My Uncle, 50 Years After Vietnam

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The Thanksgiving after my grandmother died, I remember we went back to my grandparents’ house and were visiting as a family around the dining room table. For some reason, I asked my uncle if he ever thought about Vietnam. His answer: every single day. That answer surprised me, because like most veterans, my uncle never really talked about his experiences over there.

It’s been 50 years since my uncle came home, and this past Monday (Veterans Day) his local newspaper did a short piece on him. My cousin sent it to me yesterday. I’ve attached screenshots of the the article below.

God bless you, Uncle Robert.

Texas Hill Country Wedding

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I traveled down to my favorite part of Texas on Saturday: that part of the Hill Country that stretches from Burnet down through Utopia. I was officiating a wedding for some good friends of mine at their family’s ranch in Burnet.

The wedding was on a hilltop that was only accessible via a rocky path; the view made the remote location worth it.

With my great friend Cleve, proud father of the groom.

With my great friend Cleve, proud father of the groom.

As I drove away from the ranch, the moon was rising behind me…

As I drove away from the ranch, the moon was rising behind me…

While the sun was setting in front of me.

While the sun was setting in front of me.

A great day.

Red Orm and the Long Ships

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The Long Ships, by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson

This may be the most enjoyable and compellingly readable book that I’ve ever read. It’s not the best book I’ve ever read, but it’s certainly close to the most fun. Michael Chabon wrote the introduction to the New York Review Books Classics edition, and I like how he begins his essay:

“In my career as a reader I have encountered only three people who knew The Long Ships, and all of them, like me, loved it immoderately. Four for four: from this tiny but irrefutable sample I dare to extrapolate that this novel, first published in Sweden during the Second World War, stands ready, given the chance, to bring lasting pleasure to every single human being on the face of the earth.”

It’s now five for five, because I love this book immoderately, too. I first read it about 10 years ago, and read it again this summer; the second reading might have been even more enjoyable than the first one. Particularly for men who struggle to read fiction, this is the first book I’d prescribe. Among other qualities, the novel is remarkably funny in a dry, understated way.

The Long Ships tells the story of a Viking named Red Orm and his adventures in the years AD 980-1010. He travels widely over Europe and lives at a time when Christianity and the pagan religions are in conflict in Scandinavia. Orm is a hypochondriac, brave as a lion, widely-traveled, and, most of all, remarkably lucky.

As is anyone who get to read his story.

(I dare you not to make it six for six.)

Highly recommended.

★★★★

The Long Ships, by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson

Note on My Rating System

I use a 5 star system in my ratings to signify the following:

★★★★★  life-changing and unforgettable
★★★★  excellent
★★★  worth reading
★★  read other things first
★   not recommended

MungerFest 2019: stats and pictures

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[We are so blessed to be right across the street from Garrett Park—it’s like having a huge front porch.]

[We are so blessed to be right across the street from Garrett Park—it’s like having a huge front porch.]

Like a narcissistic Hollywood celebrity, at Munger we throw ourselves our own birthday party the last Sunday in October every year, and we modestly name it after ourselves: MungerFest.

This past Sunday was our 9th birthday, and the whole day was PERFECT:

  • Sunny, clear, and cool. Thank you, Lord!

  • We had our biggest MungerFest turnout yet: 1,978 people! (Couldn’t our counters have found 22 more from somewhere?!)

  • We baptized 11 people and joined 69 new members.

  • After the service, our congregation stepped up & donated a total of $3,284 so that every single one of our homeless neighbors could eat for free from one of the food trucks!

At MungerFest we have one service in the park under the big tent at 10 AM and close the service with cardboard testimonies, which are always so moving. Then food trucks and trunk-or-treat afterwards. What’s not to love?

It’s been 9 years since members of Highland Park UMC donated $4.5 million to launch Munger and 9 years since the Rev. Paul Rasmussen invited me to be the Munger pastor. I will never stop being grateful. I can’t believe I get to be here!

[Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see some great pics.]

Munger Stats and Charts

I shared the following statistics at MungerFest, and when you see on paper what’s been happening, it is obvious to me that God is blessing Munger.

The question is, how can we be good stewards of all that God is giving us?

 
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Our adult worship attendance is up 12% over last year. (We count noses in worship every week so we feel good about the accuracy of those numbers. The above stats are YTD through the 3rd quarter of each year.)

