Here's The Thing

Just a Thought

2010-07-07T20:38:00.002-05:00

I'm teaching a Bachelors-level course this quarter called Written Analysis. The whole purpose of the class is to get students thinking "on paper." To think through a complex and complicated issue, with no clear or easy solutions, but to write out the thinking process. (Even if you're an internal processor, this is far from easy. Getting lost in your own thoughts is common and difficult to get out of. Trying to prevent that linguistically can be a nightmare.)

At any rate, here's the thing: the more I study and, dare I say, "think" about this class, and the deeper into the quarter we go, I find myself becoming fascinated with the critical thinking process specifically and obsessed with thinking in general. For about three hours each week, a group of about 30 of us hold up in a room and do nothing but think. We think about complicated issues, issues that some of the smartest people in the world are thinking about and then we propose our best-guess solutions to these problems and try to think about whta the ramifications of what we've proposed might be.

Here's what I've learned about thinking so far:
1. It's hard work.
2. The value lies in the progressive sophistication of the thoughts.
3. I am not the sharpest tool in the shed. (Okay, I really already knew this, but still, it's good to be reminded.)
4. It takes time.
5. Concentrated focus on thinking in this class, helps me think quicker and better throughout the other days.

Playtime

2010-06-19T16:57:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I helped out with the Recreation part of VBS (that's Vacation Bible School for all the older ones reading this who still remember felt board Bible lessons and macaroni crosses in crafts), and one of the days I was in charge of keeping an eye on the kids playing in and on the playground. I'm always struck watching little kids play together because I learn so much from them.

As soon as they got going sliding, running, and expending copious amounts of energy, one of the little girls ran up to me and asked, "Mr. Noah, will you play with me?" I smiled and told her how much I appreciated her asking but that I needed to keep an eye on all the other kids and maybe she should ask someone else. I watched as she proceeded to approach a group of three girls timidly and ask the all-important question to them, "Will you play with me?" As I did, I realized that much as it is the make-or-break question for a kid on the playground, we as adults have similar situations throughout our lives.

Here's the thing: we come into social situations (high school, college, church, work, parties) with all our insecurities, all our frailties, all our perceived weaknesses, and we see all these already-formed groups of people having conversations, talking, laughing, and getting along. And in these situations of corporate monkey bars and social rope climbs, all we want is for someone to play with us. To find someone or a group of someones who will accept us into their game and keep us from being relegated to watching from the sidelines.

Thankfully, the group she asked willingly let the little girl in, and they laughed and played until it was time to move to the next part of VBS. But you and I both know this might not always be the case for her, and it certainly isn't always the case for adults. On playgrounds when no one will play with you it's okay to cry and be sad, and there are usually adults around to comfort you and make it all better, but in the adult world we don't always have those options available. Too often when adults aren't included we smile, pretend it's no big deal, and bury the hurt or whatever emotions are conjured up.

I hope and pray that I will be someone who is ready with a "yes" whenever anyone, no matter what they look like, smell like, act like, etc. asks me if I'll play with them. After all, isn't that what Christ did for me?

You Think?

2010-06-19T16:45:00.004-05:00

This quarter, I'm teaching a class titled "Written Analysis." The point of the class is to challenge students to think creatively and critically about issues related to their fields of study and then propose solutions to these problems based on the thinking they've done.

Last night, we had the first class, and we started with a discussion about worldviews and how our worldview affects (deeply affects, in fact) the way we approach the act and exercise of thinking and decision-making. Here's the thing: it occurred to me as we were talking, or rather as the students were talking and I was listening, just how little most people think about what they believe and how what they believe influences their behavior. As we laid out some of the bigger categories of worldviews (e.g. nihilism, existentialism, post-modernism) it was fascinating to see little cracks in some of the students as they realized that their behavior in certain situations actually cross a couple or even several different worldviews.

I don't know exactly where this discussion will ultimately lead, but it gave me great confidence that these students are going to be able to handle this class and anything I throw at them this quarter. I also walked away more convinced than ever, that we as humans need to do more thinking about what we think.

2010 Summer Reading List

2010-05-31T09:28:00.004-05:00

It's summer time, and at least in theory, things will slow down a bit to give us all a chance to catch up on our reading. Here are four suggestions to throw in your backpack or beach bag and spend some time with this summer. With the exception of one book, this year's list is for those who want to have fun reading and get a little mental exercise in as well. Enjoy!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Written from the perspective of a little boy who has autism, this book will entertain you in ways that are both surprising and heartwarming.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This one makes the list almost every other summer. The language isn't so much challenging as it is just a little dated at times, but it's an American classic, and you just have to read it at some point in your life. As a follow-up, if you want a little more challenge from Fitzgerald, try The Beautiful and the Damned.)
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Get ready for this one. The small size of the book is very deceptive, as the writing and plot for this one rank with the likes of A Clockwork Orange.
A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle. This one throws in some Irish history intertwined with a terrific story. Warning: read it on a sunny day!

Who Cares?

2010-05-31T09:02:00.002-05:00

This article from MSNBC.COM caught my eye yesterday. If you know anything about me, you know that I'm constantly fascinated by generational trends, those specific and sometimes unique qualities that give generations characteristics and qualities nearing personality traits. In the article, Jenna Bryner cites a major study done at the University of Michigan which found that currently enrolled college students are 40% less likely to feel empathy toward their friends than those of previous generations did.

To be sure the interpretation of this research is subjective, but the main determinative statement as to whether students show empathy was, "I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective." The data seem to suggest that students are less likely to agree with this statement than those of the late 1970s were.

I don't know if I really think college students today are less empathetic than those of previous generations. In many ways, I feel as if my students tend to be more empathetic and want more empathy than I was at their age, but I do see (and hear) a trend among my students that seems to support the research. The students I teach today tend to have a "if it doesn't affect me, I don't care about it" mentality about a wide range of issues and problems. One of the things I strive for in my classes is to pick issues for discussion that my students can directly relate to, and if they don't, it becomes my job to help them see how what we're discussing directly affects their lives. So, it makes sense to me, that the "who cares?" mentality they have about the economic crisis in Greece, because it seems so removed from their everyday lives, could translate to their interpersonal relationships as well.

One of the traps of suburban life, is that it's easy to think that what happens to someone else doesn't directly affect me. We can drive into our garages, close the doors, draw the blinds or curtains, and in effect, hit the Ignore button with our actions the same way we do with our mouses to a "friend" request on Facebook. In apartment buildings or small towns where "everybody knows everybody" this is harder to do. Not that the Ignore button can't be hit, not that people who live in these places don't have the same capacity not to care about their neighbors, but the above mentioned scenarios do seem to make it harder not to care.

For me this article just reinforces much of what I already thought about teaching. That part of my job is not only to present issues to my students but to also help them see why the issues we're discussing in class matter, even if the issue doesn't fall on my students' pre-made list of issues that directly affect their lives.

Multiple Personalities

2010-02-18T07:41:00.003-06:00

One of the things I've learned this quarter has to do with the personality of classes. Let me set this up a bit: last quarter, I taught four sections of Comp 1, and each section had a distinct and fun personality, which was good for me as teaching four sections of the same class during the week could get pretty boring. But I came to know what would work and what wouldn't work in each class because I knew who they were as a group. I knew what they responded to. One class responded to a fast-pace, pack as much in as possible approach whereas another one really responded well to group activities. The one thing all four sections had in common was that the students in each section just gelled together and worked well. Even though I had to change my methods depending on the group's dynamics, it wasn't difficult to teach them because they were a cohesive unit, working together each class.

This quarter, I'm teaching two sections of Comp 2, and about 80% of my students are ones I had last quarter in Comp 1 sections. It's basically as if four sections of Comp 1 were combined into two sections of Comp 2, and it's honestly been one of the biggest challenges to teach. The well-formed, easy functioning classes of last quarter have gone. For some reason, four sections that separately were so gelled together have not mixed well at all, and knowing how to teach them and what they'll respond to has been almost impossible.

Here's the thing: I've always known that as a teacher I'm very sensitive to the feel of a class. If the students are rockin', so am I. If they are really getting the material and having a good time with it, teaching becomes unconscious for me, and I simply join the party. What I didn't realize until this quarter was just how meaningful and powerful the personality of a class can be and just how much I do respond to it. I also never dreamed that combining four really fun sections into two could take away the magic and adversly affect them that much.

And Reach!

2009-10-10T09:59:00.004-05:00

I've never been much for stretching before or after a workout. Stretching always seemed optional, something that you could do if you wanted to, but not really necessary. And, in one sense, I was right. When I was younger, I could set out cold on a 5-mile run, or leave a round of weights in the gym, hit the shower, and go on with my day without much problem. Plus, stretching hurts. It's painful, and it's time-consuming: two things, neither of which I'm too fond of. The older I get, however, the more I'm realizing the importance of stretching. Without stretching, my muscles hurt worse when I workout, they become stiff, hardened, and inflexible. If I don't stretch knots in my neck and back come easier, and my shoulders get a little hunched. My muscles also find every way they can to cheat during workouts. They "remember" the routines so they can do the least amount of work possible. Stretching forces them to move, to bend, to change, to grow in ways that even weights can't.

Here's the thing: the principle that works in the gym, also works in my Christian life as well. Stretching is essential. It's imperative that I'm constantly finding ways to be stretched in my walk with Christ, especially the older I get. Just like my muscles do in a physical sense, it's so easy to find myself becoming hardened and inflexible, it's so easy to live on past spiritual insights, doctrines, and the things about this life that I already know how to do, so that I end up doing the least amount of "real, new work" possible and still give the appearance of fighting and running and lifting and growing. And, yes, just like in the gym, stretching hurts, and it is often time consuming, which is actually a blessing. It is the thing that will make my workouts more effective on the front end, and put me in the right frame of mind as I go out into the world so that people meet someone soft and flexible, not hardened and unbending.

Between the Lines

2009-08-19T10:57:00.004-05:00

I have to pass the college where I teach on the Interstate to get to the exit, so I can wind my way back around to where it's built. As I've made the drive almost daily for the past eleven weeks, I'm struck by how small and unassuming the building looks. Even though it faces the interstate and has the name of the school in large letters on the front, it sits behind some trees, lower than the interstate, and at 70 (or more) miles per hour, it can be easy to miss. In fact, I'm not sure before I started teaching there I even noticed it. And yet, it's a place that's full of activity. Hundreds of cars come in and out of its parking lot every day. Vendors come, deliveries are made, and it functions like buildings do, whether anyone notices or not. Not only that, but it's a college. It's a place where learning happens. It's a place where ideas are formed, batted around, discussed. Where opinions are strengthened, broken down, changed, and then remade into something, hopefully, stronger and more thoughtful. Quietly, sitting there by the interstate, with the traffic of life speeding by, a really fascinating story is being written, "inside the four walls."

And, here's the thing: that's how it is with a lot of my students as well. See, where I teach, many of the students don't come from society considers ideal backgrounds for pursuing higher education. They work hard to make it to class each night after working all day. They fight to stay focused on their goals, sometimes without much encouragement from their families or friends. They are there, sitting in class, trying to focus on computer programming and thesis statements, when their minds are wandering to thoughts of paying for babysitters, or where the gas money to get home will come from. And sometimes, because of circumstances or preconceived notions that many people have, they can be easy to miss, easy to look over, easy to pass by and think, much like the building that houses the school, that they're "just another group of Tech School students."

And yet, that's not the case at all. As I've walked the halls every day this quarter, interacted with them, and listened to what they have to say, I've learned so much about the stories that are being written "within their four walls." Stories of courage, grief, sadness, tremendous happiness, and hope. Stories that deserve and need to be told, even as they are still being written. Stories that shouldn't be overlooked, because the traffic of what passes for "normal life" is speeding by at such a rate that it becomes necessary, for efficiency's sake, to develop file folders to put everything in ("just another building," "just another student"). Stories that are sometimes hard to see in the midst of the trees. Stories that leave you changed.

Partying Like the Pagans

2009-07-20T09:35:00.005-05:00

If you buy into this whole idea of God not only allowing but actually commanding his people to stop, in the middle of the desert, and take time to celebrate, the next question should be, "Okay, but how?" It's a good question, and one that I think followers of Christ are pretty confused about. I grew up in an environment where Christians were encouraged to be different from the world in the hopes the world would take notice and begin asking questions about what made us different. And, while I don't think this is a bad attitude or tactic to take, it does seem to create in many believers' minds (mine being one of those) the idea that we can't or shouldn't do anything the world would see as fun: we, prayed in the New Year, instead of having parties; we had wedding receptions in the fellowship hall instead of at clubs; we had Fall (or Harvest) Festivals instead of going trick-or-treating.

Now, please understand, the heart and intent behind all these things are good, and there's even a lot about the methodology that I think is right and missing from grace-driven ministries. (There are many times when I worry I'm becoming too much like the world, and this is something to be warred against just as much as the legalism and pseudo-piety of the previous examples.) The problem came, not in what we did, but in the fear that seemed to lay constantly under the surface that we were going to end up being "just like the world." That no one would be able to tell a difference between us and them, and everything we did was evaluated by this method.

Here's the thing: I don't see as much of a concern about that in the celebrations and feasts God instituted for his people as they wandered in the wilderness. Now, to be sure, there was a major difference in the object of celebration for the Hebrews and the pagan cultures that lived around them, and this did permeate into certain areas of the parties, but if we were to walk into the Israelite camp during a festival, I'm not sure we'd be able to tell that much of a difference between their celebrations and those of say, the Canaanites. There was lots of food, lots of loud music, lots of dancing, yes, lots of drinking, and a spirit of raucous and chaos that would make most believers uncomfortable. In fact, the practices of the celebrations were so close to what the pagans did, that Israel actually crossed over into sin on several occasions of pagan worship, slipping away from the original object of their celebration. God didn't like it, and he punished them greatly for that, but he never took away the festivals. He never changed the methods. He never said, "The risk is too great for them to slip into idolatry, so therefore, no more celebrations." Instead, he seemed to want them to party and celebrate with more than enthusiasm and yet still hold on to his command to have NO other gods before him.

What a different viewpoint than I tend to have! Instead of trying to stay as far away as I can from "the line" of sin, God set up a system in which the Israelites seemed to constantly flirt with it. Why? Was he testing them? Maybe. Was he setting them up to fail? Doubtful. Instead, I think he encouraged this kind of celebration because he knew better than anyone else just how worthy he is of as much exuberance as a human being can muster, and then some. Besides, the pagans didn't create joy and fun and the spirit of celebration, God did! So often, as believers, I think we're just kind of content to let the world have what should be ours, what was ours to begin with. If the message of the Gospel is really true, if we have been given all that we claim we have, if we really are looking forward to what we say we are, Times Square on New Year's Eve should become like a high school pep rally compared to the party we would throw.

Just like the desert didn't change, neither did God nor has he. The commands to holiness and discipline and watching out for weaker brothers and sisters are still there. But could it be that he's encouraging us to risk those in an effort to praise him, to enjoy celebrating him? Certainly it's not about having bigger and better parties, but it might just be about trying to redeem partying in an effort to worship and celebrate our God in the way he deserves, and letting the accusations of being "like the world" get drowned out by the music.

Porch Swings

2009-07-13T11:01:00.001-05:00

Here's the thing: I found this great summertime drink, thanks to a buddy of mine who lives in Atlanta. Read my two previous blog posts, click here, make the drink, light some citronella candles, sit outside, gather some friends, and reflect on the goodness of God in your life. (You might even start to celebrate a little!)

One hint, the cucumbers are a must!

Celebrating in the Sand

2009-07-13T10:21:00.003-05:00

So, this is the next stop in my thinking about joy and the Christian life. If you missed the first post, just click here.

The Israelites have been brought out of Egypt, liberated by the Lord, on their way to the land that he'd promised them long ago. A land, according to Exodus 3:8, "flowing with milk and honey." And yet, to get there, they had to pass through the desert. Reading the book of Exodus, there's no way for anyone to confuse that it was God who brought them out of Egypt, nor that it was his decision to take them through the desert, the "long way" as it were, to get to their destination. He had a purpose. Actually, he had several. He wanted them to learn to trust him. He wanted to teach them his ordinances and his laws. He wanted to test their faith and their obedience. He wanted to "fit them" to inherit the land that he had set aside for them. Much of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy are the accounts of this "fitting," of God sanctifying his people for the new life he had prepared for them. The really cool thing about these accounts is that none of them try to make this process sound like anything other than what it was: hard. The Israelites were in the desert, it was hot, there were a lot of them, and they had to move in this sort of cumbersome herd. They needed water, they needed food. They didn't know where they were nor where they were going, and in the midst of all this. In the moments of testing and sanctifying, God instituted festivals and feasts, times when he instructed his people to stop and party.

Depending on how you count and what you count, there are anywhere from 10-12 times every year that God told his people to stop working and party. Sometimes these were more solemn: Passover (Exodus 12:1-14; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9:1-14;28:16; Deuteronomy 16:1-3a;4b-7) and Firstfruits (Leviticus 23:9-14), but other times they were just loud expressions of joy: Feast of the Tabernacle or Booths (43; Numbers 29:12-34; Deuteronomy 16:13-15; Zechariah 14:16-19) and Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25; Numbers 29:1-6). Times designed for people to be joyful, happy, and in a mood of celebration. Times when music was played, when the entire camp would be filled with the aroma of animals being given as burnt offerings. Times when no "ordinary" work should be done, but instead the work of celebrating was the order of the day.

Now, here's the thing: if I'd been there, I probably would have been that guy saying, "Wait a minute, we're in the desert! Don't you see all this sand around you! You know as well as I do how hard it is to grow grain here, to keep our bulls alive and fed, and now we're gonna just burn them. What about if we need them tomorrow? What will we do then? God has already tested us before by having us wander over hard and difficult paths, what if he does that again? Besides, partying and celebrating are for those who don't really understand our God. He's a serious God. Not some frivolous thing to just blow trumpets at." To use the modern day vernacular: every party has a pooper, that's why we invited you!

