Merry Christmas everyone!

"And the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.'"

- Luke 2:10-11

Enjoy the day... and remember what it is really all about!

Here is the deal... I am looking for 9 awesome individuals (or couples/families) to join me to start a small local foundation that gives away $1000 grants every month!

Here is how it works...

We create a chapter of The Awesome Foundation by gathering ten people (couples/families) each commit to giving $100 per month.  That committment makes you a "Trustee" in the foundation.  Then, each month, we meet (I am thinking over a good dinner) and decide where to give a $1000 grant.  We can solicit applications or look at general applications made through The Awesome Foundation website.

In one year, together, we will be investing $12,000 in our community.  I think that is pretty awesome!

You can find out more about how this all works here.

Let me know in the comments or by direct email (benjamin dot dubow at gmail dot com) if you are interested or want more info.

Depending on who the Trustees are, we can decide to focus geographically (Central/Eastern CT for example) or, if we have a broader geographical participation, we can do it by purpose/cause.  As trustees, we have total discretion.  The only thing is we all need to contribute financially and make grants monthly.

Pretty Awesome!

Excited about the possibilities... 

The cost?

• Over 4,000 U.S. troops killed.
• Over $8 billion spent.
• Over 30,000 U.S. soldiers injured.
• Over 100,000 Iraqis killed.

For what? Nothing. A total waste of human life and capital.

I have total respect for our military and our troops and they (or, at least, the vast majority) did everything their government asked of them with honor and skill. I honor, respect and support our troops; and I mourn for those who died and for those who have their lives forever altered by both psychological and physical injury.

But this war was a travesty and a tragedy.

I opposed the war from the beginning -- but have to admit that I was kind of wish washy in that opposition.

I remember that I was interim pastor at a small church when the war began. That week, I gave a sermon about what the Bible says about war. I presented a balanced view of what the Bible says on the topic, raised important questions about the implications of modern warfare for Christians, and then left it at that.  I decided not to weigh in strongly on my own view.  I actually had two conclusions written and brought both into the pulpit.  I decided to go with the less controversial, less bold and less open to criticism conclusion.

Not that it makes any real difference (no one in Washington is listening to me), but I regret that decision.  I wish I had stood up and called it what it was then: a travesty and a tragedy.

I hope when faced with similar issues in the future, I do not fail again.

I think there is often a lot of confusion about what the word disciple means in the context of the Christian faith.

I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And I am unabashedly bold in my belief that life as a disciple of Jesus is simply better than life not as a disciple -- and I believe that is true for every person ever born.

And I believe that being a disciple of Jesus -- at its core -- entails three things: (1) an acknowledgement of who He is; (2) a decision to follow Him; and (2) a desire to become more like Him.

WHO IS HE?

Well, in terms of what I believe, here is a pretty good summary:

[I] believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, 
the only Son of God, 
eternally begotten of the Father, 
God from God, Light from Light, 
true God from true God, 
begotten, not made, 
of one Being with the Father. 

Through him all things were made. 
For us and for our salvation 
he came down from heaven: 
by the power of the Holy Spirit 
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, 
and was made man. 
 

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; 
he suffered death and was buried. 
 

On the third day he rose again 
in accordance with the Scriptures; 
he ascended into heaven 
and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 
 

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, 
and his kingdom will have no end. 

(NIcene Creed)

Perhaps, more simply: Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Almighty God, Savior of the World, Jewish Messiah.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO FOLLOW HIM?

We throw that phrase around a lot, at least in evangelical Christianity. What does it actually look like?

I think it is as simple as going where He goes, doing what he does.  

Now this isn't as hard as it sounds?

Where does He go?  We know that God is everywhere.  So wherever we go, He is there already.

And what does He do?

Well we could make a list of things he did in the Gospel... feed the hungry, heal the sick, teach his followers, challenge religious and political leaders, etc etc.

But more simply, we know from the Bible that all of these things fall under a simple overarching theme: LOVE.

Jesus loved every person He came into contact with. He brought light and life into every situation. He injected grace and goodness wherever he went.

And do should we.

That is why Jesus taught about love so much.

In summary, He says, "love God, love others."  And in case I wasn't clear, "love each other... for that is how the world will know that you are my disciples."

And if you aren't sure what live really looks like, it is this: to lay your life down for your friend.

For your friend... your neighbor... and even your enemy.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO BECOME MORE LIKE HIM?

Watch both and let me know your thoughts:

THOUGHTS?

