Friday, December 25, 2009
How Now Shall We Read
There are both good reasons and bad reasons for turning to other Christian writings besides the Bible. The bad reasons stem from thinking the content of Scripture is tasteless and tame. The good reasons stem from a healthy appetite not only for the savory unbridled truth of the Word but to share in this rich banquet with other believers. The best writers may illuminate parts of the rich banquet table that may have been dark to us, thus increasing our appetite for the Bible, and especially for God himself. The worst of Christian literature will have us navel-gazing at self-validating ideas.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Critical Christianity
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for rebuking, rebuking, rebuking and rebuking all unrighteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly criticized for his every effort." 2 Timothy 3:16-17 MDT (Modern Day Translation)
Ok so maybe my translation is a bit facetious but if all you did was look around many Christian web sites, blogs, foyers, and broadcasts the above translation seems plausible. Now there's not much point of me adding to the hypocrisy by critiquing the critical Christians for the sake of critiquing. After all, the very term Christian basically means Christ-like. So if we're going to represent Christ our job bears some resemblance to a physician since Christ is the "Great Physician." Now imagine if you will a missionary who went to a far off land just to tell the natives of their countless shortcomings and give in depth analogies of all their sins. Then that same missionary packs up and moves on to another troubled spot to point out the troubles in that spot. Why, that's no missionary at all! And what if you visited a doctor who did nothing but diagnose all your symptoms and then send you off with no mention of a prescription or remedy? Why that's no Christian manifesto at all.
As it correctly reads:
2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." So let's see how this passage may work in application...
I've noticed lately that mega-churches have taken a beating by the Christian critics and that's no surprise. Considering how many of them seem to grab more ideas from secular corporations than from scripture. But more in-depth analogy of what's wrong doesn't necessarily bring us closer to the remedy. What simply needs to be re-stated about the Christian walk is that it is deeply dependant on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Because none of us are an island unto ourselves and God created us as highly social beings dependent on nurturing, we should be looking for spiritual and emotional intimacy within our fellow local body of believers. Also, the responsibility of pastor and elders as shepherds is to be intimately acquainted with the growth of those in their flock. After all, the Good Shepherd has sheep that know his voice and He knows each of them by name so there we have a model for elders to aim for. When a church grows to such a number that the spiritual leaders can't keep track of everyone and people begin to "slip through the cracks" or "fade into the background" among the sea of faces... well, that's an indication a church may need to split, dividing itself.
Of course I'm just scratching the surface on a remedy to the over-stuffed church. At the foundation of it all needs to be sound Biblical doctrine with the teachings of Christ and Him crucified as the cornerstone and an emphasis on loving the Lord our God with all we are and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Further reading: A balanced review of the book "Why Join a Small Church?"
Ok so maybe my translation is a bit facetious but if all you did was look around many Christian web sites, blogs, foyers, and broadcasts the above translation seems plausible. Now there's not much point of me adding to the hypocrisy by critiquing the critical Christians for the sake of critiquing. After all, the very term Christian basically means Christ-like. So if we're going to represent Christ our job bears some resemblance to a physician since Christ is the "Great Physician." Now imagine if you will a missionary who went to a far off land just to tell the natives of their countless shortcomings and give in depth analogies of all their sins. Then that same missionary packs up and moves on to another troubled spot to point out the troubles in that spot. Why, that's no missionary at all! And what if you visited a doctor who did nothing but diagnose all your symptoms and then send you off with no mention of a prescription or remedy? Why that's no Christian manifesto at all.
As it correctly reads:
2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." So let's see how this passage may work in application...
I've noticed lately that mega-churches have taken a beating by the Christian critics and that's no surprise. Considering how many of them seem to grab more ideas from secular corporations than from scripture. But more in-depth analogy of what's wrong doesn't necessarily bring us closer to the remedy. What simply needs to be re-stated about the Christian walk is that it is deeply dependant on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Because none of us are an island unto ourselves and God created us as highly social beings dependent on nurturing, we should be looking for spiritual and emotional intimacy within our fellow local body of believers. Also, the responsibility of pastor and elders as shepherds is to be intimately acquainted with the growth of those in their flock. After all, the Good Shepherd has sheep that know his voice and He knows each of them by name so there we have a model for elders to aim for. When a church grows to such a number that the spiritual leaders can't keep track of everyone and people begin to "slip through the cracks" or "fade into the background" among the sea of faces... well, that's an indication a church may need to split, dividing itself.
Of course I'm just scratching the surface on a remedy to the over-stuffed church. At the foundation of it all needs to be sound Biblical doctrine with the teachings of Christ and Him crucified as the cornerstone and an emphasis on loving the Lord our God with all we are and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Further reading: A balanced review of the book "Why Join a Small Church?"
All the good stuff
It's amazing how I can search for information for weeks and months and come up empty... then I sit down for five minutes, without agenda, and all the good stuff I've been looking for just comes flying at me.
First thing first: No matter where you live, there's a good church in your area (unless you live in eastern Montana or northern Nevada... God obviously doesn't care about those places ;). And today I noticed for the first time that one of my favorite resources has done all the work of finding weeding out the light and fluffy preachers and leaving nothing but a list of excellent pastors. All you have to do is type in your zip code and a search radius and blammo! a list of good churches in your area pop up. Yay for sermonaudio.com!
Second of all, if you add up all the statistics of sexual addiction you find that it affects 3,278% of all Americans. I never took calculus but I think that number constitutes a majority (of which I fit into). So it seems appropriate to offer up some resources that have so awesomely been gathered by our sister church (Living Water C.C.) on the other side of town. Of course, the following resources are Christ-centered and not just pseudo-Christian gobbly-gook psycho-babble:
Wife Boat www.wifeboat.com
Blog site for wives of men with sexual sin. Authored by Renee Dallas and contains stories, advice, and resources for wives.
Day Seven Ministries www.dayseven.net 866.301.3297
Counseling services, mentoring, and support groups with locations in Harrisburg and Lancaster.
National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families www.nationalcoalition.org 800.583.2964
Helpline, counseling services, and tons of information, resources, articles, and links.
Pure Life Ministries www.purelifeministries.org 888.PURE.LIFE
At home 12 week programs, live-in programs, helpline. Resources for men, women, and teens dealing with sexual sin as well as resources for spouses of those dealing with sexual sin.
Setting Captives Free www.settingcaptivesfree.com
Resources for a variety of issues including sexual purity, substance abuse, food addictions and more. Free online interactive
courses.
L.I.F.E. Ministries www.freedomeveryday.org 866.408.5433
Sexual addiction recovery ministry for men, women, teens, and spouses. Support group listings.
Home Word www.homeword.com 800.397.9725
Ministry for Encouraging parents and building families.
X3 Church www.xxxchurch.com X3 Watch www.x3watch.com 702.974.1690
X3 Church: A Christian anti-pornography ministry that aims to help those who struggle with pornography. This site is hip, relevant, irreverent, honest, and fun. Full of great resources. X3 Watch: Online accountability and filtering software. Offers web blocking, reports sent to chosen friends for accountability, time limits, alerts and more. Highly recommended.
Integrity Online www.integrity.com
Hailed as “America’s oldest and most reliable Internet filtering company”. Programs for families, businesses, churches, and
educational facilities.
BOOKS
“Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” by Dr. Mark Laaser
A former sex addict himself, Dr. Laaser offers help and hope for regaining and maintaining sexual integrity, self-control, and wholesome, biblical sexuality.
“Breaking Free: Understanding Sexual Addiction & the Healing Power of Jesus”
by Russell Willingham
Gives an honest examination of sexual addiction and shows how Jesus offers forgiveness and healing. Includes real-life stories of individuals who struggle and twelve practical steps for recovery and accountability. Deals honestly with
pornography, fantasies, masturbation, adultery, prostitution, molestation, abuse and more. Willingham speaks on such issues as what all addicts have in common, the hunt of the malnourished heart, where to find the courage to face the dark side,
wrestling with shame and grace, and the healing effect of radical honesty.