The interesting thing about these feats and festivals is that God commanded the people to celebrate, and for hundreds of years, the morning after each celebration, they woke up still in the desert. The sand hadn't magically disappeared, and the daily grind was still there. And yet God commanded praise, he commanded celebration. And, lest we think these were anything subdued or quiet, just imagine over five thousand people shouting, laughing, blowing trumpets, and in a party mood. It was loud, it was chaotic, it was (dare I say it) fun!

How does this look practically? Well, I've got some thoughts about that coming soon. For now, I'm just simmering in the idea that celebration isn't just okay, it's commanded, and that I have been far too disobedient for far too long.

The E-vite

2009-07-13T09:37:00.004-05:00

I have long understood and lived with the mindset that the Christian life, at least my Christian life, is like living on a clock pendulum, constantly swinging from one side to the other, rarely spending much if any time in the middle. I'm in one of those times right now, specifically as it relates to God's sovereignty and our joy. As I've grown in my understanding and belief in the absolute sovereignty of God, one of the things I've had to deal with is the fact that bad things happen to Christians living in a fallen world, and that this has nothing to do with a lack of faith, or unconfessed sin, it's just the reality of life, even to the point of accepting (which I'm very ready to do) that God ordains suffering and trials and "bad" things in my life for days, weeks, and even seasons to accomplish his will. As I've become more comfortable with this doctrine, which I really do believe is Biblical, two things have happened: I've begun to see trials and suffering as a natural, normal thing, and expect that they will come, and it's become harder for me to rejoice in the good things, the relief, that are also a part of the normal Christian life. The first one is healthy and right, the second one is not.

As far as the issue of trials and suffering being normal and being ordained by God, I'm there. I've long since given up on the hopelessness that comes from seeing suffering and trials as somehow my fault for not having enough faith or not confessing my sin fast enough. I played that game for a long time, and trust me, you don't want to go there. Not only is it unbiblical, it's also exhausting, defeating, and puts a lot of the burden for living this life on me, a very scary proposition.

On the other hand, I'm more and more troubled by how my mind has moved--and I see this in others around me who are understanding these truths for the first time as well--from an acceptance of a suffering and trials to a "grit-your-teeth-and-bear-it" mentality that too often views the Christian life as something to suck it up and get through, while waiting on the next Providential shoe to drop. (In many ways this is no different than those Christians who view this world as utterly and completely evil, without hope, and who wait for Christ to come back and snatch them out of the mess.) And, when there are those moments of blessing and joy, I find myself enjoying them reservedly, not because I don't think God wants me too, but because I don't want to take my eye off the trail, in case I get distracted and step on a landmine.

Here's the thing: this has been the recipe for a resistance to joy in my life, and that scares me. I worry about what it says about me, my view of God, and my misunderstanding of Scriptures. Surely there's got be a way in which I can live the Christian life, not as some naive Peter Pan, thinking life is all about being happy, and then when trials and sufferings come my way, being totally devastated because I think it's my fault somehow, and that I need to work harder to get God's blessing about, and yet at the same time, not be so consumed in accepting the trials and sufferings of life, that I can't "rejoice in the Lord always" (Philippians 4:4).

The world needs to know that Christians aren't perfect, that we struggle with things, and we don't expect the Gospel to "fix" us and make everything fine and dandy, but they also need to see us having joy in the midst of the pain, otherwise, why would they need to accept it? After all, they've already got the pain.

I think the answer lies in the Old Testament. In God's instruction of Israel, while they were in the desert. Sand for miles around. No food. No water. All apart of his plan in leading them out of bondage and into the Promised Land. He told them to pray, he told them to sacrifice, he told them to obey, but he also told them to party. There's something here, and I need to explore it more.

More Summer. . . and Fall Reading

2009-07-05T21:09:00.001-05:00

Newsweek published a list of "Fifty Books for Our Time." I love lists like this. I scanned through it, and am sad to say that I haven't read any of them and haven't even heard of most of them. Here's the thing: I'm thinking about working this into my reading time, and going for the challenge. Why not, right? Certainly some of them will be duds, but what's a better use of my time than this.

Summer Reading List

2009-06-24T07:03:00.002-05:00

Looking for a good book to catch up with this summer? Here are three suggestions:

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer -- It will grab your heart and never let go. I was never the same after I read this book, and I re-read it every couple of years to be reminded of the truth that's there.

1776 by David McCullough -- I know it's a few years old now, but in the midst of the times this country is going through today, it's as relevant as ever. McCullough writes for the non-history buff, so don't be intimidated.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson -- File this under the category of "Books I Should Have Read in High School but Never Did." Also count it as one of the best examples of the dual nature of man ever to be written down. You will understand yourself (and everyone around you) better after you read this one.

If you get a chance to read any of them, let me know what you think.

There Was a Farmer. . . Who Was a Father

2009-06-22T09:16:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time there was a man named Bill. He was a dairy farmer in a small town in Alabama. If you were writing a book or short story about the life and adventures of a small town farmer, he would have been tailor-made for the part: honest, hard working, someone who knew his stuff, a war vet. Not that his life was storybook. From what I hear, there were times when folks tried to take advantage of him, and looked down on him. But, if the stories they tell in Florette are true, he met each hardship with grace, choosing never to reciprocate any of the negativity thrown his way. I met him later in his life. After the farm was officially closed, the barns starting to fall apart, and the cows long gone, and yet it wasn't hard to see that in fact the stories they tell in Florette about Bill are in fact true. There was an underlying sweetness about him that seemed to defy the conventional farmer stereotypes of the hard men who became stoic after years of hard work and uncertainty. This farmer didn't have that. This farmer was also a father. He had a daughter and a son, and he raised them along with his wife. They grew up, learned how to do chores, and experienced all the things kids enjoy and remember about life on the farm.

Then, circumstances and life being what they are sometimes in this fallen world, later on, this farmer became a father again. This time to another son. Yes, technically, it was his grandson, but if the stories the guy who lives in the other room at my house tells are true, Bill was a father to him in every sense of the word. He loved him, cared for him, looked after him, provided for him, and gave him a sense of place and purpose in the uncertainty this new son found himself in. Genetics helped by giving the new son his grand-father's smile, but it was on long walks, those times of riding around the farm in the truck, those moments so private, that the young boy was given his father's heart, his tenderness, his love and concern for others.

Another chapter of this story played out recently, as Bill died, and as I've been thinking about and walking through this part of the drama with my roommate, I've been struck at how once, long ago, another father had a son. In fact, they'd been together since before there was even time, and they were closer than any father and son has ever been or will ever be. This father and son were one, distinct, and yet the same. Then, circumstances and life being what they are in this fallen world, this father became a father again. This time he did it by adopting people like me, giving us a purpose, a sense of place, a future and a hope. Creation helped by giving us his image, but it's by spending time with him, and his working to conform us to the image of his first son, that we are given his heart. And, much like Bill waited with anticipation, at the end of the long driveway that runs from the road to the farmhouse (and later from inside the farmhouse when he was too weak to be out) for his new son, his second son to come home, this other father waits as well for his adopted children, his new sons and daughters to come and be with him and enjoy him and sit together and learn more about his heart, and leave with more stories to tell.

Poison Ivy and My Selfishness

2009-06-22T08:33:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend, a group of us went to help a friend's grandmother clean up around the house of the farm she lives on. It was a massive undertaking, and our energy gave out long before the list of things that needed to be done did. We were warned to be on the look-out for snakes, poison oak, and poison ivy, as all three are summer residents on the farm. I started out with the weed-eater, acutely on the look-out for snakes, but not too worried about poison ivy and/or poison oak, since I've never been allergic to it. At one point, a couple of buddies and I finished throwing limbs we'd cut onto a pile to be burned, and immediately one of them said, "Okay, let's go wash our hands, 'cause there was poison ivy all over those limbs." I hadn't even noticed the poison ivy, and as I thought more about it, I realized that I didn't even know what poison ivy looks like (poison oak either, for that matter.) Then it hit me, that I've never bothered to learn how to identify poison oak or poison ivy, because I'm not allergic to them. They don't pose a threat to me, and so I just go about my business, not too worried, unaware. Certainly, I wasn't looking out for them like I was the snakes, something that had the potential to harm me. For most of the people I was working with, poison oak and ivy can lead to days of discomfort, even potentially shots, but for me, it's a non-issue, so I'm happy to live in blind ignorance to it most of the time.

Here's the thing: through this little episode I was reminded of just how selfish I am when it comes to living life. I mean, so much of my life is lived in a state of "if it doesn't affect me, then I won't worry about it." Not allergic to poison ivy? Great. I won't even bother to learn what it looks like. Who cares if I might be able to point it out to someone else that is allergic to it. After all, it's their struggle, not mine.

Over and over again, the Bible talks about the church as a group of people who look out for one another, consider one another above themselves, put their own needs and desires on hold for the good of the group, refrain from things they have no problem with if it would cause another to struggle. In other words, it's made up of people who learn what sin--all sin--looks like, whether it affects them or not, and they are on guard, always looking out for others who might experience days, weeks, months, or even longer of problems if they were to get wrapped up in whatever it is. I'm so thankful that I'm in a church with people who look out for me and are on guard, on the lookout for potential sins that could entangle me. I pray that God will continue to take my eyes off myself and make me more into someone like that as well.

Little Marks

2009-06-18T18:12:00.005-05:00

This week I began each of my Comp classes by having the students write from two different prompts. I made them for ten minutes. I told them I didn't care about grammar, spelling, even complete sentences. If they couldn't think of anything to write, I told them to copy (and re-copy, if necessary) what they'd already written. Some loved it, some hated it. Some just sat there, looking pitiful as if this was the longest, and most painful ten minutes of their life.

See, the school I teach at is a "technical school." Most of the students that attend this school don't have an affinity for writing, they don't enjoy it, they're even afraid of it. They will talk all day long, but there's something terrifying about putting their thoughts, feelings, and ideas down on paper, and that's what I wanted them to do. Without a lot of pressure, without a lot of stipulations about the "rules of writing," I just wanted to help them take a step toward not being so afraid or paralyzed every time someone tells them to write about "x."

Here's the thing: this is how I am when God tells me to try something spiritually, something he's designed for my good. There's just something about God telling me to do something that causes the knees to shake, the sweat to start pouring, and hundreds of excuses to come pouring forth. It's like I instantly become a reincarnation of Moses--standing before a bush that's on fire but not burning, hearing the voice of God, knowing that the Almighty God of the Universe is the one sending him to do something, hearing the promise that he'll be with him when he goes--worried about a speech impediment.

I can almost hear God saying, what I said to my students all week, "Come on, Jason, just try. I've got you. This is a safe place. I'm your Heavenly Father, and I'm not going to just leave you hanging if you screw up. In fact, I'll be smiling the entire time." So, I need to take a cue from my students, who picked up the pens and pencils in fear and started making little marks on the paper. Unsure of themselves the whole time, but choosing to trust me and my plan. Trying to believe that what I told them was true.

Hard to Love

2009-06-11T09:13:00.002-05:00

Last night, I came home, and let Radley (my roommate's dog) out. I started changing clothes, and he did what he always does when we first get home, he came up to me, got as close as he could, and laid down in the floor. Clear signs that he was ready to be petted. I got changed, and decided to oblige. I got down on the floor and started petting him. Then, he did something that he's started doing more and more lately. He put his paw on my arm and started pushing me away. It's the most bizarre thing. He wants to be petted, he loves to be petted, he will interrupt whatever you're doing to let you know that he wants attention and love, and yet, when you try to do all things, when you try to give him the love he's wanting and asking for, he pushes you away. I almost don't understand. . . almost.

Here's the thing: this is what Christians do with those we're in community with all the time. We say we want true, close, authentic community. We say we want people to love us for who we are, and to get into our lives, and be close to us, and yet, so often when that happens, our first instinct is to put out our "paws" and push them away. It's like we're saying, "You can get close, but not too close," or "As long as your love and affection is on my terms, then we're fine. Just don't over do it." Maybe it's the fact that we know the closer people get, the more our sin will be exposed. Maybe we do that with people because that's what we do with God. I'm not sure.

My prayer is that I will always be someone who is always ready, when someone I'm in community needs to be shown love, that I will fight their attempts to push me away, and that I'll never tire of doing it all over again the next time they ask. And I hope I always have people in my life like that who will do the same.

Too Much

2009-06-09T16:09:00.002-05:00

About a month ago I came home on a Friday night to a horrible discovery, the freezer and refrigerator wasn't cold anymore, water was running everywhere, and the food was starting to thaw out. I called my go-to guy whenever there's a crisis like this (my dad), and he came over to have a look. The basic conclusion we came to was that the freezer couldn't defrost itself like it was supposed to, so everything had frozen up, and quit running. We thawed everything out, plugged it back in, and things have been fine ever since.

Here's the thing: the reason the motor in the freezer couldn't defrost itself was because air couldn't circulate on the backside of the freezer like it's designed too, and the reason air couldn't flow was because the freezer was too full of food. Did you catch that? The freezer was so jammed with food that there wasn't even enough room for air to flow! On Saturday, when I woke up to a functioning refrigerator and dry floors, my relief quickly turned to conviction. Here I was, the guy that's always wishing there was a little more money in the checking account, trying to make sure every penny is counted, and I had too much food for my freezer to handle. I couldn't help but think of the story in Exodus 16, when God gave the Israelites manna in the wilderness. Everyday the manna fell, and everyday the people were to gather just what they needed. God even commanded them not to gather more than they needed for one day, and those that did, woke up the next morning to rotting manna that stunk and had worms crawling in it. Somehow I understood as I was throwing out garbage bags full of food that had thawed and spoiled.

Now I'm not the kind of person who thinks we should feel guilty because we've been blessed by God with jobs, the resources to buy food, etc., but I was convicted and repented of my greediness, my storing away of food as if there wouldn't be enough, the fact that I just kept storing and storing and storing until the refrigerator and freezer said, "too much." Funny, somehow I feel like I should have known to say that long before.

School Days

2009-06-09T16:02:00.003-05:00

Here's the thing that's going on in my life right now: I started teaching a course at ITT Tech in Birmingham, during the Spring Quarter. After my last class, the Associate Dean offered me a full-time teaching position, starting in the Summer Quarter! So, I am now working at ITT Tech as the full-time English Comp. instructor. My first day was Monday, and so far it feels a little bit like I'm riding the rapids on white-water rafting trip: a little out of control, feeling like the boat could tip over at any minute, but having a blast! I have a full teaching load this quarter, six classes, so I'll definitely be getting my feet wet.

Most of the students who attend ITT are working full-time or returning back to school, so there are a lot of evening and night classes, and some tired faces when I walk in to start class. Add on top of that the fact that I'm teaching English and Writing, neither of which are typically held in high esteem at a technical school, and it's definitely a challenge. So far, though, it's worked, and the students are responding amazingly. (As students often do!)

I'm sure that lots of posts will come as a result of class discussions, so I wanted to give this as an intro. to what's to come. I have a feeling, I'm the one likely to get the most education in this deal.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2009-05-11T09:15:00.002-05:00

This Sunday we'll be on the second half of the "State of the Ministry Report" in Sunday School. What two areas do we as a ministry need to focus on in the coming year? What are the next steps that God is calling us too after a year of learning about, developing, and focusing on biblical community?

Join us this Sunday in Room S-180, as we try to find some answers to these questions. See you at 9:05am.

Put On a Happy Face

2009-05-05T08:42:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday was the 20th Anniversary Celebration at my church. Now, typically, when churches are in celebration mode, and honestly, when most churches are just in everyday mode, they tend to want to put their best foot forward, right? I mean, you want to celebrate all the good things God has done in the lives of people. All the buildings that have been built. Well, not so much at Oak Mountain. Right in the middle of the service there was a 13 minute video that highlighted the history and founding of the church 20 years ago. To begin that trip down memory lane, the video started out with members of the church who have experienced or who are experiencing tremendous brokenness, grief, and/or loss.

What?! This is a celebration. You're not supposed to put "those people" and "those situations" up on the screen! I mean, that's what we whisper about, we don't want to show that kind of stuff. I don't even know if those people should be members here, anyway. I definitely don't want folks getting the wrong idea about us.

Here's the thing: there's nothing biblical about celebrating sin. Not even in the name of authenticity do we parade out our sins for the world to see in any kind of way that would glorify or sensationalize them. To the contrary, part of Christ's work on the cross is so that we can be free from the guilt and shame of past sin. At the same time, there's nothing biblical about acting like Christians have it all together. I'm so tired of Christians acting like once they put their faith in Christ that somehow they have to spend the rest of their lives acting like the people that God by his Spirit is making them into. The world, non-Christians are hurting. They're sinful and they know it, and most of them are honest enough to admit it. Why can't Christians do the same? I can't think of a better way to celebrate a church!

One of the guys in my small group on Sunday night, who just happened to join the church on Sunday morning put it so well, "After watching that video with all the hurting, broken people, I was even more thankful that this was the church I was joining."

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2009-05-04T06:46:00.004-05:00

This week in Sunday School we'll be doing part one of a two part series on the "State of the Ministry." This has been a year of tremendous change in the Singles Ministry at OMPC, and I think it's good to take a minute and reflect on what God's done in our midst. In the book of Joshua, chapter 4, God tells Joshua that after the people have crossed the Jordan River to take 12 stones and build a memorial. The idea is that one day they'll be walking along the river with their children, and the stones will prompt the children to ask questions, and the people will then tell the story of how God dried up the river for them to cross over.

There are many things about many lives that have changed as a result of what God has done in the ministry this year. As I think about the rivers that we have crossed, are crossing, and have yet to cross, I wonder in years to come when the children of those in the ministry now see their parents act, talk, give, or pray in a certain way, and they ask, "Mommy/Daddy, why did you do that?" Will the answer be in part, because of something God did in their life in the Singles Ministry at OMPC years ago?

Hope you can join us for Sunday School this week in room S-180, at 9:05am.

