Digging Wells

A friend sent me a package today. It had several pieces. A journal with a lapis lazuli stone framed in tamped camel leather, a homemade bird the color of sunset and notes with her handwriting.

Inside the journal was a bookmark with a note “We value Soulation”, a check made out to Soulation fell into my hands.

The well inside me broke.  I stood in the kitchen and cried, feeling small, grateful, undone in amazement that this friend would give to us.

Bread and Butter

I have met men who are brainstorming a new way to do ministry. Bivocationalism, Chris Kopka calls it (read more at “The New Tentmakers“). It looks like a pastor taking a side-job as a consultant. Or a Christian producer paying his bills by painting walls. Every one wants to do what they love and make money, but these days you probably can’t, not with the way consumerism blends into evangelical Christianity.

There are certain topics you can’t talk about, certain pieces you can’t write, certain positions you can’t claim and still make money. Christians, Christian ministries, churches are not immune from this. If you don’t believe me, see how difficult it is to find Christians on both sides of issues providing a platform for both sides to debate things like: abortion, BDSM, gun control, divorce, gay marriage. You target too many of these you’ll find your audience amazed and slightly confused that you don’t fit the branding of the conservative or liberal Christian they thought you were (Ellen Paint Dollar’s experience with Her-meneutics is a good case in point)

But honest inquiry is precisely what Christian thought needs if we are to remind our world that Jesus is relevant, that trusting God with something like our sexuality or our decision about weapons is part and parcel of trusting him with our salvation (btw, a post on my position on gun control is in the works). But honest inquiry without editorial antiseptic is what some major Christian sources of news and power will not permit: it’s too threatening to their donor base.  Famous Christian writers have told Dale and I the same, “I love your book,” they said, “But I can’t endorse it due to the donor base I’d lose.”

Fear born out of loss of the bread and butter that makes their organization run.

My husband and I are largely immune from this fear. First, because we are bi-vocational. Our non-profit has never given us the money to put bread and butter on our table.  Second, because we are convinced that becoming more fully human (our mission) requires honest investigation into the issues that most Christian organizations will not touch with a yardstick. You can’t become fully human and avoid gender, sexuality, money, politics, orientation, ecology, history, literature, economics, philosophy, etc. You cannot be a disciple of Jesus and protect pieces of your soul from his touch.

Missionaries to America

Photo credit: marionmedical.org/water.htm

Last week, my husband and I invited our new babysitter L and her fiancé C over for dinner.  We talked about their work (helping orphans in Uganda) and our work (healing souls in America) and compared notes. We agreed we’re both missionaries. But after a few minutes, C boldly announced, “I’d much rather be a missionary to Africa than a missionary in America.”

It is much easier to raise funds to dig a well for a group of orphaned children in Africa, than to build a spiritual well for a group of well-fed but  spiritually thirsty Americans. Don’t believe me? Just compare the home pages of our mutual ministries. You can see which is funded better.

It’s easy to see that Ugandan children need food and a home. This is a vital, G0d-fearing road for many Jesus followers.  I’m glad C and L have given up their jobs in the USA to help orphans.

But, as a missionary to American culture, running a non-profit that builds wells of spiritual food, I can say there is a need for money beyond the wells of Africa.

Soulation builds safe places for the spiritually thirsty.  We dig wells: of spiritual mentorship for free (Ask Live), of safe, intelligent, emotionally rich community to answer questions (MyFaithHurdle), of a team of writers who write on the mundane and challenging life of following Jesus (BreakfastReading),  of a team of writers with graduate degrees who blend spiritual formation and apologetics (SturdyAnswers), not to mention RubySlippers.

We offer these wells . . . for free.

We draw those who are Christians in America but know there is more.  We attract:

the spiritually abused who hunger to know that God doesn’t bless their abusers
the silent addicts who also teach Sunday school
the educators in our Christian churches and schools who feel overwhelmed and under-resourced
the husband who want to know their wives beyond their body
the women who want to know themselves beyond their roles
the people who want to make sense of the faith of their childhood and the wounds of their youth.
the Christians who want discipleship beyond the small group or teaching at their local church.
skeptics who have been burned by the church who want to take a honest second-look at Jesus.

The PR War

Have you even given to cover the $3k for a young person’s trip to Africa, to make a life-changing impact? Don’t we contribute to their mission trip because we know them, they go to our church and we want them to feel supported?

They go to Africa, they come home a week later. We see pictures of the young white youth in our churches hugging orphaned children in Africa and we believe good work is being done.  And it may be.

But what about the African-American children who grow up in America and need Jesus, who never hear that Jesus cares about the poor in spirit and body in America? What about the white children in America who cut their wrists in order to feel again, even while they attend youth group? What about the woman praying for death, the college student confused by Scripture, the Christian man who believes he is gay, the Christian who wants counsel about ending his own cycle of consumerism, or the man enslaved to objectifying women? Where will they go?

What about the young woman who wants to understand her gift of preaching and her love for Jesus, the high school principle who wants to share meat with his Bible teachers, the artist in New York who is convinced the church only wants painting of Bible scenes before they bless her vocation, the film star who loves good art and Jesus, where will they go?

These are the people who come to Soulation.

And it was time I told you. Soulation is in need.

Each month, the platform that makes RubySlippers, “Ask Live”, BreakfastReading and MyFaithHurdle is growing more tenuous.  So with the best that it is in me, I invite you to consider giving to Soulation. For this year, make Soulation the recipient of your missionary and church giving.

Your money will make a cultural change in this country.

The Numbers

Soulation currently exists with less than $200 a month in monthly donations. With these funds we reach over 200,000.

Book table after event in southern California

How? Dale and I have given our time, full-time, for the last eight years, to build Soulation to what it is. We donate every honorarium we receive to pay our writers and staff.

But we can’t continue like this. In a matter of months, Soulation will either hibernate (our free online resources will shut down) or we will become sustainable through . . .

you.

If you value RubySlippers, BreakfastReading, MyFaithHurdle, SturdyAnswers, AskLive, our online videos or podcasts or audio, if you think becoming more fully human is a worthy goal in the kingdom of God, if you care about the people we at Soulation care about, if you want to provide and protect safe places for thirsty souls to drink, then I invite you to consider giving to us.

Speaking at Biola University, Fall 2012

If  each of you gave $10 to Soulation each month, we would be able to continue without shutting down a single well. And you’d be a part of making a safe place where the thirsty can drink.

Can you imagine it?

Would you join my friend and value Soulation?

Donate here.