Rob Prince's Blog, page 63

Chipotle, Aquaox and the Flint Water Crisis

I’ve been waiting for two and a half years to write the following six words:  There is a Chipotle in Flint!  

I love Chipotle. Silly Qdoba fans think that the restaurants are similar, but that is like saying a Ford Pinto and a Ferrari are similar or that a 13 inch, black and white Philco TV with rabbit ears and 65 inch LG OLED TV are similar. Besides missing a “U,” Qdoba will also be missing me, now that Chipotle in in town.

I cannot say with certainty but I believe there might be a Chipotle franchise in heaven (that and Chic-fil-A, of course). I also cannot say with certainty that the opening of the restaurant is in response to our church wide prayer “In Flint as it is in heaven.”  But I do know, it’s an answer to my prayers.  Luke was not writing about Flint and Chipotle, but it sounds like my sentiment with his words, “So there was great joy in that city” (Acts 4:8). Did I mention that I love Chipotle?

Chipotle isn’t the only good thing happening in Flint.  In things much more important than a barbacoa burritos (which I highly recommend, by the way), I am convinced that God is doing great things in the city.

Ours is a city with many needs but also many opportunities.  For instance, in response to the water issues some friends of some friends of mine who own a water filtration business (Aquaoxfilters.com) contacted me to see if our church would like a free church-wide system.  Central’s water is from Detroit, but our partner church Joy Tabernacle is in the heart of the city and in the center of the crisis.  To make a long story short, thanks to the generosity of AQUAOX and the hard work of Pastor Todd Womack and the plumbing skills of Central church’s Rick Marshall, Joy Tabernacle will have the water filtration system installed on Saturday. What a blessing for Pastor McCathern and the people of Joy Tabernacle to have clean filtered water!

Long ago, I heard a missionary say, “You can’t tell a thirsty person about Jesus until you’ve given him or her a cup of cool water.”  I never imagined the missionary’s comments would be true for where I lived in America.   But here we are and not surprisingly God is bringing people together to meet our clean water needs and spreading the Gospel.  Now I think Luke’s words truly are appropriate!  So there was great joy in the city! (Acts 4:8)

 

 

 

Lessons from a Snowy Day

1) Snowmen make lousy friends. While snowmen generally don’t talk about themselves and appear to be good listeners, the truth is snowmen rarely pay attention; frequently give the “cold shoulder;” and at the first sign of trouble (when things “get a little hot”) they disappear. Let’s not even discuss how snowmen are poor role models with their “corn cob” pipe habit.

2) Shoveling snow from one’s driveway and preaching sermons are similar. They both require a lot of work for something that will be mostly forgotten in a few months (Months? Who am I kidding? As far as sermons go, the words of a sermon are forgotten within minutes of delivery).

3) Managing slippery roads without snow tires and marriage counseling sessions are also similar. In both cases I frequently want to shout out: “Get a grip!”

4) Salt melts snow but not cauliflower. Salt also doesn’t melt away—bad memories, hurtful words, shame and guilt. For those things, the Holy Spirit’s work is amazing and freeing. To eliminate cauliflower and other unwanted vegetables, I have two words: garbage disposal.

5) No one can control the amount of snow that falls or the temperature outside (unless you are the evil villain in the James Bond movie). But you can control the amount of snow that remains on your doorstep and you can control the temperature of your heart. Don’t get distracted by the things you can’t control (i.e. snow accumulation); instead focus on what you can control. Keep your heart warm and the front porch clean.

6) There are a lot of great euphemisms for snow storms these days: Sno-megeddon, Sno-pocalypse, and Blizzardopoly. Kids (and teachers) simply call it “Hooray Snow day!” No matter the circumstance, keep looking at the bright side!

7) To get a snowplow to come down your street follow these four easy steps:

Clear all snow from your driveway (either by shovel or snow blower),
Return to your warm house
Remove all of your winter outerwear
Sit down in front of a fire with a cup of warm cocoa and a good book.

Within minutes the snowplow will roar down your street pushing snow back onto your driveway and filling your entrance with harden snow and ice chucks.

8) Snowflakes are individual and small, but when they stick together they can make a really big difference. It’s a lot like the church. On our own we might accomplish a little for Christ, but together we can accomplish so much more! Let’s keep sticking together!

