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Text of the page (random words):
christmas warm fuzzies have been replaced with sober self reflection their message repeats god does not show up on human terms if we invoke his presence in our world we need to understand what it is we are asking for we are inviting the refiner s fire to burn away our dross i am asking the judge who sees my hidden agendas and petty indulgences to lay them bare this is the process through which he makes all things new he exposes what is wrong and then catches it up in his merciful arms to change it until it is right am i ready to receive what i am asking for and yet can i afford not to ask for it as i sing o come o come emmanuel images flash through my mind of covid patients fighting a losing battle for breath and landscapes devastated by wind fire and flood i see communities divided by mistrust and anger individuals torn apart by mental illness and addiction and families separated by conflict war politics quarantine and death we have done our best to rule the world under our own steam and 2020 has shown us how well that goes i identify with the rich young ruler wanting to receive the gift of god s kingdom and yet vacillating on the threshold of what it will cost me i m not sure i am ready for christmas this year but i am sure that i can trust the one whose coming i anticipate and hasten his arm is strong to save and gentle to restore his ways are not like ours and for that i am increasingly grateful so yes come lord jesus share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading advent depression kingdom of god leadership peace politics power reconciliation rulers of earth savior spiritual formation surrender abuse leadership spiritual formation it doesn t have to be this way sex scandals and what our leaders need october 9 2020 tiffany clark 11 comments i need this reading the recent investigation on claims of ravi zacharias s sexual misconduct i was caught by the statement multiple women reported hearing from him having worked with christian leaders around the world i hear more in those words than a pick up line i hear the plea of men and women caught up in the isolation of their ministry success and feeling desperately in need in need of what their admirers may wonder beyond fame fortune and following these leaders evidence amazing riches in god s wisdom and power if that isn t enough to satisfy then what is yet so many leaders end up enmeshed in immorality and scandal that news of it is hardly more surprising than that of another dip in the stock market or sighting of a hurricane unsurprising yet damaging those whose lives they influenced are left to grapple with doubts over what was real and what was not henri nouwen who served in the l arche communities founded by now disgraced jean vanier identified the conditional nature of the world s love as a source of enslavement particularly to those in its limelight gifted leaders who perform well are elevated to hero status with the caveat that they consistently meet and exceed expectations these ifs enslave me since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them it is a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart ours has become a culture in which leaders are either sanctified or vilified with very little room for being human we are familiar with the idea that power corrupts but we fail to recognize how our image of leaders undermines their capacity to live as beloved children of god made of weak flesh and in need of ongoing nurture this in no way excuses their indecent behavior or abuse of power nor does it downplay the devastation of broken lives and disillusioned communities left in their wake but there are multiple forces at play driving good leaders to end up in bad places to the extent we can recognize and work to change these we can alter the increasingly familiar narrative of fallen leaders and discredited ministries without constantly cultivating the childlike intimacy with god that usually defined david leaders will fall prey to a tempting barrage of unmet needs and entitled excuses sex scandals among leaders are as old as the bible david s abusive treatment of bathsheba fits the pattern perpetuated among leaders from seattle to sri lanka taken at face value his public statement of confession psalm 51 reveals a heart that did not intend for things to end up where they did but the toxic mix of unquestioned authority and pedestalized isolation led this otherwise godly leader to seek his next high in the wrong place for the many like him fanfare as addictive as a like button can combine with a dizzying height of social expectation to create a lifestyle fueled by a perpetual adrenaline rush add to that long work hours constant travel and the pressure to perform and it is no surprise that the davids of our time suffer from a deep inner hunger their souls are starving and the quickest bite they can grab is a shoddy stand in for true intimacy not to mention one of the very lambs they have devoted themselves to shepherding leaders are responsible to safeguard their flocks their families and their souls without constantly cultivating the childlike intimacy with god that usually defined david leaders will fall prey to a tempting barrage of unmet needs and entitled excuses thomas à kempis s words penned long before the invention of global media point to the need for leaders to regularly step back from the microphone to abstain from social dialogue and to engage in guided soul searching no one can safely appear in public who does not enjoy seclusion no one safely talks but he she who gladly keeps silent no one safely rules but he she who is glad to be subordinate our leaders need us to see them for who they are and not just what we want them to be but we also have a role to play in safeguarding our leaders paul repeatedly requested the loving engagement of the communities that he led disclosing his weakness and begging their prayers whether or not they invite it our leaders need us to see them for who they are and not just what we want them to be that is what our leaders need our leaders need us to be samuels and nathans who mentor and supply needed guidance jonathans who provide intimate friendship and peer support and abigails who intervene and call forth the best in them when we see danger ahead only then can we work together to put an end to the blight of scandalous shepherds and victimized sheep share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading abuse addiction belovedness children of god community humanity identity inner hunger intimacy leadership safeguarding sexual abuse spiritual abuse spiritual formation victims kingdom coming relationships repent the gospel message to racism policing and me july 1 2020 tiffany clark 2 comments in a rising tide of fists and voices the path of righteousness is increasingly difficult to find whose opinion do i trust with whose grievance do i side how do i even think about the events that are taking place around us whose narrative is right a nuanced understanding is necessary and i think it is fair to say that no movement or group is going to get everything right rather than take sides in yet another polarizing shouting match or follow my algorithm generated news feed which scrupulously selects