…when we are in different surroundings, or

…when we get back on our feet, or

…when I start (and hopefully complete) my PhD work, or

…when, when, when

Each time that sense of longing for a different future arises, the Spirit has a way of directing me back to the present.  And I’m blessed to remember (again) that God’s goodness is not out there somewhere, but right here, right now.

A passage of Scripture I’ve been meditating on daily this month will be a lifelong touchstone for remembering God’s goodness.

I’d like to share it with you.

“If you get rid of unfair practices, quit blaming victims, quit gossiping about other people’s sins,

If you are generous with the hungry and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,

Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.

I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—firm muscles, strong bones.

You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.

You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past.

You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.”

–YHWH, The LORD our God as rendered in Isaiah 58.9-12

The goodness described here is a very specific goodness, from a very specific God, in a specific context.  This specificty requires my response and involvement; and the involvement of my family and community.  This specificity graces me with light and thanks.

–

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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Okay, that may have been a big motivator for any job, but here I am serving as a manager for a shelter and transitional program for the homeless and working poor. I could be employed doing something that has nothing to do with my life mission. Instead, here I am. And I love it. Why?

As way of explaining why I love this ministry, let me share a story.

A resident — I’ll call him “Gus” — was sitting in my office as I administered a breathalyzer test to him. The night before, his reading was .12 (that’s drunk). Two nights before, I had spent 3o minutes with Gus as he cried and grieved over the recent losses in his life. He was making six figures just 5 years ago. He has two teenage children who are currently living with his estranged wife. His wife has repeatedly cheated on him and finally kicked him out, presumably for excessive drinking and all that drinking entails.

The man who just a few years ago was living the so-called American Dream, was now a resident in a homeless shelter.

And I was noticing a trend. He tends to point at the specks of wood in the eyes of others while ignoring the 2×4 in his own eye.

Gus had been trying to ease his emotional pain with strong liquor. He was not getting with the transitional program. And he was lying to me and my staff to cover it up.

I had prayed with him, helped him secure some income, listened as he processed … all the while I noticed he was in denial as to his culpability of the circumstance he found himself in.

Now, he was sitting in my office again and we were having him blow into a breathalyzer (again) to determine just how much he’d had to drink.

Gus said “just a tall boy about 1pm today.” That would mean he might show a .02 on the meter.

Beep, beep goes the machine. And I read a .10. He’s very drunk again.

In my office with me and Gus is one of my staff members at the shelter — I’ll call him Jim.

After we get the results of Gus’s blood alcohol content, I explain to Gus that he can’t stay at the shelter this night. He now has his 3rd strike. We’ll give him some dinner and a blanket, but he has to face the consequences of his actions.

I’m baffled and frustrated. Not only was he showing up drunk, but he had been previously caught with a fifth of vodka IN THE SHELTER. That’s a big “no no.” He was lucky to be here right now.

He repeatedly had told me what a grace the shelter was: “Two hot meals, a warm shower, a clean bed, a caring staff, a safe place to be.” And he was thumbing his nose at the whole process.

As I tried to fathom why he would push his circumstance to this point, Jim spoke up.

“Gus, you can point at a woman, a bottle of alcohol, life circumstances, everyone else, but nothing is going to fill what’s in here”, as he places the palm of his hand on Gus’s chest, indicating the heart. “That’s a God thing, brother.”

You see, Jim is a staff member who was a resident just 3 months ago when I began the job. He’s one of two former residents who I’ve hired as staff. He had gone 7 years in AA, staying sober. Before that, he had lost his first marriage, his kids, his job, his dignity, his self-respect … everything. After 7 years, he took it upon himself to start over. When he began trusting himself, he fell off the wagon again. This time, none of his family threw him a lifeline. They cut him off. So after running for a long time, he ended up in the shelter.

