Monday, September 12, 2016

breakout




I grew up a good Baptist.

This meant that childhood me was absolutely certain that those with Charismatic leanings were complete fakes.  They were just highly emotional people who lacked the proper understanding to know when they were getting swept up in a wave of nonsense.

...until I met this pastor in college.  He was intelligent.  His education in Biblical studies far surpassed mine.  He was very even mannered.  And it did not take much investigation to conclude that his pursuit of God over time put mine to shame.

AND then I found out he was a Charismatic.

*gulp*

What was I to do with that?  He didn't fit into any of my assumptions about those kinds of people.  In fact, in all of the religious check boxes that I valued, he had me beat.  Could I really tell him he was not smart enough to know better?  Or that he was too shallow?  Or that his faith was fake?  And if so, what would that say about me in comparison?

I was forced to reconsider my assumptions.  That's the importance of experience.

Consider this:
  • We can believe that if we train up a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart (Proverbs 22:6)
    • ...until we connect with a loving old pastor whose children have chosen a different path.
  • We can be convinced that God will always provide for all of our needs (Matthew 6:26)
    • ...until we are told the stories of children starving to death.
  • We can be assured that God has promised to protect us (Psalm 121:7)
    • ...until we meet a neighbor who lost her God-fearing grandson to gang violence.
  • We can declare that God will never give us more than we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13)
    • ...until we hear of the cries of the Christian brother who faced trials to the point of mental & emotional breakdown.

It is all too easy to reduce our God and our faith to simple promises or universal proverbs and in doing so we miss the complexity of both God and the world in which we live.

We badly need the stories of others to break us out of our simple certainty.

May we seek and treasure those stories.


Wednesday, September 7, 2016

life beyond the siding



Our new house is part of a great neighborhood revitalization project.  They take old homes that are falling apart and do a fantastic job completely redoing them, hoping to spur neighborhood growth and change along the way.  Ours is the first house on the block, which comes with a fair bit of anticipation for seeing some of the "revitalization" hit our street.

But in the week since we have moved in we have had neighbors:

  • go out and buy us donuts and sweets to welcome us.
  • mow our yard and trim our weeds on multiple occasions.
  • bring us a bag of clothes for our little one.
  • come from several different houses when they saw our shed delivered to help us carry it piece by piece around back.
  • make sure to come share the trash & recycling schedule when I put everything out on the wrong day like a fool.
  • spend some time sharing some great wisdom from life experience with us.
And I am reminded once again that life and kindness and wisdom and generosity are not related to the paint on the house, the quality of the grass, or the cost of rent in a community.  There is plenty of vitality on my block.  The houses just need some work.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

the flattery trap


Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet. // Proverbs 29:5 

As many of you know, we have a move ahead of us.

Processing this with my 9 yr old daughter Kali the other night, she said to me, "Daddy, at our new house, I don't want to tell our new neighbors you are a pastor right away or put a bunch of crosses around our house, because I don't want them to think that we're just being friends with them so that they will become Christians."

Oof.

There's some wisdom there.

At the bare minimum, Kali has acknowledged that there is a difference between "loving" other people for a purpose and just loving her neighbor.

One of those loves is manipulative, deceitful, and hollow (even in its good intentions), the other is simple, authentic, and dignifying.

Proverbs 29 acknowledges that manipulative neighborly kindness is like setting a trap.  This metaphor expresses a power dynamic of hunter & unsuspecting prey.  Perpetrator & victim.

And we must ask ourselves, does that approach mirror the free and releasing love God shows us?

It's not enough to pursue God's love for our neighbors.  If it is to be found, it must be pursued in a way consistent with God's love.

So instead of flattering our neighbors in working for their salvation, may we be people who seek first to truly love our neighbors -- agenda free.  And when our neighborhoods are filled with the love of God...who knows what the Spirit of God may do?!

Sunday, May 29, 2016

A Letter to My Neighbors: Transition

In 2004, God changed my life and future by bringing Robin & I (freshly married and just out of college) to the Keller Park Neighborhood and Church.  At that time, I thought Keller Park was just a layover for me before moving on to seminary upon Robin’s graduation.  I was arrogant, narrow, & judgmental.  I knew the calling on my life was to see churches do things “the right way”, but had no understanding of what that really looked like.

Over the last 12 years, God used the amazing people of Keller Park and the Keller Park Church to develop an understanding of what it means to love our neighbor.  He helped me to see his beauty in the midst of brokenness and discover the potential for the Church to live in intentional community.  He taught me that some of the most meaningful moments of life are also the messiest.  He took my certainty about people and theology and left me only with the certainty that life is complicated, but God is good.

After a rough first 4 years, it soon became clear that the Keller Park Neighborhood & Church had won my heart.  I was no longer a young kid passing through, but had found a home.  For better and for worse, the people of the Keller Park Neighborhood and Keller Park Church are my people and that truth has come to define me.  I am a Keller Park Neighbor.

And it’s not just me.  Keller Park has been home to Robin and our 3 girls.  They have known nothing else than the open, messy, occasionally loud, exceedingly honest world of the Keller Park neighborhood, and we are so thankful for that.  Further, the KPC has been their primary source for personal connection and formation, a reality that has been a source of great grace for our family.

