Relevant?

Okay, I get it.  There is an attitude out there that church/the things of God can be...boring.  Stuffy.  Out of touch with culture.  Have no bearing on day-to-day life.  Impractical.  Irrelevant.  It seems that the worst thing a church can be these days is irrelevant.  How are you going to reach the lost people of the world if you aren't relevant to them?

I would suggest that we're chasing the wrong thing.

The Good Gift-Giver

Right now I feel like I am the recipient of a great gift.  And so, like a five-year-old I want to run around and tell everybody about this gift, show it off, and proclaim to all how much I appreciate this gift.  But while an attitude of appreciation is good, if all of my delight were to be focused on the gift itself, I'd be missing a very large part of the picture...

Witnessing to the "Saved"

This may tread on dangerous ground for some people.  But at the same time I don't think its importance can be ignored.  Matthew 7 has some scary verses that are a call for all people to evaluate their hearts before God.  So here we go...

"How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers.  Everything is made to center upon the initial act of "accepting" Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls.  We have been snared in the coils of spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need no more seek Him." -A.W. Tozer, "Pursuit of God"

Last night I was reading through the first chapter of Tozer's "Pursuit of God" and was struck by a question: How does one witness to someone who is already "saved?"  No, the quotation marks are not a typo, and I'm dead serious.  Because I have to wonder if there are people all over the place, in and out of the church that think they are saved by the blood of Jesus, but may one day hear "Depart from me, for I never knew you."

The sort of person I'm talking about may be one who, through confusion, misinformation, or some other unfortunate set of circumstances has come to believe that they are saved even though the Holy Spirit has not actually moved to open their eyes to the glory of Christ and Him crucified, nor is He presently dwelling in their life.  Their mistaken idea about their eternal state could come from a past "praying the prayer," walking forward to "accept" Jesus, or filling out some sort of card for church membership.  It can even be the result of regular religious practice and feeling like they have "checked the box" enough times to satisfy God.  Unfortunately, in all of these cases this is not what saves a person.

But perhaps even more unfortunate is that in some ways it can actually inoculate or harden someone to the gospel, and their true need to come to a right understanding of their place before God, to look upon Him and cry out "woe is me, for I am a [wo]man of unclean lips!", and then to find redemption, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and righteousness only in the blood of Jesus, and to experience the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within and working out the daily process of sanctification.  Instead, they may think that the message of the gospel no longer really applies to them because they are already good.  It's really for unbelievers anyhow, right?  And so there is a false sense of security that actually can believe that there is no need for anything more.  And that is at the heart of my question.

But praise God!  He is good to come through with the answer in the midst of my question.  I didn't even feel like I had fully articulated the question when the Holy Spirit offers response:

Q: How do you witness to the "saved?"
A: You live and speak and breathe a holy desire and delight for God that proclaims His greatness in a way that highlights the lack there-of in other men.  Be so filled but yet so hungry that their only conclusion is that the two of you have got different versions or doses of Christianity.  Proclaim a Jesus so great that even while something may try to hold them back by telling them that what you have is only reserved for some special Christians, they still press forward exclaiming, "I don't know what you have, but I don't have it and I desperately want it!"  Lead them to Christ by first pressing in as hard as you can and inviting them to join you in the great pursuit.  Seek to dine at the Father's table and let them catch a whiff of the sweet aroma of the steak that is so much richer than their tasteless soy burger.  Bask in the warm rays of the shining Son and invite them to join you in all of His warmth and glory.

Will some still resist?  Some.  But resistance only works for so long in the face of the irresistible.  And so they may fight and hide, and resist and run, but ultimately those whom the Spirit calls will find themselves in a place with no recourse left but to throw themselves down on the altar, to throw themselves upon the mercies of God, and cry out "Abba, Father!" as a prodigal child that has found their way home.  And then how great will the celebration be when the lost sheep is recovered, when the  lost coin is found!

But how do I know it will work?  Because God used the same sort of thing through one of His daughters as He called/reached out to me years ago.

