freedom

i've been dwelling a lot lately on the topic of freedom. i mean why is it that we are so concerned with freedom in america? other countries don't seem too worried about it (maybe that's because they don't have the freedom we do). but the question i have is this, "what is freedom?" do we define freedom simply as the ability to do whatever we want whenever we want? if that is your definition, then maybe most of us who aren't in the clink do have freedom.

what i'd like to suggest to you today, however, is that true freedom is the ability to not do whatever you want. let me say that again. true freedom is the ability to not do whatever you want. you see, we've been programmed to think that freedom means we live for ourselves doing whatever we want to make our own lives better. look out for #1 because i'm all that matters. but we've been so programmed that we are actually bound to selfishness and self-centeredness. do you see it? take a long hard look at yourself. isn't it true that all of the world's problems come back to some form of self-centeredness?

true freedom is the ability to put self aside and live for others. to not do the things that i am rightfully able to do so that someone else is served or loved by me. the problem is that not a single person has this ability in and of themselves. some of you may be thinking, "oh i could put aside my desires in order to serve someone else." maybe you can, but that's not the point. because deep down, i don't think you could put aside your desires for someone else without wondering what you are going to get out of it. take my relationship with my wife. do i do the dishes for her so that she will cook me breakfast and give me sex? or do i do the dishes for her simply because i cherish and love her and want to bless her. the truth of the matter is that we live by the golden rule (which jesus never said by the way). we do unto others so that they will do unto us.

jesus is calling us to a much more radical lifestyle. he is calling us to do unto others whether they do unto us or not. and that radical lifestyle is only possible when the gospel infiltrates our lives and kills our desires on the cross with christ. thus is true freedom my friends, cast off those shackles and die to the bondage of self.

for you were called to freedom, brothers. only do nut use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. for the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.' but if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. -Galatians 5.13-15

How it's NOT supposed to be

I came across this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together while reading Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Ed Welch.

The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are all sinners!

(Addictions, p. 94)

While perhaps not especially profound to many of us, Bonhoeffer's statement - and Welch's use of it - remind us that it is incredibly dangerous to not live in a community where we can be transparent with our struggles and, consequently, see the power of the Gospel at work in our lives and the lives of others.

By the way, Addictions is a powerful-yet-encouraging book that I would encourage everyone to read, whether you struggle with an overt addiction, or you know someone who struggles with an addiction; and if you think you don't struggle with addictions, reading this book will open your eyes to the ways that the desires of your heart are ruling you just as powerfully as heroine or alcohol!

Climb On

For all of you who still think
I'm taking this Montana thing a bit too far...

...meet my brother, Nicholas!
(See? And you thought I was nuts!)

Father's Worst Nightmare

Real Live Preacher has a post on a father's worst nightmare: What do you do when your daughter announces she no longer believes in God? Here's a snippet...

My oldest daughter doesn’t believe in God anymore, so she says. She told me this recently at Starbucks... We were sitting there sipping our hot drinks recently and I said, “So tell me how you and God are doing these days.”

She got a sad look in her eyes before she spoke. She never hesitated, apparently never even considered hiding this from me. She put a mock-frown on her face, which is a way of indicating that you are serious about what you are going to say. Then she shook her head slowly back and forth in the way people do when they want you to know they regret having to say something, but they must.

“Don’t believe in him. I want to. I really wish I did. I’ve tried to believe in him, but I just don’t.”

I’d say about a hundred thoughts rushed into my head in that instant. But the thing that pushed its way to the surface was a warning thought. “Be very careful with her. Listen to her. Don’t speak.”
...
Click here to read the full article...
(and yes, you really should)

I confess this scares the crap out of me as I watch my own children venture into their teenage years. But I hope that I will respond as well as he does.

One of the things that impressed me is this:

"When someone is giving you their theology, their God words, you should listen hard and be very gentle. The time to deliver your God words is when you are asked."

and this:

"My daughter doesn’t believe in God right now. Why do I feel so happy? Because she wasn’t afraid to tell me."

Why did those lines speak to me?

First, it shows me that he understands unbelief - he doesn't treat it likes its HIV, like its going to infect you if you get near it. That comprehension only comes when we realize that all of us are already infected - we all wrestle with unbelief. And God's big enough to handle it. We don't need to act like it's the plague. We need to repent and believe.

Second, I can see that he loves other people in spite of their struggles. That's the kind of person I want to be, not simply because I think that people are looking for that in life, but because that's what I need myself. And that's precisely how God loves us.

Now make no mistake - it's not a love that says unbelief is ok; it's not! Unbelief is dreadfully serious, its fatal. Its like no cancer you have ever seen. But unbelief can be beaten, and it's love - God's love for us, and our love for one another - that does it. This man seems to understand that truth, and I appreciate it greatly.

Last but not least, it's worth checking out his own story. I think you will appreciate his candor, and you just might be encouraged in your own quest for truth...

(Addendum: There's also a good article from earlier this week called Telling the Truth).

Good Friday Reflections

Charles asked me a penetrating question today about the whole Good Friday thing: Is it really that big of a deal? Should Christians really be bummed by the whole thing? After all, he rose from the dead, didn't he? Should we rejoice? Or should we mourn?

This is a great question because it captures the tension of the Christian experience. On the one hand, yeah, we should mourn! A real man, who was just as truly the sinless son of God, was wrongly executed in my place. Take all the outrage you feel over Terri Schiavo and multiply it by a gazillion. Darn right we ought to mourn.

And at this point I start to beat myself up because I don't really mourn very well at all. I have been extremely busy with work and school all day long. I have been peeved that I have so much work to do, that I don't get to spend time with my kids, that a good friend hasn't responded to my emails this week. I have hardly thought about Christ at all. Its all about me, me, me.

But look - even my mourning can become a form of idol worship. God doesn't love me any more because I beat myself up and feel real bad about my sin. He really has risen. He really has forgiven me (and if you look in the NT after the resurrection, its amazing how the message is almost always positive: rejoice! good news!).

So there is another sense where even in the gravity of Good Friday, we should still be exuberant in our praise, in our confidence in God. I have a feeling the angels in heaven are NOT mourning today. Why? Because the risen Christ is right there on the throne in front of them, seated at the right hand of the Father - he's WON, gosh darnit! How can we NOT rejoice!

And that's what I mean by tension. Yes, should mourn, but that mourning must never be allowed to rest on me - I really do need to look squarely at my sin, and yet, just as quickly I should find myself turning to gaze at God's grace, at what he has done, on how I have been pardoned! Because we live on this side of Calvary, on this side of the tomb. But the only way I can know that favor is through faith in Christ.

So as I reflect on my own weakness, I find it helpful to recall Sinclair Ferguson's description of something John Owen used to say:

At the end of the day there really are only two pastoral problems...

Pastoral Problem No. 1 is persuading those who are under the dominion of sin [the unconverted] that they are under the dominion of sin;

Pastoral Problem No. 2 is persuading those who are no longer under the dominion of sin [Christians] that they are no longer under the dominion of sin, but that they are the first fruits of God’s new creation.

Maybe this is why Paul says, "rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn" (Rom 12:15).

If you don't know Christ, you really do need to mourn your sin and turn to him; if you do know Christ, you need to rejoice that nothing can separate you from the love of Christ, not even your own weakness and failures (Rom 12:38-39).

And that makes this a really Good Friday.

Amazing.

I felt blessed last night when I found that I had some "extra" time to be still -- I'd left the distractions of the pets and the TV and the internet for the night, but I wasn't yet to the point of falling into bed. So father than force in a few (negligible) moments of studying, I decided to actuall be still.

I was going to start off by telling God how amazing it is that my entire life pivots (or should, at least) around the events that we celebrate in the next three days. It's mind-boggling that the very foundations of this world - physically and spiritually - shook on the day that Jesus died. And it's even more amazing to solemnly consider Christ's agony in light of the immense joy that was set before him - for himself and for us.

I encourage you: if you haven't already taken some time today to be still and to consider this, do yourself a favor and revel in your Savior a bit.

So I'm thinking all of this, and I start off casually telling the Lord, "You know what's amazing, God?" And then I had to stop and chuckle to myself. Does God know what I think is amazing? You bet! Ever time I admire a sunset or an icicle, God is saying, "Thank you very much; I think it's beautiful, too." God created this world and everything in it to be a constant marvel.

But does God himself find it amazing? I kind of think he does - not because he is in awe of how intricate the flower petals are or he is astounded by a magnificent thunder/lightening combo that illumines the whole sky. It's amazing to God because he knows precisely how intricate, powerful and majestic is his creation. Its blueprint is in his even bigger mind.