 

Pitchers and Catchers Report Today

The best five words spoken in February are not:

 

Ground Hogs taste like chicken!

A Valentine’s card is enough

I made the Dean’s List

President’s Day Sale at Cabella’s

Chipotle will soon be open

 

All those are great words to hear but they are not as awesome as these five February words:

 

Pitchers and Catchers report today!

 

That means spring training can’t be far behind. (Start humming: “Take me out to the Ballgame”). The smell of hot dogs and cracker jack (does cracker jack smell?) will soon be in the air. The sun will be warmer; the days brighter and my dreams of the Tigers winning their first World Series since Reagan administration will captivate my imagination.

 

The words “Pitchers and Catchers report today” mean hope. There is hope that the snow will soon be gone and hope that my car thermometer will not read “0” like it did this morning. Hope is a wonderful thing!

 

Of course, for we believers our hope is much deeper than an improved bullpen (although I am excited that the Tigers relief pitchers might actually be able to throw the baseball over the plate). Paul in Romans 12:12 wrote, “Be joyful in hope.” I think that means that we believers should have giddy bit of anticipation as we wait upon the Lord. It’s like when you know the surprise gift a friend is about to receive; and you know they are going to love it; and yet it’s a surprise. The good news is almost bursting inside of you. You want to blurt out the secret; but you don’t. Instead you have a smile, deep within you because you know your loved one will be so happy when they open the gift. It’s a joyful hope.

 

We believers have a joyful hope. God is up to something in this old world. He has not forgotten us. He has not abandoned us. He is creating and making all things new. Like the news of a surprise gift, this joyful hope we have brings a deep down satisfaction that God is on the cusp of doing something so amazing and exciting. But unlike the surprise gift of a friend, you don’t have to keep this news secret. Tell it. Let the cat out of the bag. Let the world know: We have a joyful hope that God is alive and He is at work! His creative, redemptive and powerful love is about to be unleashed! That’s even better news than “Pitchers and Catchers report today!” (Although I am pretty excited about that news too! Go Tigers!)

Jesus and the Flint Water Crisis

It seems like everybody is talking about Flint these days. Our city is on the national news. Celebrities and politicians all have opinions, views and various forms of outrage on our water problems. Jesse Jackson and Michael Moore have showed up and even Cher (I got you babe) has sent a truckload of water.

 

That got the theologian in me thinking, what if Jesus himself showed up in Flint. My firm belief, of course, is that Jesus has been and continues to be in Flint as He works through his followers, but you know what I mean… If Jesus physically walked up the city hall steps, what would he do?

 

Jesus and water are seen together a lot in scripture. In Matthew 14, Jesus walked on the water. Maybe that task would be a little easier on Flint’s lead laced water supply. Water was a big part of his conversation with the woman at the well in John 4. When she came at noon to get her bucket of water, Jesus told her he could give her “living water and she would never be thirsty again.” He wasn’t speaking of the liquid at the bottom of the well, but a spring of life that could bubble up within her soul. Still, maybe if Jesus came to Flint, he would offer our residents the opportunity to never drink from their contaminated faucets again. We’d all like that.   And remember Jesus first miracle involved water. Maybe if Jesus came to Flint he could turn the mud slinging, blame-casting politician’s whine into water. That would be nice.

 

But maybe the most telling words from Jesus concerning Flint and water are in Matthew 25 when he said, “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” Maybe if Jesus walked up the Flint city hall steps he would say, “I was thirsty and you made sure that I was drinking clean water. I was thirsty and you looked after me. I was thirsty and you educated me on what to do in the midst of this crisis. I was thirsty and you didn’t forget about me. ”

 

As a Jesus follower in Flint, I might not be able to pull out of my wallet enough money to fix the infrastructure of our lead pipes or provide enough bottled water for all of our residents to drink until the politicians and civil engineers figure out the next steps. But in the meantime, I can look after my thirsty brothers and sisters. I can partner with organizations in the education, distribution, and care of those whose water is not fit to drink. I can volunteer through organizations like the Red Cross. And I continue to pray that God would work, that people would be spared from the negative impact of this ordeal and that the followers of Jesus like me would step up and say, “I want to be part of the long term solution not just spout outrage when the video cameras are rolling.”

