Adventures with a name tag

I have a name tag at Church which I usually do not like.  The lettering is too small and it has too many words on it to be in any way helpful to people who have not been bitten by a radioactive hawk and possess a super-human ability to see very clearly.  

With all that lettering and the number of words on my name tag, it has become clear the only thing people see on my name tag is the word "Church".  

As one who is curious to know about people and learn from them, it is usually counter-productive to meet an atheist or an agnostic wearing a name tag that says "Church" on it.  It smacks of establishment and no one likes "the man".  

I sought out to make a new name tag for myself.  

I am not creative enough to come up with this name tag on my own but I discovered this style after viewing a number of Meetup groups who were discussing creativity.  While their name tags were temporary stickers, I thought it would be great to go with a bit more of a permanent/official/reusable look.

So here is what I got:

While some might consider this too weird or "hey look at me!", I have discovered the flexibility and uniqueness of this name tag has opened the door to a number of wonderful conversations with people.  And the thing is, it is the other people who choose to engage in the conversation first!

One day I wore that I love "Girard".  To my amazement, I met a guy who knew who Girard was and was well versed in his writings.  He and his wife were in from out of state for medical treatment for their son.  After thirty minutes, he and I traded names and contact information so that we might reconnect on the internet as we find things related to our conversation.  

Earlier this week I visited a coffee shop and the brewista stated, "oh, you are the guy with the name tag.  What do you love today?"  

Not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination, but it has been a wonderful experiment thus far in engaging with people to talk of life, philosophy, religion, God and even Anchorman:

I wonder what her last name was...

I was at a local eatery getting my wife some take out. The woman behind the counter asked for my name, so when the order was completed my name would be called out to notify me. I told her my name but then the conversation turned a bit and went a bit like this:

"I am curious to know if you ever come across any odd names in your line of work? I am sort of in the name business myself, but I bet you have some interesting name stories."

"Weird that you should ask that question tonight, because this afternoon I had a woman named (and I will spell if phonetically for you the reader as best as I can) 'Naw-zee". When I asked her how to spell that she said, "Nazi". Naw-zee."

I walked away, dumbfounded at the notion that anyone would name their child Nazi, regardless of the pronunciation. I know we all have weird name combinations we have heard of, but this one, now stands on the top of my "I cannot believe that name" list.

And a child shall lead them...

I spoke with a Sunday School class last Sunday about being in the business of not making church "members" but "church planters". I received this facebook message from one of the members of the class. She gave me permission to post this here. I think it is exactly what we are talking about in terms of "church planters".

So, I'm trying to wrap my head around your discussion in Pathfinders on Sunday. Then, the passage from Isaiah during worship made me think. God cares enough about every star to call it by its name. So, what's in a name? As a Bible scholar, you know that "back in the day" to know a person's name was to know something about the fundamental nature of that person.

That got me thinking.

Knowing a person's name is intimate in a way. It's how we start relationships.

Then, I thought about how our 3-year old son (who just had a birthday the day before Jude's) is intent on asking EVERYONE he comes across, "What's your name?" This is quickly followed by "Hi, (the person's name) I'm Gabriel." At first I was embarrassed by his upfront questioning of every stranger. But then, I started to notice something. People seemed to leave the interaction with my son just a little lighter than they were when we first encountered them. A small interaction from a small person, but I think he really makes an impact.

I'm not sure that we completely understood your full vision about church planting. I'd love to know about the idea behind "planting churches" that aren't "churches" as we've defined them for so long.

To know a person's name is to know them, in a sense. Maybe my 3-year old is smarter than I am. If it is about deepening relationships in our life - not just in our church life - I wonder if maybe my son is a church planter. And, I'd love to know how I foster that to keep him that way.

Just some thoughts.

-Lynaia

Our Need for Inclusive Language

In Seminary we are required to be mindful of and use inclusive language when talking not only about the world, humankind but especially about God. This is often seen as "liberal" or more often seen as giving into "political correctness" because inclusive language does not allow one form of language dominate. For instance, it is NOT inclusive language to always refer to God as male or a man. Thus in Seminary, we are asked to speak of God as male, female, water, wind, earth, potter, mother, father, etc...

A discussion was provoked in class about the importance of inclusive language about God. Relying on God as male as the dominate tradition has been (at least in Western Christianity) really creates a void for many people and also disenfranchises women. I agree. Then an angle came up which I really liked.

A fellow male student said, "Inclusive language conversations tend to focus on what God is, but inclusive language has been helpful for me because it reminds me of that God is not. When I hear God is man, I think 'God is like me.' When I hear God is female, I think 'God is not like me, God is something else.' Inclusive language reminds me that God is something different than I am."

I wonder if we are protective of our language about God because it makes us feel like we are like God, or that we can control or fully understand God?

Taoism states that the Tao that can be named is not the true Tao. I have always loved this statement about our inability to name and talk about God. As soon as we begin to talk about God we must confess that we are no longer talking about God.