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Welcome to Beloveddiscipleship.com! The following content is focused on the beloved disciple of the Fourth Gospel, discipleship in general, and other musings from Dr. Jeffrey Garner.

Shake the poet and the beat

When one falls-in, an understudy of the Revolutionary Jesus, life runs against the grain.  I know mine is.  Today I embraced Paul's teachings of "do not return evil for evil, but ever follow that which is good."  He takes after Jesus's cheek-turning solution. This was not some lofty ideal but a transformative solution to ending the cycle of violence.  If a first century Jew struck another on the right cheek (meaning they hit  with their left hand, a dirty  disregard for human dignity since the left hand was used for hygiene) turning the left cheek would have brought an abrupt halt to the cycle of voilence.  The assailant would be forced to face the cheek of human dignity.  Its as if the disciple would be saying, "This cheek is the appropriate cheek to hit."  

Comerica Letter . . .

I just opened the letter from Comerica Bank.  It's official.  The note is being called because of debt service ratio below their demands.  I have until January 31, 2009 to find another lender or else . . .

Thank you for your prayers and whoever has connected me with Brooke from CNN I appreciate that as well.  I have a meeting with her tonight.

 When all of this started happening i was reminded of the story in the Bible of the man who owed the King in excess of $10,000,000 and was being placed in jail.  The man begged and pleaded for mercy and the king gave him mercy and worked with him.  Upon leaving the court he encountered a man that owed him $10.  He demanded that the man be put in jail and his family locked up.  The poor soul argued, "But its only $10.00 I can get it by next week."  To which the now $10million lighter man replied, "Sorry.  I'm not having mercy on you!" 

The King heard about this.  He demanded then that the 10 million dollar man be thrust into jail, and the other man be freed. Angrily he bellowed, "Who do you think you are? I just forgave you $10 million and you won't have mercy on someone for $10.  You dont deserve the compassion I have showed you.  I now sentence you to prison."

This story accurately reflects on the mercy God has showed toward us and how we ought to reflect forgiveness to others.  As i thought about how the government has bailed out all these banks to the tune of 000,000,000,000 . . . some kind of infinite number I thought about the spiritual collapse of the human race and how it was bailed out by Christ.  

I also thought it odd that the government would bail out these banks, but my bank is making it difficult for a little church in San Francisco that has never been late on a payment and who, like all other non-profits, is simply struggling with the cash-flow. 

Thank you for your prayers.  I trust that at the end of the day everything will be the way Heaven wants it to be.

So what should i do?

Monday i received a phone call from the VP of the bank that has given us a loan for our building.  It was a conference call and couldn't have come at a worse time.  We have never been late on a payment and we have never missed a payment in our 4 year history of owning this building.  Back to the conversation . . .

"Reverend Garner, we are going to terminate our relationship with you."--VP C___.

"Can you explain what that translates into?" I asked.

"Yes.  We. . . "  awkward silence and then 10 minutes of rambling in ambiguity, bankinese, and circles at the end of which they said, "we are calling the loan."

I was so perplexed.  I have struggled and struggled financially to keep the reputation and integrity of our church intact.

Finding another loan for our church right now in this market would be next to impossible.  And we certainly wouldn't get the 7.45% fixed interest rate we have now.  I feel betrayed and angry, exasperated and frustrated.  I want to cry, yell, get in someone's face and confront this dastardly act of injustice.  I want to call KRON 4 NEWS and tell them about how we are getting shafted from a bank.  You get the point.

If that wasn't enough I open a letter from another entity who are requesting my presence for questioning on related matters.  Last time I met with this group I returned only to pass out on the street in front of the church.

So what should i do?

We have just completed 40 days of community fasting.  It really was incredible.  Kimo, a wonderful Samoan leader, prayed for his sister-in-law who had died and she came back to life. Another lady in our church needed a $55,000 miracle or she was going to lose her house to foreclosure and God performed two miracles and someone gave her the cash and paid off all her bills.  Another man in the church needed a miracle to happen on his job or he would be terminated and it came through BIG TIME.  A whole lot of other things happened, but most profound for me was my prayer walks jumped me into a new kind of praying.  I pray everywhere i go, whispering petitions, love and thanks to God.  Somehow during all of this i have kept my faith in God.  I keep telling him, "I know you.  You are a loving Father who desires to bless me, gift me, promise me, and see me through.  I know you heart is tender toward us.  I know you are powerful, all powerful.  I trust you.  I trust your goodness toward us.  I trust your character."

I guess that is all i can do. 

No a miracle hasnt happened for me, yet.  I see the cloud the size of a man's hand.  Its the hand of love and grace that has never failed me.  I trust.  I cant help it. 

They are making fun of us . . . Ohhh No!

I received this email today.  It troubled me for several reason
(and not for predictable reasons).