What If God Were On Twitter

2009-04-30T15:30:00.002-05:00

Here's the thing: I need to preface this post by saying, I am not one of those Christian-types who thinks all technology is somehow leading us down a path toward sin and degredation. To the contrary, I think for too long and much to the church's peril, Christians have ignored and discounted technology without seeing the potential benefits of it. I am not on Facebook, but I absolutely love Twitter. I don't know why. There's just something addictive about it. But I was thinking the other day about some of the consequences if God were on Twitter. Here are two I came up with that I think make me glad he's not.

1. Too much mystery would be lost. One of the reasons I think Twitter has become so popular is because we like knowing exactly what people are up to and thinking about at any given moment during the day. I don't buy the anti-Twitter argument that it's all mundane and boring. In fact, I think that's exactly why we love it so much. We want to know about the mundane and boring in our friends' (and Ashton Kutcher's) lives. But would that really be a good thing when it comes to God. See, we in America don't really have a high view for the mystery and "otherness" of God. (Our more Eastern Christian brothers and sisters get this concept a whole lot better than we do.) We like to think of him as knowable and here with us, and in a biblical, real sense that's true, but in thinking of him that way we can also lose some of the reverance and awe that comes from a God who's ways are not our ways and thoughts not our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). God has chosen to reveal a great deal about himself and given us the Holy Spirit to help us understand and often discern what he's doing and even sometimes his reasoning, but if we got too close. If we expected God to send a tweet everytime he got ready to make a decision, letting us know what he was thinking, and what he was up too, I wonder if we would forego the felt need to rely on what we know about his character during those times when we can't know what he's doing.

2. We would miss the wait. Another thing that's great about Twitter is that it gives us one more option for a quick response time. Notice next time you're using an actual Twitter program. Right under the status updates, are phrases like "sent less than a minute ago," or "sent about two minutes ago." It's quick, it's timely, we can send out something and have responses in fast. (The search engine on the twitter.com even lets you know how many seconds it took to pull up your results.) And would we do the same if God started tweeting? Would we expect responses to our thoughts and questions to come with a little time phrase under them? Would we ask, expecting an answer with a log letting us know exactly how fast God got back to us? Waiting isn't fun for me. It's not something I do well, but it's also one of the best things about aging: you get more comfortable with the fact that things don't have to be instantaneous and, like the seer once said, "This too shall pass." When we lose the ability to wait, our only option is despair and hopelessness. One because we think God's forgotten about us, and two, because we think this is all there is.

God is certainly close and he definitely hears and answers the prayers of his children consistently, justly, and graciously. And at the end of the day, he's given us something much greater than Twitter to help us know him more.

Week Five: Heady Stuff

2009-04-30T10:18:00.003-05:00

To read the introduction to this series, please click here.

So, this is the last week of my month-long journey of praying for five issues that I haven't really cared about in the past but should. This week it's mental health disorders and the state of those that suffer from mental health disorders around the world. The World Health Organization's fact file on mental health provided some great prompts for prayer, but what I've found myself praying over and over again is that people trained in psychology and psychiatry would find their hearts gripped with moving overseas to countries and starting mental health clinics and counseling centers, and the church in America needs to start sending them!

Here's the thing: the biggest barrier to proper care and treatment for people with mental disorders around the world is lack of human resources. In most low and middle income countries, there is only one child psychiatrist for every 1 to 4 million people. For adults, there is generally less than one psychiatrist for every 100,000 people. In Matthew 9 Jesus commands his followers to pray that God would send laborers into the harvest field of people who are lost and hurting and need all the restorative powers of the Gospel. And so that's where I've found myself this week. Praying for people to go. Praying that men and women whom God has equipped to understand the mind, would go to the far places of the world and give their lives for the sake of the Gospel.

But I Don't Litter. . .

2009-04-22T08:31:00.001-05:00

Here's the thing you need to read on this Earth Day: http://missiodeibham.blogspot.com/2009/04/wednesday-is-earth-day.html. It's a post by a friend of mine named Jason Tucker, who also is a pastor at my church. Don't be a typical Christian who thinks that things like ecology is just for liberal wacko's. Read it, and let your thinking and your heart be challenged.

Week Four: Hope(less?)

2009-04-20T16:35:00.003-05:00

If you want to read the introduction to this series, please click here.

This a very poignant quote by James Wolfensohn, one-time president of the World Bank. He told the U.N. Security Council in January 2000 that an effective and comprehensive prevention program for sub-Saharan Africa would cost $2.3 billion a year. To be effective prevention must be paired with investment that will create jobs, invigorate the educational system and pull the poor out of the "here and now" mentality that makes them susceptible to AIDS. "Many of us used to think of AIDS as a health issue," Wolfensohn told the Security Council. "We were wrong. AIDS can no longer be confined to the health or social sector portfolios. AIDS is turning back the clock on development." http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/500

There are about 36 million living with AIDS right now, and about 3.2 million will be infected with it for the first time this year. 2.3 people will die this year from AIDS.

Here's the thing: the issue of human trafficking felt so overwhelming because of the "hiddenness" of it, the fact that it was going on, but no one really knows how to bring it to the light or how extensive it is. This one feels overwhelming because of the "inevitability" of the way people write about it, especially in the way they write about Africa. It's like it's been there for years, will continue to be there, and there's no amount of money or education or whatever that can change what will happen.

But the message of the gospel is the message of transformation. It's the message that things that seemed inevitable can be reversed. That entire nations can be brought out of slavery, that seas can be parted, that dead can be made alive, that sin can be defeated, and that those far away from God can come to know him. So I'm choosing to pray for AIDS, even AIDS in Africa with great hope and expectation. After all, if God can save me, he can certainly bring this problem to an end!

Why I Can't Get Over Susan Boyle

2009-04-17T11:19:00.003-05:00

Unless you've been under a rock for the past week, you've probably heard about Susan Boyle. She's the woman from Scotland who taught us all a big lesson this past Saturday night on the auditions for the TV show Britain's Got Talent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Here's the thing: I've watched the clip about 40 times since I first saw it on Wednesday, and it just never gets old to me. . .because when I watch it, I see my story. See, I came out on the stage of life with nothing to offer, and almost immediately the jeers from Satan and the world starting coming in from out there in the darkness. God asks, "What are you here for?" And I respond, "To sing for you." He kind of rolls his eyes, because he's had an almost infinite number of human sinners come before him, attempting to sing songs that fall deaf on his ears. But then, I open my mouth, and out comes the unexpected: the song of grace. The song of grace and righteousness that comes from his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all of a sudden, the expression on his face, much like the faces of the judges on the TV show, changes to one of thrill and excitement, because this is the song he's been waiting to hear. The jeers of Satan are drowned out with the cheers of Heaven, and the dream of Eden is once again restored. And then, at the end, when the Judge's verdict is handed down, He gives me the "biggest 'yes' imagineable" for the rest of eternity.

So, I'll keep watching Susan Boyle, and I'll keep tearing up everytime, as I watch my story play out again and again.

Uh. . .You're In the Wrong Place

2009-04-13T21:27:00.006-05:00

Luke is the only writer of one of the Gospel's that records the following exchange on the morning that Jesus rose from the dead

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they (the women) went to the tomb, take the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen" (Luke 24:1-6).

This is one of my favorite scenes in the entirety of Scripture, because it's a question that I have to ask myself. See, here's the thing: there's something about me that wants to keep going back to the graveyard of my sin over and over again. I don't know what it is. I've confessed it, repented of it, it's been forgiven, and yet I find myself going back to the tomb where my old self was buried again and again. It's as if I'm drawn to the putrid smell of death and decay that characterized my life apart from Christ. It's like I want to put on the grave clothes, caked with the blood of guilt and shame, to see if they still fit. It's almost as if I've gotten confused and begun thinking that because it holds so many memories the tomb is still my home, the place where I'll be forced to spend the rest of my life.

And each time I go there, I can hear the Savior asking, "Jason, why do you seek the living among the dead? I'm no longer here, and so therefore you're no longer here. These sins, this guilt, this stentch of death. . .it's not who you are anymore. Yes, you once were dead, but I rose so that you could be made alive in me. This is not your home. This is not your identity anymore. Why do you keep coming back here? Let it be finally enough. Let my resurrection, my defeat of all your sin, my gift of righteousness and new life be sufficient this time. Live in it. It's who you are now. You won't find yourself here. This is a place for dead people, in the bondage of sin. Not people like you who are fully alive and totally free."

I gotta keep hearing this question!

Serenaded

2009-04-12T21:05:00.003-05:00

I just finished watching an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The father of the family being helped was in the hospital fighting brain cancer as the episode was being filmed, and he wasn't able to be with the family at the reveal. The family has seven children, six of whom have special needs and have been adopted from China. As a final surprise for the family, the show had invited Stevie Wonder to come and sing for them. He sang a special version of his song, "I Just Called to Say I Love You." Here's how he tweaked the chorus:
I am here, because he (the father) loves you.
I am here, because I know he cares.
I am here, because he loves you.
And he means it from the bottom of his heart.

Here's the thing: I sat there with tears rolling down my face, as I realized this was the perfect way to finish Easter Sunday, because this is Christ's song to me about my Father as well. This is the song he sang while he was here on earth, and this is the song he sings to me everyday of my life. He looks at me with all my sin and special needs. He looks at me with my fears and doubts and lack of faith. He looks at me with all my messups and "do overs," and "try again's," and he softly, gently, sings to me, "Jason, I am here, because he loves you. I am here, because I know he cares. I am here, because he loves you. And he means it from the bottom of his heart."

O that I would hear that song being sung over me and everyone who is being saved.

This Is the Day

2009-04-11T08:41:00.003-05:00

In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray plays a local TV weatherman trapped in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, forced to re-live Feb. 2, Groundhog Day, over and over again. At first, when he realizes what's happening, he lives each day as if there are no consequences to his actions. Then, he discovers that the only way the cycle will ever be broken is if he betters himself, becomes a nicer person, and of course, falls in love with Andie MacDowell's character. So, he begins helping old ladies change tires, learns to play the piano, gets coffee and donuts for his cameraman, and even "adopts" a homeless man that is about to die, all in an effort to become better and break the cycle of living that one day over and over again.

Today is the Saturday in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. In many ways it's kind of "limbo" day for believers. On Good Friday, Christ bore the wrath of God, took on my sin, and made it possible for me to have a right standing before God. In other words, he made me righteous before the Father. On Easter Sunday, by his resurrection, he made victory over the sin in my life certain, defeated death, and made healing (of all kind) possible in this life as it will be certain in the next.

So, how does this tie in with Groundhog Day? Well, here's the thing: so often I find myself living over and over again, the Saturday in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I know that my sins have been taken care, and I believe that I have a right standing before God because of what happened yesterday, but so much of the time, I do not live in the victory that is mine as a result of what will happen tomorrow. (Hope you followed that. I realize the metaphor makes for some clumsiness here!) In other words, I live like my sins are forgiven but not like they're defeated. I trust that the emotional and mental and physical pains of this earth will one day be completely wiped away, but I hold out little faith that it could actually happen here on earth. And so over and over and over again, I re-live my own version of Groundhog Day, without hope, without victory, and in defeat, and this affects the way I pray, share my faith, and think about my sin.

For the disciples and followers of Christ while he was on earth, Saturday was a very hopeless day. They had watched him die, and even though they knew something significant happened during those hours on Friday, they really didn't get what it was. They thought the world had come to and end. You can imagine their demeanor. Dejected. Discouraged. Questioning. And yet that's where I find myself so much of the time. The difference is, I've never known a time when Sunday didn't come! I've never lived in a world where historically or exponentially all the things that happened when Christ rose from the grave were true and in place. So, what's my excuse? Why do I love to live this day over and over again? Part of it is, that this life can be discouraging and sin which seems to never go away can get me down. Part of it is, I just like to be sad sometimes, because it feels good and is in its own way a painkiller from the realities of this life. But I think there's something fundamentally wrong with living Saturday over and over again.

Just like Bill Murray's character longed to do whatever it took to break the cycle and get on to the next day, my prayer today is that I would long to live in the power and victory of Christ's resurrection. That I would choose what some call the "victorious Christian life," which I really just think is the normal and right Christian life. One in which the sin I'm fighting has already been defeated and there is hope that I actually, really could see victory over it in big ways on this earth. One in which I don't dismiss the pain I see around me, but I also realize that there is real, actual healing that can occur, and I pray, think, and hope that way. For me, unlike the character in the movie, it's not about doing enough good things. It's about believing rightly the truth of this weekend. And being very careful about which day I choose to re-live.

Week Two: Gleaning the Intent

2009-04-10T08:20:00.005-05:00

To read the introduction to this series, please click here.

I was reading the story of Ruth and Naomi and Boaz this week. It's fascinating. I don't have time to summarize the entire story, but there's a scene in which Naomi comes to Boaz's field to glean. Gleaning is the act by which someone goes behind the harvesters and basically, collects what's left over. God had instituted this rule for the Israelites in Leviticus 19:9-10, 23:33, and Deuteronomy 24:19 as a way for foreigners and aliens to be fed. The Israelites were instructed to pass over their fields and vineyards only once, and not go back and pick up whatever they missed. The leftovers would be for the gleaners. That was the law. Sounds pretty progressive for a God who's so often seen as old-fashioned, huh?

At any rate, Naomi comes to Boaz's field to glean, but when he sees her and talks to his hired men about her, he realizes her courage and sacrifice, so he tells his mean not to bother her, to let her glean, and even to leave some bundles of wheat in the field on purpose, so she'll have more to take. He then invites Naomi to come eat lunch with him, and even take back home what she can't finish.

Here's the thing: as I've been thinking about and praying about the issue of hunger in the world today, I think this story has all kinds of implications (probably some of the immigration debate, but that might be for another post.) At any rate, I was struck by Boaz's attitude concerning the gleaners and the law. See, the law said, leave something behind so the aliens and foreigners and those who couldn't work could collect. But, Boaz understood the heart of the law, which was to feed the people who were hungry. That's why he ordered his men to act they way he did. That's why he invited Naomi to eat lunch with him. It wasn't because he was required too, it was because he was compelled too.

Boaz remembered God's words when he gave the law to the Israelites that, "You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt." God wanted to give a constant reminder to the Israelites of what he'd done for them in bringing them out of slavery in the land of Egypt, and the concept of gleaning was one of those ways.

And, I wonder if we as the church and me as a believer would get this concept, what kind of changes would occur. If I really understood that the master of the field has told his hired men to leave me alone and let me glean, and to even leave more in the field than is required. If I realized that I was once unable to work and provide for myself and would have gone hungry had I not been invited to eat lunch with the man who owned the field, how would that change the way I think about those who are hungry in the world? For me, it's not primarily a money issue, or a time issue. It's the fact that I've forgotten that physical acts of tangible mercy have been given to remind me of a more important spiritual truth.

Week Two: Failing the Test

2009-04-06T16:39:00.002-05:00

To read the introduction to this series, please click here.

I just took a five-question quiz on world hunger, and I failed. It's not too surprising, really. I mean, I haven't ever really been hungry myself, so it's not something I've spent a lot of time thinking about. I did know that the region of the world with the highest levels of malnutrition is Sub-Saharan Africa, but I think that speaks more to my pre-conceived notions than it does my grasp of this issue.

I didn't know that 6 million children under the age of 5 die every year as a result of hunger. I didn't know that children who are malnourished are 8.4 times more likely to die of an infectous disease than children who aren't. And I didn't know that if I lived in country that was affected by hunger, I would have about seven more years to live before I reached the life expectancy of 38.

Here's the thing that makes me so sad (and angry) about this issue: it just seems so easy to solve. I mean, just feed people! I know it's not that simple, but to my naive brain it seems easy enough. You've got people that are hungry. You've got nations that have food. So, you send the food to the people who are hungry. I feel like I'm not the only one who's failed the test.

Finding Hope

2009-04-03T10:41:00.004-05:00

To read the introductory post to this series, please click here.

The question that has come to my mind over and over again this week as I've prayed about the issue of human trafficking is, how do you find hope in the midst of this? When I first thought about doing this "exercise" during the month of April, it seemed so contradictory. I mean, for believers, Easter is supposed to be a happy, joyful occasion, and thinking about and focusing on these issues, has the potential to be very depressing. But, one thing that's become crystal clear to me this week is that this is the perfect time of year to have these things on the forefront of my mind, because they remind me so of why Christ had to come in the first place.

Here's the thing: all of us, were in spiritual slavery, caught up in a system that was trafficking our souls from freedom to bondage, and then from one form of bondage to another. Much like the millions of people who face the reality of some form of physical and emotional slavery each day around the world, all of humanity faced that reality, not just for few years, but for all of eternity. And then, God inserted himself physically into the course of history, and the chance, the potential for freedom appeared.

This gives me great hope as I pray, because if redemption can come for the spiritual condition of mankind, then it can come for the physical and emotional conditions we find ourselves in as well. So, I pray with hope in the same God who has always been in the business of setting the captives free.

Onions and Oceans

2009-03-31T13:26:00.005-05:00

To read the introductory post to this series, please click here.

It happened twice today. I was visiting websites, still trying to get my mind around this whole idea of human trafficking and feeling very overwhelmed by what I was seeing and reading, and I found myself ready to click to sign up. Not sure what for, but I was ready to go, do, give, fight.

Here's the thing: as I realize and begin to grasp the complexity of this issue, I begin to realize that my prayers have got to change, become more sophisticated. Not because God demands it, but because the situation does. For example, I was praying for Vietnamese women who are trafficked out of the country at an alarming rate each year. And I was praying mostly for the situation in Vietnam (the police and government, for the country's attitude about life and women, etc.), then I read that the majority of them are smuggled to China to meet the demands for arranged marriages with Chinese men. So, I then had a whole other set of things to pray for concerning the Chinese side of this coin!

