Angry...

A couple weeks ago, I did something to myself that made me very angry. I watched TV on Sunday morning. For those of you that don't know, we don't get cable at our apartment and the only channels we get are the basic fuzzy channels that come in through the rabbits ears. Through the fuzz, I got to see the only people who are on TV Sunday mornings, the tele-prophets/evangelists. At first I found myself amused at their messages that mostly focused on picking out bible verses from the stories they are written in and using them to support their arguments, then became pretty shocked at some of the things they were saying (one of them fasted for 21 days and said that God spoked to him about the law of six throughout the bible, which he then found all the places that had anything to do with six to support his case (except 666)), and then I got sad as he made the process of healing and restoration seem like a drug you can buy from the TV and made the sacred scriptures seem like a magic book, and then I got really angry when he said that "today you can activate the law of 6 by giving $$$$$" I got so angry about it that I felt nausious that people get away with this stuff and worse, people actually believe that it comes from God. So, I turned the channel, and I found another guy talking about giving money to his organization so that you will propser.

These kind of things make me so emotional because I think they affect the conversation about Jesus. So many people talk about Jesus in our country and say so many things about him, that it is really hard to know what is true and what isn't. I mean, the Ted Haggard scenario, shows us again that people can say one thing and hide the reality of their lives. I think our generation almost expects leaders to fail us, yet we long for someone we can trust.

I have had several different conversations with people recently that want to believe in God, but don't really know who to trust in the midst of so many voices. As Christians, we can't hide behind absolute truth arguments anymore. I think we need to be honest and authentic about the reality that we really cannot trust anyone 100%. There is something about humans that would rather find a leader to attach to than trust God. Throughout the whole Old Testament, Israel wanted to have a King to be like the other nations while all along God wanted to be their King so that they could be the light of the nations by their very quality of life in harmony with God and the world around them.

At the same time, I think we have to not to take the cop out by going to the other extreme and saying, just trust God. What does that even mean anyway? I don't thing that phrase does the gospel justice. Everything doesn't just happen for a reason. God involves us in the process of creating reasons for others. Reasons to have hope and not despair, reasons to live fully rather than exist, reasons to love rather than protect, reasons to trust and not judge, reasons to give and not just consume. Our passive attitude of just trusting God isn't really trust. Trust is action when it isn't good for you. Trust is humility when someone opposes you. Trust is hope beyond the present chaos we ofte feel in our souls that God can redeem any situation, but that is most definitely going to involve my decisions. The gospel always provides an invitation to turn from our way that seems right to us yet produces an illusion to us to the way of God that produces reality. People who live fully in reality can be trusted, people that are trying to sell you something can be smelt from a mile away.

A life lives following God embraces and lives in full reality of the human experience. A passive, indifferent trust that doesn't change us to the core is not faith in the gospel. That doesn't do the gospel justice. The gospel of Jesus isn't the gospel if it isn't actually changing us in the messy process of real life to produce a new kind of life. Throughout Paul's letter, we see the only apologetics that he refers to are the resurrection of Jesus and the people living radically different lives in union with God through the Spirit. Without the character of Christ being formed in our communities, we don't really have a message that people can trust. i think we need to embrace this responsiblity, while knowing we are always in the process of becoming. We are not God, but God lives in those who believe in Him. The way we treat each other affects others, our decisions to take steps of faith affects others, our character of living affects others.
The one person I know I can trust is Jesus because he always embraces me and is calling me to a more noble life for the sake of other people. I wish our leaders were known for helping people think for themselves about what is truly real and what is illusion rather than trying to give them false hope and assurances.

That's all I got for now

Peace

Corey

Turkey Dayz

I hope you all had a good thanksgiving. We spent most of the morning purging our closets of things we don't use and wear and then strung up christmas lights around the house before we got together with a bunch of our friends for a big pot-luck. Then, I filled up my belly with the room I made in my closet. It was good times. We've made some really good friends out here. we especially enjoyed hanging out with chris and brandi (architect and teacher) who have recently been coming to our small group. We miss family and friends from the East Coast though. Looking forward to moving back this summer.

This morning, I played in the Mosaic Turkey Bowl with Chris and a bunch of other friends. We had some hard fought games, but came victorious. That's the second Mosaic sports tourney we've come away with the In and Out burger prize, thanks to stellar play by TJ, Evan, and others... Hannah also loved being out there as she loves to pile up the flags and put them on her head...well, maybe I like to do that to her. She really loves to grab the cones and anything else she can and say, "DO DO"

All in all- great time to celebrate and reflect on life. I am incredibly grateful for my family, friends, and life God has given me to live.

Peace

Corey

Hanging out with the OC and Invisible Children

I did something I probably won't ever do again in my life. Me and a friend went down to a club in LA called the King King for a party to celebrate and raise money for Invisible Children. If you haven't seen the film, you should really check it out. The money you pay for the film goes to helping orphans in Uganda which has been ravaged by civil war for many years now. Kids are always the ones who pay when adults go to war.


