Brent's Blog

Christmas or Christmas Season? [3]

2012-01-06T09:20:00.000-06:00

For the last time until next December, Merry Christmas!! Oh I know it seems like Christmas was like a year ago now [hahaha ;) ]. Yet it truly is still Christmas!!!

Again, I say this because Christmas is a season, not merely a day. The Christmas Season, of which there are 12 days, ends today with Epiphany. Therefore many churches will celebrate Epiphany this coming Sunday. The distinction between the Christmas Season and the cultural way of celebrating Christmas is significant – even if someone in our culture seeks to keep a focus on Jesus. The reality is a day can be quickly forgotten once it is gone, no matter how good it was. Granted, a focus on a day can produce many great memories. Yet a season – a celebration – can make more than great memories. Indeed, it can lay a foundation for a longer lasting impact while setting the stage for godly memories to be made for generations to come.

So what if we really worked at celebrating the Christmas Season? Now I suppose a way many would be thrilled to do this is if we took 12 days off as opposed to one (well, all but the self-employed that is). Yet I am not talking about 11 more days of vacation. I am talking about continually pondering, and seeking to implement, implications of the Incarnation. The truth that nearly 2,000 years ago Jesus came to earth and lived among us is life-altering. The Anointed One of God, the savior, the Christ – the King, living among us…showing us how to live…bringing people into community…showing us how to love…showing us how to confront religious distortions and apathy…indeed showing us what it means to be truly human.

Epiphany is the climax of the Christmas Season. It recalls the coming of the Wisemen, or Magi, to see Jesus the toddler. Ah yes, the King of the world…quite unassuming with skinned knees and more than a few bruises on his little body no doubt. While we do not know for certain, it is believed these Magi came from the area of Babylon. The significance of this blossoms when we begin to see what Matthew is showing us in his gospel in conjunction with some things in the book of Daniel. Succinctly, Matthew is showing Jesus as King. These Magi show up and worship the toddling Jesus as a King. These Magi were Gentiles – i.e., not of Jewish ethnicity. This foreshadows the inclusive nature of God’s Kingdom which Jesus came to establish. Now let us turn to Daniel.

Daniel clearly shows the sovereignty of God despite current circumstances. On the surface it seems the gods of Babylon have proven to be more powerful than the God of Israel, YHWH. After all, Israel is now in exile. Yet in chapter one verse two we read, “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand…” The “his hand” is Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from verse one. In other words, while it may appear “old Nebby-K” is ruling and calling the shots, YHWH is truly in charge. The reason why Israel/Judah was in exile was their lack of worship, and all it entails, of YHWH. This makes certain scenes in Daniel beautifully ironic as God works in such ways that pagan people praise His greatness when His own covenant people did not. One example of this is toward the end of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego’s encounter with a blazing hot fire (or Rack, Shack and Benny if you are a Veggie Tales fan). After God saves these three, Nebuchadnezzar blesses their God (Dan3:28) and then says, “Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue (save) in this way.” – High praise indeed for the one true God.

Now consider this. Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) had other encounters with the people of Babylon. These encounters included the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldeans (cf. Dan2:2) – all of whom were confronted with a God more powerful than anything they could imagine. More than likely some of these people began to worship this “God of gods and Lord of kings” (cf. Dan2:47). Daniel tells of “one like a Son of Man” in chapter seven coming to the earth to receive a kingdom. This “one like a Son of Man” is also the rock of chapter two which breaks the grand statue (representing kingdoms of the earth – including Babylon) in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream to pieces. And in Matthew’s gospel (written primarily for a Jewish audience) he shows Magi (from the area of Babylon) showing up to worship this foretold King. This is beyond cool – this is revolutionary.

Epiphany celebrates the “revealing” of the Christ to the Gentiles (i.e., all not ethnically Jewish). As such it looks ahead to the reason why The Church exists – to advance the Kingdom of God everywhere for everyone. What a fitting climax to the significance of the Christmas Season!!!

I am certain you have heard there were three Wisemen (Magi) – e.g., “We Three Kings of Orient Are”. Yet you will not find that number in the second chapter of Matthew. You will find three gifts, but more than likely Matthew highlighted those three because of their significance. At any rate, let us go along with this tradition and say the “three kings” were Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior. A symbol for Epiphany, which is often painted above the entry door to a house in some cultures, is +C+B+M+

The symbols are as follows: the cross (+) represents Christ, the letters (C,B,M) represent the supposed names of the (supposed) three Magi. Added to this symbol is the year – so for us it would be 20+C+B+M+12. Since in this symbol the letters represent the three Magi (Gentiles) who came to worship the true King let us add an accurate twist to the symbol. [Also, I am not saying to put this over the entry door to your house – a piece of paper you carry with you, display somewhere visible to you, perhaps put in your Bible (i.e., multiple copies) will suffice.]