After proving his sobriety and vowing to be changed, I hired him. Jim wakes up every day and asks God to help him stay sober that day. He is a man of great faith. You wouldn’t find Jim’s theological statements in a systematic theology text. But he has placed his entire life into the hands of someone bigger than himself. He now spends time with his daughters. His rebuilding bridges that seemed nothing but ashes a few months before. Jim trusts God to go before him every step of the way. It’s amazing to watch.

And here was Jim in my office talking to Gus. “Gus, I’ve lost it all: women, family, friends, job, dignity, everything. But nothing addresses the pain in the heart except the One who created you. You can’t turn to him until you recognize you have a problem. It’s a God thing, brother.”

Wow! Here was the gospel being played out right in front of me.

In the typical “church world” I wouldn’t be a witness to this. In fact, every day I work at the shelter, I come home with another story of how I’ve witnessed Jesus in the poor and disenfranchised.

The stuff of Jesus I read in the gospels, I’m privileged to experience almost every day! I never experienced this in the “professional ministry.”

Why am I serving as a shelter manager?

Because I was called to preach the gospel, and when necessary to use words. I finally am living and experiencing the Gospel of Jesus Christ on a daily basis.

It’s humbling, wonderful, heart-breaking, intimidating, joyful, and hopeful all at the same time. I witness lives being transformed. I hang out with the kinds of people Jesus was friends with.

Instead of piddling around with buildings, boards, and budgets I get to offer a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name. I get to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, and see the captives set free.

Why would I ever go back to “respectable Christian ministry”?

In future posts, I’ll give more examples to explain the “Why?”. Hopefully, you can see why this is wonderful outpouring of God’s grace: that I be allowed to be part of Christ’s work in this way.

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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• Why Preaching Has Been Too Narrowly Defined
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I’m honing in more on the similarities between my plight and that of my spiritual grandfather, Phineas Bresee.

Bresee was rejected by the establishment of his tribe.  His rejection culminated in the formation of a new tribe about 10 years later.

He was rejected because he wanted a Christian life that was not just about words.  Bresee not only believed that ministry to the urban poor was important, he intentionally stood with the poor in ruined communities. He and those around him defended the poor, advocated against the injustices that fueled poverty, and developed spaces of belonging and access in which the poor were, not only welcome, but at home.

Bresee and the early Nazarenes challenged social injustices.  They urged their church familiy to move from merely preaching a holiness of heart to expressing holiness of life–in the physical, ordinary, and mundane–as solidarity with the disenfranchised. This is in the direct line of my spiritual great-grandfather, John Wesley.

Because of the poor, Bresee called for radical simplicity of church facilities, not only because ostentatious styles were off-putting for the poor, but the sheer cost of unnecessary embellishments were poor stewardship of resources of God’s people. Tithes and offerings should be used to serve the poor, not build impressive structures. Likewise, words, dress, and lifestyle were to be simple … because of the implications for the poor.

Bresee once wrote:

The first miracle after the baptism of the Holy (Spirit) was wrought upon a beggar. It means that the first service of a Holy (Spirit)-baptized church is to the poor; that its ministry is to those who are lowest down; that its gifts are for those who need them the most. As the Spirit was upon Jesus to preach the gospel to the poor, so His Spirit is upon His servants for the same purpose.

And so Bresee was rejected by his church establishment for challenging Christians to live like Jesus.  He was rejected for being Jesus to the disenfranchised and seeing Jesus in them.  He was rejected for not becoming like the ones who already called themselves Christians.  He was rejected for suggesting church resources should be used for something other than maintaining an institution, a building, an flawed paradigm.  He was rejected for moving beyond a stale, useless, faith.

Bresee was rejected, just as Jesus was.  His primary persecutors were the most “religious” people of his day … as were Bresee’s.

So when I celebrate a centennial marker next week, I’m not celebrating the dawn of yet another schism in the Church universal.  I’m not celebrating the founding of a particular tribe in which I happen to be an ordained elder.  I’m not celebrating the misguided and failed ways we have exercised the inheritance of our spiritual ancestors.