But even more amazing is the fact that God delights in the small things, in the intricacies, in the things that most of us don't even take the time to notice, like the way a drop of water glistens as it slides off of a melting icicle, hesitating at the tip before making the plunge to the ground. Chesterton has pointed out for us how God delights in orchestrating the sunrise every morning.

I stand in awe when I begin to consider what an amazing God we serve, who daily sustains and directs the details of the world, down to the hairs on our heads. I cover my mouth when I realize what a functional heretic I am for not always being drawn to worship as I observe the God-glorifying structure of everything around me.

Right now, however, I mostly rejoice because Christ who died is now risen in paradise, and I have the opportunity to join with all creation as we magnify His holy name.

"Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!" (Psalm 34:3)

Save Toby!

Calling all girls, greeners, animal lovers, even Carl Trueman: Act now to Save Toby!
(Thanks to Ainsley for tipping me off to this)

Now, as for the rest of you (yes, you PETA folks are included), grab the salt and pepper and visit us in Montana this summer (we'll have Toby's whole family over for dinner!)

(this PSA brought to you by the friendly folks at SLD, where we really do "See Life Differently")

everybody loves story

sorry that i haven't contributed much recently. i've been a busy bee and everytime i log on to create a post, it takes me so long to read everything that christian and molly have posted, that i then end up with no time to create a post of my own!!! just kidding. i'm just blaming them for my lack of insight and creativity and flat out desire to post anything lately. so here goes...

what is it about a good story that everyone loves? why was everyone wetting their pants anticipating each new lord of the rings or the matrix sequels to come out? why is that i can't wait for the next star wars despite the fact that i was so disappointed over the last two? (actually my disappointment was wrapped up in the crappy acting of the actor that played anakin!) the truth is that we love story (or at least i do) because of the ways my story connects. the best stories are the ones where the underdog (charles has a great post about this) rises out of his pathetic position.

the truth of the matter is that most of us are underdogs. we don't have these amazing lives where people want to write biographies about us. if someone did write a great story in which we were characters, chances are we'd be background people. the people that they cast in sports movies to sit in the stands, observing the main action of the drama play out. that's how i feel a lot of the time. i feel like i am just an observer watching a story unfold around me.

that's the beauty of the bible. it's really just a story book where seemingly ordinary people are cast in roles that are primarily background roles to the main actor on stage...God. these characters struggle with the same things that you and i do and they are mainly just observers of history unfolding in front of them. yet at the same time, they are major characters because God has chosen to reveal who he is through their stories. the bible is a very human book, but at the same time is God's very word. what a paradox.

isn't that amazing though? this really is what separates christianity from every other religion of the world. take islam, for example...the qar'an is a holy book to muslims because allah essentially handed it to muhammed. but the bible is much different. it comes to us using language, metaphor, and story that we can relate to and understand. it walks in our shoes while at the same time showing us a different way to see the world.

i have been studying the book of judges pretty intently lately for a class. the book basically tells the story of a period in israel's history that was extremely low. the great men of israel had died off and israel began to stray from God by worshipping other gods. since they were in covenant with God, he didn't like this one bit. furthermore, he had delivered them out of egypt when they were slaves. he had purchased them and made them his people and had driven out the nations from the promise land. he blessed them greatly by multiplying them, giving them land and resources, and protected them from their enemies but still they forgot what he had done and turned to other gods.

so god did what any father would do to his children - he punished them for their disobedience with the hope that they would repent. how did he do this? he allowed pagan nations to come in and oppress them. after a period of time, israel did come to its senses by crying out to God for deliverance. so god would raise up a judge to defeat the enemy and restore allegiance to God. once that judge died, israel would again forget god and turn to other gods. so God would give them into the hands of another oppressor. this cycle continues for hundreds of years.

then you get to a unique judge, samson. this story does not begin like the previous accounts where israel cries out for deliverance. israel is quite content in their oppressed situation, worshipping false gods. but God raises up samson anyway. he is born to ordinary parents. unlike the other judges before him he is not exactly portrayed as a righteous man. in fact, he could be the most self-centered character in the whole bible. samson doesn't exactly redeem israel from the hands of oppressors, but instead he stirs up discontentment in israel with their oppressors by antagonizing them and israel eventually is delivered.

the great thing about the story of samson is his parents. in fact, many people who have studied the book say that his mother is the central character. anyone who knows anything about the bible, especially the old testament, knows the place women had in that culture. there is an old prayer that a rabbi once prayed "thank you Lord that i was not born a gentile, a slave or a woman." it is significant that a woman plays such a key role (in fact several women play key roles in the book of judges). but the really odd thing is that samson's mom is never even named. she doesn't appear as a leading role. not only is she never named, but when we first meet her, she is barren (a symbol of God's cursing for israelites) when the angel of the Lord comes to her and tells her that she will give birth to a son who shall begin to save israel from its oppressors.

you see it's ordinary people who God uses. samson's mom reminds me of mary. she appears as an insignificant background character. but she gives birth to the man who would finish the work that samson started. samson was still just a man who even died trying to save israel. but once he died it was over. if jesus had died and stayed dead, it would have been over. he would have been just another judge. but he didn't stay dead. he overcame death...so that we can too. not many things are definites in this life, except that we will all die. we are all afraid of that day. but the resurrection frees us from that fear.

many people accuse christianity of being just a crutch. i have to admit that in many ways it is. it's a crutch in the sense that we have no chance to overcome death without it. that's the message of the gospel...admit that you need a crutch and his name is jesus. believe that this crutch is sufficient for God's pleasure with you and that there is nothing you can do to achieve that pleasure on your own. that's it. there is no place in heaven for self-sufficient heros. instead, this story is cast with ordinary weak and needy people. people like you and me.

Having Mom Over for Dinner

Ok, so I found this funny...its a short little piece about Having Mom Over for Dinner.

(see what happens when Molly and Ryan leave me to hold the fort alone?)

Taking the Plunge

Ok, I'm taking the plunge. After my initial comments about Terri Schiavo yesterday, I want to follow up with some reflection.

First, here's James Kushiner's very brief summary of what's wrong with this picture. I'd like to state up front that I think his criticisms are valid (assuming he's got his facts straight...I haven't checked them).

To be clear, I think there's plenty of wrong in this whole situation - not just with what Terri's husband is doing, but also with the media, the politicians (on both sides), and unfortunately, with the way many evangelicals are responding. There, have I managed to offend everyone all in fell swoop?

I confess that I'm a little frustrated that most of the conversations I've heard about this topic have reduced it to an ethical debate, where everyone is shouting "I'm right, you're wrong!" and pointing fingers. I think this causes two distinct problems:

• 1) some people begin to equate their "rightness" with their "righteousness" (my being right makes me better than those of you who are wrong)

• 2) others begin to conclude that there really is nothing "wrong" (so stop judging me you hypocritical religious zealot!)

I'd like to talk about something different. I'd like to ask, "Where does the gospel fit in all this?"

You see, I think the gospel skewers both of those positions. The gospel says there really is such a thing as right and a wrong, but then it goes on to point the finger at all of us - we are all on God's wrong side. Creation is fallen, and the effects of that cataclysmic event permeate every square inch of creation. This is why we have tsumanis, serial killers, pedophiles, perjurers, kids going postal...you name it, we've got it. Our sin runs the gamut, it covers a broad spectrum, and Michael Schiavo is just somewhere there in the mix, probably a lot closer to the rest of us than we'd really care to admit.

Now that last statement may raise some hackles, but it's really true. If I am honest and look at what goes on deep within my own heart, I'll bet that I share many of the same frustrations, hurts, desires, lusts, and cravings that Michael is experiencing. And my wife is still alive and kicking - she is beautiful, she loves me, she puts up with me when I am cranky, she is quick to forgive, slow to anger.

She is a godly woman, and most of the time I am actually smart enough to recognize that. But there have been moments within the past week where I have despised her, loathed her, thought, "I would just love to walk away from you forever." (If anyone is still reading at this point, you are probably thinking something like, "Good grief, this man hopes to be a pastor? Lord have mercy...")

But listen! That really is what is in my heart at times - and I have a sneaky suspicion many of you have felt the same way. My problem is not Marilyn; my problem is me.

The same thing is true for Michael Schiavo: his problem is not that is wife is in this vegetative state (although that is certainly bringing his problem to the fore) - his problem is that he is rebelling against the situation in which God has placed him. He is saying, "You screwed up, this is more than I can (or should) have to bear...I'm getting out!"

But the rest of us do precisely the same thing in our hearts all the time!

