I was watching the local evening news a few days ago and the story that the reporter was telling was about a few people who had caused some problems in a usually safe and comfortable neighborhood.  As the reporter interviewed several of the neighbors in the area, they commented that they had moved to this particular neighborhood to get away from all the "Riff Raff" that no one likes to live around.  And now, they had these kinds of people in the areas.  The concept here was that these people had worked hard to save their money, to buy their nice house, in a safe neighborhood, so they would be insulated from some of the riff raffs that create some type of problems.  Ummmmm...I wonder...what exactly is a riff raff? 

From Webster: disreputable persons

From Wikipedia: Riff Raff, belongs to a category of insults focusing on behavioral characteristics (such as mannerisms, lifestyles) rather than overt racial characteristics

From the Urban Dictionary: generally people of a lower class

From Dictionary.com: People regarded as disreputable or worthless

Oxford Dictionary: disreputable or undesirable people

Okay, I think I kind of got an idea of who these riff raffs may be!  I have been thinking about this scenario for several days now...Do we as Christians also try to get away from the Riff Raff?  Do we move out of the areas that the riff raffs claim as home?  Are we leaving the riff raff behind to birth more riff raffs that will then move into other "safe" neighborhoods.  By abandoning them, are we causing them to follow us to new safer neighborhoods with low populations of riff raffs and other undesirables which in turn makes us have to leave again to find newer and safer neighborhoods?   

As a follower of Jesus, I had to ask myself; Were there any riff raffs in Jesus' day?  If so, who were they?  And, what did Jesus do with his riff raffs?  Oh, yes...you got it...I was asking the all important question...WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? 

Certainly we must say that harlots, tax collectors, widows, children, women, adulterers, pagans, diseased, orphaned, handicapped, and a few others were treated as though they were the riff raff...at least they fit the definition, right?  They were the marginalized, ostracized, abandoned, unwelcomed, unwanted,  poor, undesirable and disreputable of Jesus' day.  So, how did Jesus deal with these riff raffs?  Well, as I read about Jesus, I see that he went to them...he moved into their neighborhood...he incarnated himself into their life.  In fact, he spent much of his time with them...and, he didn't leave them...or try to escape from them...or insulate himself from their ugliness...rather, he embraced them...invited them to a different kind of life, and loved them when no one else wanted to.

So, who are our abandoned, marginalized, unwanted, detested, ostracized and riffed raffed of our day?  And, should we move out of the riff raff's neighborhood, or move into it?  And, is it possible to embrace and love our riff raffs?  Hey wait a minute...I wonder...just thinking here...is it possible, just maybe...am I one of those riff raffs? 

I met with the architect that is building our new building this week.  I was really praying about having God sized discernment and wisdom on the design of this building.  My desire has always been to design God's building for God's young people in Garden City.  A building that will honor Him, and one that people will want to be in to encounter Him.  So, I have been sinfully worrying about the right person we get to take this image of the building that I have in my mind, and transfer that to paper, and then to the hands of the craftsman that will build it.  With all of this in mind, we have a budget that we have to work within.  So, the challenges are stinken huge!  Furthermore, I certainly don't want to be remembered by a building that I had designed that became unusable for God's purposes. 

So anyway...the dude comes in my office Monday and immediately he begins talking about structural pillars and board sizes, HVAC engineering and gauges of steel.  I think "wonderful...this guy isn’t concerned with my concept or functionality of this place, he just wants to build a building, any building...for the right architectural price".   I quietly prayed for God's help again and quickly things started to turn a corner.  I was able to explain to him my vision for how the building would be used.  "I don't want a building for Sunday" I told him, "but for every day of the week and we will make Sunday church stuff fit in it".  I think he got what I was saying.  I told him that I am all about relationships and not programs, so I wanted "relationship spaces" in the building.  I also mentioned to him that I wanted to keep a sacredness in the building as well.  It has to be a place where people will come and discover something new.  A place of safety and rest...a sacred refuge.  And get this, he starts talking about putting stained glass and other visuals that will help people start to think differently as soon as they walk in the building.  How cool is that!  God was present and just reminded me that it was all in control! 

Keep praying, I meet again with this man tonight and hopefully we can finalize some design plans soon and start the construction of "The Refuge" in Garden City.

Just got back from a mission trip to Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota.  Went with 22 other people, primarily 7-10^th grade girls and a few guys.  It was great!  The kids worked so hard and were not afraid to jump in and do anything.  One day we made sandwiches for the homeless at Our Saviors Housing in the Phillips section of Minneapolis.  We also worked on four different houses where senior citizens live doing repairs, cleaning up this and that, doing yard work, etc.  On our last day, we went to this place called The Fallout Urban Art Center in Minneapolis.  They were getting ready for a big outreach street festival that they do every year.  We painted, built a stage, helped clean out a few warehouses, fixed walls in the transition housing, and just anything that needed to be done. 

We were living out James 1:27, it says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” 

To me, this passage tells us that people that follow Jesus should take care of those in this world that have been abandoned and/or forgotten.  How many people have been abandoned by others?  How many people really fit in this category?  To take care of the abandoned means you must put yourself last…that is so hard to do in our culture today.

Just talked with Josh.  He and Susie made it to Georgia okay.  Things are going well from what he says.  I know all of us here miss the Fro’s!  I’m sure God will give them all they need.

Bobbijo drew this picture of Jesus for Dennise and I.  It was really cool so we are having it framed to hang in the living room of the house.  Can’t wait to see it when it is done.  I wish I had that kind of talent…although I can color…

Working on our new building.  Hopefully we will get it going up soon.  It will have a café, loft, stage for concerts, game room, library, and big deck.  I am also looking into adding a skateboard half pipe and a rail or two. 

Checkin out for now…

Currently Reading Morph: The Texture of Leadership for Tomorrow's Church By Ron Martoia see related

Wow, the last several weeks have been fast a furious.  I spent eight days in the very cool Seattle Washington in the last part of May.  Had fish tacos at Ivers and walked around Pikes Market.  Spent some time here and there but didn’t get to do everything I wanted because I did have to work.  So, I go back home to try to catch up on work at church, home, and family all the while trying to get ahead because I was leaving for Florida on Memorial Day.  So, I sit here in Ft. Lauderdale this morning, sipping my Starbucks, and think through the last week.

I have found that we have mastered doing life at warp speed, however, I believe we have dramatically failed at listening to God at warp speed.  Not only listening, but also being…being with God.  Although I was deeply involved in “church work” I was not really God connected because I just had so much to do. 

Consequently, I look back and see lots of activity last week, but not a whole lot of soultivity…setting my soul at rest in the attendance of God in my activity.  We repeatedly read in the bible that Jesus would often get away from the hustle and bustle and be alone with the Father.  My struggle, and what I often see with so many others is that either we don’t find time to get alone, or, when we do get alone we are haunted by the solemnity and silence.  Thus, our soul never finds its rest, and we subsequently rush back into the rush of life.

I’m in Florida to gear down, to wind down, to chill down.  I pray that I am able to relax my tense soul and allow God to renew my sensitivities.