Fitting the Ocean in a Cup

How do you sum up who God is in only a few words, paragraphs, pages?  Enough silly analogies have been made already and there is no need to roll back through them here (okay, fine, one was used as the title for this), but I do seriously wonder how one might summarize God in such a way that a simple glimpse, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, might awaken in a life a desire to see and know more of the infinite Creator of the universe.

How do you describe the indescribable?  How do you tell, in a finite space, of the infinite?  Comparisons fall short when speaking of that which is incomparable.  Analogies are lacking.  Lists fall short.  Adjectives fail at description.  One could tally God's actions, but life available in which to attempt this is but a few short hours.  The whole of our existence on planet earth could be dedicated to the endeavor of knowing and understanding God and we would but only scratch the surface.

Some have seen his throne room and were terrified.  Merely his voice would freeze men with fear.  At the movement of his hand armies are put to flight or sustained in battle, city walls crumble, rain covers the earth or ceases to fall for three years, the dead are raised, the wicked are dropped dead, the deaf hear, the blind see, the mute speak, the lame walk, the sick are healed, demons are cast out, the waters are parted, the sun stands still, fire falls from the sky, animals assemble, speech is confused, languages are spoken, chains are broken, thousands are fed, water is turned to blood, frogs and locusts descend, plants grow or wither, terror seizes the hearts of men, courage seizes the hearts of men, and all that could be written would exceed the ink of my pen.

He measures the universe with the palm of his hand - the same hand in which he holds and upholds his people.  Whether stars in the sky, hairs on the head, or grains of sand at the seaside, he has a running tally of all of them.  His anger crashes louder than thunder and yet his comfort may come as a gentle whisper.  He lights up the sky and scatters the darkness.  No wickedness goes ultimately unpunished before him, nor any righteousness unrewarded.

And while his attributes and actions can be read, studied, or known, it is nothing compared to getting to actually experience his power, to witness his grace, to feel his presence and peace, to delight in his embrace, to truly come a little bit closer to actually knowing God.  Not about him, but knowing him.  That is, in itself, something beyond all comparison.

For all our emptiness, he fills us.  For all our brokenness, he repairs us.  For all our weariness, he sustains us.  For all our sins, he forgives us.  For all our weakness, he strengthens us.  For all our despairs, he reassures us.  In, within, and through all things he is all things to us in every circumstance or situation.

But seriously, how do you really describe God?

(from notes briefly jotted down yesterday)

Do Not Touch!

Ever get that admonishment from your mom at the grocery store or other shop?  I got it quite regularly (and when I didn't listen I got to walk around with my hands on my head - prisoner style).  But what was I to do?  I had nothing else to occupy my attention, and the stuff on the racks looked so interesting.  So I wanted to touch and my mom would tell me not to touch and scold or punish me when I did.

The funny thing is, I think sometimes that's how we try to handle sins in our lives.  We know we're not supposed to do certain things and so we simply try with all our might not to do them.  But ultimately we still do them just the same.  And then we get frustrated, scold ourselves (or face consequences of some fashion), resolve to not touch anymore, and move forward in that effort/resolve.  Sometimes we even "put our hands on our head," figuratively speaking, and try to impose additional rules beyond "do not touch" in order to get our touching problem under control.  But even then it may work for a little while, but what happens when those additional rules fall away?

But what if there was another way to approach it?  Looking at Paul addressing some of the same concerns with the church in Colossae I think gives us some insight into a better way of dealing with sin in our lives.

Paul is addressing issues where the church in Colossae is getting a little off track due to some less-than-godly influences that are teaching things contrary to the true gospel that they had received.  One of the issues sounds familiar: "If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations-'Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch' (referring to things that all perish as they are used)-according to human precepts and teachings?" (Col. 2:20-22).  (Note: I italicize scripture to set it apart, not to add any sort of additional emphasis)

Paul continues and summarizes some of what we already said: "These have indeed the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" (Col. 2:23).  And thus ends the chapter.  But fortunately Paul doesn't leave them hanging with "What you've been doing may sound good but is never going to work for overcoming sin."  Rather, at the beginning of chapter 3 Paul gives a different way of approaching the question of sin and then later gives the practical guidance on how that approach is actually implemented.

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:1-3).