 
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Our kids attendance (birth-5th grade) is up 20% over last year! (Again, these are YTD numbers through the 3rd quarter of each year. We had some IT issues with check-in in 2017, so we don’t have good numbers from that year.)

 
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Our annual giving is up almost 14% over last year (13.7, to be exact). This is AMAZING, because it means that Munger is growing in generosity faster than we are growing in people. Thank you, Jesus! (Again, these are actual YTD 3rd quarter numbers, not projections.)

 
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This is my favorite stat of all. 54% of our members (we don’t have data on our attenders who are not members) didn’t have a previous church affiliation before they become Mungarians. That means that 54% of our members either joined through baptism or through profession of faith. AMAZING. (These membership stats do not include the folks who joined at MungerFest 2019.)

Let me say it again: It is obvious to me that God is blessing Munger.

The question is, how can we be good stewards of all that God is giving us?

To All Mungarians

I feel like Munger is at an important inflection point. Are we going to push on for more, or are we going to accept the status quo? Remember what happened in the week before Pentecost:

“All the disciples with one passionate heart were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers”

And then, one week later: BOOM. The Holy Spirit fell at Pentecost, and the world was never the same again.

I believe God is calling us to be united with one heart and to be praying with passionate intensity for MORE in the years to come.

Will you join me? Here’s our shorthand prayer:

“Today, Lord!”

My MungerFest 2019 sermon

MungerFest in Pictures!

There are too many great pics for me to post all of them, but here are some fun ones. What a great day!

On the Death of Mine Enemy

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[Screenshot from YouTube]

[Screenshot from YouTube]

What should my reaction be when my enemy is killed?

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the leader of ISIS, was my enemy: I am a Westerner and a Christian. If he could have done so, he would have killed me and my family. I am relieved that he is dead.

I am not a pacifist; I think there are times in this world when violence in defense of the good is necessary, because there are some people who are so intent on evil that literally nothing but violence will stop them. Let me also say that although I am not a pacifist, I completely understand why some Christians believe that the Jesus way is absolute non-violence even in the face of evil. I do not come to the same conclusion as these Christians, but I understand their point-of-view, and perhaps I am wrong.

So, what should my reaction be when someone like Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is killed? I think an initial sense of joy makes sense—this was a man who raped and tortured his way across the Middle East and inspired murder around the world, and this man will no longer be able to do these things. But, after an initial surge of joyful relief that a man like this will now face God’s justice, I think sadness should quickly follow. This was a bad man, but he was still a man, and we should be sad that he chose evil and sad that he did not repent before his violent end.

I think the death of an enemy should ultimately make us sad: sad that the world is the way it is, sad that people make the evil choices that they do, and sad that some people will not respond to anything but violence.

So, I am troubled by parts of what President Trump had to say to the nation announcing Mr. al-Baghdadi’s death: I think it was too graphic and triumphalist. It is a good thing that Mr. al-Baghdadi is dead, and it is definitely a victory for the United States. But, I think those same points could be made without remarks on his “crying, whimpering, screaming.” I do not think we should gloat publicly over the death of our enemies, because a sense of restraint is what should make us different from our enemies. Otherwise, where is the line between us and them? We know how ISIS would have behaved had they killed one of our leaders—like demons. We should behave as far from that as possible.

Once we become obsessed with victory over our enemies, we lose any sense of proportion or propriety. This is what hatred of an enemy will always do to us.

An example of what happens when you become obsessed with victory over your enemy is the Washington Post’s original headline announcing Mr. al-Baghdadi’s death. This has since been changed, but this is actually how the headline originally read:

[Screenshot from Twitter.]

[Screenshot from Twitter.]

The Washington Post is so obsessed with defeating President Trump that the unnamed headline writer chose to call Mr. al-Baghdadi an “austere religious scholar,” presumably because the announcement of the raid and subsequent death would be a news cycle victory for the President. It is no secret that The Washington Post considers itself an enemy of President Trump.

This post is not about President Trump nor The Washington Post, however: it is about what can easily happen to each of us when defeat of our enemy becomes the most important thing in our lives.

Defeat of an enemy is a good thing, but it is not the ultimate thing. And when you exchange a good thing for the ultimate thing, it warps your soul.

I am taking these thoughts as a challenge to examine my own heart today. What about you?

Read Through the Gospel of John with Me

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At Munger, we’ve been reading through the Gospels in 2019, and TODAY we begin the Fourth Gospel: the Gospel According to John. The readings are paced out on weekdays only, from Monday, October 28 through Tuesday, December 31.  You should join me.

