Cascade Church Portland

Power Dynamics:: Power in Race

When I'm hanging out with people I'm just getting to know I have a fear that conversations are going to veer into subjects where I have nothing to add. 

Have you ever had this happen to you when you're having dinner, hanging out at church or talking with co-workers? You try your best to participate, but you know nothing of the subject they're discussing. You stand or sit smiling and hoping that the conversation will head back into territory where you can find your footing once again. 

I think at least some of the fears that get exposed in these situations is that your lack of value is finally being laid bare.
You don't have any contributions.
You don't have any knowledge.
You don't have any reason to be there. 

I usually find that these spaces create so much anxiety that I'm not even able to be present. I'm so in my own head wrestling with thoughts of inadequacy that there's almost no part of me that can remain to learn about these subjects. I'm not able to learn because I've believed the voice in my head that says that having insightful comments is equivalent to having social value. 

So, I jump in when I think there's an opening and try and take the conversation somewhere I feel more informed in. I try to and use control to feel better about myself and the things I already know. This isn't usually a conscious decision, but something that happens naturally and without my control.  

I wonder over the years how much I've missed out on because I haven't allowed myself to be led and informed by others. I worry that my concern about appearing informed has kept me from truly ever becoming informed. It's hard work to stay present to a conversation you don't feel in charge of or well-informed about. 

Well, all of this is true for me, but I think that there are many of you reading this who have found yourself in this position all too often. You haven't felt that you had the ability to steer the conversation differently, so you listened and nodded your head and heard all about new things and ideas. Feeling like you can steer a conversation differently is a power. 

This Sunday we're going to have a conversation about power dynamics and race. This has proven to be a difficult conversation for people who make up the majority race in the United States, which is white people (76.6% of the US population identifies as "white"). Being a part of the majority race means that there are insights into power dynamics and race that are really hard to experience or see.

It can feel like being in a conversation where you don't have much to add. My prayer is that you're able to be present to the conversation this Sunday and hear the ways that Jesus is inviting us to have eyes to see and ears to hear. If seeing the Kingdom of God come to earth involves the valuing of all people, then staying present to the stories we may not see or hear is vital. God works powerfully in these spaces to move us ever forward. 

Power Dynamics:: Power in Gender

I have a verbal tic that I'm trying to break. 

When I walk in a room and see a big group of people hanging out I'll reflexively say, "Hey guys!"

Now, I know from having asked people to help me be more aware of when I say it, that this is often brushed off as no big deal. Men and women alike will say "Hey, guys!" in groups of people, group emails and at the start of their Instagram stories.
"I'm not talking about gender, it's just a helpful way to greet a large group.", they'll say. 

I can understand that. If you're in that camp I would encourage you to walk into a room of people and say, "Hey, Gals!"

People would likely be confused, and saddest of all, some would interpret it as a slight or a dig at the men in the room. 

When we normalize one gender over another we're describing where power is held. If it's no big deal to be referred to with masculine pronouns, but confusing or insulting to be referred to by feminine pronouns, you might be living in a patriarchy (I am preparing for my second career as the woke Jeff Foxworthy)

A patriarchy is simply a system where men hold a majority of the power. This would be shown, for instance, in a country where the highest level of leadership (the president) has only ever been held by males. 

This power dynamic can be invisible to men and women because it's always been true in their lifetime and likely many lifetimes before their own. We all feel the impact of gravity every single day, but we may not have the language to describe it and certainly not the awareness of it at all times. Patriarchy is like a gravity that impacts one gender more than another. You may not be able to see it, but it's there and it's impacting our interactions on a moment by moment basis. 

Jesus brought us a vision of humanity that holds differences among genders as equally necessary parts of the whole. We collectively need women to hold power as much as we need men to hold power.
Jesus featured the role of women in the resurrection story (Mary with her perfume, and the Mary's discovering the empty tomb) as much as any of the male disciples. This is the kind of reality that God is inviting us into and Christians get to be at the forefront of this story, instead of lagging far behind. 

Power Dynamics:: Power in Church

When I was growing up my image of God was intimately linked to the pastor of our church. 

