SHALOMER:

Revelation Devotionals

2011-08-24T13:12:00.000-04:00

I am sharing a few devotionals I have written for local churches, in case they can be helpful for anyone... Here are some Revelation devotionals.

Day 1: Overview of Revelation

Before we dive into our passage, we are going to spend this first day “flying over” the book of Revelation as a whole, so that we can try to gain an understanding of its genre and purpose. In other words, we are going to explore what Revelation is and what it’s for. Perhaps you already find yourself yawning, but be assured that this information will be helpful in grasping this challenging book and perhaps the entire story of Scripture.

Let’s begin by briefly considering Revelation’s genre. What, you may be wondering, is a genre? Genre is defined by the dictionary as “a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.” So basically every work, whether literary or musical, can be placed within a category based on its style, form, or content. And this is certainly true of the books of the New Testament. Contrary to the opinion of some, the books of the Bible did not fall from heaven. Though they are inspired by God and are distinct from any other works because of this, they are not utterly unique in their form or style. Instead, they tend to follow the conventions of other works in their genre from the same time and place. For example, Paul’s letters, like Galatians or Romans, conforms to the style of letters written in this time period and part of the world. His letters, though they are unique and inspired, follow the structure of thousands of other letters archaeologists have found that would be defined as Greco-Roman letters.

So what is Revelation’s genre? Are there any other works written in history similar to this strange book? The genre of Revelation is apocalyptic literature, and in fact we have access to many works written around the same time and in the same part of the world that conform to the very same style and form. In other words, Revelation is part of a genre that was quite well-known at the time it was written, and its features are very similar to the features in these other works. John J. Collins, one of the foremost scholars on apocalyptic literature, has defined this genre, and the beginning of his very long definition is: “a genre of revelatory literature with a narrative framework, in which a revelation is mediated by an otherworldly being to a human recipient.”[1] In Revelation we have John, the writer of the book, being shown a revelation by an angel, and similarly in other apocalyptic works a human is shown a revelation by an otherworldly being. And in many other ways works that are a part of this genre match up with Revelation.

What does this all mean? What it does not mean is that Revelation is just like all these other works and is not unique. It does not mean we should see it as just another work, since it fits into this common genre of apocalyptic literature. The fact that it conforms to a genre has nothing to do with whether it is unique, or special, or inspired. While it conforms to much of the form, content, and style of other works in this genre, it is distinct from them. It is special because the vision in it is true. It is a vision from God’s angel – from God!

What it does mean, however, is that we must read and interpret and understand this work in the ways that apocalyptic works were meant to be read and interpreted and understood. Reading and interpreting works in ways they were not meant to be read or interpreted can cause all sorts of problems; foremost among those problems is that we make works say things the authors never intended them to say. If we read a work of poetry as if it is a historical account, or if we read a tabloid as if it is a recipe, we will get confusing or disastrous results. We must read and interpret and understand each written work according to its genre.

Applying this to Revelation, we must read it and understand it and interpret it in light of its genre. This means that we do not read it as if it is a blueprint or breakdown for what events are going to happen at the end of time. This is not what apocalyptic literature was for, and this is not how we should interpret Revelation. Rather, the purpose of apocalyptic literature was to encourage. It was to cause those who were going through terrible times to see behind and beyond the difficulties, and to realize that salvation was coming. Evil would be toppled. Good would prevail. Salvation was coming.

This is the purpose of Revelation. It was an encouragement, originally, to the 1^st century Christians who were being persecuted at the hands of Roman emperors. In this vision John basically gave these persecuted Christians a glimpse into the truth that God would prevail, no matter how bad their situation was right then. The evil they were being confronted with would be swallowed up by God, and good would reign. God will win in the end, so they should keep going! They should persevere! They must not give up, because all their struggles and pain were not in vain!

It is in this way we must read this book today, as an encouragement to us. Just like those Christians, we have struggles and we confront evil. For us in America, this does not result in outright persecution or martyrdom (although there are thousands of Christian martyrs every year around the world). But whatever the struggles and evil we face, we must take encouragement, and remember that God will win in the end. Evil will be destroyed, and good will reign. There is much imagery in this book we may not understand, and we should do our best to study and learn so that we can understand better. But the bottom line is that God is in control, no matter how out of control this world seems. And God and good will win. This ought to bring us comfort and encouragement in the midst of life’s challenges and hardships.

How is this understanding of Revelation’s genre and purpose different from your understanding, or from what you have previously been taught?

What challenges or evil are you facing in your life? How could the truth that God is in control in the midst of these things help? How could the truth that God will win, and evil be destroyed, help get you through?

Pray:

-Ask God to help you remember he is always in control, no matter how out of control life feels.

-Thank God for his promise through Scripture that he will conquer evil and good will win.

-Ask him to help those for whom persecution and martyrdom are real evils they must confront.

Day 2: A Picture of Shalom

Today we will move on to our ginormous passage for this week, Revelation 21. This is a beautiful vision, the climax of John’s vision, and a passage full of hope and wonderful imagery. Take a couple minutes and read slowly through this chapter.

What stood out to you from this chapter?

What did you have a question about or not understand?

What was hopeful or encouraging?

This chapter is a beautiful picture of what John calls the New Jerusalem, or the Holy City. When we describe John’s vision we speak of heaven. The central thrust of this chapter is that we, as God’s people, will be together with God! We will be his people, and evil will be no more.

The situation being described in this vision is a picture of the Hebrew idea of shalom. Shalom was a word loaded with meaning. It meant peace, health, wholeness, rightness in relationships, completion. If shalom exists, there is no strife, no sickness, no damage. Before sin entered the world, there was perfect shalom, but after sin, there was never true shalom. Even in the purest love strife came; even in the healthiest person sickness loomed; war would eventually destroy even the most stable times of peace. Throughout the Bible we see God’s people longing for the reversal of the effects of sin, longing for the return of shalom. The Israelites tried to get a taste of it by going to the Temple and worshipping, and the prophets prophesied about it. Finally in Jesus, the way was opened for a return to shalom, a return to true and lasting peace with God. And here in this chapter, John receives a beautiful vision of what that final return to shalom will look like.

What will be true of this shalom? We will consider three important details. In verse 1 we see that John mentions that “there was no longer any sea.” We might gloss over this detail, but it is significant. In Old Testament times the sea was always equated with chaos, uncertainty, and danger. The sea was unpredictable, and powerful. At that time no one had ever been able to go to the bottom of bodies of water or explore them; hence their understanding of the sea as a deep, dark, scary place they could not control. Many myths in Old Testament times personified the sea as a powerful god that was terribly frightening and threatened to swallow up sailors or flood the land if it was not appeased. This is similar to the way the sea is spoken about in the Old Testament, so when this verse says there is no longer any sea, it is suggesting that there is nothing to fear. There is no more deep, dark, scary force out there; there is security.

Second, we learn that this glorious city has twelve gates, each made of pure pearl. Certainly John’s vision of the Holy City is symbolic here, as is common in apocalyptic literature. Most likely the twelve gates and the twelve foundations represent the twelve tribes of Israel or the twelve disciples, although it is debated what precisely was intended with this imagery. Regardless, what is important for us is that although these gates are marvelous, in verse 25 we learn that apparently they are merely for adornment. John says that “on no day will its gates ever be shut.” This is a picture of utter peace; there are no enemies to lock out!

Finally, there is no more strife or separation in our relationship with God. We are with him, face to face. And all is right between us. Verse 4 even tell us that God will wipe every tear from his peoples’ eyes. He is with us and comforts us and takes away all the scars of this life, of what John calls “the old order.” In this perfect shalom there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain. We are in God’s presence, where there are no more tears. In fact, verse 22 tells us there is not even a temple in the city, because the Father and the Son are its temple! This is a beautiful picture of God and his people reunited.

The promise of Revelation 21 to the first century Christians who were being persecuted and killed because of Christ is that shalom is coming. Peace and security and wholeness of relationships are coming. As God says in verse 7, “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

It is clear what these Christians of the first century needed to overcome: persecution, pain, sin, and fear. Our lives are different, but we still need to overcome many things. What do you need to overcome so that you can “inherit all this”?

Which part of this picture of shalom do you long for the most? Which part of this picture seems the most out of reach?

Is this picture of wholeness and peace encouraging to you?

Is there any sense in which the “passing away of the old order of things” frightens or threatens you? Spend some time pondering this question and we will pick it up tomorrow.

Pray:

-Thank God for this promise in Scripture that perfect shalom is coming, and that when we are with him there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

-Ask God for help to overcome the challenges and obstacles in your life.

-Confess the areas of your life where you have failed to overcome, where you have sinned, where you have participated in the “old order of things.”

-Thank God that even now you can be in his presence and receive his comfort, even though he does not physically wipe every tear from your eyes.

Day 3: Passing Away of the “Old Order”

We closed yesterday with a very important question: Is there any sense in which the “passing away of the old order of things” frightens or threatens you? After having more time to consider this question, how would you answer?

As we discussed in day 1, the purpose of apocalyptic literature was to encourage. And the first century Christians for whom Revelation was originally intended needed encouragement! They needed assurance! And they needed hope. They were being persecuted, tortured, and killed for their faith in Jesus, and things only seemed to be getting worse. Evil seemed to be taking over, and the hope of Christ’s resurrection, hope that had changed their lives and brought them redemption, may have seemed far off. They needed to hear that this Jesus was still in control, that evil would be overcome, and that all of the pain they were experiencing would pass away.

To these weary Christians the words of Revelation must have been an incredible comfort: “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” They were hungry for the order of things to be shifted, for the current power structures to be toppled, for everything to change. The promise that God was making everything new, and that the old order had been toppled, would have surely brought about loud celebrations!

Likewise, for those among us who deal with daily injustices – who are poor or discriminated against, who lack physical or mental abilities, who don’t have enough money or enough power or enough to eat, who struggle with health or who feel powerless to change their situation – for these the thought of everything being made new is thrilling.

What about the passing away of the current order is exciting to you? What in your life would you really like to be different, but you feel powerless to change it?

However, the thought of power structures being toppled, of everything changing, might not be so exciting. The thought of our lives being uprooted and changed completely might be more than a little unsettling. It might frighten us, because a lot of us actually like how our lives are going pretty well. Sure, there are things we would change if we could, but on the whole we like life. We have people we love, we are plenty successful, and we have hope for the future. And in the midst of being so comfortable, the promise that it will all be overturned, that the entire order will pass away, and that everything will be made new, is scary.

What area(s) of your life are you very comfortable with? What aspects of life would you rather not be altered?

The truth is that this promise from Scripture ought to bring nothing but hope and joy, no matter how we are feeling about life right now. This world, at its very best, is but a shadow of what it was intended to be. The greatest joys we feel in this life are but a taste of the ultimate joy we will feel when we are in God’s presence. Paul talks about his relationship with God by saying, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Even a great apostle of God who spent his entire life seeking Christ and sharing his love knew he had only experienced a hint of the joy he would feel when he could see God face to face!

If we like our lives the way they are right now, we must remember this truth. The best of life is but a small taste of the goodness that has always been intended for us, the goodness we are promised if we are in Christ. We also must remember that the trappings of this life are not what life is about; life is about our relationship with Christ and the redemption he is bringing to our lives and to the world.

And if we are longing for Christ to redeem the whole world, we must never be too comfortable, because the world is very far from a state of shalom. The injustices of the world, the sufferings of those we know and don’t know, must make us uncomfortable. We must so identify with those who are persecuted and disenfranchised and poor and sick that we long with them for the current order to pass away.

Spend a few minutes asking God to help you have eyes to see the injustices around you, and to have a heart that cares for the hurts of those you know and don’t know.

Thank God for the good that is in your life, for whatever aspects of life that are good and peaceful and comfortable. Thank him for all the good things he has blessed you with, good things you might be resistant to changing.

Ask God to help you have a loose grip on the comforts and joys of this life, knowing that even the wonderful things in this life are a shadow of the good that is coming to those in Christ.

Pray for a passion to help those without Christ, who still must find their way back to God. Ask God to break your heart, even in the midst of the many blessings of your life, for those who do not have the hope and joy and peace and purpose that is found in Christ.

Day 4: Partners on a Mission

Our ginormous passage for this week, Revelation 21, provides a beautiful glimpse into what John calls the new heaven and new earth. It is all about our ultimate hope, being with our Maker in heaven and everything being set right. Along with everything being made new, Revelation speaks a lot about the old order of things passing away.

Take a couple minutes and re-read Revelation 21. Pay attention to what is promised and to what is passing away.

What did you notice? What stuck out to you that you did not see the first time you read the chapter?

As we discussed yesterday, this vision of the old order of things passing away can inspire either incredible excitement or uneasiness. Yesterday we were challenged to consider other perspectives if this inspires fear or discomfort. If the passing away of the current order makes us nervous, this means we are probably too comfortable with our lives and must long with the hurting and broken of our world for the renewal of all things.

Perhaps part of our discomfort with the passing away of the old order is that we are frightened for those we love who do not know Christ. This chapter makes it clear that there is incredible joy awaiting those in Christ but punishment for those who reject him (see verses 8, 27). While we must be careful not to formulate too much of our theology of salvation or the afterlife from Revelation, since it is apocalyptic literature and must be read in light of that fact, it is still true that the Bible as a whole promises that those who reject Christ will in the end be rejected. Maybe this is the reason why you get uncomfortable when thinking about the current order passing away.

