"Our Achilles heel is the compass of our spiritual journey. Where I am weak, there-by God's grace-I become strong. When we discover what our basic weakness or woundedness is, or our basic handicap, then we ask for God's presence and grace to enter that place. . .
A broken bone, once healed, is stronger than one which has never been broken".
-James Houston
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Our Achilles Heel
Monday, July 26, 2010
Meaning amidst Suffering
Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, Victor Frankl, spent approximately three years in Nazi concentration camps living in the most horrid situations imaginable. Out of the depths of this experience was birthed his life work entitled "Man's Search for Meaning". In this book he investigates despair and muses over the difference between those who were lead to utter despair during their time in the death camps and those who were able to overcome insurmountable suffering and emerge with hope. What were the differences between the two? What lie between the thin line of hope and despair?
Frankl's observations are fascinating.
First, he defines despair. What really is the condition of despair? According to Frankl the word can be best defined through a simple mathematical formula: D=S-M. Despair is suffering minus meaning. Frankl observed that those who could not make any sense of their suffering turned to one of three poisons: anger, depression or denial. Each of these toxins lead to a slow death by despair. So, despite what we often think in our plush, comfortable worlds today, it is NOT suffering or difficult circumstances that rob us of hope and plunge us into dispair. It is the absence of meaning.
In fact, Frankl witnessed and personally experienced people going through the same horrendous ordeals who did not turn to despair. One the contrary, some individuals became more wonderful and more loving human beings precisely because of their adverse conditions. They became people of greater hope! Why is that? It was not that they were ransomed from their circumstances. Rather, it was that they found ways to make sense of this world within those difficulties. They were able to see a more ultimate purpose and meaning to life that others could not. And, that purpose formed their character and framed their thinking in ways that transcended their circumstances.
Frankl's observations are fascinating.
First, he defines despair. What really is the condition of despair? According to Frankl the word can be best defined through a simple mathematical formula: D=S-M. Despair is suffering minus meaning. Frankl observed that those who could not make any sense of their suffering turned to one of three poisons: anger, depression or denial. Each of these toxins lead to a slow death by despair. So, despite what we often think in our plush, comfortable worlds today, it is NOT suffering or difficult circumstances that rob us of hope and plunge us into dispair. It is the absence of meaning.
In fact, Frankl witnessed and personally experienced people going through the same horrendous ordeals who did not turn to despair. One the contrary, some individuals became more wonderful and more loving human beings precisely because of their adverse conditions. They became people of greater hope! Why is that? It was not that they were ransomed from their circumstances. Rather, it was that they found ways to make sense of this world within those difficulties. They were able to see a more ultimate purpose and meaning to life that others could not. And, that purpose formed their character and framed their thinking in ways that transcended their circumstances.
The apostle Paul and Victor Frankl seemingly were on to the same thing. I'd love to be in a room listening to them muse over this topic. Paul, in Romans 8, reverberates the same findings as Frankl. Read the text. In Romans 8 Paul explains that he is able to legitimize his present suffering and the creation's sufferings (groanings) because Jesus himself, the living God of the universe has entered our mess and salvaged our pain. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah infuses meaning into the madness of this present reality we call life.
According to Paul, suffering is the normal and consequential reality of a sin cursed world. But, because of Jesus, it is only seasonal. Yes, the present pain is great. Yes, it looks like the whole world is groaning. Yes, our suffering is real. But, it's not an empty pain and it's not an eternal pain. Our suffering is not random or purposeless. Because of Jesus Christ, the pain of the world is more like. . . birthpains. . .Yeah, weird metaphor coming from a guy (Paul) who is well. . .a guy.
But, catch the significance of the birthpain metaphor. Birth is always pain with a purpose. Labor has an ultimate goal. The blood and sweat and tears in the delivery room will culminate in new creation! Ever see a women in labor without hope? Of course not. Why? Because there is ultimate meaning behind her suffering. The pain is unbearable without the anticipation of new life.
For Paul and Frankl, there's hope, because there is infused within creation a something deeper and more powerful than human suffering. And, that which is deeper and rings with more potency is the gospel message itself.
Both the cross and the resurrection inject meaning and hope into human suffering. The meaning behind Good Friday is that our God has strangely entered our suffering, legitimizing and sympathizing with our pain at once. The meaning behind Easter Sunday is that he has overcome all suffering, redeeming and ransoming us from death and despair. Sundays promise is that he will make all things new. What a promise!
Because of the gospel hope is free to roam in the most unusual and unlikely places. Places like Golgotha and Nazi Concentration camps.
The backdrop to all our smaller stories and days of despairing is one grand story that provides purpose and meaning and a way to make sense of it all. And, that meaning is not found in a system or a thought or a solution, idea or philosophy. None of those things bring meaning to our suffering.
No, the meaning to human suffering is found in a person who entered it and has come out the other side vindicated and unscathed. And, now he mediates on our behalf. Jesus the King, our savior, brings hopeful meaning to our senseless suffering. His suffering and death was redeemed. Ours will be too. May His name be praised!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
On a Christian Worldview
The gospel is not just a truth that we look to, it is a lens that we look through.
-Tim Keller
Once the gospel gets a hold of your life, you quickly realize that it's not simply the truth of Christ and the objective source of salvation that we look towards. Yes, indeed it is that. But, it is more. The gospel itself pulls us into a larger story of Creation, fall and redemption. It has the power to ransom us from our smaller self-made stories and place us into the light of the way that things are really. Gospel people are people who have a radically different lens that they see through. And, this lens impacts the way that we see God, ourselves, others and this world.
Is your gospel simply a gospel that you look to in your time of need? Or is it a gospel that you also look through? A gospel that penetrates so deep that all of life and reality are seen through its lens.
We talk today about a Christian worldview, but the tendency in the Church today is to neatly fit God into our own eclectic, self-made worldviews. The problem is that God cannot be packaged and perceived through the lenses of our choice. He will not allow His holiness, goodness and love to be hijacked and used for our own purposes. His gospel can only truly save us when we allow His world, His story, His reality to penetrate us. Anything less than that reduces the gospel and cheapens the cross.
If you have the time, I highly recommend listening to Tim Keller's teaching on "Writing from a Christian Worldview". You don't have to be a writer to take this stuff in. It's HIGLY applicable and necessary for everyone who calls themselves a Christian.
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/writing-christian-worldview
-Tim Keller
Once the gospel gets a hold of your life, you quickly realize that it's not simply the truth of Christ and the objective source of salvation that we look towards. Yes, indeed it is that. But, it is more. The gospel itself pulls us into a larger story of Creation, fall and redemption. It has the power to ransom us from our smaller self-made stories and place us into the light of the way that things are really. Gospel people are people who have a radically different lens that they see through. And, this lens impacts the way that we see God, ourselves, others and this world.
Is your gospel simply a gospel that you look to in your time of need? Or is it a gospel that you also look through? A gospel that penetrates so deep that all of life and reality are seen through its lens.
We talk today about a Christian worldview, but the tendency in the Church today is to neatly fit God into our own eclectic, self-made worldviews. The problem is that God cannot be packaged and perceived through the lenses of our choice. He will not allow His holiness, goodness and love to be hijacked and used for our own purposes. His gospel can only truly save us when we allow His world, His story, His reality to penetrate us. Anything less than that reduces the gospel and cheapens the cross.
If you have the time, I highly recommend listening to Tim Keller's teaching on "Writing from a Christian Worldview". You don't have to be a writer to take this stuff in. It's HIGLY applicable and necessary for everyone who calls themselves a Christian.
http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/writing-christian-worldview
Monday, July 19, 2010
Writing with the Other Hand
The process of Christlikeness is counter-intuitive.It goes against the grain of natural self and the ego. Usually, for a new Christian who is set on following Jesus, things get real messy and much more difficult before they get easier.
Imagine a right-handed person penning his own autobiography. In the middle of the story a doctor diagnoses the writer with severe arthritics in the right hand. His condition is so debilitating it will create permanent paralysis if the writing continues. The only sensible solution is to stop using that hand. "But", the eager author pleads to the doctor, "I'm in the middle of penning my own life story. I can't quit now. I was born to write."
Now, imagine if you will, the doctor contacting the writer and stating that the author could continue his masterpiece, but must learn to write with his left hand.
After much thought the decision is made to surrender to the doctors orders. He dies to the use of his right-hand forever, and for the first time in his life places the pen in the other hand and begins penning his first sentence.