This wasn't something that I could have articulated to you. If you had asked me if I thought my pastor was God, I would have said "no". Nobody needed to pull me aside and set straight a belief that this man was divine. 

But when I look back and consider the potential damage if my pastor had told me I was doomed to hell or if Jesus didn't love me (thankfully these things didn't happen), I can see that there were some real problems in their connection. I knew that my pastor wasn't a member of the Trinity, but being the voice of God and being God is so closely tied together that distinguishing between the two was just semantics. 

If you grew up in the church and can relate in any way to what I am saying, is it any wonder that we have church trauma in our world today? We need religious teachers in all their forms to be representatives of God or we can carry a deep dread that God is against us. 

Jesus knew this deeply and nothing drew out his anger like spiritual abuse. Our confusing systems of church blend too much power of people with the power that rightly belongs to God. In Matthew 21:13 Jesus condemns those selling the sacrificial doves as those who have turned a house of prayer into a den of thieves. Think about that reversal! They have taken something that God meant for relationship and grace and turned it into a mechanism for profit. 

And we are still in danger of these same kinds of abuses today. We're capable of them at Cascade. So how do we proceed as a church understanding the power dynamics at play and be on the side of relationship and grace? That's what we're trying to figure out, and we're so glad that you're along for the journey!

Power Dynamics:: How it All Works

Can you remember your first time in elementary school realizing that there are waaaaaaay more kids than teachers?

What a rush!

 It's a whole awakening experience to feel that kind of power. You're out at recess and the bell rings to come inside and you start playing the "what if?" game. What if we don't go back inside? They can't catch ALL of us, and we know some good hiding spots. 

It starts to fall apart when you consider the power the teachers have to contact your parents, keep you in for future recesses and give you additional homework. But if you banded together, you could create a whole day of absolute anarchy. 

This week we're going to start new message series all about Power Dynamics. It's the use of power between people or systems. It has huge implications for all of our relationships and how we move through the world. 

Jesus had a lot to say about power. Jesus taught us a lot about how we use power and how we respond to power in our world. It's going to be a great series that will impact how you look at the world and how you interact with people around you.

Stones Back to Life

When's the last time you've identified yourself as a Christian to a stranger or acquaintance? 

It's a tricky situation because you have no idea what their experience or definition is of Christianity. Are they incredibly conservative or liberal politically? Are they from the West Coast, Midwest or South of the US? Do they have a very religious family member or a parent who's a pastor? It feels like the term "Christianity" requires so much explanation that it's not even useful in expressing faith anymore. 

I don't know if this is a new phenomenon or not. I do know that when I was younger I had no qualms about telling a stranger or acquaintance that I was a Christian and I had no doubts that they knew exactly what I meant by that.

Maybe it was youthful ignorance.
Maybe it was a product of the rural part of California I was from.
Maybe it was a different time in the history of Christianity in this country. 

Whatever it was, this shift for me personally has led to larger questions about the nature of Christianity and the nature of Christian churches in the United States. How did the "Good News" of Jesus become an identifier that required further explanation?

The easy answer is that it's a cultural problem with people who don't understand who Jesus is and they hate the good news we have because of the devil inside of them. 

The harder answer may be that American Christianity has distorted the "Good News" to the point that's it's only good for some people. The reason why identifying yourself as a Christian can require qualifiers is that people wonder if your practice of Christianity is one more marked by violence than peace. 

This week we want to reflect on an ancient story of rebuilding an old wall to ask about the value of reclaiming something that was, instead of starting over somewhere else. The hope is that we'll learn something new about Cascade, Christianity and journey's of faith. 

In the Desert:: Sparkles of Refuge

Ever read a study on "Cities of Refuge"?

Me neither.

This week I started studying and can't tell you how many times I thought, "is this real life?"

Sunday we are attempting to define the "who, what, when, where, why" on Numbers 35 to wrap up our summer series on Numbers. We'll have a conversation about where you find safety, a unicorn named Sparkles (that is sometimes called Sprinkles) and the challenging of complicated systems.
What happens when churches, historically  considered places of safety, miss the mark?

In the Desert:: Yes! At Last!

