BenMcBride.com

Resurrection Power

2012-02-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

As I watched Whitney Houston's homegoing service today, I was awestruck with the powerful intersection of the sacred and the secular. Because of her gifts, the world entered an unfamiliar space of worship, faith, and the beautiful struggle of seeing the life of God through the lens of human death.

And it taught me something. Our rituals don't have power, but as we engage in them, the Spirit empowers them as we're empowered.

Something holy took place that was educational, spiritual, and honorable.

It took place on the most well known cable channel in the world.

And it reminded me of something.

Resurrection.

What is resurrection?

Something dead coming back to life.

I thought I knew who Whitney Houston was based upon my limited judgments and information. And as her friends spoke, a portrait was painted of a very spiritual person who wrestled with powerful demons like we all do. Her gospel was preached today and many people will prosper tomorrow because of what they heard.

That's resurrection power.

God working through what we as people see as ends to craft new beginnings.

What did I learn today?

I learned that the world isn't looking for an inconspicuous, quiet, politically correct believer who does it all the right way to lead them to God,

But they're looking for someone real, someone broken, someone struggling, someone fighting for the same peace they're pursuing.

Maybe resurrection power isn't just about dead bodies coming back to life.

Maybe it's also about dead bodies causing living people to live, more honestly and appropriately.

Maybe it's about living people dying to themselves to free other living people from what's killing them.

Rest in Peace, Whitney Houston.

Middle Class Religion

2012-02-03T19:02:00.000-08:00

I'm not that bad.

I'm not as bad as the person beneath me nor worse than the one above me.

I'm somewhat in the middle.

We like being in the middle don't we? The ambiguous position where we're not accountable? The role where we start to generate our positivity by what we're not and our motivation by what we want to become.

Is that the point?

To find safety in the middle?

Jesus seems to teach against what we call balance.

Against what we call the middle.

He encourages people following His lifestyle to be hot or cold

In or out

Down for or Cool off

But be something other than the middle.

Interestingly enough, the whole political fight in my country is about who can appeal to the middle class.

Figure that out.

True Lies

2012-01-10T00:37:00.000-08:00

I have a split personality.

I'm a rule-follower and a rebel.

I grew up in the same society as all of us where we were taught to follow the rules, and following the rules is what creates a safe space for everyone.

But what about when the rules are wrong?

What happens when the right is exchanged for the wrong, the truth for the lie? Is it possible for us to end up on the wrong side of the equation because we stopped thinking?

When I listen to the message Jesus talked about and the imperial application of that by the 1st and 2nd century Romans, something goes really wrong.

Oppressors are now defining the message of freedom for the oppressed.

Right has become wrong.

Truth has been exchanged for the lie.

But who will correct it?

I think some people's objection to Christianity has more to do with their refusal of imperial Rome sometimes hidden within what we call modern Christianity.

They don't want Rome.

Maybe they're looking for the real Jesus.

Maybe I am too.

Maybe you are as well.

Angles in the End Zone

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

So Tim Tebow losing today seems to challenge some people's belief that his past success has been that of divine intervention.

But probably, that same crowd will find another spiritual reason to justify his loss.

You know, I like Tim Tebow. He stands for positive things, he's a role model, and loves the same Jesus I do. But I've been frustrated to understand why his success couldn't be attributed to him being a great, athletic quarterback who's in a great scheme considering the personnel they have.

Why did being 7-1 have to be God-ordained?

Could God have helped Tim Tebow win games?

All things are possible within the God-paradigm, so my answer is emphatically, yes!

Is it likely?

Considering the history of the God story in the world, and the Godly response seemingly following prayers from the oppressed, poor, and desperate; I'd think not.

In a world that has lots of problems, I'd be really depressed if the God I worship was busy watching the National Football League.

And I'd be even more depressed that he was a Broncos fan!

I just think we should save divine intervention for the important causes that require God's interaction. I think we should pray for divine interaction in the hearts of those who are ignored and abused by the systems that benefit us all.

If God's going to be anywhere, I pray that He is there...

working through me who is there as well.

P.S. "God, if you're listening, Derek Fisher of the Lakers is also a devout Christian and I'd like another championship."