As the pen touches the paper, it feels quite awkward. His hand shakes. It's uncomfortable and the tendency is to default back to the old way of doing things. It requires much concentration and intention and effort and energy and patience to even get through one paragraph. As he continues, the preceding pages look real messy. Hardly legible.
Page after page he endures. Daily the temptation to go back to the old hand, the old way of doing things. Sure, he intellectually knows that that hand no longer serves him well, and continued use will lead to paralysis. But despite that knowledge, the old way is so. . .so comfortable, so normal.
As time continues the grip becomes more natural. The left hand stronger. The writing more clear. The counter-intuitive nature begins defining itself as the "new normal". Confidence is gained, and with it a the pathway of liberation.
The gospel is like learning to write with the other hand. Let me explain.
When we come to Christ we are called to lay down the normal ways that we had always done things. Jesus beckons us to forsake the usual way we have gotten on in life, and follow His way. Which sounds good on paper. . .and then life happens and we find that the way of Jesus, the way of the gospel is so counter-intuitive. His is a kingdom where everything we are called to think, believe and do runs so backward, so upside-down to the way we had always lived. Yes, following Jesus is like having to learn how to write with a brand new hand. Living the gospel is an uncomfortable to our default life. It both disrupts and transforms the story we're penning all at once.
If the implications of the gospel you believe in doesn't feel abnormal, uncomfortable or counter-intuitive to your natural leanings, then you may not be fully embracing the gospel according to Jesus. The gospel changes everything. And, we feel how against the grain it really is when we start living like Jesus did.
In what ways are you finding the gospel counter-intuitive? In what ways is Jesus teaching you to write with the other hand?
. How does your congregation help folks learn write with the other hand?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Individualism and the Church Part I
I was musing over St. John's words yesterday in my devotions. He was the only recorded disciple who actually witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus. The disciple whom Jesus loved gazed helplessly as his rabbi and friend hung helplessly upon a cross. He saw him suffer in silence and finally groan as he gasped his final breath. Oh, how the image of a self-sacrificing savior must have been cemented deep into John's consciousness.
As an older man, John still had etched into the recesses of his mind, the sweat, the dust and the blood of Golgotha. In his first epistle he writes, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (I Jn. 3:16). John connects Jesus' ruthless love for us with the kind of loving community that should exist within the Church. Christ stepped in front of a moving bus for us, so shouldn't be willing to do the same for each other? The answer is a resounding, yes.
Yet, is Christian community today made up of the stuff of Golgotha? Does it look like blood, sweat, tears or grime for the sake of loving relationship? Too often our love is safe, sanitized and benign. Is it true grit love? Or simply sanctuary sentimentality? Too often I fear it is the later.
We have discovered ways to co-exist at arms length, separated and insulated from one another. We shake hands on Sunday and smile, yet the rest of the week are free to pursue our own self-directed goals, dreams, and ambitions without much thought or concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ. How can this be? How has the portrait of self-sacrificial love that was burned into John's consciousness gotten so far removed? How can we be ready to lay our lives down for one another if we do not even know one another? if we are unwilling to commit to a small group community?
Communal life is not an optional appendage for the Church. It is central to the mission of the gospel and to Christ's vision for His Church. We must reclaim a deeper understanding of Christian community and find ways to subvert the individualistic culture of the day with the communal nature of the gospel. We have the power and love at our disposal to model before the world an entirely different way of being human! Individualism and Church cannot co-exist. It was not an option for John, and it's not an option today.
So, how do we combat the idol of individualism within the Church? How do we begin to recognize it in our lives? What are the ways in which we can grow into the kinds of people that would lay our lives down for our brothers? Chime in on this one. I would like to hear your heart.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Old Heresies, New Hosts
Last Sunday we tackled Ephesians 3:14-21 which is one of Paul’s two prayer for the Ephesians in the epistle. Paul seamlessly moves from words to the Ephesians to prayers for the Ephesians in this text. As we looked at the apostle Paul as a man of prayer this morning, we discussed two heretical threats to a vibrant prayer life. Both threats, interestingly enough, de-personalize God in their own way leading to a God who we cannot come to know and embrace.
Threat #1-Deism
Remember that song Bette Midler used to sing called "From a Distance"? "God is watching us, God is watching us, from a distance". Good tune. Poor theology. The first sectarian threat is Deism. Deism depersonalizes God and serves as a serious threat to a life of prayer. Deists believe that God is the Creator and sustainer of this universe, but is distant from His creation.
Like a grand clock maker, He designed and wound up this universe, but now it's sort of left it alone to tick on its own. His involvement in the day to day affairs of men is limited to let's say "emergency life and death sorts of situations". Overall, he lets this earth alone and is somewhat aloof from our personal lives. Is this your understanding or view of God? Distant, somewhat too aloof to take notice or be involved in the stuff of your life? If so, you are not alone. Recent research done by Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith indicates that a group of people dubbed by Smith as "moralistic, therapeutic deists" comprise the largest segment of young adults in America. (Check out http://johnortberg.com/?p=56 for more information).
Deism, or some abridged version of it, is alive and well in America. And, one sign and symptom of deism is a feeble prayer life. And, that makes sense. After all, if we transform God into a remote being out there who has little to nothing to do with our personal lives, the logical conclusion is that prayer is an exercise in futility. Of course, the God of Deism is not the God of the apostle Paul in Ephesians whose prayers glorify the love and power of a God who is at work in us. Paul's God is Emmanuel. A word meaning "God with us". Is your God Emmanuel? Or is He distant, aloof, removed sort of God?
Threat #2 Gnosticism
Secondly, prayer is threatened by Gnosticism. Gnosticism is an ancient heresy that has re-emerged throughout church history and is alive and well today. Philip Lee, a scholar who has studied gnosticism in depth, discusses five primary elements of this ancient heresy. I've summarized some of Lee's thoughts below.
• Gnosticism embraces a deep chasm between body and spirit. Essentially Gnosticism is dualism. It believes that the spirit-world, the invisible is inherently GOOD. And the creation, the visible, created of the flesh world is inherently BAD.
• Gnosticism believes there is a secret lore, a special knowledge (gnosis) that can save us from this hopeless condition of the body/flesh. However, it requires a certain pathway/method to discover.
• Gnosticism always leads to escapism. It urges us to remove ourselves (mentally, spiritually) from this world and get in touch with the true world of the Spirit. Often results in privatized, over-preoccupation with self. Each person must be his/her own guide.
• Gnosticism holds that this secret knowledge is known only to the “elite” who attain this inner knowledge and the methods of tapping into this knowledge.
• Gnosticism believes that enlightenment is the private pursuit of each individual. Each adherent to its teachings are free to discover truth as he/she sees fit and is not subject to the accountability of a community or the guidelines of an authoritative text.
As you notice above, gnosticism's goal becmes the personal pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, instead of the pursuit of a personal God. The ultimate blessing of gnosticism is not someone, but a something. God is that impersonal, mysterious force that we can "tap" into that unlocks the right doors and opens the right corridors to enlightenment. Another way of saying it? God is the means to an end. Not the end itself.
Do we not see this kind of heresy alive and well around us today? God becomes a means to our own private, personal pursuit of self-actualization. We see this in many forms both inside and outside of Christian circles. Gnostic prayers are not true prayers because all true prayer must be sourced in the personal and the relational.
We see this in Paul in Ephesians. He clings to a relational God and lifts up his prayers in a deeply relational way both to God and on behalf of his brothers and sisters in Christ. Christian prayer must always be marinated in the personal. . .in the relational. If not, we will miss God entirely. Stated a different way, Christian prayer must always be informed by the incarnation. That is to say, that our prayers always mouthed towards a God who entered our mundane and small messes through Jesus Christ. He is a God who does not reveal himself to only a select few who now hold the secret instructions to "tap" into Him. No. The Christian God is a God who enters into human history in the most personal of all ways...as a person Himself! Our God's deepest desire is to get personal with us. . .his creation. And so, He became a living, breathing, human to show us how up-close and personal He really is. He is a God "which we have heard with our ears, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have touched with our hands" (I Jn. 1:1,2). Gnostic's know such God. In search for rapturous, mysterious someTHING they overlook the personal someONE.
Deist? Gnostic? Christian? Take a close inventory and assess where you find yourself. Our prayer life does indeed reflect the kind of God we worship.
Threat #1-Deism
Remember that song Bette Midler used to sing called "From a Distance"? "God is watching us, God is watching us, from a distance". Good tune. Poor theology. The first sectarian threat is Deism. Deism depersonalizes God and serves as a serious threat to a life of prayer. Deists believe that God is the Creator and sustainer of this universe, but is distant from His creation.