Instead, I’ll be celebrating a wonderful idea made tangible: preaching the gospel to the poor in word and deed.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Can you identify with the plight of Bresee?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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Today I’m sitting in Memorial Hospital in Savannah, GA.  My friend (our 70-year old church drummer), Chuck, is in a 6-hour surgery for prostate cancer.  He has no family in the area.  His wife, Margie, is suffering from terminal cancer and is in Hospice of the Golden Isles in Brunswick.  So I volunteered to bring him and be here during the surgery.

There was a time, when I would be fretting that I’m not getting any “work” done if I sit in a hospital waiting room all day by myself.  There was a time I considered planning, preparing, study, etc. to be the most important work I need to be doing.  That time is over.  Today, I can think of nothing better than sitting in this waiting room, praying for Chuck … and Margie … letting administrative things sort themselves out; praying for others I know; praying for Jesus to let me know him a little better today; possibly meeting others in whom I can see Christ in this waiting room.

Not much “church-building” going on today.  At least church-building in the understood sense.  Probably won’t be much nor any church-building in my plans in future either.  It’s not my job.  Nor is it yours.  Jesus builds, grows, and forms the church.  I’m just part of God’s universal church, trying to keep my family in the Way of Jesus; letting God provide me and my family with opportunities to shepherd, support, listen, care.

Maybe you are like I have been in times past.  Thinking that being in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ means doing “churchy” things, keeping a good attendance at worship, paying attention to church leaders and pastors, trying to be “good” or “righteous.”  I’m convinced these days that being a follower of Jesus and the God whom he called Father is not really related to those things.  It’s about listening for God’s voice, getting to know Jesus, trusting in God’s love for us, keeping your family faithful to the Spirit’s voice, living life with others who are on the same journey.  In this way, worship becomes not a weekend hour or two, but a way to live.

So I’m worshipping today.  As I wait to see Chuck after his long surgery.  As I trust Jesus to be with Chuck, and Margie, and me, and my family, and you.  The trappings, and requirements, and obligations are melting away.  As I turn my eyes on Jesus, I’m seeing only … get this … Jesus!  And like him, I must be about my Holy Father’s work.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
How are you worshipping through the way you live this week?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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Through the transitions in life as of late, God has provided for us by Heather working a couple more days a week while I play Mr. Mom.  It means I get work done at odd hours.  But the chance to experience life with my kids has been incredible.

Yesterday, our 3-year old, Eliot, ate like a human garbage disposal.  His hunger was bottomless.  He had two bowls of cereal and applesauce for breakfast.  Crackers, yogurt, and grapes for “second breakfast.”  More grapes and cheese crackers for a snack.  A turkey sandwich, pretzels, and yogurt for lunch.  Even more grapes, cornbread, sesame sticks, and apricots for afternoon snack.  Chicken nuggets (his and some of mine), mixed fruit, fries for dinner.  Then more cereal and grapes at separate times before bed!

I was amazed how much he could put away!  I was even more amazed that he was eating just about every hour or so.  He’s growing, changing.  And he needs to be nourished constantly.

Then, while struggling to sleep in the middle of the night, these words came to my mind: “Humans don’t live by bread alone, but by every word that issues from God’s mouth.”

Jesus was so close in relationship with his Father, that he carried on conversation with him throughout the day.  He wanted the nourishment from God to be just as regular, satisfying, and growth-inducing as regular food for his body … if not more so.

I’ve been learning to trust Jesus more.  To lean into God’s unfailing love and acceptance of me.  To be in conversation with the Father at all times.

Just like Eliot eating constantly for his body to develop in a healthy way, we need to be in constant, aware, open, trusting relationship with God so that we may grow more into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

It’s not just a Sunday morning thing (or whatever time and day we may gather for community worship).  It’s not just a private prayer time once or a few times a week.  It’s not just in fellowship with other believers every so often.  It’s not just in relationship with not-yet believers.  It’s not just in our family time with children and parents.  It’s not just in the compassionate lifestyle actions that we may engage in.