Whatever the reason for our discomfort, though, we ought to have nothing but joy about what awaits us. Nothing we are experiencing now is even worth comparing to the glorious joy we will experience when everything is made new in heaven (Romans 8:18). And as for those we love who do not know Christ, this must not bring fear but must make us passionate to share Christ with them and do whatever we can do to help them find their way to God.

This is what we are speaking about today: partnering with God in his mission, which is to save the whole world through the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. He is making everything new, and he is restoring all of creation to his original intention, and he has called his people, the Church, to partner with him in this great mission. We are to partner with him to bring his Kingdom, his reign, his rule, to bear on the world right now. We are to help make things right even now, even before he does in a final fashion in the end.

We as Christians are not called to hunker down in our church huddles, keeping all interactions with that sinful world to a minimum, while we wait for God to come back and finally set everything right! That is not what God wants—an idle Church that does nothing to set the world right now! Rather, God wants his people to be his partners, loving others with the hands of Christ, addressing injustices in our neighborhoods and around the world, sharing the good news with everyone we encounter, and influencing the world and those we know for the good.

Just like the promise that the current order of things will pass away should not inspire fear, it also should not inspire such excitement that we begin only living for heaven. There are many Christian circles where the focus of Christianity becomes heaven, becomes the next life. “This world is sinful,” they say, “but just keep your eyes focused on heaven, that glorious place where we do not have to deal with all this sin!”

Have you ever been around Christians whose only focus is heaven? Have you encountered Christians who seem disconnected from the world because they are trying so hard to stay separate from its sinfulness? What are your thoughts on this attitude?

This mindset is also flawed. We cannot be so excited about heaven and about everything being made right that we miss living the lives God has called us to live. We cannot be so excited about seeing God one day that we miss the ways he is asking us to partner with him right now!

We have a role in bringing God’s reign to this earth right now. We have a role as his partners to do his work—to share his love with those far from him, to address the injustices in our neighborhoods and the world by acting to bring justice, to care for others with the love of Christ, and to do whatever else our Father leads us to do.

Do you see yourself as God’s partner in your daily life? If you always saw yourself as his partner, what difference do you think this could make in your life?

The picture of perfect Shalom we see in Revelation 21 is a beautiful picture, and we ought to long for that day with joy. At the same time, we must not so long for that day that we fail to do what he has asked us to do in the world. We are his partners, his hands on earth, and we are on a mission to help bring healing to the world right now, just as Christ did in his daily life. To love those around us, to address injustices in the world, to restore relationships, to make wrongs right through the love and power of Christ. It is our job to partner with God in what he is already doing to redeem the world and bring his shalom to it.

Pray:

-Ask God to help you see yourself as his partner.

-Thank God that he has considered you worthy of joining him in the most important work.

-Thank God for the great blessings he has promised in the future.

-Ask God to help you not get overly focused on the future but to work toward his mission in the here and now.

-Talk to God about whatever is on your heart: your fears, your struggles, your frustrations, your joys, your hurts, your hopes.

Day 5: A Return to Eden

More than anything, this chapter of Revelation is one that should make us celebrate. It is one that ought to make our hearts leap at the goodness of God. This chapter and the following verses in chapter 22 make it clear that the entire Bible is about God creating and then finding a way to redeem his creation. Here at the very end of the Bible we find ourselves again in a garden.

Read Revelation 22:1-7.

These verses continue chapter 21 and give further detail of John’s heavenly vision. We learn here that there is a river of life in this Holy City, and it flows from the throne of God through the middle of the city. On both sides of the river is the tree of life, with loads of fruit, and its very leaves provide healing for the nations. What a beautiful picture! In this perfect, glorious place is a river, right through the middle of the city, with trees of life on either side that heal the nations!

What is more, verse 3 tells us that there is no longer any curse! No more is there sin and no more are there the effects of sin. There is no guilt or shame or hurt or pain! And most importantly, there is no separation from God—we are told that his throne will be right there, and we will serve him, face to face! Many see in this passage a sort of inclusio, which is a term that means there are two similar items at the beginning and ending of a work that sort of bracket the work and tie it together. In other words, people see the garden depicted in Genesis 2-3 and this garden as one gigantic bracket around the Bible, which ties it all together. I think this is a beautiful way to see this chapter: a return to Eden. God finds a way through his work of redemption to reclaim what he intended for his creation all along: his people living with him and serving him and loving him face to face.

Not only will there be the river of life and the tree of life as there were in Eden, and not only will we be able to walk and talk with God as his first creation could, but it will be as if the effects of sin had never tarnished humanity and the world! We will be as we were intended to be, free and unsoiled and beautiful. And not only will we be who we were intended to be, but sin will not be present. As chapter 21 said, there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. This is a place to get excited about!

Throughout the Scriptures we get glimpses of God’s people longing for this place, longing for Eden restored. Ezekiel receives a similar vision to John hundreds of years earlier, even before Christ. Listen to these similar words from the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel:

“Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river… Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.’” (Ezekiel 47:6-7, 12)

Here God’s prophet received a similar vision to John, the author of Revelation. God’s people have been hungering for this promise and for this place for generations, and God has been giving us glimpses of this place to remind us that he is at work. He has a plan to redeem his creation!

What excites you most about this picture, this return to Eden?

What effects of sin in this world are you most looking forward to being rid of?

Pause to really imagine being face to face with God, able to walk with him and talk with him without separation and without the effects of sin. When you imagine it, what emotions or feelings come?

When I imagine it, I feel freedom. And love. And peace. No more questions without answers. No more shame or guilt or doubt. And no more struggle to be who I am supposed to be.

I also feel satisfaction when I ponder this. The job will be done. God will have renewed everything, restored all of creation to its intention, and conquered evil forever. I hope on that day I also feel satisfaction that I partnered with him to help bring this reign. John’s vision actually hints at this when he says that God’s servants will reign with God forever and ever (22:5). We will conquer with God as his partners, and we will reign with him forever.

May this ginormous passage live in your heart. May it not overpower your heart so that you forget to live in the here and now, to partner with God on a daily basis to help make the world what it should be. But may you live with it in your heart, knowing that whatever struggles you are facing, one day sin and the effects of sin will be no more. While you partner with him to bring his reign, may you long for the day when you can see him face to face and reign with him forever.

Pray:

-Thank God for the ways he is restoring his creation, including in your life.

-Ask God to make this vision of Eden restored live in your heart and inspire your daily partnership with him.

-Confess the ways you have failed to partner with him, either because you have been too wrapped up in the daily grind or because you have been checking out of this life and longing for heaven. Ask for God to help you find the proper balance of longing for fellowship with him while staying rooted and invested in this world.

[1] Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination, 5. In this work Collins covers many of the other works that fit in this genre and compares them to Revelation. It is a challenging read but helpful.

Philemon Devotionals

2011-08-24T13:07:00.002-04:00

So I am going to begin sharing a string of devotionals I have written for a local church, in case anyone else can find them useful. Here are the Philemon devotionals:

Philemon

Day 1: What is the Story?

This week we are going to dive into one of those postcard books of the New Testament, Philemon. This first day we are going to spend a few minutes familiarizing ourselves with the story behind this letter, at least what we can gather of it.

Begin by reading the book of Philemon carefully (it’s only one short chapter).

As is the case with any book of the Bible, there are varying opinions about what is going on in this letter, but most understand this letter in basically the same way. This is a letter written by Paul and sent to Philemon, written on behalf of Onesimus. We can’t know the entire back story, but what we can gather from the letter is that Philemon was a wealthy and influential member of his community, he was a leader in the church (which met in his home), and he was mentored by Paul in the faith. Most likely Philemon lived in Colossae, since Paul addresses Archippus in both the introduction to this letter and in his instructions to the Colossians (Col. 4:17).

During this time wealthy members of culture usually owned slaves, a perfectly acceptable practice then. Slave owners are often implored by Paul in the New Testament to treat their slaves fairly and with dignity. At the same time, Paul emphasized that in Christ there is no longer slave or free—we are all one in Christ (Galatians 3:26-29). We see in this letter a balance of these perspectives.

Most scholars are in agreement that Onesimus was Philemon’s slave, and he had probably run away from his master. Paul confirms that Onesimus was “useless” to Philemon (v. 11), but now emphasizes that he is useful. Though he was his slave, Paul implores Philemon to treat him no longer as a slave but as a dear brother (v. 16). Though Onesimus had probably wronged Philemon and owed him a great debt (v. 18), Paul asks Philemon to “put it on his own tab.” Through this strong, not so subtle request, Paul is reminding Philemon that he himself is in great debt to Paul, who sacrificed much to share the good news about Jesus with him. In other words, Paul is invoking his authority over Philemon as his “father in the faith” in this request, and is asking him to wipe out the debt of Onesimus.

He is couching this invocation of authority in deferential terms, praising Philemon for his love and obedience. After a little bit of this “buttering up,” he makes his strong request for Philemon to obey him and forgive Onesimus. Paul also seeks to assure Philemon’s cooperation by addressing this letter not only to him but also to the entire Colossian church. The whole church would hear Paul’s request for Philemon to forgive Onesimus and treat him as a brother, so no matter what Onesimus had done to wrong him, it is almost certain that Philemon would let it go.

Paul closes with the real kicker in verse 22. He says, “And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.” Wow. Paul must have really cared about Onesimus, because he had laid it on thick!

It is easy to see this “postcard” letter of the New Testament as only a directive of Paul to Philemon without much spiritual value, but that view is mistaken. We can learn many important lessons from this short letter, and we will dive into those lessons over the next few days.

What important lessons do you think we can learn from this letter after reading through it?

Have you ever been wronged in a serious way, so that you would have a hard time even seeing the person who wronged you? Are there certain wrongs you refuse to forgive? How does this correlate with Paul’s words to Philemon?

Have you ever wronged someone in a serious way and realized that you will probably never be forgiven for it? When you think of this, what do you think of Paul’s words to Philemon?

Spend some time in prayer, asking God to use even this small letter in his Word to impact your life. Spend some time communicating with God, both sharing your heart and listening to his voice.

Day 2: Constrained By Community

“This is most certainly not a private letter, even though

its message is directed at Philemon.”[1]

As we talked about yesterday, this letter was not merely addressed to Philemon. Paul also addresses the letter to Apphia, Archippus, and the church that met in Philemon’s home (v. 2). By mentioning the house church in the greeting (which Paul does in no other New Testament letter), he “turns what might have been a private letter into a public appeal and perhaps democratizes to some degree the way the Onesimus matter is to be handled if Philemon is not to lose face with his fellow house church members… The eyes of the church will be on him, watching how he responds to Paul’s appeal.”[2]

This is important, and this is the lesson we are going to explore today. If we are followers of Christ, we do not merely sign up to be individual Christians. We sign up to be a part of something far bigger than ourselves, a part of the community of believers. We do not and cannot follow Christ by ourselves; we follow Christ together.

Therefore, our decisions must not be made on our own, in a vacuum. They must be made in company with those we are following Christ with. We must open our lives and open our ears and open our hearts to hear what our brothers and sisters in Christ are saying. We must be honest about our challenges and struggles and listen to the advice and encouragement of our fellow Christians.

Is this something you find easy or difficult? Do you tend to seek the advice of others or treat personal issues as if they are strictly personal and confidential? Are you open to sharing your life, including your struggles, with your fellow Christians? Are you open to hearing what they have to say to you on such matters?

The church at Colossae would have watched Philemon’s response to Paul. They would surely have expected him to honor Paul’s request and forgive Onesimus. This request may have included an expectation for Philemon to release Onesimus from slavery, and the church would watch to see whether Philemon would listen. But even more than watching, the church would help Philemon determine his response. They would speak into his life, would give their advice and encouragement, would challenge him to respond appropriately.

Paul saw the church as a body working together; its members were tied together permanently, forming a community that did life together. They were not individuals who all happened to go to church so they shared something in common; they were a community, a body, who shared everything in common. In Paul’s view, addressing the church along with Philemon was perfectly appropriate, because it was a community decision. Not only was Onesimus from their community and not only would his status affect all of them, but because Philemon was a member of the church, his decisions affected the entire body. His decisions were not his own…

Philemon was constrained by his community. Though we like to speak a lot in our culture about our personal rights and our personal choices and our personal decisions, if we want to be a part of Christ’s body we must in some sense give up on some of these personal boundaries. We must be willing to have our freedoms constrained, our lives observed, and our decisions challenged.

What do you think about this idea? What is most challenging about it?

Are you willing to share your “personal” decisions with the community you follow Christ with? Are you willing to be constrained by your community?

Spend some time asking God to break down the walls that might be in your heart around this issue. Ask him to give you great humility, to be willing to lay down your rights and submit to your Christian brothers and sisters in your decisions.

Day 3: Forgiving, and then Embracing

“We must not think evil of this man.”

The quote above was uttered by the grandfather of a little girl ruthlessly shot and murdered by Charles Roberts in 2006. This man killed five little girls on that day for no reason, and then he killed himself. Totally senseless. I cannot imagine the rage I would feel if that were my little girl. I cannot imagine how I’d even continue to function. In the aftermath, it was not the killings that got the most attention, but the response of the Amish community that had been attacked and had lost five of its children. People were flabbergasted at their response, one of immediate forgiveness. I confess that I, as a follower of Christ, could not even resonate with their response. I knew they were responding in the way Christ would, but I wanted revenge for them. My anger at and disgust for this man and what he had done was greater than any desire to forgive him.

