March New Life Program Graduation Message

In his cynicism, the writer of Ecclesiastes 9:3 lamented: “It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. That is why people are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.” And we were all on that path – as were you when you came into the Mission.

But God has set a choice with a promise before us in Deuteronomy 30:19: “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live.” This is the new path that we must choose daily.

We are all here . . . every one of us is here because we made choices along the way that brought us to this place – some on one side of Mission services and some on the other. A few of us have found ourselves on both side of these services of emergency food, clothing shelter and counsel . . . we are each part of the hope of hospitality that leads to life. Both sides have a choice . . . to be one who extends our hand out with assistance and hope – or to be one to extend our hand in receipt of assistance and hope.

We are here to celebrate seven individuals who made their choice a year ago and now find themselves new persons. I am here to challenge you as you go forward. Your choices do not end here on this night of celebration . . . they have only begun. However, they are begun anew. What will be your choices in the future?

In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says that when you make a promise, let your yes be yes, and your no be no. How can you strengthen your resolve and your promise you make tonight – to choose yes? How do you continue to choose the right thing, and the right way?

One is in and through prayer* – as we commune and converse with God. But God is not like a vending machine where we insert a coin (or prayer) and expect to get anything we want . . . Prayer changes the one who prays. It is an intimate discussion with the One who created and loves you. That is how you find the power to choose yes.

Another is through self-examination of our conscience. A deliberate reflection on your daily choices can be made by asking yourself about your relationship with God. Where are you in relationship to Christ – and what you know to be His will for you? What are your choices? Which will glorify Him? Or which will weaken your relationship? What implication does that choice have for your future? Consider that.

Thirdly, you can also confide in your relationship with those of faith who God puts in your life . . . as you did in the daily check-ins here, you must continue to be open to share with others the choices you are facing. Keep allowing yourself to be transparent with others, and open to the wisdom of godly peers and counselors. We are here for you.

Prayer, self-examination, and staying in community . . . these are what I charge you with developing, strengthening and sustaining in your lives as you seek to make the right choices in your continuing journey with Christ. As you have been doing the past year, seek grace and strength to say no to destruction and ruin, and make a fully conscious choice about who you are and who it is that you will become.

God Bless You.

* I give credit for this outline to Shawn Copeland in Practicing Our Faith (Jossey-Bass: 1997)

My Message to Our 2010 December Graduates

This last Wednesday night, 54 men and women boarded a yellow school bus to go to the first night of the Winter Shelter. Chaplain Jeff commented to me as we watched that many of those individuals had likely once boarded a yellow school bus as a youngster to go to school . . . never thinking that one day that same bus would take them to a homeless shelter. No one plans to become homeless.

Neither did a young couple 2000 years ago when they were required to return to their hometown for a census . . . Luke 2: While they were there, the time came for Mary to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

There was no room for them in that town of Bethlehem . . . as you may have felt a year ago—that there was no room for you in Long Beach; but you found a place—a bit nicer than a manger for animals—and God met you here. Just as God (literally) met that family in Bethlehem, and continues to meet men, women and children down through the ages.

If you have seen the long-running Charlie Brown’s Christmas on TV, you may recall Charlie, Snoopy and the rest of the gang are practicing their Christmas program. Charlie Brown is charged with finding a tree appropriate for the program. Along with Linus, he searches through row after row of metal trees hoping to find the perfect one. Finally, they locate a tiny tree that’s barely clinging to life. Linus warns Charlie Brown that the others will not like the tree, but he takes it anyway—and it sheds needles all along the way back to the stage. When Charlie hangs a single ornament on it, the tree’s needles fall off and it bends to the ground as dead.

As you can imagine, Lucy, Snoopy and Charlie’s other friends give him all kinds of grief. And they ask Charlie why he chose such a pitiful tree.

Do you recall Charlie’s answer? He said, “The tree needed me.”

At a time when you needed help, you were that tree in the tree lot—and no one wanted you; but you needed us . . . and you came here for help . . . ultimately choosing to come into the New Life Program. And and somewhere along the way to this day the roles became reversed.

As God’s gift to each of us who have been reconciled to him finds out, we needed you as much as you needed us. His Word in Corinthians says that it is the weakest members that are worthy of more honor—that we are to embrace those in need as we would Christ Himself. That's God’s economy.

Now you are at a transition—not the finish line. You will have new responsibilities. As well as moving on in your life, you are now reconcilers. The One who reconciles us, makes us reconcilers of others . . . and you now become reconcilers.

Reconciliation may be with yourself first, and then to family relationships, or to someone down the road . . . but you are now given the same task of becoming reconcilers of God’s grace to others—the community—the world. That same grace that you have freely been given will be passed on through you to others. That is being the light of the world . . .

I will leave you with two scripture verses:
1 John 1:7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Ephesians 5:8: For you were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light.

We will continue to be here for you—as family, and as a kingdom community—to help you keep walking in that light . . . and help you pass that on to others as a testimony of God’s grace.

God Bless you.

Life Graduations

Sorry for the absence of updates, but life is just so busy . . . most of my writing lately has been for my Masters program at Fuller Seminary.

So much has gone on since my last post, but one thing that stands out is our last New Life Program graduation service. Four outstanding men had finished their one-year program and they were receiving their diplomas. It’s always a special event and this one was no exception. These guys had given their all and were at the finish line. We were so proud of them – and of the much revamped program that they were the first-fruits of.

Each of the three spoke during the ceremony, and it’s always a treat to hear what the program meant to them. One guy, Jay (who was on the cover of our last newsletter) had us in stitches as he shared about the other guys; he was a regular standup comedian. But then he took us to tears as he shared about what had gone on in his own life.

This was no regular graduation where our kids finished a course of education and move on to the next step . . . I've been through four high school graduations and three undergraduate degree graduation of my kids, so I know how it feels and how proud their mother and I are for their success. This graduation was an amazing Life Graduation . . . these guys overcame serious issues and completed a course of study and work that most of us can't fathom. They have graduated into a new phase of life – reconciled to God, with themselves, family, and now to society. I am as proud of them as my own kids . . . and am blessed to have a small part in these Life Graduations.

Thank you for being a part of it all.