What I learned from an Idol (American Idol, that is...)

As you may have read here, my wife and I recently braved Birmingham rush hour traffic to enable our kids to meet former American Idol contestant Ace Young. It was no small task. Hwy 280 out of town was three lanes (each direction) bumper to bumper for several miles. It was stressful. We had to be to the Wal-Mart by 5:00 pm or we would miss him. My pulse quickened. I looked for every possible short-cut. My normally mild-mannered disposition bordered on the verge of road rage. When we finally arrived (at 5:00 on the nose), I held out little hope that we'd made it in time. Celebrities have people who move them from place to place. They have schedules to keep, people to see. Sure enough, as my girls entered the store they could see Ace, but he was standing behind one of his "people" who was about 6'3" and close to 350 lbs. He told them clearly "No, we're done here." But size isn't everthing. The bodyguard was subjected to something in their eyes that has melted my fierce resolve far too many times. He softened and let them through. I was ecstatic. It was a great moment and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them meet this "star" they had seen so often through the TV screen. If I had to sum it up in a phrase I'd have to say that a good time was had by all.

As we drove away I started to reflect a bit on the expreience. I'm a pastor, reflecting on the spiritual lessons of life is what I do. Truth be told I never really cared much for Ace Young while he was on American Idol. I'm as much a sucker for celebrity as anyone, but Ace just never turned my crank. If it was up to me I wouldn't have walked around the block to meet him. Don't get me wrong, I liked him instantly as he talked with my children. He was amazingly warm and engaging for someone who had been a Wal-Mart commodity for the past two hours. But the only reason I went to incredible lengths to see him was because my children loved him. They thought he was awesome. I gave myself to the task because of their love for Ace.

As I thought it over I realized that there was a faint echo of something deeper here. God wanted to remind me of something from my "Idol" encounter. Sometimes we do unusual things out of love for someone else. We love people we aren't drawn to because someone that we love, loves them. My passion for seeing Ace had nothing to do with him and everything to do with my love for my kids. The truth that I began to realize was this - our love for people we aren't comfortable loving needs to flow from our love for God and His love for them. If we love God we will, by default, love those He loves. You can probably see where I am going with this. He loves everyone. He loves the jerk at work. He loves the freeloader taking advantage of the system. He loves the person who has wronged you, hurt you, betrayed you. Far too often I have tried to "drum up" love for people who have made my life difficult. But maybe what I need to do is remind myself to grow in love for God. As my love for Him deepens, maybe I'll feel a little more excited about the people He loves. I seem to remember Him saying something about whatever we do for the least of these we have done for Him. Maybe the inverse is true as well - what we do for Him we'll learn to do for the least of these...

If I can love Ace Young because my children love him, then surely love for God (who loved me first and greater than I could ever imagine ) can help me to love the people He loves.

A Community of Faith…

I wrote in my last post about my feelings of “culture shock”. I have been surprised by just how different the culture is here. I find myself wishing it was like it was at home. Wondering what people are thinking…why they are doing what they are doing. The violence is overwhelming. Every newscast tells the story of another shooting in Birmingham. And like any city, in a ten to fifteen minute period you drive from palatial multi-million dollar homes with pools and tennis courts to the “projects” where houses are run down, burned out, and surrounded by garbage and broken down vehicles. It’s a long way from Hope, both geographically and metaphorically. I realize that the visible differences seem to press the idea that the people are different as well. But I think that at the heart of things, these beautiful, passionate, angry, loving, self-conscious people are really much like the people who live down the street from me in BC.

I have been encouraged to experience the church here. There is something refreshing about coming to a completely different context and seeing people moved by and passionate about the same things that have shaped me. Easter week was exciting as I participated with strangers who felt the pain of a God who would die out of love for a rebellious people. We mourned together the fact that we had caused this travesty. Then on Sunday we sang for joy as the Truth reminded us that not even our sin and stupidity can hinder God in accomplishing what He wants to do. The joy of the resurrection was every bit as real, even when filtered through a southern accent. There is a reassurance when you see that the Spirit of God is alive and well…and very much at work in a context different than your own. You begin to remember that this truth is way bigger than you are. That it impacts the core of the person…a core that is the same no matter where you live.