The layers and complexities come like waves, and it's hard to know how to keep up, but then I'm reminded that I'm praying about this to a God who understands all the interworkings of every one of the situations to the ultimate degree. He knows and is intimately associated with every person, every situation, every connection. And I'm thankful that I have a God like that to pray to about these kinds of things.

Happy Medium: Metaphors

2009-03-30T11:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, the sermon at church was from Luke 14:16-24. It's the parable of a man who gave a great banquet, but none of the people he invited would come, so he sent his servant out to "compel" people to come.

There are a lot of layers to this sermon, which I may get into later, but the one thing that struck me yesterday was the fact that Jesus, in telling this story, uses the metaphor of a banquet, a huge, lavish party to describe the Christian life. A joyous celebration with food, wine, laughing, eating, music, and lots and lots of fun! And I was amazed at just how much this fit into what I've been thinking about in terms of a more balanced Christian life recently.

See, here's the thing: the Bible gives a lot of metaphors for describing the Christian life (e.g. a race, a battle, a pilgrimage, a journey, a marriage), and it's definitely right and good to think of the life of a believer in those terms. But, the degree to which I gravitate to one or the other of those metaphors says something about my view of the Gospel at any given moment. The convicting thing is, most of the time, I have no trouble thinking of the Christian life as a race or a battle. I mean, it's hard, it's exhausting, and it's a fight that I have to constantly be alert in. Rarely, though. . . maybe never, do I think of the Christian life as a banquet. I don't taste the good food and wine, I don't hear the music, I don't laugh at the jokes, or get blessedly lost in the din of the noise of all the conversations.

I need balance in my life. I need to live in the reality that all the metaphors the Bible offers to help me understand this life I've been called to are true, and yet, I can't help thinking today that I might need to, just for a while, live more on the side of the banquet, the party. The feast that I don't deserve to be at, but the one that guy sitting at the head of the table with that enormous smile on his face, laughing at the jokes and encouraging us all to have seconds and thirds, our host, was so gracious to bring me to!

Week One: Intro. and Numbers

2009-03-30T09:53:00.004-05:00

To read the introductory post to this series, please click here.

Here's the thing about deciding to do something like take a week to pray for the issue of human trafficking: I like to pray intelligently, and to do I have to do some research, which means I have to read about the issue, which means I'm subjecting myself to learning about the realities of things I'd much rather pretend don't happen. But they do, and so I've been trying to pull together some basic introductory stuff today so I can pray.

The United Nations defines human trafficking as the "recuitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abductio, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation." (http://www.ungift.org/)

Here are the three statistics that I found today that shocked me the most:

2.45 million people are estimated to be in conditions of forced labor as a result of trafficking.
18% of trafficked persons have at least a middle-level education.
About 66% of all humans trafficked are women; however, 46 countries reported that women play a key role as perpetrators of human trafficking!

Some helpful links:
http://www.ungift.org/
http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/Executive_summary_english.pdf
http://www.humantrafficking.org/links/95

I will make some comments about this during the week, but for today, I just want to let these sites and numbers speak for themselves.

Happy Medium: The Balancing Act

2009-03-25T12:27:00.006-05:00

As you know, I've been listening to Chris Rice's CD What a Heart Is Beating For, and I'm just blown away that God in his merciful Providence sent this CD my way at this particular time. I've read the liner notes in the CD booklet, and Rice doesn't really say what the album as a whole is supposed to be about, so I'm going to take that as liberty to come up with my own theory. What I'm learning from the songs is that there is a lot of joy in the Christian life, and it's okay to enjoy it and be happy.

See, for most of my life, I've bounced between two extremes. One is that the Christian is supposed to "rejoice in all circumstances," no matter what those circumstances are, and that your lack of joy or rejoicing is somehow a lack of faith in Christ and therefore sinful. The other is that suffering is real, this world is sinful, the Christian life is a race, and believing in God's sovereignty almost becomes fatalistic so that you start to shut down all emotion. . .just in case the other shoe drops. Both of these are wrong.

Over the past few months, there's seemingly been little in my life to rejoice about, and yet, Chris' songs have reminded me that there is much to be thankful for and even happy about, even in the midst of suffering, trials, and the storms of this life. The first track is titled, "So Much for My Sad Song," and it's about a guy who decides before he ever gets out of bed to write a sad song. . .in other words, no matter what, he's gonna be in a bad mood! And so often I find myself feeling this way. Here's the thing: I am very good at living in the first half of the "Lament Psalms," you know, all the "woe is me," "My God, why have you forsaken me," parts. And while there's nothing unbiblical or sinful about this attitude, I have to be balanced enough to make it to the end of those same psalms where David (or one of the other authors) chooses praise and finds his heart inclined to singing and praising before the Lord.

The singing and praising comes, not from denial about the circumstances we find ourselves, and it's certainly not out of a feeling that if we try hard enough to be happy and joyful, we will be. Instead, like Chris' song says, "Let's make this a love song, instead, 'cause I'm so in love with you." The praising comes from this deep, passionate love affair that's going on, through the good times and bad, with our God who is in control.

It's About Time

2009-03-25T10:32:00.003-05:00

This year, in the Western calendar, Easter falls in the month of April. My heart has been gripped recently by the fact that there are things going on in the world that I care very little about, because they seem so far away from where I live. I might catch an occasional news story and shake my head, but ultimately I go on with my life. So, here's the thing: I've decided to take the five weeks in April (a few days fall during the last week in March) and pray for five things that are going on around the world that I don't care about but, as a follower of Christ, should. When you start looking at the numbers, you realize that far from being isolated and remote as I would like to believe they are, these things involve and affect millions of people and happen regularly and frequently. The fact that the Holy Spirit has impressed this on my heart to do during April doesn't make me super-spiritual or in line for sainthood. I'm actually broken over my lack of concern for so much of these things, and I can't think of a better way to engage my heart than to begin praying about them.

1. Human Trafficking -- Each year an estimated 600-800,000 people, human beings, created in the image of God, are trafficked across international borders, in some form of slavery. 70% of these are female and 50% of these are children. Most will end up in the international sex trade industry, which generates $4 billion (42% of all trafficking money) each year. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ncvrw/2005/pg5l.html

2. Starving People -- Every day, EVERY DAY, 16,000 children under the age of five die from hunger. 840 million people in the world are malnourished. Right now, there are 54 nations in the world that can't produce enough food to feed their citizens and can't afford to import food from other countries. http://www.care.org/campaigns/world-hunger/facts.asp

3. Ethic Cleansing in Sudan -- Since 2003, at least 400,000 people have been killed as a result of the ethnic cleansing going on in this country, and 2.5 million have been displaced due to threat of death or their homes being destroyed. http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/sudan_genocide_genocide_in_sudan.php

4. AIDS -- As of the end of 2007, there were 33 million people living with AIDS worldwide. In Africa, there are an estimated 11.6 million AIDS orphans. There are about 9.7 million people who need immediate medical treatment for AIDS or AIDS-related illness. Only about 2.9 million will get the treatments they need. http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm

5. Mental Health Issues -- As of 2002, there were an estimated 154 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and there were 25 million who suffered from schizophrenia. Few countries have a legal framework to protect people with mental illnesses from human rights abuses. http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm

The promise of the death and resurrection of Christ is hope. Ultimate hope that our souls can be reconciled to God and that one day, all evil will be cast into the Lake of Fire, but also hope for today that all things truly can be made new. What a better time of year to be thinking about the heavier and sadder things of this life?

Loud and Clear

2009-03-25T07:27:00.003-05:00

This past Friday night, I helped out with Special Kids Night at my church. It's a once-a-month program where parents from all over the city who have children with special needs, can bring them to the church for up to four hours so they can have a night out or off. This was my first time to help with it, and I can't imagine a better way to spend the evening.

Before the kids got there, the lady who is in charge of the program gave us newbies a little orientation. It was pretty basic -- play with the kids, love them, and have fun. Not a bad deal. She also told us that many of the kids who come are non-communicative.

Here's the thing: she was wrong. After a hour of putting the ball in Kyle's lap and letting him push it on the floor and watching him quake and smile with excitement while sucking on his hand; after about forty-five minutes of walking around the gym, holding little Jacob and watching his head bob back-and-forth to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat;" after being doubled over because Paul was laughing so hard at me when I got accidentally hit with a ball while I was pushing him around the gym in his wheelchair; after Nathan spent about thirty minutes rubbing my hair (which I shave pretty short with clippers), I realized that actually the lady was wrong. They might be "non-communicative," but wow, I sure was hearing a lot.

A Wee Lil' Reading

2009-03-16T15:36:00.006-05:00

Here's the thing: in college I was an English major, and one semester I took a class on Irish Literature because I'd never read anything particularly Irish before, and I fell in love with the writing. Coincedentally, I took a class on Southern lit. during the same semester, and saw all kinds of connections between the two, but that's a seperate story.

At any rate, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite novels in case you're wanting to get into the spirit of things for St. Patrick's Day. All of these are fiction, and they aren't in any particular order.

1. A Star Called Henry (by Roddy Doyle) -- I like this novel because it makes history accessible, and gives a really good look into the mindset of lower-class/poor Irish city dwellers around the turn of the 20th century.

2. Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (by Roddy Doyle) -- Completely different feel from A Star Called Henry, but I think it brings out much of the humor in Irish lit.

3. Ireland (by Frank Delany) -- This is a long one, but you will never understand the Irish love affair with storytelling until you read this novel.

4. The Giant O'Brien (by Hilary Mantel) -- This one is a must to get the folklore and magic that is a big part of Irish literature, and it also symbolizes the contrast between Ireland as a land of arts and mystery, and England as the cold empire of science and reason trying to wipe out Ireland's culture.

All of these novels are at times raw and rough, and that in itself gives insight into the culture and perceptions of the people. So, pop open a Guiness and enjoy!

Tangled Up Inside

2009-03-16T10:52:00.004-05:00

I was sitting at the desk in our study/office this morning, working on some e-mails before I went to work, and watching Radley playing out in the backyard. I really didn't want him out in the backyard this morning, because it's been raining here most all weekend, and he had a bath on Saturday and was clean and smelled good, but he wanted to be out there, so I let him do what he wanted to do. He ended up, as he normally does, at the back fence where tree limbs hang over from the woods behind our house, biting and pulling on the limbs. It's one of his favorite pastimes, and I grimaced as I watched him, wrestle with the wet limbs that are actually more like vines, because I knew the more he got wrapped up in them, the dirtier he was getting. But, again, it's something he loves to do, so I let him do it. Now, I should say that he has plenty of things he could be chewing on inside the house, where it's warm and dry. My roommate spends a small fortune on bones, chew toys, etc. so that he'll have plenty to play with, but nope, those won't do. He wants the vines, the branches, the dirt and grime.

Then, it happened, as it sometimes does, I looked up from the computer, and he was tangled in one of the vines. One of his back legs had gotten caught, and he was trying to get out. I watched for a while to see if he would in fact be able to get loose, but then, I saw him go down to the ground and heard him start to whimper: the two signs that he is caught, can't get out, and needs help. So, already dressed for work, I went out to set him free. I knew there was a good chance that I would get mud on me and have to change my clothes after it was done. At the very least, I figured my hands would get dirty. Plus, it was his own fault. If he wouldn't go over and pull and twist and chew on those dumb vines, he wouldn't be caught in the first place. But, no matter how I try to justify and reason it out, it never fails. When I see him unable to free himself and hear those little puppy cries for help, my heart is compelled to go set him free. Even if it means I have to get a little dirty, and even if it is his fault in the first place.

Here's the thing: that's exactly how community within the body should be. We ought always to be watching each other "through the window," keeping an eye on each other to make sure that we can see when trouble comes. Then, in those moments when one of our brothers or sisters is caught in the vine -- whether it's their fault or not -- and they go down to the ground and start to whimper for help, our reaction should be to go get them and do everything in our power to help get them free of whatever has them caught. We may get a little (or a lot) dirty in the process, but that's really not important. And it doesn't even matter if it's the second, third, or fortieth time they've gotten caught in that same vine because they just won't leave it alone. The Gospel is for people who need second, third, and four-thousandth chances, because we all have our vines that we love to go back to over and over again. I hope and pray that as I understand the Gospel more and more and daily live more fully in it, that my heart will be softened more and more and that I'll never resist going after those caught in the vines of sin and the world.

Theology for a Song: Follow-up

2009-03-16T07:15:00.003-05:00

Thought I'd follow-up on my post from Saturday to say that "I Have a Hope" exceeded expectations in worship yesterday. Here's the thing: I know it's not about comparison or competition, but I honestly like the version in church yesterday than the original. Well done OMPC Praise Team!

Theology for a Song

2009-03-13T15:53:00.003-05:00

Okay, I admit it. I snuck into Praise Team practice this past Wednesday night, and overheard them practicing a song for Sunday. Actually I didn't "sneak in," I just needed to talk to someone who I thought would be working in the sound booth. Turns out he was playing drums, but anyway. . .

The song they were singing is a song called "I Have a Hope." It's by a guy named Tommy Walker. (You can watch him sing it here.) This is a song that speaks to my heart. It's a song that packed full of Scriptural truths about all that God is to his children and does for them. But here's the thing I love about it: when I sing this song against the backdrop of all that's been going on in my life over the past few months, it becomes a reminder to me that, yes, there's the hope of Heaven, the hope that one day all of this will be completely resolved, but there's also the day-by-day hope that God can work things out for good in my life today. That there can be "hope for me today/'cause the God of Heaven loves me." And that's the truth that gets me out of bed every morning (and into bed every night!). That's the truth that makes dealing with the junk in people's lives and in my won life possible. There is ultimate hope, but there's also hope in the here and now.

I'm Glad She Wore White

2009-03-09T19:43:00.003-05:00

I went to a wedding this weekend. The groom is a really good friend of mine, and the bride was a girl that he's been dating for a few months. She also happens to be pregnant. It was a wonderful weekend of celebrating God's sovereignty, not as a "Plan B God," but as a God who is totally in control of all situations, even our sin. (I mean, if you think about it, if God isn't sovereign over our sin as well as our holiness, then he is constantly losing his sovereignty billions of times throughout the day.) Anyway, it was an amazing time of praising God for how he works his will throughout all situations, the planned and the unplanned alike.

Then came the ceremony, and something I was not prepared for. See, normally when you're a groomsman at a wedding, you're main goal is not to really pay attention to what's going on but to try and keep from passing out and getting the bridesmaid you're escorting down whatever stairs you have to navigate and out of the sanctuary as smoothly as possible. Needless to say, when the wedding actually started, I wasn't ready for what I saw. . . the bride, walking down the aisle, in a white wedding gown. Here she was, this girl who never expected to be walking down the aisle with a baby growing inside her, a follower of Christ whose sin just happens to be visible instead of hidden, coming down the aisle to meet her groom in a white wedding gown, the symbol of purity and holiness.

The church kind of went blurry around me and the tears came as the Holy Spirit reminded me, "Jason, that's exactly the way you come to the Father." Here's the thing: I'm a follower of Christ whose sin is not hidden in the least from the Father who knows all about me, and yet, because of Christ, I come before him pure, holy, and totally, 100% righteous. Satan tells me that I can't approach him in white. He says that my past and current sins are too hideous, and that it would be hypocritical to come in white. Then he tells me that no matter if my past has been forgiven, I'll slip up again in the future, so it would be insulting to come to him in white. And yet, because of Christ's righteousness that's been imposed upon me, I come down the aisle dressed in white, ready to meet my Father, unashamed and as if I were a virgin and had never sinned at all.

I gotta tell you, I don't really remember a lot of the rest of the ceremony, except that I know I was given a very special gift by the Father on Saturday afternoon. I was able to see, in real, human form, exactly what happens everytime I approach my Father in Heaven. He watches me walk down the aisle, dressed in white, with a big smile of pleasure and anticipation on his face, ready for me to get there so we can be together.

So, yeah, I'm so very thankful she wore white.

Old Habits

2009-03-04T11:26:00.003-06:00

Here's the thing you've got to read today: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29504880/. It's an article about what the Dean of the Russian's Foreign Diplomatic Academy said about U.S. economy.

Now it might be easy to dismiss his comments as nonsense. He's just blowing smoke. He doesn't have all the facts. But the reason to care is that, whether he's right or not, he's spouting this stuff off to the future foreign diplomats of the country! These are the folks who'll likely one day be representing Russia around the world in embassies, at the UN, and elsewhere. After living in Russia for two years, I honestly believe that this is where the Russian political mindset is right now. It's not that Russians are really anti-American in the way that say, Iran is. It's just that Russians are really pro-Russia right now. (Actually, if you look at the speech, it's far more nationalistic than anything else.) There is a growing sense of nationalism and imperialism in that country, particularly among the politicians and those in university, and every empire has to have an enemy. For Russia, by default, that becomes America. Why? Because it's familiar. After all, the United States and the USSR have been playing this game for quite a long while.

All A-Twitter

2009-03-04T11:13:00.002-06:00

This morning I signed up for Twitter. For those who don't know, Twitter is a service where you can register, and then post little updates about things throughout the day (where you are at any given moment, what you're thinking about, etc.) Then, anyone who cares and is following you, receives a text message with your update, or they can go to the Twitter website and read it. Now, I can "tweet" all day and all night long. That's really what it's called. . . tweeting! It's a verb that means to post something on Twitter. Now, I'll be tweeting to the gym, tweeting home from work, and tweeting in the grocery store, which I'm pretty sure is against the law in most states, by the way.

Here's the thing: I would like to say that I did this for ministry purposes. I would like to say that I did this so I could "connect with old friends" (even though that rationale has been more than worn out by every Facebook user!), but I didn't. I did it because folks were talking about it last night at dinner, and I had some free time on my hands this morning. The problem is, the free time I had this morning to sign up for this thing is now almost a requirement so I can keep it updated! The list of things I've caved on recently is frightening, and already some of my friends are saying that (gulp) Facebook is next. I've tied the blindfold on myself and lit a cigarette so the firing squad can begin. I deserve it.

