Jesus and Improvisational Theatre

Lately I've been working out my faith in new ways.  Trying to be like Jesus, rather than being religious.  And I've also gotten back into improvisational theatre... and this is really mixing in cool ways.  

Here are some of the basic tenants of improv:

1. Agree with your scene partner.  Don't deny it or ignore it.  Let it affect you.  You don't have to like it, just react to it honestly and authentically... and up the stakes.  
2. Make your scene partner look good.  Or alternately, don't screw your scene partner for a laugh.
3. Play!  Be in the moment.

Here are some core things in the Bible with an uncanny resemblance to the above: 

1. "...Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends."  Philippians 2:1-4 (The Message)
2. "Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead."  also in Philippians 2:1-4 (The Message)
3. "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."  Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

Now, I may be taking these things out of context, but more likely, I'm molding the concepts of improv into my own worldview, a worldview that is making some significant changes.  

Cleaning up the mess

I started a new journey a few years ago.  In this new journey I am becoming a person of integrity.  That means I'm setting my chameleon aside.  I'm being who I truly am no matter who I'm with or where I am.  I'm learning to tell others the truth in a loving way, even if it isn't what I think they want to hear.  I'm learning to be comfortable with things that are uncomfortable.

One of the things that is very freeing to me on this journey is that being a person of integrity is NOT the same as being a person of perfection.  I'm not perfect.  But being a person of integrity, when I screw things up, I apologize.  I accept responsibility for my part in what got screwed up, AND (this is the part that really sucks) I do my part to clean up the mess.

So, I produce improvisational theatre shows on the side.  It's crazy, I know.  In fact, it may be completely insane.  I love it.  I had a show last weekend and I really wanted to pack the place out.  I hired a marketing person and delivered postcards to a bunch of bars in town.  I pushed my show on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and everywhere else who would have me.  And the audience turn out was small.  It was a good crowd, but I hadn't budgeted well and I dipped into our family savings to cover my losses.

I have a good job and make decent money.  One of the agreements we've made in our marriage is that we both pay for extraneous stuff that we want personally out of little side jobs and extra income.  That way we focus our main income on paying the big bills and putting some money away for incidentals.  Maybe it sounds weird, but it works for us.

So now my personal stuff (improv shows) has cut into our joint stuff.  And not in a small way.  I'm not going to be able to pay it back with my usual odd side jobs.  I would really like to ignore this fact and not have to live with the consequences.  After all, I worked my butt off to market the show.  But I'm not that guy anymore.  I'm committed to cleaning up my own messes.  So I drove by the local pizza joint tonight and filled out a delivery driver application.

And my internal dialog was rolling the entire time I was contemplating going back to doing some pizza delivery:

"C'mon.  Really?  This isn't that big a mess.  Just forget it."
"I'm better than this!"
"I have an MBA for Christ's sake, I don't need this shit."

That last comment finally pushed me over the edge.  Because I know that is NOT who I want to be.  I don't want to consider myself better than ANYONE else.  I don't want to think I'm above ANY job.  Just because I'm working a good job for a good company today doesn't mean I'm promised a job tomorrow.  So I'm going to be slinging pizza again for a while.  And eating some humble pie for a while.  And that's good.

Irresistible Ruination

Tonight I'm just feeling devastated by this book I've been reading - (see Irresistible Revolution).  Frankly I've been reluctant to read more because I'm my worldview is being so challenged by what I'm reading.

In his book Shane talks a lot about how Jesus lived and contrasts it with the way so many Christians live here in the USA.  We're steeped in consumerism so deep we don't even realize how thickly it dictates our lives.  Here's a quote that really hit me hard:

"I'm convinced that God did not mess up and make too many people and not enough stuff.  Poverty was created not by God but by you and me, because we have not learned to love our neighbors as ourselves." - Shane Claiborne

In my closet I have 10 pairs of shoes.  Bike shoes, 4 pair of dress shoes for work, running shoes, slippers, loafers, hiking boots, and a pair of cowboy boots.  And in this world there are many more people than I want to think about who would be happy to have just one pair of shoes.  I have shirts in my closet that haven't been worn in years, and there are those who would be happy to have just one good shirt to wear.

I live with my wife in a house with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.  It is stuffed to the gills with all of our possessions and we've been wishing we had a bigger house with more space for more stuff.  And in Houston tonight 10,000 people sleep on the streets because they have nowhere to go.

So I can see this huge gap between the way I live and the way those in poverty and homelessness live.  And my brain is regurgitating all the cultural excuses my middle class upbringing has given me all 40+ years of my life.  And I'm seeing them as the thinly veiled excuses I use to ignore the problems and enjoy the privileges.  So now what the hell do I do?  This gap between what I am and what I should be is HUGE.  It's overwhelming.  Where do I even begin to seek forgiveness for my own blindness?  How do I start to get free of all my possessions and the consumer culture which seems to own my soul?

The answer is love.  I need to start there - I need to reach out to those who are poor and not just as a project.  I need to build relationships with them.  I need to LEARN from them - not teach them.  Where do I start, Jesus?  Where do I begin?