Yet the Amish community did not take a couple years to hate this man and then slowly offer forgiveness after they had a chance to heal. Incredibly, they offered instant forgiveness. And not only did they offer forgiveness from afar, in theory. They went to the wife and parents of the killer and literally embraced them, expressing love and forgiveness to them. Amish community members visited and comforted them. One Amish man held Roberts’ sobbing father in his arms, reportedly for as long as an hour, to comfort him. Marie Roberts, the widow of the killer, wrote an open letter to the Amish community, saying, “Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. Gifts you’ve given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you.”

Can you imagine embracing those who have wronged you terribly? How difficult is it to forgive those who have abused you, taken advantage of you, stolen from you, or slandered you? When you are eventually able to forgive, how difficult is it to go to the next step and actually embrace the ones who have most deeply wronged you?

This is the next lesson we learn from this short letter from Paul to Philemon: as Christians, we are called both to forgive and to embrace those who have wronged us. There is no room for revenge among those who follow Christ. There is no room for grudges. As we have been forgiven lavishly, we must forgive lavishly. As we have been embraced by God after our sin led to Jesus’ death, we are called to embrace others whose sin leads to our pain.

It is clear from Paul’s letter that Onesimus had greatly wronged Philemon. If not, Paul would not have spent so much time imploring Philemon to forgive him. He clearly had done him wrong and owed him a great debt (v. 18), yet Paul asks him to instantly let it go. Erase it. Forget it. Then he asks him to go a step further.

Do you remember being a child and having to “make up” with your sibling or another child with whom you had a fight? I remember being able to mutter the words “sorry” or “I forgive you” without much problem. But when my parents asked me to go a step further and “give him a hug,” that’s where it became challenging. Hugging someone is a vulnerable position, a position of trust and openness. That’s what Paul was asking Philemon to do. Don’t just say you forgive him—go a step further. Embrace him. Show him love. Treat him as a dear brother, as a loved one. In order to embrace someone from the heart, there can be no more residue of anger or bitterness or hostility. You cannot hold someone at bay any longer; with an embrace you are letting them back in, choosing to trust them again.

Clearly there are times in abusive relationships where we must choose to protect our hearts and hold someone at bay, even if we forgive them. But for the most part, we must both forgive and embrace those who have wronged us.

What is most difficult about this for you? Do you think you could get to the point where you are able to embrace those who have most wronged you? What steps do you need to take to begin offering real forgiveness to those who have hurt you?

Spend some time in prayer, asking God both to forgive you for all the ways you have wronged others and to help you forgive those who have wronged you.

Day 4: No Right to Retribution

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells the parable of the unmerciful servant. The basic gist of the parable is that the servant of a very powerful king owed the king a great sum he could not pay. In order to recoup some of the debt, the king ordered the man and his family to be sold. The servant begged the king on his knees to have mercy, and the king was moved. He canceled the man’s great debt and let him go!

Then the servant left and saw a fellow servant who owed him a small debt by comparison. He grabbed the man and began to choke him, yelling at him to pay up. The man begged him for mercy, but he refused and had him thrown in prison until he could pay. When the king heard about this, he was very angry and threw that ungrateful servant in prison until he paid back every penny he owed. Jesus concludes by saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matt. 18:35).

This is not a true story and is a parable to get a point across, but it seems that Jesus is saying that as God has forgiven us without making us first pay for what we have done, we ought to forgive others without requiring retribution, without ensuring they have paid for their sins. The one who is wronged must offer forgiveness before that person is punished, even before that person admits their fault or asks forgiveness.

This is also a way of thinking and living that is very contrary to the dominant viewpoint of our culture. In our culture, we have the right to hold accountable those who have cheated us or hurt us or abused us or stolen from us. We have the right to sue them, hurt them back, or, at the least, shut them out of our lives.

This aspect of our culture is not too different from the culture of Paul’s day. Though his culture was much more based on honor and shame, so that if one had dishonored another he would be shamed until he repented, the same principle applied: retribution for wrongs was the norm. But in his letter to Philemon (and in many other places in his writings), Paul challenges Philemon to lay down his right to retribution. Though as his owner Philemon had the right to punish Onesimus harshly for what he had done, Paul says to completely let it go. He tells him to release his right to retribution.

Many think Paul gave this word to Philemon because Onesimus had become a Christian in his absence. Since he was now a follower of Christ and a brother in the Lord to Philemon, Philemon must offer forgiveness to him. Many also say Paul is instructing Philemon to release Onesimus from his bonds of slavery because he is a believer and there are to be no such boundaries between believers.

But I think it goes beyond this. I think giving up our right to retribution applies also to those who are not believers. Surely when Jesus said that if someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also, he was not speaking about something done by a fellow believer. Or when he says that if someone steals your cloak, offer him your tunic as well, surely he was not speaking about relationships within the community of faith. He displayed this in ultimate fashion when he asked God to forgive those who crucified him. His mockers, his tormenters, his killers, he instantly forgave. He laid down his right to retribution. In the same way, Paul instructs Philemon to excuse the wrongs Onesimus had done.

We are also called to give up our right to revenge. We are also called to forgive without ensuring punishment for those who have wronged us. It is challenging for all of us who are a part of our culture to give up rights, but our right to revenge and retribution is one that all Christians must lay down.

What is most difficult about giving up your right to revenge?

What emotion do you feel when you are called to forgive, even though the person who wronged you has not apologized or shown remorse?

Have you ever felt the great freedom and joy that comes with offering forgiveness in this way?

Ask God for the strength not to claim your rights but to give them up, especially your right to retribution. Ask him for the strength to forgive as he has forgiven you.

Day 5: Submitting to Forgiveness

It is common to think mostly of Philemon when we read this letter, since the entire book is addressed to him, and since Paul’s requests all rest firmly on his shoulders. But I think we can also learn an important lesson from thinking of Onesimus in this situation.

He had done something pretty terrible, and all were in agreement that he was in the wrong. Paul, clearly a huge fan of Onesimus, admits that he had a big debt. And now Onesimus is being sent back to the one he has wronged, to submit again to him. Sure, he was hoping that Philemon listened to Paul and forgave him, but that may not have happened. And even if it did, submitting to him again after what had occurred had to be extremely difficult.

I think one of the main reasons people who have committed terrible sins against others do not apologize is not because they are not sorry for what they have done but because apologizing is one of the hardest things we must do in life. Walking up to someone we have wronged in a big way and saying sorry—submitting to them in the process—is harder, in some cases, even than forgiving a great wrong. This is what Onesimus was asked to do by Paul. Walk back to your master, the one you have wronged, the one who has the legal right to take great vengeance on you, the one who has surely been very angry with you—and submit to him. Admit what you have done. And accept whatever his response to your actions is. That’s tough!

It might be easier to be a hero, to offer forgiveness and have others marvel at your grace and mercy. But to ask for forgiveness and to allow another to forgive you is an act of great humility. It is unglamorous, and can be painful. Yet if we are to become the community of believers God has called us to be, we have to excel at submitting to each other. We must get used to going to those we have wronged, whether our offense is small or great, and submitting to them humbly, not knowing whether they will immediately offer forgiveness or not.

How are you doing at submitting to others and asking for forgiveness? What is the most difficult part of this for you?

What difference could it make in our church if we all embraced humility in this area and excelled at going to one another and submitting to being forgiven of wrongs? What difference could it make in our families? In our neighborhoods? In our places of work?

Jesus speaks clearly about the need for us to be reconciled to one another. Something that has always bothered me about his words in Matthew 5 has to do with going to someone to resolve an issue if they have something against me. He says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). I have never liked the way this verse calls on me to go to someone else if they might be upset with me. I always sort of twist the verse around in my mind to mean that if I am holding a grudge against someone else I need to get it fixed. But that’s not what Jesus is saying here.

He is saying that if anyone has anything against us, if we have hurt someone else in any way, we should stop whatever we are doing (even leaving a time of worshiping God) and go to that person and work it out. We ought to apologize and submit to them and ask forgiveness. As Christians, we do not have the luxury of blazing through relationships and assuming all is fine unless someone comes to us and tells us we hurt them. We must be more caring than that, more attuned to the feelings and emotions of those around us. And if we hurt others, we must not wait for them to tell us so—we must go to them and make it right. We must submit to forgiveness…

Spend some time asking God to make it clear in your mind and heart if you have hurt anyone, and ask him for the strength to go to that person and make it right…

Pray for whatever else is on your heart…

[1] Ben Witherington, The letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: a socio-rhetorical commentary on the captivity Epistles (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 54.

[2] Witherington, 55.

Tiptoeing into a Political Discussion

2010-09-19T01:02:00.003-04:00

So I generally have nothing to do with politics. And this is not a polemical post for or against any political views on any side of the map. I try to be as anti-Republican as I am anti-Democrat, and that doesn't mean I'm an Independent! I just happen to be of the opinion that politics, as a fully human institution, are frail. And each politician and political party takes its own stab at what it sees as the "right" way, or the appropriate platform(s); to assume that any politician or political party could "get it right" in every way, or to assume that one could find a party that expresses perfectly all of one's own convictions, is ludicrous.

As I said, that's my opinion. I speak the above paragraph in humility, knowing I don't have it figured out. In fact, I know next to NOTHING about politics, specifically because I tend to stay out of it and see the whole endeavor as fairly pointless. If you are passionate about a particular political party, my goal in this post is not to bash your party, and it certainly isn't to upset you. Instead, I hope you will pause to consider whether there should even be a "your" party. Said differently, when you fully support the "party line" of any political party, should there not be areas of dissonance, where you find yourself disagreeing with some of the platforms of "your" party? What are parties, after all, or party platforms? Aren't they just conglomerations of ideas and stances held by a majority of a group that holds to similar patterns of thinking? For example: put me in a room with 10 people who think in a similar way to me (perhaps all Bible students with similar family backgrounds from similar parts of the country), and we could probably come up with a list of beliefs that a majority of us hold to. That would be our party line. But certainly there would be beliefs that I didn't quite agree with, where I was in the minority. Just because that's my "party," shouldn't I still think critically as an individual about what I believe?

Here's what stoked all of this thinking and stimulated this post. There was an article on Drudge Report about the Tea Party, and this article was quoting from German political theorists who were commenting on the political situation in America. I found all of their quotes very interesting. (I am just learning about the Tea Party, and I found the article informative and helpful. You can see the full article here). In this article, the German business newspaper Handelsblatt was quoted as saying this of the situation in American politics (and specifically of the Tea Party), from an outside (perhaps fairly objective) viewpoint:

"Glen Beck, Sarah Palin and the Tea Party are part of an opposition movement outside of Congress which is moving mountains. This is a revolt against 'Obamaism,' which is seen as representing big government, more taxes, a higher deficit and not enough 'Americanism.' Day by day, it puts more and more pressure onto those at the top."

"In the US, people ... spend time and money supporting the Republicans. Unlike in Germany, in America, which never had a Hitler, being 'right-wing' is not taboo. 'Right-wing' represents Reagan, religion, the free market, individualism, patriotism and small government. In reality, it is an impossible mixture: National pride, God and tradition are conservative 'us' values. The profit motive, competition and a weak state are 'me-first' sentiments ... . But this mixture of conservative values and neoliberalism works well in America, where it transcends social class -- that's the difference to Germany."

Pay attention to the last three sentences. I am not wise enough about politics to know whether I agree with his (or her) assessment, but I find it fascinating that they claim an "impossible mixture." An "us-first" mentality (evidenced in the author's eyes by national pride and religion) is held side-by-side (due to the Republican party line) with a "me-first" mentality (evidenced by a motive for profit and competition in the business world). How can this be, without at least a mild amount of dissonance? How can there be so many politically-minded people who hold to both a me-first and us-first mentality, without sensing there is something awry in this party line? Or to consider another example, how can the Democratic party be so passionate about "caring for the least of these" by providing for those in need (seeking to provide health care or welfare, for example), yet at the same time de-value life by condoning abortion? And how can Republicans value life by being anti-abortion, yet de-value life by being pro-death penalty? The questions could go on.

In my opinion, party platforms are nothing more than a group of beliefs held by a majority of people who group themselves together, and if we are thinking people we should NEVER be comfortable with all of the assumptions of "our" party...

If my words offend you, I do sincerely apologize. I know people get very heated about politics. You are certainly entitled to your opinions, and if your opinions include the belief that your party's party line is 100% correct and does not contain any of these "impossible mixtures", you are entitled to disagree with me. But it is my opinion that every party contains these impossible mixtures, and that none of us should ever be at home in a political party--especially if we call ourselves Christians and are called to a way of thinking drastically different from that of the world around us (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Those are my thoughts. I'm 100% confident they are not all correct! Just trying to stimulate us to think and ask questions. I don't have the answers. If anyone tells you they have the answers, especially on an issue as complex as politics, walk away slowly... :)

Serving Others From a Position of Weakness

2010-09-14T16:22:00.002-04:00

I ran across a great quote from Karl Barth in my reading today. In case you don't know, he is a very well-known German theologian, probably the greatest theologian of the 20th century in many minds. He wrote a HUGE work called Church Dogmatics that I believe is supposed to be a systematic theology (expounding on all the basics of the Christian faith), and he also wrote many other works. This quote comes from his commentary on Romans, and he is commenting on Romans 2:1, which says, "You, therefore, are without excuse whenever you pass judgment on someone else, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things."