My favorite part of Holy Week was the service at the Seminary on Good Friday. The service was boring (as my wife said in our Alabama Adventures blog – www.kuhnfam.blogspot.com), but the chapel itself was amazing. The artwork and décor gave a sense of the transcendent. Above us was a huge dome that was painted as a balcony. (That's a picture of it at the top of the post...) The figures looking over the edge, watching our worship were believers throughout the history of the church. Above them was a beautifully done picture of Jesus, surrounded by the angelic host. On that day it was more than just art. It was a reminder that when I come to worship, I am not alone. I am joining a community made up of Alabamans. But even more so, a historical community, coming together outside of the restraints of time. We are all joining in worship of the person who unites us and makes this all possible. That is a powerful realization. We never worship alone.

So yes, I’m feeling the shock that comes from being immersed in a different culture. But I’m also being encouraged by remembering that there is a Truth that transcends culture. That no matter where I am, I am truly home when I bow in worship as a part of the eternal community of faith. This community exists to confess that Jesus is Lord of all, Ruler of the Universe, and reconciler of all people and cultures who dare to surrender to His Lordship. That makes this an exciting place to be. And when you think of it that way, it doesn’t seem so far from home.

Reflections on the first official week of the "Sabbatical"

Well, I should write something I suppose. We finally have the internet at our house. That's a good thing. I'm getting settled in at Samford and have wireless access there, but have been spending most of my time looking around, reading, and settling Maddie into her school. All of the kids are transitioning really well. Maddie's anxiety makes it a bit tougher to get her settled, but she's really working at it and doing way better than I thought she would.

What do I do on a sabbatical, you ask? So far I have been reading a lot. I'm prepping for some discussions that I'll have in the next couple of months with some of my "theological" heroes. They've agreed to sit with me and let me pick their brains about this whole pastor thing that I do. I am trying to think out what it is that I want to ask them in order to utilize the time I have with them in the most effective way.

I'm also enjoying my family. It's really weird to not have to wonder if the phone will interrupt our evening. Last Friday morning I realised that I needed to plan our week-end. What would we do for church? How would we spend Saturday? It was really fun to feel free to do whatever. My week-ends usually don't have that much flexibility. Ang and I are havng a blast too. Best decision I ever made to marry her! She makes sabbatical fun!

A big surprise is that I'm feeling some culture shock here. Alabama is a world all to itself. I like it, but it's a bit different. I had thought that growing up in the south would make my transition pretty seamless. The girls might feel a little culture shock, but I was sure that it wouldn't affect me. Not so. I felt a little better when the telephone line installer said that he had the same feelings when he moved here from...Louisiana. It's a different world. But it still belongs to God and He seems to have a lot of fun teaching me about who He is through the things that I am experiencing. Just to let you know that the more things change the more they stay the same, we've had a phone line here for only 4 days and I got two, you count them, two telemarketing calls tonight. But, just like in Canada, they can never pronounce Kuhn right.

We miss our family, friends, and our church family, but I am convinced that this is going to be an experience that all of us will grow through and will treasure throughout our lives. I'll keep you posted as things progress. Until then, keep praying for us. And Jim, if you're reading this (or if Sandy is) then happy retirement. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy. And congrat's Mike and Jan. All the best people have four kids. It's the lazy self-centered ones that stop at two.

Just read through this and I must admit it's pretty boring...I guess you had to be here...but it's working for me so far.

Approaching the last leg,,,

...of our journey south. We have a few more days in Knoxville visiting family and then we'll take the last drive into Birmingham. It's been an incredible trip so far. The kids have traveled well, we've seen huge sections of the United States, and now reconnecting with family (that we don't often see) is really fun. I'm looking forward to getting tucked in at Samford and establishing a bit of a routine. It still feels a bit like vacation. Kinda like we'll pack up and head back to BC next week. We'll see what that feeling turns into when we unpack for three months in Alabama. My goal is to post periodically on this blog. I'll try to let it focus more on what I am learning as I reflect on life, ministry, and following Jesus. If you want to get the family details be sure to check out Alabama Adventures. I think it will be more of an update on our week to week activities.

