My Apologies

This is Jan, your blog moderator. I have just received a new post from Dave, and while preparing to post it I realized that I have failed - failed miserably - to properly moderate this blog this past month. Consequently many of Dave's articles were not timely posted and several of your comments languished in blogger land. Please accept my most humble apologies and place every blame on me rather than Dave. Thank you.

Can I Trust You?

A few moments ago, my best friend approached me with the question, "What is this week's sermon about?" My response to her was, "Can I trust you?" The answer to her question created a very awkward moment. Why would I possibly respond in such a way to her honest question. After all, we've shared everything for years. She decided to guess that maybe I was joking, and responded, "Is this week's sermon, top secret? Will you need to kill me if I find out?" (From a famous line in a spy movie.)

I could not help, but giggle; and finally told her, "The title to this week's sermon at CCR is 'Can I trust you?'" Our little pseudo-romantic game may indicate how deep down we all still have these questions of trust. We all have parts of our life that have yet to be fully exposed. We long for authenticity, but keep cautiously asking the questions of trust.

This week we will continue our series on Entrepreneurs of Faith who Build the Institutions of Community. We will look at the fifth habit to avoid - A lack of trust. Without trust development is impossible. In fact, Rwanda is probably more at a disadvantage for development than almost any other country if her people are not trustworthy. For instance, the world will always come to Nigeria for oil no matter how corrupt the system. The world will only come to invest in Rwanda, because they believe her people are worthy of trust.

I believe that our lack of trust is driven by deep seeded wounds. If one has been wounded by a parent figure, they learn not to trust a community's authority and live in continual rebellion. If one has been hurt by a brother or sister we learn to look for advantages through deception. If one has been wounded by a neighbor we learn to be jealous, irresponsible, and falsely blame others. In the end we become consumed with destroying what we can not control.

This week we'll look back to the oldest stories of God and man. We'll see that we have an eternal Father who is worthy of trust. It is His nature to provide, protect, and guide. We have an older brother who sacrificed his very life for us. Though our human nature is full of limitations, our eternal Father put His Spirit inside us to teach us how to be a brother to our community.

The answer to the basic question of "Can I trust you?" is a paradox. On one hand of course not as we have all fallen short. On the other hand of course we can because we are made in the image of God. I believe our God is one of victory, and His intentions will be eternally triumphant. Thus I chose to trust men made in His image. Will this decision leave me wounded? Yes, but I have no other alternative if I desire to bless my community. Will you join me in blessing our community?

Dave

Membership Privileges

This coming weekend we'll have our Beginnings Class at CCR. Attending it is a requirement to become a CCR member.

Some of you may be asking why it is such a big deal to become a church member. After all, theologically once we believe in Jesus we are part of the universal church for which Christ gave his blood. I agree absolutely with you. All that is required to be a "true church member" is to believe in Jesus' resurrection and submit to his Lordship. Yet, it this process of Lordship where things get tricky. We human beings are by nature stubborn and independent. How many times have you said or heard the phrase, "I don't want anyone telling me what to do." Great we all feel that way. However, what happens to children, employees, or nations with no order? It's unacceptable chaos. We all know that authentic life requires submission and community. Thus a way that we submit to the Lordship of Jesus is to become part of local bodies of His universal church. Only when we live in a committed community with others can we continue on the path of growing in our relationship with Jesus.

A few months ago, some of us studied Rick Warren's, Purpose Driven Life; and Rick made the point that according to Paul, Jesus' Leading First Century Church Planting Pastor it is impossible to be an "unchurched Christian." It seems that Paul should know what he is writing about so even in the modernity of today, if we want to grow as disciples of Jesus we need to be committed to a local body of believers.

At CCR we want us all to be united in vision and purpose. Also, we want us all to be growing and pulling in the same direction. If you have another church home please stay there, but if you are exploring and seeking we invite you to journey with us.

This weekend's Beginning Class will happen at 2 times. One will be Saturday, 6 September from 1 to 5. The other will be after our worship this Sunday, 7 September. Please feel free to attend the class at your convenience. In the Beginnings Class we'll review the core parts of our faith and explain the CCR vision so that you can better understand where we are going.

Hope to see many of you this weekend.

God bless,

Dave

Let's Talk

Four months ago, I was invited to a seminar hosted by the Ministry of Local Government to discuss values that would lead to Rwanda's development. The list included 5 habits to avoid and 6 values to emulate. From this list, CCR leadership has crafted our teaching series on Faith Based Entrepreneurs who Build Institutions of Community. This week, I've come to possibly the most difficult habit to avoid, Fear of Conflict - Artificial Harmony.