“Hope After Betrayal: Healing When Sexual Addiction Invades Your Marriage”
by Meg Wilson
With honesty and hopefulness, Meg uses her own story, along with other examples and Scripture, to help women cope and find their way out of the darkness of their husband’s sexual compulsion.
“The Game Plan: The Men's 30-Day Strategy for Attaining Sexual Integrity”
by Joe Dallas
Using the acronym ROUTE-Repentance, Order, Understanding, Training, and Endurance-Dallas walks readers through the
steps necessary to attain-and maintain-sexual integrity.
“Think Before You Look: 40 Powerful Reasons to Avoid Pornography”
by Daniel Henderson
Written for men, the author explains what changes take place once a man becomes addicted and how it can change his relationship with and even destroy his family. He covers the excuses and justifications men use, and he combats them with 40 truths that equip men to avoid pornography.
First thing first: No matter where you live, there's a good church in your area (unless you live in eastern Montana or northern Nevada... God obviously doesn't care about those places ;). And today I noticed for the first time that one of my favorite resources has done all the work of finding weeding out the light and fluffy preachers and leaving nothing but a list of excellent pastors. All you have to do is type in your zip code and a search radius and blammo! a list of good churches in your area pop up. Yay for sermonaudio.com!
Second of all, if you add up all the statistics of sexual addiction you find that it affects 3,278% of all Americans. I never took calculus but I think that number constitutes a majority (of which I fit into). So it seems appropriate to offer up some resources that have so awesomely been gathered by our sister church (Living Water C.C.) on the other side of town. Of course, the following resources are Christ-centered and not just pseudo-Christian gobbly-gook psycho-babble:
Wife Boat www.wifeboat.com
Blog site for wives of men with sexual sin. Authored by Renee Dallas and contains stories, advice, and resources for wives.
Day Seven Ministries www.dayseven.net 866.301.3297
Counseling services, mentoring, and support groups with locations in Harrisburg and Lancaster.
National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families www.nationalcoalition.org 800.583.2964
Helpline, counseling services, and tons of information, resources, articles, and links.
Pure Life Ministries www.purelifeministries.org 888.PURE.LIFE
At home 12 week programs, live-in programs, helpline. Resources for men, women, and teens dealing with sexual sin as well as resources for spouses of those dealing with sexual sin.
Setting Captives Free www.settingcaptivesfree.com
Resources for a variety of issues including sexual purity, substance abuse, food addictions and more. Free online interactive
courses.
L.I.F.E. Ministries www.freedomeveryday.org 866.408.5433
Sexual addiction recovery ministry for men, women, teens, and spouses. Support group listings.
Home Word www.homeword.com 800.397.9725
Ministry for Encouraging parents and building families.
X3 Church www.xxxchurch.com X3 Watch www.x3watch.com 702.974.1690
X3 Church: A Christian anti-pornography ministry that aims to help those who struggle with pornography. This site is hip, relevant, irreverent, honest, and fun. Full of great resources. X3 Watch: Online accountability and filtering software. Offers web blocking, reports sent to chosen friends for accountability, time limits, alerts and more. Highly recommended.
Integrity Online www.integrity.com
Hailed as “America’s oldest and most reliable Internet filtering company”. Programs for families, businesses, churches, and
educational facilities.
BOOKS
“Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction” by Dr. Mark Laaser
A former sex addict himself, Dr. Laaser offers help and hope for regaining and maintaining sexual integrity, self-control, and wholesome, biblical sexuality.
“Breaking Free: Understanding Sexual Addiction & the Healing Power of Jesus”
by Russell Willingham
Gives an honest examination of sexual addiction and shows how Jesus offers forgiveness and healing. Includes real-life stories of individuals who struggle and twelve practical steps for recovery and accountability. Deals honestly with
pornography, fantasies, masturbation, adultery, prostitution, molestation, abuse and more. Willingham speaks on such issues as what all addicts have in common, the hunt of the malnourished heart, where to find the courage to face the dark side,
wrestling with shame and grace, and the healing effect of radical honesty.
“Hope After Betrayal: Healing When Sexual Addiction Invades Your Marriage”
by Meg Wilson
With honesty and hopefulness, Meg uses her own story, along with other examples and Scripture, to help women cope and find their way out of the darkness of their husband’s sexual compulsion.
“The Game Plan: The Men's 30-Day Strategy for Attaining Sexual Integrity”
by Joe Dallas
Using the acronym ROUTE-Repentance, Order, Understanding, Training, and Endurance-Dallas walks readers through the
steps necessary to attain-and maintain-sexual integrity.
“Think Before You Look: 40 Powerful Reasons to Avoid Pornography”
by Daniel Henderson
Written for men, the author explains what changes take place once a man becomes addicted and how it can change his relationship with and even destroy his family. He covers the excuses and justifications men use, and he combats them with 40 truths that equip men to avoid pornography.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Groaning to God
There are times in every one's life where the pain doesn't seem to make sense. And the soul seems so weak that a well-delivered prayer cannot be given. Thank God He does not require some standard for performance in prayer beause some days all I can do is cry out incoherent pleas of desperation.
"Lord, please remove this pain of want for what I do not have."
"Lord, please remove this pain of want for what I do not have."
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Ambiguous Church
Last Sunday I had the pleasure and privilege of visiting a church of fellow Christians in Colorado. The good news is they keep the gospel of grace message the main thing (according to their mission statement). The bad news is the gospel was not taught during my Sunday morning visit. Instead, a guest speaker gave personal testimony. Now I enjoy personal testimonies, but when I come to a church for a Sunday sermon I desire and expect a sermon taught so that I may be better equipped to glorify God.
The root concern I have (as I do for a majority of "Protestant" Christian churches in western culture) is that this particular church limits their statement of beliefs to the basic ones. This is problematic because if a church is going to claim the entirety of the Bible is God-breathed and useful for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16) then that church would inevitably have to cover some "controversial" teachings in scripture in the more "obscure" passages. However, this particular church, like so many other today, leaves the "more obscure doctrine or teachings with less support... to the individuals to sort out on their own-". In other words the scripture offers up "recipes" of doctrine with which a seasoned pastor can go on to make "gourmet meals" for his flock but instead what is produced on Sundays is Happy Meals (elementary teachings). A church cannot grow in maturity if it only sticks to the passages that are most agreeable to the current culture.
A prudent church does well when it tackles entire books of the Bible at a time (a.k.a. expository teaching) so that it addresses all that is God-breathed, since all of it is useful. After all, what good is a shepherd that feeds meals to his sheep that are best suited for the goats?
One of my favorite churches in the nation, that is thriving because of its devotion to desiring knowledge of God above its desire to be agreeable, recently posted this statement about their approach to scripture...
"One of the reasons that we preach straight through books of the Bible as our main way of hearing from God in corporate worship at Bethlehem, with occasional topical series thrown in along the way, is that it encourages us to consider all that God has to say in a book of the Bible, rather than just the parts we especially like or the parts that are easier to understand. Which means that we inevitably come upon passages that are controversial. "
The root concern I have (as I do for a majority of "Protestant" Christian churches in western culture) is that this particular church limits their statement of beliefs to the basic ones. This is problematic because if a church is going to claim the entirety of the Bible is God-breathed and useful for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16) then that church would inevitably have to cover some "controversial" teachings in scripture in the more "obscure" passages. However, this particular church, like so many other today, leaves the "more obscure doctrine or teachings with less support... to the individuals to sort out on their own-". In other words the scripture offers up "recipes" of doctrine with which a seasoned pastor can go on to make "gourmet meals" for his flock but instead what is produced on Sundays is Happy Meals (elementary teachings). A church cannot grow in maturity if it only sticks to the passages that are most agreeable to the current culture.
A prudent church does well when it tackles entire books of the Bible at a time (a.k.a. expository teaching) so that it addresses all that is God-breathed, since all of it is useful. After all, what good is a shepherd that feeds meals to his sheep that are best suited for the goats?
One of my favorite churches in the nation, that is thriving because of its devotion to desiring knowledge of God above its desire to be agreeable, recently posted this statement about their approach to scripture...
