"Them and us . . . "

One of our members at the Adventureland congregation told of how they were talking to one of the other workers this season and mentioned something about Chapel, or small groups or something like that, and the other worker said something like “oh, you’re one of them.”

I don’t know if the comment was offered in a derogatory way, or if it was simply a recognition on their part that this person was a part of the Christian group, but when word got out about it (which didn’t take long) the alarm went out!

We had all become increasingly concerned through the course of the summer about reaching out into our worker/Workamper community. Now the suggestion was out in front of us that there was indeed a social gap that existed between “us and them.”

Until recently, I hadn’t seen myself as that much of a reactionary, but in retrospect it seems that I am frequently taking a counterpoint approach in what I write, as I did for example in the summer of ’07 in my post “you say will worship like it’s a bad thing”, in which I took a look at something from a different angle than that from which it was first viewed. That is what I want to do with this issue of “us and them.”

Now let me first go on record as saying; yes I do think that we should be reaching out to the community of fellow workers beyond our Congregation. And yes, I do believe that we could be doing a better job of this than we are currently doing. But perhaps it shouldn’t be entirely unexpected that this gap exists, and perhaps it isn’t entirely our fault.

Jesus warned us in his farewell address that we should not be surprised if the world hates us because of our relationship to Him:

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” (John 15:18-19, NLT)

Now, I have never felt hated in the greater Adventureland worker community, but I cannot escape the idea that there is a difference in life values, and a difference in where the central focus of my life is, from that of many of my fellow workers. I am not always sure that this difference creates admiration in those who do not share these values with me, hence, “them and us.”

Don’t forget that Paul also told us:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLT)

As we all grow in our relationship with Christ, and as He teaches us to think to think as He thinks, rather than as the world around us thinks, we will indeed grow more distinctively apart from, rather than a part of what the world around us is doing.

Peter also instructed us that we would be out of place in a world that is not our home, if we continue to live as Christians should:

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” (1 Peter 2:11-12, NLT)

Now granted, some of us have a tendency to be a bit obnoxious about it, but if we continue to grow in the Lord, He will grow us out of that too.

In my book, Going Forth in the Name, I discuss the difference between the separateness of God’s people in the Old Testament, and that which we see in God’s people in the New Testament. The truth is that many of us will allow our differentness to morph into something that is beyond what Jesus had in mind for us. We need to engage this world in Jesus’ name, not to withdraw from it. While we must not copy the customs and behaviors of this world, we must be a friend to this world which contains those Christ loves, and for whom He died. At the same time, we must always remember that we will never be a part of it, and in some way there will always be a separation of “them and us”.

Peter also told us:

"But you are not like [the world], for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9, NLT)

Thanks for sharing this moment with me today.

Books for sale!

I am finally happy to be able to announce that "Going Forth in the Name; The RVer's Guide to Living the Christian Life" is finally available for sale. It has been six years in the making, as I have already said in several previous postings, so this has been a day that we have long waited for.

To order a copy, the easiest way I can tell you is to go to the web site: http://www.xlibris.com/ and from the homepage, click on "bookstore" (be patient in waiting for the homepage to load. sometimes they load a promotional page first, then the homepage).

On the bookstore page, type "Glenn Rivers" in the search box and click the "search" button. This will bring up a page with several books on it, including mine. I just tried this and oddly, my book was the second book on the list, rather than the first (?????) so make sure that you get the right book. You just need then to click "add to shopping cart" and it will lead you through the rest of the procedure.

For anyone who cannot wait to get the book, but wants an autographed copy, I will be happy to autograph it the next time we see each other.

Also, I plan to be in the Rio Grande Valley promoting the book during January and February. I will be at the Casa Del Valle craft shows in those two months, and probably several others. No dates for these are yet available, so I will keep you posted as I get more information. Also, I am hopeful that some of the CRM park Chaplains will allow me to visit their congregations and give a short presentation about the book. I do not intend to actually sell the book in those churches as I read a story in the Bible once, about Jesus getting upset with some folks who sold stuff in church, but I will have a few copies with me anyway, in case someone wants to buy one afterward.

And then, of course, I plan to have plenty on hand next season at Adventureland.

See you all soon, and thanks for sharing this moment with me today.

In Memory of Joan Semprini 1934-2009

It is with sadness that I report another passing of a dear friend and a fellow member of the Adventureland Congregation.

Joan had worked with the Human resources office for several years and was a fellow Workamper before settling down, along with her husband, Ted (also a dear friend and former Adventureland employee) in nearby Mitchellville.

Joan was involved with the Adventureland Congregation from the beginning.

Joan was, to me, the big sister that I always wished to have. She always made sure that if I attended a pot luck supper when Sandi was out of town that she had made a bit extra for me so that I would feel right in attending even though I may have had no opportunity to bring something.

When Steve Pinkley became aware of this blog in the summer of 2007, during the “will worship” controversy, he began printing off and sharing my posts with Joan, who quickly became one of my best supporters. The encouragement that she gave me in my writing, and what that meant to me, cannot be expressed in words.

Somewhere, I have developed this picture in my mind (probably from Twila Paris’ song, “Runner”) of myself, when I go home to be with the Lord, striding down the streets of heaven on my way to the throne, to lay my trophies at the feet of Jesus. In this mental picture, as I am going down the streets, crowds of Saints who have preceded me are gathering along the streets and cheering me on. If there is any truth to this picture, I know that I will look into that crowd and see my sister Joanie cheering me on, even as she did here in this life.

And so I guess that there is only one thing left to say: “Welcome home Joanie, welcome home!”

Blessings to all who join me in celebrating her life, and in mourning her passing.
Thanks for sharing this moment with me today.