"Disneyland is WAY more fun than the Crystal Cathedral!"

The quote came from Jenn this afternoon as she walked into a conversation I was having, and all she heard were the words “Disneyland” and the “Crystal Cathedral”—and so this was her analysis on the two. I would have to say she is right.

Last Friday Sophie and I joined Paige & Chris and their two sets of parents for an evening at the Glory of Christmas—the famous Crystal Cathedral Christmas…well…extravaganza. There really just isn’t any other word for it. I’ve heard about the Glory of Christmas for years now, my grandparents had wanted to come down to LA to see it for years, so for one of their wedding anniversaries my dad and his siblings sent them, and they were so impressed and so in awe of this performance. I can definitely see how they would feel that way! The cast members sang with the quality of professional artists, the sets were unbelievable, about a dozen real animals—sheep, horses, a donkey, and three live camels made their way into the sanctuary and across the stage at various points throughout the show, and a half-dozen angels literally flew from the ceiling. Impressive, might be a good word to describe the night.

I think, though, that being at the Crystal Cathedral brought up a lot questions for me. For those who haven’t seen it, this place is massive, and in my opinion, ostentatious. Pretty, but gaudy. Outside there are statues of Moses holding the 10 commandments, completely with a “burning bush” next to him—which involves real fire that never goes out. In one of the fountains is a life sized statue of Jesus walking on the water. Need your Starbucks fix on a Sunday morning? You’re in luck! You don’t even have to leave the “campus!” Want to purchase anything under the sun remotely related to Christianity? Good thing there is a store right there. (Our personal favorite item for sale—the t-shirts with Crystal Cathedral written in a fancy script—in sparkly crystal sequins.) Being the theology nerds that we are, Chris, Sophie and I wandered the gift shop trying to figure out if we could decide what the theology of the church was—what did they think about women in active leadership? Were they fairly conservative? What type of crowd did they attract? We debated back and forth for awhile, yet our answer came pretty clearly as we rounded the corner and came to a stop in front of the display of books written by their pastors—Dr. Robert Schuller and his son Dr. Robert A. Schuller. They hold very strongly to a prosperity gospel message—much like my favorite smiling Texas preacher Joel Osteen. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Schullers and Mr. Osteen have all done some great things—there are people that have come to know Jesus through their ministries and I just want to say that I recognize that. However, being at the Crystal Cathedral I found myself asking some questions about what is behind their ministries.

They have a new building as part of their campus, which houses the book store, the art gallery, and the food court (yes, because a church wouldn’t be a church without a food court). According to the piece of paper they handed me when I walked into the building, the entire structure tells a sermon about the message of their ministry, so I thought I would read through the self-guided tour to see what they say. As you enter the building, you’re greeted with a Bible verse. This is good, I like Bible verses. I think the verse they chose, however, is incredibly telling about their theology: “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed…NOTHING will be impossible to you!” (capitalization was theirs, not mine). You continue into the center of the building and in front of you is the “title” of this sermon: “If you can dream it, you can do it!” Various other quotes greet you as you walk through the building, including “What dreams would you have if you knew you could not fail?” and “Dream an impossible dream. Make it big enough for God to fit in.” And you leave with the words of Jesus: “I have come that you might have life and live it more abundantly.” Everything in their building and on their campus and in their Sunday bulletin (which I swiped from the information center) spoke of dreaming big, desiring more, and being blessed by God.

I agree, God loves to bless His children—we see examples over and over in scripture of God blessing those He loves. However, as Rob Bell points out in one of his newest Nooma videos (go to www.nooma.com for more info—they truly are amazing videos if you haven’t seen them!) entitled “Rich” he makes this statement: “I keep seeing this bumper sticker that’s popular right now. It says ‘God Bless America.’ Every time I see one, I think, God has. God has blessed America…and in scripture when God blesses someone it is so they might go and be a blessing to others.” I love this verse from John where Jesus says “I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly” but I think we misinterpret it. I don’t think that we can simply take that verse by itself and use it to say “see, God wants us to have everything we want in life!” I think our Americanized definition of an abundant life is not really what Jesus had in mind. When I think of having an abundant life I think of healing, of wholeness, of reconciliation between people. I think of living with hope, even when things are unbelievably difficult. I see living abundantly as living in confidence that I know who I am, but more importantly, I know Whose I am. I think living abundantly means living in faith that we get to spend eternity with the One who created the heavens and the earth, yet still chose US to be in relationship with. And none of these things have anything to do with material possessions, education, societal status or wealth. See, this is my problem with the prosperity gospel, with the idea that if we dream big, God will surely bless that, and that God wants for us to be blessed materially. I think it puts the emphasis on the material, which isn’t the most important thing in this world. Rob Bell reminds us in “Rich” that nowhere in scripture does God condemn people for having possessions, God is not some kill-joy out to take away everything we own, but when we do focus on this aspect of being blessed, we miss the rest of what I think scripture means when we’re told to live abundantly—namely blessing others and bringing healing to those around us.