If you have any compassion or love for hurting people -- let alone kids -- you won't be able to watch this video without tearing up.  Watching it made me think about what is the Christian message for this kid.  As I thought about it, I realized that the churches (and here, I am referring to the traditionalist, evangelical church) response probably sounds radically different than Jesus' response.

Here is the video, followed by the responses:

THE CHURCH'S RESPONSE:

"We love you. But we cannot accept you as you are. We must speak grace and truth to you. And the truth is that you are inherently flawed because you are attracted sexually and emotionally to other boys.  These desires that you feel are unnatural and an abomination unto God. If you persist in this lifestyle, the Bible says you will not inherit the Kingdom of God... you will not be saved.  But we believe you can -- and must change.  And if you change, you can experience the fullness of God in your life.  And if you don't change your desires, as long as you live a celibate life, we will welcome you into our community. We hope you don't identify as gay... and that you are careful who you share your issue with, but you will always be welcome.  There may be some leadership positions not open to you, and if you choose not to change or embrace celibacy, at some point we may need to ask you to leave in order to keep our community pure.  But never forget we love you as Christ loves you.  And we hope you will come to our church!"

JESUS' RESPONSE:

"I am so sorry, my son.  I am sorry that you have gone through what you have gone through. I am sorry for the way that others have treated you. And I am so sorry that you have struggled to love yourself as I love you.  I love you more than you could ever know. I knit you together in your mother's womb and I have known you since your were simply an idea in my mind. I love you as much as I possibly could -- there is nothing you can do to make me love you more or cause me to love you less. I love you as you are. Period.  Come to me, for you are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. I have not come to accuse or condemn, but to love and to save.  I have come that you might have life and have it to the full... the full and abundant life. Know that nothing can ever seperate you from my love... neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from the love I have for you. So come follow me and I will give you a new purpose, a new perspective and a new joy. You are mine and I am yours... and the banner over you is love."

The first response is not good news, it is not the gospel. It is counterfeit gospel. It is not grace with truth, it is graceless and truthless. It is religiosity masking as Christianity.  It is fake and deadly and the enemy of the real gospel message and the real Word of God, who is Jesus.

The second response is pure gospel -- good news. And I am glad I am a member of a church that has embraced the message of Jesus... even when criticized and attacked for it.

THOUGHTS?

So I got out of the hospital on Monday... back to my own home Wednesday... started work again Friday.  In addition to taking anti-biotics, I also need to have my bandages changed daily.  But I can honestly say, a part from the rather large whole on my back, I feel fine.

During all this time, I have been reflecting on the whole process.

One of the things I have realized is that BEING SINGLE makes BEING SICK a lot more difficult and unpleasant.

Traditionally, wedding vows include the phrases: "in sickness and in health, good times and bad..."

All of that comes into focus when you are sick.

Having a spouse/partner through this process would have definitely made the whole journey better. They would be there for you, with you, etc. Ask questions you don't think of, make you laugh when you are discouraged and tired, sit with you, watch bad TV with you, make you tea, maybe even make dinner.  It would also mean that there would be no need for someone to come in and change bandages, etc -- they could do that.

But beyond the logistics, having a partner in all of this would simply have provided someone to share the emotional burden, to be with, etc.

Certainly, getting married and finding a partner is not primarily about someone being there when you are sick -- but it is part of the covenant and it is a blessing --- and one I think many people take for granted, unless, of course, your single.

All of that said, I have been blessed in two ways that compensate for being single: MY FAMILY and MY CHURCH FAMILY.

I am very much blessed by a being part of a big, loving, caring family.  And in this case, I was lucky that this happened over a holiday and I was in a hospital close to family --- many visitors, many phone calls, many offers of love/help from family.  And I recognize that many people don't have family like that... it is a blessing!

And my church family.  The notes, phone calls and face time... the offers of help, assistance, meals, etc... such a blessing.  And in terms of the logistics, most of my bandage changes are being taken care of by a retired RN from my previous church and a woman referred to me by my current church.  There was also a team of volunteers at my current church ready to step up as a "bandage brigade" to change my bandages daily if I needed it.  (Of course, none had actually seen the size and depth of the wound when they offered... but I am sure they would have come through, lol).

So the lessons learned: COMMUNITY is ESSENTIAL... the community that comes from family and the community that comes through the Body of Christ.

And yet, being single is hard -- especially when life gets dificult or complicated.