Like a grand clock maker, He designed and wound up this universe, but now it's sort of left it alone to tick on its own. His involvement in the day to day affairs of men is limited to let's say "emergency life and death sorts of situations". Overall, he lets this earth alone and is somewhat aloof from our personal lives. Is this your understanding or view of God? Distant, somewhat too aloof to take notice or be involved in the stuff of your life? If so, you are not alone. Recent research done by Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith indicates that a group of people dubbed by Smith as "moralistic, therapeutic deists" comprise the largest segment of young adults in America. (Check out http://johnortberg.com/?p=56 for more information).
Deism, or some abridged version of it, is alive and well in America. And, one sign and symptom of deism is a feeble prayer life. And, that makes sense. After all, if we transform God into a remote being out there who has little to nothing to do with our personal lives, the logical conclusion is that prayer is an exercise in futility. Of course, the God of Deism is not the God of the apostle Paul in Ephesians whose prayers glorify the love and power of a God who is at work in us. Paul's God is Emmanuel. A word meaning "God with us". Is your God Emmanuel? Or is He distant, aloof, removed sort of God?
Threat #2 Gnosticism
Secondly, prayer is threatened by Gnosticism. Gnosticism is an ancient heresy that has re-emerged throughout church history and is alive and well today. Philip Lee, a scholar who has studied gnosticism in depth, discusses five primary elements of this ancient heresy. I've summarized some of Lee's thoughts below.
• Gnosticism embraces a deep chasm between body and spirit. Essentially Gnosticism is dualism. It believes that the spirit-world, the invisible is inherently GOOD. And the creation, the visible, created of the flesh world is inherently BAD.
• Gnosticism believes there is a secret lore, a special knowledge (gnosis) that can save us from this hopeless condition of the body/flesh. However, it requires a certain pathway/method to discover.
• Gnosticism always leads to escapism. It urges us to remove ourselves (mentally, spiritually) from this world and get in touch with the true world of the Spirit. Often results in privatized, over-preoccupation with self. Each person must be his/her own guide.
• Gnosticism holds that this secret knowledge is known only to the “elite” who attain this inner knowledge and the methods of tapping into this knowledge.
• Gnosticism believes that enlightenment is the private pursuit of each individual. Each adherent to its teachings are free to discover truth as he/she sees fit and is not subject to the accountability of a community or the guidelines of an authoritative text.
As you notice above, gnosticism's goal becmes the personal pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, instead of the pursuit of a personal God. The ultimate blessing of gnosticism is not someone, but a something. God is that impersonal, mysterious force that we can "tap" into that unlocks the right doors and opens the right corridors to enlightenment. Another way of saying it? God is the means to an end. Not the end itself.
Do we not see this kind of heresy alive and well around us today? God becomes a means to our own private, personal pursuit of self-actualization. We see this in many forms both inside and outside of Christian circles. Gnostic prayers are not true prayers because all true prayer must be sourced in the personal and the relational.
We see this in Paul in Ephesians. He clings to a relational God and lifts up his prayers in a deeply relational way both to God and on behalf of his brothers and sisters in Christ. Christian prayer must always be marinated in the personal. . .in the relational. If not, we will miss God entirely. Stated a different way, Christian prayer must always be informed by the incarnation. That is to say, that our prayers always mouthed towards a God who entered our mundane and small messes through Jesus Christ. He is a God who does not reveal himself to only a select few who now hold the secret instructions to "tap" into Him. No. The Christian God is a God who enters into human history in the most personal of all ways...as a person Himself! Our God's deepest desire is to get personal with us. . .his creation. And so, He became a living, breathing, human to show us how up-close and personal He really is. He is a God "which we have heard with our ears, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have touched with our hands" (I Jn. 1:1,2). Gnostic's know such God. In search for rapturous, mysterious someTHING they overlook the personal someONE.
Deist? Gnostic? Christian? Take a close inventory and assess where you find yourself. Our prayer life does indeed reflect the kind of God we worship.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
What Are You Relying On?
Are you placing your dependency these days on the tangible things in front of you or are you trusting the Spirit of God inside of you? We speak of faith, we speak of the "gifts" of the Spirit that are used by the Spirit in our lives. But, if you are like me there's a temptation to place more security in my props than in God. Props are any tangible thing that I have come to depend upon other than the Lord. My plans. My personality. My personal power or persona. All these things have their place...but when I begin to trust in these props more than God, I've got a big problem. Truthfully, I’ve seen God’s hand in my life more powerfully displayed when the props are removed and the stage is cleared. In those moments I’m forced to see what is unseen and trust in God in a more real way. Jesus commanded his disciples to go out and “take nothing for the journey” (Mark 6.8). No programs or agendas. No porta-pews or papyrus tracts. His reason? Props get in the way of sincere devout faith. Much which we assume to be helpful in the spiritual life can be detrimental.
Here's a link to a great blog post that epitomizes removing the props we have come to depend upon and beginning to see that which is unseen. Enjoy the clip. . .and the post.
http://john8.com/christian-living/a-portrait-of-faith-in-jesus/
Here's a link to a great blog post that epitomizes removing the props we have come to depend upon and beginning to see that which is unseen. Enjoy the clip. . .and the post.
http://john8.com/christian-living/a-portrait-of-faith-in-jesus/
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Stop Trying to Change the World
So, you want to change the world, huh? I confess that I've dreamed of myself as a mover and shaker on a global scale. And, why not? After all, there are so many needed changes out there. Shouldn't we all want to change the world? Not necessarily.
A recent post by John Ortberg (http://johnortberg.com/?p=64 ) reminded me that changing the world is not in my primary job description as a disciple. And, good thing for the world too, because I'd probably do a lousy job at global transformation. Truthfully, all worldwide moving and shaking is God-sized stuff, and probably best left His hands, not ours. That's not to say that we have no part in world change. But our primary task is not to change the world.
Ortberg highly recommends a new book by James Hunter entitled "To Change the World". In it, Hunter argues, that the primary role of God's people throughout history has never been to change the world. . .that's always been God's job. . Our role? According to Hunter, to be a faithful presence within culture God has placed us. Often, in our Christian past, our agendas and ambitions to change the world has led to "Christian conquest" in the name of Jesus, without the marks of Jesus like humility, grace and love.
Not a world-mover. Not a conquering king. Simply a faithful presence. A Faithful Presence? I know what you are thinking. That's so. . .so boring. So wimpy. So passive. Yes, so it appears. That is until we flesh out what being a faithful presence actually looks like. As we jump into the skin of a life that embodies a "faithful presence" kind of life, we find anything but boring, wimpy, passive lives. We find Daniel in Babylon. What was this young man if not a faithful presence? How about Joseph? Hard to change the world in the slammer. Fortunately, God had not called him to change the world, but to simply be a faithful presence of God under years of lock and key. We see through the lens of faithful presence Noah, Esther, Job, Ruth, Simeon and Mary. We find the DNA of faithful presence in the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles. . .all called by God to be a faithful presence of simple obedience, often in cultures that despised, ignored and rejected the call of God.
When we set our sights on changing the world our heart might be in the right place, but our focus is in the wrong direction. Being a faithful presence means that our target, our focus, our primary aim is being who God has called us to be and doing what He has called us to do. And, that is enough for God. Because, the lives of the saints ensure us that God will use our faithful presence as a catalyst for His kingdom, so that He can receive the glory for changing our world.
Haven't read Hunter's book yet, but the excerpts I've read about his book look fantastic. Has anyone out there picked up the book? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
A recent post by John Ortberg (http://johnortberg.com/?p=64 ) reminded me that changing the world is not in my primary job description as a disciple. And, good thing for the world too, because I'd probably do a lousy job at global transformation. Truthfully, all worldwide moving and shaking is God-sized stuff, and probably best left His hands, not ours. That's not to say that we have no part in world change. But our primary task is not to change the world.
Ortberg highly recommends a new book by James Hunter entitled "To Change the World". In it, Hunter argues, that the primary role of God's people throughout history has never been to change the world. . .that's always been God's job. . Our role? According to Hunter, to be a faithful presence within culture God has placed us. Often, in our Christian past, our agendas and ambitions to change the world has led to "Christian conquest" in the name of Jesus, without the marks of Jesus like humility, grace and love.