Barth says, "Whenever thou dost erect thyself upon a pedastal, thou doest wrong; whensoever thou sayest 'I' or 'we' or 'it is so', thou dost exchange the glory of the incorruptible for the image of the corruptible (Romans 1.23)... The removal of thyself from the burden of the world by some pretended insight or vision does but press the burden of the world more heavily upon thee than upon any other. By striding ahead of others, even though it be for their assistance, as though the secret of God were known to thee, thou dost manifest thyself ignorant of God's secret; for by thy removal from thy fellows thou dost render thyself incapable of assisting even the most helpless among them. By beholding folly as the folly of others, thine own folly cries out to heaven" (Romans 56).

Though I disagree with Barth when he states that this is what Paul means in 2:1, I love his thoughts. I especially resonated with the statement that when we remove ourselves from the burdens of the world by some pretended insight, striding ahead of others even to help them, we show ignorance. To help and serve and love others, we cannot claim positions or power or wisdom or knowledge or prerogative. We simply must offer our help to them as one sinner serving another. When we act like we are in some sense an expert, like we have something to offer, it is then that we are furthest from being able to make any impact on the needs of others... It is then that our "own folly cries out to heaven"!

The Finish...

2010-06-21T13:45:00.001-04:00

I heard a commentary on ESPN Radio today, where the speaker was talking about a recent vacation he and his family took. He talked about how the vacation was excellent, the kids had a great time, no one got hurt, it was a great bonding experience, etc. They had nothing but positive emotions related to the vacation. Then they got on the plane to come home with their 1 year old, and everything changed. The way the vacation ended, he said, totally colored the vacation as a whole. How quickly those fun times were forgotten as they stumbled into the house exhausted from the trip home!

He went on to relate this to the US Open golf tournament which was played this past week, where a golfer was absolutely dominating through the first three rounds of the tournament. He looked calm, made all the right decisions, and just generally was the best golfer on the course. Yet in his final round he completely bombed, shooting an 11-over par.

These things made me consider the finish in our relationship with God, and how really this is all that matters. The start is crucial to getting us on the journey, but it is only the start. And anyone can start. Very few can say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).

So you were really close to God a few years back? Great. You used to study the Bible all the time, so much so that you still remember TONS about the Bible? Cool. You have always been known as a very devoted follower of Christ by all your friends? Fantastic. But are you still running the race? Are you still seeking God? Are you still in relationship with him, communing with him on a regular basis? I know these questions have been very humbling and challenging for me to consider, for it is so easy to sort of "ride the wave" of your spiritual past, forgetting that God is not dead. On the contrary, he is very much alive, as alive as your spouse or your child. And he is not interested in the past of our relationship with him, good or bad, nor is he even too interested in our future relationship; he is interested in the present, the here-and-now, daily walk with him he longs for us to have.

May you not merely begin the marathon of faith, and may you not fizzle out at mile 18. Keep going. Fight the good fight of the faith. Keep the faith. And finish. It is all about how you finish, and none of us know where the finish line is...

The Rich Man and Lazarus: a new reading

2010-05-31T15:19:00.003-04:00

This morning in my time with God I flipped to Luke 16 and began reading the parable Jesus told there about the rich man and Lazarus. I memorized these verses when I was in high school, and have read them or heard them preached many times. But today I read them in an entirely new way, and I think I may have finally understood what Jesus was actually intending to say through the parable.

In case you’re not familiar, and so that we’re all on the same page, here is the parable:

Luke 16:19 ¶ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.

Luke 16:20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

Luke 16:21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores.

Luke 16:22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

Luke 16:23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 16:24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.’

Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

Luke 16:26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’

Luke 16:27 He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house—

Luke 16:28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’

Luke 16:29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’

Luke 16:30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’

Luke 16:31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Until now, I have read this parable as a statement about the afterlife and about the interplay of wealth and poverty in the world’s eyes versus true wealth and poverty. And certainly I think these issues are at play in the parable. But it finally occurred to me that Jesus did not tell the parable to make any sort of statement about the afterlife. This is at best a sub-plot. As you read the parable, it is going somewhere, and that somewhere is the final few verses. The entire story about Lazarus and the rich man seems to me to merely be the set-up, the context, for the punch line.

Jesus wants to get a point across TO THE PHARISEES about the fact that they need to listen to what Moses and the prophets have said. He makes it clear in other statements that Moses and the prophets (a shorthand way of saying the entire Old Testament) all point to him, find their culmination in him, are ABOUT him. The parable is about Jesus, and he is trying to get a point across to the Pharisees, who will not listen to him.

He gives the context of the rich man and Lazarus, with Lazarus in heaven and the rich man in hell. THIS IS NOT A STATEMENT ABOUT WHAT HEAVEN WILL BE LIKE. It is merely the set up for his parable. Now surely we can assume that if anyone knows what heaven will be like, it is Jesus. Christian doctrine even states that he was in heaven with God from the beginning, and he descended to earth. So I am not saying Jesus is unaware of what heaven will be like, or that he is wrong, or that people in hell can’t see those in heaven, or anything like that. I’m merely saying that wasn’t his point. It wasn’t his point at all. It’s all just part of a story he’s telling to get to an important truth. We must not read a doctrine of heaven and hell into a parable, extracting doctrine from Jesus’ words when he is speaking in parable, in metaphor.

After giving the context, he gets to the crux of the parable: the rich man’s brothers. Since they are his brothers, we can assume they were also elites with some measure of wealth and authority. These men were Jews. In fact, it is important to remember that this parable is spoken to Jews (by a Jew) and is about Jews. This will become important in a minute. The rich man is rebuffed by Abraham when he requests a drip of cool water. (Again, Jesus is not making a statement about what Abraham’s position in heaven will be—it’s part of the story, and we must use our imaginations and not seek to extract doctrine). After this, he begs Abraham to send the dead Lazarus to his father’s house, so that he can warn them about hell. Abraham’s response is crucial to what I am saying: “They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.”

As I said, this story is about Jews, so this is why this statement makes sense; the prominence of Abraham in the story emphasizes the thorough Jewishness of everyone in the parable. Jesus is making a statement to the Jewish leaders, to whom he is telling this parable. The rich man’s brothers in this parable are the Jewish leaders hearing the parable. Though they are in positions of power, there is an afterlife, where everyone is rewarded or punished for what he has done. What we do on earth matters. And they need to change their attitudes and actions, and stop seeking out power and influence (which is the primary reason they persecuted Jesus) and start seeking God. If they did, they would realize Jesus was not an impostor or a blasphemer but was from God, was God. The rich man in the parable begs Abraham to send Lazarus so that they might understand, and Jesus is saying that he wishes the Pharisees would understand. He desires the best for them.

When Abraham explains that they have Moses and the prophets, the rich man responds by saying that is not enough. They need more proof. Likewise, Jesus is saying that for the Pharisees, the fact that the entire Old Testament points so starkly to him has not been enough to wake them from their vengeful slumber, to take the scales off their blind eyes. They still don’t understand. And then comes the punch line of the parable when the light went off for me. Abraham responds to the rich man’s second request to send Lazarus (since Moses and the prophets won’t be enough to convince them), “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Did you hear that? After reading this a hundred times, it never dawned on me how clearly this statement is about Jesus. He’s speaking directly to the Pharisees about himself, saying that he will rise from the dead. They probably didn’t get it, and no one else who heard him probably did either. But that’s how Jesus worked, and that’s how parables worked. They become clear after the fact, or they confuse us until we see them in a new light. Of course I could be wrong about all this, but at least I am convinced!

If you, Pharisees, are not convinced that I am the Son of God by Moses and the prophets, and that you better stop persecuting me and start following me, you will not be convinced even if “someone” rises from the dead. Even if that someone was me, after you kill me! If you don’t want to believe, you won’t. Simple as that.

This has so many implications for us: certainly for how we read this text, but also for how we understand belief and faith. Faith is not about being able to define everything and get all the facts straight. It’s about seeing what is plainly in front of our faces, and trusting that it’s not an illusion. It’s about believing the compelling truth that is offered to us, instead of trying to find ways to rebuff it (because only a truth tested and examined and “put under the microscope” can be trusted). The reason this sort of “faith” doesn’t work is because we can always find reasons not to believe. Even if someone were to rise from the dead, we could find reasons not to believe…

May you see the truth that has been presented to you: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior and Forgiver of sins. And may you not seek to find the reason why it’s NOT true, but fall headlong into the freedom of a relationship with him. The best way to know the reality of God and the presence of God and the love of God is simply to be with God; in his presence faith becomes so simple…

The Greatest of these is Love

2010-05-19T23:21:00.001-04:00

I have a thought I wanted to share from Scripture, simply because it is beautiful to me and thought someone else might appreciate it. This is a thought pointed out by a Greek professor I had a couple years ago, so it's something I've been thinking about for a while. .

It is regarding 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. My professor asked us what we thought Paul was getting at when he said, "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." I had never really given much thought to what Paul meant when he said this, or to what God is saying to us as Christians today through these words. If asked, I probably would have said that Paul was simply saying that faith, hope, and love were all extremely important, but that love was the greatest. In other words, it was just a poetic way to emphasize love's exceeding importance.

However, my professor challenged us to think about why love is the greatest of these three. In his view (and after a couple years of thought I agree with him), of these three virtues love is the greatest because it is the only one that will last. It is the only one that, in the end, will ALWAYS remain. There will come a day when faith is no longer necessary. If faith is being certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11), there will come a day when faith will be obsolete, because we will see clearly. We will see Jesus face to face. We will know him, and he will be with us, and he will be our God. And there will come a day when hope will no longer be necessary, for who hopes for what he already has? On that day Revelation 21 tells us there will no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Everything will be restored. Shalom has returned. Hope is no longer needed, because things are right. But love... Love is the greatest, because it will last. The love we experience now is but a taste of the deep and full love we will experience for eternity, as we are loved by God with the deepest love, loved by the essence and creator of love... And as we love him back, and love each other. The greatest of these is love...

Spiritual Formation

2010-04-29T11:05:00.000-04:00

My own personal spiritual formation is an issue that I have struggled with and continue to struggle with: in the midst of life and all its demands, and in light of my own self-centeredness, how do I establish a rhythm or routine that enables me to encounter Christ and be formed spiritually? I have been working through this for quite some time, and this semester was reintroduced to the work of Ruth Haley Barton called Sacred Rhythms. Actually working through this book has been so refreshing for me, has introduced or re-introduced several spiritual disciplines that I think will be so helpful for me, and has laid the groundwork for me to incorporate a rhythm into my life that will enable me to grow.

I won't bore you with the details of my own journey, but I wanted to share that in case this book could help prod and encourage anyone else in their spiritual journey. I'll post a link to it on Amazon below...

Is Hunting Off-limits??

2010-04-26T16:07:00.000-04:00

So I have never hunted before. Let me preface this post with that admission, or claim to the moral high ground, however you see the issue personally. :) I have never given much thought to the ethical dimensions of hunting, probably because I have never been that interested in environmentalism. I am starting to wake up to the importance of this issue, although I still am not as cooperative as I should be in the recycling my wife tries to do. I see how important it is to value and treasure the earth, since it is the only earth God has given us and we are the stewards of that gift (in a similar fashion to how we have been given one physical body and must be good stewards of that). But I have been slow to act on my realization of the importance of this truth.

I have been even slower to recognize how important it is to treasure animals and all of God's creatures. Part of this stems from my strong negative feelings toward the "pet idol" movement I have observed in America: pets are like people, and we value them to such a great extent that they become an idol for us, something we value more than human relationships. Despite that unhealthy tendency, though, it is true that God's creatures are valuable in his sight--all creatures, both human and animal--and we must value them and treat them with respect.

I just read a quote that got me thinking of all this, and here it is:
"The Noachic covenant [God's covenant with Noah found in Genesis 9] emphasizes reverence for the mystery of life, symbolized by the blood. Permission is given to human beings to slaughter meat for food, but with appropriate reserve and reverence (Gen. 9:4-5). Their God-given freedom does not entitle them to kill for sport or to destroy species. The nonhuman creation is not there simply for humans to use or exploit. Animals too are precious in God's sight, and this valuation may extend to trees, flowers, and other parts of 'nature.' In short, human beings are caretakers of God's creation... This is what is involved in being made in the image of God: to rule the earth in wisdom, justice, and compassion so that the rule of God may be manifest in human actions" (Bernard Anderson, Contours of Old Testament Theology, 95).

Wow. That's a great quote in my opinion. The comment near the end about being made in the image of God goes back to his earlier discussion of what this phrase means. To be made in the image of God, in Anderson's view, means to have a function or role, to represent God on earth, "just as a child represents the parent on a family estate" (90). In this view, man "is not an autonomous being, at liberty to rule the earth arbitrarily or violently. On the contrary, human dominion is to be exercised wisely and benevolently so that God's dominion over the earth may be manifest in care for the earth and in the exercise of justice" (91).