One more example that I think really hit home the most for me while visiting the Crystal Cathedral on Friday. After the performance us girls went to find the restroom. Someone had said the bathroom at the place was pretty impressive, but I was thinking “it’s a public restroom, how impressive could it be?” Ok I was wrong. As we walked in, we were greeted by wood paneled walls, carpet on the floors, framed Thomas Kinkaid paintings, fresh potpourri, soft music, marble tiled floors and sinks, and black toilets. We just stared in amazement, not really sure what to think. Why in the world would a church need a woman’s restroom quite this…gaudy? (Beautiful, yes, but it was still gaudy). On the wall was a plaque that read “this restroom was made possible by a large gift from a donor who wished for women to know that they are beautiful, they are precious, and they are loved.” So that started the conversation between us as to whether that made it more appropriate or not. My opinion was that no, even knowing the meaning behind the fancy restroom, that does not make it justifiable in my mind. One of my passions in life is helping women find their identity in Christ, as a daughter of the King of Kings. I long for women to find healing for their wounded hearts, to find wholeness, to find their unique callings in life. This is probably the thing in ministry I am the most passionate about. While the restroom was fancy, impressive and beautiful, I just left thinking, “that’s great, but when they walk out of here, they still carry with them all their burdens, all their wounds. This bathroom doesn’t bring them abundant life, no matter how well intentioned or generous the monetary gift was.”

This blog really wasn’t intended to be a time of bashing the Crystal Cathedral—I know that they have some ministries that are doing some wonderful things in Los Angeles, and I am thankful for those who have come to find healing and joy through them. I think though that the conversation needs to continue—what does it mean to have abundant life? What does it mean to be blessed? Then to take it to another level entirely, what does it look like to be the church? How, at church as large as some of these mega-churches, can you authentically do incarnational ministry with one another? How do you build authentic relationships when so many thousands of people show up each week? Yeah, just a few light thoughts heading into finals…

Thankfulness from A to Z

I'm supposed to be writing a paper right now. However, that just doesn't sound like very much fun. Besides, the paper isn't due for another two weeks, so I figure I can take an afternoon off every now and then :) Every year on Thanksgiving our extended family used to go around the table and all of us had to say one thing we were thankful for. While I think this is a fabulous family tradition, the answers were all fairly predictable and not incredibly original. Even my younger cousin Jacob, while always unique, was never unpredictable. (Each year for the first several years of his life he was thankful for "Papa's gumball machine.") Don't get me wrong, being thankful for family, food, friends etc is incredibly important, and I regularly praise God for the incredible people He has placed in my life, but as I'm sitting here NOT writing my paper I began thinking of things I am thankful for this year. So I decided to share them with y'll. And, because I appreciate order and organization (hey, I'm presbyterian!) I figured I'd be thankful for things "decently and in order." So here ya go, "Things Sarah is thankful for from A-Z:"