Knitted Together in the Dark

2009-03-04T08:16:00.005-06:00

Psalm 139 has a lot of really good stuff in it about God's omnipresence (the attribute he has to be able to be everywhere, at all times), but in verses 13-16 David talks about God forming him before he was born. He uses words like "knitted me together in my mother's womb," and "when I was being made in secret," and "intricately woven in the depths of the earth." It's a beautiful passage, and it adds to my "theology of darkness" that I've been thinking about lately.

The image in my mind is such an intimate one. God the Father, in the dark, putting a little baby together. He's done this billions of times before, but each time, no matter what his will has in store for this person, he gets to spend the very first moments with this baby alone, in the quiet, in the dark, weaving and knitting in all the elements of personality, spiritual gifts that may or may not be activated one day, talents, and yes, even predispositions to certain sins. It's quiet work, it's beautiful work, and it happens in the dark. (On a side note, I'm wondering if this could be why one of my favorite things to do is to babysit a little baby that's fussy, and getting to go sit with it, in the dark, in the rocking chair, and just talk and pray for him/her. Maybe it's because that's a little glimpse of what God does with us before we're an embryo,fetus, or whatever.)

Now, here's the thing: we may not always like some of the things that are woven into us. There are plenty of things in my own life that I wish God hadn't chosen to include in his knitting. Yet, there is a tremendous sense of peace and hope that comes in knowing he selected each one for a purpose, and that he knows every single thread used and has complete control over them all. What a wonderful thing that is happening, even right now all over the world. . . in complete darkness.

Just 'Cause

2009-02-26T08:09:00.002-06:00

Okay, here's the thing: take a minute, just relax, forget about all the crap that's going on, and do two things today. One, go to www.pandora.com, and create your own radio station. This thing is amazing! You type in an artist you like, and then the thing builds a radio station around that artist with other artists who have similair musical qualities. They get an A++ for mixing it up, and finally, finally there's a radio station that plays Jason Miraz one minute and Chris Rice the next. (If you're wondering what's so amazing about that, Chris Rice typically gets played only on "Christian radio" and Jason Miraz on "secular radio," and just typing those terms makes me want to throw up, but anyway that's for another post.)

The other thing you need to do is download Chris Rice's CD What a Heart is Beating For, and listen to "Here Comes Those Eyes." I've never owned a Chris Rice CD, but thanks to Pandora, I heard "Here Comes Those Eyes" (on my "Eric Hutchison" Station), and was hooked! It's 2:29 of pure fun, romance, and I dare you to listen to this song and keep your foot from tapping the floor. I'm on my fourth time through this morning!

Common to Man

2009-02-26T07:01:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, in Connecticut, a chimpanzee named Travis attacked the friend of his owner and nearly killed her, ripping her face off and requiring her to need a face transplant. His owner, Sandra Herold, had to stab him to get him to stop, and then he was finally shot by police. The story made national headlines for several days, and as details began to come out about the relationship between Sandra and Travis, the story became even more bizarre. As it turns out Sandra's daughter and husband are both dead, and she and Travis had a very close relationship. Stories about them snuggling in bed together, taking baths together, Sandra serving Travis wine in stemmed glasses, Travis brushing Sandra's hair, made for some very uncomfortable moments as news anchors had to try and transition from this story to the other news of the day.

The more I listened to this story, the more my heart was broken for Sandra Herold. But not because I considered her some demented woman who deserved my pity for having a mental break or not being able to deal with the grief of losing her daughter and husband. Instead, I saw in Sandra myself. On some level, like me, Sandra longed for community, she longed for someone to be there for her, and instead of turning to Christ, she turned to a chimp. Crazy? Well, maybe, and I'd probably love to throne stones of scorn and ridicule at her, but the path to the rockpile is blocked by all the things that I turn to instead of Christ that are just as ridiculous.

Here's the thing: we are all longing for something in life, and we all have painkillers that we turn to to numb us up when we don't get that longing fulfilled. For some people it could be their spouse, for some it's academics, work for others, food for some, shopping, sex, suicide, pornography, sports, etc. I've got mine as well, my own little "medicine chest" full of things that I look to for comfort when life gets too hard and to confusing, and while mine might be more common than Sandra's was and more accepted by society, when you peel back the layers, they are just as pathetic and just as sad.

I hope and pray there's someone around her who will reach out and point Sandra to the one thing, the one person who actually can fulfill her and meet her needs. If not, I can send her some of the things I turn to so often. Unfortunately, I've got plenty to spare.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2009-02-26T06:58:00.001-06:00

Last week in Sunday School, Chad explained to everyone the struggle the church has had trying to find a teacher for EPIC, and he asked you to be praying that someone would become available for the Spring Quarter (that begins this week). Well, God has been gracious in answering our prayers, and Craig Branch--he's Mary's husband, Chip's father, and an elder at OMPC--became available and will begin teaching EPIC this Sunday! What a blessing that God has seen fit to answer our prayers so quickly and by giving us not only someone who's already committed to the Singles Ministry, but is also one of the leading experts on what he'll be teaching.

As a follow-up to the series we finished last week on Acts, Craig will be continuing our look at evangelism from the perspective of Apologetics. Where our study of Acts showed us the heart behind evangelism, and biblical examples of how the early church practiced engaging the lost around them, this series on Apologetics will help us look at practical ways to "make a defense" of the Gospel, not only generally, but to specific groups who believe things counter to the faith. Do you have co-workers who are Muslims? What about your neighbor who, when you invited her to church, told you she is an atheist? Over the course of the next 6 weeks, Craig will be equipping us with specific and practical ways to engage a wide variety of folks we come in contact with everyday.

So, thanks for praying that God would provide someone to teach our class, and we'll see you all Sunday morning at 9:05, in Room S-180. Have a great weekend!

Sunday School Leftovers: A View from the Beach

2009-02-23T15:26:00.003-06:00

So yesterday I had some of the most fun teaching I've had in a while! For the past week I haven't been able to shake two things from the passage in Acts we looked at:

One, is that ministry, real, normal Christian ministry is ministry of tears and trials. It is not ministry that's easy, clean, or neat. It is ministry that requires much of those who chose to enter into it, because it means entering into the lives of those around you.

The second thing is the image of Paul and the Ephesian elders kneeling on the beach, with the ship just over shoulder, ready to take Paul to Jerusalem. I've wondered all week what the Singles Ministry at OMPC would look like, how it might be different if we viewed our lives as racing the clock. If we kept the perspective that there is a ship just off-shore, waiting to take us to the next port (marriage, a different city).

It's hard for me to look at our group and say, "Well, here are the things we're doing that are 'wastes of time.'" That just seems to me to be a pretty cynical and unmotivating way to encourage ministry. What I can see clearly, though, is a picture of what it would look like if we really lived with these two mindsets at the forefront of everything we did. It's a pretty amazing and terrifying picture, and I pray that I get the chance to be around to see it happen.

Boy! What a view!

Theology for a Song

2009-02-19T08:04:00.002-06:00

Last night at choir we sang the hymn, "Jesus Shall Reign." It's one we sing fairly regularly at my church.

Like many old hymns, there are about 150 stanzas to this song, but I've decided to print a few of the ones that speak most to my heart and mind right now.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Blessings abound wherever He reigns; the prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blessed.

Where He displays His healing power, death and the curse are known no more:
In Him the tribes of Adam boast more blessings than their father lost.

Great God, whose universal sway the known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son, extend His power, exalt His throne.

The scepter well becomes His hands; all Heav’n submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor, and pride and rage prevail no more.

With power He vindicates the just, and treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last till hours, and years, and time be past.

Here's the thing: I need to constantly (and by that I mean, minute-by-minute) be reminded that Jesus is regining, whether it feels like it or not. Wherever the sun touches on this earth, Jesus reigns. And it's not a chaotic reign. It's a reign of order and righteousness. I need to be reminded that, even though it seems like it's gaining ground all around me and in the lives of those I know, even the kingdom of darkness is submissive to his will and reign. I need not to forget that he is healing this world and putting it back right, restoring what the fall has stolen and even more. The circumstances in my life and in the lives of those around me have no bearing on these facts, and this hymn jars me out of my arrogance and self-exaltation, to focus on Christ and stop thinking that because "Jason's life" is a certain way, it must mean that somehow the universe has altered and the truth about Christ has changed.

Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock

2009-02-19T07:00:00.003-06:00

One of the themes that I hit on occassionally with the Singles Group at Oak Mountain is the idea that singleness is a tremendous gift that, for the most part, has been given to folks for a short amount of time. I believe there is clear biblical teaching that once you're married, take vows, and covenant before God with your spouse, your priorities, focus, and primary ministry area change. You're time, body, and longings are no longer for yourself but for your husband or wife. This isn't true in the same way for singles. To be sure, when Paul writes in I Corinthians 6:19, "You are not your own," he's referring to believers both single and married, but clearly there are typically fewer restraints on singles than there are on married couples, and this ought to change our perspective on our lives in two ways.

The first is that we should be exceedingly grateful to the Lord for freeing us up to spend ourselves for the gospel, the chuch, and other people. And the second is that we should be a group of people who are constantly looking at the clock over our shoulders. . . no, not the biological clock, but the clock that says our singleness isn't a gift we're likely to have forever. This freedom, this lack of constraint to do ministry, this time that we have to devote to caring for others and serving may not be here tomorrow. I firmly believe that God has husbands and wives out there for most of the singles at Oak Mountain, and I pray regularly that those relationships will become known, develop, and end in glorious symbols of Christ's relationship to his bride, the Church. In the meantime, I pray regularly, that we will not use our singleness as an excuse or think of ourselves as somehow "second-class Christians" who have nothing to offer the body or the kingdom.

Here's the thing: singles are racing the clock. We don't typically feel that because we're so busy focused on ourselves and how poor and pitiful we are, but we are, the stakes are high, and the clock is ticking.

Sunday School Sneek Peak

2009-02-18T07:42:00.002-06:00

This week in Sunday School we're finishing up our series called Life Outside the Body: Studies in Evangelism from the book of Acts. I've so enjoyed this series, and my second time through it, the book of Acts continues to find a solidified place in my heart. This week we'll be looking at Acts 20:17-38. Paul has been in Athens and is leaving. He gives some final words to the Ephesian elders, and then has one of the most touching scenes recorded in Scripture on the beach with them, just before he boards the ship.

What lessons are there for us in this passage? I think many. This Sunday we'll be looking at just a few. Just a word of warning, don't confuse biblical "farewells" with benedictions. Often times they aren't filled with what the world would view as hopeful words. But, as we all grow in our understanding of the Christian life and the gospel, we come to realize just how experientially true they really are.

If you're in Birmingham this weekend, come join us at Oak Mountain Pres., at 9:05am in Room S-180. Hope to see you then.

It Is What It Is

2009-02-17T07:02:00.002-06:00

Here's the thing: I really despise the phrase "It is what it is." I mean, really despise. I've had several people try to convince me that really it's a good phrase, a healthy phrase, a phrase of acceptance of the reality of the situation that gives you the ability to think and act from a position of what's really happening instead of thinking and acting about what you want to be true or would like to be true. But, I'm not buying that. To me, whenever I hear it (usually from these same people, by the way) it comes across as fatalistic and hopeless, and an excuse to continue in their own sin. It's not typically used as a starting point for moving forward, but a rationale to just let things be the way they are.

When it comes to matters of faith and Christianity, I'm what is called a Calvinist or Reformed, and one of the things that means is I have a very high view of God's sovereignty, his ordination and control over all events, but in no way does this make me fatalistic or hopeless. I mean, can you imagine if God had adopted this view? The earth is void and formless, well, it is what it is. Man is alone and this isn't good, eh, it is what it is. Adam and Eve will one day sin and condemn the entire human race to hell and they'll have no way of being reconciled to me. Huh, oh well, it is what it is. God is sovereign, and he is in control, but his sovereignty in no way exempts us from fighting the good fight and running the race set before us. We may not be able to choose or control where the punches come from or where the road twists and turns, but we can absolutely decide to take a dive or give up and just walk.

In the Fire

2009-02-12T09:12:00.003-06:00

Have you been reading or keeping up with the wildfires that have killed 180 people in Australia? I gotta be honest, I really haven't been. I've been bouncing around from one thing to the other, too consumed by my own life to be too much concerned with what's happened there. But, this morning, I was thinking about the missionaries and pastors and Christians in Australia, and I was wondering what kinds of doors and opportunities this tragedy is opening up.

See, here's the thing: when something horrific like this happens, it generally causes people who've never thought much about God, to spend a good bit of time with him on their minds, even if what they're thinking isn't that "God is great, God is good," type of things. But when it comes to light, as it has in this case, that humans were "responsible" for the fires, postmodern society really struggles. If everyone's supposed to be basically good and what they do right for them, what do you do with individuals who would start a fire like this that kills a bunch of people and destroys homes, property, and lives that have to be re-built? These are the types of questions that people have at times like these, and sometimes they turn to the church or to Christians to try and find answers. I'm praying that the missionaries and churches are ready to respond. . . not with all the answers, but with the Gospel. I'm praying they'll be there with garbage bags, hammers, saws, and food; arms that can hold, eyes that are wet with tears over the pain, and mouths that are appropriately closed when just being there is what's called for; and I'm also hoping they'll be there with open Bibles, ready to give people the only hope there is when what you believed about human nature is shaken and you're literally standing around in the charred rubble of your life.

Slain in the Dark

2009-02-10T08:40:00.004-06:00

It was a council of three, called to order by the Father, and it was done in the dark. The topic of conversation was man's sin. How to deal with and make atonement for the sinful nature that all men would have as a result of the actions of the first man and woman. There was no discussion, there was no other point of view. God had to become man, live as a perfect man, and die for the sins of those he'd chosen. There was no other way it could happen, nothing else that could be done. So, there in the darkness, before the world was created (Revelation 13:8), in the mind of God the Father, his son was slain, thus opening the way for men and women of faith to find life in Christ, even before he came to earth. It happened in the dark. The decision, the settled certainty of the event that would bring more light and more hope to the world than any other in all of history, and it gives us another reason to cherish the darkness.

It Hath Charms

2009-02-09T08:17:00.005-06:00

One of the effects of (or perhaps causes of) my nightmares and sleep issues has been extreme restlessness. It's not too hard to imagine that getting 2-3 hours of sleep each night would make it hard to concetrate and focus and be still, or it could be that this is spiritual warfare and demonic activity in my life and that's why I'm having trouble sleeping in the first place. At any rate, the result is I'm restless in body, soul, and mind most of the time. Except when there's music playing. The longer I live with this, the more things get added to the "weird" column, and I almost put this one into that column, until the Holy Spirit brought to mind the passage from I Samuel 16:14-23. It's after God has rejected Saul as king of Israel, and he (God) sends an evil spirit to torment Saul. The passage says that David was brought into Saul's presence and "whenever the eveil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."

Okay, I gotta clarify a few things here, before I start getting a bunch of phone calls and e-mails. I'm not saying that God has rejected me as he did Saul. Biblically, I don't think that's possible. And, I'm also not saying that whatever is going on with me is an evil spirit that God has "sent" to torment me. The only parallel I'm drawing between Saul and myself right now is the fact that we both were/are tormented by something, and we both found/find comfort in the playing of music.

Here's the thing: throughout all this, I've found such comfort in music, both as it's played and sung. It's given me brief moments of peace and rest for my soul and emotions. One of the most precious (in multiple senses of the word) hours I've had through all this is each Wednesday night going to choir practice at my church. This past Sunday, as I was looking over my lesson for Sunday School one more time, I went up to the sanctuary where the praise team and band were practicing for the worship service, just so I could be near the music. It may not last forever, and right now it doesn't seem to be a permanent "fix" to the situation. When the music stops, the restlessness returns. But those moments while it's playing I am refreshed and well, and the evil really does seem to depart.

Chosen in the Dark

2009-02-06T08:33:00.006-06:00

If you haven't read it yet, please take a minute and read the introduction to this series.

God chose me in the dark. Before light was created (Genesis 1:2-3), before the earth itself was created God chose me to be his son (Ephesians 1:4). There may be no better reason to love the darkness than this! It was in the dark, before there was life, before I could sin or do good works, before I had the ability to know God, he chose me, of his own accord, of his own delight. Even though he certainly knows all, he didn't peer through the darkness to see my decision and pre-empt me by picking me first. Instead, in that moment, the quiet, stillness of the dark, when it was only Him, his Son, and his Spirit, he said "yes" to Jason. Here's the thing: nothing any more significant than that could ever take place in the dark, and it is to that I cling when the darkness feels like a prison cell or like it's closing in fast to suffocate. It becomes, not an agent of constriction but one of freedom.

A "Dark Theology": Introduction

2009-02-05T16:59:00.004-06:00

Okay, here's the thing: I'm a little nervous about posting this for a couple of reasons. One, I don't have all my ideas fully thought through, and there's nothing like putting something in print that you're not totally sure about! The second thing, is I'm a little afraid that folks will misunderstand where I'm coming from on this and will misinterpret what I'm actually talking about. That being said, here goes. . .

One of the things that can happen when you don't sleep is that you end up spending a lot of time in the dark. Over the course of the past few months, I've reflected on and thought about darkness. Darkness is used over and over again in Scripture as a symbol for sin, often times hidden sin (In John 12, Jesus talks about how he's come into the world so that we no longer have to walk in darkness. In 2 Corinthians Paul uses darkness to represent unbelievers and contrasts that to believers who are in the light. I John 1 admonishes believers not to hide their sins in the dark but to bring them into the light where God is). Figurative darkness is used in Scripture with mostly negative connotations.

But what about actual darkness? Is there a difference? Does physical darkness have about it the same secret, closed off, sinful ethos that figurative darkness does? As I've thought about it, I've come to realize that actually, a lot of really amazing and really important things concerning my Christian life and relationship with God happened in literal darkness, and so I've begun to try and reflect on some of these to make the dark that I find myself in more and more these days (and nights), and over the course of a few blogs, I'm going to be sharing and talking some about what I've discovered.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2009-02-04T08:27:00.002-06:00

This week's lesson is titled, "Evangelism: It's About Asking the Right Questions," and we'll be looking at how questions can be used as a great way to get into spiritual conversations with people.