This is what all goes back to hunting! If we are not free to treat the earth how we want, whether through treating animals violently or through raping the earth's natural resources in whatever fashion we want, then that certainly has implications for how we live. We must do what we can to treasure the earth and its creatures, both in our own lives and through the laws we support. And maybe we should take another look at hunting and the underlying assumptions behind it. I have always felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of killing an animal for fun, but Genesis 9 seems to instruct us to treat the blood of animals with great respect, for the life given to it by God is in its blood. It is one thing to kill an animal to nourish our bodies. I believe this is absolutely okay, mainly because Scripture says it is okay and because I do believe that animals are subject to humans, since God set it up that way. However, does our "dominion" over animals give us the right to kill them for fun? Isn't there something about this that fails to treasure God's creation? Isn't there something about this that fails to rule the earth in wisdom and compassion? I'm just asking the question...

Purpose of the Church: Michael Frost

2010-04-12T01:26:00.000-04:00

I just posted a mini-review of the first section of The Shaping of Things to Come, and this post is about a youtube video I just watched with one of its authors, Michael Frost. Michael talks about the purpose of the Church in compelling ways, ways that challenged me, and I wanted to share some of his thoughts. If you'd like to watch the video for yourself (it's only 3 1/2 minutes), you can go here.

“The purpose of the Church, I think, is to alert people to the universal reign of God in Christ, in the same way as that was the purpose of Israel—to alert people to the universal reign of Yahweh…The gospel for Israel was that Yahweh reigns…over all kingdoms and dominions. The Christian message is the same, except that reign and rule is exemplified and confirmed for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus.”

The purpose of the Church, then, is to alert people to the reign and rule of God in Christ. This is “more than church growth, attracting more numbers, more than saving the lost.” He says there are two ways we alert people to God’s reign: we announce it and declare it, through relationships and public praise and proclamation, and we also demonstrate what the reign of God looks like. If the reign of God is characterized by love, justice, mercy, grace, then we as the Church ought to go and act that out now, demonstrating for the world what the reign of God looks like: “show people what the world to come looks like here in the midst of the disorder of this world.” Arguments about whether the Church should do social action or evangelism have no place. The Church ought to be like a trailer for the greatest blockbuster movie in history—the world ought to look at the Church as it demonstrates what the universal reign of God looks like and want to participate! “People ought to look at the Church—they ought to look at individual Christians—and they ought to see a trailer of this world to come. They ought to see peace, justice, love, mercy, kindness. They also ought to see celebration and joy, delicious flavors and beautiful life. They ought to look at it and think, ‘I’d like to see the whole thing!’ I think that’s the purpose of the Church: to announce and to demonstrate the universal reign of God in Christ. And then, if the Church grows, it’s incidental. I think it will grow… But the primary goal is this alerting people to this irreversible truth of God’s reign.”

This is a beautiful way to see the purpose of the Church in my opinion: to announce and demonstrate the reign of God in Christ. Personally, I think a big part of announcing is going, and as we go we also must demonstrate as a community this reign of God already being played out in our midst. Too often the Church has stayed stagnant, attempting to announce from our pulpits and demonstrate from our cozy church buildings the reign of God. We must do so by going and through proactive relationships with our neighbors, friends, colleagues, family members, etc.

One of his most crucial points for me is that our focus has been skewed for too long, and we have made church growth and numbers our focus. If we are living out the universal reign of God in our midst, demonstrating a radically loving, just, sacrificial community, the church will grow. We'll never need another outreach "program" or church growth plan. May we as individuals and as the Church be this trailer for the world, both announcing and demonstrating the wonderful, freeing, righteous reign of God.

The Missional Church

2010-04-12T00:48:00.000-04:00

So I read a book called The Shaping of Things to Come by Frost and Hirsch a while back, and I am going through it with some friends right now. I wrote out a few thoughts pertaining to the first section of the book, and I thought I would share those thoughts here as well. The book certainly has some ideas that I don't wholeheartedly agree with, but on the whole it hits the nail on the head and makes some very important challenges to the way the church in the West is currently operating. I invite and encourage you to get this book and work through it. There is a link to buy it at the bottom of this article...

Thoughts on The Shaping of Things to Come through page 107

This book was like a breath of fresh air for me. It addressed many areas I have been working through and trying to come to grips with. Though it didn’t answer all my questions, and though I didn’t agree with every point or resonate with every idea, I was incredibly refreshed by the authors’ fresh vision for the Church. This book introduced me to the idea of the “missional church,” which is summed up very well by Rick Meigs on his website www.friendofmissional.org. Part of his description says: “At its core, missional is a shift in thinking. This shift in thinking is expressed by Ed Stetzer and David Putman in their book, Breaking the Missional Code (Broadman & Holman, 2006) like this:

From programs to processes

From demographics to discernment

From models to missions

From attractional to incarnational

From uniformity to diversity

From professional to passionate

From seating to sending

From decisions to disciples

From additional to exponential

From monuments to movements”

This is a good way to introduce this stream in the church that is moving in a powerful way. It is in part a reaction against the institutionalized church, and I feel that Hirsch and Frost have summed up its main thrusts very well in this book.

My journey has played a large part in the ways that this book has challenged me, shaped me, and set me on a path toward being involved with a new kind of church. For my entire life, I have always been an integral part of whatever church I have attended: I was a leader in my youth group as a student, I was at a small church while at college where I was well-known and then was a youth pastor after that. I was always sort of in a privileged position, and it was easy for me to get to know people—in fact, people were seeking out relationships with ME mostly!

Then we moved down here to Kentucky, not really thinking about the transition to finding a church. We had a very difficult time. We went from church to church trying to find a community of Christ-centered people who would embrace us and whom we could embrace. We signed up for welcome classes that got cancelled, we signed up for small groups and were never placed in them, we sought out friendships and were turned away. We felt like we were finally encountering what it must be like for people who are trying to “break in” to the culture of the church. It was tough! Because we are committed followers of Christ, we kept looking and eventually settled on a church merely because we were able to get into a small group there. We have become hungry for community, a genuine community of Christ-followers who are focused on loving God, loving each other, and loving the world. This has been hard to find, and this vision is what I feel the authors tapped into for me. I am so tired of churches worrying about sustaining themselves (as institutions), focusing on the building of buildings and the budget and the maintenance of the programs of the church. I know these things have their place, and I certainly have played my part in sustaining these aspects of the church. But they seem to take over and mask the entire nature of the church! The church is not an institution—it is a living organism, a community of people, a family. I personally feel like this nature is hidden in the vast majority of churches by its own programs and goals and budgets and passions.

All of that is introduction, believe it or not! J Let me move on to talk specifically about the book’s first 107 pages and what struck me the most. I found the discussion at the beginning about the Burning Man festival interesting. Of course such a festival is not the church, but I resonated with the authors’ connection between this festival and the longings of humanity, specifically in our postmodern world. The most powerful longing I think this festival displays is a longing for belonging. We all want to be a part of something with others, to be in community, and to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. I also resonated with the festival’s focus on the experiential and on celebration—I think these are longings that the church too often ignores…

I really appreciated their discussion on Christendom, and from my education in church history I found them to be right on target. They said that through the shift under Constantine, “Christianity moved from being a dynamic, revolutionary, social, and spiritual movement to being a religious institution with its attendant structures, priesthood, and sacraments” (8). This is key to me, and points to the source of many of the problems in the Church’s focus and understanding of its nature and mission 1700 years later. We must regain our focus on being a missionary movement rather than an institution.

While I disagree with their sweeping assessment that the church planting movement has gone bust to a large degree, I agree with them on their point that most church plants are merely carbon copies of the dominant Christendom model, “duplicating a failing system” (18). They seem to still be advocating church planting, in fact, although a missional type of church, one that abandons the Christendom assumptions and sees the nature and purpose of the church as a church sent “to bring healing to a broken world” (18).

Their summary of what this missional church will look like is spelled out on page 22, and overall it’s a vision I get very excited about: it places a high value on communal life, has more open leadership structures, and values the contribution of everyone in the community. It is experiential and participatory in worship and is deeply concerned for matters of justice and mercy. These are the things I have been longing to see the church focus on, moving away from its “come to us” mentality and its institutionalized focus. I believe existing churches can begin to make these changes, but it will take serious shifts in the way we look at ourselves and the purpose and function of our churches. We must begin to see the church we attend not as a club you can join but as the corporate community of individuals following Christ…

Their focus on the church becoming incarnational was a little confusing for me as I read back through it, but I appreciated the descriptions on page 38 of what they meant—we must truly become a part of the people group we are trying to reach, identifying with them in real ways as Christ identified with humanity in his incarnation. In other words, we must not stand apart from our neighbors or call out to the not-yet Christians among whom we live, telling them to come to church! This has been the attractional model: we have the goods, and you need to get with the program and come to us if you want those goods. Instead, we must enter into real relationships with them and identify with them in true ways if we ever hope to invite them to know Christ.

Beyond this, the church must turn its gaze toward this incarnational stance; we must not stand apart from our culture or neighborhoods but must become enmeshed in them. “Jesus moved into the neighborhoods; he experienced its life, its rhythms, and its people from the inside and not as an outsider” (39)—we must also do this if we hope to do the work God has called us to.

The graphs on page 41 sum up the difference between attractional and incarnational: the mission mode and impulse in the attractional model is inward, seeking to get people to “come to church,” while the mission mode and impulse in the incarnational model is outward, seeking to go and share life with the communities of which we are a part. Through this shared life we can invite our friends to join us in the journey of following Christ.

Frost and Hirsch say: “We believe that the web of relationships, friendships, and acquaintances that Christians normally have makes up the net into which not-yet Christians will swim. We believe the missional-incarnational church will spend more time on building friendships than it will on developing religious programs” (44). This is a beautiful challenge to me, and a needed one. We need to regain (as individual followers of Christ who are a part of his body, the community, the church) our focus on relationships with others, in the process sacrificing some of our focus on programs and planning and productivity.

One more thought and then I'll stop. The authors provide a very powerful discussion about the way we view the Church and the world, ourselves and our neighbors. They express that for too long Christians have bought into a faulty way of thinking, which they refer to as the "fence" mentality. In other words, those who follow Jesus are "in" the fence, and those who do not are "out" of the fence. This in/out, us/them mentality has led directly to the institutionalization of the church, to viewing the body of Christ as something you can become a member of, a sort of social club. Rather, we ought to view the journey of faith in terms of a "well." Jesus is the well, and there are no fences. Some are close to the well, connected with Christ on an intimate basis, and some are far from the well. But all are on the journey, and it is our role as Christians, as the Church, to draw those who are far from the well toward it. We are missionaries, going to all who are far from the well (not-yet-Christians, rather than "unbelievers" or "non-Christians") and inviting them to know Christ. We are not an institution, waiting for those who are "out" to come to the source and get the goods...

I again invite you to buy this book and read it. At the very least, it is challenging and insightful. If you have thoughts about the book or about what I've written here, I'd love to hear your thoughts...

What are gospels?

2010-03-22T16:36:00.000-04:00

I have noticed in my own life and the lives of others that a fundamental misunderstanding of what the gospels are has caused major problems. Because much of the Christian faith is based on the historical man Jesus, and because so much of that faith is based on the four gospels, which claim to offer firsthand information regarding him, it is really important that we understand what they are. I have often been guilty of asking too much or too little of these books, or reading them as one document instead of four. Here, according to Mark Allan Powell, is how we ought to understand the gospel genre as seen in the New Testament:

-Gospels are “literary artworks” presenting a portrait of Jesus that is distinctive from the other gospels—we should not try to combine the portraits of the gospels to paint a unified picture of Jesus, because this causes us to miss the particular image each gospel writer wanted to present… First we must recognize the four separate portraits.

-Gospel genre: loosely fits into the genre of “ancient biography”—these were common in the Roman world, with Plutarch writing more than 50. Mostly were about emperors, generals, heroes, philosophers, and religious leaders.

-Five more things need to be said about the gospel genre:

They are compilations—include other genres within their pages, like genealogies, hymns, parables, miracle stories, speeches, pronouncement stories, etc.
They are influenced by Jewish literature—written in Greek but by people well versed in the Hebrew Scriptures, which include semibiographical narratives of people like Abraham and Moses.
They are ancient biographies, not modern ones—make no pretense of offering objective or balanced perspectives on Jesus’ life, nor do they report their sources or offer any way for readers to check the reliability of what they wrote. Further, their treatment is not comprehensive: reveal little about Jesus’ personality or motivation, provide almost no information about his early life, do not describe his physical appearance, etc. Audiences at this time did not expect such questions to be addressed in biographies—point was to relate accounts that portrayed the essential character of the person so as to invite emulation of him. Chronology was also typically not of concern, so that events were not reported in the order they occurred but in a sequence likely to have a particular rhetorical effect on its readers.
They employ a fictive (“fictionlike”) style of narrative—literary style is closer to that of modern fiction than to modern historical reporting. This doesn’t speak to the accuracy of what was reported, but the STYLE of writing is similar to today’s historical fiction. They knew the art of storytelling, employing literary devices such as irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing—so we can talk about the “plot” of a particular gospel, or about how its rhetorical features bring the story to a climax. Authors in this time treated history as a story and told it with a flair that modern readers associate with fiction.
They are overtly evangelistic—most biographies in the ancient world were in one way or another, not simply passing on information but reporting on extraordinary people with the hope that readers would be inspired and motivated to change their values or behaviors accordingly. The gospel writers clearly tell the story in a way that may inspire people to accept his teaching or practice his way of life. More than this, the writers make it clear that they believe Jesus’ story has ultimate significance and will affect the lives of all people, whether they believe in him or not.