What? I'm just making sure! ;-)

Noise

2011-11-29T00:24:00.000-08:00

Our world is really noisy, isn't it?

OCCUPY noise...

Presidential candidates noise...

Economical noise...

Homicidal noise...

Sometimes it seems that the world around us is so noisy, all you want to do is cover the ears to your innermost being, close your eyes, and imagine that it all isn't happening.

Or

you just engage in the noise.

But one of the ancient, Hebrew kings encouraged people to make a different kind of noise.

Joyful noise.

Now the difference between happiness and joy is that happiness is the pleasure that emerges from a source or special place.

That place is called joy.

Joy leads to happiness

so joy's gotta be deeper than happiness.

Amidst all the noise of our world, let us commit to living our lives in such a way that cause our actions to fuel happiness in the lives of others.

Let's make the right kind of noise.

Because if God is listening, we'd better be careful about what song our life is singing.

Laundry

2011-10-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

My youngest daughter is always trying to keep up with my eldest.

She wants to be like her big sister.

Why?

Well, her big sister does all the tasks she is supposed to do and help with, only better. So many times, she never tries because she's always comparing herself to her big sister.

My eldest is great at doing the laundry and her sister is

well

let's just say my eldest is great at doing laundry.

I walked into her big sister's room today and there, doing the laundry, was my youngest.

Her big sister was there but she was working on other things.

When I saw the finished product, the reality is that it paled in comparison to what her big sister could do, but what filled me with pride as a father was the effort of my youngest.

The ancient Hebrews understood God, within their patriarchal society, as a Father.

Jesus spoke about God in this way.

And I just understood a little more about my role in the world.

My laundry pales in comparison to my big brother, Jesus, but in his presence I do my best and make my Father proud.

Maybe what my Father is looking for isn't perfect laundry, but perfected effort while I look to my big brother for inspiration.

Elephants and Watermelons

2011-10-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

Somethings you only learn over time.

Like smashing watermelons with your foot.

I was watching a documentary on elephants and the caregivers tossed watermelons over the fence for the elephants to snack on. In this pen was a female elephant who was fostering an orphaned baby elephant.

The adult elephant smashed the watermelon with her hoof, broke it open, and began eating while the baby elephant looked on.

You see, although he weighed 400 pounds, he couldn't figure out how to smash the watermelon.

Sometimes, we have all the skills and tools to be successful in a certain area of life and it just doesn't come as easy as it would seem.

One of the caregivers tried to smash it for the baby when he was held back by his colleague.

"He has to learn" he said.

Soon enough, the adult elephant came over and crushed the watermelon for the baby, teaching him in the process.

We don't smash watermelons, but we do need to learn a lot.

Maybe what we need isn't divine intervention, as we would define it, but rather patience to learn what life has been designed to teach us through others.

And that is divine.

Maybe through patience and humility, we'll crush watermelons some day.

Crazy Jesus

2011-10-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's interesting because I have a few friends and associates who really try to follow the Jesus way, and that leads people in their communities to think they are mentally ill.

Because following the Jesus way is crazy.

We're not socialized to see counter-cultural, anti-imperial lifestyles as something to be celebrated, but rather something to be feared and controlled.

It's always been like this.

Because Jesus' message never blends with the dominant culture or preserves the world as it is, but rather it challenges the power and continues to compel people to make the world as it should be.

Otherwise called the kingdom of God.

But since I don't live in a physical kingdom, and never will, I'll call it the world as it should be.

When you live to create that world, people think you are crazy.

One day Jesus was teaching about this new world as it should be, and his family showed up to perform an intervention.

Because their son and little brother, Jesus, had gone crazy.

When told that his family was outside, Jesus told the crowd that his family were those who made the world as it should be.

Tough answer

but that's crazy Jesus.

Revenge

2011-09-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

You ever know someone ugly who cleans up well?

You see them in a suit and forget how unattractive they are by focusing on how nice they look.

That's kind of how revenge looks when it borrows the suit of justice. There are enough distractions to keep us from paying attention to what we're really thirsty for.

Revenge.