I'm currently writing this note at a Starbucks.

I have my headphones in, but I've turned off my music, because I am TRANSFIXED by the conversation happening next to me. A man is being laid off from his sales job unless he agrees to take another position in the company. It's high drama that's been going on for the last 15 minutes where the person who is being fired is fighting for his job. 

I'll keep you updated. 

This Sunday we're looking at a story that has some similarities to the situation on my right.

Five sisters come before Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the assembly to ask for something that's never happened before. They think they should be able to inherit the land of their deceased father, but in their society that was only available to men. Think about the bravery it requires to stand before a collection of the most powerful people in your system and ask them to change the way they've always done something. Imagine asking these powerful people to see a situation from your point of view when there isn't a single person like you making the decision! Sadly, I know that many of you don't need to imagine, but just remember your own experiences. 

((He's currently exploring other positions in the company and weighing the pros and cons. It's amicable, but tense))

 Questioning authority and the way that thinks have always been done is one of the bravest acts anyone can ever engage in. With few exceptions, the people who have enough power to change the systems are in their positions because of the existing rules. They have no incentive to change anything. It's a wonder that anything in our world ever changes without a revolution!

((He's currently reiterating that they really don't want to lose him as an employee, but talking up the value of the severance package. There's some mixed messages.)) 

What we really want to look at this Sunday is the response of God to the questions of the five sisters. In this drama of the leadership and the challengers, where does God fit? God quelled the Korah rebellion dramatically earlier in the book. Is God always on the side of the existing power systems? What will God say this time and what do we learn about God's nature through this story? 

Don't miss out this Sunday! We'd love to see you. 

((Ok, no firm resolutions right now, but I'm going to do some edits of the newsletter and give this another 10 minutes before pressing send. I think he should take the severance package. I think he can land on his feet at another company given his relationships in the business.))

((I think they worked out a solution! He suggested a different position that they hadn't considered before and he could keep his same salary! Everyone wins! This is like an episode of "Full House"! But not an episode of "Fuller House". Enough with the reboots already.))

 

In the Dessert:: Donkey Wisdom

One of the best stories in all the Bible involves a non-Israelite chatting with God, delivering blessing on God's behalf and getting schooled by his donkey. Take a listen!

In the Desert:: Anger that Exposes Grief

If I were to tell you that it will start raining lemonade tomorrow, most (all?) of you wouldn't start setting out pitchers to collect all the coming lemonade. 

This doesn't have much to do with your perception of my trustworthiness or your general amount of faith. It's more basic than that. Our brains are wired to notice patterns in the world around us. If you bang your head on the top of your car when you get out of it, you'll start adjusting the way you get out of that car. We notice patterns because they keep us safe and avoid unnecessary pain. We expect things to happen much the way that they have happened in the past. 

This is good and healthy behavior for all people. If you saw someone try and jump through the windshield of their car to get inside, you wouldn't say, "Wow! Look at the faith on them!"

While this logical way of engaging the physical world around us, sometimes it can really hold us back. 

Here's what I mean. What if you're asked to try something that you've never tried before? What if you're given a new task or role in your home, work or school? The pattern recognition system in your brain will come back empty. You're likely to resist or avoid it unless there is a significant benefit you can identify for trying this new task. 

This can mean that we see ourselves today and into the future in the same way we saw ourselves yesterday.

This week we're going to be looking at Moses bring water out of a rock in Numbers. It makes me wonder what unexpected things are ready to be set free in you, regardless if you or others have ever seen in the past. 

In the Desert:: Imposter Syndrome

The accusations that cut us the deepest are the ones we have already aimed at ourselves hundreds of times before. 

 

In the desert Moses faces the accusation that he's lording his power over the rest of the community for a job he tried to talk his way out of from the very beginning. He never wanted to be in charge in the first place. 

 

Have you ever felt like an imposter and no amount of success or time has ever caused you to shake that reality? That's because feeling like an imposter gets worse with success and time, not better. How does God want us to face the idea that we're not worth our current life in the desert? What can be set right when we're willing to step out of feeling false and into the truth that God has made us enough for the life we live?