Not a world-mover. Not a conquering king. Simply a faithful presence. A Faithful Presence? I know what you are thinking. That's so. . .so boring. So wimpy. So passive. Yes, so it appears. That is until we flesh out what being a faithful presence actually looks like. As we jump into the skin of a life that embodies a "faithful presence" kind of life, we find anything but boring, wimpy, passive lives. We find Daniel in Babylon. What was this young man if not a faithful presence? How about Joseph? Hard to change the world in the slammer. Fortunately, God had not called him to change the world, but to simply be a faithful presence of God under years of lock and key. We see through the lens of faithful presence Noah, Esther, Job, Ruth, Simeon and Mary. We find the DNA of faithful presence in the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles. . .all called by God to be a faithful presence of simple obedience, often in cultures that despised, ignored and rejected the call of God.
When we set our sights on changing the world our heart might be in the right place, but our focus is in the wrong direction. Being a faithful presence means that our target, our focus, our primary aim is being who God has called us to be and doing what He has called us to do. And, that is enough for God. Because, the lives of the saints ensure us that God will use our faithful presence as a catalyst for His kingdom, so that He can receive the glory for changing our world.
Haven't read Hunter's book yet, but the excerpts I've read about his book look fantastic. Has anyone out there picked up the book? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Excavating Ephesians
I'm studying Ephesians right now and loving it. Studying the Scriptures is like digging for buried treasure. There's some work to be done for sure, but the labor is never in vain. In in the middle of your labor you discover this chest of wealth that existed just beneath your feet all the time. All you had to do was a little digging. My time in prayer and preparation for this study has been like that. What begins as labor-intensive and perplexing (what in the world does Paul mean here???), begins with prayer and meditation to expose itself little by little. And, then it happens. Instead of pulling up one more handful of sand, you begin to excavate from the unknown depths jewels and gems and find cloth and all sorts of unique, priceless relics. And, you discover at once that you are more full, more wealthy, more secure, more loved than you had ever realized. And, you're brought to your knees in humble recognition that Christ Himself is that treasure. That's what I'm excavating in Ephesians.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Lessons on Shutting Up
One of my great pet peeves is sitting next to "movie motor mouths". You know those types? I remember one time watching the movie Gladiator with a handful of college students. We were in the middle of the greatest part of the movie where we knew something big was about to happen. We were all on the edge of our seats, totally engaged in the storyline. You could have heard a pin drop until two students who arrived an hour late into the movie marched theatre and began with their verbal barrage. First, came 101 questions that somehow had nothing to do with anything important in the movie. Then our patience was severely tested by one of the student's play by play analysis of the film who had seen this movie before. This was particularly annoying. I wanted to lean over and say "Shut up!" Of course that would have been rude, so I just offered this individual my bucket of pop-corn which had a way of keeping his mouth pre-occupied for a while.
It's amazing how an intruding word at the wrong time can disrupt the most compelling drama. When our hearts and souls are engaged into a story, I mean really engaged, untimely words can not only break our connection with that story, but trivialize it as well. If this is true with a good storyline in a movie, how much more with the story of our lives.
Recently, God has been teaching me that the words I speak have as much power to break trust as they do to build intimacy. They have the ability to trivialize the soul as much as speak truth to the soul. Our culture inundates us with the idea that more is better. Better too much of something than too little, right? Better a small group where everybody "shares" and talks a lot than a group that's silent. Certainly it's better to give a word of unsolicited advice than to remain silence. Not necessarily!
If you remember Job's friends you'll recall that as Job went through the "living hell" that he experienced his friends "sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because of how great his suffering was" (Job 2:13). Helpless and struck by their own ability to "fix" Job's dilemma, his friends suffer with him in silence. Seven days! When was the last time you sat silent for seven hours at the feet of someone whose soul was in anguish? Can you imagine seven days?
Those of us who have sat next to a loved one who's in the slow agonizing process of death can relate. There's nothing that we can say to help them. Only thing we can do is to be "present"....to "be there for them". It would do us well to remember that the sum of friendship isn't the amount of advice that he/she can muster up in a given situation. My experience has shown that often when we give unsolicited advice or offer quick fixes without truly listening to one another, we force the soul into hiding. Most of us resent it when after sharing a deep struggle we are facing we are "sized up" in ten minutes and given a piece of token advice. If a medical doctor casually glossed over a patient and offered a token diagnosis without truly listening to and examining his symptoms we'd be suing for malpractice! And yet, so often we offer fixes for the inner man without first listening and giving reverence to the mysteries and complexities of the human condition.
Practical suggestion: Work on truly listening to those whom God has placed in your life. Resist the urge to fix. When someone shares, afford yourself a time of silence and prayer where you can begin to swallow what has been said. This silence will allow the person who shared the space for the inner teacher, the Holy Spirit, to speak his own truth into that person's life. It will also provide you the space to think about how you might navigate the rest of the conversation.
I’m guessing that Jesus was one fantastic listener. I know this because he was so present…so available…so aware of the other. People who like to listen to themselves speak are never those things. If you live in the Hayward area and are interested in learning more effective ways to listen to another soul, my friends Steve and Susie Burns will be offering a small retreat on Christian listening. They have told me that it has transformed how they minister and counsel others. The dates are July 30-31 at Crosswoods Camp. The cost is $30. It is not an overnight retreat. But it is essential to attend both Friday evening and Saturday. Email me or contact the church office (634-4613) for more details!
It's amazing how an intruding word at the wrong time can disrupt the most compelling drama. When our hearts and souls are engaged into a story, I mean really engaged, untimely words can not only break our connection with that story, but trivialize it as well. If this is true with a good storyline in a movie, how much more with the story of our lives.
Recently, God has been teaching me that the words I speak have as much power to break trust as they do to build intimacy. They have the ability to trivialize the soul as much as speak truth to the soul. Our culture inundates us with the idea that more is better. Better too much of something than too little, right? Better a small group where everybody "shares" and talks a lot than a group that's silent. Certainly it's better to give a word of unsolicited advice than to remain silence. Not necessarily!
If you remember Job's friends you'll recall that as Job went through the "living hell" that he experienced his friends "sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him because of how great his suffering was" (Job 2:13). Helpless and struck by their own ability to "fix" Job's dilemma, his friends suffer with him in silence. Seven days! When was the last time you sat silent for seven hours at the feet of someone whose soul was in anguish? Can you imagine seven days?
Those of us who have sat next to a loved one who's in the slow agonizing process of death can relate. There's nothing that we can say to help them. Only thing we can do is to be "present"....to "be there for them". It would do us well to remember that the sum of friendship isn't the amount of advice that he/she can muster up in a given situation. My experience has shown that often when we give unsolicited advice or offer quick fixes without truly listening to one another, we force the soul into hiding. Most of us resent it when after sharing a deep struggle we are facing we are "sized up" in ten minutes and given a piece of token advice. If a medical doctor casually glossed over a patient and offered a token diagnosis without truly listening to and examining his symptoms we'd be suing for malpractice! And yet, so often we offer fixes for the inner man without first listening and giving reverence to the mysteries and complexities of the human condition.
Practical suggestion: Work on truly listening to those whom God has placed in your life. Resist the urge to fix. When someone shares, afford yourself a time of silence and prayer where you can begin to swallow what has been said. This silence will allow the person who shared the space for the inner teacher, the Holy Spirit, to speak his own truth into that person's life. It will also provide you the space to think about how you might navigate the rest of the conversation.
I’m guessing that Jesus was one fantastic listener. I know this because he was so present…so available…so aware of the other. People who like to listen to themselves speak are never those things. If you live in the Hayward area and are interested in learning more effective ways to listen to another soul, my friends Steve and Susie Burns will be offering a small retreat on Christian listening. They have told me that it has transformed how they minister and counsel others. The dates are July 30-31 at Crosswoods Camp. The cost is $30. It is not an overnight retreat. But it is essential to attend both Friday evening and Saturday. Email me or contact the church office (634-4613) for more details!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
He was naked too. . .
The two sisters stood side by side. Their bodies sickly and decimated from lack of food and sleep. They stood waiting and shivering in the morning chill. Another roll call at Ravensbruck concentration camp where Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom awaited morning medical inspection by their inhumane captors .
The Ten Booms were Dutch Christians that harbored Jews in their home during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Corrie and Betsy had reached out their hand in love to a hurting people group, the Jews. And, now the only hands reaching out to them were the brutal paws of guards pointing and ordering these two feeble bodied women with hunger-gloated stomachs to strip down naked for "inspection". Corrie and Betsy both knew there was no reason for all the clothing to be stripped. Surely it was not necessary to take every piece of cloth. They recognized this order was more about humiliation and shredding human decency than about a random medical check. The kind of men who would take subtle pleasure in seeing malnourished women with stick-figure frames naked, Betsy and Corrie would never understand. Standing there vulnerable in full view to these grinning guards was just one more dimension of humiliation exemplified in this hellish place called Ravensbruck.