and reinforces the slant towards which it knows i lean i am drawn back into the oddly stabilizing message of john the baptist which somehow managed to step on everyone s toes with leveling conviction john said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the coming wrath produce fruit in keeping with repentance and do not begin to say to yourselves we have abraham as our father for i tell you that out of these stones god can raise up children for abraham the ax is already at the root of the trees and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire no racial group gets to claim special status or immunity from john s scathing social commentary in order to be in with the king each had better start by examining where their own life fails to line up with his way of love this gospel of peace works as an objective outside perspective enabling me to first look into it to remove the log from my own eyes and then to look again to see where others might need to change too what should we do then the crowd asked john answered anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none and anyone who has food should do the same the fruit of repentance looks like sharing whatever i have with those who don t have it no discussion of who they are what they deserve or whether they align with my particular perspective no discussion of whether i am an oppressed minority or a privileged majority we share we tend and keep we look out for each other why because as jesus would highlight in the racially charged parable of the good samaritan our core identity is as neighbors not ethnic groups religious affiliations social classes or political parties even tax collectors came to be baptized teacher they asked what should we do don t collect any more than you are required to he told them then some soldiers asked him and what should we do he replied don t extort money and don t accuse people falsely be content with your pay luke 3 7 14 but john also had some pointed gospel applications for those neighbors with particular forms of power to their credit tax collectors and soldiers had come in humility openly asking how they might align themselves with the way of the lord to those with financial power john applied the law of love to taking only what was right rather than what they could get away with to those with policing power john applied the law of love to treating everyone fairly which includes being careful to find out the facts before accusing anyone whether or not these soldiers saw themselves as powerful the people whose lives hinged on their right use of law and careful use of force certainly did i am grateful for the police i am grateful for the many officers who have corrected me protected me and helped me in times of need they used their power for my good to the extent that when i see a uniform i feel safer but not everyone shares my experience the children in the community where my youngest child will be attending school tell of how the sight of a policeman strikes them with terror when they are playing in the street will this officer accuse them of something and take them away as they have seen happen with their friends will a simple inquiry escalate into a violent arrest that costs them their life as they have seen through their media feed fear and distrust breed reactive behavior conditioning these children to a fight or flight response to the approach of any police officer whether gentle or aggressive there are few things more devastating than to have it burned into you that you do not count and that no provisions are made for the literal protection of your person the threat of violence is ever present and there is no way to determine precisely when it may come crushing down upon you there is a talk african american mothers have to have with their sons the talk in which they plead with them to avoid any encounter with police and if approached to avert their eyes in deference and answer with a simple yes sir or no sir i have never had that talk with my son both because he has the experience of being unafraid of the police and because he has the luxury of likely being given the benefit of the doubt if caught in a questionable situation i cannot imagine the crushing effect a talk like that must have on a young budding soul howard thurman commented there are few things more devastating than to have it burned into you that you do not count and that no provisions are made for the literal protection of your person the threat of violence is ever present and there is no way to determine precisely when it may come crushing down upon you jesus and the disinherited p 39 what change does the gospel require of me what is the gospel for these young people what is the gospel for their mothers for police officers for you for me what answer would john give each of us if we were amidst the throng asking what should i do then i suspect the general idea would be stop fighting to protect your own way of life and start looking out for the interests of others that s universally hard both because it involves death to self and because it involves waking up to the other it involves being willing to admit where i have fallen short even when i feel i am being unfairly treated or belligerently accused and it involves loving people whose agenda may be damaging to my identity my status and my way of life whoever my neighbor is and however much it might cost me i don t get a pass on love a certain ruler asked him good teacher what must i do to inherit eternal life when jesus heard this he said to him you still lack one thing sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven then come follow me when he heard this he became very sad because he was very wealthy luke 18 18 23 the privileged young ruler came to jesus with a similar question what change does the gospel require of me his unwillingness to pay the price for change led him to retreat to the safety of his own home community and newsfeed but in so doing the price he unwittingly paid was entrance into the kingdom where jesus seeks to bind all people together in the radical way of love share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook share on pinterest opens in new window pinterest email a link to a friend opens in new window email like loading good samaritan gospel humility john the baptist kingdom of god love peace police shootings racial trauma racism repent resources kingdom coming reconciliation entitlement racism and the lie of limited resources june 24 2020 tiffany clark leave a comment when my children were young i took them to our train station to drop off a guest as a parting favor he gifted each of them with their own bag of chips which they clutched to their chest like rare treasure before we could exit the chaotic south asian platform a crowd of ragged beggar children swarmed around them tugging on their clothes and extending grimy hands in a plea for food my first impulse was to drive the intruders back protecting my own blond babies from being mobbed and robbed of their little treat i am ashamed to admit it now but i felt my children were entitled to their chips and though i felt pity for these brown scraps of humanity i didn t value their nurture and well being to the same degree as i would...
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