Try this: write out the symbol but put in the first letter of the names of three people you know who need to submit themselves to Jesus and truly worship the King (e.g., 20+__+__+__+12). Pray for these people regularly; ask God to continue to work in their lives, to open their eyes to His love and majesty, to work in you to speak when the time is right and show the love of Jesus at all times to them. After all, all who are Gentiles now are those who are not a part of the people of God. I.e., it is no longer ethnicity that makes one a child of God (thank you Jesus).

This is an accurate focus on the implications of the Incarnation. There are people, we all know, who need to come and truly worship the King. Oh what a way to live out the Lordship of Jesus in this New Year.

Merry Christmas and Holy Epiphany to you!! May God grant us the strength to follow through with the things to which He will call us.

Christmas or Christmas Season? [2]

2011-12-31T07:59:00.003-06:00

The old year is nearly gone and the New Year is almost upon us. For many this conjures up thoughts of parties, a new beginning, bowl games and resolutions. I must confess, for the past several years (10 or so) I have not been a fan of “New Year’s Resolutions”. However, in light of the Christmas Season I have started to think of them differently.

A reason I have had an aversion to New Year’s Resolutions is simple; why wait? E.g., in 2012 I am going to 1) lose weight, 2) get organized, 3) spend less & save more, 4) quit smoking, 10) spend more time with family, etc. I am not opposed to any of those things. Yet in the past I would think, “If they are so important…why wait? Why not start to change now…?” Have you ever been around someone going on a diet – or gone on one yourself? If so I am certain this is familiar, “My diet starts in three days (or next year)…so I have until then to eat whatever I want…” Add into this way of thinking any New Year’s resolution and it can be twisted into a free for all time period because after all, "in 2012 I am going to do better." However, after a week (estimates and statistics vary), three out of four New Year’s resolutions will have been broken (click on the 1/6/10 radio spot in the new window). There are a variety of factors for why New Year’s Resolutions fail. One is the simple fact that change is difficult. Yet I wonder if a “last minute free for all” also sets us up for failure.

Be those things as they may be; why am I having a change of thinking toward New Year’s Resolutions? It is tied into the reality of the Christmas Season. When our focus shifts from a day (or a few family gatherings) to a celebration of the Incarnation, and its implications, the stage is set for everything to change. Indeed, it brings fresh meaning to “out with the old and in with the new” (cf. 2Cor5:17).

All that makes a New Year exciting in the minds of many needs to be brought under the Lordship of Jesus – the Christ. After all, “New Year’s Day” is found within the Christmas Season. Yet what difference does this make? For starters, it ought to bring about a shift in some, if not all, of our resolutions. Why not resolve to get to know a neighbor down the street (even next door) and begin praying – earnestly – for them to submit their life to Jesus? Why not get accountability in this task of neighbor evangelism? Why not, in light of the Incarnation, seek to live an incarnational life among people who really need to know God’s love?

In other words, with a New Year nearly upon us, what changes for the sake of the Kingdom will you make? Take some time today and reflect on the past year in light of the Incarnation. What difference has it really made in me? What would others say? Have I loved those who are “unlovely” (e.g., a bad boss, an unfriendly neighbor, a social outcast, etc.) in the eyes of the world? Have I loved what is unlovely in the eyes of God? How has the reality of the Incarnation impacted how I have spent money? Etc.

Yes, the Christmas Season changes everything – even the approach a follower of Jesus ought to take with a New Year upon us. Oh yes, and as far as a “free for all” prior to making a big change at the start of a New Year, this is still problematic. Yet if a change is to be lasting it must be empowered by the Holy Spirit of God…and this takes prayer.

So how about something like this? View Advent as a time of fasting and prayer as we long for the return of Jesus. During this time I am certain the Holy Spirit will reveal some changes God desires in your life. Next, view the Christmas Season as a springboard to put these godly changes into practice. This sounds a lot better than the typical approach to the New Year and resolutions. And you know what? I bet a lot of the things in a typical “resolution list” will work themselves out as byproducts of growing closer to God.

Merry Christmas – and let our hearts turn even more to having the New Year honor the One who owns all of time anyway.