You hit me

piss me off

or hurt someone I love

And justice is me getting the opportunity to either do it back to you or sit by and watch someone do it to you on my behalf.

That's not justice.

An early Jesus follower describes love as being a patient, kind energy that doesn't want what others have or hold itself higher than others. This energy doesn't put others down nor is driven by selfish motivations. It's not easily pissed off and isn't driven by revenge.

But I think we like dressing revenge up as justice because it quenches our thirstiness for power and control in a world where it oftentimes feels so out of balance.

But revenge isn't the way.

Love is the way

and love must win!

One of my favorite authors says, "Justice is the body of love, love the soul of justice. Justice is the flesh of love, love is the spirit of justice. When they are separated, we have a moral corpse. Justice without love is brutality. Love without justice is banality." - John Dominic Crossan

Holy War

2011-09-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

There's nothing holy about war.

Not now, not ever.

I was in discussion with someone the other day who wondered, in retrospective view of 9/11, why a group of religious people would perform such an act of terror.

Yes, we all remember.

The planes flying into buildings

the people jumping out of windows

The buildings collapsing

and the dust cloud turning New York into a disaster movie.

It was the result of someones foolish idea of a holy war.

That's what happens when people live out of what I call old agreements and old understandings. That's what happens when the spiritual journey doesn't "journey", but in fact remains where it was once understood.

In one of the ancient, Hebrew narratives; some people felt inspired by God to commit genocide against nations they were at war with, killing men, women, and children.

Holy War.

Samson, an ancient Hebrew hero, is remembered for praying to God to give him the strength to kill his oppressors.

Some tell this story to their kids to understand about God and revenge.

But that's why Jesus is so important to me along with his new agreement.

Jesus says that "it's been this way before, but I now I say it should be this way..." Not only does he create new agreements, but he tells his followers to keep creating new agreements that help people know how to make the world as it should be.

So for those of us who are religious or spiritual in our perspectives,

let us take the cue of Jesus and ensure that our embrace of spirituality is relevant.

Because when we don't, we end up with burning buildings and holy wars. We end up telling our children stories about God that don't make the world as it should be.

It had been said that we should hate those who oppress us, but Jesus says to love them and engage God on their behalf.

They ended up killing Jesus.

Does that make his message any less true?

Artificial Intelligence

2011-08-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

Are you programmed or are you authentic?

It's not that I believe any of us do anything apart from being influenced, but we still are faced with the challenge of being an original or just part of the critical mass.

So much of the majority just responds to mainstream stimuli while thinking they are actually making individual decisions.

It's a form of intelligence

But its artificial.

The amazing potential of robots lies in someone's ability to get a bunch of stuff done without objections.

But that's not how the universe works.

Comets are supposed to crash into planets

And tree roots are supposed to tear through the soil.

The chaotic order is what makes the world, the world.

So make sure you don't become a robot powered by artificial intelligence; a simple executor of someone's imagination.

You're so much more than that.

And so am I.

365 (2011) Summer Special

2011-08-27T04:38:00.000-07:00

Jesus is an iPad

2011-08-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

In sacred stories, Jesus' followers remembered all the references Jesus made of himself to them. He had an uncanny way of using symbols for them to remember how he functioned so they could remember how to function in his absence.

He was the light

the door

the gate

bread

water

the way

the shepherd

and many more things.

If Jesus lived now, I think he'd be an iPad.

Because he connects everything and brings what would be so out of reach into reach. Through his teaching, he provides innumerable apps to employ in your life to transcend the mediocrity of this human experience.

Yeah, Jesus is an iPad.

The Apple that doesn't get you kicked out of the garden.

Natural Disasters

2011-08-25T01:05:00.000-07:00

It really concerns me when some religious people claim that every natural disaster is God's reaction to what they define as unholy lifestyles in the world around them.

As if they know what God is doing and what God is reacting to at all.

The day we begin to speak for God instead of speak about God, we enter into dangerous territory. Because the fact is, we simply do not know.

We can guess

but we don't know.

And how are people to process these suggestions when they hear them? Especially people who define God by what the people, who say they speak for God, say?