Hey Everyone:
 
I am not one to send out the ongoing string of emails that are related to politics and/or things of substance that are sent to me. But this really shocked me to see the Washington Post mocking the Holy Ghost! I am more than convinced that America is big-time drifting away from God even though I know Christians from all faiths are highly concerned with the direction our country is going it is evident we are in a war within this country.
 
If this were a cartoon mocking other religions it would be a huge controversy and would most likely dominate the news. Scroll down and see how the liberal media views the sacred things of God.
 
signed__________



The email left some instructions from a pastor to contact the Washington Post and basically give them an earful.  Here is the sample letter I was encouraged to write.

 

A great come from behind story . . .

As painful as this illustration is going to be to my dad it really serves my purpose here.  Did you see the greatest come back in NBA finals history last night?!?!?! The Celtics took it to my father's beloved Lakers.  Down by 24 points at one point the Celtics staged a monumental comeback on their opponents court. It was classic comeback and it took the heart right out of the Lakers.  People had already tuned out the game, but that didn't stop the Celtics. I want to draw a parallel between last night's game and the story of Chuck Garner.   

All my life i have heard my dad say, "I am proud of you for [fill in the blank]." Whether it was Boy Scouts, Report Cards, Overseas Missions Trips, Basketball Trophies, Prose, Sermons, or my epic journey to a doctorate degree.  Each time he was there showering me with praise.   And although he liked nothing below a B he still found ways to

Stardust Memories and Colossian Light

Dennis Palumbo, in the 2007 Writer Manual, says, "There is a myth out there that if you take the right seminar, read the right books, get the right coach, have the right friends or contacts, then you’ll be successful.  That the person you are right now just isn’t enough. 
It’s a classical belief system.  You feel you have to be something more to succeed—smarter, better educated, funnier—with more interesting lives, unique experiences.  More something.

"As a therapist who works with writers I see this everyday.  Writers who believe all the other writers are more talented, more confident, less burdened by doubt.”

In the opening sequence of Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories, the glum Woody sits in a dark dingy train car with a handful of depressed and sour-faced killjoys.   He sees another train car—shining, brightly lit.  Inside beautiful men and women laugh, drink and enjoy the life of privilege.  A girl laughs at him and blows a kiss his way.  Woody despairs.  Why isn’t he in the sparkling car with sparkling people.

Have you ever looked around and wondered how you got stuck where you did?  Or wondered why you didn't have it as easy as the other guy?

Let Love Rule . . .

Lenny Kravitz sings it best "You Gotta Let Love Rule".  Some of the San Francisco disciples starting toying with this song and our creatives team leaders, Brandon and Amanda, placed it on our church cards, played it in our gatherings and pieced it onto the Beautiful Day project.

I have seen it hanging up on public school blackboards.  I have a couple signed by K.O.L band members.  Saw people carrying it around town.  And Brandon saw a homeless guy towing it on his fuzzy animal suitcase.  Thought you might get a kick out of it.  Check it out!

Q:  since i am feeling better, thank God, i was curious as to how often a person should blog.  Thanks to Brian and CJ I am really pumped about blogging and I have enough posts (15 or so) just clogging my files.  I guess my question is really two-fold: (1) How often?  (2) What is postworthy?  The posts include:

Proverbs of St Dominic: conversations with Polk Gulch homeless tribe (photo journaled with Bethany Louw).

The Deadliest Actsman:  a video-blog on the perils and adventures of pastoring in San Francisco.  Stupid spoof i have created inspired by the Deadliest Catch and Axemen.

Conversations on current sermon series "From Once-Upon-A-Time To Happily-Ever-After: crafting your personal story into a legacy.

Angst and Tension:  current controversial issues that are sure to stir up a debate.

Thank you for your replies 

Woozy

Sorry for not posting anything for the past week and a half.  I have not been well.

On Thursday I blacked out, the car i was in seemed as if it was spinning, in fact it felt like the whole world was spinning around.  I felt so out of control.  My equilibrium was off, so i knelt on the sidewalk vomiting, and disorientated.  A brother helped me back to the church.  Physically speaking it was one of the worst feelings i have experienced.  I laid on the stairs that lead up to the second floor thinking about Jed and Jeru and Julie and wondering what would become of them should i pass.  Kind of morbid, but candidly those were my all consuming thoughts.  Part of the human condition is to care and worry, protect and provide for those who need you most.  As ready as i am for the facing death, I fight against it so that i can make sure those i love are provided for and cared for.  Although i have life insurance i still feel compelled to meet spiritual needs and emotional and familial needs.

The symptoms of dizziness persisted through the weekend forcing me to miss church on Sunday.  And they continued through today forcing me to miss my class at Western Seminary. 