Basically, Paul says "Don't listen to those that tell give you all sorts of rules to follow in order to beat sin.  That won't work and it puts your focus on the wrong thing.  If you are in Christ you should be focused on CHRIST!"  Here he draws on the familiar comparison between the world and heaven, between earthly things and godly things, between the pulls of the flesh and the guidance of the Spirit, emphasizing that while we are in the world, we are not of the world and should approach things accordingly.

But the easy response is to say "That's all well and good, but I'm surrounded by all sorts of things that can be handled, tasted, or touched (and some of them seem appealing), and it's hard to keep my focus on 'the things that are above' (and what are those anyway?)."  And once again, fortunately Paul doesn't stop at verse three.  Verses 5-15 lay out two contrasting sets of actions - one of putting to death the things of this world (and what those things are) and putting on the things that are above (and what those things are) (Col. 3:5-15).

Immediately following that, in verse 16, Paul finally gives advice on how that all is practically implemented: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col. 3:16).  So essentially:

-Know the word of God.  Don't just read it, let it "dwell in you richly."  Internalize it, study it, seek to understand its precepts, guidance, and instruction, and call on the Holy Spirit to be our Teacher of the word.  Knowing the Word and its testimony to the nature, character and glory of God and how it is manifested in the redeeming work of the gospel serves as pointer directing our focus back to the one who is worthy of our every thought.
-From there, be engaged in a community of other believers who are doing the same, and teach and encourage each other in the word, and seek to help each other in identifying sin that needs to be repented of (think James 5:15-16).
-If you look back in the Old Testament at the Psalms and other cases where the nation of Israel is singing, you see that much of the content of their songs is reminders of the faithfulness of God, his goodness, the consequences of sin, and the blessings of obedience.  In much the same way, music, corporate worship through song, etc. can serve as a way of individually and collectively reminding ourselves of God's goodness and faithfulness and draw our hearts to him.
-Lastly, and this follows with the idea of singing songs, etc., remaining thankful for the blessings of God has the effect of directing our attentions and affections toward him.

Is this to say that there is no room for installing filtering software on your computer, cutting up your credit cards, or avoiding certain television programming, movies or music?  Certainly not!  But the establishment of boundaries should be as support and reinforcement for turning one's thoughts and affections toward God.  And what you find is that the more you witness his goodness and glory, the more sin and "indulgences of the flesh" lose their luster anyway.  Which sure beats putting your hands on your head, right?

"Worship" is...

I will admit, sometimes I can get a little frivolous when it comes to semantics.  I've always been a big fan of seeking precision in language, even when it may not really be that important.  But when how a word is used/applied in common vernacular starts to have theological implications that may not be biblical, I don't think that it necessarily falls into the category of petty debates.  But considering how ingrained this particular use has become in today's popular church culture, I'm inclined to tip-toe carefully through this minefield...

I would contend that the common uses of "worship" as an adjective are potentially leading many Christians to tend to pigeon-hole worship into certain specific areas of their life and have an incomplete idea of what worship encompasses.

For the sake of discussion and clarity, I'll begin by defining biblical worship this way: "Worship is the Christian's response to the right recognition of who God is, originating in the heart, affirmed by the intellect, and manifested in action."  Obviously worship can be focused on things other than God, but once again, since this is a matter specifically within the church, we'll limit ourselves to people that want to worship God.

With that definition we start with the idea of worship as a noun, with the response to God in action constituting worship as a verb.  Now, when a noun or a verb is used as an adjective, that is, to describe another noun, there is by default an implied relationship between the describing noun/verb and the described noun.  More specifically, the described noun is something that is generally used for the purposes of the describing noun or verb (baseball bat - a bat used in baseball; steering wheel - a wheel used for steering).

This is not necessarily a bad thing.  Running with the baseball example, it makes complete sense that nouns described by "baseball" as an adjective are associated with the game.  Baseball bat, baseball glove, baseball team, baseball diamond, baseball stadium, etc. are all things associated with the game of baseball.  In many ways it is the same with worship.  Worship music, worship service, worship conference, worship leader, etc. are all things that can be associated with worship.