"One of the reasons that we preach straight through books of the Bible as our main way of hearing from God in corporate worship at Bethlehem, with occasional topical series thrown in along the way, is that it encourages us to consider all that God has to say in a book of the Bible, rather than just the parts we especially like or the parts that are easier to understand. Which means that we inevitably come upon passages that are controversial. "
Friday, October 23, 2009
I'm always slightly uncomfortable talking to a married woman when her husband isn't around so I created a checklist for myself.
1. Stand at least 72 inches apart so in the event of an earthquake neither party will land on top of the other and look incriminating.
2. Display slight irritation or boredom no matter how interesting the conversation is, even if she's talking about football, war stories, or comic books. Believe me, looking interested = "looking interested".
3. End every sentence with "...and I'm totally not hitting on you."
Examples:
"What did you think of the pastor's sermon?... and I'm totally not hitting on you."
"Your kid behaved wonderfully in Sunday school this morning... and I'm totally not hitting on you."
1. Stand at least 72 inches apart so in the event of an earthquake neither party will land on top of the other and look incriminating.
2. Display slight irritation or boredom no matter how interesting the conversation is, even if she's talking about football, war stories, or comic books. Believe me, looking interested = "looking interested".
3. End every sentence with "...and I'm totally not hitting on you."
Examples:
"What did you think of the pastor's sermon?... and I'm totally not hitting on you."
"Your kid behaved wonderfully in Sunday school this morning... and I'm totally not hitting on you."
Why I Don't Gamble Anymore
I used to play some $20 poker but had to give it up due to the vicious emotional cycle it always put me in.
Phase 1: "I can afford to lose twenty bucks this week. It won't really put a wrinkle in my budget.
Phase 2: I'm winning! Well this is rather enjoyable. That's a decent amount of money in the pot. I may just decide to spend my winnings on these on these losers as a kind gesture. After all, I wasn't really expecting to come into this money in the first place.
Phase 3: "NOOOO!!!!!! How did I lose? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?!? Someone obviously cheated! I was planning on putting away the winnings for my kid's college trust fund. Wait, that means this guy cheated my kid out of a good education and a prosperous life. I bet he's gonna blow the money on something stupid like printed t-shirts of 80's "hair bands" or lots of booze. That selfish near-sighted cheater ruined my life!"
...which is why I don't gamble any more.
Phase 1: "I can afford to lose twenty bucks this week. It won't really put a wrinkle in my budget.
Phase 2: I'm winning! Well this is rather enjoyable. That's a decent amount of money in the pot. I may just decide to spend my winnings on these on these losers as a kind gesture. After all, I wasn't really expecting to come into this money in the first place.
Phase 3: "NOOOO!!!!!! How did I lose? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?!? Someone obviously cheated! I was planning on putting away the winnings for my kid's college trust fund. Wait, that means this guy cheated my kid out of a good education and a prosperous life. I bet he's gonna blow the money on something stupid like printed t-shirts of 80's "hair bands" or lots of booze. That selfish near-sighted cheater ruined my life!"
...which is why I don't gamble any more.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Christian "Single and Looking" Internet Scorecard
1. Hopeful e-mail address such as:
JasonandToBeNamedAtALaterDate@yahoo.com = +2 points
2a. Facebook profile picture is of you sitting alone and reading the Bible on a park bench built for two with a sunset and the beach in the background. = +2 points (why do I feel like Rick Warren has a copyright on this type of picture?)
2b. Facebook profile picture is of the engagement ring selection at the local jewelry store = +3 points
2c. Caption under previously mentioned Facebook profile picture says, "Pick one." = +5 points
3a. In the "favorite books" section of your profile you list something by Jane Austen. = +10 points
3b. You also list "Focus On the Family" books to let women know you're prepared for the long haul. = +5 points
3c. You also list books on cooking and home repair to boost your market value. = +5 points
4a. In your blog or Facebook list of "favorite links" you have a bridal boutique on the list. = +5 points
4b. If links to Kay Arthur's or Elisabeth Elliot's post make the list... = +3 points
4c. A recurring Twitter post you have is, "still praying for 'something good' to come my way." + 1 point.
5a. Under "favorite activities" you say, "Cooking dinner for my pastor and his wife on Saturday evenings and then listening to them talk about what makes their marriage work late into the evening." = +10 points
5b. You also mention Broadway musicals or opera. = +3 points
5c. You also mention that you like to take long drives through wine valley vineyards on Sunday. = +6 points
6a. You open e-mails to single women with, "To my most beloved sister in Christ," = +2 points
6b. You close your e-mails to single women with, "Remember to pray for the orphan child in Africa that I'm sponsoring," = +4 points
6c. You attach html graphics to your e-mail from the World Wildlife Foundation that shows panda bears or baby tigers cuddling. = +6 points
JasonandToBeNamedAtALaterDate@yahoo.com = +2 points
2a. Facebook profile picture is of you sitting alone and reading the Bible on a park bench built for two with a sunset and the beach in the background. = +2 points (why do I feel like Rick Warren has a copyright on this type of picture?)
2b. Facebook profile picture is of the engagement ring selection at the local jewelry store = +3 points
2c. Caption under previously mentioned Facebook profile picture says, "Pick one." = +5 points
3a. In the "favorite books" section of your profile you list something by Jane Austen. = +10 points
3b. You also list "Focus On the Family" books to let women know you're prepared for the long haul. = +5 points
3c. You also list books on cooking and home repair to boost your market value. = +5 points
4a. In your blog or Facebook list of "favorite links" you have a bridal boutique on the list. = +5 points
4b. If links to Kay Arthur's or Elisabeth Elliot's post make the list... = +3 points
4c. A recurring Twitter post you have is, "still praying for 'something good' to come my way." + 1 point.
5a. Under "favorite activities" you say, "Cooking dinner for my pastor and his wife on Saturday evenings and then listening to them talk about what makes their marriage work late into the evening." = +10 points
5b. You also mention Broadway musicals or opera. = +3 points
5c. You also mention that you like to take long drives through wine valley vineyards on Sunday. = +6 points
6a. You open e-mails to single women with, "To my most beloved sister in Christ," = +2 points
6b. You close your e-mails to single women with, "Remember to pray for the orphan child in Africa that I'm sponsoring," = +4 points
6c. You attach html graphics to your e-mail from the World Wildlife Foundation that shows panda bears or baby tigers cuddling. = +6 points
Confessions of an Inattentive Paritioner
I don't think anything beats the Bible story about the young man who fell asleep during the apostle Paul's all night sermon, causing him to fall out a three story window to his death. Then Paul brings him back to life and goes back to talking a few more hours. (Acts 20:7-12)
So let that be a lesson of graciousness to you pastors who get annoyed at the non-riveted folks.
I was once the ADD Bible Turner.
The pastor of a church I used to attend would have the congregation read through a passage of scripture with him before he expounded on it for the sermon.
Well... often times a few verses wasn't enough. I'd think, "Hey, why'd we stop at this verse? This passage is just getting interesting." So I would continue reading through my Bible with sermon in progress. Then I'd think, "Hey, I know another good passage that works well with this one!" and start flipping through the pages of my Bible. Then I'd read all the cross-references and notes (since it was a study Bible). Then I'd start writing some thoughts and ideas about it all which I would classify as 'sermon notes that were not included in the sermon.'
I guess some medical treatment could have helped with my focus back then. But I was single and had no wife to nag me to go to the hospital. And I'm one of those guys who doesn't feel like he needs to see a doctor for every little thing. For example, last week I got slightly impaled by a wrought iron fence while attempting to jump it with a dirt bike. It took a couple rolls of duct tape to eventually stop the bleeding and some of my friends insisted on an ambulance. But the way I see it is that any accident you can eventually walk away from is nothing to get all worked up over. On the other hand, there are a lot of pansy dudes who do things like get a hand stuck in the meat grinder and then feel like they need to rush to the hospital. My thought is, "Hey, you lost your hand to a meat grinder. It's not like the doctor can re-attach it or anything. Make a tourniquet so you're not making a mess everywhere, take a couple aspirin, and sleep it off. I mean seriously, if Rambo can take on some heavy wounds, cauterize them, and then get back to wiping out an entire small army, you should be fine after a little bit of rest... after cleaning up the mess you made." It's hypochondriacs like that who rush to the doctor for every little thing that drive me nuts. That's what drives the health insurance rates up to begin with and forces our society into a precarious position where we have to consider gov't controlled health care as a viable option.