A: Apartment -- I finally moved into my own place this year and lets just say it is my little piece of heaven here on earth....
B: Blogs--being able to relax writing on mine and using friend's to keep up with them
C: Cursillo--this random weekend in April that totally changed me & has led me to Houston 4 times in 6 months
D: Dinner -- or rather the meals that friends & I have cooked together and shared this year
E: Exegesis -- I never thought I'd say I'm thankful for this, but seminary, and my exegesis classes have helped me read scripture in a new light....
F: Fiction--in the midst of a LOT of theology I am even more in love with fiction!
G: Growth: as tough as it is to be pushed & stretched, being at Fuller has provided me with more opportunities to do this than I can count, and it's been amazing
H: Houston -- a place that is quickly beginning to feel like home
I: Internship -- I have had incredible opportunities to learn & grow because of this
J: Jean and Josh's baby -- which should be born literally any day now! I'm going to be an "almost" aunt!
K: Kernie the Monkey -- none of us ever would have guessed how much joy a stuffed monkey would bring to people all over--stressed out seminary students, Cursillo folks, and many others...
L: Lauren Winner -- a young woman who has powerfully spoken truth about tough topics
M: myspace -- maybe I really shouldn't be thankful for this, I know that it causes a lot of problems, but I definitely enjoy the random connections I have made with people from a long time ago via this new technology
N: Nathan -- my new brother! It took a couple decades but I finally have a brother!
O: Oranges -- well really little clementines, the greatest fruit available in December
P: Phad Tai -- I'm not sure why it took me 25 years to discover this amazing dish but it has become my favorite food this year...
Q: quarter-free laundry (hooray for "modern technology"!)
R: Renewal (a result of Cursillo)
S: Seattle -- I will always be thankful for this place, a place I love dearly!
T: Trader Joes -- the greatest grocery store in existence
U: Umbrellas --this might sound ridiculous from someone who lived in Seattle for 6 years, but I never owned one up there--it never rained hard enough, yet down here it POURS when it rains, so I have discovered the importance of this invention.
V: Verizon -- their in network free calling...definitely makes staying in touch with folks easier!
W: Weddings -- I am thinking of joining the Professional Bridesmaid Association--I'm sure one exists somewhere...yet no matter how many weddings I'm a part of, I never get tired of standing with friends or family as they begin a new adventure
X: xylophones (no really! There's one used at Cursillo for something & it provided me with a fairly entertaining & memory!)
Y: Yo-baby yogurt -- ok well I don't actually like yogurt, but I'm thankful for the laughter that came from a moment involving yo-baby yogurt at the Retzloffs....
Z: Zephyrs -- my favorite coffee shop in Pasadena where I have managed to get a TON of work done this year when I need to escape campus

Recent Adventures...

Last weekend I had the wonderful opportunity of taking off in the middle of the quarter for almost an entire week to visit some wonderful adopted family members both in Houston and in Seattle. I had a meeting with my session at Bethany up in Seattle last Tuesday, but opted to head to Houston for the weekend prior heading up north. Sophie and I thought we would surprise two of our friends (Jenn and Alan) when they were finished experiencing a Cursillo weekend in Houston, so we headed out there and spent the weekend with wonderful friends we've come to know through staffing a Cursillo weekend. Then on Monday I flew from Houston up to Seattle (which is a LONG flight by the way--it's a two movie flight....) and got to see friends up there, before meeting with Bethany's elders on Tuesday. It was a quick trip but definitely worth it! Session approved me to begin the inquiry phase of the ordination process (the first in a long but wonderful process designed to help potential pastors discern if this really is the direction they're being called), so I'm thrilled to finally be "official!" Here are some photos from our time in Texas for your viewing enjoyment:

On Friday evening Sophie and I went bowling with the Retzloffs, the family that has become our "adopted" family down there--here we are with our new friend Ashleigh.

And here are the 3 of us again later in the weekend...

The Retzloff's with our monkey, Kernie

Sophie and I with our friend Barbara

More Texas Photos

A few more photos from our Houston trip....

Sophie and Becca

Sophie, me, Ashleigh and Jeff
the "Fuller Seminary" coffee mug we brought to Steve, he was very excited & said he was going to feel incredibly intelligent and "theological" drinking from it...I'm pretty sure this is his "yo baby" face....which you kind of had to be there to understand.... Friends of ours, Dawn and Bart--they look like they are definitely up to something secretive! Life is just better when you love each other!

A Texas sunset

my thought of the day

So I was wandering through Target today and found myself rather amused at the big "on sale" "seasonal" display that was set up. See, it's supposed to be 88 degrees here tomorrow. That's right, 88 degrees for Thanksgiving week. So, it is a great thing that I am now able to buy mittens, scarves, hats and fleece jackets on sale this week. Really, I'm very excited, I think I might get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to be first in line when the new week of sales begin because I wouldn't want someone else to snatch up the last pair of fleece-lined mittens or wool socks. If that happened, I just don't know what I would do.