See you at 9:05 in Room S-180.

Easy for YOU to Say. . .

2009-02-02T15:54:00.004-06:00

One of the funnier side effects of all the sleep issues I've been dealing with is my speech. It typically happens later in the afternoon or at night, and it manifests itself in a few different ways.

The first way is that sometimes I actually can't put a sentence together. The words come out, but they don't come out in order or connected. It sounds a little something like this, "Yeah, it's like me too." Now, that would be fine if I was a surfer from southern California responding to a question and I added a "fur sure" on the end, but since I live in Alabama and am responding to someone who just said, "I really liked that movie" it tends not to make much sense.

The second way it shows up is stuttering. I've never really had an issue with stuttering or stammering, but all of a sudden I can't get the words out! Sometimes it's the first letter, but more often it's the entire word. I get about halfway through and have to start over. It's cu-cu-cu-curazy!

But, here's the thing: the last one is probably my favorite. That's when I start talking 90 miles-an-hour, like I'm on speed. I did this to a friend of mine the other night on the way home from work. I called her, and just went on and on and on, finally taking a breath to hear her laughing on the other end of the phone! Trust me, of the three, you definitely want the guy on speed to show up. It's much more fun and less frustrating than the other two.

So, next time you see me, and it's afternoon or evening, roll the dice and say "hi." Who knows what you'll get?!

Reminding God

2009-01-29T07:57:00.003-06:00

There's a song we sing in church a pretty good bit called "Your Grace is Enough," by Chris Tomlin. One of reasons I really like this song is because it has the ethos of the Old Testament, couched in New Testament language. It starts out remembering the faithfulness of God, talking about his character and "reminding" God of who he is. Then, it goes into my favorite part of the song. If this wasn't a song, but prose in a book, it might read something like this: "Now, because of who you are and what you do (all that we've just said) remember your people, remember your children, remember your promise, oh God." I love to sing these lines because it is what Abraham, Moses, David, and most of the prophets did over and over again. When there were problems, when they needed help, they reminded God of who he is and his character, then they called on him to remember that they were his people and that he had promised them certain things, and they wanted those promises to be fulfilled.

Here's the thing: I've seen this transfer into my own prayer life. I find myself many times, recounting God's character, and then reminding God that I am his child, or that the person I'm praying for is his child, and that he has promised his children certain things that I am now asking him to fulfill. Now, this might seem like demands on God by an arrogant human, but it's all throughout Scripture. "God, you have promised us certain things as your children, and we know that keeping those promises are in line with your character. Now, as your children, as those promised, we ask you to come through, just as you have in the past. Remember what you've told us you would do for us. . . and do it. We need you to do it. We're asking you to do it. We're calling on you to keep your word to us, your children. Don't forget about us. We're here, and we need you to remember."

Sunday School Sneak Peek: Storytime!

2009-01-29T07:52:00.003-06:00

What does it take to make a good story? Compelling plot? Interesting characters? Drama and suspense? Probably a little mix of all of that and more. And what about storytellers? Those people who just somehow seem to have a knack for drawing you in to the world of their story. How do they do it effectively? What's the secret to becoming a good storyteller?

This week in Sunday School we're going to be looking at Acts 22. Paul's been arrested. . .again, and when he goes before the council that will hear his case, he decides to tell a story as his defense. If there ever was a time for a good story, this would it.

Legacy in Reverse

2009-01-28T08:32:00.003-06:00

My church has been having its annual Missions Conference the past three days, and this year I helped with the M.I.T (Missionaries In Training) program for the kids. Each night I got to walk around with about 10-15 4th-graders as they heard about missionaries who went to India, and as they got to see what life is like in places like South Africa. Being with the kids at my church for stuff like this is one of the great joys for me! They're funny, maddening, and help keep me from becoming too focused on myself and thinking that church is all about my needs being met.

Tuesday night was the last night and, as is pretty typical, by the last night of anything, kids (and the leaders) can become a little frayed. The next-to-last thing we did was listen to the Children's Director talk about what it really means to go and be a missionary to places around the world. In other words, this was the "challenge" part of the whole thing. At one point the Children's Director said, "And guys, that's one of my prayers for y'all, is that one day God would call some of you to go to some country around the world and tell people about Jesus." And, as he said it, goosebumps covered me, and a lump welled up in my throat, because I had forgotten momentarily why I volunteered to help in the first place.

See, here's the thing: I don't help with the kids during the Missions Conference because I'm trying to gain favor with the Children's Director (or even anyone else in the church). I don't even do it because they're always shorthanded. (I learned a long time ago, I can't meet every need that's out there.) No, really, at the end of the day, I do it because I want those kids, those 4th-graders to hear about missions, to learn about examples of those who've gone before them, because ultimately, I want them to go.

As I watched them this weekend learning how to play Cricket or painting their South African flags or listening to the actor who played William Carey, I was praying, "Which one, God? Which of these are you gonna call? Who's it gonna be, that's gonna take the Gospel to a people group that I've never even heard of?" That's what I was praying. That's what I'm hoping. It's not keeping them preoccupied while their parents are upstairs in the "real" conference. It's the possibility that one day, when I'm in my 60's, I'll sit down with them at the Missions Conference in 2043, and they'll tell me about the churches they're helping plant in Bangladesh, or how they're seeing some really exciting breakthroughs happen with orphans in North Korea, and I'll sit and marvel that they're being able to go into these countries that I've been praying for all these years and longed for the chance to set foot in.

Could it be Brock. . .or Grace. . . or Gabe. . . or Madison? Next year's conference? Sign me up!

Holding On

2009-01-16T08:45:00.004-06:00

Most people that know me well know that I like listening to Steven Curtis Chapman. I buy his CDs, I've been to one of his concerts, I check out his webpage from time-to-time. I'm a fan. It's not so much his music that I connect with, actually his music is pretty different than anything else I listen to. Instead, it's the words to the songs he writes that my heart tends to be drawn too. I have a list of his songs that I send to folks who I know are going through hard times, trials, etc., and this morning I listened to a couple of them on the way in to work. This one is titled "Hold on to Jesus," and it's from Steven's 1997 CD Signs of Life.

I have come to this ocean
And the waves of fear are starting to grow
The doubts and questions are rising with the tide
So I'm clinging to the one sure thing I know

Chorus:
I will hold on to the hand of my Savior
And I will hold on with all my might
I will hold loosely to things that are fleeting
And hold on to Jesus
I will hold on to Jesus for life

I've tried to hold many treasures
They just keep slipping through my fingers like sand
But there's one treasure that means more than breath itself
So I'm clinging to it with everything I am Chorus

Bridge:
Like a child holding on to a promise
I will cling to His word and believe
As I press on to take hold of that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me Chorus

Here's the things that stood out to me this morning: the first stanza and chorus of this song seem to sum up pretty well my life these days. I imagined myself closing the door to my room at bedtime, coming to the bank of the ocean. As I pull back the covers, the fears do start to grow. Each night I wonder and think, "What will it be like tonight? Will this finally be the night of freedom and rest, or will this be another night of battle?" There are so many things about all this that I don't understand and can't even put into coherent thoughts. There is so much about what's real and what's not that is blurred these days for me. My ability to discern things accurately has greatly diminished, and so I have no choice but to believe in the one thing that I know for certain. It is outside me and beyond me, and that's a very good thing, because what's inside and around me may or may not be trustworthy.

So I hold on to Jesus. As cheesy as that sounds, that's what I do, night after night. And I gotta be honest, when I sing, read, hear that line "I will hold on to Jesus for life," for me the meaning isn't holding on to Jesus for life as in an amount of time, as in I will be doing this forever. No, for me it's holding on to Jesus for life like a man hangs onto a root sticking out of the mountain cliff he's just slipped and fallen over. It's holding on for life like a passeger holds onto to a piece of wood that's floating by off the ship she was on that just sunk. Holding on for life.

Sunday School Leftovers

2009-01-12T06:50:00.002-06:00

Okay, so Chad did an amazing job teaching Sunday School yesterday, and again, I'm learning so much about evangelism through this series on Acts. Things I've thought about for years, in ways I've never thought about them. One thing he said, in particular that stuck out to me yesterday, when he was talking about the transformation in his thinking about evangelism that's occurred as he's shaken off his performance mentality about the Christian life, "I care more about the person than converting them." Interesting, thoutht-provoking, very dangerous if taken out-of-context and looked at in immature ways. I love it.

Haven't We Been Over This Already?

2009-01-10T16:06:00.002-06:00

So, Radley is now about nine months old, and since my roommate got him when he was only about five weeks old, two things are very true. One, he learned a lot of tricks, routines, patterns very early in life, and two, it feels like he's been a puppy forever! See, early on we taught him to sit, lay down, stay, and to come when called. Along the way he also learned our personalities, patterns, and behaviors. He knew when we wanted to pet him, and when we wanted him to leave us alone. He learned where his boundaries were and what things were off limits.

But, here's the thing: as he's gotten older and bigger and changed, he's entered a new phase where he doesn't mind as much anymore and all the things that he's learned seemed to have gone right out the window. I was thinking about that the other day and how once again, it so closely mimics and reflects my walk with Christ. See, I've been living with Christ for almost twenty-four years now -- I came to faith when I was about six or seven -- and I've learned a lot about what it means to be a follower of Christ. Along the way as Christ has taught me things and shown me things, I've also picked up a good bit about God's personality, and yet there are seasons in my life, just like with Radley, when those lessons and the things I know seem to have flown right out the window, and I live like I'm brand new at the this whole Christian-life thing.

And when these times come, it's as if God has to come back and re-teach the basics to me, like we're having to do now with Radley. This is how to sit, lay down, come when called, these are the boundaries, this is off limits. It's tedious work, with puppies and with people. I'm just so thankful that God's patience is infinitely greater with me than mine is with that little white dog sometimes.

Christ-centered Evangelism. . . What?!

2009-01-10T13:13:00.002-06:00

Acts chapter two is a partial record of Peter's brilliant sermon to the devout Jews that were in Jerusalem at the time when the disciples received the gift of the Holy Spirit (2:5). There's a lot that can and has been said about this sermon, and many lessons in evangelism that can be taken from it, but one that has continued to stand out to me is the Christ-centeredness of what Peter says. Peter's sermon is all about Christ. He shows his audience how the prophescies about the coming Messiah (2:16-21, 25-30) were fulfilled in the man of Jesus Christ (2:22-24, 31-33). He paints a picture of Jesus of Nazareth that is big, that is compelling, that is God-sized, namely because Jesus of Nazareth was in fact, God.

Now, here's the thing that I find so interesting as I've thought about the differences between Peter's sermon and how evangelism tends to be done in today's context. See, we tend to focus most of our time on convincing the person we're talking to that they are a sinner who needs saving. We tend to try and paint a picture of God who is perfect and man who is sinful and show them that this is a bad problem that must be resolved. And, while I don't think that this is at all a bad way to do evangelism, it does seem to me to be pretty man-centered. It's all about showing the person's problem, the person's need, and sometimes I wonder if this leaves much room to do what Peter did, paint a really big picture of who Christ is and what he did on earth.

At the end of his sermon, Luke writes that "when they heard this they were cut to the heart" (2:37). It's as if you can almost hear what they were thinking, "What have we done?! We have rejected the Messiah!" The truth about Christ, seeing who he really was, cut them to the heart as they realized their own fault, and it led them to repentance. Could it be that if we spent our time showing and talking about Christ in these kinds of ways to the lost around us, they too might realize that they have rejected the Messiah and ask, "What do we need to do?"

Coming Soon: Christ-centered evangelism. . . what?!, and yet another lesson from a dog named Radley. Stay tuned.

2009-01-09T16:39:00.003-06:00

"Simple" Truths

2009-01-09T08:59:00.005-06:00

In Sunday School, we're doing a sprint through the book of Acts during January and February, specifically focusing on the nuances of how the early church did evangelism. This is the second time I've really "studied" the book, and I'm amazed once again at this book, specifically how the first eleven verses of the book are so integral to everything that happens. Those forty days that Christ spent with his disciples in between his resurrection and ascension become so crucial to everything they do after the Holy Spirit comes.

For example, in 1:3 Luke writes, "To them [the disciples] he [Christ] presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." In other words, Christ spent a significant amount of time making sure his disciples knew that he was the real deal, he really was the Messiah that had been promised for so long. This is what he taught them.

Then, you flip over to chapter 2, and read verses 14-36 (Peter's sermon to the crowd), and you realize that what he's doing for the crowd is the same thing Christ did for the disciples, showing that the Jesus who was crucified is the Messiah, the real deal.

Here's the thing: I've been through a lot of different "evangelism training" courses, but I don't ever remember one that talked about presenting Christ as true, as the risen Messiah. In the midst of all the different tactics that are sometimes used to share Christ with those around us, I wonder if we've lost the profound wonder of talking about the risen Christ and showing non-Christians how the biblical promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled in this carpenter from Nazareth.

Putting It Into Words

2009-01-08T21:15:00.002-06:00

As I've been sharing with people about my dreams, I constantly find myself at a loss for words when it comes to talking about fear. I talk about being afraid, or the fact that I'm scared, or how I am fearful, but, here's the thing: none of those words, taken at their base definition, really get at how I feel when I get into bed at night, or when I have a nightmare, or when I wake up from a bad dream.

I told someone today that I feel like I need to come up with a whole new vocabulary for talking about fear, because the English words we have just don't do it. They just aren't powerful enough. Maybe because our language is just that limited. Maybe because I've used those words to describe feelings in the past that didn't even come close to matching what I'm experiencing now and so I've cheapened them in a way. Whatever the case, I feel like I'm developing a whole new mini-dictionary of definitions for what it means to be afraid. And, the kicker is, I'm scared I'll need it!

1 Sheep. . . 2 Sheep. . .

2009-01-07T17:13:00.006-06:00

So, here's the thing: I've been debating about whether or not to post something about this on the blog for a while now, but I think I've finally figured out a way to do it that fits with the overall feel of what I want this blog to be about, so I've decided to go ahead with it.

Since September of last year, I've been having nightmares: violent, scary, ugly nightmares. Nightmares that you don't want to know what they're about. Nightmares that even I wish I didn't know what they were about. Nightmares that cause me to wake up in the night yelling. Nightmares that leave me in cold sweats. Nightmares that make me scared to go to sleep at night. Nightmares that make me wonder about lots of things.

Over the course of these past months, it's very common to be awake for large chunks of time so I've been able to think and process in between the tears and anger. See, there are many reasons to be scared right now, there are many things to be afraid of. But through it all, even when I'm lying there in the dark, terrified that my eyes may close and another horrible movie will start to play, and fighting so hard to keep that from happening, there is great peace that comes in knowing that my worst fear, the thing I'm most afraid of --losing my relationship with Christ -- can never happen.

It's not that it can never happen because my faith is strong, sometimes it's almost non-existent. And it's not that it can never happen because I'm the one clinging to God, sometimes I don't have the strength. It's because he's holding tight to me, through the sleeplesness, through the darkness, through the nightmares. It's because nothing on this earth, even my own mind, can ever seperate me from his love. It's because his holding on to me, ultimately has nothing to do with me; it's something he decided to do long ago, in the dark, before there was even light. That's enough to make me rest, whether I sleep or not.

Around the First Bend

2009-01-02T13:28:00.004-06:00

2009 is officially here. Even with the extra second that was thrown in this year, the turning of the calendar felt instantaneous. One minute it was 2008, the next 2009. Before midnight, everything was old and tired and worn out, now everything seems young and new and full of hope. On one side, we were lamenting and reflecting on what might have been, and on the other, anything and everything now seems possible. In many ways, we are the same people we were before, but something feels different now. In some ways, evrything's changed. Maybe this is why I love New Year's Eve, because it reminds me so much of the gospel.

Here's the thing: the gospel's message is one of hope and expectation, because everything has changed. Now things can be, have the potential to be experientially different, now that everything is new. I am a new creation. It doesn't mean that I don't still struggle and wrestle with my old nature, just like we might still have '08 bills to pay or deal with things that are holdovers from "last year," but at the essence I am new, just like the year is new. And, because I am a new person in Christ, there is the real potential that my life can be radically different now.

If you think about it, much about this year will, in all likelihood, look very similar to last: holidays, seasons, sports, busy times at work, they all tend to happen on or around the same times they happened last year, and yet how I feel, react, and what I'm experiencing during all these times is what might not be the same. This is how my Christian life is so much of the time too. There are so many areas of my life that never seem to change, sins I tend to commit over and over again, trials that seem to be mine for the foreseeable future are all still with me, holdovers from my past that never go away, and yet, how I react to these, what I feel when I'm going through them, this is where the evidence turns up that God is working, changing me on the inside and causing me to become more like that person he sees when he looks at me.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2008-12-28T08:41:00.002-06:00

We're back in Sunday School this week, and we'll be having a little bit of a mixed bag to our time. I'll be doing a summary/review of the 3 E's. For those who might not know, the "3 E's" come from the mission statement of the OMPC singles ministry. They're the three phrases that help us remember what we're supposed to be about: encouraging the body, equipping believers, and engaging the lost. The really great thing is that, taken with the way Chad ended his lesson two weeks ago, the 3 E's actually provide a really nice introduction to the book of Acts that we'll be studying in January and February. After that, we're going to spend some time brainstorming and praying for 2009 and the singles ministry. The leadership team is pretty excited about this time, because we really do feel like we lead with the entire group, and we want to hear what you have to say.

I know that many will be out of town, recovering from the holidays, etc., but I really want to encourage those who are around to be there at 9:05am, in Room S-180. See you then!