Wait a second... how'd I get on the topic of Obama Care? Wasn't the topic orginally about... HEY LOOK, A SQUIRREL!...
So let that be a lesson of graciousness to you pastors who get annoyed at the non-riveted folks.
I was once the ADD Bible Turner.
The pastor of a church I used to attend would have the congregation read through a passage of scripture with him before he expounded on it for the sermon.
Well... often times a few verses wasn't enough. I'd think, "Hey, why'd we stop at this verse? This passage is just getting interesting." So I would continue reading through my Bible with sermon in progress. Then I'd think, "Hey, I know another good passage that works well with this one!" and start flipping through the pages of my Bible. Then I'd read all the cross-references and notes (since it was a study Bible). Then I'd start writing some thoughts and ideas about it all which I would classify as 'sermon notes that were not included in the sermon.'
I guess some medical treatment could have helped with my focus back then. But I was single and had no wife to nag me to go to the hospital. And I'm one of those guys who doesn't feel like he needs to see a doctor for every little thing. For example, last week I got slightly impaled by a wrought iron fence while attempting to jump it with a dirt bike. It took a couple rolls of duct tape to eventually stop the bleeding and some of my friends insisted on an ambulance. But the way I see it is that any accident you can eventually walk away from is nothing to get all worked up over. On the other hand, there are a lot of pansy dudes who do things like get a hand stuck in the meat grinder and then feel like they need to rush to the hospital. My thought is, "Hey, you lost your hand to a meat grinder. It's not like the doctor can re-attach it or anything. Make a tourniquet so you're not making a mess everywhere, take a couple aspirin, and sleep it off. I mean seriously, if Rambo can take on some heavy wounds, cauterize them, and then get back to wiping out an entire small army, you should be fine after a little bit of rest... after cleaning up the mess you made." It's hypochondriacs like that who rush to the doctor for every little thing that drive me nuts. That's what drives the health insurance rates up to begin with and forces our society into a precarious position where we have to consider gov't controlled health care as a viable option.
Wait a second... how'd I get on the topic of Obama Care? Wasn't the topic orginally about... HEY LOOK, A SQUIRREL!...
Is it cool
Is it cool with you that I pray to God
for Him to give me strength
to love you unconditionally?
Even your hate and your fear
your laughter and tears
they're all drawing me near
When your life falls apart
can I sit next to you
and enjoy the tragic art?
Because there's a peace in the pain
There's life in the rain
Only when everything's dismantled
can life start to change
"Its these times that I could kiss you
Its these times when youre asleep
Its these times you feel so dirty
Its these times you feel so cheap
Its these times when youre the loser
The times youre gabbing on the phone
Its these times youre singing love songs
Its these times youre all alone
Its these times when youre the victim
Its these times when youre the saint
Its these times when youre the bad guy
Whos inflicting all the pain
Its these times you sail the ocean
The times you wash up on the shore
Its these times you feed the hungry
Its these times you rob the poor
Its these times you burn the house down
Its these times youre getting burned
Its these times you do the right thing
Its these times you never learn
Its these times that you deny me
And ignore everything Ive done
Its these times you crucify me
Its these times youre still my son
Its these times I love you
Its these times I love you
Its these times I love you
Its these times I love you" ~the Normals
for Him to give me strength
to love you unconditionally?
Even your hate and your fear
your laughter and tears
they're all drawing me near
When your life falls apart
can I sit next to you
and enjoy the tragic art?
Because there's a peace in the pain
There's life in the rain
Only when everything's dismantled
can life start to change
"Its these times that I could kiss you
Its these times when youre asleep
Its these times you feel so dirty
Its these times you feel so cheap
Its these times when youre the loser
The times youre gabbing on the phone
Its these times youre singing love songs
Its these times youre all alone
Its these times when youre the victim
Its these times when youre the saint
Its these times when youre the bad guy
Whos inflicting all the pain
Its these times you sail the ocean
The times you wash up on the shore
Its these times you feed the hungry
Its these times you rob the poor
Its these times you burn the house down
Its these times youre getting burned
Its these times you do the right thing
Its these times you never learn
Its these times that you deny me
And ignore everything Ive done
Its these times you crucify me
Its these times youre still my son
Its these times I love you
Its these times I love you
Its these times I love you
Its these times I love you" ~the Normals
Monday, October 12, 2009
Looking at Fall with a new paradigm
Today a pair of hummingbirds chased each other across the roof-tops, tree frogs played peek-a-boo with us while traveling through a lush lawn and I tried to avoid the seasonal migration of wooly caterpillars crossing rural county roads while speeding along in my eleven ton truck. It's easy to take for grantite the beauty of creation when the moralistic gospel is bearing down on a person's heart, much as it has done to mine until recently.
The moralist's mind can be so chiefly occupied with fixating on the darker side of life; the sins, temptations, and inherent weaknesses within himself that He desires mainly a life of abstaining. He credits himself as righteous for avoiding all the things he think may lead to death but ironically becomes dead in so doing. Because much like the moralist, a corpse avoids doing anything wrong, but of course, a corpse does no good to the glory of God either.
The man who centers his faith on the gospel, the good news that liberates us to freely pursue the pleasures of God and all that God has created for us to enjoy, avoids the trappings of death not by fixating on them. He chases after the greater option. He's not pre-occupied with slapping his own hand away from what is wrong because his hands are already busy with what is right.
The landscape of the United States has been dominated by moralists/legalists determined and even obsessed to define, categorize, and label every possible human behavior as either right or wrong. It is no wonder the U.S. Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and is yet being added to on a daily basis, and yet there is so much corruption still. The liberating gospel gives but one Word, one Law, and one Book (that needs no ammending) that man may use to govern himself.
Breathe ~ Anberlin
This is surrender
to a wartorn life i've lived
scars and stripes forever
in need of change i can't resist
no need to hide anything anymore
cant return to who i was before
i can finally breathe
suddenly alive
i can finally move
the world feels revived
this long of a struggle
finally opened up my eyes
revolutions not easy
with a civil war on the inside
no need to hide anything anymore
cant return to who i was before
i can finally breathe
suddenly alive
i can finally move
cause I realise
i can finally breathe
suddenly alive
i can finally move
the world feels revived
The moralist's mind can be so chiefly occupied with fixating on the darker side of life; the sins, temptations, and inherent weaknesses within himself that He desires mainly a life of abstaining. He credits himself as righteous for avoiding all the things he think may lead to death but ironically becomes dead in so doing. Because much like the moralist, a corpse avoids doing anything wrong, but of course, a corpse does no good to the glory of God either.
The man who centers his faith on the gospel, the good news that liberates us to freely pursue the pleasures of God and all that God has created for us to enjoy, avoids the trappings of death not by fixating on them. He chases after the greater option. He's not pre-occupied with slapping his own hand away from what is wrong because his hands are already busy with what is right.
The landscape of the United States has been dominated by moralists/legalists determined and even obsessed to define, categorize, and label every possible human behavior as either right or wrong. It is no wonder the U.S. Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and is yet being added to on a daily basis, and yet there is so much corruption still. The liberating gospel gives but one Word, one Law, and one Book (that needs no ammending) that man may use to govern himself.