These items were extremely helpful to me in understanding what the gospels are and what they were intended to be. These help me not to read too much into these accounts, or expect them to report in certain ways they never intended to. For example, it is easy to read the gospels with an expectation that they will conform to modern historical writing. This is very different from the gospels, and while this does not mean that anything reported in the gospels is historically inaccurate, it does mean that this was not their purpose. So if something is reported differently or in a different sequence in Mark and Luke, it does not mean one is right and one is wrong--it means that the two authors have chosen to present the facts of what happened in different manners and with different purposes.

Hope this is helpful to you as well, and inspires you to pick up those gospels as individual books and learn about who Jesus was and is according to each gospel writer...

Real Baby Fake Baby...

2010-03-07T16:13:00.003-05:00

The article below appeared today on CNN. Needless to say, I was disgusted. And the question that came to mind was: What causes this? What on earth is going on inside people that they act in such a way? Consider those questions as you read...

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- Police have arrested a South Korean couple whose toddler starved to death while they were raising a virtual child online, authorities said.

The couple fed their 3-month-old daughter once a day between marathon stretches in a local Internet cafe, where they were raising a virtual child in the fantasy role-playing game Prius Online, police told local reporters Friday.

Prius Online is a 3-D game in which players nurture an online companion, Anima, a young girl with mysterious powers who grows and increases her skills as the game progresses.

Police have not identified the 41-year-old father and 25-year-old mother, who lived in Suwon, a suburb south of Seoul. But the father apologized, speaking to reporters.

"I wish that she hadn't got sick and that she will live well in heaven forever. And as the father, I am sorry," he said.

The baby reportedly died five months ago.

South Korea has one of the world's fastest broadband networks. Seoul has won international awards for e-governance. Online gaming teams are sponsored by major conglomerates and 24-hour, high-speed Internet cafes, known as PC Bangs, dot every urban neighborhood.

Police said the couple had lost their jobs and used the game as an escape from reality, especially after the birth of their premature baby.

"They instead played an online game in which they raised a virtual character so as to escape from reality, which led to the death of their real baby," Chung Jin-won, a police officer in Suwon, told Yonhap News Agency.

"South Korea remains a very conservative society so people who fall outside the norm can come under severe stress and pressure," said Michael Breen, the Seoul-based author of "The Koreans."

"The Internet has provided such people with a paradise to escape to and simply get lost in."

Now what do you think? I welcome your thoughts. What is behind such escapism? Such blatant disregard for life, even the life of your own flesh and blood. I do not understand it, but I think we can find a clue by looking at the current state of our culture. By "culture" I don't mean American culture, or Korean culture in this case, but our world's culture. How have we gotten to where we are? How have we come to value the things we value? Personally, I think much of the root of the problem, the source of such terrible, self-centered actions is our relativism. There is no truth, nothing grounded. There may be norms of acceptable behavior, which differ from society to society or country to country. But these norms are not accepted as truth, but only expectations. There is no absolute truth, so there is no "right" way to treat your spouse, or your kids, or a stranger. There is no "right" way to live. I think this has led to the general acceptance of selfish behavior. If there is no "right" way to live, then I can live however I want. Don't tell me how to live, or that my way isn't right--it's right for ME, we say. So our relativism has led to selfishness, which has made all sorts of behavior normal.

I think one of the most acceptable forms of behavior in our world culture is escapism. The escapism that leads us to consume vast amounts of TV so we don't have to deal with our issues. The escapism that leads us to eat vast amounts of food so we don't have to deal with our emotions. The escapism that leads to adults playing hours of video games each day. Or spending hours browsing the internet. Or, in my own personal sphere, spending hours playing "fantasy sports"... What, exactly, are we trying to escape from??? Our own mortality? Our issues? Our LIVES?

Why on earth this couple would take part in a fantasy internet game (about raising a human) and forsake actually raising their own daughter is beyond comprehension. It is utterly disgusting. Despicable. But the further our culture fades into relativism, and then into selfishness, the more such behavior will happen.

May we all escape from our escapist tendencies.

May we drink in the life that is front of us, life that is calling to be lived to the full.

And more than anything, may we realize there is a right way to live, a way that loves and values life and sacrifices for others. A way that lays down its own right to be selfish...

Lent: focus on Christ or ourselves?

2010-02-18T11:44:00.002-05:00

So I didn't grow up with Lent. My very Protestant churches probably did not even consider celebrating this season. Despite that, I have come to appreciate it, albeit from a distance. I have still never been very active at celebrating, though I think it clearly has value for focusing our thoughts on Christ and remembering his journey to the cross (and what it means for our lives).

That said, I have never understood the whole "giving something up" for Lent. If the whole point of the season is to focus our thoughts on Christ, and ultimately to bow our hearts before the somber sacrifice Christ made on the cross, why do we spend the 40 days leading up Good Friday thinking about OURSELVES and what WE are going to give up?? It seems backwards. Now I am sure there is value in such ascetic practices, and I am sure I need more of those practices in my life (times of silence, fasting, etc.). But I feel like we have mixed up what this season is about: it's not about us and our issues, it's about Christ!

Certainly that has implications for our lives, but it seems like from the start we make the Lenten season a time of self-focus instead of Christ-focus. What if instead of giving something up we spent time each day thinking about a different aspect of Christ's life and death in a structured and serious way? I don't know--I'm really just throwing thoughts out there. The basic point is that I think giving something up for lent has the potential to distract us from its point: our faith is not about us, but about Christ and who he is and what he did for us and for all humanity.

I like what Eugene Cho said on this (here), as he said, " I don’t want to think of it as a giving up but rather a season of more deeply ‘giving in’ or ‘giving to’…" How can we give ourselves to Christ more deeply during this time--through obedience or conversation or study of his Word? This gets closer to what I am saying, although it is still about us and what WE are giving to God. Let's focus instead on what God is giving to us, what he has already given to us. Let's make Christ the focus of Lent...

Thoughts on the Documentary Food Inc.

2010-02-18T09:55:00.001-05:00

I posted some thoughts (here) a while back on what we eat and how it is related to the Kingdom, to being Shalomers (see what I mean by "Shalomer" here). I just watched a very interesting documentary called Food Inc., and it had a lot to say about this very issue. The basic premise of the movie is that we as Americans have become very separated from our food. Agriculture used to be part of our lives, whether we worked the land ourselves or knew those who did. We used to know where our food came from, but today is a different story. Most of the food on the shelves of our grocery stores is processed beyond recognition, making it terribly unhealthy. So this movie will make you think about what you eat, and making some changes in the foods you buy.

What it did not convince me of was the need to buy only "organic" foods, which seemed to be one of the goals of the movie. For a long time I have questioned: what exactly IS "organic," and who defines it, and how do I know someone hasn't just slapped organic on the label to make me think it's healthier so they can charge me more? These are all still valid questions in my mind after watching the movie, but I would say while I do not feel obliged to buy organic now, I do have serious questions about the quality of the food I'm buying. Is the chicken or beef I am buying terribly unhealthy because of the terrible practices of the few huge, multinational food companies who control the meat markets? Some of the images regarding how these companies raise chickens or cows in order to pump out the meat were absolutely disgusting, but so important to see. Those images, and understanding such practices, will certainly make you think about the foods you buy.

This was the most helpful and challenging part of the movie to me: I am much more aware of my ignorance about where my food comes from, my utter separation from the production of my food. And I don't think our current model is the way it is supposed to work.

Beyond this, there was a quote in the movie that I really appreciated, and I started nodding my head and saying, "Now you're talking like a Christian!" They were interviewing a remarkable farmer, a guy named Joel Salatin. He has refused to sell out to the multi-national corporations, and is passionate about farming and raising chickens and pigs (even slaughtering them) in humane ways. He said, "A culture that just views a pig as a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure to be manipulated by whatever creative design the human can foist upon that critter will probably view individuals within its community and other cultures in the community of nations with the same type of disdain and disrespect and controlling type mentality." You have to watch the movie to understand what it is that these corporations have been doing to animals (and us, by extension) in order to increase profits, but it was disturbing to watch.

And I think Joel is onto something here. Now anyone who knows me knows that I am the farthest thing from a PETA advocate. Don't have pets, don't want pets, etc. But when it is acceptable in a culture to treat animals the way they have been treating them, it is not too big of a leap to assume that such a selfish way of thinking will bleed over into the ways we view and treat other humans. In fact, the movie did show that it was not a leap at all for these corporations, who have made a business of recruiting Mexican nationals to come and work in their meat-packing plants. Then when the government began cracking down on illegal immigrants, they helped the government round up and arrest their own employees, taking no responsibility for what they had done. Further, they made a deal with the government that they would hand over 15 illegal immigrants a day, so that things at the plant could keep running smoothly and profits would not be affected. Wow! It sounds to me as if they had indeed made the leap, viewing HUMAN BEINGS working for them as nothing but "a pile of protoplasmic inanimate structure," in Joel's words. (I don't think he has a medical degree in his future, by the way). :)

Here's the point: each action we take says something about the condition of our hearts, about how we view and value life. What we eat and what we are okay with in the production of our food also makes a statement. I encourage you to watch this movie, if only to educate yourself. But more, I encourage you to not let the ends, whatever they are in your life, justify unwholesome, unhealthy means.

Powell's Introducing the New Testament

2010-02-16T08:00:00.000-05:00

So I just read the opening chapter of this work for my New Testament class. It is a text book, but it is such a wonderful text book. Great layout, great charts, and most importantly great information. I have had several New Testament classes before, in undergrad, so much of the information was not new to me. But lots of it was, or I had forgotten. And the way he lays out the information is so helpful.

Then the thought hit me that the information in this book could be so transformative for all Christians--it could shape the ways they read and understand the New Testament, thus transforming their faith and understanding of God. So I wanted to recommend this book, though I've only read the first 30 pages. If you want to learn about the background of the story of Jesus--what was going on, what it meant to its original audience, and so have a better understanding of what it means for us today--I recommend reading this book.

I think every Christian, at their baptism, should get a book like this and a book like Epic of Eden by Sandra Richter to read before they start reading the actual Bible. So get these two books--you won't regret it!

The Olympics, God's Call, and Shalom

2010-02-14T08:38:00.000-05:00

As I was watching some of the Olympics last night, some thoughts occurred to me about the goals we give ourselves to, the calling or vocation we dedicate our lives to. I have been thinking a lot about calling lately, about how each of us has one life and a limited supply of days and months and years with which to "pursue our calling." To back up and talk about what calling is briefly (you can see the previous posting on primary/secondary calling for more), I believe calling to be all about the Caller. My calling is what God has specifically designed me to be and to do for him, and I discover that calling in the midst of my relationship with him. Though we all have the same primary calling, to love and follow Christ, to be Shalomers in essence, our secondary callings are our specific calling from God. And I believe he knows each of us, and has a plan for each of us, and is calling each of us to something special.

In other words, I don't think we go to seminars and read books on our personality types, fill out surveys on what jobs might work for us, and then choose from an arbitrary list of possible job fits. These methods may actually help us in discerning what God is calling us to, but we can never discover our true calling outside of our relationship with him, because "calling" assumes a Caller.

Anyway, what does all of this have to do with the Olympics? Well I was watching the female mogul skiers last night, and each time one of them would get a little too much air in one of her jumps and would fall down, the thought hit me: Oh my goodness--this girl has been training for the past four years, and probably for much longer than that, in order to be at these Olympics and compete. And she just fell down. Her dream is over. All her work has come to naught, at least insofar as she was training with the purpose of winning a medal for herself and her country. It's over. Better luck in four years.

How sad is that! And then the thought hit me that perhaps she has been in training this whole time for something she was never called to do. Now this is not for me or anyone else to judge: whether someone else is properly pursuing his or her calling. We each have enough trouble trying to figure out what OUR OWN calling is to worry about others. But if we want to be about partnering with God in this world to bring his Kingdom, his Shalom, and if we want to be about helping to right the wrongs of this world for God's glory, I think we can say that some things are probably not worth pursuing.

We only get one life, after all. I was trying to explain to my oldest daughter about age, and about how her sister is not actually 0, but is 5 months old. She, I explained, is 41 months old, and her daddy is something like 300 months old. (She was staring at me blankly throughout this conversation, and I realized this was all a little abstract for her 3 year-old mind). But the point is that we only get a certain number of months, don't we? And then they are all used up. Further, we may get many fewer months than we envisioned or planned on.

What does all of this mean? Well I believe God is calling you and I to something special, something big. I believe he has important plans for each of our lives, and if we will open our minds and hearts and seek that out, he will lead us to a place we never imagined, but to a place that is so much greater than where we could or would have taken ourselves. If we will earnestly ask God to make his vision for our lives our vision, I believe he'll reveal a call for our lives that is more dangerous than we are comfortable with, but more exciting and meaningful than we could have imagined!

Let us not seek out a "good job", or a comfortable lifestyle, or a nice salary, or whatever. Let us seek out Christ, and let us be passionate about using our only life to partner with God to bring his Shalom to this world. Let us follow after Jesus in giving away our lives for the sake of something bigger than ourselves, so that we will not have bought into the great American lie and lived our lives for ourselves, for something less than eternal, for nothing...