Life and relationship with God is all of this, and more, at all times, with all that we are, trusting all that our God is!

The ways and times to “do church” are becoming completely insignificant to me.  The life enjoyed by “being church” is the path I’m on.  It’s not popular.  It’s confusing on all sides.  It means I can’t plan my future so much as trust God’s working in my present until he accomplishes his purpose in me.

What is God’s purpose?  The same for all of us really:  to be drawn into relationship with God, to be caught up in the community of our holy Parent, and the befriending Son, and the loving Spirit; to be shaped into the likeness of our oldest brother — Jesus Christ.

God, work out your purpose in me and my family however you choose.  AMEN.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
How is God nourishing you these days?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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We stayed with some very good friends who just a few months ago lost their baby an hour after he was born. Several late-night talks with them were difficult and sad and heart-wrenching.

We had some extended family news come our way that shook life circumstances for Heather’s side of the family.

A good family friend, mentor, and church leader at my old stomping grounds unexpectedly took his own life.

All of this during our “vacation.”

I have been experiencing a lot of sadness, brokenness, doubting, and feelings of helplessness of late.

Yet here’s what I’m learning … God has a way of weaving beauty out of brokenness and despair.

I’m not one of those who blames God for everything. I mean, if God really controlled everything with the way the word is today, that’s not a God I could worship, much less serve. No, it seems that scripture and experience tells us that evil just happens. Yet in the midst of evil, God longs to be in relationship with his creation. And if we let him, God will create something surprising and wonderful out of the shards of sadness, grief, despair, and hopelessness that invade our lives from time to time.

For instance, with the happenings I mentioned above … We got to spend quality time with some best friends during their dark days of anger and despair. We got to hug and be present and just listen. All in all experiencing a deeper level of friendship … and they did too.

We see my wife’s family pulling together with others in their faith community to truly seek God’s leading in their situation.

We were able to be with and comfort the family of our friend. We remembered his actions of love and compassion throughout his life. We saw his young grandson turn to God’s story in the days that followed in order to make sense of the situation.

God is weaving something beautiful, even when all seems lost. God is faithful to love us and care for us, even when we feel abandoned. God is relentless in his activity to create wonder and hope, even when we feel like he has nothing to work with.

This is the God I worship. This is the God I serve. This is the God I’m anticipating will surprise me again soon in wonderful ways.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
How is God taking your brokenness and making something surprising and wonderful out of it?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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Is the Way of Jesus a system of ideas that provide for positive and practical lives?

Or is the Way of Jesus rather a set of practices to be lived out in community?  Even practices that will cause us in the community a good deal of suffering, discomfort, sacrifice, and so forth?

I am amazed at the number of (growing … numerically) churches that espouse a practical and positive result of being part of their faith communities.  Uplifting messages are trumpeted.  Applying the (seemingly simple) Scriptures in practical ways in life is the golden chalice.

Jesus gives a stark contrast to this when he maps out the way for his disciples:  “Take up your cross everyday and walk with me.”

Some of the places Jesus goes make me uncomfortable.  Taking up a cross sounds terrifying.  Walking with Jesus just might get us killed.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Which seems more authentic to you: practical or taking up a cross?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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Eat this bread, filled with life    

Hunger no more

Drink this cup of living water 

Never thirst again.

I am the bread, I am the wine 

Children taste and see 

Here is all of me. 

God has consistently, faithfully offered all of God’s self to me.  I know that our spiritual ancestors were unable to be faithful to covenant … and so am I.  What could I possibly covenant to God in response to God giving all to me?Though it was more wordy than this, I basically told God “I am yours, every part of me.”Now, I know I will break covenant and seek restoration.  That is the way of humanity.  But I know that God longs to enable me to keep this promise.It’s a promise to serve.  To serve my only Master however he chooses.  To serve when I don’t feel like it.  To serve when I’m unpopular.  To serve though everyone desert me.  To serve in the face of conflict.  To serve in the throes of doubt.  To serve … and to serve … and to serve.This promise is a covenant that depends entirely on God.  And I trust him.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:

What are you covenanting these days?