But worship and baseball are not the same. When you hang up the baseball hat and take off the baseball cleats and the baseball uniform goes in the wash to clean off the grass stains from the baseball practice, you are done with the game of baseball for the time being.  But when we come home from the worship service and turn off the worship music and aren't being led by the worship leader, it does not mean that worship stops.  But I fear that far too many Christians think that it does, or they don't realize that it isn't supposed to stop.

Instead, going back to the definition I offered for worship, "the Christian's response to the right recognition of who God is, originating in the heart, affirmed by the intellect, and manifested in action," it is not hard to recognize that this is something that is not limited to weekly gatherings at church marked by particular styles of music and a Bible-based sermon.  Rather, worship is the whole action and calling of a Christian's life.  "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).

So what's the solution?  For starters, we can adjust the some of the terms we use to help remove the sense of distinction that sometimes creeps in.  For example, instead of having a "worship pastor" or "worship leader," have a "music pastor/leader."  Instead of having simply a "worship service," specify that it is a "corporate worship service" (in contrast to one's private worship through how they live their lives).  And instead of having "worship music" it could instead be classified as "music for corporate and individual response" (an unwieldy term, I admit, but I'm at a loss for a better term to describe the category of music without drifting back into the original point of concern or getting too narrow by simply using an adjective like "praise" to describe music that goes far beyond that).

Even more importantly, a good step in the right direction would be helping Christians gain a better understanding of the full spectrum of biblical worship.  This can start simply by describing elements of a "corporate worship service" as "worship through music," "worship through study of the Bible," "worship through individual response," etc.

Once again, is it getting into semantics some?  Yes.  But if it helps Christians to better understand in what ways and how they worship God and point them toward living it out then maybe its a shift worth considering.

Save the Storks!

I have long been concerned that well-meaning (and unfortunately some not-so-well-meaning) Christians inadvertently work against the furtherance of the gospel, simply by taking the wrong approach or attitude regarding the challenges posed by the sins of the world.  Sometimes we'll get carried away in asserting our position against something (legislation that seems to promote or facilitate an immoral lifestyle, for example).  Other times we may simply be taken the wrong way because we're not even sure how to engage someone so seemingly different (though really not) in love in the first place.

However, it is incredibly encouraging to also see examples where Christians are finding new and creative ways to be a blessing to those who are hurting, meet people at their point of need, and share with them the good news of the love of Jesus.  So today I was excited to read an article about an organization in Dallas, TX called Save the Storks.  There are all sorts of details in the above link (a long, but good read), but to summarize, some folks got the idea to put a sonogram machine in a van and then park it in front of abortion clinics, offering free sonograms, pregnancy tests, and counseling to potential or expectant mothers looking for another "choice."

And the awesome thing is, they are seeing fruit from their labor.  Because they first engage a woman with a simple and friendly offer to help her, addressing her immediate need that resulted in her trip to the abortion clinic to begin with results in being able to address a whole host of associated needs, most significantly being her need to know Jesus.  In addition to the aforementioned services they offer, they are partnered with an organization called Get Involved for Life, which operates a couple of pregnancy centers in Dallas.  Beyond that partnership they will also facilitate an expectant mother getting whatever other pregnancy center might be close to their present location.  Thus far, based on experience they estimate that 70% of the women they engage end up choosing not to abort.  Working the numbers this has shown a potential to impact 25 mothers a week, or as many at 800 a year!

Their two-fold mission says it all: "We seek to persuade every abortion-minded mother to choose life and to share with them the good news of Jesus."  Recognizing that it is not only a precious child whose life is at stake but also the soul of the mother, they seek to share the gospel with every woman who steps into their vehicle.  Because at the heart of abortion lies a devaluation of life, countering it with the gospel and letting the power of God work healing in the mother's life turns the tide and as a result both mother and child can leave with their lives forever altered for the better.

All this comes at a price though.  The van alone cost $140,000 to put together, and there are still the day-to-day operating costs.  However, their site has a variety of ideas of ways to support their work, along with a store where they are selling t-shirts and a site with options for making direct donations.

Either way, check them out and see about ways that you too can spread the word about the great stuff God is doing through them!