How does the Japanese woman process her dead child under the rubble of her nation's worst earthquake as a loving God's response to her Buddhism?

Or how does a Somalian father grapple with watching the life travel out of his infant's eyes as a response to his Islamic practice?

Maybe earthquakes happen because of fault lines and famine occurs because some people in the world take more than what they need and aren't willing to share their excess.

Sometimes, a natural disaster is just that.

A natural disaster.

I think it's much easier to make God the scapegoat for our natural disasters because if God's the author of things that go bad, I don't have a responsibility to respond in a loving, tangible way.

If all these earthquakes are simply God judging this unholy world, it's a lot easier for me to tweet to others that Jesus is returning and everyone should act right

instead of acting right by responding with my time, energy, and resources to the calamity.

Jesus warned his followers to be careful to not end up like the religious people he indicted in his teachings. They were, as he said, nicely landscaped graves with nothing but dead bones in them.

Maybe we shouldn't speak for God but speak about God.

Maybe we should live through natural disasters in a supernatural way.

King Kong Church

2011-08-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

That's what I would name the building if I started a community of believing people

otherwise known as a church.

Because names don't matter as far as I'm concerned.

I understand branding and messaging and I understand that that's how you setup an effective company or organization, but I'm just not sure that's the point of the community...the church.

For me, church is no longer a building I attend; it's a movement I belong to.

A movement about contributing to the fairness in the world, showing love, and practicing inclusivity to those forced to lived on the fringes of society.

I don't regularly attend a building weekly to experience the believing community experience because, for me, the attendance distracted me from the function.

We must remember that it's not about the attendance.

It's about the function.

Church is not a place that you go; it's a way you live.

Now I'm not demonizing those of you who regularly attend a building; I just want you to remember that it is only, in fact,

a building.

Instead of going, let us be

committed to contributing to the fairness of our society

showing love

and practicing inclusivity to those on the fringes.

Jesus called it the "Kingdom of God."

I call it "making the world as God wants it."

And when I finally get enough money to build the King Kong Church, you'll all be cordially invited.

Crutch

2011-08-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

So I need a crutch...what's the big deal?

Most believing people take offense to the non-believing critique that they utilize spirituality because they need a crutch.

Somehow, they're unable to support their own life's weight by themselves and therefore, need something else to help them get along.

I used to take offense to this but as I've evolved in my spiritual approach towards life, I'm realizing that this isn't too far from the truth.

Who's to say that being able to support your own life's weight is healthy, anyway? Animals feel insecure when they're not supported by their community in lifestyle, agriculture tends to thrive when planted together.

So why shouldn't I utilize my crutch that enables me to connect with other people on a deeper level that leads me to thriving?

Jesus told his community thousands of years ago to lean on him with their life's weight because he really loved them and he could handle it.

I'll be your crutch, he says. And eventually, you'll do even greater things than me.

So instead of tiring your good leg out in life, use the crutch that's proven to hold you up.

Maybe eventually, you can become that crutch for someone else.

Fairy Tale

2011-07-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

My kids are some of my greatest teachers.

One of my daughters lost a tooth yesterday and put it under her pillow so she could receive money from the Tooth Fairy. So this morning I was trying to sneak a couple bucks under her pillow when she rolled over and looked at me directly in the face. I quickly told her to go back to sleep and hoped that would be the end of it.

When she awoke, she came up to me saying

Thanks Dad!

As we were getting ready to leave for the summer program, her grandfather asked her if the Tooth Fairy came, and she replied,

"The Tooth Fairy has gone to college to learn how to put money under kid's pillow."

Then she glanced at me with a sheepish smile.

She had believed this fairy tale for a while, but because of what was apparent in front of her, she was forced to accept the reality although it was probably more magical when she believed the fairy tale.

She had to grow up just a little more.

An early follower of Jesus wrote that when he was a child, he acted and thought as one; but as he became more mature, he had to put away his childish ways.

His fairy tale.

My daughter made me wonder this morning,

What am I still believing that I may need to adjust?

What fairy tale do I need to put away?

Maybe transitioning to a more mature approach towards some of the same ideals and beliefs will prove to be just as magical

but in a different way.

