LIfe Changing

I've spent part of the day watching the NFL College Draft. I'm always fascinated by this weekend. Although I watch the draft because I am an avid NFL fan and Fantasy Football player, I watch it too because I am fascinated by change. When you believe in the power of conversion and the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, change is a very interesting aspect of ministry and faith. I would even go so far as to say the very nature of God is change. The bible begins not with "creation" but with God "changing" nothing into something. The New Testament does not begin with the "incarnation" but with the the coming of the Word - and the Word changes things when it arrives. The one common denominator for Christians is change. It is the stuff of faith and the intent of ministry and mission. And yet, amazingly, the church (God's visible presence on earth) is hesitant to embrace change. We have become so concerned about orthodoxy that we spend all our time defending what we think we know and very little time investigating what is not known or needs to be changed from how we do things. If I have learned anything in studying Practical Theology at the PhD level it is that the idea of change is integral to the whole idea of what God is doing "on the ground." If we are not responding to the work of the Holy Spirit in the world today then we have lost the connection we must have with the Living Christ. We dare not substitute an "orthodoxy" for a real presence.
So, I watch the NFL draft. Not because I am a football fan but because I am a change fan. These young men will spend a couple of hours waiting to hear how their lives will change. Teams will draft them, sign them for millions of dollars (the first pick this year received almost 30 million dollars - guaranteed), and join a group of players whose lives may be changed by the contribution of this new player to their team. Change. It is a religious experience. I understand that change can be uncomfortable, even painful. Believe me, I have experienced more change in the last couple of years than most. Joanie and I have moved, changed lifestyles, gone back to school, and experienced an entire financial and relational change. It has even continued this week as Joanie has found out that her teaching position has been cut and she will not have a job next year. She has lovingly been the breadwinner for us in this venture at Fuller. I know she does not relish either the job search process nor the uncertainty of not knowing where she will be working in the Fall. But, change is a normal part of life that should be embraced as something that God produces or provides. Joanie has been considering looking for a new job and has been praying what she should do. This decision is the answer she has been seeking (maybe not the way but surely the answer). But it will require her to make some significant changes.
When change comes or is thrust upon you, one of the things you have to do is embrace the possibilities that God is at work. This does not mean we can be foolish with our choices but it does mean that when things happen you look to see what Christ is doing. And so, we are seeing how God's hand is at work in our lives.
Sure would be easier if I was drafted by the NFL and got a million dollar contract. Surely every NFL team needs a slow, old white guy to play for them. If they do , I'm ready. Is that God's hand? It would be if I got drafted.

To The Heartland

We are halfway across the United States (from California to Illinois) and we did it after Joanie had spent the day teaching school. From LA to Chicago in a little over three hours. Not bad, not bad at all. As I prepare to go to bed (I will be the last of the household to hit the hay) I have yet to be able to greet the newest Frymire. That will all change at 10:30 am when we go to the hospital to see Joel, Shafali and Malachi. It has been more than a year since I have seen my son and his wife. Too long to go between visits. But all that will change when the morning (its 2am here) hits and we are off to the maternity ward.
Joel sent us this picture this afternoon. Malachi is 24 hours old in this pic. According to Joel, he has already changed features and looks different than he did yesterday. Isn't that amazing? We were created to change. But it seems the older we get the more we fight against any kind of meaningful change. We struggle to hold on to the comfortable while the very nature of our bodies and lives seeks change.
I've changed. OK, maybe not since yesterday, but I've changed this week. I've become a grandpa - that's a change! I've grown a goatee (anything to hide part of the mug - this is my collegiate rebellion phase) - that's a change. I've taken on a new ministry position at Church of the Foothills in Pasadena - that's a change. I'm taking two new classes in the Fall - that's a change! I'm married to Joanie - well, that's the same thing I've been for 32 years. But being married to her always brings about new things in our lives together and we've both changed even over the course of this summer as she has recovered from hip replacement surgery and we've adjusted our lifestyles.
God changes. That sounds like heresy, doesn't it. I thought he was the same yesterday, today, and forever? But God does change. He changes us. Salvation is his desire for each and every one of us and that is a profound change. And when God is in relationship with human beings who are in a constant state of change, doesn't that somehow change him or, at least, change the constantly changing dynamic of his relationship with a fallen, broken world that is being changed daily by the changes that are being made in people's lives by the Great Change Agent Jesus Christ?
I pray that if someone takes a picture of me on the inside and compares that with another picture of me 24 hours from now, I hope it shows that I have changed. Why? Because I know God is changing me even as I write. Even as I yawn. Even as I go to bed. Because, when I wake up tomorrow, I get to see Malachi. And nothing will ever quite be the same again.

Fulfillment

Well, after wating all Thanksgiving weekend for my professor to send me back my book analysis (which he did but it didn't go through) I got it back today. I received a B+ and a great critique of my syntax and sentance structure (he thinks I might be too wordy and put together to many complex sentences - go figure!). I also did a presentation in class and got an A. I felt very relaxed and in my element as I got an opportuntiy to teach a class (albeit for only 15 minutes - timed). After class we all went to a nearby restaurant and our professor treated us to a burger and a drink. I have now finished with my first PhD seminar (except for the 40 page paper) and I have a few thoughts. Here goes:
1. I'm not the smartest guy in the class but I do belong. I can think, evaluate, integrate complex concepts, and apply what I learn to concepts that can be taught or can be enacted.
2. My age has little to do with how I am viewed or responded to in the class. I am accepted on the merits of my own being and my own thoughts.
3. I relate well to others in a diverse and integrated group. My closest friend is a 30 something African-American father of two who is majoring in ethics. The other person I relate to is another 30 something African-American woman pastor who already has a PhD in another discipline (Public Policy). It's nice to know that your age, gender, and skin color do not limit you to one homogeneous group.
4. This is fun. I love to learn and grow and change.

Now, here are some things for you.
1. You belong. You may not be the smartest, richest, prettiest, most talented, articulate person in your circle of influence, but you can think, evaluate, and integrate things from your area of interest.
2. Accept others on the merits of who they are. Don't pigeonhole others into some calss or group.
3. Be intentional about diversity. If you don't know anyone else who is ethnically, racially different than you, you have the responsibility to make it diverse. Diversity is a good thing but it must be intentional to be real.
4. Changing and growing, becoming and learning can be fun. How have you grown recently? Try it. You might like it.