Standing there in plain view of her oppressors, the thought came to Corrie. Like an epiphany, a Biblical revelation landed deep in her spirit. "They took his clothes too", she mouthed under her breath. And, then a single tear would follow. Until this moment, Corrie had never fully understood or really known the depth of humiliation that Christ endured at the cross. She reflected on the exact words of the gospel "And they stripped him of his clothes". Jesus had hung naked on the cross for the sins of the world. There was no decency or respect shown to Him. The Son of God hung naked and exposed before a stream of gawking onlookers who hurled insults at him. They took his clothes too.
In that moment Corrie, amidst the pain and horror, found hope and courage in her God. He had suffered her fate. Experienced what she experienced. Felt what she felt. And, in that Corrie found hope.
As I muse over Corrie's story from her autobiography called the "Hiding Place" (a must read), I am wondering what principles we might glean from her Ravensbruck experience. How might her story infrom our own stories in our places of suffering?
Principle #1
It seems to me that there is no possible place of suffering where we find ourselves that Christ himself has not already entered. Our God understands the degradation of being stripped bare for all the world to see. He knows suffering. He knows humiliation. He knows Ravensbruck. Yes, he knows Ravensbruck inside and out. . .and every other hellish place in the world like it. And, we can find solace in the fact that he's been where we are and understands the horror we are presently experiencing. Only in Christianity do we discover a God who has suffered our humiliation and who is able to sympathize with our weakness. Where we are, He has been. Where we are, He is. What a God!
Principle #2
Jesus has not only been where we've been, but has gone through it and come out on the other side victorious. Resurrection points us to the eventual collapse and ultimate defeat of every Ravensbruck on this planet. The resurrection of Chirst offers us hope because although Jesus was naked, he has been clothed again by the Father. Although he suffered humiliation, today He is honored. Although He died, he lives.
Ravensbruck's days are numbered. Today we might find ourselves cold, vulnerable and naked with enemies pointing fingers and defacing our character. But a day will come...and with Jesus Christ has already come...where we will be clothed by the Father. A day is coming says the Lord when justice will reign, God will appear, the worlds Ravensbrucks will disintegrate and those who have placed their hope in Him "will not be found naked" (2 Corinthians 5:3).
The Ten Booms were Dutch Christians that harbored Jews in their home during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Corrie and Betsy had reached out their hand in love to a hurting people group, the Jews. And, now the only hands reaching out to them were the brutal paws of guards pointing and ordering these two feeble bodied women with hunger-gloated stomachs to strip down naked for "inspection". Corrie and Betsy both knew there was no reason for all the clothing to be stripped. Surely it was not necessary to take every piece of cloth. They recognized this order was more about humiliation and shredding human decency than about a random medical check. The kind of men who would take subtle pleasure in seeing malnourished women with stick-figure frames naked, Betsy and Corrie would never understand. Standing there vulnerable in full view to these grinning guards was just one more dimension of humiliation exemplified in this hellish place called Ravensbruck.
Standing there in plain view of her oppressors, the thought came to Corrie. Like an epiphany, a Biblical revelation landed deep in her spirit. "They took his clothes too", she mouthed under her breath. And, then a single tear would follow. Until this moment, Corrie had never fully understood or really known the depth of humiliation that Christ endured at the cross. She reflected on the exact words of the gospel "And they stripped him of his clothes". Jesus had hung naked on the cross for the sins of the world. There was no decency or respect shown to Him. The Son of God hung naked and exposed before a stream of gawking onlookers who hurled insults at him. They took his clothes too.
In that moment Corrie, amidst the pain and horror, found hope and courage in her God. He had suffered her fate. Experienced what she experienced. Felt what she felt. And, in that Corrie found hope.
As I muse over Corrie's story from her autobiography called the "Hiding Place" (a must read), I am wondering what principles we might glean from her Ravensbruck experience. How might her story infrom our own stories in our places of suffering?
Principle #1
It seems to me that there is no possible place of suffering where we find ourselves that Christ himself has not already entered. Our God understands the degradation of being stripped bare for all the world to see. He knows suffering. He knows humiliation. He knows Ravensbruck. Yes, he knows Ravensbruck inside and out. . .and every other hellish place in the world like it. And, we can find solace in the fact that he's been where we are and understands the horror we are presently experiencing. Only in Christianity do we discover a God who has suffered our humiliation and who is able to sympathize with our weakness. Where we are, He has been. Where we are, He is. What a God!
Principle #2
Jesus has not only been where we've been, but has gone through it and come out on the other side victorious. Resurrection points us to the eventual collapse and ultimate defeat of every Ravensbruck on this planet. The resurrection of Chirst offers us hope because although Jesus was naked, he has been clothed again by the Father. Although he suffered humiliation, today He is honored. Although He died, he lives.
Ravensbruck's days are numbered. Today we might find ourselves cold, vulnerable and naked with enemies pointing fingers and defacing our character. But a day will come...and with Jesus Christ has already come...where we will be clothed by the Father. A day is coming says the Lord when justice will reign, God will appear, the worlds Ravensbrucks will disintegrate and those who have placed their hope in Him "will not be found naked" (2 Corinthians 5:3).
Monday, June 28, 2010
God of Wasteful Abundance
His comment caught me off guard. As my friend Nathan and I were enjoying a hike in the deep woods of northern Minnesota we ran into a jackpot of fresh wild berries that were perfect for feasting on. "Boy", Nathan commented as he dined on another handful of juicy blackberries, "God is a God of wasteful abundance." Wasteful Abundance? I had considered over the years how God seemingly wastes nothing. I have always considered God as the perfect steward. One who works with what he has and never spoils or wastes one thing in this world of His. And, of course this is true in many contexts. But, a God of wasteful His abundance? Now, that's a thought I'd never considered before.
As I stood there, berry juice running down the rough whiskers of my unshaven face, I smiled and thought, "Yes, wasteful abundance." I scanned all the berries in this one spot of the forest floor. There were so many ripened berries, perfect for the plucking, in my line of sight alone that I couldn't possibly eat what was visible. Then I considered the millions of acres in this raw wilderness where these berries run wild and flourish. Millions upon millions of berries that would ripen, fall to the ground and spoil without any animal or human enjoying their sweetness.
Yes, wasteful abundance. The thought made me happy for God. God is so decadent in His blessings. He is so exuberant with his goodness that most of what He has to offer is wasted simply because there's too much to take in at one time.
God is so wasteful. He is guilty of polluting this world. Polluting His created cosmos with goodness and abundance and grace and beauty. He floods this world with more abundance than we can possibly take in in one lifetime.
As I stood there, berry juice running down the rough whiskers of my unshaven face, I smiled and thought, "Yes, wasteful abundance." I scanned all the berries in this one spot of the forest floor. There were so many ripened berries, perfect for the plucking, in my line of sight alone that I couldn't possibly eat what was visible. Then I considered the millions of acres in this raw wilderness where these berries run wild and flourish. Millions upon millions of berries that would ripen, fall to the ground and spoil without any animal or human enjoying their sweetness.
Yes, wasteful abundance. The thought made me happy for God. God is so decadent in His blessings. He is so exuberant with his goodness that most of what He has to offer is wasted simply because there's too much to take in at one time.
God is so wasteful. He is guilty of polluting this world. Polluting His created cosmos with goodness and abundance and grace and beauty. He floods this world with more abundance than we can possibly take in in one lifetime.
We see abundance in scrumptious berries that no tongue will ever touch. We see it in the billions of brilliant stars that no eye will ever gaze upon. Or, in each unique snowflake, a work of art in its own right, that will sparkle with brilliance then melt and evaporate apart from any admiring onlooker. Perhaps most poignantly, God's wasteful abundance is seen in the blood of Christ spilled for men that will never desire, want, nor embrace His love. Yes, there is much that God seemingly wastes. . .especially on us.
But, is not that the nature of our great God? His giving is wasteful. Is not love and grace the stuff of wasteful abundance? God's goodness has a way of coming in bulk. He floods His way into our lives. Even if much of what He offers us goes to waste. He gives so liberally. So generously. So lavishly.
But, is not that the nature of our great God? His giving is wasteful. Is not love and grace the stuff of wasteful abundance? God's goodness has a way of coming in bulk. He floods His way into our lives. Even if much of what He offers us goes to waste. He gives so liberally. So generously. So lavishly.
