reflections and musings

Re Christian Unity: Are You an Exhorter, an Educator or an Exhaler?

Lisa SpencerLeave a comment

I’ve been trying to process a number of both compatible and competing thoughts around how Christians handle differences in doctrine and expression of Christianity.  More importantly, I’ve been thinking about how can the body unite around essential truths. Admittedly, it is somewhat fueled by acceptance of a position in a non-profit ministry that evolved out of the United Methodist Church. While I knew there would be doctrinal differences, I also was sold on the program and thought it to be a remarkable expression of Christ’s love in action.

Knowing that this organization upheld Wesleyan values, I had to ask my Calvinist, conservative self if I could handle the doctrinal rub. The one thing I kept coming back to was the commitment to building up children and the young adults who served them

I’ve also become somewhat weary of excessive complaints of others and how this or that person is not uphold truth. There is naturally a tension between articulating Christianity that is faithful to the historic and biblical witness and demonstrating the love of Christ in action. Truth and love are inseparable companions, yet at times it seems that turns into either a loosy-goosy Christianity or overly critical complaints.

man pointing to skyThe goal of our Christianity is to proclaim Christ, represent him well through growth in the body. But not everybody is on the same page. We have centuries of doctrinal splintering and exacerbation through increased media channels.  How to increase unity in the body? I observe that our denominational and/or tribal allegiances can thwart the unity that is and should be possible.

So I was pondering today how can this happen? We don’t want to lose truth but we don’t want to lose love either. We should take serious that belief in Christ means being tied to his body in spite of differences. What emerged out of my swarming thoughts were these three categories that can have an impact on unity: Continue reading →

5 Signs We Might Take Ourselves Too Seriously

Lisa Spencer5 Comments

arrogance1-2Christians love Jesus, his truth, the bible and hopefully his body (though much evidence exists to the contrary), right? So it makes sense that we want a part to play for the kingdom.

But there’s a little thing called ‘perspective’, putting us and our contributions in the grand scheme of things. So here’s a list I think might apply. And yeah, I’m guilty too so I’m kind of speaking from conviction here.

1) Making much of our gifts: You should not have to tell people how you are gifted. Whatever gifts and abilities that God has given you should be evident and especially from those whose lives it impacts. Telling people how well you preach, write, lead or serve means nothing if it is not evident to recipients. Just do it and let others affirm especially since the gifts are for others anyways.

2) Making much of our ministry:  We live in a day of celebrity evangelical fanfare. “Look what God is doing here” “You don’t want to miss this” “Come an be blessed”. Really? Isn’t it more important for people to hear Christ proclaimed, receive sound instruction, and experience genuine growth and fellowship? Surely we are not the only ones who can bless people and something is amiss when we think we have the corner on it. Ministry, like anything else, can become an idol. Here’s a test: if your ministry fell out of your hands what would happen?

3) Making much of our opinions: We all have them. I know I do and love to express them (thank you social media!). But it’s not long before it seeps into the realm of self-importance and leaves the appropriate arena of edification. No of course we don’t admit that but we want people to know what we think because we think so much about what we think, right? Especially when we’re trying to prove someone else wrong. Yes and ouch! Continue reading →

Transitions, Trust and Trying Something New

Lisa Spencer1 Comment

door_ajarToday was a bit of a milestone and one that I’ve looked forward to for quite some time. I registered for my final semester of seminary, or at least the ThM program (meaning there may be a possibility for the PhD program). Well, I still have to complete everything: this semester, thesis and the remaining 5 classes that will be taken this coming summer and fall. But it signifies that the end of something is near and the transition to a new chapter is on the horizon.

As I’ve wrote about in Cracking the Door to 2013, I approached the flip of the calendar with much hesitation. Unbeknownst to me during the celebratory zeal of my acceptance and preparation for the move to Dallas in 2008, I had no idea how personally trying the next 4 years would be.  Nothing could have prepared me for the intensity of personal trials and stark contradictions. No need to rehash but I think I’m in a far different place then I was that first day in August 2008.

I have suspected for some time that 2013 would mark a transition in multi-faceted ways, a time to turn the corner. Aside from wrapping up the ThM program, I don’t really know much in the way of details. But I’ve suspected that it also meant an employment transition. When I found out I was accepted to seminary, I kind of carried my profession with me. God really opened that door for me to have a good part-time position with a good mission to address the root causes of poverty and placed me among some wonderful people. Continue reading →

Wishing, Waiting and a White Winter Coat

Lisa Spencer2 Comments

lady in white winter coatSome of my most fond memories growing up were the summer and winter vacations I spent in Chicago with my grandparents. I was born there but my parents moved to Southern California when I was little. My parents divorced when I was 6 and then  after my mom died when I was 9, the Chicago treks turned into twice a year – most of the summer and a week during Christmas break.

My grandmother would take me on many shopping trips downtown, with the late summer trips geared for the purpose of buying school clothes. But one trip stood out above the rest. This one particular summer, just before my junior year, during a school clothes purchase trip, I saw this beautiful white winter coat. It was unlike anything I had ever seen: pulled white wool with these classy puffed out sleeves and very fashion forward for the early 1980s. I was not particularly a fashionista at the time, but I knew I would look good in that coat. And it was thin enough to be useful in California.

Well, my grandmother being the pragmatic person she was presented me with a choice. I could get the coat but that would significantly cut into my school clothes purchases. She was right and her wisdom won out. As much as I loved the coat and wanted it, I had to be practical and get what I needed. After all, I didn’t really need the coat but man I sure did want it. It was a desire.

When I went back for the winter break the day after Christmans, of course one of the first things I did was to open my birthday and Christmas gifts. As I opened one rather large box, my eyes began to light up. Could it be? Yes! My grandmother had brought the coat that I wanted so much. I was giddy because a desire had been fulfilled. But more than just getting a coat, what I really loved about the gift was that my grandmother responded to something she knew would make my heart glad. Continue reading →

Cracking the Door to 2013

Lisa Spencer3 Comments

door_ajarHave you ever entered a room where you flung the door open? No doubt, there is an enthusiasm and hopeful anticipation about what is beyond that door. We fling the door open because we are anxious to get there, most likely because there is something positive worth all the energy.

Conversely, cracking the door portrays a hesitancy and caution. Uncertainty of expectations produces a slow glimpse. Maybe there’s something there but not knowing what may be in store. Just a little peak to see if it’s worth opening to enter. Slow. Uncertain. Cautious. Questioning.

As 2012 draws to a close, I find myself cracking the door to 2013. Well of course I have no control over the entrance because whether I like it or not, the new year will begin. There’s nothing magical about the flip of a calendar. But each new year does bring with it hope – hope for change, hope for something better, hope for answered prayers.

I would love to swing the door open and embrace the new year. But as I reflect back over the past year, the reflection causes the year to bleed into the past few years – 4 to be exact since I moved to Dallas to go to seminary. It’s been a trying time of exposing, pruning, purging and barrenness. Trying beyond my wildest imagination. It’s exposed areas of my life where I long for restoration and change. A number of prayers, personal prayers have gone unanswered. The disappointment has been discouraging at times and breeds caution because disappointment has a way of strangling hope and tempering expectation. I don’t know if that’s good or bad but it is what it is. Continue reading →