Many Parts, One Body: 1. Sharing Christ, yet differing in gifts.

This is part of a series of follow-up posts from my session at the Bifrost Arts Cry of the Poor conference in April. 

• Yesterday: Introduction
• Today: Sharing Christ, yet differing in gifts.
• Monday: Communing, not condescending.
• Tuesday: Ministering WITH, not ministering TO.
• Wednesday: Valuing differences, not ignoring them.
• Thursday: Exalting God's design, not insisting on our own.

In Acts 2:42-47, we see the early church sharing in all things. Specifically, in verse 44, we read, "And all who believed were together and had all things in common."

Really? All things in common?

I don't think, given the whole of Scripture, that this means that they all liked the same foods and favored the same colors and preferred the same bedtimes and waking hours.

If we read on, verse 45 explains the previous verse: "And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need." You see, they had Christ in common, and that freed them to share all other things among the community.

Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, we see that same commonality in community:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

These verses lead into the passage I focused on at the Bifrost Arts conference, the one I often use to illustrate God's design for the church as being many parts but one body: 1 Corinthians 12:12-27.

Unity in diversity, according to God's plan.

When we demand all things in common in the church - all members behaving the same manner, all understanding the same concepts at the same pace, all handling life's stresses in the same ways, all liking the same routines or lack of routine or sensory inputs, and so on - we're not following God's plan for the church. We're saying the God we worship isn't big enough for us to unite us in spite of differences. We're saying, "Sure, we have Christ in common, but He isn't enough."

We handicap the church when we focused on His created diversity in a way that destroys His design for unity among His people. 

Likewise, we handicap the body of God when we define gifts from a worldly perspective instead of a godly one, valuing the role of one body part over the role of others. 

We can learn from 1 Corinthians 12 that the church was designed to share Christ while differing in gifts. It helps no one when we let our differences overshadow what we share in common in Christ. (On Wednesday, I'll explore the flip side of that: it also doesn't help to pretend those differences don't exist. We can't expect the unity part without respecting the diversity element.)

So what are our practical takeaways?

1. Draw together around what you have in common. Isn't God a big enough commonality for you? If not, then the differences and disabilities present aren't your problem; your lack of belief is; if so, pray, "Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief."
2. Know the essential aim/message/purpose that doesn't change. This applies to your overall vision and mission as a church, as well as to every lesson and sermon. What's the key point you want to drive home, and what are the secondary messages? Recently, I was serving as a one-on-one helper for a child who has a cognitive impairment. As he and I were working on a craft, I could continue to stress the key point to help him hone in on it during the lesson; because of that, he could engage without getting distracted by the secondary details. 
3. Open the Word together, and you may be surprised. Our church's Joy class is a group of adults with developmental disabilities who join together weekly to study the Bible, serve the church, and do life together. One gentleman in particular has difficulty sustaining a conversation with me if we try to talk about the weather or recent events or any other topic we've tried. However, when we talk about the Bible, something beautiful happens. This man who can't sustain a conversation on other topics is able to wax eloquently about God's words, particularly the book of Romans. He is gifted in this way. I could have disregarded his ability to talk about the Bible because of his difficulty talking about other topics, and I would have missed out on the richness of discussing Romans with him.
4. Open the Word together, and you may not be surprised. On the other hand, I've taught the Word to others with disabilities (and without) from whom I've never seen that sort of response. This tests my belief in the transforming power of God's Word. Do I only think it has power in my life? No. If the Bible does have power in the lives of others - including those with disabilities - then I have to understand that I might not see the results. I'm not called to produce growth, just to plant or water.

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. {1 Corinthians 3:6-7}

leading my second session at the Bifrost Arts Cry of the Poor conference

Jocelyn's first major surgery {don't panic, Mom, it's not what you think}

My apologies if the post title freaked anyone out. 

Jocelyn didn't have surgery. She performed it.

Most could call it "sewing" or "mending," but Jocelyn takes her stuffed animals very seriously.

We noticed this morning that the seams were separating in Teddy's leg. Or, if you'd believe Jocelyn, he had "a giant gash," and we could see "all his bones" (or, as it was, stuffing). She immediately asked when we could do surgery.

Granted, silky purple pajamas aren't a surgeon's usual attire. She considered changing into her dress-up scrubs and surgeon's cap, but the comfort of her "silkies" won out.

She had a steady hand, even though it was her first surgical procedure. And Teddy was a very stoic patient, without any pain meds. (I was directed to hold his hand the entire time.)

Now?

He's as good as new, with a bit of pink thread for style.

Med school, class of 2033?

Many Parts, One Body: Introduction

On Tuesday, I posted my personal and ministry testimony from the opening worship of the Bifrost Arts Cry of the Poor conference. It was truly a unique gathering, as worship leaders and pastors and others brought our minds and hearts together to explore the intersection of worship, community, and mercy. 