Take up Your Sword

When it is time to do battle with the enemy, far too often the Christian neglects one of the greatest tools available to them.  In Ephesians Paul lists off the components of the "armor of God," wrapping up the list by urging believers to take up "the Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

While they have been usurped in modern conflicts by firearms and the like, in its day the sword was a formidable weapon.  In the hands of a skilled warrior a sword could be used to block or deflect an enemy's blow, and then turned right around and used to press one's own attack.  It served as both a handy defensive tool and also as a devastating offensive weapon.

For the Christian God's word works the same way.  And there was no mightier warrior to wield it than Jesus Christ himself.

Look at the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.  Satan comes to him after he's been in the desert for forty days without food or water.  Talk about being in a position of perceived weakness!  So the devil is all over this opportunity and jumps right in with a challenge for Jesus to turn stones into bread.  Note Jesus' answer though.  Without missing a beat he parries (blocks) the devil's attack with his respons in Matthew 4:4: "It is written" followed by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3.

With the devil's second attack Jesus is ready with the same sort of response (verse 7): "It is written" followed in this case by parts of Psalm 91.

After the third attack Jesus has decided he's had enough, exclaims "Away with you Satan! For it is written..." and goes on the offensive with Deuteronomy 6:13.  At that point the devil is done and leaves, with Jesus standing there still sinless despite the enemy's best efforts.

Two things to note.  First, Jesus was ready.  The devil comes at him and he doesn't go, "Hold on, I remember reading something about this...oh yes, here it is...<ahem> It is written..."  No, he knew the word and he was ready to rock and roll when the challenge came.  Second, he demonstrates what James would later back up in his own letter: the word of God serves as both a defensive and offensive weapon all in one and the devil can't stand up against it.  James 4:7b "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

That is the awesome power of the word of God.  When the devil is trying to tempt him with lies and empty promises, Jesus is ready to counter that mes with truth, found in God's word.  And in the face of truth the "father of lies" doesn't have a leg to stand on and is readily driven away.

So what does this mean for you and me?  Time to take up our swords!  We need to get into the word daily, soaking up its truth until we are completely comfortable with its weight and balance and are capable of wielding it effectively.  This also means we need to memorize scripture.  The psalmist commented that he had "stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11).  We would do well to do likewise.

So what are you waiting for?  Take up your sword!

By Their Fruit

At the church I go to the young adult ministry has been split by gender during our Tuesday night gatherings for worship through music and teaching.  As part of this, both sides have had an evening with a panel of folks from the opposite gender to answer a variety of questions.  In the midst of this I got the unique opportunity of not just getting to have the women's panel answer questions posed by guys but also to sit on the men's panel answering questions the ladies were asking.

In both cases a question posed to the panel was, "What are you looking/did you look for in the person you would spend the rest of your life with?"  With the women's panel (guys asking ?'s) the corollary question also came up: "What should I be looking for?"

Appropriately (and unsurprisingly) the primary answer was centered around evaluating a person's relationship with Jesus.  A couple swift guys were quick to observe that this presented a new challenge: what does that look like? (in their defense, the floor was not open for questions on the ladies' side so they might have been thinking along these lines, but didn't get the chance to ask)

Numerous times in the gospels Jesus speaks about the means by how his disciples would be identifiable - by their fruit (Matt 7:16, Matt 12:33, Matt 13:23, Luke 6:43, John 15:5, John 15:8).  Paul then lends a hand by spelling out in Galatians what some of those fruits are: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..."

Now I don't know about you, but that list doesn't necessarily look like the easiest things to outright recognize during day-to-day interactions with people of the opposite sex.  Fortunately there are a couple other things we can key in on that can be potential indicators of the presence of these fruit.

-What sort of things do they talk about?  In Matthew 12:34 Jesus observes that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."  Functionally there are two sides to this.  One is pretty obvious: what people are excited about they will talk about.  Girl who just got engage - case closed.  So the person who is actively pursuing a relationship with Jesus and seeing God work things out in their life is going to talk about it at some point if the conversation allows.