Breathe ~ Anberlin
This is surrender
to a wartorn life i've lived
scars and stripes forever
in need of change i can't resist
no need to hide anything anymore
cant return to who i was before
i can finally breathe
suddenly alive
i can finally move
the world feels revived
this long of a struggle
finally opened up my eyes
revolutions not easy
with a civil war on the inside
no need to hide anything anymore
cant return to who i was before
i can finally breathe
suddenly alive
i can finally move
cause I realise
i can finally breathe
suddenly alive
i can finally move
the world feels revived
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Joy of Controversy
Outside the Bible, my favorite start to any chapter is this:
"Can controversial teachings nurture Christlikeness? Before you answer this question, ask onother one: Are there any significant biblical teachings that have not been controversial? I cannot think of even one, let alone the number we all need for the daily nurture of faith. If this is true, then we have no choice but to seek our food in the markets of controversy. We need not stay here. We can go home and feast if the day has been well spent. But we must buy there. As much as we would like it, we do not have the luxury of living in a world where the most nourishing truths are unopposed. If we think we can suspend judgment on all that is controversial and feed our souls only on what is left, we are living in a dreamworld. There is nothing left. The reason any of us thinks we can stand alone on truths that are noncontroversial is because we do not know our history of the diversity of the professing church. Besides that, would we really want to give to the devil the right to determine our spiritual menu by refusing to eat any teaching over which he can cause controversy?" ~John Piper, The Pleasures of God, ch.5
"Can controversial teachings nurture Christlikeness? Before you answer this question, ask onother one: Are there any significant biblical teachings that have not been controversial? I cannot think of even one, let alone the number we all need for the daily nurture of faith. If this is true, then we have no choice but to seek our food in the markets of controversy. We need not stay here. We can go home and feast if the day has been well spent. But we must buy there. As much as we would like it, we do not have the luxury of living in a world where the most nourishing truths are unopposed. If we think we can suspend judgment on all that is controversial and feed our souls only on what is left, we are living in a dreamworld. There is nothing left. The reason any of us thinks we can stand alone on truths that are noncontroversial is because we do not know our history of the diversity of the professing church. Besides that, would we really want to give to the devil the right to determine our spiritual menu by refusing to eat any teaching over which he can cause controversy?" ~John Piper, The Pleasures of God, ch.5
There's a beauty in knowing the truths of scripture are too great for any one man to comprehend. One of the reasons we have different members of the body of Christ with different backgrounds and experiences is so that we come to scripture with our varying paradigms, seeing pieces of the truth of scripture in different light. Then we must take our understandings before our brothers and sisters in Christ so that they may be met with the controversy of challenges , testing and further illumination of scripture. From this we remove some of our muddled humanness from our doctrines and principles, and theories bringing us closer to the absolute truths of God. The members of the body of Christ, among other things, are made to help cultivate our Holiness for God. Controversy and challenges should serve as an exercise to help us grow strong in the Lord.
It is to our own fault we do not always appreciate the art of arguments and let our personal pride ruin what was intended for good. What is equally troubling is when we become too agreeable and avoid the art.
Prov. 27:6 "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy."
Prov. 25:12 "Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear."
Prov. 24:6b " for by wise guidance you can wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory." In the multitude of counsellors there is safety, for one may foresee the danger, and discern the advantages, which another cannot. In our spiritual conflicts we need wisdom, for our enemy is subtle. ~Matthew Henry commentary
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
My Apologies to the Divorced
I have overcome a large obstacle today as far as my stigma about divorce. Okay, more like I ran into the obstacle face first, busted up a few bones and needed the Word to minister to me, pick me up and throw me over the obstacle.
All this time I've looked at re-marriages as second hand marriages only avaiable for sub-blessings and possibly some cursings, but definitely not full blessings. Things that no sincere God fearing person would enter into. (Wow! When I type it out it even sounds worse. Now where did I hide my 'Delete' button?) I thumbed my nose and wrinkled my brow at family and friends for partaking in what I thought was basically a sin that couldn't be removed.
One of my favorite theologians takes a pretty strong stance on the topic by concluding that re-marriage is only an option when widowhood presents itself and at all other times and circumstances the vows of the original marriage are permanent. On some initial scripture reading this seems academically sound. But what about the whole compass of scripture in application? For example: What if a young woman marries, has several children, and is physically abused? What do you think God desires for her... that she tough it out with some prayer, or divorce/seperate with all her kids with no work skills and trying to manage everything on her own? Do we put such limits on grace in such a situation that she is not allowed a kinsman-redeemer of sorts?
Looking at it another way; if we applied this rule of no re-marriage except for widows to the church at large, what would it look like? A lot more single parents and children with no father figure. How does this make the Church a better witness to the world?
Yes, God hates divorce. He hates vows made before Him that become broke. There are serious consequences with exiting these vows and so marriage and divorce are not to be seen as capricious. I see nothing good coming from the practice of jumping from one spouse to the next as if it was dating.
However, when severe situations arise I think if I'm to err it will be on the side of grace from now on rather than my old pharisaical position of thinking, "Ha, you blew it. No second chances for you!"
I take this position on my own interpretation of scripture in good conscious because I've found no real consensus on the matter from the theologians and councils I have read from. It seems the positions on the matter have altered over the centuries as the environment of church and society have changed. So for today's environment I believe my assessment to be sound.
All this time I've looked at re-marriages as second hand marriages only avaiable for sub-blessings and possibly some cursings, but definitely not full blessings. Things that no sincere God fearing person would enter into. (Wow! When I type it out it even sounds worse. Now where did I hide my 'Delete' button?) I thumbed my nose and wrinkled my brow at family and friends for partaking in what I thought was basically a sin that couldn't be removed.
One of my favorite theologians takes a pretty strong stance on the topic by concluding that re-marriage is only an option when widowhood presents itself and at all other times and circumstances the vows of the original marriage are permanent. On some initial scripture reading this seems academically sound. But what about the whole compass of scripture in application? For example: What if a young woman marries, has several children, and is physically abused? What do you think God desires for her... that she tough it out with some prayer, or divorce/seperate with all her kids with no work skills and trying to manage everything on her own? Do we put such limits on grace in such a situation that she is not allowed a kinsman-redeemer of sorts?
Looking at it another way; if we applied this rule of no re-marriage except for widows to the church at large, what would it look like? A lot more single parents and children with no father figure. How does this make the Church a better witness to the world?
Yes, God hates divorce. He hates vows made before Him that become broke. There are serious consequences with exiting these vows and so marriage and divorce are not to be seen as capricious. I see nothing good coming from the practice of jumping from one spouse to the next as if it was dating.
However, when severe situations arise I think if I'm to err it will be on the side of grace from now on rather than my old pharisaical position of thinking, "Ha, you blew it. No second chances for you!"
I take this position on my own interpretation of scripture in good conscious because I've found no real consensus on the matter from the theologians and councils I have read from. It seems the positions on the matter have altered over the centuries as the environment of church and society have changed. So for today's environment I believe my assessment to be sound.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sing Their Sorrow
How would you approach the man standing in line, waiting to purchase diapers and baby food with a high interest credit card? He's standing there wondering if what he has in his hands will put him over the credit limit and if he can make the minimum card payment next month because he lost his job. Tensions are high at home. He just had an argument with his wife before leaving for the store. She shouted "I WANT A DIVORCE!" during the argument. Do you tell him, "Jesus has a wonderful plan for your life?" Do you hand him some fake money gospel tract and tell him he's a thief, liar, and murderous adulterer and there's no place for him in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Under the rule of Idi Amin in Uganda the persecution of the western church proved quite bloody. Back in England a missionary society wrote to a clergyman in Uganda "What can we send your people?" It was not the expected request of food or medicine that came back to England. Instead, the clergyman asked for 250 clerical collars, stating: "It is your Western prejudice which thinks this an odd request. You must understand, when our people are being rounded up to be shot, they must be able to spot their priests."
Under the rule of Idi Amin in Uganda the persecution of the western church proved quite bloody. Back in England a missionary society wrote to a clergyman in Uganda "What can we send your people?" It was not the expected request of food or medicine that came back to England. Instead, the clergyman asked for 250 clerical collars, stating: "It is your Western prejudice which thinks this an odd request. You must understand, when our people are being rounded up to be shot, they must be able to spot their priests."
In our charitable moments we rush to those in need. Our problem is we've prepared for charity in a vacuum. How do we meet their needs when we don't know what their needs are. The love of the gospel and Christ for those created in his image has extended out to many people in many ways over the years. Jesus and the testimony he carried met people where they were. It's easy to see from scripture that life is all about relationships; first with God, then with his children.