When ever I read or hear the word conflict, I find myself becoming afraid. In fact, I don't sleep well at night. Sometimes my stomach is in knots, my face becomes red, and I have a difficult time concentrating and creating. My emotions can spin out of control. Some of us may even struggle with such a high level of stress about conflict that we find ourselves dealing with what professionals call Post Traumatic Stress.

If I had my choice this Sunday I would preach on a much easier topic than conflict.

However, I also have dear friends with whom I don't share all the same beliefs and values. In fact, when I describe my interactions with these friends I use words such as debate and discussion to express how the interaction takes place. I've found their friendship makes me a better person.

I also have friends who have disappointed me and we've needed to go back to discover what went wrong. Other wise we live in a shadowy world of half truths and misunderstandings. This world of relationship shadows is so murky that it can create an artificial sense of harmony that will unexpectedly explode.

Jesus of Nazareth knew this would be our life. If we live in community we will have misunderstandings and disagreements. It is inescapable. We must talk to one another and find ways to heal and move forward. The only way not to have disagreements is to have no legitimate community.

Also, because we are human we also will act in ways that are selfish and destructive to others. In those situations we must come clean and take responsibility.

This Sunday, we'll look at Jesus' words in Matthew 18:15-35 and find that we must talk. I know that this Sunday will be an uncomfortable discussion for us. However, I also believe it will be one that we desperately need. I hope to see you this Sunday.

Imana ikurinde,

Dave

Don't Miss CCR Opportunity

It has been a delight to be back in Kigali for a month and see many of you. This week I want to send a message to draw attention to some activities that I believe will be of great benefit to many of you. They are our CCR Women's Fellowship, CCR Beginnings Class, and opportunities to discuss CCR teaching on Faith Driven Entrepreneurs in your home or office.

Our CCR Women's Fellowship will meet this coming Sunday, 31 August immediately after worship in the Youth Room above the CCR Hall. The Women's Fellowship will discuss last week's sermon, "Opportunity Knocks."

Next, if you are considering becoming a member of CCR we have created a special course called "Beginnings." In it we in detail discuss our CCR Beliefs and Vision. We will have 2 opportunities for you to attend Beginnings. One will be on Saturday, 6 September from 1 to 5. The other will be immediately following our worship service, on Sunday, 7 September. We'll provide a light lunch for those of you who attend on Sunday.

The last opportunity is that we would like to come to some of your homes or offices for 6 weeks to discuss our series on Faith Based Entrepreneurs. The plan would be to meet for approximately 1 hour each week. If you would like to host this discussion, please contact Bryan Hixson or myself.

This week our sermon topic will be "Use it or Lose It." We'll look at the Itorero Value to be avoided of ambiguity and lack of commitment, and find the words of Jesus tell us that we walk a path with an incomprehensible God who holds us responsible for our actions.

I hope to see you this weekend.

Imana Ikurinde,

Dave

P.S. Our CCR Staff has just refined our CCR Vision Statement to BY GOD'S GRACE WE WILL DEVELOP DIVERSE GENERATIONS OF LEADERS WHO WILL TRANSFORM COMMUNITIES FOR THE GLORY OF GOD. We look forward to discussing the implications of this vision with many of you.

I Miss Coffe in Kigali

My family is traveling in the U.S. It has been a pleasant change of venue, but we miss Kigali. In fact, this past weekend I’ve come to the conclusion that what I miss most about Kigali is mid day coffee breaks. We had a startling realization this past weekend. It may be a rather small realization in the big picture of Rwanda’s development, but something absolutely out of the ordinary is happening in bars, restaurants, and coffee shops in Kigali. People from many different backgrounds are enjoying one another’s friendship. I don’t know how many of us are enjoying new friendships. In a country of 8 million it must be statistically insignificant. My educated guess would assume our Kigali networking over coffee can not be done by more than a few thousand people. However, in the world of networking and partnership forming quite possibly our friendships formed over coffee maybe the most influential and underreported development in town.

This past Saturday, Jana and I had a few hour respite from travel and reporting, and decided to enjoy a movie. As we were leaving the theatre and wandering through a shopping mall I noticed a disturbing social phenomenon. People in America socially cluster by race. The Jim Crow south is long dead. No drinking fountains or toilets have race instructions. The public spaces are truly public. Anyone can go anywhere. Yet in the midst of great legislated egalitarianism it seems many are most comfortable in defacto apartheid. Asians socialize with Asians. African-Americans socialize with African-Americans. Hispanics socialize with Hispanics. European Americans socialize with European Americans. The clusters were rigid in their social circles. I kept watching for a break in their cluster. Surely someone went to work, church, or health club with someone from another race; and formed a friendship. Surely, someone asked a co-worker and spouse from a different race to share a movie or meal with their spouses. However, I saw not a single mixed race social cluster.

