RENEGADE

A Rugby player's courage in living true to his convictions.

2011-12-03T10:35:00.001-05:00

David Pocock is an Australian Rugby player and Follower of Christ. The Bible Society invited him to write a piece to be included in a Bible they were publishing. They ultimately rejected his piece - not based on anything he wrote in the article - but because of his public support of equal marriage rights for all (which is not even mentioned in his essay). To some this stance makes your salvation/ability to be a faithful witness questionable. Sad, but true. I think Pocock's friend made a good point when he asked:

"Did the Bible Society ask about the banking practices of you and others contributing to the book?" Since Jesus spoke nothing that is recorded in Scripture about homosexuality but much about money and what we do with it.

Below is what Pocock wrote for the Bible project.

A larger article that he wrote about the issue can be found here:

http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2011/12/02/3382170.htm

I am encouraged by his openness and willingness to stand for what he believes in.

My journey of faith
by David Pocock

Sometimes it sounds like responding to Jesus is not about salvation but "success."
I'm thankful for my parents, Jane and Andy, who's deep relationship with Jesus pointed to something more hopeful (for me personally and for our hurting world) than "success" as society defines it. They brought my brothers and I up with a deep understanding of the importance of being a follower of Jesus.

Christians often use the language of "following," but my parents showed us that meant something practical. As 1 John 2:6 puts it, "those who claim to be in him must walk as Jesus walked." They encouraged us to read and learn and discuss as much as we could.

If Jesus asks us to love God with everything we've got and to love our neighbour as ourselves (Mark 12:28-30), it means not just our hearts but our minds as well. My parents gave us permission to do just that.

I always identified as a Christian but when I moved away from home at 17 - to pursue a rugby career in Perth - like most young people I began to question the assumptions and beliefs I had and to wonder whether they were really "mine" or if I believed them just because of the way I had been brought up.

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, faith "had to become real to me and I had to know God for myself." Being pretty determined and an avid reader, I have spent the last few years reading, learning and praying.

I read the Bible, especially the Gospels, and also read books by people who encourage us to live like him: Martin Luther King Jr, John Howard Yoder, John Dear, Gandhi, Dorothy Day, Lee Camp, N.T. Wright and Cornel West. (Lee Camp's Mere Discipleship is probably the book I've read that explains what following Jesus really can look like.)

I continue to realise much of what has passed for Christianity in my life and in larger culture (tragically, this includes the church) has sometimes more to do with being white, or middle class, or capitalist - all things that Christ Jesus was not.

It's confronting to realise that it's possible to call yourself a Christian and serve the interests of an idolatrous empire, rather than serving those Jesus came to save.

That's why we all need grace. Grace is both pardon (we are forgiven from cooperating in what Dorothy Day would call "the filthy rotten system") and empowerment ("to live God's love by letting God love through us" as my mate who did the homily at my wedding often says).

Once I began to read the story of Jesus with a growing understanding of the Gospels' original context - it came alive! I could hear and feel God's grace daring me to lose my life and really find it in following Jesus.

Jesus has come to usher in his new Kingdom "on earth as in heaven" - not to offer us a fire insurance policy for life after death - but to live life now; for Christ and like-Christ. This is life in its fullness (John 10:10).

The early Christians were called people of the Way, because they followed Christ's way of reflecting God's love, mercy, grace and restorative justice.

For about two and a half years now I've been a part of group that meets on Tuesday nights - a place to share things, encourage and challenge each other. We discuss all sorts of things, from our personal struggles to environmental issues, social justice issues, to global poverty and patriarchy. These discussions come from our deep belief that Jesus's call is for us to help "the least of these" practically.

I really believe that to follow the New Testament's nonviolent Christ is how we are to worship him. For me, my faith is about committing my life to helping those that Jesus came to save, and by seeing church as the community of believers committed to following Jesus.

I think following Jesus means not conforming to the world but allowing our lives to be transformed (Romans 12:1-2). Loving God by loving those around us, loving people for who they are being there for people especially for those the world forgets or considers "unlovable."

I don't do this to make God love me, but I want to live my life in a way that reflects how God has first loved us. As preachers sometimes like to say, "There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing we can do to make God love us less."

I'm trying to bear witness to this "unfailing love" through the work that my friend Luke O'Keefe, wife Emma Palandri and I are helping facilitate in Zimbabwe, called Eightytwenty Vision and Heroes Boots.

Sometimes there are a lot of pressures that come with a public profile and it doesn't decrease when you are trying to "live God's love." It's not just about avoiding doing "bad things," but often the pressure is to not speak-out when there are "bad things" happening in our world. Yet Proverbs 31:8-9 says:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all the unfortunate. Speak up with fairness and justice, and defend the rights of the poor and needy."

There were many Christian sports stars who remained silent when they could have leant their voice to the causes that reflect God's kingdom - like the movements Martin Luther King Jr and Desmond Tutu were leading.