A Call to Exegesis

2010-02-11T00:59:00.002-05:00

Right now I'm reading Eugene Peterson's Eat This Book. It started slowly but makes some excellent points. I just finished chapter four, which was a great discussion of the form of Scripture, story. All of Scripture, the different genres and styles, are all part of a meta-narrative, one grand story. And Scripture must be read within this framework. So often we want to take a verse or a chapter and dissect it for the meaning, the important nugget, the principle, and then move on. And we do great violence to the text in this way. Peterson says that the form in which language comes to us is as important as its content, and if we misunderstand the form we will probably respond wrongly to the content—we must understand the form of story if we are to rightly respond to the Bible.

A couple quotes on this crucial point:
“We are caught off-guard when divine revelation arrives in such ordinary garb and mistakenly think it’s our job to dress it up in the latest Paris silk gown of theology” (43).
“We do violence to the biblical revelation when we ‘use’ it for what we can get out of it…When we submit our lives to what we read in Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God’s” (44).

Part of understanding Scripture as story is coming to grips with the different viewpoints/ideas/content present in the different authors in Scripture. This has caused great grief for many, as they try to get their brains around why there are seeming discrepancies in Scripture. However, in the context of Scripture as story, this becomes an aid in helping us wrap our brains around the meaning and direction of the story. Peterson says that the many voices and points of view present in the Bible give it coherence; “instead of attempting to iron out the wrinkles of inconsistency and disharmony, we have to listen for the resonances, echoes, patterns—the swarming complexity of lived truth, not pinned-down and labeled facts” (47). When Scripture is a story instead of a text book of facts, we can see the overlapping nature of different books in this context of the swarming complexity of lived truth, and allow the story to speak without needing every detail to match up in our modern scientific way...

There is so much in this chapter, but I want to move to the final piece as it's crucial. Peterson calls for all of us, all serious Christians, to engage in exegesis, which is defined as a careful and serious reading of the text. Or Peterson defines it by saying: “Exegesis is simply noticing and responding adequately to the demands that words make on us” (51). Many think that this task is for clergy or for academics, but Peterson makes a clear call for all Christians who want to follow Christ to engage in serious study of the text. Further, he says, we cannot rely on our “spirituality” or listening to God and skip exegesis; the more mature we become, the more attentive we must be to exegesis. So buy some commentaries, people!

Wondering why your "devotional life" (whatever that means) is stale? Wondering why you can't seem to get anything out of the Bible? Wondering why your "daily devotional" doesn't seem to lead to real spiritual growth?? It's because you aren't digging into the text, which is not the role of pastors and professors, but of all Christian people! So, seriously, buy some commentaries! If you need help with what kind of commentaries, or with where you might get them, I can help you or point you in the right direction. But I think if you do this, you'll find it begins to deepen your interaction with Scripture immediately. I'll close with some more of Peterson's quotes on exegesis:

“Exegesis is the furthest thing from pedantry; exegesis is an act of love. It loves the one who speaks the words enough to want to get the words right. It respects the words enough to use every means we have to get the words right. Exegesis is loving God enough to stop and listen carefully to what he says” (55).

“Exegesis does not mean mastering the text, it means submitting to it as it is given to us. Exegesis doesn’t take charge of the text and impose superior knowledge on it; it enters the world of the text and lets the text ‘read’ us. Exegesis is an act of sustained humility: There is so much about this text that I don’t know, that I will never know. Christians keep returning to it, with all the help we can get from grammarians and archaeologists and historians and theologians, letting ourselves be formed by it” (57).

Without exegesis spirituality gets sappy and soupy, and all the words are defined out of the context of our own experience.

May we all do the hard work of exegesis, digging into the text and the world behind it to understand its meaning, so that we may be built up into mature and complete followers of Christ...

The Ridiculous Blessing of Parenthood

2010-02-09T20:32:00.000-05:00

The title of this post gives away its punch line, but that's okay. So I've had a frustrating day with my oldest today. I was home with her during nap time, while my wife took our youngest to the doctor. Suffice it to say it was more of "battle of the wills afternoon with daddy" than nap time. Then this evening, on the heels of a day without a nap, the attitude and lack of listening were not good. After all of this, I was a little frazzled as I prepared to put her to bed.

While I was sitting on the floor facing her, brushing her teeth, I looked into her face and the reality of the situation hit me. I have an absolutely beautiful 3 year old little girl. She is incredibly healthy and ridiculously smart. She is fun and a joy. And I stopped brushing her teeth right then and just smiled (which I realized in the moment I had not done much of during the hectic day), and gave her a hug and kept telling her how much I loved her, and how precious she was to me.

Needless to say, those hugs and words were the brightest part of our day together. How often I miss it! I am blessed beyond words with this wonderful little girl (and now two wonderful little girls), and I am often too busy parenting to see the joys that parenthood (and the Giver of life) has bestowed on me...

If there is one thing I want my children to know from their years with me, it is that they are a part of a bigger story, the story of a Creator who has made everything--even them--and they get to know Him and follow Him and partner with Him to right the wrongs of the world. And the second thing I want them to know is our deep and unshakeable love for them. How unfortunate that I get caught up with emphasizing manners and other such things that are important but peripheral...

May our breath be taken away by the wonder of parenthood, and may that wonder lead to a renewed focus on shepherding and loving our children the way God shepherds and loves us...

Bill Kinnon's review of McLaren...

2010-02-09T13:53:00.000-05:00

Kinnon wrote a scathing review of McLaren's new work, albeit before he actually read the book. :) But here is a sampling of what he said:

"I'm sure it's rather unfortunate for you, but you don't get to decide how the rest of us engage with your book. Let me be blunt, your approach is reminiscent of the divisive politics perfected in the nation you call home. Where people who disagree with your president are labeled as racists - or those who agree are socialists."

And again:

"Let me offer this piece of advice to you, Brian, if you don't want to receive reviews that question your ideas then simply stop writing. It really is that simple. Otherwise you will simply need to deal with the reality that the days of the idea gatekeepers are over. Welcome to the networked conspiracy."

See Kinnon's blog for the whole article (kinnon.tv).

Ouch. Apparently Brian has been calling those who critique his work closed to new ideas and fundamentalists. Not a great idea. So early reviews for this work are not good, but then again, he hasn't read the book! I think all of this underscores the fact that you can say the most wonderful things in the world, and you can even say them well, but if you have not love, if you have not humility, if you are not open to constructive criticism, no one wants to hear it. Period. May we all strive for the humility we need so that when God lays something on our hearts to share, we can be heard. And may we all strive to receive feedback and even criticism with grace and patience, knowing we don't have it all figured out...

Thoughts on our primary calling

2010-02-08T22:38:00.001-05:00

Today I started a book by Os Guinness called The Call: Finding and Fulfilling The Central Purpose of Your Life. It's pretty good, and I wanted to share a piece of it that really struck me. He spends some time describing what the meaning of calling really is, and describes the two types of calling as primary calling (our general calling to follow after and serve and love God) and secondary calling (however specifically God calls us to live out our primary calling, often what we do for a living).

In the midst of this discussion, he brings up the struggle many of us face, the temptation to replace our primary calling with our secondary calling. We begin to base our relationship with God on what we do for him, and there is nothing else to our "relationship" other than works. Guinness states:

"We must restore the primary calling to its primary place by restoring the worship that is its setting and the dedication to Jesus that is its heart. There is no surer guide here than the devotional writer Oswald Chambers. 'Beware of anything that competes with loyalty to Jesus Christ,' he wrote. 'The greatest competitor to devotion to Jesus is service for Him...' Do we enjoy our work, love our work, virtually worship our work so that our devotion to Jesus is off-center? Do we put our emphasis on service or usefulness, or being productive in working for God--at his expense?" (41).

I love these thoughts, and have found myself answering yes to those questions more often than I want to admit. So often I have found that I equate my relationship with God with my job when it is a "Christian" job like pastoring, or I equate my relationship with what I do for him on a daily basis (the way I love people, do work for him, etc.). But the work we do for God is meaningless if it does not flow out of our primary calling, loving and relating with Christ. Through that relationship he leads us and shows us what to do for him, so this also keeps us from spinning our wheels and doing things for Him he never wanted us to do.

Anyway, this was challenging to me and I wanted to share it. It reminds me of the last chapter I read in Francis Chan's Crazy Love, a chapter called "When You're In Love." This chapter talks about how our relationship with Christ should not be a chore, or something we do out of fear or guilt or obligation, but something that we long for and are passionate about. One of my favorite quotes from the chapter says:
"When you are truly in love, you go to great lengths to be with the one you love. You'll drive for hours to be together, even if it's only for a short while. You don't mind staying up late to talk. Walking in the rain is romantic, not annoying. You'll willingly spend a small fortune on the one you're crazy about. When you are apart from each other, it's painful, even miserable. He or she is all you think about; you jump at any chance to be together" (100). He goes on to relate this to our relationship with Christ, calling us to honesty in this relationship. If he is not our deepest longing, he already knows! We ought to express this to him and ask him to help us love him more and desire him more. Chan closes with a beautiful prayer that I will close with too--may this be an encouragement to you to find again your primary calling, the main thing God wants from you:

"Jesus, I need to give myself up. I am not strong enough to love you and walk with you on my own. I can't do it, and I need you. I need you deeply and desperately. I believe you are worth it, that you are better than anything else I could have in this life or the next. I want you. And when I don't, I want to want you. Be all in me. Take all of me. Have your way with me" (111).

Amen.

McLaren's new book

2010-02-08T10:19:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow McLaren's new book comes out, A New Kind of Christianity. I cannot tell from the small snippets I've seen so far if this book is a sequel based around his previous books with similar titles, without much new information, or whether it is going to be a groundbreaking and important work. It's always hard to tell--I am going to listen to the reviews before I go out and buy it. But those pesky marketers sure have done a good job at making the book look and sound appealing. Here is the small snippet McLaren posted this morning on his blog about the book:

"We’ve gotten ourselves into a mess with the Bible. First, we are in a scientific mess. Fundamentalism again and again paints itself into a corner by requiring that the Bible be treated as a divinely dictated science textbook providing us true information in all areas of life, including when and how the earth was created, what the shape of the earth is, what revolves around what in space, and so on." (68)

The tagline for the book is Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith, and I'd sure like to know what those ten questions are. Usually McLaren is a deep thinker with important things to say, so I have a feeling this is going to be a good book. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case you wanted to run grab it tomorrow, or the link to order it now through Amazon is below...

Professor Rah and race issues

2010-02-06T22:21:00.002-05:00

If you've never heard of Professor Rah (Soong-Chan Rah), he is one you ought to check out. I have not read his book The Next Evangelicalism yet, but I plan to. He is a professor at a seminary in Chicago, and if you want to read some of his thoughts you can check out his blog (see my blogroll). He is an expert on race issues, particularly related to the church in America. In a recent review of the movies Avatar and The Blind Side (and how they relate to race), he said this:

"Last year I was speaking at a mission conference comprised mainly of white suburbanite participants. I was listening to the speaker before me, when he dropped this little gem: “It’s not about a handout, but a hand up.” Actually, it’s not about either. A handout means you think you’re better than me and you’re handing me something (something I probably don’t deserve). A hand up means you think you’re better than me and you’re trying to lift me up from a bad place to your wonderful place. Actually, if it’s a choice between the two, I’d rather have the handout. If you’re going to be condescending, I might as well get a direct benefit out of it instead of being told that I need to become like you. Forget the hand out or the hand up. Just reach a hand across. Let’s be equals and partners. I don’t need you to rescue me just like you don’t think you need rescuing by me. My rescuer is a Jewish carpenter. I want to be a co-laborer in Christ with you, not your reclamation project."

I thought these were great thoughts, and certainly relate to the ways we pursue God's Kingdom as Christians and the ways we "do" church. I have heard conversations about how to "expand" particular churches racially, about how to attract people of other races, and this viewpoint makes me nauseous. As Rah says, how about we actually stop seeing ourselves as the central figures in the story, as the heroes who need to rescue those of lesser financial means or different ethnicity? How about we start actually seeing all people as our equals, those who speak English and those who do not, those who have a high school education and those who do not, those who are black or white or Asian or Latino? I do not believe we would have much a race problem if we truly did not see "the other" through any lens, but only saw all others as fellow humans we can reach a hand across to, humans we can partner with and love with the love of Christ...

More thoughts on Donald Miller; thoughts on Shalom

2010-02-06T00:07:00.001-05:00

So this blog is founded on my passion for being a part of the mission of God as I understand it: to bring wholeness and healing to all aspects of human life, and even to the earth itself--to make things right. I believe God calls us to partner with him to accomplish his biggest task, the one he's most passionate about, redeeming humanity from our sin and rebellion. Shalom, in case you didn't know, is a Hebrew word found throughout the Hebrew Bible, what we call the Old Testament as Christians. It is a very large idea, but at its core it means wholeness, completeness, health, equilibrium. The way things were supposed to be. It has come to be equated with peace. At least this is how I understand this huge word/concept. An example of this can be seen in a prophecy from Ezekiel about the coming of the New Jerusalem: "I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore." (Ez. 37:26). This everlasting peace is Shalom.

Anyway, I have come to believe that it's the role of every Christian to join this vast mission of God to restore his Shalom to this broken world, particularly in redeeming lost humanity through the sacrifice of Jesus. It's our job to help people find the way to Christ, the narrow way. Beyond that, bringing God's reign to earth means restoring our lives and our world to what they were intended to be in every way. We ought to be about fixing the broken pieces of our world in the name of Jesus; this is what I mean by being a "Shalomer."

