i heart wesleyans

Last week I hitched a ride (13 hours through the night) to attend the General Conference of The Wesleyan Church in Orlando. (Nerd Alert!) The trip reminded me of why I love Wesleyans, and why I'm proud to call this my Church.

Most significant for me was the historic election of our first woman General Superintendent, Dr. JoAnne Lyon. Dr. Lyon is the founder of World Hope, which for the past 12 years has thrust itself into the fight against human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, and other worldwide issues of social and spiritual injustice. I have a pretty good feeling we're about to be pulled in right behind her.

I was also moved by the passing of a bold statement on immigration. The strength of this statement (and the strength of the vote to pass it) were especially surprising for a few reasons: 1) We are in the throes of a heated Presidential election. 2) We are a Church that trends heavily toward conservatism. 3) The loudest voices of conservative thought would not be very happy with our stance on this. But these are not our theologians. As a Church, we now publicly declare that we are 'for' the outcast and oppressed, that we are 'for' the stranger, that we are 'for' those seeking refuge and hope, regardless of the political climate. Guided by the Biblical mandate of self-emptying love, we take a stand. Read the statement here on Keith Drury's blog (aka, the man who invented blogging).

I am proud of our history. The roots of the Wesleyan Church reach back to a small collection of courageous activists and abolitionists. They were 'for' freedom from slavery. They were 'for' equal rights for women (rights that stretch from the voting booth to the pulpit). They were 'for' the kind of heart holiness that wells up and runs over into the most mundane and magnificent expressions of mercy and grace. A movement born out of a great moment.

But here is the question. What is the next fight? What is our next great moment?

Maybe we are living in it now.

"May we see God's future Kingdom invading the present." -JoAnne Lyon

Maw Maw

This weekend we had a surprise 80th birthday party for my grandma, better known to the world as 'Maw Maw.' She is an amazing woman, widely admired for her blazing heart for Jesus, her sensitivity to the Spirit, and the depth of her intimacy with God. One of my favorite things about Maw Maw is her lively sense of humor... 'spunky' even. There is a real joy that flows out of the deep wells of her young spirit.

While she was opening her presents, with every eye locked in on her, she started leading the whole group in singing 'Blessed Assurance.' A cool old man in the back row broke out his harmonica and started playing along. It was amazing. In a way, that tells the story of who she is. Even though she was the center of attention, she quickly turned it away from herself and onto her greatest Love.

If at the root of sin is the shifting of our focus away from God and curving it inward upon ourselves, then maybe at the heart of holiness is turning our focus away from ourselves and humbly submitting to the unrivaled reign of God. Maw Maw is a beautiful portrait of this kind of surrendered life.