Now granted, most of us don't pull our wife off life support (more many of us, our wives are OUR life support) - but I suspect that more than a few of us would be sorely tempted if we were in Michael's shoes. And what does Mark 9 have to say about the heart?

So what does it look like to shine the gospel of God's truth on this situation? I think we must continue to agree with God's word: "sin is sin, wrong is wrong." However, we must immediately follow by confessing that "I am right there with you in heart, if not in deed." We must perceive ourselves as sinners in desperate need of God's redeeming grace in our lives, and we must constantly speak in such a way that those around us hear that recognition - not as a theoretical theological platitude, but as the bedrock of our beliefs.

We must be quick to repent of our own sin, and just as quick to identity with others as they feel the weight of theirs.

Michael Schiavo probably doesn't need any more people telling him how wrong he is - God's witness in word and creation have made that abundantly clear already. Most people know they are in the wrong. What people like Michael need most is compassionate friends who are willing to help them bear their burdens, to identity with them in their weakness, to call them to repent when they stumble, and to continually offer the hope of forgiveness when they screw up.

That's really the heart of the gospel - Jesus came not to save the righteous, but sinners. Are you "bad enough" to be eligible for the gospel?

Viva el Viaje

Alyssa, one of my coffee compatriots from Infusion, tipped me off to a very cool website the other day, and I thought I'd pass it along.

Its called Viva el Viaje, and it is a blog which chronicles the adventures of her two friends David Landis and Eric Kennel as they trek around the world.

Yes, I said trek around the world.

They are winging it - their route thus far has taken them from Harrisonburg, VA through Mexico, Central & South America, across the pond, and now ...they are hoofing it through the Holy Lands. With lots of photos, journal entries, interesting tidbits about life on the road, this is a site worth bookmarking for regular viewing.

This is something lots of guys think about doing, yet very few ever have the guts to actually give it a go. Aahhh...to be young again!

Up for a Swim?

The other night, Charles was over for dinner and asked what I thought of the Terri Schiavo case. I had to admit that I hadn't been following it. Then, to the surprise of all, Malachi piped up with his very own opinion, and a good one at that. He's been reading and thinking, and it reminds me that I need to be doing that too. Way to go son!

At any rate, I stumbled across some reflections this morning (here and here) which I thought I'd pass along. I particularly appreciated two things about Anne's blog: 1) her tone is gracious, and 2) she's asking some good questions. I have a couple of comments I'd like to add.

First, these things have a way of quickly devolving into partisan political discussions - where we think about the issue the way we would approach a debate topic: how do I score over my opponent. I'm just not interested in that; I'd much rather have a meaningful conversation over a cup of coffee or a good beer where I can actually get a glimpse of how they view the world.

Second, these things also have a way of devolving into abstract ethical debates - we we think about the issue as a problem to be solved, a puzzle to be unlocked. We reduce the players to variables, we try to come up with some "universal principle" which can be applied to every situation and yield the "right results."

It is very easy to forget that there are real people involved in this - husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, lovers - people who have taken vows and given birth and invested their lives in this woman. And yet these same people are also human, weak, frail, sinful. They get tired of the fight. They have vested interests and their hearts are bent. Just like mine.

And this is an extremely complex, difficult situation. There are no easy answers.

You see in many ways, the person I most relate to in this whole situation is Terri Schiavo's husband - I'm just tired of hearing about it, ready to move on. Yet the gravity of the situation - and the value of human life - means he can't. Deep down, he knows it, and so do we.

The fact that my 13 year old is watching this drama unfold means I can't either. He is standing on the edge of the pool, down at the deep end, dipping his toe in the water, watching how the adults of this world swim through life. He is seeing history unfold, he is learning about the character of our nation, the way we live our lives, make our decisions, sell our souls.

And we are asking him to absorb our values and embrace our prejudices.

He senses this implicitly, and that's why he is watching me for my response, taking his cues from me, just like your kids will look to you.

This is why his gospel will inevitably become either "my gospel" or "anything but my gospel." Welcome to life. That's just the way it works.

So...who's up for a swim?

Palm Monday (The Morning After)

Remember that little donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem (John 12)? Imagine his conversation back in the stable Monday morning:

"So what the heck was THAT all about anyway?"

To which his mother wisely would have replied, "Silly little ass - it all depends on who's riding you!"

There's an awful lot of truth in that statement - everything really does hinge on the identity of the man riding that ass. If he is just a man, then our faith is a sham and our hope is in vain (1 Cor 15:14). But if Jesus really was from God, then his entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey was nothing less than the royal procession which precedes his enthronement (Jn 12:14).

Scripture is clear that Christ is a king - in fact, he is the king of all kings. And it's important we understand the kingliness of Christ, because whatever he has as king, that is what we have too.

As we enter this easter week, I'd just like to encourage us to reflect on that thought - what does Scripture tell us we have as a result of Christ's kingship? Here are some places to start...

• Col 1:13 - says God has "delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of his beloved Son." This is a huge first step, but Christ does much, much more...
  

• Rom 8:15-17 - tells us that in Christ we are "adopted as sons, and if sons, then heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ." So God has not only have we been rescued from our bondage to sin, but he has also invited us into a fellowship that is reserved for family. This is SO significant - we now have the right to approach the God of the universe as "Father"!
  

• Eph 1 - talks that in Christ we have obtained an inheritance (1:11, 14, 18); Eph 2 says that we are actually seated along side him in heavenly glory (2:6-7). On account of Christ, we receive "every spiritual blessing" (1:3). Eph 4:8 talks about about Christ has ascended on high, and now he gives gifts to mankind (his church), that we might "grow up into him who is Head."

• John 17:18 - Jesus says, "The glory you have given me, I have given to them." That is an incredible statement! Christ himself as "the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of his nature" (Heb 1:3) takes that glory and shares it with as well, that he might "bring many sons to glory" (Heb 2:10)
  

Of course, these passages just scratch the surface (feel free to share others).

My point is simple: as we approach Easter, we should remember that Christ does not merely do something for us on the cross - he continues to do things on our behalf to this day.

That is why his ressurrection is just important as his death - because he lives, he intercedes for us continually before the throne of God; he purifies and perfects our worship; he ensures that God will continue to find us pleasing; he lavishes the gifts of his grace and mercy upon us; ultimately he will present us pure and spotless before the Father!

And that's something we would do well to remember every Monday morning...

Why Should God Love You?

In response to Good Morning God, someone posed this query:

Would we know only his favor? I mean with all I have done in my life, I still find it hard to believe that all will be overlooked and forgiven (my doubts creeping in again). I know that in Christ I am forgiven, yet I will continue to sin. As I learn about Christ I find more sin that I was unaware of. How can he look at us with favor?

I constantly catch myself now doing/saying things that I immediately have to ask forgiveness for...Wouldn't my level of commitment to God have to be equal to his commitment to me in order to have this covenant? If that's the case I'm in big trouble...

Great question, right on the money: if this is the case, you and I both are in really big trouble. Fortunately, however, this is not the case, and now I'll try to explain why.

Here's the key to everything: we must understand why God loves us in the first place.

Consider redemptive history, the types of people God has chosen:

• Why did God select Israel in the first place? "It is not because of your righteousness..." - (he says this 3 times in these verses!) - "...because from the day you came out of Egypt you have been a rebellious people" (Deut 9:4-7)
• What about Israel in the days before the exile? She is repeatedly called a whore, and yet God refuses to abandon her! (cf. Is 1; Ez 16, esp. vs 61,62; Hosea)
  
• What about Jonah in the middle of the Mediterranean? What's his attitude towards God? Rebellion! (Jonah 1)
• What about Peter, on the eve of his crucifixion? Faithless! (Luke 22:54+)
  
• What about Paul, on the road to Damascus? Persecutor of God's people! (Acts 9)
  

Ever single one of these are examples - not of people who are weak, but of people who are outright opposed to what God is doing. They were not inclined towards him at all!

Romans expands the scope, and describes ALL OF US as enemies of God - "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (Rom 5:10)

So why did God love them? Why does he love ANY of us?

It's NOT because we are friendly towards him - indeed, the consistent testimony of Scripture throughout is that we are not at ALL friendly towards him. In fact, we are not even neutral. We are his enemies!

Nevertheless, he still chooses to love us. And if God did not love you because of anything you did (or anything in you), he will not stop loving you because of anything you do either.

God loves you because of something entirely outside yourself - he loves you because of Christ. This is no blanket love for humanity in general (sorry Mumcat) - this is a love that is focused exclusively on those who are "in Christ" through faith in HIS work, not our own.

