What a Week (Applied Theology)

          I haven't even been back in the country one week yet and already I don't think I could possibly report about all that has gone on. I love Tampa and I always love coming home. There have been several guests staying at the house since I have been back, others stopping by to get rest or to do laundry and a mosaic of other exciting ministry initiatives blossoming all around us. Our life is fun, busy, hard, joyful and at times confusing. There just are no easy answers. Each moment we must live and decide how to act or react as though we live at the foot of Jesus' throne. Because we do. We act in front of Him in faith that we are, as best we understand, doing His will. This of course does not mean that we actually are doing his will. This is the challenge of applied theology. We all have lots of ideas about God, His kingdom, His will, and especially about right and wrong. But we must avoid the temptation to try to imagine every possible scenario and predetermine the 'right' response because we just can't. Not when you are living in this world. Its unimaginable. Its only here that these experiences can be conceived of, as they happen. Applied theology is existential in nature and we must work out these ideas and ideologies in concrete reality. We must act and do and build and respond, we must live. We spend ourselves on behalf of others and hold tight to the promise that our righteousness would go before us and God's grace and glory would have our back. But in a life where you are, in each moment, doing theology as you walk into hard relationships and messy reality it is dizzying. We never quite feel balanced. We live our lives trusting in each other as together we trust in Jesus and lean out into the pain, darkness, and the unknown. Often we are surprised by joy, we are always stretched and challenged, and occasionally we are dumbfounded and unsure of what we are supposed to do. There is a powerful reality being addressed by the cheesy christian WWJD bracelets "What would Jesus do" right now in this moment and situation. Apply your Christology. But you know it is even harder than that. We could ask that question about anyone and we often do. "What would Tyler Durden do?", "What would my dad say?", etc. But the reality of Jesus is not only that He was a teacher and a model but that He is alive and present as well. He is in the moment with us, working and moving, and we must, in every moment try to discern "what is Jesus doing?" now in this moment and situation. Apply your Christology.
          So last night is a good example, home church was over and everyone had left. It was about midnight when there was a knock at the door. It was a young guy that used to come around a lot but had left town for a good amount of time. Robby and Drew were the ones that were there to answer the door. Apparently this guy gave them a different name and asked to come in, he was obviously drunk and had a fairly menacing looking buddy with him who we had never met. They called me to come up front and I remembered him immediately. He was a very strange schizophrenic that I hadn't seen in a while. I remember him being very quiet and odd while sober and very wild and unpredictable when intoxicated. So he is at the door, drunk and high, and asking to come in. I told them it was late and that we were on our way to bed but that they could come in and sit down for a few minutes. They came in and this guy was just spouting one ridiculous thing after another. His friend seemed to get more and more bothered by him and more and more nervous about him doing this in our house with what was now four of us standing around (Will had showed up too). Then he looks at Will and says, "You remember when I robbed your house?" Of course we are all like "No.... we didn't know who robbed us." "Yeah when that back window got broken....y'all still mad at me about that?"  It was unbelievable!!! His friend got real nervous and start getting up to leave and we just said "That was you? We didn't know that."
This is what I'm talking about. Adrenaline shot through my skull as I thought of a few other guys that I had confronted about breaking in our home (which they did another time so....whatever). If I am honest I immediately wanted to slam this dudes head into the wall and choke him out. I'm a work in progress and still learning the way of peace. I didn't and as all my anger and confusion started spiraling out of control in my head and I looked around at what seemed like a room full of confused housemates. I told him that it was about that time and that he should probably get going. He asked for prayer. So we all joined hands as the guest turned on a Lil John song on his cell phone and the lot of us gathered and prayed for these two men (with the most amazingly profane musical backdrop ever). God be with them, protect them, guide them. And I remember David praying after the break-in last year, "God forgive me that I care more about what was stolen than those who stole it" and i said goodbye.
          I am still in the thick of the question. I am replaying the event over and over in my head trying to see what God is doing here. What is the move that I am to make? I must look out for my housemates and guests and I must love neighbors, strangers and even enemies. I don't want him back at the house but I do hope to engage him at the conscious party or meal sites, or just when I see him around on the streets. These are just initial reactions but the truth is, it will come down to the moment. I will see him, maybe at my door and maybe on the block, and I must act, in front of the throne of God, in obedience to His will and kingdom. In every moment at every turn, whether in peace or trial, we must walk out our prayer for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.