A New Blog...

...Devoted to the adventures of my family on our three month trip to Birmingham, Alabama. It's called Alabama Adventures and you can follow the fun here. (www.kuhnfam.blogspot.com) It's better than reality TV. A man and five women, traveling 3000 miles in a van named "Gus". They immerse themselves in the deep south and learn that there really isn't anything better than fried chicked or biscuits and sausage gravy...

Almost headed south...

As I mentioned a while back, our family will be heading to Birmingham, Alabama for the next three months. As a sort of BPSA (Blog Public Service Announcement) I give you the following "Photo Essay"

You may consider yourself a devoted reader of "Jeff's Journey"...





But who knows what's around the corner...





Jeff takes no personal responsibility for anything appearing on this blog during his sabbatical....





Even good blogs go to the dogs.



Photos by Rebecca Kuhn...

Good thing I'm going on Sabbatical soon...

"The members of Lake Vista Baptist Church like punctuality. But recently the church has gone through some tensions with their new pastor. Rev. Charles "Chuck" Waggoner joined the congregation 6 months ago and the people immediately took to him."He was great when he first came." Said Maggie Crimm, the church's pianist. "He visited people, and his sermons were great. But around Christmas time things just started getting out of hand."The trouble began when Waggoner's sermons began getting longer and longer, often going past noon."

Read more about the "Pastor Blaster" here.

Great Story...

Taken from the Prism ePistle.

TREASURE IN HEAVEN: How Would You Invest $100 for Gods Kingdom? What would you do if you were handed $100 and asked to invest it for Gods Kingdom? Denny Bellesi, serving as interim teaching pastor, posed the question at Lake Avenue Church, a large congregation with 4,300 members in Pasadena, California. The question is based on Christs Parable of the Talents (Matt. 25:14-30). A master asked three servants to invest his money while he was away. Two increased their funds and the master praised them. But one so feared the master that he hid his money in a hole. It is a lesson in stewardship and faith. Pastor Bellesi brought the lesson home by then asking church members to take on a real-life Kingdom Assignment. The challenge burned in the heart of Dave Scanlan, 40, a fireman in Pasadena, who is married with two sons. He was one of the more than 100 people who came forward to signal their readiness to accept the challenge. Each received a $100 bill. Scanlan said they were told to take that money and pray about it - however you feel led to invest it, you invest it.

The pastor asked them to report back in 90 days.

Scanlan prayed about it, but says, I couldn't find an assignment. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. Then he went to a concert given by the Christian band Third Day. The band told the crowd about the crisis in Northern Uganda, where children have been abducted and forced to become child soldiers and sex slaves. This was the first time Scanlan heard about it. At the concert he also learned about World Visions work to save the children, and he signed up to sponsor Anthony, a six-year-old in Uganda. Scanlan contacted World Vision to see how else he could help. He used the $100 from his Kingdom Assignment to make more than 100 copies of a World Vision video he distributed to friends and family. He handed out flyers and gave presentations. And people responded.

He says, "The best thing was that I had kids come in and give me their birthday money, saying, [The children in Uganda] need it more than me." When the time came to give the church his 90-day report, his $100 had turned into more than $3,000 in donations to help children in Uganda with aid such as food, water, medicine and counseling. And things kept rolling. "People kept calling me. They wanted me to keep going." So now Scanlan is into Phase Two and is working to reach even more people in his church to help more children in Uganda.

Scanlan says he was truly surprised by all this. This was his first significant involvement at his church, where sometimes he had just felt like a face in the crowd. He describes himself as a behind-the-scenes kind of person, and not a public speaker. "All I did was tell the story," he said, "and do a bit of legwork. And people then wanted to know what they could do to help." Scanlan says that if you follow your faith, doors open. He says he learned that it is all really quite simple.