Ephesian 1 and 2 is particularly helpful in this regard. As you read this passage, notice how many times the "in Christ" language shows up. And notice what Paul says in 1:3-5 - God has blessed us in Christ, just as he loved us in Christ and also chose us in Christ.

To be completely blunt - the reason why God will never stop loving you has everything to with Christ, and has nothing to do with you. Unless of course, you refuse to love Christ. God loves those who heed Christ's gospel message to repent and believe in him, to trust in his work rather than their own.

This is why Paul can say in Rom 8:31-39: "I am convinced that NOTHING can separate us from the love of Christ."

Gospel faith does not merely call you to believe in Christ so that you can get your slate wiped clean and now the rest is up to you. Gospel faith is continually resting in Christ every minute of every day - never looking to yourself for something to commend yourself to God; always reminding yourself that the only thing that can ever commend you to God is Christ! And he has already done everything that needs to be done!

This is trendously liberating, and Martin Luther got it! (I'd encourage you to pick up a copy of his little book "On Christian Liberty"; I've found it very helpful).

So where does this leave us in regard to sin? You see, if God's love for us is unalterable, then wouldn't that mean that sin doesn't matter? The answer is "NO!" (cf. Rom 6), and here's a (very) brief explanation of why.

You see, God really does hate sin, even in Christians (this is why Paul's epistles are filled with commands not to engage in behavior that God says is sinful!). When we obey, he is pleased (cf. 1 Jo 3:22); likewise when we disobey (sin) he is neither honored nor happy. But what about his love for us then?

What we have to realize here is that it is very easy to make a category mistake - to start thinking of God's love as if it were human love. For humans, love and favor often go hand in hand - you do what I want, I will love you and bless you; you cross me the wrong way and I will withhold my love and punish you. But that's not how God deals with us.

God deals with us, like a father with his children (cf. Gal 4, Rom 8) - his love for us is constant (because it is grounded in the person and work of Christ); but when we sin, we experience his displeasure and discipline (Heb 12:5-11).

So we really can please/displease God, but that never ever alters his love for us. Indeed, its precisely BECAUSE he loves us that he does care about our sin - he is not content to leave us in our filth.

That's a very long answer to your question, but a question that good deserves a thorough answer - and I hope I've helped in that regard. Thanks so much, for sharing your struggles with us all...

Pansies

I love the "how much more's" of the Bible. For example, God clothes the flowers in such beauty, so how much more will he clothe his children!

God cares when a single sparrow falls to the ground; how much more does God care when you have sorrows and pain in your life!

God has the hairs on your head numbered; how much more does he number your thoughts, and know every detail of your life!

This one is my favorite: where sin has not tragically destroyed the relationship, our earthly fathers delight in giving good gifts to their children; how much more does our heavenly Father lavish blessing after blessing on his children!

I get to go home and spend the next week with my parents. I am so excited because I love them dearly. They lavish me with love in so many ways -- materially, emotionally, spiritually. When I think of all they do, I am always filled with immense gratitude, and I know how pitiful my attempts to give back to them are. How much more -- they teach me what my Heavenly Father is like, because he loves even more to abundantly give me what I need: grace, strength, truth, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness ... How much more -- if I want to give back to my parents and tell them how much I love them, this shows me what it's like to be so grateful and so loving to one who has done this for me first.

Christianity Explored

The following is an excerpt from an interview with a funny British guy named Rico Tice. Rico has developed a course called "Christianity Explored" that intends to introduce non-Christians to what we believe. If this whets your appetite, the whole interview, "Using the Gospel to share the Gospel," is certainly worth reading.

I have to understand that God loved Jesus, but also at the cross God was punishing Jesus for my sin; that is how serious my sin is. And I will spend eternity in hell paying for my sin if I reject the death of Jesus. And particularly, I think the battle is to persuade people that right at the heart of sin is not believing in Jesus.

Now I have two nephews, Dolton and Patrick, and they’re lovely little boys. If they walked into the room now and you ignored them, cut them down, or were unpleasant to them in any way, we’d be enemies. We must get people to understand that they may think they are living thoroughly pleasant lives, but in holding God’s Son at a distance when he sent him to die makes them God’s enemy. It’s the heart of sin. We find in England ... we really don’t have a big enough view of sin. It takes weeks to persuade people that sin is the problem.

We’re saying to people, “Jesus didn’t come for good people but for bad people” so the qualification for being a Christian is not are you good enough, but are you bad enough? Jesus said, “I didn’t come for the righteous, but for sinners.” And if they still think they’re okay, we say let’s look at Mark chapter 7. And see that the heart, Mark 7 in verse 20, is a fountain of evil. It’s what’s within us, and no good work can cover up. That would be like using a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.

The Church is a Whore

Something worth remembering...

"Yes, the Church is a whore; but that whore is the bride of Christ and your mother, and you have no right to abandon her."

-Anonymous

A Book About God

Today at Barnes and Noble, this book, "God: A Seeker's Companion," caught my eye. So picked it up and read bits and pieces of it. It was about 1/3 fanciful, 1/3 heretical, 1/6 thought-provoking, and 1/6 biblical. And I think those add up to 1, but there was also overlap (i.e. "biblical" should also be "thought-provoking," and "thought-provoking" can also be "heretical").

Anyway, I'm putting this book on my "might buy" list because I thought it would provide some good conversation-starters, particularly if I were in an evangelistic context of exploring the Gospel. Or if I were trying to teach people how to interact with someone who had a bit more ... "open" view of God. I'd ask, "What's good about this quote? How does it seem to connect with the speaker?" Then I'd ask, "What's wrong with the quote? How is the speaker trying to make God into his or her own image, rather than submitting to God's revelation of Himself?" Finally, I'd ask, "What in God's Word 'scratches the itch' of this person? How can you present the Gospel to this person in a compassionate way?"

But I don't know if all that would be worth the $8 I would spend on the book. So I'm thinking about it. If any of you people out there would like to buy the book for me, I wouldn't complain! Perhaps the next time I'm at BN (which won't be for a while because of Spring Break, woohoo!), I'll jot down a quote or two and give the my theory a little 'test drive' here at SLD.

Good Morning God

This morning I awoke at 3:45 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. And as I lay there in a semi-conscious state, this rather odd question kept filtering to the fore: "How does covenant shape our social interaction with others?"

Huh??? (Yeah I know, it's bizarre - but then again, so am I. It all made perfect sense at the time. Run with me on this).

In a flash of insight, I realized that any kind of relationship requires some form mutuality, some form of interpersonal commitment (I'm calling it "covenant" for lack of a better term) in order for people to actually engage with one another at a heart level.

Here's an example. When I am "friends" with someone, there are certain things that I can say and do around them that I wouldn't do around anyone else. I can wear what I want, say what I think, scratch where it itches... Why? Because being "friends" implies some kind of informal commitment to accept each other regardless of behavioral foibles.

Up to a point. You see, "friends" is a low-grade covenant. "Best friends" might be one notch higher, followed by "boyfriends/girlfriends", "brothers", "blood-brothers." You get the idea.

To get a higher level of acceptance, you need a covenant with a higher level of commitment. The higher the commitment, the more "myself" I can be with someone, the more I can actually open up and give them my heart without fear of rejection. And that's the basis for relationship - where we can both be ourselves.

If covenant funds relationship, I wonder how far you can go?

So my mind started walking up that ladder. I have had a handful of very close friends in this life, but I can only go so far in giving them my heart - cross the wrong line, you exceed the tensile strength of the relationship and things fly apart. For example, I could tell a buddy I was attracted to a woman; but if that woman was his wife, it would probably be disastrous for our relationship. The covenant category "buddy" just can't handle that level of honesty about my sin.

So we all start looking for stronger categories - society creates "contracts" and "taboos"; religion gives us "priests." True Christianity gives us "the body" and "brothers in Christ", which (when they work) are some of the strongest covenant commitments I know - I've told Ryan things I've never told any other person except my wife. And "Spouse" (when it works) is even stronger, because the level of commitment is ratcheted even higher through a legal contract with both God and men as witnesses. I have told Marilyn stuff about me that would make even Ryan blush.

But guess what? I can still only go so far. No matter how strong the brotherhood, how strong the marriage, you can always find a point where the other person just can't deal with the blackness of your heart, or they would bail. So you always end up holding something back, shielding the real you to keep from getting hurt. And that means our relationship is limited too.

But what if I wanted to truly give my heart to someone, no holds barred. Every stinking ounce of me, just as I really am - and not have them shrink away in terror or rage. That would be the most amazing relationship, but what would it take to create a covenant that? A covenant that could handle the pervasiveness of my sin?