——

Brian Niece

www.brianniece.com

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.

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Do you remember that story in scripture where Jesus is sleeping in the boat, the disciples are all wide awake … and scared stupid … because they are on the lake with a huge storm brewing? (By the way, the “Sea of Galilee� isn’t much bigger than your standard lake, and it’s totally surrounded by land, so it’s a lake).

I can relate to the disciples in this story. Seems like the last few weeks, life has been swirling around me at a faster pace than I can handle. I want to scream at the top of my lungs, “Wake up, Jesus, and bring some peace to this chaos!�

What is odd to me about that biblical story is that when the disciples woke Jesus up, he didn’t say anything to them at first. He just stood up in the boat and said to the storm, “Peace.� Then the storm stopped immediately and all was quiet. It was only after he had calmed the storm that Jesus looked at his disciples and said, “Don’t be afraid.�

You would think that Jesus, upon being woken from a much needed nap (I mean, he has to be dog-tired if he’s sleeping through a thunderstorm … while in a boat … while on the lake), he would look at his disciples and say, “Dudes, what are you freaking out for? I’m the Son of God, I am the Word that spoke Creation into existence! Don’t you think we’ll be alright with me around?� But it was only after he calmed the storm that his disciples were really terrified. That’s when Jesus looked at them and said, “Don’t be afraid.�

So back to my “storm� … I’m dealing with some life trials of others (relationship problems, impending illness, etc.). I am adjusting to a newborn … and an almost 3-year old who realizes he now has company in the family. I’m following God’s lead as we are hiring new staff to begin in November (oh by the way, Tony Jeck will be our Spiritual Formation Pastor working primarily with families with children and families with teens; Stephanie Jeck will be our Worship Arts Pastor; you can find out more about them by going here). All this is requiring more faith, more trust, more patience, etc.

It feels chaotic. I want to yell out Jesus to slow things down, make it calmer … “I’m afraid, God, and I need you to do something.� But if he steps in and calms everything, I will probably be just like those disciples of his were … scared to death that Jesus really can do the impossible. So, instead I’ll trust him to be with me during this chaos. I’ll trust that he’s in the boat (though he may be catching a nap), and where he is headed is where I’m headed. And where ever Jesus is going is good enough for me (probably even better than where I’d choose to go on my own). If it means there’s some chaos and storms on the journey, then so be it.

Here’s a reply I received:

“Don’t you think the God of all creation wants us to call out to him while he’s sleeping and let him know, ‘Lord, I’ve had enough! I need your help!’?”

So, here’s my response to this question …

Yes, God does want to hear our cries, our fears, our questions, our doubts. Psalm 88 even sanctions our midnight cries. But we need to be prepared for the possibility that when he responds to our cries, his “peace” may be a lot scarier for us than the chaos was.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Are you in one of life’s storms right now? If so, are you crying out, or trusting, or both?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.Related Posts:

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Hour 20 … a young lady who is passionate about social justice enters feeling restless. She is listening for whatever God is saying.

Hours 22-23 … A husband and wife each take an hour back to back. They have journeyed with this faith community through some rough times. I’m frankly in awe of how their faith has survived and even grown over the years. They want to see newness, relevance, and the impossible happen. Lord, inspire in them your vision and give them the strength to perservere.

Hour 24 … The prayer attendent for the last portion now finishes in prayer. He’s tired, sleepy. He walks around the room sitting in various chairs, remembering where certain persons generally sit during worship. He prays for them by name.

We have spent 24 hours at the feet of Jesus. We have poured our hearts out. We have meditated. We have requested and even begged. We have been quiet and listened.

We are ready, God. We are available. Act through us for the glory of your nature and character. AMEN.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Are you living a life of prayer?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS. Related Posts:

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Tags: prayer