We will go with you...or will we?

One of my most favorite poems of all time. It finds its way back into my life every few years and I'm richer for it. Take the time to read it slowly...

"Misgiving" by Robert Frost

All crying, 'We will go with you, O Wind!'
The foliage follow him, leaf and stem;
But a sleep oppresses them as they go,
And they end by bidding them as they go,
And they end by bidding him stay with them.

Since ever they flung abroad in spring
The leaves had promised themselves this flight,
Who now would fain seek sheltering wall,
Or thicket, or hollow place for the night.

And now they answer his summoning blast
With an ever vaguer and vaguer stir,
Or at utmost a little reluctant whirl
That drops them no further than where they were.

I only hope that when I am free
As they are free to go in quest
Of the knowledge beyond the bounds of life
It may not seem better to me to rest"

Here is my prayer for you today...When you are free to go in quest...may it not seem better to you to rest.

Making a splash...

There nothing like...

...the scream of a child! No, it's not what you think. We just spent an awesome day with some friends about 15 minutes (and 2000 feet of elevation) outside of Hope in a place called Sunshine Valley. There was still well over a foot of snow and my children loved it. It was such a good day I wanted to post a few of the pictures here. Enjoy...





Sometimes the only bad thing about a day is that it's over...

Art as food for the heart...

I've been preaching through the book of Jeremiah at the church lately. It's been a very powerful experience for me. I have come to really love and admire Jeremiah and his faithfulness to the difficult call that God gave him as well as his love and compassion for the people who were running away from God. He is a man who weeps for both the honor of God and the depravity of humanity. Judgment and compassion. Passion and humility. There is much for me to learn from this man who lived 2600 years ago.

That's why I took the time to appreciate this picture...




...from Tod Bolsinger's blog, It Takes A Church... Tod writes.

"Michelangelo's "Jeremiah" was the "picture of the day" on my Google home page. Something about the power of his version of the prophet from the Sistine Chapel tugged at my heart."

Sometimes art helps enflesh the text. Just spend some time looking at it. And then read through Jeremiah. You won't come away the same.

Bless my enemies...

You may have noticed that I really appreciate written prayers. (See here and here) I used to think that they were a mindless ritual. Why write out a prayer ahead of time When you could just pray "from the heart"? As I am maturing (and yes, contrary to many opinions, I am maturing) I have come to realize the power of a written prayer to make me pray things that I need to pray. My heart isn't always willing to surrender. It wants to pray about the weather. Not about the things that lie within.

So now I like written prayers. They serve as signposts that help me to follow Jesus. Today I came across a prayer written by Serbian bishop Nikolai Velimirovic, who spoke out against Nazism in the early 1940s. Because of his protests, he was arrested and taken to the Dachau concentration camp. He prays,

"Bless my enemies, O Lord.

Even I bless them and do not curse them.

Enemies have driven me into your embrace more than friends have.

Friends have bound me to Earth; enemies have loosed me from Earth and have demolished all my aspirations in the world.

Just as a hunted animal finds safer shelter than an un-hunted animal does, so have I, persecuted by enemies, found the safest sanctuary, having ensconced myself beneath your tabernacle, where neither friends nor enemies can slay my soul.

Bless my enemies, O Lord.

Even I bless and do not curse them."

That's a prayer that my heart won't come up with on it's own. It's too honest. Too weighty. Too dangerous. So thanks Nikolai. You've helped to reorient me away from myself and back toward Jesus. That's what prayer should be all about.

A whole lot of "one" can really make a difference...

Feel like you could never make an impact in this big old world? You're only one person. We all feel that way sometimes.

Here's some great reminders about the power of one (when it joins with other "ones"). It comes from an old issue of the Atlanta Journal Consititution (8-22-04) and an article named, "A penny saved." The article shows the power of pennies when they join forces:

• A one cent per case increase of Coca-Cola would bring the company $45 million a year.
• A one cent-per-gallon increase in the price of jet fuel increases Delta Airline's company costs by $25 million a year.
• A one cent increase in the hourly wage for all the employees of Home Depot amounts to $6.5 million a year.
• If Krispy Kreme increased the cost of each donut by one penny, the company would increase profits by $27 million.