Only one thing comes to mind: the blood of Christ.

The blood of Christ, as the sign and seal of God's promise to accept me. Nothing less will suffice. That is my only hope for real acceptance. There is nothing stronger. And it's right there free for that taking...all I have to do is repent and believe.

If Christ's blood really does form the basis for a covenant that can cover any sin (cf. Heb 12:24), imagine the depth of relationship that flows from that bond. Imagine what it would be like to stand there absolutely naked before the omniscient eye of the God of the universe, and to feel no shame, to know nothing but his favor.

Now THAT is a mindboggling thought, at any time of the day. But that's precisely what I'm looking for. And its precisely what he offers.

Good morning God!

Third Way of the Gospel

I'm probably going to tick off some people on both sides of the isle with the comments that follow, but I think the point I want to make is important, so I'm going to go ahead and run the risk. So fasten your seatbelts and we'll give it a go...

I stumbled across two well written articles over the past several days, and after an initial "ooh I like that" reaction to both, I started reflect further on their content and tone. First, take a look at the 3 Minute Abortion Debate. Now, I will admit that as someone who is pro-life, I really like a lot of what this guy is saying. I think he makes some very good arguments. A lot of my conservative Xian friends will be pumping their fists and high fiving one another over this one.

Ok, now take a look at What Jesus Never Said. As someone who growing daily in my appreciation for the gospel, I really like a lot of what Mumcat is saying. I think she understands how the gospel skewers many of the socio-behavioral standards we erect to make ourselves feel better than others. A lot of my, non-conservative, non-Xian friends really like this Jesus; he is appealing, because he's actually willing to accept them.

And now, I'm going to take my shots at both (this is where I'll probably tick people off).

You see, while I agree with the content of the first article, I have this nagging suspicion that this type of approach will ultimately fail. Listen to what the author says in the final paragraph:

"I have given up all hope of ever getting the Insufferable Liberal to change his mind or admit he might be wrong, but if I can just rock him back on his heels once in a while, I consider it a win."

Maybe it's just me, but has this man just revealed what really matters most in his heart?

Listen, its not about us being right and them being wrong, about shutting down their argument and getting the win. You see, that's what concerns me about this approach - its so easy to go away feeling justified in the soundness of our argument, in the inescabality of our conclusions.

But that's precisely the problem. People do not change their stance on the basis of a logical argument. People are not computers, they are not hyper-rational. We are religious. We are sinful human beings who all pursue the desires of our hearts. And Jesus calls us to reach out and connect with the hearts of all those "Insufferable Liberals". Frankly, we do a pretty crappy job of that.

We can have all the truth in the world, and if we do not present it in a way that touches people's heart, we will never reach them. That's why God didn't just send us a message - he sent us his son. That's why Paul tells the Thessalonians that "we gave you not only the gospel, but also ourselves" (1 Thess 2:8 - and if that statement does not rock your Reformed world, you need to read it again).

The gospel is not just about truth, facts. Its about presenting that truth to people in a way that they can hear it.

Now let's look more closely at the second article. This author concludes by saying:

"Of course, he didn't say any of this. That, I believe, is why we have the gospels, the "good news" not "the good news -- and the bad news."

Maybe I'm misreading this (and if I am, I apologize profusely), but it sounds to me like this woman is saying that there is no bad news. And that's simply not true.

Good news is only good news when it is opposed and contrasted to something bad. Grace is getting something we don't deserve. But Scripture (and Jesus) is equally clear that we do deserve something, and it ain't a vacation on the beach in Jamaica.

Bavinck says that all of history tells us God has a quarrel with his creature - "there is no room for grace if the justice of God is not first established" (Our Reasonable Faith, 260). And this is the reason why all religions of the world are in some sense redemptive. Because they sense we really do need redemption. Jesus came "to seek and save, the lost...sinners."

Now Mumcat is correct in one sense: when Jesus speaks to the woman at the well in John 4, he DOESN'T say, "first you have to make a full confession of everything you've done and then we'll talk." But he doesn't say she is ok either (and her subsequent confession and repentance are implicit all through this passage).

Basically (and I'm compressing here), when Jesus says "go, get your husband and bring him here" (John 4:16), Jesus is looking at the sin behind the sin. He is saying this:

"Go get your husband and bring him back and compare him to me. Yes, I know you don't have a husband - you have had five husbands and the guy you are with now is not your husband. But that is not really your problem. Your real problem is that you are looking for fulfillment someplace other than man. You are crave something (or else you wouldn't keep going from one relationship to another) but you're not getting it. You thirst too, and I am here to quench your thirst."

You see, what I appreciate about this post is that it recognizes Jesus' compassion for the "untouchables," for the people religious types tend to reject. What concerns me is that people who like to say "God is love" and "Jesus was a great man/teacher/prophet" often don't bother reading any further - they often seem to lack an understanding of exactly what Jesus was about. The conveniently forget that Jesus' basic message was "repent and believe." (Mk 1:15)

Listen - at the end of the day, there are only two options: the Jesus of Scripture, or the Jesus of my imagination. And I don't trust my imagination (and neither should you; nor yours either - because I've never met a thief who wasn't biased in his own favor, and if Scripture is right both of us fall into that category).

So what am I calling for? I think we need the content of the first approach. But we also need the compassion of second approach. And unfortunately, I haven't found enough of either in the typical camps.

I don't want conservative religion. And I don't want liberal irreligion. I want a third way, the way of the gospel, because I think that's what Jesus came preaching...

What's Wrong with the World?

When the London Times asked a number of writers for essays on the topic, "What's Wrong with the World?" G.K. Chesterton sent in the reply shortest and most to the point:

Dear Sirs:
I am.

Sincerely yours,
G.K. Chesterton

(Do you see why I like this guy? Now off to bed! :-)

My Addiction

After finding the Shocking version of John 4 earlier this week, I've been following Steve's reflections as his site has been deluged. First, in Overdose for an Applause Hog, he said this:

I have to admit, this kind of attention is kind of like what I'd imagine a hit of coke would be like: instantly addictive. My fundamental character defects are being self-centered, self-seeking, and believing "it's all about me," and any kind of praise and "Woo-hoo!" just feeds into this, as you might imagine.

I have a confession to make...this is so me.

I have felt this exact same thing as I have started to log my own thoughts here on See Life Differently. Success and adulation are addictive, and I want people to like me. And the better I can articulate things, the more likely I am to get the applause. I want people to think, "Wow. That was so profound." I want people to think, Christian is a deep thinker.

Why? Because, as the late Jack Miller would say, I am an "Approval Suck" - I crave the approval of others. And when you are talented and apply yourself, you can get it.

For a time. But fame is fleeting, just like beauty.

Yesterday, Steve was honest enough to reflect on that very thing, noting that the chart indicates he has enjoyed 14.5 out of his 15 minutes of fame. Once again, he is much more honest than I care to be.

You see, we have stats counter on our page too (and if it was high enough, you can bet I'd drop some innocuous comment about "how nice it is to see so many people visiting our site! Why just like week we had over blah blah blah numbers of visitors, and isn't it cool to know that the things we are saying are actually resonating with people! Well, we just have to give all the praise to God...").

Barf. Gag.

The reason why we don't show our counter is because its still low enough to reveal us for what we really are: basically insignificant.

And I desperately want to be significant. I want to matter. There are 7 billion people on this planet and I just want to be somebody's little messiah, the object upon which they lavish their worship and affection. That's basically what I was getting at in Hole in My Soul.

*sigh*

Here's the problem. You see, with just a little practice, confession begins to come easy. You can start to open up and take a good hard look at what's inside, and actually even reveal it to others (because let's face it - people like train wrecks; if I'm really honest, I can still get people to stare).

But what's truly difficult is to actually start to do something about it. And, once again, that's where the gospel comes into play.

Because Scripture tells me that I really am significant. But it stipulates the terms of my significance. It is entirely because of Christ - it has everything to do with who he is and what he has done; it has nothing to do with me, except to the extent that I will relinquish my claims of self worth and lean instead on the sufficiency of Christ. That's what faith is.

So I need to learn how to find my significance in Christ. And I'll be real honest one more time: it's really hard. I think most of the problem lies in me. I wish I could point to a 12-step program that makes the stars align and everything fall into place. But my sin is way to ingrained for a hollywood solution.

I think the only real means for change is to continually remind myself of the simple little truth of the gospel. Its all about my faith in Christ. That's what I need. I need to preach the gospel to myself daily, because the gospel is not just for salvation - its for daily living. That's where the Indicative vs. the Imperative comes into play - I need to learn to see the gospel freshly. I need to constantly be seeking to rediscover the gospel astonishment.