Put the Sleigh in Park

2008-12-26T08:10:00.002-06:00

So, Christmas 2008 is done for me. I've got a couple of things to return, and the decorations still have to be taken down, but all in all, I'm finished for another year. Can I just say, that I love the week after Christmas? For so many people this week is a let-down: no more presents, no more expectation, and it's like the wind that was pushing this chaotic busy ship forward for the past four weeks is gone. But, for me, the week after Christmas is a time to relax and catch my breath after the busyness of the past month. I'm also pretty reflective, and so I love the closing out of a year and having the time to sit and think back over all that's happened. Usually, it's a mixed bag. There are some regrets, some things to be thankful for, happy times and sadness, and it's a great chance for me to find comfort (if I will) in God's sovereignty in my life. I love seeing how through it all, my sin, the falleness of this world I live in, the blessings, and the small victories, God is leading me and guiding me and using it all to accomplish his will in my life.

Here's the thing: reflection can sometimes be a dangerous thing. Because we are all born with a sinful nature, depression, feeling sorry for ourselves, and going "dark" is something we all have the potential to struggle with. And yet, there is a sense in which God has called his people to reflect. In the Old Testament he was always pointing the Israelites, his chosen people's eyes forward, calling on them to look ahead to their home in the Promised Land and the Messiah that would come and save them, but there were times when he would instruct them to take a minute and reflect, to look back and see where he'd work and remember his faithfulness. They might seem mutually exclusive exercises, but they're necessarily linked, because if I don't take time to regularly remember God's character and faithfulness, it's nearly impossible for me to trust him with what's to come.

The trick is, like most other things in life, to take my eyes off myself. This isn't looking back on Jason, and myself this past year. It's looking back on God and what he's been doing, his character and the ways that character has become more clearly visible the past twelve months.

Caroling, Caroling: Joy to the World

2008-12-14T21:05:00.003-06:00

Okay, here's the thing about "Joy to the World,": did you know that if you look in most hymnals (those books with all the songs that we used to sing out of in churches) that this song will be listed, not really with the Christmas carols, but with the advent carols? It's supposedly a song that's to be sung before Christmas ever gets here. Why is that significant? Well, it's significant because if you relegate to the "advent hymns/carols" pile, you might miss the fact that the meaning of this song doesn't actually end with Christ's first coming. This Christmas, as you sing "Joy to the World," sing it as someone who's looking for Christ's return, his second coming to earth, when he will restore, judge, and make all things new, right, as they should be. I love Mariah Carey's version of this song from her CD Merry Christmas. Enjoy!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
("Is come." He's coming. This is the hope of the believer: that Christ will come again. That he will make things right again. What a promise that we have to look forward too, and that will be the day of complete, true joy for the world.)
Let earth receive her King;
(A reminder that he will come as king on that day. The first time he came he was, in essence, king of the world, but that's not how he came. When he returns, he will come in that capacity, to set up reign.)
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
(A foreshadowing of how the entire earth will be "singing" at the return of Christ, when he makes all creation new and redeems it from the damage and destruction of man's sin.)
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
(The ever-increasing number of sins and sorrows on this earth, will be stopped with Christ's return. Not only will they be stopped, but they will be wiped out totally, completely.)
Nor thorns infest the ground;
(An allusion to the curse that God put on man and the earth after Adam and Eve's sin in Genesis 3. With the promise in Revelation, comes the promise of a new Heavens and a new Earth.)
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
(I love these lines, because they remind me that the Gospel, which was instituted by Christ's first coming to earth, is able to reach far and wide. There's not a person that the gospel doesn't have the power to save, and there's not a situation or life that the gospel doesn't have the ability to transform and redeem. Just when I think situations are hopeless, here's a reminder that as far as the curse of sin goes, so does the transforming power of the gospel.)
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
(When Christ is king, his character is proven. The attributes of who he is are seen in the way he changes those who are his. When a people have the gospel, they have change. There can be no question that change will occur, even if it's not as quick or dramatic as we would like. On the hearts of men is where you'll find the record and evidence of Christ's coming.)
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Am I Paying Attention?

2008-12-13T21:43:00.004-06:00

Have you ever been halfway listening to someone, and they say something that you really aren't paying attention to, but then you realize that what they said was really important, and it stops you dead in your tracks? That's what happened to me today. I was out working in our yard, and the little boy from across the street came over. He's pretty lonely, so he talks a lot, and I have to admit, that in the midst of stories about snakes that he really never saw and adventures that never really happened, I kind of tuned him out. Then, the following exchange took place:

"Jason, my shoe's untied, can you tie it for me?"
"Sure, sit down on the step, and I'll tie it for you."
"When I was five I knew how to tie my shoe, but now that I'm six, I don't anymore."
"That's odd. Did you forget how?"
"No, it's just that no one's ever shown me how before."

I was back raking leaves, before I realized what he said. Here this little boy is, six-years-old, and no one's ever taken time to show him how to tie his shoe. It's hard to see how to rake leaves with tears in your eyes. Suddenly, I was tuned in to every word he said, listening for what was really being said behind all the made-up stories, and lies about his life. Here's the thing: it's easy for me to tune people out and pretend that I'm listening and engaged when really my mind is far away. I do it because I spend so much time listening to people. I do it, because I'm pretty good at asking the right questions and making the right comments so that folks think I'm paying attention. But mostly, I do it because my heart is not nearly softened enough towards people, and it's days like today that remind me that a lot is being said, and I need to pay attention.

It's Real

2008-12-13T08:48:00.006-06:00

I went to one of those walk-through nativities a couple of weeks ago at a church in the town I grew up in. The folks had done a pretty good job with everything, but I just wasn't feeling it. I'm not sure why, but sometimes it's hard for me to really let my imagination go in places like that, and I was pretty much on guard the whole time. "This isn't real. These people just all live here. I see that kid's tennis shoes." Even for me, a guy who's pretty sappy anyway, especially around Christmas, it just wasn't happening. Then, at one point, we were in one the "shops" and all these kids came running in.

"It's happened!" "He's here!" "Come quickly and see!" Of course, they were announcing the birth of Christ. I don't know what it was about it, but when they ran in and started yelling at us, their excitment seemed so genuine and so real, that my hard heart softened a little bit, and I found myself getting caught up in the moment. I wanted to run to the manger with them to see what was going on. Then, as I was walking out, one of the little kids said to me, "It's so exciting, sir, hope is here!" And that's when the tears welled up in my eyes, because he was exactly right. Hope was here.

Here's the thing: as I've thought about that night, I've been struck at how my heart compelled me to run to the manger to see Jesus. Sometimes I wonder, and especially this year I've wondered, if my heart is becoming too hardened to Christ. I worry sometimes that I could get to the point where I would just go my own way, and like Pilate, no matter how much of Christ I see, I would reject him as the Messiah. And yet, there I was, longing to run and see Jesus, reminded again that it is he who draws me to himself, and that it is nothing that I do or feelings I conjur up that keeps me close.

As I come to the end of this year, I find myself wondering and asking, more than I ever have before in my life, will things ever really change? I wrestle more, at thirty, with the reality that there are sins I've been struggling with as long as I can remember, and they don't seem to be getting "better," and I wonder if I'll still be struggling with them at forty, fifty, and beyond. I have friends whose end to 2008 looks very different than the beginning did, and I struggle with whether it's just simplistic idealism to believe that 2009 could bring real change, real peace, and real victory in their lives. And then, a little boy, in the midst of a little re-enactment, reminds me that with every new observance of Christ's birth comes a fresh wave of hope, and I realize that the questions and thoughts I'm having are outdated. They belong to the mind of someone who lived before Christ was born, because with the coming of God in human flesh, the answer to all my questions about the potential for overcoming my own sins, and the potential for peace and change in the lives of those around me is "yes." With Christ here I no longer need to wonder if change is possible, if peace can be found, if sin can be defeated, because with Christ here it's no longer a question of if but when.

The really amazing thing about waiting for that hope, is that we don't wait alone, because the last phrase of that little boy's sentence was "is here." Christ, the one that brings hope, also brought himself to be with me while I wait for the realization of that hope. The change and peace that I plead with God for in the lives of my friends, may not come in 2009. I may not wake up on January 1, and be instantly freed from some of these sins I've grown so weary of dealing with year after year, but the "is here" part of that sentence lets me know that Christ isn't going anywhere in the midst of all that. He will carry me through this, if I'll just run to him, like I wanted to that night. I guess this is one time I really do need to keep running, straight to the manger because, "It's so exciting. . . hope is here."

Where's the GPS?

2008-12-11T16:57:00.002-06:00

Micah, one of the Old Testament prophets writes, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." (Micah 5:2)

See, here's the thing: nothing big should have happened in Bethlehem. No major historical events that would alter the course of the entire universe should have had their beginnings in this little village. Not because there was anything necessarily wrong with Bethlehem, but because it was so tiny, the runt of the litter. And yet, here it is, immortalized for all of eternity, as the place God chose to have his Son born. He had to bring a ruler to power that would order a census to be taken, and even before that, he had to make sure that generations back, Joseph's family originated in Bethlehem, so that when everyone went back to their home cities, Joseph would go to the right place.

But, Bethlehem?! It's the most unappealing choice. It was small. It was unimportant. It was, exactly the kind of ridiculous choice that God would have made! As I think about the choice of Bethlehem and how odd it is, I'm filled with a renewed sense of wonder and hope in a God who uses things that no one really wants or expects much from to house himself. I mean, I read that verse from Micah, and I realize, "I am Bethlehem!" I'm too insignificant, I'm too lowly to be considered anything by the world, and yet I am the place where God chose for his Son to dwell. What a wonderfully absurd truth is brought out by the town of Bethlehem.

Caroling, Caroling: Silent Night! Holy Night!

2008-12-09T06:47:00.005-06:00

Here's the thing: I've always thought it was kind of odd that there are exclamation points in this title. They don't seem to fit with the overall mood of the song, and even thought I get that they're kind of proclaiming something, which is a big part of the Christmas story, it just seems strange to me that they would be proclaiming silence and holiness. . . until I started thinking about that more, and I realized that in the world I live silence and holines are such foreign concepts that they almost have to be proclaimed, shouted even, to get the point across. I know it's a little cheesy maybe, but I would recommend Mannheim Steamroller's version of this song, from their CD Christmas, because I think the absence of words and the "new-age" feel that their music has really does what the title indicates, it proclaims silence. (By the way, the song is titled "Stille Nacht" on the CD.)

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
(I'm not sure even on the first Christmas, all was calm, and the Bible indicates that at least with the Israelites, all was not bright. Sound familiar? But I think these lines serve as a reminder to me that, with the coming of the Christ-child, in that moment, because of all that God had planned and because Christ would be obedient and fulfill his Father's will completely, as soon as he took his first human breath, ultimately all was calm and bright because of the hope of redemption.)
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
(I like that this line is in there, because I need to be reminded of Mary's place in the story and the absurdity of having a virgin, teenage girl give birth to the Savior of the world. This is no sentimentality or mere sweetness, this is theology that gives hope!)
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
(Again, not much about glory coming down from heaven and angels singing that lends itself to peace, but when I'm singing these lines, it's hard for me not to be overwhelmed by the lengths God went to to announce his Son's birth.)
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
(What an amazing thing to say about Jesus! He was the pureness of love. Looking on Christ, we see the ultimate example of love.)
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
(These are the two lines that get me every time. I dare you to sing them without getting teary-eyed. "With the dawn of redeeming grace." From the very beginning, it was there. The Cross and my redemption was written all over Christ's face from the very beginning.)
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Caroling, Caroling: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

2008-12-08T08:56:00.003-06:00

Here's the thing: in his commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther makes the case that one of the reason the law was so burdensome is that it was meant to make the Israelites cry out for relief, for rescue, in short, for the Savior. In other words, God intentionally made the law impossible to follow and therefore mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually taxing, so that his people would run and cling to the gospel of grace and rescue his Son provided when he came to earth. There's a lot in this song that applies to us, the church, living in this world that at times is mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually taxing as well. As believers we don't have the burden of the law anymore, but I wonder if God has ordained and designed this life to be difficult in its own right to make us long for, cry out for rescue, for our Savior who is coming again.

My advice on this song is to download Jim Brickman's version from his CD Grace. While the long intro. is playing, let your mind and emotions be flooded by the difficulties of this life. Read Ephesians 2:1-3 and be reiminded of what you were, and then let yourself cry out with the chorus, "Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to Thee O Israel." Rejoice. He is coming.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
(A reminder that, just like Israel, we are exiles. This is enemy territory we live in. This is not our home. This teaches me not to fight so hard against those feelings of loneliness, because those very feelings are evidence of my salvation.)
Until the Son of God appears.

Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice!Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
(Just spend a couple of hours repeating the word "shall" over and over again to yourself, and see if you can somehow get the certainty of it.)

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
(The name "Rod of Jesse" reminds us that Christ is in the lineage of King David, and that he is our king who goes out to fight our enemies for us. The hardness of this life should not leave us hopeless, because we have a king who is fighting on our behalf, and he is fighting Satan, our greatest enemy.)
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
(A reminder that Christ came not primarily to be born but to die. This is one of the great hopes of the Incarnation. We can have victory over death.)
Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
(Again, a joyless Christian is one who doesn't understand their Savior. Christ's first coming gave us joy. The facts, the reality of all his life, death, and resurrection accomplished, should give us much to rejoice about, even in the midst of our exile.)
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
(A reminder that our getting to Heaven is all the result of our Shepherd's leading. He makes the path wide and safe, and through his intercession, assures that we'll make it.)
And close the path to misery.
Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
(This is a reminder that, whether they act like it or not, the desire of every person on planet earth is for Christ. He is the ultimate object their hearts were made to ache for. No matter what their cultural norms, history, etc., the nations do desire Christ.)
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
(Peace. Ultimate peace. Our souls at rest, so that our bodies and emotions would be at rest as well.)
Refrain

Sunday School Leftovers: Sometimes Sovereignty Sucks

2008-12-08T08:38:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, we started off the lesson watching one of my favorite Christmas shows of all time: "A Charlie Brown Christmas." There's so much we could say about that scene with Linus and Charlie Brown on the wall. I said that we all need to have a Linus in our lives to listen to us and then speak truth, just like he did for Charlie Brown, but the thing I didn't have time to mention was the aspect of Linus' character that is so obvious. Go back and watch the scene, and notice what our little theologian, our little truth-speaker is doing the whole time he's listening the Charlie Brown: he's sucking his thumb and clinging to his blanket. It's such a great scene, because it once again reminds me that we are all broken. Everyone of us has our blankets and our thumbs that we cling to at times instead of Christ, and yet just like Linus, we must not let our own sins and our own weaknesses prevent us from encouraging and speaking truth to those around us who are struggling.

What our brothers and sisters in Christ need to see. What those outside the body of Christ need to see, are Christians who listen, who speak truth, who encourage, while it being very obvious that we don't have it all together and figured out.

Guess Who's Coming to the Birth?

2008-12-04T16:00:00.006-06:00

Here's the thing: Shepherds who slept with the sheep they were watching, and who left those sheep standing in the field by themselves. Astronomers, scientists, who did nothing but "star watch" all night and had to travel from an entirely different continent. Not exactly the star power you'd necessarily think about when it comes to the Creator of the Universe sending his son down to earth. Pretty absurd when you think about it. With nativity scenes that are not only made out of ever substance on earth but range from the realistic to the ridiculous, it's easy to forget that these were real people, with real social standings, and they were about the most ridiculous group possible to be included in on something like this, but man, what hope this particular aspect of the Incarnation gives!

There's the obvious fact that God is not interested in how much money someone has, and that's true and does give hope, but for me, when I start thinking about the fact that he sent his star so that men from an entirely different country and race could see it, it just reminds me that Christ came for every tribe, tongue, and nation. (Good news for all us, non-Jews!) And that they didn't get there until probably at least a month after the birth. What a great testimony to the fact that God is drawing people to himself, in his time, at his pace. A great reminder to me that I should never give up on folks. Those who seem like they'll never make it to Christ, those who I've been praying for for so long. Just when I want to give up, the absurdity of the wise men coming from the East reminds me that God never gives up on those whom he calls, no matter how long it takes them to get there, and that maybe those folks I'm praying for just have a little more desert to cross before they finally make it.

Then, when I think about how the shepherds must have looked when they arrived at the stable. They'd been out in the fields with animals, and the Bible doesn't say they stopped off at the Bethlehem Bathouse before they went to the manger. And yet, in a matter of minutes, they found themselves kneeling before the one who had come to save them. What hope! What a reminder that I bring nothing to the stable. I come, smelly, cut-up, without a "social" leg to stand on, and kneel before the Messiah, the one who came to save me, not so I would look and smell good, but so that I would, through him, be good, and be upgraded to adopted son of God.

I love the way the shepherds reacted as well. They didn't give a second thought to their appearance or status. They knew something so good was taking place that they went, immediately, to see what was going on. In many ways they foreshadow the disciples who left their nets, tax collection booths, and followed Christ when he called them. I pray I would remember the absurdity of who the shepherds were and what they did as a reminder that my coming to God is just as absurd if it weren't for Christ making a way. And I hope they serve as a reminder too that Christ is exactly the person smelly, low-lifes like me are supposed to run too.

Timing Is EVERYTHING

2008-12-03T06:52:00.006-06:00

So, as I've been reflecting this week on my "thought for Advent," I've been struck by the absurdity of God's timing. It's striking to me how the Bible refers to the timing of Christ's birth with the phrase "in the fullness of time" (Galatians 4:3; Ephesians 1:10) and yet the carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" refers to his arrive as "late in time." Two very different perpectives that I think give a very helpful contrast to the perspective. For God, Christ's arrival happened exactly when it should, exactly when he planned, but for us, as humans, it seemed late.

For thousands of years the Jewish people had lived in expectation of a Messiah. They suffered slavery, wandered around the desert for a while, and then, even when they made it to the Promised Land, they were constantly being conqurered and oppressed, all the while waiting for Messiah to come. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, God sent Christ at a time when Rome, a stable yet almost completely pluralistic and anti-Christian government was in place. Wouldn't it have been easier to send the Messiah earlier, have him be born in Canaan, where the government of the Israelites had been set up by God in the first place?