 

If Jesus came walking into Flint, I think he would say, “This is my city. I have not abandoned you or forgotten you. I love this place and I am here to make everything new.”

A Plea to our Leaders

In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul wrote: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” Earlier in the same letter to the Corinthians Paul called the believers: “I urge you to imitate me” (1 Corinthians 4:16). Similarly, to the church at Thessalonica, Paul wrote that he and his companions “offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate” (2 Thessalonians 3:9). And the author of Hebrews encouraged the believers to “remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Hebrew 13:7).

 

All of this to say, as a leader you are to live a life worthy of imitation: in prayer, in love, in service, in attitude, in purity, in giving, in the study of God’s Word, in commitment to building the Kingdom of God.

 

Could you say with Paul to the people in your care: “Follow my example as I follow Christ”? If everyone in your church prayed as much as you, read his or her Bible as much as you, sacrificially gave as much as you, served as much as you; were as friendly to newcomers as much as you, testified of their faith to non believers as much as you—would it be a better, deeper, wider, more dynamic church?

 

I can hear the resistance now: That’s a lot of pressure. I don’t want my life to be under a microscope. I will mess up and I don’t want others to stumble because of me. Two Words: Horse Hockey! Quit hiding behind a spiritually sounding but wimpish leadership reality that say, “Look to Jesus not to me.”  If you are a leader: LEAD!  It’s what you do!  Are you prefect? No. Will you make mistakes; lose your temper; say something or do something dumb? Yes! Yes! Yes!  Still, in our local churches and in our denomination we need leaders who are willing to lead by their example!  

 

Lead in such away that you could tell anyone —imitate my walk with the Lord and follow me as I follow Christ.

Christmas is not about…

Christmas is NOT about…

 

Angels sweetly singing o’re the plains (that sounds almost sacrilegious to say that Christmas is not about Angels?! But it’s not). And it’s not even about…

Bethlehem or Boughs of Holly—fa la la la la la la or

Candy Canes or Candles or Cookies or Christmas Cards or Chestnuts roasting on an open fire (Have you ever roasted a chestnut by an open fire? Marshmallows? Yes. Chestnuts? No.) or

Decorations or dinners or

Elves (sorry, Buddy). Christmas is not about…

Family, friends, Frosty the Snowman, Fruitcake (it’s definitely NOT about Fruitcake. Who eats that stuff?) or Figgy pudding (whatever that is) or

Gifts or Garland or Good King Wenceslas (whoever that guy was) or

Happy Holidays (to any PC police who happen to be reading) or

Icicles or Ivy or

Jingle Bells or Jolly Ol’ St. Nick or

Kris Kringle or the Kids in Girl and boy land who will have a jubilee (I’m not sure where “Girl and Boy land” is and I’m not sure I endorse their “having a jubilee) or a

Little drummer boy or

Magi or Mistletoe or Macy’s or Marshalls or anything that ends in “Mart” (not “K-Mart,” “Steinmart” or “Wal-mart“) or

Nog. Not Egg Nog or any other nog. No Nog (bluck!) or

Ornaments or Over the hill tops and through the woods to Grandmother’s House we go or

Presents or parties or Peppermint Mocha coffee or poinsettias or a partridge in a pear tree or

Quiet moments by the fire or

Ribbon or Reindeer or Rudolph (who technically is a reindeer) or

Snow or stockings or sleigh rides or Stars or Stables or Shepherds or Silver Bells or Santa Claus or

Tinsel or trees (Real or artificial) or

Unwrapping packages or

Visitors from the East bearing gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh (Why doesn’t myrrh have a vowel?) or

Winter Wonderland or Wreathes or White Elephants or Wassail (Why can’t we just call it cider?) or

Xtra Xtra read all about it—headlines on the internet or

Yule Logs or Yule Tide or Yul Brynner for you Ten Commandment fans (Which isn’t a part of the Christmas story in case you are wondering) or

Zippy the Elf (please forgive me, “Zippy” was the best “Z” word I could come up with)

 

A to Z it’s not about any of those things.

 

Christmas IS about Jesus.

 

Period.

 

The end.