Lots of implications here for Christians...if we really began to join together and live as one the impact in the world could be increased exponentially. I think that might have been what Jesus wanted when he prayed,

"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." (Jn. 17:20-21)

Sometimes we need to get caught up in what could be instead of what is...

Rethinking the Familiar

You should really read almost everything that Andy Crouch writes. Here's a sample that should get you started.

In Luke 14, Jesus tells the stories of a tower builder and an embattled king. In many English Bibles, these twin parables are labeled “The Cost of Discipleship.” But Jesus’ first hearers would have known that label was exactly backwards. For these stories are not about disciples, but fools...Make no mistake. The tower builder and the king are not models of discipleship. When does Jesus ever speak of discipleship as if it were a construction project, carefully calculated and accounted for, or a war, in which we marshal our own forces and find them adequate for the battle? Biblical faith is the abandonment of our tower building, the surrender of our ambitions to foolishly fight our way to security.

Read the rest here.

Another Windstorm Update...

From my brother-in-law Reid as he reflects on the past 3 weeks...

"Life is funny sometimes, and then you break down and cry."

Read the rest of the update here.

Prayer of St. Anselm

Trying to refocus your relationship with God...to listen to Him as He is and not as you think He is? Knowing God always starts with the humility of admitting that you need help.

Coming to the Quiet shares a great prayer that helps with this from Anselm...

"Lord teach me to seek you and show me yourself when I look for you.
I cannot seek you unless you show me how;
I cannot find you unless you reveal yourself.
So let me look for you in hope and with longing, let me long for you as I seek.
But let me find you in love and love you as I find you."

God is great, and I ain't...

I have a good friend named Matt Auten. Other than my wife and kids, he is probably my most favorite person to eat pizza with. We went to college together, but since 1993 we've lived 3000 miles apart. I've had four daughters in that time frame. He has married and had two sons. (That's Amy and the boys with Matt above...) I'm a pastor. He's a finish carpenter and a great musician. He's been nice enough to fly out and visit a few times, and whenever I'm back down south I make sure to go to My Father's Pizza with him. I keep telling him to move to the Great White North (which is Great and North, but not really very White) but he stubbornly refuses. For such a good friend he can be quiet mule-headed at times. We both hate talking on the phone so the bulk of our conversation is via email.

What amazes me is that even though life and our experiences have us so far removed from one another, our spiritual journeys are at times almost identical. Well..maybe the journeys aren't the same, but we sure end up in some of the same places. Matt has a way with words (you should read some of his lyrics to his songs), so often he puts what I am thinking so clear it's as if I'd said it myself. One example of this came in his last email. I liked the words so much I just had to share them here...

The Incarnation and the Cross are the only parts of Christianity that 'keep' me a Christian (by the Holy Spirit). There is nothing else for me these days. It's just Creator and Createe and the reconciliation between the two in Christ for His glory. That's it. I live on it like it's food. Most everything else in life is some misunderstood shade of grey, and getting greyer. But God is great, and I ain't.

It's really pretty simple. Thanks Matt, for reminding me (once again) of what I already knew...

Blowing in the wind...

More on the windstorm I wrote about here can be found from my sister-in-law Cyndi here and her husband Reid here.

Nice to have Cyndi and Reid back and posting on their blogs...

Nice to have Cyndi around at all. But if you're reading this Cyndi...don't let it go to your head.

Hunger Facts

More than 850 million people in the world go hungry.

In developing countries, 6 million children die each year, mostly from hunger-related causes.

But we can end hunger. We have the means. The financial costs to end hunger are relatively slight. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world's poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year. Animal lovers in the United States and Europe spend more than that on pet food each year.

What makes the difference between millions of hungry people and a world where all are fed?

Only a change in priorities. Only the will to end hunger.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' (Mt. 25:42-45, NIV)

Read more on world hunger here.