On Sunday, I spoke at a church where I long ago gave up any hope for social racial mixing. In fact, I with great pastoral reservation have accepted the adage that Sunday church time is the most racially segregated hour in America. Afterwards, it was Father’s Day; and my family treated me to lunch at a restaurant. I watched family after family enter the restaurant, meet a few friends, and be seated. The restaurant was a bastion of the American suburban middle class. Surely, in a suburb of educated upwardly mobile families the racial social divide would be bridged. Yet, my premise continued. The social clusters were all racially pure. Did anyone have a friendship they treasured enough that they two families from different races would share Father’s Day together? I saw not a single one. In fact, my own racially mixed family was the only one I saw seated.

Since the weekend, I’ve asked a few friends are my observations correct? Do Americans only socialize with their racial peers? At this point, the answers are embarrassingly consistent. It is impossible to legislate friendship. A few venture into the realm of social mixing. Some regions of America are more accommodating than others. However, we generally cluster with similar people.

I miss Kigali Coffee. I enjoy going out with my spouse, children, and good friends; and then seeing the magical happen. It all seemed rather mundane until I spent a weekend in America. It happens in Kigali without fail. My racially mixed social cluster notices a friend or is noticed. Some one rises from their seat and greets another. In fact, our seating is not rigid. Maybe, we’ll see an opportunity to connect with someone we have not seen in a few weeks, and we’ll move. We may ask a friend to join us. Our friendships are not based on race, but common experience and interest. Kigali Coffee is the environment where my eclectic friend gathering feels most at home. To be perfectly honest, I rarely see race. It just doesn’t hit my social radar. I had to be in America to realize how truly out of the ordinary Kigali Coffee is in the world of defacto apartheid.

Others have seen it quicker than me. Last month, was Jana’s 40^th Birthday. My oldest daughter, Sophia and I pulled off what most thought was impossible. We threw a surprise party for Jana without any of her social planning. We would have been dead in the water without a few gracious friends’ help. When it came time to create our guest list we did the simplest thing we knew. We went through our list of contacts on our mobile phones and most frequent recipients in our e-mail inbox and invited our best friends to share a surprise party with us. As the party happened our guests were our eclectic mix of friends. Some were like me – evangelical missionaries from America, but I find people just like me to be rather dull. Others came from other walks - embassies, n.g.o. workers, and the international community. Many were Rwandan friends we’ve made as we walked government offices, taught at universities, or just met in Kigali’s social gatherings. A couple remarked as they left our home that had rarely been at such a diverse gathering. Another remarked that the friendships in our home that day could not have happened in the “old Rwanda.” Something new is happening. We’re being transformed by Kigali Coffee.

Though some may see me as a wise and kind pastor, I have a painful truth to share. I’ve been controversial most of my career. One of the consistent criticisms has been my choice of friends. I have too many atheist friends and also too many Balokole. I have too many friends in media and politics. I have too many refugee friends. I have too many friends who have hit glass ceilings caused by gender or ethnic prejudice. I have too many Congolese, Kenyan, Ugandan and Zimbabwean friends. I have too many Bazungu friends, particularly British and Americans. In Rwanda I’ve been told my friendships are too based on ethnicity or origin, but the accusations shift so much I can’t determine what is the real criticism. Religiously, I have too many Muslim, Episcopal, and Charismatic friends. I have too many friends who struggle with addictions, and too many who are crusaders seeking social justice. I have too many friends who come from the upper classes. I also have too many friends who are orphans and widows. I have too many friends who speak their mind and too many friends who guard their thoughts. I have too many friends who are young and too many who are old. Do you see my critique’s point? I have too many friends, and they are too human. Friendship and humanity are troubling to those whose comfort zone is defacto apartheid.

However, this unrelenting criticism puts me in the same category of a Jewish carpenter turned itinerant preacher 2,000 years ago named Jesus of Nazareth. His critics also chose to focus on his choice of friends when they grew weary of losing philosophic arguments. Attacking a man’s friends seems to be one of the last steps of attack when reason and fact are laid against foolishness and gossip.

My pastoral mentor named Jesus chose to make parties his favorite ministry activity. In fact, when we strip his words from their religious babble they basically are doing little more than inviting potential celebrants to a party with a purpose. He chose to make his first creation contradiction changing simple water to wine so the party could continue.

Today, I think he may change the details a bit; but the message and method would remain the same. I suspect he’d walk Kigali’s streets, and decide it was time to brew a great cup of coffee. He’d gather all who wanted to listen to a good joke and ponder possible solutions. He’d make friends with an eclectic mix. I think he’d find coffee in Kigali delightful. In the process of sharing coffee with those who desired his friendship I believe he would set in motion a world changing series of events. Friendship can not be legislated, but it has more ability to change the world than the UN will ever muster.

Can you smell the coffee? It’s delightful. Come run with me.