Application? Instead of looking at a world in terms of how meager things are, turn your gaze towards God's wasteful abundance. He offers us "immeasurably more than we ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3. 20-21). Instead of clenching your fists in frustration over a wasted opportunity today, open up your hands and begin to receive the wasteful bounty that God is presently offering. Don't let his goodness spoil! Take and feast on the Father's excess today.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
On the Gifts
When I first came to Hayward Wesleyan and began helping new Christians and those seeking membership to discover their spiritual gifts I began using a spiritual gifts test. It seemed simple enough. Break out a number 2 sharpie, answer 50 questions or so, and presto! After ten minutes of thought and shading in some boxes you have discovered your unique role and fit into the local Body.
But, I confess that after doing this for a while, I began feeling less settled about the whole process. It seemed stagnant. Lifeless. Too contrived and individualistic.
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (I Corinthians 12:7).
The manifest ion of the Spirit....
The Scripture teaches that it is the Holy Spirit who gives or bestows the gifts, not a test. There is a strong argument here that as we keep in step with the Spirit the Spirit Himself will bestow these gifts to us. One might find it humorous to think of Peter sailing the sea of Galilee while jotting down answers to a test in order to find out how he would "plug into" and adequately minister to the Church. No, we all recognize that the gifts of the early church fathers and mothers emerged out of listening to the pull of God's Spirit and by being in deep relationship to others with whom they worshipped with.
Is not the same true for us? We no longer live a life led by "mute idols" (1 Cor. 12:2), but live by the Spirit who speaks, who leads, who brings clarity to us. God is not concealing your spiritual gift and there is no systematic process that Scripture outlines for us to discover our gift other than keeping in step with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit wants to bestow gifts to that will build up the Body of Christ and ultimately bring glory to the Father. He is working in your life and distributing gifts to us for the common good. The question is are you listening? Are you keeping your ear to the ground and eyes to the Lord to discern the giftings that His Spirit longs to give to you?
. . .To each person for the common good.
The gifts are ultimately for the common good of the Church. This is yet another point where it seems that a spiritual gift assessment falls short. A spiritual gift test simply asks questions about YOU. Your personality, your preferences, your likes and dislikes. . .essentially what you are good at. But, the goal of the gifts is not primarily about discovering a place where you can flourish. Rather, the gifts are primarily about building up the Body of Christ and bringing glory to God in the process. Spiritual gifts are the Spirit's gift to us not for our own good, but for the common good.
As team player in sports, this makes perfect sense. I may be a great striker in soccer. But, if the team already has a couple strikers (a striker is an offensive player), and the coach places me as a defensive back, and lo and behold, I flourish in that role, then that's where I need to be because it serves the common good. It doesn't serve the team well to demand that I play striker simply because I appear to be better at this position on paper. What matters is what the team needs of me on the field.
In the same way, God wants us to minister to the Church, not based on how we appear on pen and paper, but on the playing field of life in community. When we are immersed in love for one another, connected to the common good of one another, the Spirit of God has a way of affirming us directing us within that community to the exact place and setting where we can most effectively minister.
Most of us were raised on the model of discovering our gifts first, and then putting them into practice in community. But,I might suggest a reverse model. We first discover our community. Fall deeply in love with the brothers and sisters that God has set before you. Discover the needs of the Body and give yourself over to the welfare and health of that community. And, in so doing, I believe your spiritual giftings will begin to emerge with clarity and focus all by themselves as God's Spirit guides and illuminates.
How about you? How did you discover your spiritual gifts? What played the most essential role in you being affirmed and encouraged to minister and give towards the common good? I'm interested in your feedback.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
On you Marks. . .
The Race from Heath Davis on Vimeo.
My family and I are enjoying a family vacation in our favorite spot. . .Cape Hatteras, NC. When I say family vacation I'm not exaggerating. . .I think at last count there are over 40 of us down here who are kin of some sort. I cooked about sixty hot dogs last night on the grill for dinner. Like feeding a small army. After dinner we went to the beach for a devotional prepared by Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Larry.
Grandpa Larry spoke to the kids on finishing well using the metaphor of a race. "It's not about who finishes first", he shared "it's about how you run the race, and finishing well". Grandpa asked the kids how Jesus would run a race. Would he just shove others out of the way to get to the front, or would he help the hurting and help out the slow? The kids all agreed that Jesus would show concern not to win, but to help others finish strong.
Like a good teacher, Grandpa let his little students put into practice what they had learned. He asked all the grandkids to line up on a starting line he prepared. . .there were about 15 of them ranging from 12 to 4. "Remember", he said, "It's not about winning, or who comes in first. . . it's about being like Jesus." Of course, us parents stood by wondering how our kids would apply Grandpa's words of wisdom into the context of this race on the sand.
"On your marks". . .my eyes went to my 4 year old nephew Caidron who would certainly need help as he had no clear chance at winning.
"Get set". . .Jackson glances over towards Caidron, perhaps I think, he's going to sacrifice his place in the race to help his little cousin. . .And, oh, here comes Kiera! She has moved in next to Caidron. She's the oldest. Certainly she gets Grandpa's point and has jockeyed into a new position help the 4-year old underdog.
These kids are getting it, I muse. They have successfully caught a lesson about life and love. Life isn't just about winning an losing. It's about finishing well. A hopeless idealist, I'm picturing all fourteen grand kids urging little Caidron on and letting him win the race, even carrying him on their shoulders after he crosses the finish line. . .there are shouts of victory, tears in the kids eyes, and proud Grandparents viewing the entire scene with satisfaction and approval.
"Go!". . .At Grandpa's command the race is on. And, what we saw in that moment left all the adults speechless. Fourteen blood thirsty, glory hungry hoodlums kicking, scratching and shoving their way to the front. Total depravity in all its glory! Of course, standing at the starting line stunned, wiping sand from his eyes from quite literally being left in the dust, was Caidron. Well, so much for getting the point.
We all, including Grandpa, had to laugh at such a scene. We were reminded that solid interpretation doesn't necessarily lead to sincere application. How many of us have heard our share of Jesus' words, lined up to run the race with good intentions and left Him in the dust as we scratch, kick and shove our way to the front.
If Grandpa's words about Jesus are right, then I guess there were no "winners" yesterday. And, maybe that's the point. We just don't get it. . .(big kids included :) ). His way is not our way. He ran a different sort of race and found victory in a way that we would rather not. And, so often we just don't it. Maybe the point is not getting it, as much as getting Him.
I think every kid and adult walked away a little more victorious yesterday. . .precisely because there were no "winners". I'm reminded that we are all losers, who just don't get it. But, thanks be to God, who has sent a winner on our behalf, one who won the race that we failed to run.
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great day yesterday!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Uprooting
People are like trees. The exist to grow, flourish and point to God. Our hearts are like the roots of the tree. They are forever seeking to be firmly established in a life-giving source.
The unformed soul is like a sapling without soil. It knows intuitively that it will dry up, shrivel and die unless its roots find a home. Roots operate like desperate hands forever grasping for some life-giving source in which it can cling to.
This insatiable desire for the human heart to be rooted in something larger than ourselves is universal and explains why everyone is rooted in something. The problem is the where we have planted ourselves. As this picture depicts, a tree can be rooted almost anywhere. This small Maple tree has found its home in a 2x10 rough sawn oak bench. In it's vulnerable state and desperate quest for life a tree will lay down roots into anything that has the slightest resemblance of earth. Sadly, it has become dislocated and despite it's natural inclination to live, it will die.
In the same way, each person in the world has a heart that's been rooted. The problem is where that heart has been planted. Too often we settle for so much less than the rich soil of God's kingdom. Like the sapling, we too will die unless we uproot and are transplanted.
But, ah, herein lies the problem. Roots are attachments. Their job is to establish a firm and safe home. For the small Maple tree, being yanked out of it's established dwelling (as bizarre as a place that it's been planted) must feel like a kind of death is taking place.
The great writer A.W. Tozer puts it well. He writes, "The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God's gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution."
Following Jesus ALWAYS involves uprooting. This means there is a process of detachment, and de-establishment from our old established home. This is why Jesus says that if you truly want to live, you must first die.
While the rough-sawn oak cannot sustain life, if it's all we ever knew, and where we have established our source of life, the goodbyes can be painful. It can feel like death. The good news is that although it feels like death, we will ultimately live.
Our sapling lives can be re-established in the right source. We can be transplanted and grow as we never previously knew.