"For they watch for your soul"

Spiritual Authority 3

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Hebrews  13:17

Particularly in fundamentalist circles a verse like this can become a license for leaders to spiritually abuse people.  In my professional opinion most spiritual abuses are justified through a misuse of Scripture.  There is a real danger that when we correct a misuse we may fall into the trap of advocating for 'no use.'  I  believe misuses are best corrected by implementing proper use as opposed to abandoning all use.   

So what does this text really mean?  How should we interpret this verse? How do I apply a verse like this to my life? 

Don't Question People in Authority!

Spiritual Authority, post 2. For most of us post-Nixon children this is a no-brainer.  Whether it be NY Governor Spitzer, a parent who neglected their child in a car in a hot Phoenix sun, FEMA during hurricane Katrina or the CEO of Enron.  None of these entities or personalities have authority carte blanche.  Why then do pastors and televangelists think or maintain that they are above the scrutiny and accountability of man?   When the president of any other non-profit entity pads his pockets with money we cry foul play.  So how can pastors get away with financial indiscretions, spiritual abuse and ‘above-the-law’ antics?

"Thou Shalt Obey"--FLDS

  Spiritual Authority, post 1.
Many of us after watching the news and reading print media were appalled to discover the spiritual and physical abuse railed on so many women and children, teens and runaway souls.  Pictures of women dressed like Little House on the Prairie, with trance-like gazes, and crushed hearts wooed our curiosity and touched nerves of abuses we faced in life.  Whether you take the side of the state of Texas or take the side of the childless mothers you will notice very few taking the side of the men, and everyone taking the side of the kids.   As an attempt at understanding corporate abuse of this scale media hounds like Larry King and Andersen Cooper, Greta and O'Reilly are asking the same question.  How is it possible for these people to remain in bondage to their leaders?  In the land of the free and home of the brave, where everyone has equal rights, how is it possible that women and children don’t flee this abuse and authoritarian rule?

One woman in an interview said, “I spent 17 years being beat by my mother because I wouldn’t be obedient to my father and he wanted me in his bed.”

"Why I Love Peet's" Contest Winner

I just won 1 year's supply of Peet's Coffee.

Peets's said  that my story was chosen based  on originality, creativity, and relatedness.  In an email sent to me: "for twelve months you will be enjoying the subtleties of Peet’s fresh, deep-roasted coffee in our Comparative Tasting Tour.  Every month you’ll receive 2 pounds of coffee."  The package is valued at over $382.

To read my short story on why i love peets click below.

He maketh me to lie down . . .

So Julie and I are on Maui for Stephen and Emily's wedding.   We left on Tuesday (4/1/08).  I naturally have a hard time being away from church and home anyway, but its Maui right.  As we board we all talk about how it would be tough being on Aloha Air since they went bankrupt.  Could you imagine getting stranded on an island.  I have been stranded because of blizzard, but never on an island.  We arrive in Maui. First day is cool.  I wake up about 5am the second day to discover that our airlines went bankrupt too. 

Dreamy Intercessions

At the behest of my friends, proteges, and loving wife i am writing. Although i am unsure if anyone at this point has persisted in checking back with this blog (since i neglected my blog for a year), i figured i would launch a new post on something quite weird, and see if anyone in blogven notices.

Ok, so my academic pursuits have brought equilibrium to my hyper-spiritual experiences that i used to foray into as a youth.  But perhaps a four year hiatus from grad school has thrust me into my former spiritual awareness.  Regardless of why, for two weeks now i have had these dreamy sob sessions.  I cannot give details since it involves several parishioners in our community of worship.  But to give voice to what has been happening I will simply tell how it started. 

Jesus among the gods

"For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you."--Paul of Tarsus. 

Paul walks among the gods and goddesses of the Athenian cult. Amid the stories and statues, pagan superstitions and philosophical mysteries he finds Jesus.  Not an idol or a relic, but a space set aside for the Unknown. Paul seizes the moment and builds a sermon from an altar not crafted by Abraham or Moses, but by some polytheistic gentile.   Without TaNaK or Hebrew lore, in the most uncommon and unkosher of manners Paul unveils YHWH Creator among the gods.  In their familiar territory, under the gaze of Zeus and outstretched arm of Apollos, in the shadow of Aphrodite  Jesus is revealed.  He has no statue, only story.  He is no mere logos morphing to life through centuries of debate and myth.  Jesus, is logos in flesh.  Mystery in muscle.  The power of deity harnessed in sinew and blood, speaking through heart and soul.  Paul speaks in tandem with the resurrected Christ.  Since the Spirit of Christ lives in him, he freely quotes Epimenides (6th century B.C.E, Greek Seer and Servant of Zeus) "In him we live and move and have our being." Their response to Christ is more important than following the rabbinical protocol of speaking and substantiating himself with Torah so Paul turns and quotes another Greek Poet Aratus (3rd century B.C.E.) "For we are too his offspring" another Zeus quote Paul uses in describing the Unknown. 

For the full sermon series (April, 2008) visit San Francisco Lighthouse