Sign Up Here

You can sign up here to receive a weekday email reminder and brief commentary from me, sent out M-F at 4:00 AM. (If you are currently on my Gospels 2019 mailing list, no need to do anything else.)

Update: be patient with today’s email—we’re having some technical difficulties.

More Info

  • At Munger, pick up a John Field Guide so you can just read along in the booklet.

  • (If you live out of town, email Rosemary, she’ll mail you a John booklet.)

  • If you would like to follow our schedule in your own Bible, you can download the reading schedule here.

  • On Wednesday, November 6, I’ll be teaching a 1 hour Bible study overview of the Gospel of John from 6:00-7:00 PM at Munger for 6th graders-old people. At the same time, there will be a study for elementary students. We’ll have free food trucks in the parking lot afterwards for anyone who wants to stay for dinner.

Let’s do this.

Forgiveness Is

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On October 2, 2019, Brandt Jean delivered a victim impact statement at the trial of Amber Guyger. Ms. Guyger had just been convicted of the murder Mr. Jean’s older brother, Botham Jean. Apparently, Brandt Jean didn’t know cameras would record his statement; he thought the reporters had already left the courtroom. Here’s what this 18 year-old young man said to his brother’s killer:

If you truly are sorry, I know I can speak for myself, I forgive you. And I know if you go to God and ask him, he will forgive you.
And I don’t think anyone can say it — again I’m speaking for myself and not on behalf of my family — but I love you just like anyone else.
And I’m not going to say I hope you rot and die, just like my brother did, but I personally want the best for you. And I wasn’t going to ever say this in front of my family or anyone, but I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you, because I know that’s exactly what Botham would want you to do.
And the best would be: give your life to Christ.
I’m not going to say anything else. I think giving your life to Christ would be the best thing that Botham would want you to do.
Again, I love you as a person. And I don’t wish anything bad on you.

[Turning and addressing the judge:]
I don’t know if this is possible, but can I give her a hug, please? Please?

Brandt Jean, 2 October 2019

In a few short hours, that statement was being broadcast around the world. 

The morning after Brandt Jean delivered his remarkable remarks on forgiveness, my son and I were listening to a sports talk radio station on the way to school. I was astounded to hear the hosts discuss forgiveness and mercy–not normal topics for a drive time sports talk show!– and even more astounded to see later that they weren’t the only ones provoked to so do by young Mr. Jean’s statement: Brandt Jean’s face and remarks were everywhere. That was a good thing: it’s not possible that we think too much about forgiveness. On the other hand, it was also clear to me that as a culture we don’t have a clear idea of what forgiveness is and what it isn’t. I hope the following helps clear up the picture.

Forgiveness Is a Scandal

Not everyone agreed with Mr. Jean’s decision to forgive Ms. Guyger, which shouldn’t be surprising: forgiveness is always scandalous. It does not fit within the world’s categories. An eye for an eye, that we understand, but forgiveness is troubling, and it always has been. On the cross, Jesus forgave the people who crucified him as he was being crucified. If that doesn’t trouble your sense of justice, you’re not thinking about it.

Forgiveness Is Never Deserved

The reason forgiveness is scandalous is because forgiveness is never deserved. By definition, you cannot be entitled to mercy–it is unmerited favor. No one owes someone else forgiveness. There are lots of times in life that we get into disagreements and misunderstandings, and a mark of maturity is your willingness to seek understanding and make peace with the other party. That is a good thing, but that is NOT forgiveness. Forgiveness involves actual wrongs and hurts, deliberately inflicted by the guilty on the innocent. When someone hurts you, what they deserve is for you to hurt them back–an eye for an eye. What they do NOT deserve is forgiveness.

Forgiveness Is Forgoing Your Right to Get Even

When you are wronged, you have an obligation to get even. Forgiveness is choosing to give up that obligation. I like how James MacDonald puts it in his book Come Home: A Call Back to Faith:

“Forgiveness Is the Decision to Release a Person from the Obligation that Resulted When He or She Injured You”

James MacDonald

I think it is the best definition of forgiveness I’ve ever read. When someone injures you, you have a decision to get even, or a decision to forgo your right to get even. Forgiveness is the latter.

Now let me stress that forgiveness and consequences are NOT incompatible with each other. Children need their parents to forgive them and they need their parents to give them consequences and boundaries so they can learn. In a civilized society the state prosecutes crimes so that the consequences for a crime are taken out of the hands of the victim. It is possible for a victim to forgive a criminal while the state sends that criminal to prison.