If we want to understand how people have been formed, we must look at where their roots have been established. We must never water-down or minimize this "uprooting" process in discipleship. Rather, we have to give them a wider and deeper vision of where we were meant to be established and live.
The unformed soul is like a sapling without soil. It knows intuitively that it will dry up, shrivel and die unless its roots find a home. Roots operate like desperate hands forever grasping for some life-giving source in which it can cling to.
This insatiable desire for the human heart to be rooted in something larger than ourselves is universal and explains why everyone is rooted in something. The problem is the where we have planted ourselves. As this picture depicts, a tree can be rooted almost anywhere. This small Maple tree has found its home in a 2x10 rough sawn oak bench. In it's vulnerable state and desperate quest for life a tree will lay down roots into anything that has the slightest resemblance of earth. Sadly, it has become dislocated and despite it's natural inclination to live, it will die.
In the same way, each person in the world has a heart that's been rooted. The problem is where that heart has been planted. Too often we settle for so much less than the rich soil of God's kingdom. Like the sapling, we too will die unless we uproot and are transplanted.
But, ah, herein lies the problem. Roots are attachments. Their job is to establish a firm and safe home. For the small Maple tree, being yanked out of it's established dwelling (as bizarre as a place that it's been planted) must feel like a kind of death is taking place.
The great writer A.W. Tozer puts it well. He writes, "The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God's gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution."
Following Jesus ALWAYS involves uprooting. This means there is a process of detachment, and de-establishment from our old established home. This is why Jesus says that if you truly want to live, you must first die.
While the rough-sawn oak cannot sustain life, if it's all we ever knew, and where we have established our source of life, the goodbyes can be painful. It can feel like death. The good news is that although it feels like death, we will ultimately live.
Our sapling lives can be re-established in the right source. We can be transplanted and grow as we never previously knew.
If we want to understand how people have been formed, we must look at where their roots have been established. We must never water-down or minimize this "uprooting" process in discipleship. Rather, we have to give them a wider and deeper vision of where we were meant to be established and live.
Prayer for a Pair
My friends Caleb and Ashley Yoder had twins a few weeks ago. The boys were premature and miraculously hung on to life although they each weighed less than 2 lbs. Ashley has done a great job of recording this difficult and challenging journey (click on title link above to read their journey and view pictures of the pre-me's). For many during this ordeal Caleb and Ashley have been unable to be near their two boys for fear of over-stimulating them. It's got to be so difficult to deal with this. I just thought my readers would find strength in their struggle and it would be a reminder to say a prayer for little Luke and Max. . .and for mom and dad.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Haggart Street
Haggart Street is in a rough neighborhood in the Kensington area of Philadelphia. It’s undergone all types of demographical changes over the past 50 years creating a melting pot of Irish, Italian, Puerto Rican, African American and Asian residents. Beyond the racial and ethnic divides on this street are literally dozens of diverse opinions, tastes, styles and worldviews. Almost all the residents would be defined as “working poor”, on this street with the exception of a couple “crack homes” that house the addicts and homeless. Beyond the place in which the residents dwell, these people have almost nothing else in common.
Our mission team was in Philly participating in a short-term mission project that included helping out in a homeless shelter and leading a Vacation Bible School for neighborhood kids. Our team had come with the intention of bringing this street together . . .or so we thought.
Our mission team was in Philly participating in a short-term mission project that included helping out in a homeless shelter and leading a Vacation Bible School for neighborhood kids. Our team had come with the intention of bringing this street together . . .or so we thought.
It was the 4th of July and we were located smack dab in the middle of the city of “brotherly love" (or brotherly shove depending upon rush hour traffic) where the Declaration of Independence was signed. The pride of the city resonated strong within its residents on this day.
As missionaries for the week on Haggart Street, we led, connected, played, prayed and blessed. Things you would expect of a missionary team. But, later that day, something strange happened that short-term missionaries don’t expect. We were targeted, reached-out to and given an invitation. We were invited be special guests at a Independence Day block part on Haggart Street that stretched the couple blocks between Frankfort Ave. and Emerald St. We, who had come to give, invite and bless, found ourselves a grateful recipiants to special invitation where we would be blessed in a unique way. We, came dispensing the goodwill of the gospel...and found ourselves recepients of goodwill. God works in mysterious ways.
By 9 a.m. two strategically parked cars on each end of the blocks created the necessary road block and simply shut down all through traffic for the day. By 10 a.m. residents were scurrying around like ants dragging out their barbeque grills, sweeping their front stoops and wishing neighbors a happy 4th in preparation for a day of festivity, communion and celebration.
Although there were at least four different generations represented on the block and no less than five complexions of skin shades seen in the streets. . .all gathered together as one on their street. Old and young, black and white, man and woman joined together in sharing their grilling recipes in between plays of a great and rowdy game of “street football”.
One neighbor went house to house collecting every person’s favorite music CD's and proceeded to play the entire block's “favorite hits” on his stereo throughout the day. Music ranging from Puff Daddy to Frank Sinatra to Conway Twitty served as an audible reminder that we can co-exist and yes, even celebrate our personal differences. Although the street hummed different tunes that day, they all really sang the same song. It was the song of unity and harmony. And, this song was powerful and tangibly noticed in people’s smiles, embraces and generousity. For hours that afternoon and evening, the Haggart St. gang laughed together, danced together, shared stories together.
The unity and harmony I felt that day amidst so many stranges was, well. . .almost otherwordly. This was not some contrived unity where we all get along because we are all suburban soccer moms. Nor, was it a unity emerging from corporate perfection marked by the absence of brokenness and bruises. No, these folks were none of that. What I saw happening that day was a taste of unity that arose in spite of diversity….harmony despite imperfection.
As I walked up and down the street talking with the elderly, playing hacky-sack with smiling kids and bantering with men about how the Packers would take down the Eagles next season, what I felt was a kind peace that arises out of collective brokenness. Sort of like these Philly residents were saying, “yea, we got problems, and we’re not okay. . .but it’s okay. . .cause today we are Philadelphians and we choose to celebrate what unites us.”
As I mused on this amazing evening later, I began to think of Haggart St. as a metaphor of the Church. The Church must be a people who are collectively broken before one another…and before God. Like Haggart Street, the church is about a people in a specific locale brought together by a celebrative event (Christ’s ransom on our behalf), who share what they have in common and choose to focus on those things which unify (Christ) instead of that which divides (self-interest).
What a picture of the body of Christ I had discovered in Kensington Philadelphia. This living picture of a great block-party still resonates with me today. It continually challenges me. If a handful of people without Christ can put aside differences and become one for a moment in time. . .how much more those of us in the Body of Christ!
Haggart Street beckons me to ask what a Church without walls might look like. A place of true belonging where we are part of something larger than our own individual identities. A place where each is free to admit our mutual brokenness without fear of judgment.
How much does your church community look like Haggart Street? I'm convinced that Haggart Street can exist whenever we are willing to put aside our personal preferences for the prefences of Christ. His body was torn apart to bring us together.
How much does your church community look like Haggart Street? I'm convinced that Haggart Street can exist whenever we are willing to put aside our personal preferences for the prefences of Christ. His body was torn apart to bring us together.
What are you doing to create Haggart Street experiences within those places God has called us?
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
The Irresistable voice of praise
One thing that I'm learning is that praise is a spontaneous eruption that emits from a heart that is full of the fullness of God. True praise is not the stuff of forced smiles and plastered grins. I've met those who strive for praise and practice the discipline of praise. And, there is a time and place for that. But, if we want to get a proper understanding of what true praise looks like, we must look to someone firmly rooted in the reality of God's goodness.
When I think of praise, I think of a roller coaster ride. Often amusement parks set aside a hidden camera on that one specific spot on the track where, after having been twisted, jolted and dropped three stories, a mug shot is taken of each rider. Usually, these mug shots can be viewed on camera, and purchased if desired, after the ride is over. I enjoy seeing what the camera captured. Typically, in every photo the expression is similar. A strange brew of "I'm gonnnnna die" mixed with "Bring it oooon". Death and delight...what an exhilarating concoction!
Now, usually when we pose for a camera we are in control and can monitor our facial expressions. We dictate the image we desire to give the world. What's so fun about these roller coaster pictures is there is an inability to control any of ones facial faculties. The force of the experience is so great, your face just erupts in delight and terror all at once. One time after riding the same roller coaster ten times, and getting ten similar facial expressions, I decided to ride one more time to purposely attempt to keep a stoic, face...an expressionless face of boredom amidst the crazy ten-story drop where my insides felt like silly puddy. And, Guess what? I couldn't do it.