Here is the way that the director of Bifrost Arts described it:

Conversations about worship in the church often focus on the style of our music, or on the formality of our aesthetics, or on the content of our lyrics. In many churches, conversations about worship can become completely centered around the congregation’s priorities, so much so that they can even lose sight of God’s priorities for our worship.

Throughout the Bible, God tells His people time and time again that if they are disobedient to His Word that He will not accept their worship. In His Word, He commands His people to worship Him alone and to obey His commands to serve the poor and needy. In fact, God specifically admonishes His people “whoever closes His ear to the cry of the poor will himself cry out and not be answered” (Proverbs 21:13).

This April, Bifrost Arts presents a worship conference entitled “The Cry of the Poor: worship, mercy, and community.” At this event we will focus on two things: First, we will make a theological case, specifically from Isaiah 55-61 for the connection between worship and obedience. Secondly, we will have a series of practical workshops about how local congregations can better serve the least of these in our midst and in our communities. We will have conversations about worshiping with those with disabilities, worshiping in a multilingual context, worship and the elderly, forming our children for mercy, and the formation of communities through the arts.

See what I mean? I am so thankful to have been part of such an amazing conference. If I didn't worship a sovereign God, I would say it happened by accident.

You see, I had decided to take a break from speaking engagements as we adjusted to life with Zoe and life with Robbie's epilepsy. If I hadn't, I would have submitted a presentation proposal for the Accessibility Summit, which ended just a couple days before Cry of the Poor. If I had been planning to attend the Accessibility Summit, I wouldn't have been free to say yes when Isaac called from Bifrost Arts. 

Below is my session title and description, and over the next several days, I'll share the five major points I made:

Title:
Many Parts, One Body

Description: 

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 lays out God's intent for diversity in the body of Christ and in the gifts of her members. In this session, we'll talk through 5 practical ways to live out God's design for the church, specifically considering ways that people with and without disabilities can engage together in worship and Christian community.

Many thanks to the Bifrost Arts team for their hospitality and exceptional event vision and planning. It was a privilege to take part in it. 

our Trend Setter

My biggest concern about sending Jocelyn to kindergarten?

I worried that she would lose her independent streak. I didn't want her flair and precociousness to be replaced with conformity.

Well, here she is at the start of the year. 

Check out the end of year shots below.

Anyone wonder why her teachers chose "Trend Setter" as her kindergarten superlative? 

In case you're wondering, I didn't ask her to pose. This is just what she did all on her own when I took the camera out.

Conformity? Not for this girl.

Dr. Floyd on mental illness to the Southern Baptist Convention

Yesterday, Dr. Ronnie Floyd of Arkansas made a passionate - and needed - plea from the floor of the Southern Baptist Convention in Houston, Texas. I am thankful for his leadership. 

Here is the text of his statement:

Mr. President and Messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention, I wanted to appeal to you for your overwhelming support of this motion. Jesus called us to care for the suffering, “the least of these.”

We often overlook them. At times, their lives are so disrupted and severe they require intervention. These people and their families are often isolated, stigmatized, and rejected. They are referred to as “the mentally ill.”

Our churches and communities are filled with people who need us to minister to them and their families. 58 million Americans and 450 million people globally meet criteria for a mental disorder. These are often chronic conditions that must be managed, not cured. One million of these individuals around the world die as the result of suicide annually.

In recent years and days, we have seen mass shootings and disturbing events that have left us stunned. Even some of our well-known Southern Baptist families have lost loved ones due to mental health challenges. Southern Baptist Pastor, Rick Warren tweeted recently: “Why is it...if any other organ in your body breaks you get sympathy, but if your brain breaks, you get secrecy and shame?”

The church must answer this question. We can no longer be silent about this issue and we must cease with stigmatizing those with mental health challenges. Pastors, church leaders, and all of our churches must become equipped to care for the least of these.

When that horrific EF5 tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma, our Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers were on the scene immediately. Baptist Press reported a powerful testimony of a woman who was led to Christ by one of our chaplains. She stated, “I was going to take my life today. But now I know God cares for me and people care.”

When disasters occur, we do a phenomenal job as Southern Baptists in the middle of material and physical rubble.

Now it is time that we do as great of a job in our churches and our communities, demonstrating compassion in the emotional rubble that can be piled high in the people and their families who deal with mental health challenges. It is time NOW that the Southern Baptist Convention is on the FRONT LINES of the mental health challenges.

Therefore, I call upon the Southern Baptist Convention to rise up with compassion, letting America and the world know, that we will be there to walk with them, minister to them, and encourage them in the mental health challenge that plagues their lives and traps their families from the needed love and support they long for from the body of Christ.