I know it's risky, and I know I might get some things wrong, but Jesus asks that we take up our cross and follow him. That is why I'm seeking to use my public profile to support things like partnering with people suffering in Zimbabwe, fair-trade clothes and taking real action on climate change that hits the poor the hardest.

God has made clear what he asks of me: "to do justice, love compassion and walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8). If I'm going to be open with my faith, I need to express it not just on my lips but in my life.

Living in a country like Australia, it's easy to forget the hard work that goes into what we eat, wear and use. One of the things God has opened my eyes to is how I can witness to God's good news to the poor by not spending my money on products that harm the poor and destroy the environment.
It's difficult to be a professional rugby player and be committed to following Jesus, but no more so than most people. It's hard for all of us not to get distracted by things that might seem important, but are not important in the Kingdom that Jesus came to announce.

I'm so aware of my need for grace. I wear uniforms that were often made in countries where the rights of workers are not ensured and where sometimes children are working in the factories. I get on planes for work all the time yet am aware of how climate change hits the poor the hardest.
None of us occupy a moral high ground from which to judge others. Instead Christians should be humble, forgiving, non-judgemental, precisely because we've experienced God's "amazing grace."
It is this grace that has forgiven me and this grace empowers me to witness to God's kingdom, to "live God's love by letting God love through us."

David Pocock plays rugby for the Australian Wallabies and the Western Force. He is the co-founder of EightyTwentyVision and HeroesBoots.

Greater Cincinnati Church Tour

2011-11-23T10:12:00.001-05:00

When Jim retired from his many years at Shiloh United Methodist church, we decided to embark on a tour of various other churches in and around Cincinnati - not to shop for a new place, but to get a sampling of what other Christ-centered faith communities were up to musically, theologically and spiritually. These blog entries summarize our experiences and thoughts at each place. Let us know if there is somewhere we should check out!

Week 1 - Greendale Vineyard, Greendale, Indiana.

Located on Rt. 50 in what I would call Lawrenceberg, Greendale Vineyard could be easily missed. It's a small building next to a parking lot for Hollywood casino. We knew this was a friendly church when a young man waved to us as we pulled in to park. Because of its humble size, I had a feeling that as newcomers we might stand out like paisleys on plaid.

We did.

We were enthusiastically greeted by:
-The door person who gave out bulletins
-The official greeter (who chased me down as I tried to slip past unnoticed)
-The Coffee People
-The lead pastor (who spotted us sneaking in to a row near the back before the service started)
-The sound guy
-Our neighbors to the right
-The folks who came in and sat in the row in front of us.

One criticism this church will never get is that they are unfriendly. You are not allowed to be a stranger here. That's probably a good thing...I'm just a shy little paisley who likes to be small in new surroundings.

This was a young girl who spent most of worship time dancing in circles. Very cool.

Order of Worship

You are Mighty, You are Holy

Announcements

So Amazing
Sweetly Broken
You will not be moved
Revelation Song

Introduction video - Nice way of introducing who they are and what they stand for, I liked "If you're looking for the perfect church we're not it...we're learning and growing from our mistakes."

Message

They were doing the Strong Series that we started up with at VCC, so that was cool to be able to catch another week of that. The associate pastor gave the talk about training your faith so that you are able to conquer challenges, not just 'get through' them. I liked his comment "you can be physically fit but spiritually anorexic". It did strike me as amusing that he made the point that the Christian walk isn't about bullet-point sermons then went on to give us '7 ways to train your faith'... :)

Music Notes, etc (by Jim)

In the Vineyards I’ve been to up to now, the bands have been large – this being a
much smaller venue, (50 in worship, maybe) the music was simple; one electric
guitar, one djembe (African drum – this one wasn’t the hand-made wood I’d seen
before, it looked to be synthetic with a built-in pickup) and a female vocalist.
The songs were familiar (except the first one, but the congregation knew it) and
participation was good. Having been in the church music biz all these years, I don’t
expect perfection (a little pitchy, dawg) but they were very spiritually involved and led
the congregation well.

Greendale's comfy, cozy area outside the 'sanctuary'...Coffee Bar is just behind here.

Books for Freedom

2011-09-29T18:23:00.000-04:00

Below is a list of books that I own that I am parting with and which I will share with anyone who wants one - in exchange I only ask that you make a donation to the local chapter of the organization Love146 - which fights child sex trafficking in the US and beyond.

Two ways to donate:

1.) Donate directly on the site linked above (please use donation code TF115).

-A donation of $5 gets one book, $10 gets two books, and on up.

2.) Purchase a ticket to the Route 146 to Freedom Fundraiser (music, food, crafts, raffles, etc).

-Tickets are $5
-Date: Friday October 7, 2011
-Time: 6:30-10:00pm
-Place: Impact Church 6420 Bridgetown Road Cincinnati, OH 45248

You can get a ticket from me or from Refuge Coffee Bar.