The sheer power and thrill going on inside my stomach took over and controlled my outward expressions. Despite all my efforts to override it, my inner delight with this ride simply erupted in an outer manifestation of sheer delight. I was powerless to conceal my pearly whites. All smile. All delight.
Some things in life are simply too powerful to contain or conceal. Inner realities always have a way of manifesting themselves outwardly. I think true praise is this way. Real praise to God is never forced or concocted. Rather, praise in an outward expression, an outward eruption if you will, of an inner world who finds delight and fullness in God.
C.S. Lewis speaks to the irresistible nature of praise. He writes:
I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise. .The world rings with praise – lovers praising their mistresses [Romeo praising Juliet and vice versa], readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game – praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. . . . Except where intolerably adverse circumstances interfere,praise almost seems to be inner health made audible. . . . I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: 'Isn't she lovely? Wasn't it glorious? Don't you think that magnificent?' The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.
Hmmm...Praise. Inner health made audible. Boy, that rings true to me. We do this everyday. We are content with and brag about the size of that fish we caught. We speak to ourselves as the sun beams upon our face in saying "what a lovely day." We look into the eyes of our spouse after a pleasant evening and whisper, "I love you" or "thank you". When the human heart is full it is like a shooting geyser. It erupts in praise spontaneously and powerfully. And, praise drenches, soaks and fills all within its reach. And, the world is a better place as a result.
So, the questions I've been asking myself are obvious ones:
- First, is praise an irresistible eruption that constantly gushes forth in my life? If not, what is the status of my inner world?
- Second, am I having to try real hard to praise God? is it forced today? If so, what does that reflect about the "track" (thinking of the roller coaster metaphor) I'm on with God right now?
- Lastly, if praise is "inner health made audible" then what IS audible in my life to those listening to my voice? Is my life is more audibly characterized by groans, aches, frowns, frustration, negativity or sarcasm then by praise?
Today I pray that praise would be the most audible voice of my life. That though my life might have different voices at different times, I would be remembered by those who loved me as one whose voice praised God in the good, bad and ordinary days of life.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Raising up Disciples
If there ever was a kindred spirit who put into words (better than I) what I have been trying to express and teach our congregation regarding relational discipleship. . .Dave Patty is the guy. Patty and his Josiah Venture team have been building disciples in eastern Europe since the fall of communism in 1989. Since that time, some great stuff is going on there to further the gospel. A must read article for anyone serious about the task and challenge of raising up disciples.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
3 Misconceptions about Transformation
Misconception #3 “Trying real hard will produce spiritual transformation."Now at first glance this seems like a good idea. Trying is essential to success in any venture in life. So, it is a positive first step. But, trying alone won’t lead us into spiritual transformation any more than trying to bench press three-hundred pounds will lead to a transformed, chiseled physique. Often it leads to just the opposite. Failure, defeat, frustration, and exhaustion...not to mention a hernia. Why? Because we can move mountains on will-power alone. The will alone was never meant to transform the self. Trying alone was never intended as God's means of crafting a new you. Transformation is not primarily about "trying harder" It's about training smarter. Spiritual training is the key.
In fact the Bible speaks about training as a normal part of the Christian life. Paul compares the Christian life to a race and says, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training” (I Corinthians. 9:25). He later urges Timothy, “Train yourself in godliness” (I Timothy 4:7). Jesus says that “every disciple when fully trained will become like his master” (Luke 6:40). Most of us have been taught to try real hard in the Christian life. But have we been taught to train stategically?
Let’s answer two basic questions surrounding this idea of training. First, why is training so valuable to maturing as a Christian? And second, what does training look like in everyday circumstances?
Training is important to success in every area of life. In my neck of the woods, Hayward, Wisconsin, we host the American Birkebeiner North America's largest cross-country ski race. It boasts 51 grueling kilometers of challenging ski trails. I've done it a handful of times and assure you that it's no walk in the park. Think about it, how many people would be able to ski the Birkie on race day simply on will power alone? Perhaps a few could. However, for the vast majority of people (even athletic ones!) will power alone won’t cut it. You'd poop out half way or injure a body part along the way . . .or if you're not from northen Wisconsin, you'd just freeze your spandex off. In order to cross the infamous Lake Hayward and join a cheering crowd of witnesses urging you on as you ski up Main St. towards the finish, training would be essential. The reason? Because training allows us to become what we cannot become by will-power alone.
The same is true in the Christian experience. Without training our hearts, minds and bodies to routinely orient themselves towards the ways of Jesus we’re sure to fail. We see this so clearly at Gethsemane. It’s Jesus’ final hour. If ever he needed prayer partners it was now. His three closest amigos Peter, James and John are with him to support him, keep watch and pray for him. Here this trio find themselves in the middle of another essential garden where God in Jesus is groaning in agony and mustering the strength to bear the cross for all humanity. An in this epic, climatic point in human history . . .and what are Jesus' disciples doing? Sleeping! James is drooling. John is snooring. Peter dreaming...probably about fish. Jesus approaches them in their groggy state and whispers, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”. Now I’m sure these three disciples were trying to stay awake. Their spirits were willing; however they obviously had not trained their flesh in such a way as to experience victory. Will-power alone could not make these three do what they wanted to do. They had not trained for this.
How many areas of our lives that are marked by habitual sins, bad habits or immoral choices of which we internally scream, “the spirit is willing, but my flesh is so weak!” We all want to experience victory and reach maturity in all areas of our life. However, many never reach maturity in the Christian life. And often it is not because of lack of trying. It is the absense of training. Jesus, the apostles, and the early church fathers embraced the importance of training in the Christian life. It’s not until recent times that we’ve fallen captive to the notion that quick-fixes combined with a dash of will-power can replace adequate soul training. But quick-fixes and spurts of effort cannot rebuild our lives. Our problems go too deep for that. We need something more comprehensive. Something that encompasses the depth of our brokenness and offers a way to be healed. Or, maybe better than something.... a someone. And, I'd argue that that someone is Jesus Christ. He came not only to suffer death on our behalf, but also to model life. He lived his life fully oriented, fully abandoned to the Father. And, in his life, we see that he too implemented training regimens. Like a good trainer, he modeled for us the things we should do, and the spirit by which we should do them. Our training is essentially about following our trainer. We are transformed by practicing what Jesus practiced in the manner he practiced it.
Those things Jesus practiced in his own life historically have been called spiritual disciplines. I like to call them spiritual practices. Whatever word you use, these practices basically are things that we do (in conjunction with God's Spirit) to help orient our hearts, minds and bodies towards the love of Jesus and the goodness of God.
The specific training regimen is based on our personal needs and struggles. Spiritual practices are diverse and flexible and diverse, but always intentional. It might look like prayer for integrity on the way to work . . . or, cracking open the book of Philippians to learn how to embrace joy during times of trial . . .it might consist of withdrawing from others and our "need" to be known and praised by others and taking an hour or two of solitude with God so that we are sourcing our strength and energy from Him, not people. . . Training might look like fasting from something that I normally indulge myself in for a season...could be food, sex, drink, shopping, facebook, or TV, to teach me that I don't feed off of this pleasure/experience alone, but on God. Another way of training might be serving a neighbor in need when I’d rather serve myself . . .
All of these practices (and there are 1000's of expressions of training) become ways of training my self to posture my life towards Jesus. Like physical exercise, no one spiritual exercise does the same thing. In the same way, each spiritual practice helps develop a different parts of the self in different sort of way. But all are bent on accomplishing in us the same goal. Ultimately, it about the transformation of our entire selves into a Jesus kind of person.
The good athlete trains in light of the contest that he will be facing. He recognizes that there will be a test ahead and much training will be necessary in order to experience victory. Trying really hard on game day alone will not suffice. Our lives are quite similar. There are tests ahead that will challenge our honesty, integrity, courage, self-control, patience, fidelity and faith. In life we can assume that these challenges lie before us. The question is how we are preparing for the day when we are tested. As a teacher of mine used to say, “Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail”. There’s much truth here. May our lives be characterized by preparation for the tests through a consistent process of training.
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In summary of the posts on 3 misconceptions about transformation, let me recommend to you a book written by James Bryan Smith. It is called "The Good and Beautiful God" and is a highly practical book dedicated to how transformation takes place in our everyday lives. It incorporates the role of experential learning, pain and the spiritual disciplines (the three topics I've discussed the last three days) in our transformation. I highly recommend that you pick it up.
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