On Class Privilege

I recently experienced a month where my car was dead. I did not have the money to fix it. I bummed rides from friends and my wife or I rode my bike. During this time I was offered two cars for free by friends who had extras. Meanwhile, I noticed two guys at work who do not have cars. I began to wonder why nobody had offered them a car for free. As I formulated my thoughts I realized that my class awards me certain privileges that many people simply do not have. As much as some (rich) people like to argue that we all have the same chance to succeed in America, the truth is we do not. The two guys at work who need cars live in a poor part of town and work minimum wage jobs. The chances are high that they do not know anybody with extra cars.

I grew up in the middle class so I had middle class dreams and middle class resources. While I knew I could be successful in fields like education and ministry I never dreamt of attending a prestigious college, traveling the world, or being a CEO. I remember a parent of one of my friends making me take the PSAT as a sophomore. The PSAT was completely off my parents' radar. But for many in the middle to upper class teenagers must work hard at studying for tests like the SAT, ACT, and PSAT. I was blessed to have had people who encouraged me to work hard, parents who spent time with me, and a faith community to nurture me.

For most of the past 6 years I have been working among the upper class (though my pay check does not reflect my congregants). A year or two into my first job at a wealthy church I realized that people in the upper class do not take no for an answer. They work hard, they dream big, and they push and push until they achieve their goals. I had never experienced anything like that outside of athletics. I know a person who started a company in college and sold it for $250,000 before he graduated. I know another person who would start construction companies during the summers he was in college and would make $25k-$40k in 10 weeks. I know another guy who bought an enormous amount of AOL stock when it was 5 cents a share back in the day. I could go on and on. Being around these people made me dream bigger and work harder.

Compare that to the experience I have had multiple times working with children in the inner city slums. I remember asking some kids what they wanted to be when they grew up and they said jobs like "work at Sonic." I have met dozens of people in the projects who's parents also grew up in the same government housing cluster. Many times poverty and illiteracy is cyclical. Kids grow up without knowing that they can go to college, get good jobs, and have a stable family environment.

I wrestled a lot with my calling to work in the upper class for most of my 6 years of ministry. Recently I realized that I am called to expose students who have plenty of resources and support to injustice locally and globally. I want them to see that all individuals do not have the same resources and support even though we live in a free country. I want them to understand the psychological effects of growing up with a parent who repeatedly tells you that you are worthless and that you have no chance of success.

The students with whom I work will go on to be successful doctors, politicians, businesspeople, etc. My prayer is that they would remember the stories that they heard from recovering addicts at the Open Door Mission, the faces of the kids they played with at the Neighborhood House, and the scripture that we've studied regarding God's passion to see justice and righteousness lived out in a powerful way. My prayer is that they would prayerfully use their resources and their influence to help even the playing field and give neglected people a chance to succeed.

Side Note: Know that I am not claiming that people who make more money are happier than those who work minimum wage jobs. Statistics actually show that the more a person makes over $100k the unhappier they are. We are all broken. I am simply giving examples of inequality.

Q Food Count

Breakfast today consisted of 3 eggs, 1 piece of toast, half an orange, and half a waffle. He just kept eating.

My Vision and Mission for Work and Life

I just finished my coursework for the summer. I took a class called "Knowing Self and Knowing God." My final project was to create a vision and mission statement for work and life. The mission statement includes three verbs, something I'm passionate about (reconciliation) and a target audience. The vision statement is a glimpse of my ideal life. The goal of this exercise is to evaluate were I currently am and make adjustments so that I can live into my hopes, dreams, and desires. Here ya go...

My mission is to join Jesus in bringing healing, reclamation, and renewal to relationships so that reconciliation will occur in family systems, in society, and in oneself.

My vision is to soak up every ounce of life. I am simultaneously kneeling at the feet of Jesus, resting in his arms, and pressing my ear to his lips so that I can hear all that he has to say. I make sure my family knows that they are my first priority with my actions and my words. I love them well and laugh with them often. I wake up early to listen to Jesus. I then drink freshly pressed coffee with my wife and simply enjoy her presence. I try to build a wooden boat with my son, fail, and try again. My garden provides most of our vegetables until I forget to water it. I laugh at my ineptness as I try to repair the damage. We spend much of our time outside playing, camping, and hiking. My children learn how to be themselves, how to surrender to Jesus, how to practice sustainable living, and how to serve others out of selflessness (and not insecurity). I read books, reflect, and drink micro-brewed beer with my friends. I cook daily. I am not influenced by other people’s perspective of me at work. Kids regularly stop by my house to eat and share life with us. I go to the hospital to comfort a parent who just lost a child. Families stop by our home to catch of glimpse of an imperfect family that has learned the power and necessity of taking life slowly, hugging regularly, and forgiving often. In our home there is peace, laughter, stability, and authenticity. In our home is the presence of God.

Managing a church

"In short, the modern world quite literally manages without God. We can do so much so well by ourselves that there is no need for God, even in his church. Thus we modern people can be profoundly secular in the midst of explicitly religious activities. Which explains why so many modern Christian believers are atheists unaware." Os Guinness

On Carpentry, Busyness, and Speaking in Tongues

I love big bulky heavy tables. They are usually rather expensive. The other day I thought, "How hard could it be to make one?" So...I began. And my saw didn't work. So I borrowed a saw and began again. I'm pleased with the first result considering a) I mostly used cheap white wood because I was afraid I'd mess up b) I couldn't get 45 degree angles c) did I mention I made it like I would have made a stage or a foundation for a shed?

Actually, it's going to look pretty sharp. It's level and extremely sturdy (it has already passed the Q test). The top is made from 1x8 white wood and 2x4 white wood studs. The legs are 4x4 fir. I still need to put wood putty in the holes, sand like crazy (you can see the black ink on the 2x4s), stain it, and lacquer it up. I'll take more pictures and detail my experience later on the blooog. Here are a couple of pictures from my web cam. Next step: Homemade benches. Oh, by the way, thus far I've only spent $55.




In other news, Tammie and I just got back from a trip to Portland (oh, Q was there too). Besides drinking amazing coffee and only 2 pints of the most amazing amber ale ever brewed, I sat in 16 hours of class. I had forgotten how much my soul needs seminary. Among the many things discussed in class we spoke about the importance of developing a healthy sense of self and the importance of being completely in tune with the living God. Here are a couple of notable quotes from my experience:

“I (and most pastors, I believe) become busy for two reasons; both are ignoble.
“I am busy because I am vain. I want to appear important. Significant. What better way than to be busy? The incredible hours, the crowded schedule, and the heavy demands on my time are proof to myself—and to all who will notice—that I am important. …
“I am busy because I am lazy. I indolently let others decide what I will do instead of resolutely deciding myself. I let people who do not understand the work of the pastor write the agenda for my day’s work because I am too slipshod to write it myself.”
Eugene Peterson

To lead others…you have to be freed from them. You have to be freed from their praise and you have to be freed from their criticism. The one place where you are freed from your people is in solitude because you only hear the voice that matters (God’s).
Daniel Brunner

And finally, Mr. Q has started speaking...sort of. My friend John says that he speaks in tongues.






Here is Q shaking his head for the camera. I'm pretty sure Tammie taught him this. I'd never do such a thing.

We moved

We have a sweet new house in a sweet old neighborhood. Mr. Q was very helpful.

Q Struts His Stuff

Watch Mr Q try and impress the ladies