Q: What was the hardest part of writing this book?
A: The hardest part was the editing process. Accessing the memories and reliving some of the difficult parts of my story was hard, but dumping all that out on the page was good. The hardest part for me was to receive the input of friends, many of whom are talented writers and communicators in their own right, and to maintain my own voice.
Q: Who would enjoy this book? Who might get offended by this book?
A: There are many who have had bad experiences with the church or with Christians. Some people lose hope in connecting with God. My hope is that people who have considered God but found the church lacking might reconsider God, the flawed church notwithstanding. Others, like myself, grew up in or around the church and were deeply wounded.
I’m sure that there are some who will feel like I shared too much of the sordidness of my life. I have tried to share only the details that will help to paint the picture, but not to zoom in for a close up that would do more harm than good. I think there could be others who would be offended by the fact that I point out the problems with the church at all. I love the church, but I don’t think it does God any favors to pretend that the people of God are not sometimes part of the problem as well as part of the solution.
Q: You have both encouraging and indicting things to say about your experience in the church. Do you think your experience in this regard is common to others? And what would you say to someone who’s given up on the church?
A: I do think that my experience in the church is not uncommon. I know that there are many who have not had the bad experiences I have had, and others whose experiences are absolutely horrific, so much so that mine pale in comparison. I don’t know anyone who has been in the church for any length of time without being hurt by someone in the church.
Chesterton said that the church is used for our sanctification, just as our families are. He says that every family has a sister who talks too loud, or a bizarre uncle, but by learning to live with these people, we learn to practice grace. The church is just like that, we learn how to love and to live with those different than ourselves. Of course, there are also abusive families, where the best thing to do is to leave the family.
For those who have been abused in the church, I would say how sorry I am that the abuse happened. I know that is not God’s heart for them. I don’t think we can give up on the Church, as in the Body of Christ, the Family of God, but we can refuse to be a part of a particular local church, an organized group of people in a particular location. Sometimes the best thing is to remove yourself from the abuse, but that doesn’t mean that you have to give up on the hope of ever finding a family where you can belong. I would encourage people to keep searching until they find a local manifestation of the Church where they can experience the Family of God.
Q: Is there a danger in saying God cares more about our relationship with him than what we do for him? Doesn’t that lead to spiritual laziness?
A: Is there a danger in saying that I care more about my relationship with my wife than I do about what she does for me? I don’t love my wife because of what she does for me. I just love my wife. Serving each other is an expression of the love and trust that we have for one another. She serves me and I serve her, but the service isn’t instead of the relationship, it’s because of the relationship, it is an expression of the relationship.
I think we often burn out or become spiritually lazy because we are motivated by something other than the vibrancy of a love relationship. We get tired of serving when it is motivated by fear, or by duty.
Q: A common theme in Pursuit is the impact of community on spiritual growth and conquering sin in our lives. Can you define “community” from this perspective?
A: I don’t think I can define community succinctly. I would say that it is something that you know when you see it, or rather when you experience it. I guess what I mean is that real community is something that requires trust and vulnerability, commitment to each other, mutuality and love. It is something that can be cultivated. It can’t be manufactured. It is like the other organic aspects of the Kingdom. When we recognize that it is not good for man to be alone, we seek out companionship for the journey of life. This not only applies to romantic companionship, but to friendships and comrades for the journey. As we share our hopes, our fears, our joys, our sorrows, our lives with one another then community is what happens.
Q: What is one misunderstanding people have about the types of people God calls into cross-cultural ministry?
A: I think the single biggest misconception is that they are particularly holy. Cross-cultural workers are just like other people. We are each on our own journey. We should all be growing. I think there is a sort of cop out that some people use. I call it the “holy man complex.” Sometimes we like the idea of a “holy man” we can hold up on a pedestal. By putting him up there, we let ourselves off the hook. I think that we should all be following hard after God regardless of our professional career path.
Q: What is the relationship between spiritual formation and effectiveness in the kingdom?
A: Effectiveness in or for the kingdom is not my life goal, neither is spiritual formation. My goal is to grow into loving God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and to learn to love my neighbor as myself. If by spiritual formation, we mean the likeness of Christ being more fully formed in me then that is in fact the path. Obviously, Christ was very “effective for the kingdom” but it might not have looked too effective when He was hanging on the cross--abandoned by virtually all of His disciples.
Q: What do you think the takeaway is for pastors, church leaders and mission leaders who would read Pursuit?
A: I would hope that the book would inspire them to push farther into God. I would hope that it might encourage them to not settle for just where they are, but that they would want to take their intimacy with God to the next level, personally.
I hope that it would also encourage them to take another look at the people around them. We are all battered and broken in different ways. If we can look at each other with compassion and interact with each other as real souls, as brothers and sisters, rather than cogs in a machine, or numbers to be counted, that would be good.
Q: What books, music, art, etc. has been inspiring to you lately—and perhaps reflects some of the journey you describe in Pursuit?
A: I love the Russians. Tolstoy and Dostoevsky plumb the depths of the human soul in ways that few others do. I’ve been enjoying Chekov’s short stories and Chesterton’s novels and short stories as well. My favorite novel of all time is Anna Karenina. Tolstoy set out to write a story about a lost woman, an adulteress, who was not reviled, but who inspired compassion from the reader. He succeeds in treating the sin as bad, and showing the destructive power of bad choices, while also not allowing us to hate her. I love that! We are all capable of destroying ourselves with our bad choices, but we are all worthy of compassion as well.
I don’t know where to start with music! I love music! More and more, I have realized what a pivotal role it has played in my journey. It seems like God speaks to me through music perhaps more clearly and consistently than through any other medium aside from His Word. I would say U2 and Third Day have been really speaking to me lately. I really like Switchfoot, particularly The Beautiful Letdown. But I’ve also been listening to Maria Callas for the sheer beauty of her voice, and Johnny Cash because of the way he tells a story.
Q: You refer to God as the lead and you as the supporting actor in the story of your life. If Pursuit were made into a movie, who would play the lead and who would appear on the soundtrack?
A: Are you asking who would play God? I think I would have to choose Morgan Freeman as the Father. I don’t know who to choose for Jesus, maybe John Corbett, Jim Caviezel, or Viggo Mortensen. I don’t know how to do the Holy Spirit. Perhaps the Holy Spirit could be done with an off camera voice and some sort of cool special effect, although I would love to see the Holy Spirit personified. I saw a really cool stained glass window at a church in London with the most compelling picture of the Trinity, all three persons were invested with real personality. I think that would be important.
The sound track takes this conversation to a whole new level. I would want some of the following bands included for sure: P.O.D., The Soul Investigators, David Crowder, Michael Card, Flyleaf, U2, Aaron Shust, Derek Webb, Phil Keagy, Switchfoot, and Eric B and Rakim for good measure.