And what about all the Jewish people who lived their entire lives, really devoted to God, and looking for a Messiah? Why let them suffer through the oppression the nation endured, all so that Christ could be born in a place and time that seemed to care less that he had come?

Here's the thing that gives me hope as I reflect on this: I love the idea that God's timing is not "late" but "in the fullness." It gives me enormous hope as a I suffer that there is a plan being worked out, invisible to me and the rest of the world, that will be brought to light one day. It also gives me great comfort to know that God sometimes likes to rescue his children from calamity, not always prevent the calamity in the first place. To be sure, there is a lot of things I've been saved from, but it seems like I recognize God's hand more when he sends his saving power in the midst of trials, not necessarily before those trials come.

Caroling, Caroling: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

2008-12-02T06:54:00.002-06:00

Here's the thing about this carol: it's arguably the most theologically packed Christmas carol out there. I mean, really, it's kind of like the "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" of Christmas carols! My favorite version of this song is one you probably can't get anywhere. It was done by the choir at Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church last year (2007) in their Christmas program. Here's a link to Jason Sears, the Worship Leader at Oak Mountain's blog. Maybe he can help.

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
(That we can be reconciled to God! It's probably one of the preeminent messages of Christmas. And I love the past tense of the verb "reconciled." Everything necessary is now in place. God has done it. He has reconciled mankind to himself.)
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
(Christ didn't come for a particular ethnic group or race. This line should give great hope to us Gentiles and all the people groups of the world.)
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,“
Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
(These lines affirm Christ's diety. He was God. You can hear echoes of John 1 and Philippians 2 in these lines. The heresy that Christ was just a man, good man or not, is completely wrong. He was God, and he came.)
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
(This was no ordinary birth.)
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
(I love the word "veiled" in these lines. It didn't erase his diety, but there was a masking of it on some level. He didn't give up any of his "Godness" to come to earth, but it wasn't fully visible. But, as you approach Christ in the Gospels, keep this song in your mind. He was fully God: Father, Son, and Spirit while he was here on earth.)
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
(Wow, he was "pleased" to take on our flesh and dwell among us! Is there any response to this but worship?)
Jesus our Emmanuel. Refrain

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
(Do you ever stop and think about how wonderful the words, "peace on earth" are? We won't fully realize that until Heaven, but peace between men, peace between nature and humans, peace within our souls. It's repeated over and over again by secular culture to only apply to war, but it's so much more than that. You can have peace, because of Christ.)
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to us He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
(I think sometimes I forget that Jesus' ultimate goal on this earth was to heal. He healed the sick, yes, but this was only to illuminate the fact that he had come to heal souls, heal the rift between God and man, and ultimately heal creation damaged by sin. I think this line just reminds me that healing isn't something he did, it's something he is.)
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. Refrain

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
(This is a direct allusion to Genesis 3 where God tells Eve that her offspring will crush Satan's head under his heal. Tired of the ravages of Satan and his forces on this earth? If Christ didn't come as man, there would be no one to crush him at the end of the age.)
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
(Over and over again in the Old Testament we see nature punished for man's sin. In Romans Paul says all of creation groans for the return of Christ. God created the Heavens and the earth, and he means to restore them as well.)
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine. Refrain
(We have union with God through Christ, see John 17 for Christ's prayer which includes this.)

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
(These lines provide so much hope because they refer to the fact that we can actually have a new nature. The Adamic sin nature no longer has to apply to us. In Christ, we are actually made new. Wow. What a concept.)
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart. Refrain

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2008-12-01T08:23:00.003-06:00

Charlie Brown: [Charlie Brown and Linus stop at a wall on their trip to the pond for ice skating] I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel. I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.

Ever feel like Charlie Brown this time of year? Wonder what it is about the calendar changing from November to December that tends to send you into a tailspin?

This Sunday, we're beginning a three week mini-series on being single around the holidays. During the first lesson we'll be tackling the root issue of most of our frustration, anger, and sadness at Christmas: God's sovereignty. I've titled the lesson "Sometimes Sovereignty Sucks." (Due to censorship, it might appear as "Stinks" in church e-mails.)

At any rate, I hope you'll join us for the month of December. See you in S-180 at 9:05am.

I GET to Choose!

2008-11-30T17:24:00.005-06:00

Have you ever chosen to "set your love on someone"? A friend of mine used the phrase about two weeks ago, and it really struck me. We were talking about a friend of mine, and I was describing how cool it is when you just decide you're going to love someone. I mean, when you just make the choice to love someone no matter what. It actually makes life a lot easier with that person, because so many questions are already answered. Well, what about if they do this? Love 'em. Yeah, but what about if you get treated like this? Love 'em still. I know, but what I'm saying is, what if they do this and this and this and do it over and over and over again? Um, the answer is, love 'em over and over and over again. Now, it doesn't necessarily make the circumstances any easier, but it sure gives you a great battle plan for moving forward.

Here's the thing: this is exactly what God has done to me. He has chosen, of his own free will, to set his love on me. Despite what I'll do in the future, which he even has the disadvantage of knowing about! Regardless of whether I reciprocate this love or not. He just loves me. That's all. It's an amazing concept, and one which we as humans are obviously not able to duplicate perfectly, but one which I think we can and should try to emulate as much as possible, and not just with our spouses. It's something I'm still learning a lot about and thinking about, but it just blows me away to think about this in terms of my own life and relationship with God. He has "set his love on me." Wow! That will give me hope to get out of bed in the morning. That will allow me to face the struggles of this world with joy.

Caroling, Caroling: Angels from the Realms of Glory

2008-11-29T10:14:00.003-06:00

Here's the thing about this carol, it is so not worthy of the tune that we've been singing it to all these years! It is a great song, with words that are theologically rich as well as emotionally deep. I would definitely encourage you to listen to the version of this song from Steven Curtis Chapman's All I Really Want for Christmas. It'll definitely awaken you to the greatness of the truth in this little song.

Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
(I just love the imagery here of elements of Heaven coming down to earth, and the fact that the angels were there singing in Creation and now are here, singing in the hope that Creation may be reborn with the coming of Christ to earth.)

Refrain
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
(Perhaps one of the most powerful lines in the history of song-writing. Just try and reflect on this fact for a moment, and see if your head doesn't come close to exploding. In an instant, just like that, he's here.)
Yonder shines the infant light:
Refrain

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
(A great reminder that the things we strive so hard for and spend so much time on at this season and most others, really, aren't the things we should be thinking about and using our resources on. Something better's out there. Seek it.)
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
Refrain

Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
(This is a cool image, because it seems like the saints here are those that are already dead. Those who's faith was credited to them as righteousness. They now know that the Christ is coming to justify them in "real-time." What a concept: the Incarnation from the perspective of believers in Heaven!)
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Refrain

Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.
(Wow! If you can get through these two lines without tearing up, then you don't feel the weight of what you deserved and what you've been given. Not us, not what we did, but Justice revokes its own sentence. Amazing! God sends his Son to provide a way for his own justice to be done.)
Refrain

Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father’s throne,
(We should always have one eye on Bethlehem and one eye on Golgotha. And both of these should be within the backdrop of Heaven.)
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:
Refrain

All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.
Refrain

Caroling, Caroling: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

2008-11-29T10:04:00.002-06:00

Here's the thing: this is a song I don't really ever remember singing growing up, but when I heard Steven Curtis Chapman's version from his album All I Really Want for Christmas, it just hit me between the eyes, and now it's one of my favorites.

I'm not going to comment on each line of this one, but I'll tell you how I see this song. I see the bells as the music of the gospel. When I think about it that way, the entire song makes sense to me. So, try listening to it and see if it resonates with you the same way.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Caroling, Caroling: O Holy Night

2008-11-29T09:38:00.002-06:00

Here's the thing: this is probably my favorite carol, so it was easy to start with this one. My suggestion for listening to this one is Josh Grobin's version, but really most any will do for this one.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
(This line reminds me that this night is the antithesis of the chaos that so often surrounds our Christmas Eve. It centers me back on the fact that this is moment when God became man to save me.)
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
(This reminds me that the world, like the Israelites were aching for a Savior, and that I should feel that same ache, that same need.)
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
(The soul, then and now, tormented by sin and Satan's attacks, and now there's hope for salvation. Hope for salvation! Hope that we can be changed!)
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
(The only proper response when you let the previous lines really sink in.)
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
(These two lines are such a picture of salvation to me. We are led, brought to salvation by faith. This is the gospel, God sending his Son, to draw men and women to himself. I can never sing these lines without seeing myself, a sinner with nothing, like the shepherds, the least of all, brought to the manger to receive everything!)
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
(This is direct allusion to the Hebrews 4:15-16, which talks about our High Priest, Jesus, who can sympathize with our weaknesses. What an amazing thing! That Christ is our friend through trials, because he's experienced them.)
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
(These four lines are pretty popular with the world because they talk about love and peace, but really they are a reminder to me that the only way we will have true peace with each other is if every individual on earth, first has peace with God--Romans 5:1-2--and that the fact that the slave is our brother is the good news from Galatians 3:26-29 that anyone God choses may be saved, regardless of status or ethnicity.)
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

Caroling, Caroling

2008-11-29T09:29:00.006-06:00

One of the best parts of the Christmas season is the music. I mean, I just love Christmas music! Try as I might to wait until after Thanksgiving to start listening, I just can't wait. I've loved the carols ever since I was a little kid, and I know all the verses to all of them by heart. They are as familiar as the other traditions of the season. . . and therein lies the problem. Because I know them so well, it becomes so easy for me to sing the songs without ever hearing the words I'm singing. So here's the thing: I thought I'd take a few posts this season with some of my favorite carols, and things that stand out to me about the words, so hopefully when you're singing them in church or at a party this year, you'll actually stop and think about what you're saying and in a sense, be re-introduced to the wonder of these songs. If I know of a really good version of the song I'll let you know that as well. Most times, for me, I just need a version that's a slightly different tune or rhythmn, just to force me to engage and pay attention to what I'm singing.

I'll be titling each post "Caroling, Caroling" and then the song. They'll also be under the "Advent/Christmas" and "Christmas Carols" labels, so you can find them easy. Enjoy!

'Tis the Season to be Scattered

2008-11-29T08:24:00.001-06:00

This Sunday, November 30th, marks the beginning of Advent for the Western Church. It's a time when Christians have traditionally set aside four weeks to reflect, anticipate, and prepare for the coming of the Christ child. It a good exercise, because it mirrors the anticipation that the Israelites were to have that a Messiah would come to rescue them and be their king, and it also reminds those of us who live post-Christ's birth that we are to live in a constant state of advent as we eagerly look with expectation to the time when Christ will return judge the world, usher in the new heavens and the new earth, and when we'll live with him for all of eternity. It's a great idea, this advent. The only problem is, it comes right in the middle of the Christmas season! I mean, with all the parties, buying, decorating, baking, Christmas movies, traveling, etc., who has time to think and reflect?! Really, wouldn't it be better if Advent came sometime in June when I had the time to slow down and focus?

So, two years ago, I began picking one thought, one idea to reflect on throughout the Advent season. I had to. My mind can become so scattered this time of year, and even if I only focused on the spiritual, Christian aspect of the holiday, there was way too much to choose from. Angels, Bethlehem, virgin births. It's enough to make your head spin, and way too much for me to think about at one time. But, I also found myself falling into the sentimentality of the season. It's so easy with the same stories, decorations, songs, routines, recipes all so familiar and swirling around me to feel like I'm having some warm fuzzy "holiday experience," but to really not be engaged with anything. I need to have my mind honed in on one thing that I can reflect on and develop.

And so, here's the thing I'm thinking about this Advent season: how the absurdity of the Incarnation gives me great hope. I'm really excited about this year's concept, and can't wait to see how it plays out over the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll be blogging about my thoughts as they develop on this, but I want to encourage you to join me in doing something like this. It's really not hard, you just pick something to think about and think about it. It doesn't have to be sophisticated or whatever. (You can even use mine if you want. . . Merry Christmas!) But, if you're like me, you run the risk of going through the next few weeks from this to that, and having very little "on your mind." As one buddy of mine said the other day, "I guess I don't really think about much of anything this time of year." I feel his struggle and appreciate his honesty. It's so easy to go on auto-pilot this time of year. So, as you're out buying, wrapping, baking, decorating, singing, or listening, also be thinking.

You wanna run that plan by me again?

2008-11-20T08:45:00.004-06:00

The holidays always make me think about mystery. I know that sounds odd, but it's true. I'm always struck by the mysterious, "otherness" of God around the holidays. I mean, think about it. There's something about the Son of God, coming as a baby, being born into poverty, so that he could spend his life giving himself away, only to be rejected by the very people he came to save that just doesn't seem to fit. (Especially if you hold, as I do, a high belief and trust in God's complete and total sovereignty over all things.) When you start taking into account the fact that God could have sent Christ long before, and that he chose to let generations of folks live and die before he ever sent his Son. . . well, it's just pretty awe-some.

Last night God answered a prayer that I had quit praying. Really, truly, I had given up praying for this particular thing, and yet he answered it anyway. In an amazing way. And, it just reminded me again of how utterly above and over me God is. I mean, this is something I've been praying for for months and months now. I've cried, begged, pleaded, others have prayed, and last night, for reasons known only to him, God chose to step in and answer the prayer that I quit praying a few weeks ago.

Here's the thing: as I think about this season, this time of year, it's good for me to let the oddness and illogic of it all strike me. Bethlehem, the virgin birth, shepherds, God becoming man, just letting the weirdness of it all flood over me, gives me strength to press on, because my God doesn't act and think as I and the rest of those who live around me do. What a hopeful thing is the seeming absurdity of God!

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2008-11-20T06:45:00.002-06:00

This coming Sunday, November 23, we end our Life in the Body Series. Ten weeks, we've spent focused on trying to understand how to live the Christian life as a single. It's been challenging for me, and frankly I'm glad it's over. My toes were getting stepped on too often!

At any rate, this week, we'll be looking at Mark 9:30-35. It's a great passage, and I think it will be a nearly perfect cap to all we've been talking about. It's a question with many implications, and one that if we answer it, will reveal a lot about our priorities and our understanding of just what the Christian life is all about.

See you Sunday morning at 9:05am in Room S-180.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2008-11-12T09:27:00.003-06:00

Only two more Sundays left in our Life in the Body series. I hope you've enjoyed and benefitted as much from it as I have. This week, we're going to be re-visiting the issue of boundaries within the group. As we talked about the negatives or what not to do the last time, we're going to look at how to make decisions about what to tell, how much detail to go into, etc. I'll be using my story from LIFE Group as an example.

See you in Room S-180, Sunday morning at 9:05am.

"I just like this blanket for the articles. . . "

2008-11-11T09:42:00.005-06:00

Last night I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine and just started laughing. Laughing so hard that I couldn't talk. My friend was wondering what was going on, and when I finally caught my breath, I explained that Radley, my roommate's puppy was. . . how can I put this delicately. . . "actively engaging" with this blanket he had in his mouth and pulled between his legs. Okay, apart from revealing that I'm not 30 but actually 12 and still think stuff like that is funny, it was another one of those moments when God revealed something to me about the gospel through this dumb little dog.

Here's thing: when Radley does something bad or wrong, he just does it right there. He doesn't care who's watching or who knows about it. His "sins" are out in the open for all to see, just like his romantic romp with the blanket. Radley doesn't try to hide because he knows he's loved. At the end of the day, he knows (as much as a dog can) that he lives in an enviornment of enormous love and care, and that nothing he does will change that, so he's just himself. . .the good, the bad, and the inappropriate!

He's not like me, always trying to hide and keep things from those around me. See, I live in a loving, caring enviornment too, but so much of my time is spent covering up, trying to look good, trying to impress, and trying to put forth an image of something that's really not true. Why can't I be more like that dog, recognize that I'm loved, and just be myself. . . the good, the bad, and the inappropriate! It's a lesson I need to learn over and over again, and God seems to be willing to use all kinds of methods to teach me!

That's My Pile of Ashes You're Sitting On!

2008-11-06T16:02:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday, a majority of the people in the United States of America went to the polls and elected Barak Obama as the 44th President of this country. For many Christians where I live, this was a sad, sad day and one that has driven them to despair and lamentation about the next four years. For some it's God's judgement on our country for the moral state we've allowed to take hold. For others this is evidence of sin and the falleness of the world in which we live. I've heard a lot over the past 48 hours from Christians about the trajedy of it all, but what I haven't heard a lot of is praising God for his sovereignty and absolute will that was done on Tuesday, November 4th.

See, here's the thing: Romans 13:1-7 is pretty clear on this subject, and keep in mind, Paul was writing to Christians who were living under a government that fed them to lions for sport. "what God has appointed," "God's servant," "minster of God," these are the phrases the Bible uses to describe President-Elect Obama. From before the foundation of the world, God the Father, put into motion things which would lead to what happened this past Tuesday. His plan for Barak Obama was for him to become our president, and his plan for our country was that Barak Obama would be our president at this time.

So often I accept God's sovereignty as a kind of "parting gift" for not winning the real prize: what I want. It's like I just chalk all the crap that happens, everything contrary to my will, to God's sovereignty and resign to live under it. Instead, I should see God as always, in all things, working to spread his glory and the fame of his name, and view his sovereignty as an integral component of that.

If that's the case, then not only is President-Elect Obama God's sovereign will, but his being president is the most glorifying to God over anything else that could have happened last Tuesday! I need to be able to look at the big picture, and see this election for what it really is: God bringing his will to pass and glorifying himself in amazing ways. Then, I need to get with the program and glorify him myself.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

2008-11-04T10:51:00.001-06:00

This week Craig and Mary Branch will be teaching on the topic of marriage. It should be a great time.

See you at 9:05am in Room S-180.