Merry Christmas from Rob and Karla

December 2015

The Princes: Our Annual Christmas Letter and 30 Carols too.

(There are 30 Christmas carols in our informative little prose below. Enjoy.)

In Michigan with no snow on the ground, no one is saying, it’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas. Which has caused Rob to repeatedly exclaim: “Let it snow. Let it snow. Let is snow!” in hopes that soon the mornings will be frosty. The Snowman will be built because here comes Santa Claus! Christmas time is here and so is the time to recap our year for our family and friends.

Our 2015 included some wonderful trips but none through Pennsylvania. We did not go through O big town of Pittsburgh or O little town of Bethlehem. Instead we went to Maine, Boston and Cooperstown (via our car not a sleigh ride); a mission trip to Panama where surprisingly no one told us “Feliz Navidad” (probably because we were there in March not December); and go tell it on the mountain, Blaire’s graduation from MidAmerica Nazarene University!

Speaking of Alex and Blaire, they are still living in Kansas even though we’ve been wishing they would say, “I’ll be home for Christmas with a moving truck and my favorite things.“ Alex is working for Northwestern Mutual hoping to earn some Silver. Bells ring when babies are born at KUMed and nurse Blaire gives care in the Mommy/Baby unit. They have two dogs and no matter how many requests Karla has made to Santa, baby or babies are not yet in the plans. Grand-dogs will have to do.

We are happy when our phones jingle. Bells ringing end the silent night and I ask Karla, “Do you hear what I hear? It must be Ben calling from Olivet.” Our junior business major worked in the summer for non-profit Forge Flint where youth groups would be up on the house top repairing a dilapidated building. Ben is also dating Madison from Peoria, Illinois. He is becoming a responsible man that has left us asking, “What child is this?”

Karla spends much of her time caring for her folks. You may recall that last year Mary fell down a flight of stairs and it looked like grandma got run over by a reindeer. While she is doing much better, Arling’s constant wandering has left us asking her mom in Yoda-like fashion, “Mary, did you know that dad is not on the deck, the halls walking he is!” Arling and Mary (married for 54 years) are managing through Arling’s Alzheimer’s, still Karla has not come from Brookdale Assisted Living saying, “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” Every day is a new adventure, which Karla handles with incredible grace.

Rob has been offering the invite, “O come all ye Faithful and even to the not-so-faithful please come to Flint Central.” The church is doing great and his two-year pastoral review went well. As he walks the corridors of Central church he has said, “I wonder as I wander what new good things God has for us?”

With no snow, it looks like we will have a green and not a White Christmas. But the news doesn’t have to make you blue. Christmas isn’t about a color. It’s all about sweet little Jesus boy, born away in a manger and came so that we could experience real joy. To the world and to our friends we hope you have yourself a merry little Christmas!

Rob and Karla

My Two Cents on the Split in the Church of the Nazarene Chatter (one pastor’s perspective)

I read a blog this week about a possible split within the Church of the Nazarene and how we might avoid it. It was an interesting read, but honestly I don’t think there will be a “split.” At least there will not be a church split in the traditional sense. By that I mean “Party A” gets mad at “Party B” storms off and starts a new church or movement. Quite frankly, I don’t see a united, passionate storming off by anyone or any group on the right or left of most issues in the Church of the Nazarene. I think church splits on a general church level make for interesting conversation but have little groundswell momentum.

Instead I think what has been happening and what continues to happen is the silent but deadly evaporation of church people into the unknown world of church hoppers, church shoppers, drop-outters and sleeper-inners. We have people leaving because they don’t see the passion and the relevancy of the church. They are leaving because after years of being “silo-ed” into their age group gatherings, they have zero connection to the greater church body. We have people leaving because they fail to see a church captivated by a mission and vision. They are leaving because churches are no longer acting like the Bride of Christ, but look more like the two-timing girl friend of Jesus (we like him sometimes, when it’s convenient).