Pages

2011-07-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

Whenever we remember the magic of influential people in the past, we mistakenly only identify them with their huge successes and their apparent failures.

The mountains and the valleys if you will.

But we know that life is much more than that. It's more than highs and lows.

We live life in between the pages.

It's easy to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. as the "Dream Speech" giver and the civil rights leader, or George Washington as the cherry-tree chopper who courageously led his men through the winter at Valley Forge.

But their lives were more than that.

An ancient Hebrew story about a man named Abraham talks about how he left his hometown in search of something greater

better

divine.

He leaves his hometown in search of a city that will allow him to discover his purpose. But on that road, there had to be times where he questioned whether he was going the right way

or rightly going at all.

There were times where servants got bit by desert snakes, children died from the heat, and close friends questioned his integrity.

Because that's the life that's never talked about.

That's life in between the pages of history.

So maybe we don't have to live our lives trying to make them be full of highs and lows; maybe we can find affirmation in the rightness of our journey through the reality of life.

Through life in between the pages.

Seeds

2011-07-21T09:26:00.000-07:00

Most seeds taste absolutely disgusting.

Within something so small lies something so huge, but looking for a delightful taste in the crunch of most seeds will leave you wanting.

Because the seed doesn't exist to be eaten

it exists to produce fruit.

Lots of times we misinterpret who we are and what we've been given not because of what it is, but how we perceive who we are and what we've been given.

In every seed is a tree that will produce fruit.

Fruit that has many more seeds that will produce many more trees and even more fruit.

But what if we fail to see the tree in the seed?

Maybe that's what faith is about.

Seeing the tree in the seed.

Jesus taught that small-seed faith could move mountainous challenges.

So today, see your tree within your seed

Your talent

Your passion

Your annoying job.

Together, we can grow to give shade to all who need it.

Rocks

2011-07-18T22:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't it interesting how easy it seems to remember the bad times? We frame our history by the few years we're at war rather than the decades of peace we enjoy.

It's easy to forget that things aren't as bad as they seem.

When the ancient Hebrew people were migrating to their new land, they had to cross a river that good reason would suggest would be mass suicide.

But they did it anyway to pursue their destiny.

When they made it safely across, their military leader told them that he felt divinely inspired that they should stack a bunch of big rocks as a reminder of their journey. This stack of rocks would create opportunities for them to tell their story to their kids and whoever else might listen.

In a culture that's based on a 24 hour news cycle, we're faced with potentially forgetting our story and the reality that things aren't as bad as they seem.

Make sure you stack some rocks

create some opportunities

have some conversations

get involved in some activities

that continue to remind you that you're one step closer to your destination while giving others a chance to be inspired.

Not only will your stack of rocks remind you of God's involvement in your process, it will inform others of God's involvement in their lives as well.

Let us all celebrate where we've been, where we are, and where we're going

by looking at each others' rocks.

Public Storage

2010-10-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, my brother told a story about a conversation he had with a Nigerian tourist.

They were driving down the street and the tourist saw a huge building and asked what it was. My brother explained to him that it was the place where we "store the extra stuff that can't fit in our houses."

The Nigerian brother couldn't process that idea.

You pay rent to

store the extra stuff you can't fit in your house.

"Why not just give it away?" he asked.

As I passed the Public Storage on my way home today, this conversation relaunched in my head and I wondered,

"Yeah. Why don't we give it away?"

I think it's a huge indictment on how we live our lives and view life. When we're paying rent to store stuff we obviously don't need over giving it away, our actions are declaring that we don't believe that the God above us is really taking care of us.

I hear Jesus words again, "Look at the birds...the Father feeds them!"

I pray that I can give away my excess so that one day I can actually sacrifice my life for the cause of Jesus in the world.

Lifesavers, Boats, and Helicopters

2010-09-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

I spent my afternoon helping a brother struggling with crack get a step-up towards healthy living as he's helping others and after I dropped him off at the BART train station, I made a left.

I looked up and saw another brother who was on his way to getting kicked out of our rehab program at my job.

Coincidence?

Maybe.

Providence?

I think so.

Because God works in mysterious ways.