Anyway, all of this came up in the few chapters of Donald Miller I read tonight. He was talking about how we as humans are always looking for something to complete us. Most of us are looking for that perfect person, our soul mate, to fill us and finish us. Once we find that love, we'll never be the same. Our longings will be fulfilled. Then we find out that is not the case. We still feel as empty as we did before, even after we are married. He went on to talk about how in Christian circles we have talked for a long time about how Jesus fills that hole in our hearts that only he can fill. He comes into our hearts and makes everything better. But then he challenged that whole notion, saying that he follows Jesus and believes he will make everything right, but not here and not now. The holes in our hearts, our deepest longings, our feelings of incompleteness and inadequacy, will never be quenched until the end, until the feast and the wedding, until the culmination of all things in heaven.

This really hit me and I believe it is true. I long for that day. I long to see the face of Jesus. I long to know fully that it's all okay, that everything is better, that the pain of this world is gone. I long to be hugged by my Maker, for it all to make sense. But I am so appreciative for the reminder that no matter how hard we work to bring God's Kingdom, no matter if we give our lives to God's mission, no matter how we long to restore Shalom and redeem humanity, things will not be perfect on earth. True Shalom will not come until that New Jerusalem, when things are set right once and for all.

Still, while we long for that day we live in this day, and we live in it fully. We give our lives for the Kingdom, for the sake of Christ, for the redemption of our fellow broken humans. Because that's what Jesus did, and that's what he has called us to. While we long for the feast in heaven, we remain fully present in our broken world, loving people to Jesus...

May we remember this day that nothing and no one can fix all the broken pieces of our lives and hearts. Jesus can redeem us, but even in him the scars will remain. But may we also remember that God is calling us to bring his Kingdom and healing to the earth this day, to the people around us, even through our broken hearts.

Reflections on Donald Miller & thoughts on children

2010-02-05T00:07:00.000-05:00

So I am reading two books right now, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller and Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Perhaps these two guys should not be mixed, because my brain is on overload with all sorts of thoughts. Good thoughts though. I am sure I will post several thoughts about Chan's book over the next few weeks, and if you haven't read it you really should (just push through the first couple chapters and then he really starts raking you over the coals). But Donald Miller struck a chord with me tonight.

The quote won't make sense to you if you haven't read the book, but you'll still be able to follow where I'm going. So I won't ruin it for you or anything, but you'll just have to trust me that I'm going somewhere with it. So here's the quote:

"Bob and Maria's kids, now grown and in high school and college, each have a quiet dignity and confidence. They also have an informal charm, as though they just know they would like us if we'd take the time to get to know each other. It is obvious they'd played the roles in the story their family was living, the roles of foreign dignitaries, traveling with their parents on the important assignment of asking world leaders what they hope in. Their story had given them their character. I only say this about the children because I used to believe charming people were charming because they were charming, or confident people were confident because they were confident... The truth is, we are all living out the character of the roles we have played in our stories" (Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, 166-67).

This was quite challenging for me in relation to myself and in relation to how I am raising and will raise my kids. If I want my story to be about caution and safety, never getting hurt and making sure the bills are paid, that is what kind of character I will arrive at the end of my life with. My story will be boring; not only will it not bring God's reign to earth, but it will distract and detract from the shalom he intends, because our lives were never meant to be safe and boring. I can TALK all I want about living a great life for God, making a difference, being on a mission, etc., but if this talk does not translate to my actual life, to living like a missionary, to taking risks, my life will never be the abundant adventure Jesus was all about and wants me to be all about.

The talk about children, and specifically about how we raise them, struck me even more. Nearly all parents love their children. A lot. And from the time they come out of the womb we are trying to take care of them the best we possibly can. What does it mean that he hasn't pooped in three days? Why does she keep spitting up like that? She won't eat her vegetables--how do we make her? He won't take his nap and it might stunt his growth. And on the worry goes. It seems that the main goal for many parents somewhere along the way becomes the safety and security of our kids. Just keep them safe, and eventually they'll be an adult and will be able to protect themselves.

I think this thinking disappoints God terribly. He has created us (and our kids) for a wonderful adventure, and we strive for safety! He has created a massive and wonderful ride, and we tell our kids they can't get on because they might get hurt. This might be a little harsh, but I know I am often so guilty of over-protecting. I don't want my daughter to play with the neighbor kids because they might be mean to her and hurt her self-esteem, and this might begin a downward spiral of self-doubt and low self-esteem, and eventually she will doubt even the love of her parents and of God and will engage in all sorts of rebellion, or she'll never be able to truly love others because she never really loved herself. And all of this will trace back to those neighborhood kids who were mean to her. I've never really had these exact thoughts, but this is sort of how the logic goes in parent brain, isn't it? And it's sad. As Donald Miller would say, often we are not allowing our kids to live out their best story, the story God has for them. And all because of OUR fear.

I noticed something with my oldest the other day. She prays my prayers. I hadn't noticed it before, because my prayers are so often drivel, so there was nothing to notice. She prays at meal times, and she says the same thing every time: "Dear God, thank you for this food, and thank you for this samich, and thank you for grapes, and thank you for string cheese, and thank you for this day, Amen." And this is really cute, because she's three. And I think it's great that she's praying. But I realized the other day that she's not really praying. She's just repeating a bunch of words she thinks she's supposed to say so that she can get to the important part, the food. That's not her fault, it's mine. Because that's what I do when I pray for meals: I say the same thing every time, basically, so that I can get to the important part, eating. When was the last time I really paused before a meal, and breathed God in, and praised him for the blessings of the day? It's been a while.

Anyway, the other day she prayed, and this all hit me because her prayer was different. She said, "Dear God, thank you for this food, and please be with all the hungry people and sick people, and thank you for this day, Amen." Wow. I had prayed the night before with her, and I had prayed a real prayer. We were praying for the child of a friend of ours who is sick, and we went on to earnestly pray for all those who needed God right now--those without homes, those who were hungry, those who were sad. And she got it. And she prayed a different prayer, and I believe she meant it.

When our lives are about keeping our children safe, when they are boring, our children will live boring lives. Worse, they'll think that's the goal. But when our lives are about something special, about the Kingdom, about Shalom, about making this world right, about taking risks for the glory of God, and when we bring our children into that story fully, helping them to live out that story with us, our lives and the lives of our children will be far from boring. They'll be exciting, and intoxicating, and life-giving. People will wonder at their grace and love for others, at their wisdom and dignity.

May we live in such a way, and may we give up our fear for our children. After all, "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life [or the life of his child]?" (Matthew 6:27)

Diet, Haircuts, and Shalom

2010-02-04T09:43:00.000-05:00

So I've been going through some changes in my life recently, mostly related to what I eat, when I eat, and how much I eat. I've done this before, when I was in a "Biggest Loser" competition a couple years ago and lost 40 pounds or so. But this time is different, and probably because I am approaching it less like a quick fix and more like I know from the start that many of these dietary changes must become permanent. You see, after the first round I had gone back to my normal routine for what, when, and how much I eat: whatever I want, whenever I want, and however much I want. I'm not one of those guys who will go back to a buffet 5 times, but I eat a lot, and I eat fast. Anyway, I had not relapsed in every way, and some changes I had made from the first round had lasted: I only drink diet sodas (albeit probably 5 of them a day), I only eat wheat bread, etc. But very few of the changes that had helped me lose the weight had lasted. And since my blood pressure had slowly inched back upward, along with my weight, I have realized recently that I need to make some more permanent changes to my diet and lifestyle.

Through this round of "dieting" (which I hope becomes a lifestyle and not a diet), I have realized more than I had previously that what goes in my mouth is a profoundly spiritual issue. Just like in life I like to have what I want when I want it, so in my food consumption. Just like I do not like to deny myself anything, so in my food consumption. Just like if I cannot have what I really want, I will fill that gap up with all sorts of other things to make up for it, so in my food consumption. What I eat is almost a metaphor for what is going on in my life and heart: how content I am, how much peace I have, how connected I am with the One who made me...

Beyond all of that, my wife and I were discussing the other day how much money we have probably saved by not going out to eat as much. It's incredible if you think about it. We Americans are in a so-called financial crisis, and yet somehow we find a way to go out to eat two or three times a week and spend an average of $10-15 per person, per meal. We are well aware that we could eat at home, even a very nice meal, for $3-5 a person. But it's fun to go out, and it's convenient (because we don't have to cook or do the dishes), and the food tastes good. The fact that we are literally throwing away money for these reasons while the rest of the world struggles for rice or beans is flabbergasting. Now I don't want to be legalistic. A friend of mine named Josh called me on legalism the other day, and I guess there is just a fine line between speaking the truth and being legalistic. Was Jesus being legalistic when he spoke the truth about the Pharisees being legalistic? I don't know--and it's probably beside the point. I am trying to say that I don't mean to be legalistic, and I don't think going out to eat is sinful. Of course it's about moderation. But I just don't think we are very moderate! Even if we have the money to go out, perhaps we shouldn't, and perhaps we should be conscious of where that money could go instead. Maybe we could all make going out to eat a treat instead of an every other day deal...

How this all relates to the Shalom of Yahweh, the perfect balance God intended when he created this world, might seem unclear. But I think it does relate. I think God created us not to be mastered by what we put into our mouths and stomachs, but rather he created food to be a side note, a necessary energy source to keep our physical bodies going. Clearly he didn't want food to only be an energy source, because he gave us taste buds and made food taste good. He wanted us to enjoy it. So while he could have made fueling our bodies a boring, time-wasting, or even painful process, he made it really enjoyable! However, this enjoyment has been twisted (as every other good gift has) into something different, something that even masters us, something we ruminate on and become obsessed with. How we have distorted what our Creator had in mind! I have heard others talk about how if we took all the wasted food in America in a year, we could feed all the hungry people in the world for years to come! It just doesn't even make sense, does it? For us to be bearers of the peace, the health, the balance of God, we must be on the front lines of the battle with food. And I believe we must strive to diffuse the battle so it's not a battle. We must come to grips with what food is, and how we are supposed to view it, and we must bring our lives into alignment with those truths.

At the very least, I think this will mean we eat less, and we eat healthier, and we eat out less. It could also mean that we count up the money we save in a year and devote all of that money back to food, but to offering food to those who are hungry. Maybe through a place like Compassion International.

One more thing: yesterday I gave myself a haircut with my new Oster Fast Feed Clippers (see link below). The clippers cost me $50 with shipping, but the haircut was absolutely free. I figure it will take me four haircuts to pay for the clippers, and after that I'm stealing haircuts!! It got me to thinking about how we spend our money. Ever since I started getting haircuts my parents were paying for me to get one every couple months, and since I have become an adult I've been paying for haircuts--usually at $10-15 a pop. Think of all the money I've spent paying someone to cut my hair! What if all that money was also not spent but dedicated back to hair, but in a way that brings the peace and wholeness of God? Like through buying wigs for kids with cancer, or just donating it to the families dealing with this disease? It seems like that would be a very cool way to be a bearer of Shalom--to be a Shalomer...

Again, let me emphasize that I do not mean to be legalistic. I know people who make the salon their mission field. This is excellent, and another excellent way to bring Shalom. I just want to push myself and any others who are listening away from easy answers, away from assumptions about how we "have to" spend our money. I want to make myself think about all the ways I spend my time and money and energy while I have breath, and begin becoming a Shalomer in each action I take...

Can I call myself a "Shalomer"?

2010-02-03T01:25:00.002-05:00

So clearly the name of this blog is a made up word. I wish I had made it up because I'm really clever, but in reality "Shalom" was taken. However, after much thought I am glad it was taken; I like the term "Shalomer." I think I should get a royalty every time someone uses the term from here on out.

The question at hand is: if this term can be defined the way I have defined it, as "one striving for God's reign to come to earth, bringing his peace, wholeness, completeness, and health to all aspects of life," can I rightly describe myself as such a person? Can you?

If I were seeking reasons to answer in the affirmative for myself, I could come up with a fairly impressive list showing why I should be considered such a person. However, am I, in my heart, truly striving for God's reign? Am I striving for his wholeness and health in all aspects of my life? Allow me to create a brief list off the top of my head of attributes which might describe a "Shalomer":

- Radically submits all areas of one's life to God, doing the hard work of submission (confessing sin to others, giving up enjoyable habits, changing attitudes, repenting)

- Regularly works to counteract existing structures which are oppressive in order to liberate those who need wholeness the most

- Is not content with personal wholeness, but longs for the wholeness of others, and even for the health and wholeness of society

- Sees God's reign as applying first to people, but not only to people; realizes that God's reign and peace and wholeness must come also to this physical world

- Does not tolerate in oneself or in others an unhealthy bifurcation between soul and body; recognizes that God's reign and health applies to all of life, as much to our workouts as our prayers, as much to our actions in the supermarket as to our actions in church

- Passionately seeks out relationships with other human beings, valuing them above all tasks or desires or roles, and longing through those relationships to bring health on every level to others and to strive for greater health and wholeness in oneself

That's the quick list I was able to come up with. After considering it, I am now quite sure I am not a Shalomer. Do I long to be? Absolutely. But I have a long way to go... How about you? Which of these are a struggle for you? Which am I wrong about? What aspects of being a Shalomer am I missing?? (Since I just made up the word, we really can make it whatever we want, don't you think?) I welcome your comments...