. God has to work through me. I need Him. I carry the weight of people's struggles pretty intensely. I greatly desire for people to walk with the Lord and to glorify Him and I want our church to hunger after Christ with their whole lives and to reach people who do not know Jesus. But, I am really having to pray about this and release it to the Lord. I can't make anyone do anything. I am completely powerless to make anything happen. God has to do it. I have always known that intellectually. I am learning that emotionally and spiritually and it isn't easy, believe it or not.
Ashtyn has started soccer.
I have great kids and an amazing wife who listens to me go on and on about everything that I am thinking about. She is really patient and she always gives me great feedback. I do not deserve her, and I'm not just saying that because it is what I am expected to say. She's really something. She texted me two days ago and said that we should go on the mission trip with the youth group this summer. I told her that I agreed. Not many mother's of four kids would do that.
My city, Montgomery, just elected a new mayor in a special election a couple of weeks ago. In his election night interview, he said that he hoped that he would "rule" well. Rule #1 in American politics: Never tell the people that you plan to "rule" them. It doesn't sit well in a democracy. Then, he said that he was pushing the inauguration back a week because he was taking his family to the beach. Rule #2: When we are in a severe recession, don't tell the people that just elected you that you would begin to rule, er, serve them, but first, you have to go to the beach. Go to the beach in a few months AFTER you have worked for them for a little while. Wow.
Look, a BUTTERFLY!!!! Sorry, had to get that out. Does anyone ever feel that way? Random as can be.
I've lost 10 pounds in the past two weeks and I don't know how. I guess that I haven't been eating as much. Duh. Stress? Busyness? I don't know, but I'll take it. I could stand to lose a lot more.
Well, that's about it. Not really, but I figure that no one is still reading at this point, so I might as well stop. Believe it or not, engaging in an exercise in complete randomness actually made me feel better. So, I leave you with a picture of my kids that I really love.
God is good, by the way. And, He's always working in every thing. Big, little, important, mundane. God is always at work.
This is a powerful clip from the TV show, ER, that I read about in Michael Horton's Christless Christianity. A man who was a former police officer and was responsible for the death of an innocent man is asking for answers about sin, forgiveness, death, and eternity from a chaplain who has no answers for him. She does not speak to him about truth, but instead, about his perspective on living and getting rid of guilt by refocusing. She has no answers - only questions and statements like "I think it's up to each one of us to figure out what God wants."
Powerful video. If you were in this situation, what would you say to this person? How would you tell him how to find forgiveness? What good does her "inclusive spirituality" do in a situation like this? We have the gospel of Jesus Christ and it is the only message that can save sinners. Romans 3:21-26 talks about this man's concerns as it addresses sin, righteousness, faith, forgiveness, and judgment. People need real hope, not nice platitudes that do nothing for us. What are your thoughts about this? What would you say to him? What would you say to her?
My 7 year old son, Peyton, was watching an animal talent show on Animal Planet a few minutes ago and he came and told me about a pig that was playing the piano. He said, "Daddy, there was this pig that was playing the piano. He played, "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." One of the judges gave him an 8, and two of the judges gave him a 7 (out of 10). I don't know. If it were me, and a pig could play the piano, I'd give him a 10."
I agree, Peyton. How do you not give a piano playing pig a 10? Must be SEC football refs.
