"Out of Chaos, Hope"

I first visited New Orleans at the age of 13, and I was enamored. For a number of years the “Big Easy” was one of a handful of major cities that I dreamed of living in once I was older. Growing up in Charleston I saw New Orleans as our seedier, more intriguing, cousin city.

I'll never forget eating jambalaya for the first time. I'll never forget the ingenuity of New Orleans cemeteries and mausoleums. I'll never forget hearing big band jazz at each turn, left and right. I’ll never forget walking past French Quarter gift shops fronting their stashes of pornographic birthday cards and vulgar t-shirts. Thirteen years later I still love that town.

That experience was just part of my intrigue with the town. In New Orleans, humanity’s desires weren’t hidden or hidden from, but were instead woven into the city’s cultural fabric.

At the time, I never would expect to return to New Orleans 11 years later, ten months after Hurricane Katrina flooded 80% of the city. Things change.

In 1995 my dad and I never would’ve considered venturing into the 9th Ward. In June 2006 I found myself standing just north of North Claiborne Avenue at ground zero of man’s inability (in the form of levees) to overcome nature’s power (in the form of a hurricane). Things change.

At the time I witnessed destruction on a truly apocalyptic scale. The 9th Ward looked like Hollywood's most dramatic multi-million dollar portrayals of nuclear holocaust. But, it was indescribably real.




I’ve never been the same.

Pain, turmoil, death, destruction… this is what we face in life. The challenge is rooted in how we respond.

The Good News, a stark contrast in the face of nature’s unpredictability, is that compassion overcomes decimation.

Compassion is light in a chaotic world where darkness constantly falls. Compassion has paved the way to the Civil Rights Movement, to Tibetan Buddhists standing for their culture, to Iraqi school children dreaming for a bright future, to consumerist American youth longing to make a positive difference in a broken world.

Tonight, knowing destruction is impending, I pray for New Orleans… I worry for Pearlington… and I cry out for Houma, Gustav's probable ground zero.

No one knows what tomorrow brings. Gustav’s destruction is an unstoppable tragedy, but the compassion that will follow is the embodiment and example of God’s love in the world.

The slogan of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is, “Out of Chaos, Hope.” On Monday and the following days there will be chaos. The Gulf Coast will never forget that chaos, but with and through an indestructible hope, the Gulf Coast will press on.

To God be the glory.

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Note: Pearlington, MS is a very small town (post-Katrina pop. ~800) where my church has worked four separate weeks with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). Pearlington was forgotten and utterly isolated by the government following Katrina. My life has been changed, my faith challenged, and my current hopes defined, by my time there. Pearlington is a special place.

Houma, LA is where our church spent a week working with PDA in October 2007. We planned to work in Pearlington again but were blessed to experience the people, culture, and incomparable cajun cuisine of Houma. Tonight Houma and it's five bayous (waterways) are directly in the path of Gustav.

Leroi Moore (1961-2008)

Last night Leroi Moore passed away. Leroi was saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band. He was so much more as well… arranger, composer, director, cool hand on stage.

As a fan I love the calm presence he brought on stage with his laid-back demeanor and trademark sunglasses. He defined “cool”. I love the additions he brought to so many of my favorite songs. He made them. As a musician I love his complex, off-the-cuff melodic solos. They could melt your face one second and bring you to tears the next. I love the depth he brought to the band. As a lover of the sax, I love his amazing tone. Damn that tone... cool and warm at the same time. Simultaneously smooth and blistering.

They say the show must go on, and last night it did in Los Angeles, a great tribute to a great player.

Music is an indescribably important part of my life. It's a healer, a love, a friend. Some of the best moments in my life of simply experiencing music have come at Dave Matthews Band shows, and Roi provided far too many highlights to count. For the gift that Roi shared with the world, a large part of my world, I'll forever be thankful. And thankfully the music lives on.

Edit (8/21/08): Edited the picture...

"Selling Out" for Jesus

Working at a church I get a lot of Christian junk mail, and as a youth director I get a lot of junk flyers for expensive beach and ski retreats with “relevant” speakers or junk resource guides for hellfire-centered curriculum. There are quite a few companies who go straight to the recycling bin or trash (e.g. Acquire the Fire, though I will admit I once spent 20 minutes talking to an AtF rep about emerging Presbyterian theology and why I wouldn’t take a group to their events, but that’s a story for another post).

Yesterday, for no reason other than curiosity, I browsed a curriculum guide by InQuest Ministries. Funny finding: NONE of the first 12 “Discipleship” resources referenced a passage from the Gospels or mentioned the life of Jesus in their product descriptions. Jesus references were saved (no pun intended) for mentions of his death. There were, however, at least 7 references to Paul’s writings and/or books that are attributed to Paul. The few descriptions I read focused on battling Satan, “the rules” (totaling 4, which included “don’t date Non-Christians”), Paul calling Christians “super-conquerors”, and lastly a reference to youth “when they sell out for Christ.”

I could lengthily break down each of these topics, but two brief thoughts…

What’s up with a segment of Christianity elevating Paul’s teachings over Christ’s teachings? Shouldn’t Christ’s teachings, life, etc be our greater focus in matters of discipleship? Or is that the more uncomfortable way?

Why would we want young people, or anyone for that matter, to “sell out” for Christ? According to Wikipedia, “Selling out refers to the compromising of one's integrity, morality and principles in exchange for money, 'success' or other personal gain.”

My observation/opinion is that those who "sell out" for Christ adhere to a theology of personal gain. This materialistic, "me" theology seems to define a large and vocal sector of Christianity in the West, which troubles me.

Brian McLaren discusses his concerns with a self-centered theology in A Generous Orthodoxy. I leave you with this thought from the chapter, Jesus: Savior of What?, “Can’t seeking my personal salvation as the ultimate end become the ultimate consumerism or narcissism? In a self-centered and hell-centered salvation, doesn’t Jesus-like every company and political party-appeal to me on the basis of self-interest so that I can have it all eternally and can do so cheaply, conveniently, easily, and quickly? Doesn’t this sound a bit shabby?” (McLaren, 108)