-The other side, since people usually don't simply walk around gushingly excited all the time, is to recognize that even when people are not excited about something, what their heart is focused on is what they will be most inclined to talk about.  If Jesus and what God is doing in and around someone don't come up much at all or ever it might be an indicator that there isn't a whole lot going on in their life to begin with.  (Note, don't freak out just because it doesn't come up every conversation - it's okay for someone to not display "oversaved" tendencies)

-How do they interact with people they don't care for?  Really this applies to all people, but Jesus was clear that it isn't much credit to people when they are nice to those they like.  Do they exercise patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness with them?  Or are they short, inconsiderate, or outright mean or unloving?

Obviously, this is nothing close to exhaustive.  However, for regular interactions it can be a good starting point.  If you get to interacting with someone more an more, either in a relationship or not, there are a number of other things that can be keyed in on to identify the presence or lack of fruit (interaction with their family, how they handle their finances, how they drive, their regard for those they work for and authority, etc.).  But for now this can be a starting point.  It can also be a starting point for checking one's self too...

This is Why You Came

Tonight I was reading through Katie Davis' blog (Kisses from Katie) and as I moved through post after post of hers about the absolute squalor and brokenness all around her and yet the amazing abundance of God's love and faithfulness and grace and provision I found myself overwhelmed by two things:
     1. We live in a horribly, horribly broken world, and
     2. Out of that very mess we have the origins of the gospel and the coming of a Savior.
And in the reflection on that came this...


This is why you came,
In a stable, a setting dirty, simple, lowly, and plain,
Heaven lost and seeming nothing to gain,
This is why you came.

This is why you came,
To bind the broken, love the unlovely, heal the lame,
Bringing sanity to a world gone insane,
This is why you came.

This is why you came,
Endured the beatings, the torture, and the shame,
Paid the price though you weren't to blame,
This is why you came.

This is why you came,
A perfect sacrifice as blood flowed from your veins,
Brining glory to the Father's name,
This is why you came.

This is why you came,
Though our sins were like scarlet - to cleanse the stains,
So that we might never be the same,
This is why you came.

This is why you came,
Placed your love in our hearts - a burning flame,
Holy, holy, holy we'll forever proclaim,
This is why you came.

This is why you came,
The width and breadth of the world is your domain,
All to increase the Father's fame,
This is why you came.

This is why you came,
From your throne up in heaven you will reign,
Lord of all through eternity you remain,
This is why you came.

May dispair, sorrow, grief, and sadness give way to thanksgiving and praise as we remember why he came and what he came to do...

Wrecked

A couple weeks ago I was on my way home and turning into my apartment complex when suddenly my car was rocked as another vehicle crashed into my right taillight (pictured).  Whatever I thought I was doing when I got home was disregarded as I had to then sort out stuff with the police, insurance, and figure out how I was getting to work the next day.  Beyond that was the matter of getting my car repaired and securing another vehicle to drive while mine was in the shop.  Needless to say, this is rather inconvenient.

But what if I were to suggest that getting in a wreck could be a good thing?  Crazy, right?  Not as much as you may think...

Saul, filled with Pharisaical zeal, is on his way to Damascus to round up these crazy heretics proclaiming something about a man who claims to be God being raised from the dead.  Such blasphemy and heresy should not be among the people of Israel and Saul is going to do something about it.  But there, on that road to Damascus, Saul meets Jesus and it wrecks his life.  Not like a minor inconvenience.  Not, "keep dinner warm in the oven, we're going to be late."  Not "well that wasn't quite according to plan."

Saul's life as he knows it is WRECKED.  Turned upside down, inside out, around and through.  When the encounter with Jesus is over Saul can't even see.  But yet he sees things more clearly than he had ever before in his life.  Two things are certain to him: Jesus is Lord and his life will never be the same.  He doesn't even keep his own name but instead goes by Paul after this.

And so instead of living out his days as a Pharisee and a teacher of the Law, Paul ends up spending the rest of his life learning every bit of what Jesus meant when he said he would "show him how much he would suffer for the sake of my (Jesus') name."  And suffer he would.  "Five times I have received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten by rods.  Once I was stoned.  Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure."