Everytime I do that, the addiction to myself weakens, and my affection for Christ strengthens. I think this is what Paul has in mind when he talks about dying to himself that he might live for Christ (Eph 4:22-24).

If I really want to write a good blog entry, I ought to find some way to connect back to the beginning and wrap the whole thing up with some literary flourish. But its late, I'm beat, and literary flourishes are just about ego anyway.

So there...I'll just end. Let's conclude by thinking about Christ instead of me. The beauty of the gospel is that God uses insignificant people to redeem those who are lost and change the lives of others.

From 2 Cor 4 (do yourself a favor and go read the whole chapter...)

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart....For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake...this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

-2 Cor 4:1,5,17-18

That's what its all about folks...

Atheism in decline?

I don't know quite what the point of the folks at Stones Cry Out was in this post about The Decline of Atheism, but I'm curious if anybody has any feedback on it.

Surfing the Blog-o-sphere

Clicking "Next Blog," and then a meandering path after that, led me to this:

Follow the herd:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.

So...

"And again, in Isaiah 9:6-7, 'unto us a son is given ... and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God..."

(From The Westminster Shorter Catechism for Study Classes by G.I. Williamson)

Indicative and Imperative

Several of my professors here at seminary like to say, "The indicative drives the imperative." What the heck does that mean anyway?

What they are pointing out is that God repeatedly grounds his commands (what we should do) in what he has already done. We actually see this all over scripture (both new and old testaments). And I've heard it for years. But what difference does that make?

I didn't make the connection until just recently...

I've been studying through the book of Deuteronomy, where Moses lays down God's laws to the people - this is how they must live as the people of God; this is what will distinguish them from all the other nations. And in the midst of all this law (do, do, do), Moses does something extremely surprising: he calls Israel not to remember what God has done for them. Remember! Don't forget!

We see this clearly in Deut 32, where God tells Moses to teach Israel a song that will be a witness against them. The climax comes in vs 46, where God says, "Take these words to heart that you may keep all these commands and teach them to your children." That's the imperative. But we we look at the previous 45 verses we see God telling them to "remember" (vs 7) and then he proceeds to recount the great and mighty deeds that he has done in bringing them out of Egypt into the land of promise. That's the indicative.

God evidently thinks that the key for Israel's "doing" is not simply to try harder, but rather to start by "remembering" what he has already done.

That's the theory, the theology. But it has always seemed so abstract. Until recently.

You see, even though I have a beautiful, loving, godly wife, over the years I have struggled with the flesh, I have had a whoring heart, I have been faithless in my desires. And no matter how hard I tried to do what I knew that I should do, I could not change myself (Rom 7:15+).

So fool that I am, I bared my soul to the very woman this truth would hurt the most. I told my wife just how powerless I felt. I confessed everything. I got very, very specific about my sin. All of it.

I'm pretty sure Dr. Laura says you are NEVER supposed to say this kind of thing to your spouse. But I did anyway, and then I waited for the condemnation which I justly deserved.

Yet it never came.

You see, my wife saw me just like God saw those Israelites - enslaved, powerless. She did not love me because I had my act together. She loved me because she is my bride. Because she had made a promise to me. To be there through thick or thin. And so she forgave me.

And I can't tell you what that did for my heart. Forgiveness is a powerful thing. I felt just like Despereaux Tilling's father, Lester. Because forgiveness changes everything. It resurrects love from the grave, and when you truly love someone, you will do anything for them - not because you should, but because you want to.

But forgiveness only comes after repentance, and repentance comes only when I admit that I am messed up. And that very act which seems to be the greatest concession - when we finally admit that we have fallen short up and can not fix it ourselves - that act of ultimate weakness is actually the moment of our greatest faith, because we have nothing left to cling to but faith.

And that is why God calls us to remember. That he why he tells us not to forget. Because the more we realize how much God has done for us in Christ, the more we will love him and the more we will desire to keep his laws, to please him.

And if that's how God deals with us, that's how we should deal with one another (1 Jo 4:11).

That is how the indicative drives the imperative.

God as a High School student?

As I contemplate heading back to youth group in about an hour, I've been desperately trying to think of a way to surprise my complacent and hardened girls with the amazing grace of the Gospel (remember my frustration a week ago?). This week, I decided to abandon our normal Bible Study in order to just step back and refocus our vision on God and loving each other.

So the question became, "What should I teach?" I didn't know, so I just started thinking about all the things I hated about high school (and I really didn't like much about high school). To name a few:

• I hated the definition of "cool," and what it took to be accepted and / or popular. I hated what I felt like when I conformed, and I hated what I felt like when I was on the outside (most of the time).
• I hated the hypocrisy of some of my fellow church-goers.
• I hated my fights and misunderstandings with my brother and my parents.
• I hated acne, awkwardness, and other body flaws.
• I hated fashion - I didn't really 'get with' the world of fashion until I went off to college, so I felt like I stuck out, no matter what I wore.
• I hated peer pressure, in all of the different forms that it assumed.
• I hated my changing hormones - I hated when guys didn't like me, and I hated that I was so confused when they actually did.
• I hated not really knowing myself, and not knowing how to figure out who I was.

In short, I was a total nerd in high school. If you've ever seen "Never Been Kissed," you can imagine how I would feel if I were compelled to go back to high school (although, if I knew I was going to meet a Michael Vartan ... nevermind!).

Honestly, what does the Bible have to say about ANY of that? Afterall, Jesus never had to endure zits, studying for SAT's or ridiculous curfews. Or did he?

The Bible certainly tells us that Jesus was made like us, and that he can identify with all of our weaknesses and temptations ... so that's got to include adolescence. When I picture Jesus in my mind (a very un-Presbyterian thing to do, I know), I picture either a baby in a manger or a 30-something-year-old man preaching and dying on a cross. But in a very real sense, Jesus went through the awkwardness of adolescence, just like the rest of us!

This is part of what the Bible means when it says that Jesus emptied himself. He had to grow physically, he had to develop cognitively; as a human being, God had to learn things! What a bizarre thought. And yet it's true.

There's no big theological truth that I want to drive home to my girls tonight. I just want them to think about Jesus as a real human being. He's been there. He knows how you feel. I want them to believe in Jesus as a compassionate fellow-sufferer, not just the big guy in the sky who tells them what to do.

Of course, we can't stop in contemplating Jesus as our fellow-sufferer; we also have to believe that he is our living redeemer. If it were not for this second part, we may as well just have a really nice neighbor patting us on the back. It is the resurrection life of Christ that gives us hope. I never want to minimize the importance of the resurrection. But for now, I want to focus our eyes on the one who authored and perfected our faith by his life of obedience, even during the unrecorded years of his adolescence.

Maybe we will learn to trust him better when we really believe that he's been where we are now.

Two additional notes:
- I put together a list of verses that reminded me of the 'indignities' that Christ experienced that are analogous to some of my 'HS hate list' from above. Click here to see it.

- Rich Mullins has a great song contemplating Jesus' experience as a boy. Click here to read it.

Despereaux Tilling

The Tale of Despereaux may be a children's story about a very small mouse, but it speaks of thing we all need to hear...

Chapter 40 - Forgiveness

HE WENT FIRST to the throne room, but the king was not there. And so, Despereaux slipped through a hole in the molding and was making his way to the princess's room when he came upon the Mouse Council, thirteen mice and one Most Very Honored Head Mouse, sitting around their piece of wood debating important mouse matters.

Despereaux stopped and stood very still.

"Fellow Honored mice," said the Most Very Honored Head Mouse, and then he looked up from the makeshift table and saw Despereaux. "Despereaux," he whispered.

The other mice of the council leaned forward, straining to make some sense of the word that the Head Mouse had just uttered.

"Pardon?" one said.

"Excuse me?" said another.

"I didn't hear right, " said a third. "I thought you said 'Despereaux.'"

The Head Mouse gathered himself. He tried speaking again. "Fellow members," he said, "a ghost. A ghost!" And he raised a shaking paw and pointed it at Despereaux.

The other mice turned and looked.

And there was Despereaux Tilling, covered in flour, looking back at them, the telltale red thread still around his neck like a thin trail of blood.

"Despereaux," said Lester. "Son. You have come back!"

Despereaux looked at his father and saw an old mouse whose fur was shot through with gray. How could that be? Despereaux had been gone only a few days, but his father seemed to have aged many years in his absence.