Whether and what consequences are appropriate in any particular case will depend on those circumstances; what does not depend on the circumstances is the option the injured party has to release the personal obligation to get even.

Forgiveness Is a Decision, Not An Emotion

If you choose to release your obligation to get even, it will be emotionally wrenching. However, your emotions are NOT a reliable guide to what’s true or what’s right, which is a good thing, because it will never feel good to forgive before you do it. You will not want to forgive; forgiveness is a decision of the will that we take in spite of our emotions.

Forgiveness is also very rarely a one-time decision. Instead, you will make the first decision to forgive, only to find the next morning you haven’t really released the obligation. And so you will make the decision again and again and again, and one day, by the grace of God, you will discover that the burden is really and truly gone.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel like forgiving today or if it’s taken you a long time to forgive–that’s how it works for most of us most of the time.

Forgiveness Is Only About You

The good news is that the other party has absolutely nothing to do with your decision to forgive. It doesn’t matter if the person is remorseful and repentant or has confessed. This is because forgiveness is about you and your decision to release the obligation to get even. I find this idea freeing, because it means that the other person–even a very wicked person–doesn’t have any control over me. Forgiveness is my choice.

This means that it is possible to forgive someone who is far away from you or someone who will never be remorseful or even someone who is dead. Forgiveness is about you, not the other person.

This also means that you don’t have to tell the guilty party else when you are choosing to forgive him or her. Sometimes it’s not safe to tell someone face to face, and sometimes it is unwise. Reconciliation requires two parties, but forgiveness does not: it’s only about you.

Forgiveness is Risky

Even though forgiveness does not involve the other party, it is still risky. It’s risky because when we forgive, there is the possibility that the other party won’t ever know how much he or she hurt us and might even think he or she has gotten away with the wrong he or she did to us. Forgiveness will always feel risky, but rest assured: God is not mocked, and no one will escape justice forever.

Brandt Jean, Botham Jean’s younger brother, hugs former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in court after saying he forgives her for killing his brother. Guyger received a 10-year prison sentence for murder.

Brandt Jean, Botham Jean’s younger brother, hugs former Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in court after saying he forgives her for killing his brother. Guyger received a 10-year prison sentence for murder.

Forgiveness Is the First Step Towards Reconciliation

Forgiveness is a means to an end, and that end is reconciliation. There cannot be reconciliation without forgiveness, though there can be forgiveness without reconciliation. Reconciliation involves both parties–the wrong and the wronged–whereas forgiveness only involves the wronged. God’s desire for us is not only forgiveness, but also reconciliation, and if reconciliation is ever going to occur, it will only occur because someone went first to forgive. Reconciliation is not promised and will often not happen in this life, but if it does, it will be as a result of forgiveness.

After Brandt Jean’s remarkable statement, the judge granted his remarkable request to hug Amber Guyger, and he and his brother’s killer hugged for a long time in the courtroom while an unidentified woman sobbed in the background. I don’t know what life holds for either person, but I am certain that that embrace would never have taken place had not that brave young man chosen first to forgive.

Forgiveness Is Necessary

We cannot live together without forgiveness. We wrong each other in great and small ways, and without forgiveness, we would live alienated, angry lives. A world in which we have the choice to forgive each other is the only world worth living in. More than that, however, forgiveness is commanded by Jesus in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If you are a Christian, you have no option: it is vital that you forgive.

Forgiveness Is Freedom

Forgiveness is vital because forgiveness is freedom for… you. Forgiveness is the only way to be freed from the burden of vengeance and the obligation of getting even. Forgiveness is freedom because it is the deliberate choice to give over to God the responsibility for ultimate justice. Forgiveness is the freedom that comes from the faith that God will judge the world with righteousness, that he sees all the wrongs done to us and will make them right, and that we no longer need to bear the burden of doing so. Forgiveness is the freedom that comes when you take the burden you’ve been carrying ever since that person wronged you and giving it over to God.

So, let me press the issue: Whom do you need to forgive?

It will be difficult. It won’t be immediate. But it will be worth it.

For those who are interested, I go into more detail on forgiveness and on each of the above points in this sermon:

Munger Real Estate Miracle

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If I hadn't seen this happen with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it....

The Problem

Munger is a landlocked urban congregation in a neighborhood that is becoming more and more popular with young professionals and families, and it's obvious to everyone that if we are going to reach and serve our neighborhood, we're going to need more land. So, several years ago, we started praying about possibilities. But, the land around us was owned by many different parties--none of whom wanted to sell or even talk about selling--and valued at millions of dollars--which we didn't have.