I remember a story about a man who was drowning in the ocean and he asked God to save him. So a lifesaver drifted by, but he passed on it because

he was waiting for God.

A boat approached him and offered to bring him aboard, but he passed on it because

he was waiting for God.

A helicopter flew by and threw down a ladder, but he waved them off because

he was waiting for God.

Then he died.

He got to heaven and God asked him, "What are you doing here so early?"

He told God, "I asked you to save me but you never did!"

God told him, "You fool, I sent a lifesaver, a boat, and a helicopter!"

I realized today that this whole chase of personal purpose is an empty one

because the purpose is quite clear.

We are all to be lifesavers, boats, and helicopters for those drowning in life's ocean.

People taking advantage of our sacrifice isn't the point!

Us offering our personal sacrifice for the sake of others is!

Two Pigeons

2010-08-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

I was walking through the dirty, parking lot across from the courthouse when I saw something I think I will never forget.

Two pigeons fighting, gripping each other at the beak, while spinning around in circles.

I paused

leaned on a pole

and watched these two pigeons.

They would take a break from fighting and race towards the crumbs they were fighting over.

As one would move closer to the crumbs, the other pigeon would desperately grasp onto his beak again to try and prevent him from getting what he wanted.

So I leaned against the parking lot column.

Why?

Because these two pigeons reminded me of us.

People.

Fighting over our perceived survival.

I had a cookie in my hands

something that was sweeter than the crumbs they were fighting for

and I broke it into pieces and tossed it to the two pigeons.

Immediately, they stopped fighting

found their individual crumbs

and started living in peace.

And there

in the parking lot across from the courthouse

I had an epiphany.

Maybe God tosses us crumbs that we call blessings to keep us from tearing each other apart.

Maybe Jesus is the example of a human being that fought his innate desire to fight over the crumbs so that we would and could know that

living in peace beside the pigeon next to us is something within reach.

Maybe the stuff we fight over is so minuscule from the perspective of the Uncreated One beyond us.

Maybe God spoke to me through observing two pigeons

or maybe it was all a coincidence.

Putting the Cape Away

2010-08-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

I've observed myself for the last few years and have learned a lot.

What I've learned about myself and the prevailing culture is that our so-called "civilization" is really a child's playground on steroids.

Substitute professional sports for the monkey bars...

The playground structure for skyscrapers,

and swings for entertainment

and you have our modern society.

I've been frustrated at times by it and even tempted to participate in its folly.

I felt many times that I had to be a part of saving it from impending failure. Then I realized I was making as much sense as the financial bailouts did for our failing economic system in 2008.

I forgot that I wasn't the Savior.

Not Superman,

Batman

or Robin.

I'm just me and being me is all I'll ever be.

So instead of trying to be what I'm not, I'm learning to be super at being me.

I'm learning to take the cape off and put it away and rather than trying to win, I'm taking solace that the game has been won.

I'm just understanding, through life's journey, how it's been won.

Maybe putting the cape away is what we all need.

A break from trying to be Superman

and a new beginning at just being super-me!

Jay-Jays, Pee-Gees, & Pee-Cees

2010-07-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Spirituality always seems to be a divisive agent in the interaction of people today.

I don't think it has to be this way.

I think it's this way because the majority of us operate from the premise of having the absolute understanding and application of how the created should relate to the Creator.

I know I have in times past

and maybe still do in times present.

But as I study more into the historicity of my "Jesus-following" faith, I see these same frustrations and challenges.

Jesus dies and his movement spawns into 3 cords.

The Jay-Jays (His older brother, James', crew of Jews following his movement who practiced a conservative application of his teaching)...

The Pee-Gees (His sidekick, Peter's, crew of God-fearing people who practiced a more moderate application of his teaching)...

and the Pee-Cees (Paul's Christians who practiced what might have seemed to be a liberal application of his teaching).

James' Jews, Peter's God-fearers, and Paul's Christians all understood Jesus' teaching differently but struggled to find a way to allow their core spirituality to serve as an agent of unity rather than division.

My hope is that we learn to find ways of including rather than excluding each other through spirituality so that we can allow the power of God in our world to really save us

from us.