"Son, ghost of my son," said Lester, his whiskers trembling. "I dream about you every night. I dream about beating the drum that sent you to your death. I was wrong. What I did was wrong."

"No!" called the Most Very Honored Head Mouse. "No!"

"I've destroyed it," said Lester. "I've destroyed the drum. Will you forgive me?" He clasped his front paws together and looked at his son.

"No!" shouted the Head Mouse again. "No. Do not ask the ghost to forgive you, Lester. You did as you should. You did what was best for the mouse community."

Lester ignored the Head Mouse. "Son," he said, "please."

Despereaux looked at his father, at his gray-streaked fur and trembling whiskers and his front paws clasped together in front of his heart, and he felt suddenly as if his own heart would break in two. His father looked so small, so sad.

"Forgive me," said Lester again.

Forgiveness, reader, is, I think, something very much like hope and love, a powerful, wonderful thing.

And a ridiculous thing, too.

Isn't it ridiculous, after all, to think that a son could forgive his father for beating the drum that sent him to his death? Isn't it ridiculous to think that a mouse could forgive anyone for such perfidy?

But still, here are the words Despereaux Tilling spoke to his father. He said, "I forgive you, Pa."

And he said those words because he sensed that it was the only way to save his own heart, to stop it from breaking in two. Despereaux, reader, spoke those words to save himself.

...

After he was gone, the Head Mouse slapped his trembling paw on the table. "Mice of the Council," he said, "we have been paid a visit by a ghost who has told us to repent. We will now take a vote. All in favor of saying that this visit did not occur, vote 'aye.'"

And from the members of the Mouse Council, there came a tiny but emphatic chorus of "ayes."

Only one mouse said nothing. That mouse was Despereaux's father. Lester Tilling had turned his head away from the other members of the Mouse Council; he was trying to hide his tears.

He was crying, reader, because he had been forgiven.

Tricksters

I thought this was a clever article - that most of us will enthusiastically identify with - and it has a unique Gospel twist at the end: Tricksters, by Andree Seu

Jesus and the Gay Man

I picked this up off of RumorSage, who in turn got it off of Ragamuffin Ramblings, and its really worth reading.

Basically, the author is asking if we appreciate the shock of the gospel, and to illustrate he shares the story of Jesus with the woman at the well, but set in a modern context like Chicago. (Substitute your local denomination in lieu of ECLA to get the intended flavor...)

John 4:1-33 (more or less...)

1 In late July, the Metro Chicago Synod heard that Jesus was attracting more first-time visitors and baptizing more adults than any other ELCA pastor in the city, 2 although in fact it was not really Jesus who had baptized them, but his irregularly-commisioned staff of unordained lay ministers. 3 Now when Jesus learned of this, he left the seminary community in Hyde Park and went back once more toward the ELCA headquarters on Higgins Road.

4 Now to get there, he had to go through an area just north of downtown called Boystown. 5 So he came to a part of Boystown called Northhalsted, not far from the plot of ground where Emperor Mayor Daley had ordained that the Chicago Cubs should play baseball. 6 Cub's Stadium was near there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey on the Red Line, sat down at a sidewalk café table outside the bar called Hydrate. It was just about lunch-time, and though the rainbow flags were fluttering in the breeze and the music inside the bar was pumping, there weren't many people around (because it's often hot and miserable outside, at mid-day in late July, in Chicago).

7 A waiter came to the table, wearing a bright pink "His+His" t-shirt and a "Silence=Death" armband, and raised one eyebrow at the man seated at the table in front of him in the "Come Follow Me" t-shirt. Jesus said to him, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (All the lay ministers had gone down the street to pick up Subway sandwiches for the rest of the journey.)

9 The gay man said to him, "Hey...you tell me. After all, you appear to be a straight Christian, and I'm a gay man. Let's face it - we don't get many religious folks in Boystown, let alone places like this. And I'm not only a gay man, but I'm a Muslim gay man. So where does a guy like you get off asking someone like me for a drink?" (For Christians do not associate with gays, nor with Muslims if they can help it.)

Click here for the rest of the posting...
(There's also a follow-up post.)

Looking forward to the comments on this one...

Christ IS Christianity

As I am studying for a test tonight, I ran across a great comment by a theologian named Herman Bavinck. Speaking of Christ, he says this:

"Christianity stands in a very different relationship to the person of Christ than any other religions do to the person who founded them. Jesus was not the first confessor of the religion named after his name. He was not the first and most important Christian. He occupies a place wholly unique in Christianity... Christ is himself Christianity... without his name, person, and work there is no such thing as Christianity. In one word, Christ is not the one who points the way to Christianity, but he is the way itself."

-Bavinck, Our Reasonable Faith (p281)

I think he hits the nail square on the head - Jesus makes Christianity unique because he actually DOES something upon which everything else in Christianity rests. I can't think of any other religion that works this way...

The Swan Curriculum

My first introduction to the TV show The Swan came last winter when I watched one of the closing episodes of it. I was absolutely horrified. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, the show takes women who feel terrible about themselves and supposedly look terrible, and it gives them a regimine of starvation (aka dieting), plastic surgery, psychological renovation, working out, etc and transforms them from ugly ducklings to the most beautiful women on TV (incidentally, they ALL LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME! -- we're talking cheek implants, breast implants, nose jobs, chin implants, and they're all blondes).

This show goes beyond nodding its head to the standard of female beauty that most women in this country struggle with; it actually promises happiness to these women (regardless of what they've been through and what kind of life they're going back to) almost exclusively based on their appearance. What a gross deception. If I believed that lie, I would have such a hopeless outlook. What good does beauty do you if your friends betray you, if you suffer from physical illness, or any other of the manifold things that happen in life sneak up on your beautiful self. Which I guarantee will happen. The winner of the first season (I think there have been two seasons) received divorce papers from her husband while she was on the show ... now tell me that being beautiful makes up for all that!

While on a studying excursion recently at Barnes & Noble, it came to my attention that the woman who brainstormed The Swan had written a book telling other women how THEY could undergo this transformation, too (she lightly brushed over the fact that your average woman can't take three months off of her life to have every kind of plastic surgery under the sun). So cynical me read part of the introduction, and what struck me the most was that one of the most heinously materialistic promises of the "American Dream" couldn't escape religious language.

Without drawing this out too much, I just want to challenge you as you read her words to think about what Christian said earlier in his Hole in My Soul post. These women have genuinely desperate situations; they are hurting souls. And yet because they don't grasp a concept of grace that amply supplies all that they need, they are forced to trust in a counterfeit that will inevitably disappoint.

“A few years ago, I reread Hans Christian Anderson’s Ugly Duckling story with my son. I was amazed at how well it captured this experience of being flawed in a world obsessed with perfection. Of course, we women don’t just wake up one day to find that we have become what we always dreamed; like the ugly duckling, we sometimes need assistance. That is why I created the television show The Swan – to help other women who are stuck. The show follows eighteen ‘ugly ducklings’ throughout their four month commitment to self-transformation. During this time, they receive therapy, life coaching, fitness training, diet counseling and, yes, plastic surgery. Their transformations are amazing, but don’t think that what you’re about to embark on is any less powerful. You have in front of you the very workbook I developed for my own transformation – the original Swan.

“Becoming a Swan requires faith. And I don’t mean religion. I mean the faith that you’ll be taken care of in the universe if you do your work.

“Welcome to The Swan Curriculum.”

Nely Galán, The Swan Curriculum: Create a Spectacular New You with 12 Life-Changing Steps in 12 Amazing Weeks (New York: Regan Books, 2004).

If Nely's faith is not religious faith, what kind of faith could she be talking about?

Doing Justice and Preaching Grace

As some of you know, Ryan and I hope to plant a church in Missoula, MT after we finish seminary next year. Of course, that raises a very important question: What exactly is the church? What makes us any different from the Mormons, the JWs, or the local Elks Club?

What really makes a church, a church? If we intend to plant one, we better have a good answer.

Now we're not the first ones to ask this question. In his book, Evangelism: Doing Justice and Preaching Grace, Harvie Conn lists 4 basic criteria:

• proclamation - true churches should be proclaiming God's words (not man's), and that means calling people to repent and believe the gospel (cf. Mk 1:15)
  
• fellowship - true churches should do more than just talk - they should be a community of believers who actually spend time doing stuff together: eating, praying, singing (cf. Acts 2:42)
• service - true churches should also serve one another, meeting needs within the body (Acts 6:34)
  
• worship - perhaps most importantly, the church is called to worship God together in unison, corporately (cf. 1 Cor 11)
  

These are all important. But Conn goes one step further: for the church to really be the church, we must also be concerned with justice.