Charity = love = relationships = relate
"We must recognize the different types of persons, and we must learn to discriminate between them. There is nothing so pathetic or so unscriptural as a mechanical way of testifying to others. There are some Christians who are guilty of that. They witness and testify, but they do it in a thoroughly mechanical way. They never really consider the person with whom they are dealing; they never try to assess the person, or to discover exactly what his position is. They fail completely to implement this exhortation. they present the truth in exactly the same way to all and sundry. Quite apart from the fact their testifying is generally quite useless, and that the only thing they achieve is a great feeling of self-righteousness, it is utterly unscriptural." ~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Vol. 2, 187
Saturday, September 26, 2009
King David... righteous scoundrel?
As I've been reading through the books of Samuel and the account of King David recently I can't help but marvel that God declared him a man after His own heart (Acts 13:21-23) in spite of the man's deep character flaws and unrepentant sins.
One thing I've noticed this time through reading this part of scripture is that David's "confusion" starts well before he ever takes the throne. In 1 Samuel 25 the would-be king sets out in some true mafia like behavior. He gives some unsolicited "protection" to Nabal's property and then demands payment for services rendered. When Nabal refuses, David sets out to have him "whacked," and would have done so if Abigail, Nabal's wife, didn't intervene. So David more or less says, "Fuhgeddaboutit. May the Lord whack this clown for me so I can make off with this hottie broad of his. (1 Samuel 25:32-42... okay, so I may have been praphrasing a bit on what David said)
Then of course there's the ever popular stories of his exploits with Bathsheeba and Uriah, takes a census of his fighting forces because he doubts the sovereignty of God, falters so badly at his kingly duties and parenting that his son, Absalom, practically takes the kingdom from him... and what about all those wives and concubines? HELLLOOOO!?!? How can this man be esteemed so highly throughout the New Testament. Jesus refers to Himself as "the root and descendant of David" (Rev.22:16) and yet here we see this unrepentant sin of rampant adultery that runs through the course of his life.
Whenever we don't see things as God sees them (such as King David being a righteous man) we know it's time for our Christian paradigm to shift into something more biblically accurate. Many of us have reduced grace by stipulating it with a mathematical equation [if professing Christian (X) has (Y) amount of sin in their life it must = they have (F)ailed the the salvation test]. May it never be. The mark of salvation is a living confession of Jesus as Lord and moving our heart to new obedience.
Christ listed the two greatest commands for his followers: to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. And to love our fellow man as ourselves. Although moral obedience is an aspect of loving the Lord our God He doesn't explicitly list the morality code among his greatest commands.
Now I'm not advocating the abandonment of morality, but far too often in the church we spend far too much time grooming in front of the mirror of morality and far too little time spreading the glory of His name through the application of a supernatural love to our fellow man.
Many cults and world religions are chiefly occupied with morality. People dead and buried commit no sins. Let us not aspire to be like the spritually blind or corpses put into the earth and end up as the noisy gongs and clanging symbols mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
The sins of immorality did handicap the life of king David and the legacy of his kingdom, but ultimately he was a righteous king because he carried out much of God's will in obedience, proclaiming Him as Lord and spreading the Glory of God into the world.
One thing I've noticed this time through reading this part of scripture is that David's "confusion" starts well before he ever takes the throne. In 1 Samuel 25 the would-be king sets out in some true mafia like behavior. He gives some unsolicited "protection" to Nabal's property and then demands payment for services rendered. When Nabal refuses, David sets out to have him "whacked," and would have done so if Abigail, Nabal's wife, didn't intervene. So David more or less says, "Fuhgeddaboutit. May the Lord whack this clown for me so I can make off with this hottie broad of his. (1 Samuel 25:32-42... okay, so I may have been praphrasing a bit on what David said)
Then of course there's the ever popular stories of his exploits with Bathsheeba and Uriah, takes a census of his fighting forces because he doubts the sovereignty of God, falters so badly at his kingly duties and parenting that his son, Absalom, practically takes the kingdom from him... and what about all those wives and concubines? HELLLOOOO!?!? How can this man be esteemed so highly throughout the New Testament. Jesus refers to Himself as "the root and descendant of David" (Rev.22:16) and yet here we see this unrepentant sin of rampant adultery that runs through the course of his life.
Whenever we don't see things as God sees them (such as King David being a righteous man) we know it's time for our Christian paradigm to shift into something more biblically accurate. Many of us have reduced grace by stipulating it with a mathematical equation [if professing Christian (X) has (Y) amount of sin in their life it must = they have (F)ailed the the salvation test]. May it never be. The mark of salvation is a living confession of Jesus as Lord and moving our heart to new obedience.
Christ listed the two greatest commands for his followers: to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul. And to love our fellow man as ourselves. Although moral obedience is an aspect of loving the Lord our God He doesn't explicitly list the morality code among his greatest commands.
Now I'm not advocating the abandonment of morality, but far too often in the church we spend far too much time grooming in front of the mirror of morality and far too little time spreading the glory of His name through the application of a supernatural love to our fellow man.
Many cults and world religions are chiefly occupied with morality. People dead and buried commit no sins. Let us not aspire to be like the spritually blind or corpses put into the earth and end up as the noisy gongs and clanging symbols mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.
The sins of immorality did handicap the life of king David and the legacy of his kingdom, but ultimately he was a righteous king because he carried out much of God's will in obedience, proclaiming Him as Lord and spreading the Glory of God into the world.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Before we get to bravery...
Jon said: "In Matthew 18:3 for instance, Jesus says:'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.' What does it mean to become like little children? I think it might mean that we’re supposed to be as brave as a six year old."
Actually, in the next verse of Matthew 18 we see; "Whoever humbles himself like this child..." So before we get to bravery we must be as humble as a six year old.
Jesus used the small child for this illustration because the apostles constantly pestered Him as they were jockeying for position in this Kingdom He spoke of, wanting to know who would sit at His right and left and what the ranking system would be. What merit of their own would earn them the most favor???... A small child has no merit of their own: no achievements and merits, no status and title, no degree or diploma. They have nothing of themselves to earn favor with the Lord. And whatever "bravery" a child might have generally comes from the ignorance of not having yet learned the risks and consequences of many situations.
Conscious of our sin nature, understanding that all of our works of "righteousness" laid before Christ are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), when we are broken of ourselves, we may approach Jesus with the humility of a small child, not with bravery but in all fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) because "the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." ~Psalm 147:10-11
"At first there was the fear that this 'terrible storm' and 'awesome terrain' might claim your life. But then you found a refuge and gained the hope that you would be safe. But not everything in the feeling called fear vanished from your heart. Only the life-threatening part. There remained the trembling, the awe, the wonder, the feeling that you would never want to tangle with such a 'storm' or be the adversary of such a power." ~John Piper pg.198, The Pleasures of God
"Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the absence of self" - Erwin McManus
In all the humility of a small child, not representing ourselves but the glory of God and His name we may step out into this world with great bravery.
Actually, in the next verse of Matthew 18 we see; "Whoever humbles himself like this child..." So before we get to bravery we must be as humble as a six year old.
Jesus used the small child for this illustration because the apostles constantly pestered Him as they were jockeying for position in this Kingdom He spoke of, wanting to know who would sit at His right and left and what the ranking system would be. What merit of their own would earn them the most favor???... A small child has no merit of their own: no achievements and merits, no status and title, no degree or diploma. They have nothing of themselves to earn favor with the Lord. And whatever "bravery" a child might have generally comes from the ignorance of not having yet learned the risks and consequences of many situations.
Conscious of our sin nature, understanding that all of our works of "righteousness" laid before Christ are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), when we are broken of ourselves, we may approach Jesus with the humility of a small child, not with bravery but in all fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) because "the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." ~Psalm 147:10-11
"At first there was the fear that this 'terrible storm' and 'awesome terrain' might claim your life. But then you found a refuge and gained the hope that you would be safe. But not everything in the feeling called fear vanished from your heart. Only the life-threatening part. There remained the trembling, the awe, the wonder, the feeling that you would never want to tangle with such a 'storm' or be the adversary of such a power." ~John Piper pg.198, The Pleasures of God
"Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the absence of self" - Erwin McManus
In all the humility of a small child, not representing ourselves but the glory of God and His name we may step out into this world with great bravery.