But yet this same man who endured all that also encouraged others to "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice," and observed that "this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."  Would Paul say that it was a good thing, no, the greatest thing that ever happened to him to be wrecked by Jesus?  ABSOLUTELY!

So what about us?  We're really no different in a lot of ways.  We all have areas of sin in our life that keep us from living the life God intends for us.  We even do things that we think are for God but really we're not on the right road.  We need an encounter with Jesus that will wreck us.  Wreck our pride.  Wreck our strongholds of sin.  Wreck our attitudes.  Wreck our views of the world.  Wreck the way we look at our neighbors or the homeless guy on the street corner.  Wreck our view of the child in a country far away.  Wreck how we approach our families.  Wreck how we conduct ourselves at work.  Wreck how we conduct ourselves when no one is looking.  Wreck how we carry ourselves when everyone is looking.  Wreck every part of us that is not His.

When Jesus wrecks he doesn't come in to tidy up, he comes in to clean house.  It isn't easy, it isn't painless, it isn't done in a day.  It certainly isn't fun.  Paul probably would suggest that "fun" just wasn't a word common in his day-to-day life.  But "joy" on the other hand...He understood that unlike my car, which they will work to restore back to the way it was, Jesus wrecks and then rebuilds to reflect his image, that we may have life and have it abundantly.  So who says being wrecked is a bad thing?

The Song Passion 2012 Missed Out On...or...An Anthem For the Church

Yesterday David Crowder*Band released their final album as a band, a massive two-disc, 34 track offering based on the format of a requiem mass and having an equally long title: "Give Us Rest (a requiem in the key of C [the happiest of all keys])."  Stylistically it is somewhat disjointed (like blind men describing an elephant, listening to one track does not give you an idea of what style of music the whole is) however together they present one giant work that extolls the greatness of God, his mercy, his grace, and his glory.

For me personally, after 24 hours with the album and a couple listen-throughs there is one track that jumps out and really resonates with me: "After All (Holy)."

Listening to it's driving rhythm and soaring choruses it got me thinking a little bit...At the Passion 2012 conference they had 45,000 college students gathered in the Georgia Dome for the purpose of lifting high the name of Jesus.  They had some gifted speakers and some incredibly talented musicians, including the David Crowder*Band, who played their last concert and last set together during one of the sessions.

To close out their last set DC*B played a new song that isn't off of Give Us Rest, but rather another great track that I look forward to hearing on the upcoming Passion 2012 album.  But instead of that song could you imagine hearing 45,000 college students singing "After All (Holy)," belting out "Ho------oh-oh-oh------oh-oh-oh-----oh-oh-ly" in unison?

But as mightily awesome as that praise would be, imagine if this became an anthem for the heart of the Church, praising God along with the angels in his throne room who day and night cry out "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord almighty!  The whole earth is filled with his glory!"  What if the Church saw a renewed sense of awe in, an awakening toward, and a longing for the greatness and glory and holiness of God that ignites a fire in our hearts, puts a song (like this one) on our tongues, and puts movement to our hands and feet to reach out so that others could also be brought into the knowledge of the glory of God?

Because while the words are short and simple, the implications for a people who wholeheartedly believe and proclaim them are not...


Lyrics:
I can't comprehend
Your infinitely beautiful and perfect love
Oh I've dreamed dreams
Of majesty as brilliant as a billion stars
But they're never bright enough
After all, You are...

Holy
Oh Holy
Holy, Holy, Holy

I will sing a song for you
My God with everything I have in me
But it's never loud enough
After all, You are...

Holy
Oh Holy
Holy, Holy, Holy

Heaven and earth are full, full of your glory, glory
My soul it overflows, full of your glory, glory
Oh blessed is he who reigns, full of your glory, your glory
My cup, it can't contain all of your glory, your glory
Hosanna we are found,
After all, you are...


Holy
Oh Holy
Holy, Holy, Holy

I can't comprehend
You're infinitely beautiful

Don't Fail to Plan

                                                   Picture from NY Daily News (www.nydailynews.com)


Today I was wrapping up my lesson for my Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) class tomorrow on the importance of men taking action to do the things God calls them to do.  I think one of the reasons that men don't act when they need to is simply because they aren't prepared.  We'll get presented with something and we'll freeze up like a deer in the headlights.  Which got me thinking...