Now this may sound a little suspicious - especially for us evangelical types who are extremely wary of 'liberals' and 'social justice'. What's interesting, however, is that the OT prophets repeatedly slam Israel's leaders, not just for false worship, but for failing to seek justice for the poor, to care for the fatherless (cf. Is 1:17)!

Fast forward to the NT, and we find Jesus rooting his own messianic claims in the fact that he fulfills Isaiah's prophecy: "the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them" (Mt 11:5, quoting Is 61).

The point here is that Jesus links the preaching of the gospel with the healing and liberation of people who are weak, sick, oppressed (whether by sickness, or the powerful). Maybe this is why James says that "true religion is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep one unstained from the world." (Jms 1:27, cf. 2:14-17).

Conn's point is that the good news of the gospel actually entails 2 distinct realities: grace and justice. If we preach the one without practicing the other, unbelievers will sense the inconsistency and reject the message. And that's because God designed it that way - grace without justice is not the gospel; its religious rhetoric.

So what does justice look like?

First of all, it means that we must be willing to call sin, sin. That may sound a little odd at first blush, but I've talked about this before in my post on Drawing the Line: if somebody is addicted to destructive behavior, a friend who truly cares will intervene and say, "you have a problem." It might seem more compassionate to simply look the other way - but that does injustice to your friendship, and even more importantly, it does injustice to the person being wronged by sin (ultimately, God).

Now, in the church today we've actually done a pretty decent job at this side of the justice coin - we're pretty good at telling people where they're wrong. Unfortunately, we've done an awful job of saying it in a way that "sinners" can actually hear it. And that's because we have often failed at the second side of justice.

Conn, in describing his unsuccessful efforts to minister to Korean prostitutes, recounts a startling breakthrough:

"I discovered that a person is not only a sinner. He or she has been sinned against. My cultural background in white, North American churches had oriented me almost exclusively to seeing a person as the subject of sin. But not the object of sin. Seeking the various factors that kept women in prostitution opened my eyes to that new dimension." (p45)

What Conn is saying here is huge: Yes people are sinners (and believe it or not, most of them already know that). But they have also been sinned against. And so we as Christians are called to stand along side them against the injustices they have suffered, to help right the wrongs that they are experiencing.

At times, this may indeed look like social justice. Conn's breakthrough came when he realized the reasons WHY these women had entered prostitution (how many girls actually say: "ooh, prostitution! Now there's a career path for me!" ?). Then he began to seek to help them address those underlying issues, whether they came to Christ or not.

He did not stop preaching the gospel, but by identifying with the oppressed, his gospel message took on a whole new weight and significance. His actions validated his message. In fact, Conn was actually modeling the gospel of grace to them - by coming and identifying with them in their mess, he placed himself in a position to help them respond to that first call for justice. He became their advocate. He became a little christ to them.

Herman Bavinck describes it like this: "Now the order is reversed. Before the Fall, the rule was: through works to eternal life. Now, after the fall, in the covenant of grace, the eternal life comes first and out of that life the good works follow as fruits of faith" (Our Reasonable Faith, p272)

This is precisely what Christ has done for us - he has intervened on our behalf, doing justice and preaching grace. And that is precisely what the church must rediscover if we hope to reach people with the gospel message.

Unbelief in us all

“The human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood lurks, is so decked out with deceiving hypocrisy, that it often dupes itself.”

“For unbelief is so deeply rooted in our hearts, and we are so inclined to it, that not without hard struggle is each one able to persuade himself of what all confess with the mouth: namely, that God is faithful. Especially when it comes to reality itself, every man’s wavering uncovers hidden weakness. And not without cause the Holy Spirit with such notable titles ascribes authority to the Word of God ... Surely, as often as God commends his Word to us, he indirectly rebukes us for our unbelief, for he has no other intention than to uproot perverse doubts from our hearts.”

Both of the above quotes are from John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, chapter 2, sections 10 & 15.

Faith & Reason

It is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. Reason is itself a matter of faith. It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all.

-G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (31)

Putting my Money where my Mouth is

A few days ago, I made a post about how I've been contemplating the nature of weakness in the Christian life.

It's amazing how passionate we can be when we start thinking about God's truth, his power, and how much his grace can change our lives. And then God tells us to put our money where our mouth is.

I'm still reeling a bit, so this will probably be more random ramblings than a coherent thesis followed by support, conclusion and a few nice points of application. My LIFE is application! The basic story is that I lead a small group of high school girls in a youth group. I normally have four or five girls, all of whom have very different personalities. Over the last few months of getting to know them, I've really come to love them all - it's been really fun to 'hone' my teaching skills and to help them wrestle with issues in their everyday life. It's hard to walk with God in a real way in high school. I know. High school was not that long ago for me, and I don't think you could pay me enough money to do that again. Been there. Done that, and got many t-shirts.

But I digress. The point is that I feel for them, and I know that a lot of them have a much tougher time than I ever did, as a result of many different circumstances.

But there's this one girl. The last two times our small group has met, she has dominated the group. I can't complete a sentence without her interrupting me. I can't teach my lesson because she's saying that it's stupid. "I don't believe in God." "God's dumb." "I'm not going to trust God; God's mean." And it's not so much that she's genuinely wrestling, it's that she doesn't want to believe; she doesn't want to wrestle, and she doesn't want to let anybody else wrestle either.

Basically, she's rude and it's all I can do to make an effort to keep some semblance of the group going. Nobody shares prayer requests anymore. In fact, nobody really says anything, except when they giggle at something she says. After the last meeting, I described the feeling as akin to punching a brick wall.

It's honestly one of the most helpless feelings I've had in a long time. It's not the helpless of watching a friend suffer and entrusting her to God's loving hands because I know that I can't heal her gaping wound. It's the helpless of using every means within my grasp - short of physical violence or extreme verbal abuse - to simply be able to put 5 words together in a sentence without being interrupted. It's the helpless of preparing a lesson about how awesome God is and how much he loves us and watching it become little pieces of paper for her to throw at her friend. It's the helpless of giving a really good seminary-student answer to what I thought was an honest question and hearing about the cute boy in her art class in return. It's the helpless of thinking every thirty seconds of an entire hour, "Can we be done yet?" And it's the helpless of having one of the girls verbalize that same thought towards the end of that painful hour.

Weakness, Lord ... it's beyond humbling; it's humiliating to be shut down by a 15 year old girl. Weakness, Lord ... help me to learn how to be faithful to you and in my commitment to these girls even when I'd really like to just curl up in a ball in the corner. Weakness, Lord ... even when I think that I can be a good teacher and I have good things to say, you show me that it's more important to trust you. Weakness, Lord ... any semblance of self-sufficiency that I feel in helping other people is demolished. Weakness, Lord ... I feel so empty, I don't know how I'm going to go back in there again next week and love that girl and try again. Weakness, Lord ... I can't imagine what will touch her, but I know that nothing and nobody is beyond your grasp.

You see, it's not a theoretical, "God is glorified when I talk about my weaknesses as though that's the part of me he likes best." It's a reflective, "I can't possibly do anything else in my own strength in this situation. I have nothing to offer here." If I thought I was making a difference in these girls lives, I've let go of some of that tonight. If I thought they respected me, I don't glory in that anymore. If I thought they even liked me and thought I was cool, I am no longer deluded.

And it's here that the Gospel reaches into my life. I see how much of my "filthy rags" I've been hanging on to. How I've got cool-with-the-high schoolers-righteousness. I-don't-really-wrestle-with-fear-of-man-righteousness. I-have-theological-answers-righteousness.

Here's a theological answer for me : “We will never have enough confidence in him unless we become deeply distrustful of ourselves; we will never lift up our hearts enough in him unless they be previously cast down in us; we will never have consolation enough in him unless we have already experienced desolation in ourselves” (John Calvin; read this morning for class -- very timely!).

And I'm thankful. I'm thankful that God is teaching me how to be faithful in a difficult time. I'm thankful that it's really not that difficult. I'm thankful that he promises that his Word will not return empty. I'm thankful that his Spirit is working in their hearts, even though I can't see it (faith is the conviction of things not seen). I'm thankful that I still desire to love these girls and to serve them and to make a difference in their lives. I'm thankful that he's giving me this opportunity to make the Gospel more real in my life, emptying my heart of myself and learning to trust my redeemer.

So here I am, actually boasting about my weaknesses. And the reason is so that God might be glorified in and through me, and so that Christ's power might be perfected in me. And strangely, I find myself right now saying with Paul, "All the more gladly."