Ragamuffin Soul

I knew it wasn’t just a pebble…
Los

Dear Modern Day Church Structure…
There are people who do not fit in your systems.
There are people who do not fit in your structures.
There are people who don’t fit inside terms like greeter, worship, hospitality, teacher, small group, youth, missions, ect.
Your herding of spiritual giftings into certain ministry barns is diluting the richness of what the bride could be.
So please step back from your systems and strategies for a moment to see the millions who will never fit in your flow chart and ask yourself, what now?
Because they are leaving you for places which work within their eccentricities and creativity.
And if my mind serves me right…
Jesus was the most eccentric and creative human in history…
And I hate to say it…
But He would not have a place to serve in many of the structures we have built today.
Let’s build the mess of a church Jesus created.
The one He would fit into.
It’s better that way.
Los

Pitfall.
One man.
Never died.
Every time.
I spent way too much time on this as a child.
And this gold plated 2600 is amazing…

If you could have one thing gold plated from your childhood…
What would it be?
Los

Sometimes you just don’t feel like being in the picture.
And when this feeling comes over you…
Please feel free to let the world know.
Because if there is one thing I have learned from my kids…
It is that living authentically, no matter the cost, no matter the looks you receive from those standing by judging you, is way better than a plastic smile.
It’s better that way.
Los

This is just too good.
Los

When things like this happen my heart hurts.
Not maybe for the same reasons most do.
Most people react with some sort of pity for the girl or guy who lost their way and ended up a statistic.
My heart does hurt for them.
But I feel more hurt for those who use sadness like this to somehow inflate the view of themselves or others.

You see here’s the deal.
Before you add her into that sermon tomorrow morning…
The demons Amy Winehouse was fighting…
Those are the same demons that surround you.
They may not be named the same thing, but they destroy you the same way.
Your demon may be named Indifferent and is killing you slower than Amy’s and affecting your children and their view of poverty.
Your demon may be named Pride and is killing relationships around you without you knowing, which will leave you the shell of a leader you once were.
Your demon may be named Apathy and when God places an urge in your spirit to adopt, sponsor, or volunteer, you ignore it and another child or widow in need remains in hardship when you have the resources to help.

You see Amy Winehouse is not an example.
You are.
I am.
Maybe if we would fight our demons instead of pointing out hers, the next great artist on the verge of self destruction can learn to overcome.
So before we use Amy Winehouse as a lesson, sermon illustration, or story on how to not fall into a downward spiral of despair…
Head to the bathroom, turn on the light, look in the mirror, and write that next great illustration about your demons and how you will overcome.
It’s MUCH better that way.
Los

Photographer Ezra Shaw captured unique images of diver’s contorted faces during the Men’s 3m Springboard preliminary round during Day Six of the 14th FINA World Championships at the Oriental Sports Center on July 21, 2011 in Shanghai, China.

Remember…It’s not how you look while you get there…
It’s just getting there that counts…
Which face describes you today?
Los

“I just can’t go to that church.  It’s so full of emotional manipulation.”
I hear this all the time.  I want to look them square in the eye and say that it’s no worse that their churches intellectual manipulation.
And I also believe that the word “manipulation” is thrown around too loosely.
Here’s the deal.
God CREATED emotions.  He CREATED us as emotional creatures.  Yes there is abuse of any gift He has given.  But what I have seen is the church turn their back on emotion because they are scared people will make an “emotional decision.”

News Flash.

IT NEEDS TO BE AN EMOTIONAL DECISION
God gave us emotions to feel and a mind to think.

Emotions can be dangerous just like intellect can be dangerous.
I think it is more important to take the BS out of Bible Study than it is to take emotions out of decisions.
And past scars definitely push people towards one or the other.
Just don’t lose one of God’s greatest gifts to us, emotion, because you have seen it abused.

When was the last time you got “emotional” in church and how can we lean on emotions without abusing them?
Los

Caption Please…
Los

Butterflies.
Free. Wind. Glide. Flutter. Beauty. Spirit. Flow. Color.
But pluck those wings off those bad boys and all you have left is a nasty looking bug that you would step on in a heartbeat if it crawled close to your picnic lunch.
It’s amazing what a set of wings will do huh?

My kids and wife decided a few months ago to start a butterfly farm.
I know the truth about these ugly bugs in disguise.
I walked into a butterfly farm once at some botanical garden in England and about had a nervous breakdown as these winged, hairy monsters with eyes tried to land on me from the north, south, east, and west.
But you know what?
I’m gonna let my kids figure all this out on their own.
And their “farm” is more like a mesh cage the size of a large Elmo doll as opposed to a dark, hot, humid, room where these bugs attack like the end of Men In Black.