How funny would it be to have a video of a "Deer Headlight Training Camp?"  There's some sort of seasoned buck explaining to young deer about the hazards of automobiles, complete with practice sessions where the students have to move across a road and bolt the rest of the way instead of freezing when a spotlight is turned on them.  It would be quite humorous...or not...(okay, no more funnies for me for the week...)

But at the same time, I have participated in exercises of a similar nature during my time in the Navy.  One of my favorite lines describing a common goal when underway is that we want to "keep the water out of the people tank and the people out of the water tank."  The first refers to a damage control environment and the latter refers to having a Sailor fall overboard, both of which I have personally been involved with (no, I wasn't the one who fell overboard).  Both of these scenarios are also ones that I have rehearsed from a variety of angles, both in discussion and in walkthroughs, more times than I can count.  But then again, that is fitting because if you fail to plan you are planning to fail...and if we don't act promptly or correctly someone literally could get killed.

And so we run drill after drill after drill and we discuss what was done correctly and what needs to be improved next time.  Some parts are so critical that they are reviewed and rehearsed until they are automatic.  And when something was actually on fire or we had flooding in a space or one of our Sailors fell overboard we did exactly what we needed to do.

Why don't Christians do the same thing?  Despite efforts to avoid situations for which we might not be fully ready, the day comes when challenges will arise that require our action.  Our integrity may be challenged.  Our children (someday for some of us) may challenge our authority.  We may inadvertently find ourselves in a potentially compromising position with someone of the opposite gender.  We might be face with having to defend our faith.  While we may never encounter some of these situations, or we may be dealing with them on a regular basis, the day will come when the unexpected comes up.  And while we may not know the specifics of what to expect, there is still some room for general preparations that will equip us to act promptly and appropriately.

The apostle Peter knew that this was a reality that the early Christians faced and so he gave this guidance:

"Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.  Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." (1 Peter 3:13-16)

In this case Peter is addressing those that would suffer for their faith and he gives them practical advice for how to be prepared before that day may come.  Specifically:

1. Recognizing the truth surrounding the situation.  In the context of eternity, who could harm the one who walks a path of righteousness?  And even if they try, it will be to the saint's credit.  So what is there to fear or be troubled about?  When faced with a challenge, it is easy for it to appear bigger, more daunting, harder, or more unpleasant than it really is.  Not to mention that any time the "father of lies" is involved there is by default going to be an effort to distort the perception of what is going on.  Anticipating and having a solid grounding in the truth allows a proper perspective to be maintained.  In this situation - "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

2. Maintaining a right heart.  In particular one that is focused on and in tune with Christ.  As a Christian grows in the knowledge and image of Christ, their actions will follow.  When that happens there is no need to ask "What Would Jesus Do?" because the answer is already known.

3. Prepare for likely possible outcomes.  It is impossible to plan and be prepared for every possible contingency that may be encountered, but there are times when a simple exercise in walking scenarios out to potential conclusions can give an idea about what has a probability of occurring.  Based on that, general preparations can be made.  Here Peter anticipates that the Christian that takes a right initial approach to wrongful sufferings will be a curiosity to others who will then ask where the Christian gains the hope they display.

Now in reality there is no way to ever be prepared for every possible contingency that life will bring our way.  But leaning on the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, to train us in righteousness, and lead us as we grow to be more like Christ we can be ready to rise to the challenges of life.  Yet in it all we must remain mindful of our hearts, lest we inadvertently allow efforts toward preparedness to result in pride and a lack of dependence on the faithfulness of God to lead and guide his children in the hour of their challenge.

"When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.  For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." (Matthew 10:19-20)

Let's Give This a Try

I'm going back to school so I reckon that I need to practice my critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills - what better way than to start a blog and share what I'm thinking and open up for constructive criticism?  And if along the way others read something they like so much the better.

Okay, so that's pretty pitiful so far.  Hopefully things will get better from here.  We'll see. :-)