These past years have provided quite the transformation for our family.  We have gone from seeing the Keller Park Neighborhood and Church as a communities we could change, to seeing our lives changed in return--from seeing this place as a temporary stop to not being able to imagine ever leaving.

All of that makes the next reality complicated: after a long period of discernment, Robin and I have recognized that God is calling us to another place, with the transition coming this fall.

This transition is not coming as a result of any frustration or disgruntlement with KPC or the neighborhood, but purely as a result of trying to be faithful to the call of God on our lives.  I firmly believe the call on my life has always been to see the Church around America embrace values that look like Jesus.  We have seen that at KPC, and now God has been letting me know that he wants to use me to share the lessons we have learned with others.

While this transition will require moving, we plan to stay close.  Our Keller Park relationships are irreplaceable, and we desire to keep them strong.  We love you all deeply.

To the Keller Park Church: I am proud to have been a part of the family.  I am confident that you will continue to keep KPC weird in the best possible ways.

To my Keller Park Neighbors and KPNA teammates: Thank you so much for all of your grace and friendship.  I am forever changed by you.  Keep working hard at being the kind of neighbors you want others to be for you!  I will miss you much.

More information will be shared in the days ahead as to what is next for the Yazels, but for today, I wanted to just focus on the Keller Park part of our journey.

Peace,
Ryan (& Robin, Kali, Sophie, & the little one)

Friday, February 26, 2016

On Gluten, False Stories, and Empathy


The other day, I saw an article that surprised, then saddened me.

Presidential candidate Ted Cruz promised that when he's president, there will be no more gluten-free meals for our armed forces!

WHAT?!  That seems like an extremely strange issue to make a position in a Presidential election.  Even more strange that he was taking a position against providing relief for people who may have food allergies.

The reason?  Providing gluten-free meals, for Mr. Cruz, is nothing more than an exercise in political correctness.  And he will have no part in that.

Mr. Cruz likely has no relationship with anyone in his life that battles gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease, or he would see the daily battle with headaches and other pains and realize this issue goes beyond political correctness. In the absence of those relationships, he has written what he clearly does not understand into a false story of political correctness.

And he's not the only one to do this.  We all do.
We are quick to write stories to simply describe the things we do not understand.

Gluten sensitivity.
Poverty.
Racial Discrimination.
LGBTs.
Divorcees.  Addicts.  Single moms.  Gang members.
Catholics.  Protestants.  Evangelicals.
Republicans.  Democrats.

If we don't really get to know the people walking these paths, it's likely that (like Mr. Cruz) we have already written a story and printed a label.

Politically correct.
Lazy.
Race bating...

And there's really only one way to find out if those labels are wrong: dig deeper.
Get to know someone.  Ask questions.  Listen.  Listen again.  And again.  Pray for empathy, understanding, and Truth.

If we do this, we just might find out that the simple stories we have written about others are far from sufficient to describe the complexities of our human experience.

Hebrews 13:3
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

Friday, February 5, 2016

LOVE MY CITY: Michiana Youth Soccer

Sophie kicks off with the Super Seals! (2014)
Those of you that know me know that I'm a big soccer fan, so this may come as no surprise.  

Our city is blessed to have Michiana Youth Soccer (MSA: michianasoccer.org).

In general, kids soccer is great.  They can run around, get great exercise, and learn some healthy life lessons.  But having a great experience goes beyond that, and MSA checks the right boxes.

I've talked to many families in other cities whose kids are in youth soccer and the range of stories is a bit unsettling.  Some practices in other leagues amount to setting a ball down on the field and babysitting kids as they run around.  Some games I've heard about include throwing a full team of kids (not even separated by gender - a distinct challenge for young girls) out on a full sized field where some kids may see action only a couple times a game.

Not so with MSA.  

We are blessed in South Bend to have a league that takes player development and positive atmosphere seriously.  Coach Bo Hunter (the director of coaching) ensures that the league follows national youth soccer protocols with small-sided, gender-specific games (so kids are always involved in the action) and detailed practice plans for coaches.  He also regularly reminds coaches and parents about the values that are truly important for kids to make sure that the adults don't miss the point and ruin the fun for the kids.  This may seem basic, but it's unfortunately all too uncommon.

Over time MSA has also grown to include different levels to provide a variety of opportunities for kids.  Is your kid just starting out?  Or prefers to just have fun without the messiness of much focused effort?  There's the Recreational Division!  Does your child still want to have fun, but also wants to put in some work with teammates & coaches that are a bit more focused and competitive?  There's the Academy Division!  And if you're the family that's ready to go all-in with soccer (time & effort), there is a partnership with Junior Irish Soccer Club (travel).

On a personal note, I couldn't be more thankful for the experience our family has had with MSA.  It has provided our girls confidence, fun, and a motivation to exercise.  It has given our family strong friendships with the girls and parents we've grown up with on our teams.  And it has given me the privilege of spending quality time with my girls as a volunteer coach alongside other great dads like Shane Fenske.

If you are interested in MSA, there are Fall and Spring seasons for boys and girls ages 4-15.  Registration for this Spring '16 season ends February 15 on the MSA website.