Let me let you in on the fact that my kids are animal LOVERS.
Especially my 9 year old. She can’t drive by PetSmart on a Saturday while they have their Adopt A Pet sidewalk events and see a dog without crying at how bad the dogs must “feel”.
I did not know that this would transcend from mammal family to the Lepidoptera family.
But it did.

They started their little farm with 5 caterpillars.
They were cute in a nasty sort of way.
Worming around that little mesh cage looking like every 4th grade recess black top in 1984. It was marvelous.
They slowly made their way to the top after a week or so and began the process of encasing themselves in their worm saliva and liquefying their little worm bodies until somehow this equals birth and beauty on the other end.

They were butterflies for a good week before it before it was time to let them go.
And if you know anything about the Whittakers, it is that we don’t do anything half way.
Go big or go home.
We woke up the Sunday morning of “Release Day” to butterfly pancakes, antenna headbands, and coloring pages to depict the wondrous spectrum of colors on the wings of our soon to be free friends.
Giggles. Laughter. Joy. Colors. Joy. Pancakes.
I mean there could be no better way to get ready for church.
We had a good 15 minutes before we had to leave for church so we decided to get the festivities under way.
I believe the kids had named the butterflies by this point.
They had spent hours staring into the mesh cage talking with these insects.
Telling them to behave and letting them crawl onto their bony little fingers.
I was impressed. Our little farm had actually produced the happiness I thought would escape for fear.
But no. The family was on cloud nine.

We gathered around the cage…
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzip.
FLY FRIENDS FLY!
I swear it was like some scene out of a bad Doors trip.
Puffy clouds. Flying butterflies. Spinning children. All we needed was a rainbow sky.

“OK kids! Say bye to your butterflies! Wish them a good life. You have been good parents to them. They are free now and it’s time to head to church.”
“OK daddy.” they politely replied.
Dang. This morning has made angels out of my little sinners.
We climbed in. Buckled up. And started backing out.
The kids had their faces pressed against the car windows looking for any sign of their winged friends.
“Look daddy! There’s one!”
I looked in the rear view mirror and saw it on the right side.
Fluttering around like a newborn baby calf trying to stand up.
That thing had a few more hours of flying to do before it could fly like the Monarch she truly was.

As I started backing out I looked over my right shoulder and saw her.
Faster than USAIN BOLT on his best day.
Even though she was a good 50 yards away there was no time to distract the kids.
No time to shield the horror I knew was coming.
Swinging my head around to tell the kids to look at me I had barely gotten the “H” out of “Hey kids!” when she hit.
That bird came out of nowhere and right before their eyes, their faces smashed against the window like kids at the zoo…
Juliette the butterfly met her tragic end.

“DAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYY!”
“THE BIRD! THE BIRD!!! SHE ATE THE BUTTERFLY!!!!!”
“AGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! GO GET IT!”

Go get it?
Like…chase the bird down?
Of’course chase the bird down Carlos.

So out I sprang.
The robin was in the middle of the street.
Ticking her head side to side and pecking that butterfly on the ground into a most certain death.
Sprint. Sprint. Scream. Sprint. “HEY BIRD! HEY BIRD! LET THE BUTTERFLY GO!”
Did I really think I had a shot?
No.
Yet I got to within a foot of that chick before she took off.
I’m fast.

Juliette was hanging from her beak.
Over the house and away they went.

—–5 minutes later heading down Interstate 40E—–

You know kids. It’s kinda like the Lion King.
Hakuna matata.
It’s the circle of life!
“HAKUNA MATATA means no worries daddy! Not circle of life! WAHHHHHHHH WAHHHHHH Our butterfly is NOT HAKUNA MATATA. SHE IS NOT HAKUNA MATATA!”
Crap.
That didn’t work.
“Kids! Maybe that birdie (I used the term “birdie” to make the ferocious butterfly eating Ave seem less monstrous) hadn’t eaten in DAYS! And maybe she was sooo hungry and needed to eat soooo badly that God let you raise the butterfly so the birdie wouldn’t be hungry!”

“WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
“WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”
“It Never Had A Chance In Life!!!! Wahhhhhhhhhh!”

I looked to Heather…
She looked back and the look said it all…
We wanted to die laughing because this sort of crap only happens to us.
And my parenting skills are not better than they were for the Elf of the Shelf.

We got to church, prayed for the butterfly’s soul, and sent our kids to endure a morning of singing and dancing about God, while they knew the truth about God now.
That He created birds and scary men with mustaches who drive vans with no windows in the same breath.

Where did that parenting manual go again?
Los