We can’t fix all the problems in the Church of the Nazarene, but we can make Central Church a place that looks more like the Bride of Christ. Central church does NOT have to accept those ingredients that create a death mix for the church. How? We stick to our priorities. Connecting with God means our worship is alive, vibrant and intent on making disciples; Connecting to Each Other calls for us to be inter-generational and aware that the people sitting along side of us are important no matter their gender, age, color or political affiliation; Connecting to our Community screams for us to be relevant on Bristol Road, in Flint Township and Genesee County. Our neighbors need to know we love them! And Connecting to the World says we are not alone on this spinning globe, but we have a responsibility to be Christ’s ambassadors “to the end of the earth.”

Listen, I have no interest in being the two-timing girlfriend of Jesus. Let’s look and act like the Bride of Christ! Join me in praying for our church and the days ahead.

Terrorism destroys; Jesus restores

Our next door neighbor growing up was Mr. Bilow. (I don’t remember his first name. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t “Mister.”). I don’t know remember a lot about him. I was just a kid. But I do remember that Mr. Bilow restored old cars. Tow trucks would drag broken down jalopies into his driveway; Mr. Bilow would push the car into his garage, and then he would begin to work. In many ways, Mr. Bilow was an artist. Cars would enter his garage as a rusty, ugly bucket of bolts and leave his garage as a gleaming, restored vintage automobile. Mr. Bilow looked at those broken down vehicles and saw what they could become.

That’s how I want to be. Not with cars, but as I view our world. I long to see Christ restore the whole earth. I want to look at the broken systems and misappropriated ideologies and see what could happen when God’s Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.

Last weekend’s horrid events in France reminded me again how broken our world has become. When terrorists indiscriminately destroy and kill, I still want my focus to be on the One who declares, “I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5). When everything within me wants to run in fear, I need to be reminded that God tells us over and over in his Word, “Fear Not!” (Truth: 365 times the Bible says, “Fear not.” Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe God wants us remember every day of the year, even on days when terrorists wreak their havoc: FEAR NOT).

Like Mr. Bilow looking at a broken down Chevy and seeing a hot rod, I want to look at the world not through the terrorist’s evil agenda and blurred vision but through a God sized lens and imagine the possibilities of what could happen when people of God roll up our sleeves and get to the work of offering our world God sized solutions. Paul reminded a handful of believers in a thoroughly pagan culture in Thessalonica that “Our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5) Our world doesn’t need more words. The talking heads on the news channels give us plenty of words. What our world needs is a lived out Gospel message that has power, the Holy Spirit and a deep conviction. What our world is dying for is the dynamic, creative, transformative work of the Holy Spirit empowering us to love even our enemies and offering a better way to our broken down, fearful culture.

What rust and age destroyed, Mr. Bilow restored.

What sin and evildoers attempt to destroy, Jesus restores. Fear Not!

You might need a Spiritual Renewal Week if…

… The last time you read a Bible verse it was on a Christmas card.

… “Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub” was your most recent prayer.

… You bought earplugs for yourself for “Pastor Appreciation Month.”

… You started a petition drive for: “No Tithe November”

… Your co-workers refer to you as “The mean guy with an attitude.”

… Your most “spiritual” exercise on Sundays is taking a “Nazarene Nap.”

… Criticism is your spiritual gift.

… By showing up on Christmas Eve, you’ll double your church attendance for the year.

… You’ve learned the hard way that “Passing of the Peace” is not the time to grab the usher’s toupee and tell him to “Go Deep.”

… When you are compared to Oscar the Grouch, most people think the green puppet is a tad friendlier.

… You can recite the last dozen Detroit Lions football coaches, but can’t recall the twelve disciples’ names.

…The last time you shared your faith– it was to a full service Standard Oil gas station attendant as he filled your Chevy Vega gas tank and washed your windshield.

… In the friendship registers you sign in under the alias, “Mr. Noah It-all.”

… You’ve spent an entire sermon humming to yourself “99 Bottle of Beer on the Wall.”

… When asked to name your favorite hymn, you replied, “Hotel California.”

… The only time you were the first person to Sunday School, you broke into a cold sweat and thought: RAPTURE!

Or more seriously, you might need a Spiritual Renewal Week if it’s time to re-invigorate your soul and spend some quality time with the Lord. You might need a Spiritual renewal if it seems your spiritual tank is empty; your marriage is rocky; life is overwhelming; and you’re tired or just plain cranky. You might need a Spiritual Renewal if like the psalmist you are asking: Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalm 85:6)