Monday, September 7, 2009
When in Doubt
I'm not sure how it began but this weekend started with many doubts and anxiety. My heart was not resting in the goodness and sovereignty of God. My focus placed more on myself, the old nemesis of self-doubt sought to render me futile.
But the goodness of God towards the ones he loves is unrelenting. And when we do not experience the good in our lives it is not because God has stopped doing good but is equipping and preparing for greater good, should we continue to love Him in faith.
Psalm 84:11 No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 119:
65 Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Psalm 34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
But the goodness of God towards the ones he loves is unrelenting. And when we do not experience the good in our lives it is not because God has stopped doing good but is equipping and preparing for greater good, should we continue to love Him in faith.
Psalm 84:11 No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 119:
65 Do good to your servant according to your word, O LORD.
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Psalm 34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
sin
Oh Lord, I will never comprehend in this life the depths of which You plunged to rescue a soul as dark as mine. The breadth and width of your love is beyond the limits of my mind. For you saved me when Satan was my closest ally and I beckoned to the every whim of he who was once my prince. Easily seduced to playing a fellow deceiver, my every display of "goodness" contained only the most selfish of motives. And it is an act of mercy that even now in this saved state not all my sins and weakness manifest in my mind, for certainly the full knowledge of awfulness still to wring out would plung me deep into the depths of a life-long despair. With what easy vanity can I look back at how "far" I have come, but would my head turn and see the distance between myself and perfection before me, fully luminated, the knowledge would crush my mind completely. It must be by grace that my conscience addresses only a few vices at a time.
And still, in light of my salvation and of coram Deo I shall certainly sin again, committing acts of hatred against the One who loves me most, of whom I claim as Lord, confirming that without His grace I too would have joined the crowd in chanting, "Crucify Him. Crucify Him." How often will I offer endorsement to the crimes of Adam? How can He who is perfect love me?
current reading: Original Sin by Augustus Toplady
And still, in light of my salvation and of coram Deo I shall certainly sin again, committing acts of hatred against the One who loves me most, of whom I claim as Lord, confirming that without His grace I too would have joined the crowd in chanting, "Crucify Him. Crucify Him." How often will I offer endorsement to the crimes of Adam? How can He who is perfect love me?
current reading: Original Sin by Augustus Toplady
Monday, August 24, 2009
Prayer in light of His sovereignty
We know that in light of your sovereignty, O God, you do all that you please. Every moment and decision is appointed by You to come to pass and all of it will come to pass to evidence Your glory and splendor. And we know if our hearts are set upon You and what your delights are, we have every reason for sustained confidence in the outcome of every trial and test. Lord, we know you appoint and allow some seasons for Your enemies to establish themselves and reap their worldly desires, but such times of apparent diffusion of your light of the gospel are designed to create a more conspicuous stage for when You draw the apparent reign of the wicked to a close, overcoming idolatries with all wisdom, power, grace, mercy and justice.
For what reason can We, your servants, be anxious? You clothe even the most remote of fields and flowers in great splendor, and O how much more you clothe us. Your ways and designs for your glory are well beyond our comprehension and all we can be pleased to do is rest easy in the knowledge that all your ways are perfect and the ultimate outcome for our current sufferings are for a greater good beyond our imaginings.
All we have is this responsibility to move forward in the faith knowing that if we truly love you, we love those who bear your image. And so we equip ourselves for battle not with vengeance or wrath, for that is the Lord's. But as ambassadors of truth, justice, grace, mercy, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, etc. etc., for Yours is the kingdom, power and glory forever. Amen
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Adoption - There is no mathematics in love
"Christianity is not a statistical view of life." ~Malcolm Muggeridge
Having an appetite for efficiency I often marveled at the seeming eccentricity of those who adopt children from foreign countries. It did not make much sense to my logical mind that couples would exert such time, money, paperwork and overall hassle to pluck a child from Africa or Asia (usually) when there is an abundance of children in the foster care system stateside and the system is much more accommodating to those who "choose locally grown."
Indeed, for the cost of adopting a child from Africa one could sustain an entire African village for a reasonable amount of time. To me the inefficiency of foreign adoption appeared to be a concoction of the whimsical mind. My parents have worked in the foster care system and through interaction with the children taken into their home I warmed to the idea of adoption and possibly foster care in my future, but working with local children is a mercy that is well supported by government agencies.
From time to time I have also pondered the seeming inefficiency of Christ's ministry. One question I've asked myself on a number of occasions is "why did Jesus heal so many people in cumbersome ways when He could have healed any and all with a mere thought?" But the Son of God did not come down to us in flesh primarily to remove diseases and sickness. He came to love. He reached out and touched the untouchable with healing love. Instead of speaking away the blindness he mixed his DNA with the earth and pressed it in a very close and personal and tactile way into the eyes of the blind to convey a loving intimacy in the restoring of sight. (John 9)
There are those Christians whose ministry most would not find rewarding. Those that minister to the discarded and dying don't exactly alter the landscape of the unchurched regions they may be in. There's a story I've heard a time or two that talks about a young boy on the beach, throwing starfish back into the ocean after a heavy storm. A man walks up to him and tells the boy with all the countless starfish drying out and dying that his efforts won't even make a difference in the landscape. The boy picks up another starfish, throws it in the ocean and says, "But to that one I just made all the difference in the world."
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Having an appetite for efficiency I often marveled at the seeming eccentricity of those who adopt children from foreign countries. It did not make much sense to my logical mind that couples would exert such time, money, paperwork and overall hassle to pluck a child from Africa or Asia (usually) when there is an abundance of children in the foster care system stateside and the system is much more accommodating to those who "choose locally grown."
Indeed, for the cost of adopting a child from Africa one could sustain an entire African village for a reasonable amount of time. To me the inefficiency of foreign adoption appeared to be a concoction of the whimsical mind. My parents have worked in the foster care system and through interaction with the children taken into their home I warmed to the idea of adoption and possibly foster care in my future, but working with local children is a mercy that is well supported by government agencies.
From time to time I have also pondered the seeming inefficiency of Christ's ministry. One question I've asked myself on a number of occasions is "why did Jesus heal so many people in cumbersome ways when He could have healed any and all with a mere thought?" But the Son of God did not come down to us in flesh primarily to remove diseases and sickness. He came to love. He reached out and touched the untouchable with healing love. Instead of speaking away the blindness he mixed his DNA with the earth and pressed it in a very close and personal and tactile way into the eyes of the blind to convey a loving intimacy in the restoring of sight. (John 9)
There are those Christians whose ministry most would not find rewarding. Those that minister to the discarded and dying don't exactly alter the landscape of the unchurched regions they may be in. There's a story I've heard a time or two that talks about a young boy on the beach, throwing starfish back into the ocean after a heavy storm. A man walks up to him and tells the boy with all the countless starfish drying out and dying that his efforts won't even make a difference in the landscape. The boy picks up another starfish, throws it in the ocean and says, "But to that one I just made all the difference in the world."
Matthew 25:40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Beauty Tips With Granny Branny
James 1:11 "For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed..." Alright, so the original context of that quote deals with worldly riches but I believe the same principal applies to the "riches" of physical beauty. Our culture is fixated on the "wild flowers" that look appealing to the eye for a season but whither away and are quickly forgotten.
I recently read some articles on a fascinating missionary woman known as Granny Brand. Having been a missionary for decades and a widow her mission told her to retire at sixty-nine years of age. But she had prayed years before to reach a few more mountain ranges beyond the one she evangelized with the support of her mission and so she climbed those mountains, built a little wooden shack, and worked for twenty-six more years.
With a broken hip and creeping paralysis traveling was cumbersome but not impossible, so she traveled all over the mountains seeking out the unwanted, unlovely, the blind, maimed and discarded, bringing medical treatment to them.