Anyway, back to the OC. The blonde actor on that show saw the film and organized a night to raise money for the cause. How am I connected you might ask? One of my good friends at seminary grew up with the producer of Invisible Children so he invited us to come. There were many famous people....and us. And I am one of those people who can't recognize famous people, I just know I've seen them before somewhere. It was an interesting environment to be in to say the least. LA....orphans....pretty people.....poverty.....I think it shows people are longing to make a difference in the world through unconventional means.

Invisible children is doing an amazing job at raising awareness and creating grassrooots solutions in Uganda. In almost every country in Africa, there are many problems because war and AIDS have pervaded many of the places over the last 20 years. Being at fuller has opened my eyes to these realities as some of my neighbors are from Ethiopia and Kenya. I have been learning how little things can go a long way.

One of my friends, Chris and his wife, Andrea, are over there now working in an orphanage and he sent some pictures of one of the wars. They are distrubing, but I think eye opening to the realities that we remain separated from.

Anyway, it was an interesting night seeing the collision of poverty and power in the same place. I'll never forget it. And, I got hit on by a guy. yes, you can laugh at that.

peace

corey

hannah getting ready for baby sister

hannah at the fall festival at fuller

2 kinds of animals in the world

We went to the LA zoo this weekend with my mom who was in town visiting and I have to say that place was impressive. It is a non-profit organization that is kept up better than busch gardens. Hannah loves animals. I wonder if she'll be a veterenarian? who knows? However, according to her there are only two kinds of animals in the world, well no, 3- puppas, shish, and neigh neighs. It is really cute watching her call the Tapier a puppa and the llama a neigh neigh.

we had a great time. everyone says that kids grow up so fast, and they are right, but we are savoring every moment of it.

I'll give it another try...

Hello friends and anonymous computer people out there.... I felt rejected by the blog world, but I've recovered and am attempting a comeback. I've reshaped my blogger identity and am looking for some healthy internet conversations about life. But, mostly I am looking forward to staying in touch with my friends while living all the way across the country.

Hope to hear from you all soon

much love

cp

Travelling..

We are in DC right now visiting with our family up here after being with family in Roanoke for the last week. Hannah is having fun with all the love and new places, and it is a very refreshing time for us. We're going to a wedding celebration tonight.

Driving down 81 in Virginia reminded me of how much I love the East Coast. Even though Southern California is beautiful and great weather, it can't touch the beauty of the mountains and countryside out here. Plus, we don't have smog.

peace

cp

Sleepy Sunday...

I woke up early to get Hannah this morning and then had a great day at Mosaic and time with friends afterwards. Then, the whole family crashed out for a Sunday nap.

This should be a good week as I finish up a class and get ready to go back to Virginia to see family and friends. We leave Saturday morning. This summer seems like it's flown by.

On another note, anyone got any good music they think is worth listening to? I realized I'm really lame when it comes to knowing good music.

Changing the World?...

The other day, I was working out at 24 hour fitness, when I noticed a sign that said something like, "join now- we are changing thousands of lives."

As I thought about that while walking into the gym to lift weights, I began thinking about all of the organizations from Subway to Starbucks to churches to civic organizations that claim to be changing lives. I mean, even I am developing sports leagues that raise money for orphans in Africa.

Then, I flashed back to this conversation I had with a guy at a local coffee shop earlier this year. We were talking about meaning in life, and I shared with him that Jesus has changed my life. And I'll never forget his response, "So, coffee changes peoples' lives."

His statement has stuck with me because I think it reveals a lot about our culture. Everyone is claiming to have the life-changing answer out there and Jesus has become just another option for change. It's easy to get jaded and skeptical about Jesus because people have used Jesus to justify whatever they want to do so much that he is only another option like coffee to give someone energy and meaning in life.

Ever since that conversation, I have been thinking about his question: how is Jesus changing someone's life different than coffee changing someone's life?

Without going into the obvious differences, I think it really boils down to hope. The movement that Jesus brought into the world through his life, death, and resurrection and offers to all humanity is inspired by hope. When I look at the world, I often get jaded and cynical or else just self-absorbed and thinking about what kind of coffee I can buy today in view of all the problems around us from broken relationships, to hurting and lonely people, to the wars and poverty we see around us, to the pain I often feel in my own life. But when I look to Jesus, I find hope because He calls to a life bigger than my taste buds, preferences, and even cynicism, into a life given for the good of others. The more I follow Jesus and see the reality of the broken world, the more I am hopeful that more people will join us in the movement to bring hope to those in despair, love to the lonely and hurting, and faith to those who are searching for meaning in life.

Can coffee really give me that kind of hope?

Maybe the reason there are so many organizations marketing changing the world is this desire has been placed in our hearts by the Creator?