And so, of January 1, 2017, this is the extent of the real estate Munger owned in Old East Dallas:

Munger real estate as of 1/1/17


The Process

The first domino that needed to fall was the purchase of two boarding houses that abutted our property. But, the owner didn't live in Dallas, and she was completely unresponsive. One of our members ended up driving out into the country and taping a letter to her fence. She subsequently called him and told him she would never sell to us.

And then, months later, she called him again and said that she felt that God was telling her she ought to sell to the church.

Her price was $2 million, which we didn't have. Why so expensive? Well, the boarding houses brought in an annual income of $200,000, so the owner was selling a valuable income stream, even though we only wanted the dirt, not the buildings.

I stood before our congregation in October 2016 and told them we needed to raise $2 million in cash by Christmas. I had no idea if it were possible, but I knew it was the faithful thing to do.

Well, people stepped up and the Lord provided the $2 million! (I still can't believe it.) And so, in January 2017, we purchased the boarding houses in cash.

Repeat

Owning those boarding houses was the first step, but we still had a long way to go. It turned out, however, that the way things happened with the boarding houses was the way they took place with the other real estate parcels:

  • We contacted owners who told us they would never sell;
  • Subsequently, they changed their minds;
  • But we didn't have the funds to buy;
  • God provided the funds somehow;
  • We gained the property.

Parcel after parcel, that's how it happened.

Munger Real Estate Miracle

And so here's what we own today, just 2.5 years later:

Munger real estate today, June 2019

[A quick note on the image above: in the bottom left, there is a building partially colored with a yellow checkerboard pattern. That building contains 8 townhomes, 2 of which we own outright. Of the remaining 6 townhomes, the owner has given us a right of first refusal for the next 30 years.]

Side-by-Side Comparison

  • January 2017
  • June 2019


The Stats

In summary, we:

  • Doubled our acreage;
  • Gained $7 million of real estate, which we either purchased in cash (!) or were given outright by generous Mungarians, meaning we have no debt whatsoever;
  • Prepared a master plan to set us up for the next 50 years.

And all of this happened in just 2.5 years!

When I say this is a miracle, I mean it literally: you can't explain it in human terms only.

What's Next?

I don't know why the Lord has been blessing us so richly, but I do know that we have a responsibility to be good stewards of what we've received. We have a really exciting master plan, and God willing, the potential is huge.

Expect great things!

P.S.

There is a small group of people without whose hard work and extravagant generosity this wouldn't have happened. You know who you are, and so does God. Thank you.

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"Because He Lives"

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Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

This is our 5th year (!) of hosting Easter services in Garrett Park, across the street from Munger. Easter is the best day of the year, and I feel so blessed to have been there this morning. I snuck onstage during our 9 AM service and took the following video while we were singing "Because He Lives." I know you can hear me singing, but I don't care: it's EASTER, and I'm going to sing at the top of my lungs.

I could watch this a thousand times and it would never NOT make me happy. (I particularly love the part 36 seconds in where the band drops out and you can hear the congregation singing.)

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow...."

Thank you, Jesus.

Happy Easter, everyone!

*****How to Subscribe to Updates from My Blog*****

If you sign up for my Andrew Forrest newsletter, I’ll send you a white paper I’ve written called “The Simple Technique Anyone Can Immediately Use to Become a Better Communicator”.

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Birthday Wish for Blood Donors

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Today is my wife Elaine's birthday, and she's out for blood:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Po4S_eDl4M


Two years ago, my wife Elaine needed 30 units of blood to save her life after the birth of our daughter. So for her birthday, she's asking you to consider being a blood donor.

Blood Drive Details

We're hosting a Blood Drive at Munger Place Church on Good Friday, April 19, 11a-5p (childcare 11a-1p).

Register here.

Even if you don't live in Dallas, please consider being a blood donor in your city.

Give the lady what she wants!

*****How to Subscribe to Updates from My Blog*****

If you sign up for my Andrew Forrest newsletter, I’ll send you a white paper I’ve written called “The Simple Technique Anyone Can Immediately Use to Become a Better Communicator”.

I’m also blogging through the Gospels each weekday in 2019,and I have a separate mailing list for folks who only want to receive the Gospel posts. Subscribe here to receive a weekday update on that day’s Gospel reading.