Her son visited her for the last time shortly before her death at ninety-five years of age. Poor nutrition and failing health left her gaunt and fragile. She gave up on keeping up appearances or even looking in a mirror long ago because she did not care to see the effects such a grueling life had taken. Her son noticing only her smile and the character behind it noted, "This is how to grow old. Allow everything else to fall away, until those around you see only love."
Henry Scougal wrote, "The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." Perhaps a good paraphrase would be, "The beauty of a woman is to be measured by the object of her love."
I recently read some articles on a fascinating missionary woman known as Granny Brand. Having been a missionary for decades and a widow her mission told her to retire at sixty-nine years of age. But she had prayed years before to reach a few more mountain ranges beyond the one she evangelized with the support of her mission and so she climbed those mountains, built a little wooden shack, and worked for twenty-six more years.
With a broken hip and creeping paralysis traveling was cumbersome but not impossible, so she traveled all over the mountains seeking out the unwanted, unlovely, the blind, maimed and discarded, bringing medical treatment to them.
Her son visited her for the last time shortly before her death at ninety-five years of age. Poor nutrition and failing health left her gaunt and fragile. She gave up on keeping up appearances or even looking in a mirror long ago because she did not care to see the effects such a grueling life had taken. Her son noticing only her smile and the character behind it noted, "This is how to grow old. Allow everything else to fall away, until those around you see only love."
Henry Scougal wrote, "The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." Perhaps a good paraphrase would be, "The beauty of a woman is to be measured by the object of her love."
Monday, August 10, 2009
Jesus the winemaker
Dying for our sins... boring. Healing the crippled... lame. Conjuring up an alcoholic beverage... priceless.
A friend recently told an account of a VBS teacher asking why Jesus is worthy of worship; her favorite reply came from a girl who said, "Because he turned water into wine."
My immediate tongue-in-cheek comment was "Dying for our sins... boring. Healing the crippled... lame. Conjuring up an alcoholic beverage... priceless."
But with some reflection on this I see a problem common with Christians on why we love the Lord. If someone presented this VBS teacher's question to the average church congregation the overwhelming response would consist of a long list of works Christ has performed to our benefit.
Now before going further I want to clear up the semantics of this question by stating the cause of our Love for him comes from him in what we know as irresistable grace. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And that is why we love Jesus. Read the rest of the passage right now because it's good for you! 1 John 4:7-21.
So of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God, you are asking (verbatim), "Alright, so then what makes Jesus worthy of worship?" I'm glad you asked that question because here is where we tend to lose focus and go all humanistic by thinking that Jesus earned a right to be worshiped by us because of what he did for us. Of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God you're thinking (verbatim), "Ack! this is *PBL (performance based love). Surely there must be more to my love for Jesus than this shallow, self-centered utilitarianism." And right you are.
He is worthy of worship because He is the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). The emphasis of our love should come more from who He is than what He has done.
Care to dig deeper on this topic? appropriate to worship Jesus
*not to be confused with the all too tasty Peanut Butter and Liver sandwich
A friend recently told an account of a VBS teacher asking why Jesus is worthy of worship; her favorite reply came from a girl who said, "Because he turned water into wine."
My immediate tongue-in-cheek comment was "Dying for our sins... boring. Healing the crippled... lame. Conjuring up an alcoholic beverage... priceless."
But with some reflection on this I see a problem common with Christians on why we love the Lord. If someone presented this VBS teacher's question to the average church congregation the overwhelming response would consist of a long list of works Christ has performed to our benefit.
Now before going further I want to clear up the semantics of this question by stating the cause of our Love for him comes from him in what we know as irresistable grace. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And that is why we love Jesus. Read the rest of the passage right now because it's good for you! 1 John 4:7-21.
So of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God, you are asking (verbatim), "Alright, so then what makes Jesus worthy of worship?" I'm glad you asked that question because here is where we tend to lose focus and go all humanistic by thinking that Jesus earned a right to be worshiped by us because of what he did for us. Of course at this very moment, if your heart is right with God you're thinking (verbatim), "Ack! this is *PBL (performance based love). Surely there must be more to my love for Jesus than this shallow, self-centered utilitarianism." And right you are.
He is worthy of worship because He is the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). The emphasis of our love should come more from who He is than what He has done.
Care to dig deeper on this topic? appropriate to worship Jesus
*not to be confused with the all too tasty Peanut Butter and Liver sandwich
Reflecting on contentment
How can someone find contentment in singleness while still looking forward to marriage? This is a question that has surfaced in my mind time and time again over the years. To say that finding the way to live content and single has caused me to stumble into some wild ideas, methods, and behavior patterns would be an understatement. I can look back at and laugh at the approaches I've taken to rest easy without a woman on my arm.
- Vow of singleness for a designated period: This was all the rage a few years back. The single people in the church I used to attend were committing to a certain time frame which they would avoid any relationship with a potential marriage partner so they could completely focus on growing in God. I think (hope) I wasn't the only one who thought that at the end of this self-imposed sentencing there would be an amazing woman of faith waiting at the end, (with arms wide open, the skies parting as both light and doves came down from heaven with the voice of God saying, "Well done my good and faithful servant.") as my just reward for such an awesome display of righteousness on my part.
- Resignation to the idea that God had called me to such a high purpose and service that I could not marry and that stamping out the desire for a woman would be some ultimate test of faith (and on successfully passing the test God would land me in a mission field so dangerous that martyrdom, o glorious martyrdom, would find me within a year.)
But as my faith and knowledge in God grew I found this to be folly and started seeing my error in understanding what contentment is all about. Like many others I saw contentment as something synonymous with apathy.
A Christian philosopher made an illustration of that erroneous view when he contemplated the contented cow in a field. The cow was merely there in the field longing for nothing more than its immediate surroundings. But what is absent in that equation of contentment is the element of hope... God given hope to be more precise.
To solidify where my mind has come to an understanding of what biblical contentment is took the insight that I found in the book of Philippians, chapter four in verse eleven Paul states "...for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Then, looking at his time in prison with Silas in Acts 16 and seeing how this passage in Philippians applied to his behavior there we see a Paul who was not pacing his prison cell crying out for rescue from a hopeless situation but finding hope in the situation and finding opportunity to make the most of it to the glory of God. If he could not advance to Macedonia to witness the glory of Christ there then he would witness and and give glory to God from prison. So we see there a man desiring more than his present situation while also content in that situation. The key being his desire was not based in the flesh but in God's will. For in the will of God there is both desire and contentment but in the flesh, as Oscar Wilde would say, "desire is a cruel master."
From there we can take this doctrine of contentment and apply it throughout scripture such as in the Lord's prayer which starts in Matthew 6:9 where there is a petition being made not in spite of contentment but because of godly contentment.
Now coming back to the desire of marriage; if my desire for a good wife, marriage and family is to foremost glorify God then that petition is righteous so long as I make the most/bear fruit, in my present situation of singleness.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Free to serve
Haven't you ever asked God to liberate you from your current place of employment so that you could more freely serve Him with all your heart? Sure, we've probably all said that prayer at the workplace, "Lord, rescue me from this cesspool of humanistic tragedy so that I may go out into the world to share the light of the gospel to people in need. I want to reach people, just not these people. Amen."
Then, after clearing my day-planner of burdensome work weeks I dream of where I might go in the world to spread the faith... back to school! Yes, there I can really grow for God and be blessed at the end of it all with a white collar job like any decent Christian. Besides the blue collar folk I'd be abandoing now can always find the love of Christ through TBN broadcasting or the Spiritual Books section at Wal-Mart. :p
Then, after clearing my day-planner of burdensome work weeks I dream of where I might go in the world to spread the faith... back to school! Yes, there I can really grow for God and be blessed at the end of it all with a white collar job like any decent Christian. Besides the blue collar folk I'd be abandoing now can always find the love of Christ through TBN broadcasting or the Spiritual Books section at Wal-Mart. :p
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Opening Prayer
Lord, guide me as I use this blog to your glory and not my vanity. That I may impart something worthwhile to others and not claim this blog as a trophy of faith. Amen
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