While the idea of Becoming a Contagious Christian has always kind of offended my OCD-ish sensibilities, I was extremely interested to learn that, according to recent research, happiness really is catching.
According to researchers from Harvard and UC San Diego:
A brief followup to the Yoon family tragedy that occurred earlier this week: You can send donations directly to the Yoon family or through their church. Here is the donation information from their church’s website:
In a moment, Dong Yun Yoon lost his entire family on Monday when a military jet crashed into his home here in San Diego, killing his wife, two infant daughters and his mother-in-law who had recently come from Korea to help care for the newborn.
How does a person live through something like this? During this interview on CNN, Dong Yun Yoon, surrounded by his church community, reveals his deep faith in Christ even as he reveals his broken heart. When his voice breaks and he talks about his daughters, it is utterly crushing:
I can’t believe they’re not here right now.
I must confess that I haven’t yet read the book by the same title from StoryCorps (hmm… this is turning into a running theme here), but I love what that title says: Listening is an act of love.
Our family spent the last week back in Michigan so that our daughter could have some quality time with her grandparents (and get onto the Jumbotron during the Pistons game, thanks to some fervent dancing/prancing on my part!). I was also able to catch up with friends (thanks again for the polar bear!) and catch up on some reading.
During the flight from California to Michigan, I read through Rob Bell’s provocatively titled new release, Jesus Wants to Save Christians. Hopefully, I can post a full review soon, but Jesus Wants is thoughtful and challenging — in particular, I appreciated Bell’s re-framing of the Decalogue through the lens of the Exodus. On the return flight to California, I was able to make substantial headway into Scot McKnight’s new book, The Blue Parakeet. Again, a review is on its way (maybe!).
In Parakeet, McKnight offers those of us who are weary of the polarization between reactionary fundamentalism and extreme liberalism a much-needed alternative to reading the Bible. Far from being a half-hearted compromise, McKnight’s Third Way urges us to engage Scripture — and, more importantly, the God of Scripture — with love, creativity and passion. Above all, perhaps, McKnight calls us to listen:
Reading the Bible is an act of listening. Listening, to quote the title of a popular book, is an act of love.
(In the footnote to this quote, Scot reveals that he has not read this book yet either. At least I’m in good company!)
As we head into this Advent season of watching and waiting, let’s take time to listen — both for the still small voice of God and for the voices of friends, family and those in need.
Below you can find the Advent graphic I designed for our church community:
Let’s just get this out of the way up front. I might be the only pastor I know who hasn’t yet read The Tipping Point or Blink by Malcom Gladwell (although, given the proclivity of those in ministry circles to quote Gladwell, I kind of feel like I already have). Now…
I heard Gladwell on NPR yesterday talking about his new book Outliers: The Story of Success. I started listening because he was trying to answer the question, Why do Asian kids outperform American kids in math? Of course, they were talking about Asian kids from Asian countries, and how cultural influences shape different skill sets and values — as an Asian American who scored higher on the verbal portion of the SAT than the math section, I am living proof that there is no inherent Asian predisposition to being good at math.
In any case, what really caught my attention was a brief aside where Gladwell spoke about why Korean airlines sometimes have trouble in the cockpit of their planes. Basically, it boils down to Korean culture’s excessive deference to authority and the inability to speak plainly to the boss.
Which got me thinking…
Sounds a lot like Korean churches.
I believe in the recovery and redemption of our God-given identities and cultures. However, there are certain things that need to get tossed. Despite the obligatory church-speak about humility and servanthood, many of us have firsthand experience with the “I’m the boss and you are my minions” ethos of many Korean churches. I know of a senior pastor who had the nerve to stand before a congregation of several hundred and offer this disturbing syllogism: God wants us to serve Him; we serve God by serving the church; and we serve the church by serving the pastor. Um, right.
Picture that church as the airplane Gladwell describes: The plane is heading the wrong way or, worse, about to crash. The pilot, important and in charge, steadfastly maintains the course while happily ordering people around. All the while everyone knows, but is too afraid to say, that something isn’t right.
Of course, in the end, this will to dominate and assert authority affects churches of all cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
Although I’m not a type-A, aggressive sort, I can see how this mentality of the pastor having the final say has influenced my thinking as well. I want to do my part in ending this cycle of excessive deference to authority and, instead, guide our church into becoming a community of mutual submission, of humble love and service.
headsparks* 