If you see a book you would like simply leave a comment with the title and whether you are donating via the website or purchasing a fundraiser ticket. If more than one person requests a particular book, the one who commented first will get the book.

Book List:

General Fiction/Nonfiction

The Memory of Water - Karen White
Ghost Boy - Iain Lawrence
Look Me in The Eye (my life with aspergers) - John Elder Robison

Christian books

Following Jesus without Embarrassing God - Tony Campolo
Breakfast with Jesus - Greg Laurie
The Naked Gospel (the truth you may never hear in church) - Andrew Farley
10 lies The Church Tells Women - J. Lee Grady
A New Kind of Christian - Brian D. McLaren
Conspiracy of Kindness - Steve Sjogren
The Day I Died - Steve Sjogren
Power Evangelism - John Wimber
Redefining the Strong-willed Woman - Cynthia Ulrich Tobias
To Own a Dragon - Donald Miller and John MacMurray
Common Sense Religion - Gerald Mann
When The Bad Times Are Over For Good - Gerald Mann
Living As Ambassadors of Relationships - James Wilson
The Complete Book of Bible Trivia - J. Stephen Lang
Know Why You Believe: Connecting Faith and Reason - Paul E. Little

The books below are small and I will throw one in with one of the bigger books if you want one:

How Good Is Good Enough? - Andy Stanley
More Than A Carpenter - Josh McDowell

Paypal logic

2011-09-03T20:57:00.001-04:00

This is my friend Nichole...But I share her sentiment....

Earlier today I was attempting to add funds to my pay pal account. In order to do so I needed to confirm my ownership of the account by having a code sent to the phone number associated with it. That phone number was the one ending in **36, according to the site.

That would be my home phone number.

Easy, right?

Well, I was not at home and I was using my cell phone. No problem...In order to have the code sent to my cell phone, I had to select my address and then enter the phone number associated with my account - that same one ending in **36 .I did that. It gave me an error message saying that the number was invalid. I tried again and then once more. For some reason it didn't accept the number even though that number was clearly the one on file.

I then tried finding my issue in the help files. No luck.

So I tried to use the 24/7 online bot.

It asked what the problem was.

I typed: 'unable to confirm my account'.

Its reply: 'Ok, please tell me what the problem is.'

Seriously?

I finally called the customer service line which was not easy to find, of course. Through the automated voice system (oh, what a joy) I was able to add my cell phone number to my account (the automated system recognized my home phone number without a problem, btw). I got on the website again but my cell number was not listed.

And it still did not recognize my home phone number.

I called the customer service line again and after navigating through a bunch of automated menus I was allowed to talk to a human being.

Yay!

But now we had everyone's favorite language barrier issue. The guy was really nice but we apparently were not fully understanding each other...

Him: What can I help you with today?

Me: I need to add funds to my account but the paypal website isn't recognizing my phone number (I explained the above issue).

Him: I think the problem is that you are in a different city.

Me: Huh?

Him: You're in a different city.

Me: A different city from what?

Him: You said you are on a different phone, so you are not in the same place as your home phone.

Me: Well, yeah, I'm just on my cell phone...I'm still in my home town. Just not at my house.

Him: Ok, I understand. What is your home phone number?

I give him the number.

Him: Ok, go back to website and try again.

Me: Try again to enter my home phone number?

Him: No, to try to add funds.

I do that. It takes me directly to the place where I enter the amount to transfer. Cool...But I still kind of want to know why it wasn't accepting the number associated with my account...

Me: Ok...I can add funds now...So, in the future will the website recognize my phone number or will I have this same issue again?

He doesn't seem to understand my question.

Me: I appreciate and thank you that I can add funds now, but I am still not sure why my number wasn't recognized by the website.

Him: It will work next time, it was just because of the different location.

Me: But if I have to do this again it will be because I am not at home.

Him: It was your different location that it happened...

Me: (internally) ummm....hmmm...oy....

Me: (externally) Oh, Ok...Well, thank you...

Him: We are glad we could serve you today.

Blank stare...fade out.

Another Red Herring

2011-08-27T15:29:00.002-04:00

This makes me sad...

http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/6666/53/

I agree with Professor Schneider and I am sorry that he was forced to resign for having intellectual integrity and the courage to present honest questions based on honest study.

I must be as lost a soul as him because I don’t understand how reading Genesis 1 as metaphor makes Christ unnecessary. Whether Adam and Eve were literal people or a literary representative of all humans who decide to distrust God’s way to live and instead go their own way, it is still Christ who reconciles and restores creation to God. Creative expression in poetry, prose, allegory, etc. are beautiful ways to share ideas and truths about God and His relationship to us. Literature can be true without being factual. While I think this is an important discussion, this one, like the gay issue, has become an unnecessarily polarizing debate…One that distracts from more serious issues in our world, pitting people who could be working together against oppression, slavery, etc against each other.