A Beautiful and Relaxing Day

Last Saturday Sophie and I enjoyed an absolutely beautiful and relaxing day down in Dana Point (about an hour and a 1/2 south of here) with our Houston friends, Steve and Karen Retzloff. We met the Retzloffs back in April at Cursillo, and Karen was the moderator of our Cursillo in September that we helped to staff. This wonderful couple helped us afford to fly to Houston twice (for training and then for the actual weekend), let us drive their cars around Houston while we were there, and graciously lent us their daughter's bedroom to stay in on both of our trips. I think we have officially deemed them our "adopted parents" in Texas! :) They were in town for a business convention and so of course we were more than happy to drive down and see them. We walked on the beach, watched (and laughed at) some surfers in a surfing competition (with hardly any waves...it made for a rather entertaining event!) and they took us to a beautiful lunch at the Ritz Carlton where they were staying. It was also "Mr. Steve's" Birthday so it was wonderful getting to celebrate him in person! (we deemed him "Mr. Steve" back in August--he had come to pick us up from the airport and in the message he left on Sophie's phone telling us he was here he said "hi, this is Mr. Retzloff..." We didn't know them very well, so we later asked Karen if Steve really wanted us to call him Mr. Retzloff. When she looked at us like we were crazy we set about teasing him for his formality. His excuse was that he didn't know if we would know who he was if he just said "this is Steve..." So we decided to shorten it to Mr. Steve and had several of our fellow staff members calling him that by the end of our weekend as well!) We definitely drove home praising God for an absolutely GORGEOUS day, beautiful beaches, and wonderful time with friends!

"The Church is Like a Car"....or "One of the Wost Metaphors I've Ever Heard..."

So I'm taking this class on Women and the Church, which is amazing, as you can probably tell from my previous posts. For our next paper Dr. Scholer wants us to read two different books, one by Linda Belleville, an evangelical feminist and another by Dan Doriani, a male traditionalist. I appreciate this assignment, if we're going to spend ten weeks studying this issue, we should be reading things from "both sides." However much I might appreciate some of Doriani's points, he has already completely lost his credibility in my eyes, and I'm only in chapter one. This isn't because I blatantly disagree with a lot of what he says (although I do) but rather because he has come up with what is, in my opinion, one of the worst metaphors I have ever read about women in the church (or the church in general). I read the page and then stopped, and literally asked out loud "did I just read what I think I read?!" So I re-read the paragraph and started laughing out loud because yes, I did just read what I had thought! It was so amusing to me that I felt I had to share it with my faithful readers....

This is taken from his introduction, where he is setting out reasons why he wrote this book. My commentary is in paraenthases....maybe my comments take away from the essence of his message, but hey, it's my blog, I can comment sarcastically if I want to! He writes:

"God loves women enough to send his Son to live and die and live again for them (oh good, at least he grants us that much!), but what does that mean for the ministries of women? I believe God ordained men to preach, to teach doctrine with authority, and to oversee the church (excellent, but what about those women whom God has specifically gifted to preach? Do they just not get to use their God-given gifts?). I also believe the Spirit has gifted women for ministry and wants women to serve in many spheres (just not anything that has the word "authority" connected with it right?). (ok this next part is my favorite...) Some people say this puts women in a box, but let me modify the metaphor and say it puts them in a car. Cars are like boxes in some ways. (I think his analogy is getting a little weak here...) While driving, we must remain within the confinement of their doors. But cars can be roomy and comfortable, with gadgets and hidden compartments to explore. (yeah, I want to know what kind of car he is specifically refering to--if it's a corvette, I'm not sure I buy the "roomy" piece, but if he's talking about an SUV, well then maybe we have a conversation starter....) More important, is that cars have wheels and take people places. The church is a roomy vehicle, filled with a family on a journey. (Oh give me a break....) The doors and speed limits set boundaries, but the family accepts these restrictions because these make the trip possible and safe. On the journey, father may do most of the driving, but mother drives too (oh good, she can drive a little too....that's so nice of the father!) and both parents navigate, tell stories, and help the children have a good time.

The church is like a car. Safe travel occurs within the parameters set by our nature and God's word. We are going somewhere (well, some churches are...) and the relationships built during travel can be as sweet as the destination. Pastors must steer a large car and keep an oft-contentious family unified as they travel (no they don't! If it's a car, just draw a line down the middle of the backseat!) I hope to help pastors with this book by helping women enter into the ministries God appoints, and I propose various ministries for women, (let me take a wild guess, they all involve making coffee right?) while affirming that God calls men to preach and oversee the church."
Taken from "Women and Ministry" by Dan Doriani pages 14-15 in case you all want to run right out and buy this fabulous example of metaphorical writing....

I have no idea what the rest of his book is going to say (well actually I can imagine...) but I'm only on page 15 and I'm already so annoyed (although a bit entertained) by his horrific writing and use of metaphors that I almost can't bear to keep reading...but alas, I'm continuing in my trek through these pages...if only in search of a metaphor even worse....(I'll let you know if I find one!)

I think that if anyone out there is having conflict in their next congregational meeting you should just stand up and say "look people, the church is like a car...so as the "parent" of this car, I am going to draw a line down the middle of the backseat and if you don't like what the other person is saying on the other side of the line...well....plug your ears and stick out your tongue at them but no poking them across that line...." Let me know how that goes.