Christmas or Christmas Season? [1]

2011-12-29T17:18:00.000-06:00

Christmas Day has come and gone. Since it fell on Sunday this year it allowed for families to have multiple “Christmases” on consecutive days (e.g., Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday and perhaps Monday if work/vacation schedules allowed). I am certain these Christmas family gatherings were enjoyable for many; I am thankful for this. Unfortunately more than a few gatherings were likely filled with stress and strife, but we will not focus here – yet. Be that as it may be, unless you still have some family Christmas gatherings to go, it is quite possible the “Christmas Spirit” has been – or will shortly be – in decline. Do you sense something wrong with this scenario? After all, Christmas is (in the wrong way) built up for weeks on end. Our culture seeks to trump up a festive and even family focused time – topped off with social gatherings, songs, drinks and oh yes…presents… and when all of that is “done” – what? Well, we are programmed by culture to move on with our lives. Again, do you sense something wrong with this scenario?

If you if you have read recent posts on this blog you will remember Christmas is more than a day, it is an entire season. The Christmas Season starts Christmas Day and lasts for 12 days with Epiphany attached to the end of it (January 6^th). At this point you may be wondering what this has to do with anything. In other words, does it make any difference at all?

Since the Christmas Season is just that – a season – and its focus is a celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus – not His birth so much – there are many of implications of this. I want to be clear; I am not opposed to acknowledging/celebrating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth during this time of year. However, a celebration of His birth ought to have a longer lasting impact on Christians than it appears to have in our culture. In order to begin to see some of this we will briefly look at what is used in conjunction with the name Jesus in the Bible.

The name Jesus is used 917 times in the Greek New Testament (920 times in the English Standard Version). Well over a third of those occurrences have a title attached to Jesus (e.g., Lord or Christ). Even on the surface this seems rather significant. Yet the significance grows when we acknowledge the gospels alone have 566 uses of Jesus’ name in them. As you likely know, gospels contain a lot of narrative. This means we quite often read phrases like “Then Jesus came from Galilee” (Matt3:13) or “And when Jesus entered Peter’s house” (Matt8:14). While these are uses of the name Jesus, they are from the vantage point of telling a story. Granted, these stories do in fact point to His identity. Yet I want to look at documents, written to Christians, in light of the known/asserted identity of Jesus. Therefore, we will set the uses of Jesus in the gospels aside for now.

This means in the rest of the Greek New Testament Jesus is mentioned 351 times. Of those 351 uses of Jesus’ name, 330 of them have some combination of (in Greek word order) “Jesus Christ,” “Lord Jesus,” “Christ Jesus,” or “savior Jesus”. In other words, outside of the gospels, 94% (330/351) of the time the name Jesus occurs, a title is attached to it. This is not only significant, it is astounding. It is significant because when we realize the implications of those titles – well, Jesus changes everything. It is astounding because what those titles claimed in the ancient world is huge. Therefore, well – the identity Jesus changes everything. [Note: I will have a more statistically detailed blog in the future.]

This is where the Christmas Season becomes even more important as we celebrate the miracle of the Incarnation. When we realize Jesus is a Savior and Lord and God’s Messiah (THE Anointed One – Christ), it makes a lot more sense to celebrate a season and not simply a day. Indeed, the implications of the identity of Jesus have implications for the lives of individuals as well as every culture in the world.

There is no need for the “post Christmas blues” in light of who Jesus is!!!

Advent or Christmas? [4]

2011-12-23T16:01:00.000-06:00

So how was Advent lost and Christmas distorted into a commercialized crock? Granted Advent has not been lost for everyone, nor has everyone bought into the commercialization of Christmas. Yet culturally speaking this is certainly the case. This is vital to acknowledge because our culture impacts every single one of us.

I want to be clear. This is a struggle for me. I have many good Christmas memories. I enjoy being with biological family. I enjoy a day off (sort of – if it falls during the week). I even enjoy receiving (and of course giving) gifts. Yet I cannot help but think Christians would really enjoy more people coming into the Kingdom of God. I cannot help but think Christians would really enjoy seeing the bonds of oppression being broken. I cannot help but think Christians would really enjoy seeing brothers and sisters around the world having provision for daily necessities in the name of Jesus. I cannot help but think Christians would be overwhelmed with joy as the communities in which they live are transformed by the grace and love of God…

With that stated (and many things being left out), I do not know the answer to my opening question. However, I am quite certain it is tied to the economy. I imagine most things in an affluent culture are. The author of this post seems to think this is the case. So what do we do? I think pondering the principles and implications (which are more numerous than the few mentioned) of the previous three posts is a start. There is certainly a need to evaluate and rethink what we do in light of what the Bible says. This is necessary in being a part of a Kingdom which transcends and trumps all cultures.

Yet as this is done, do not be legalistic. When conviction comes to you that change needs to be made, seek godly wisdom in how to implement the change(s) in your family first. As with any change, there will be a time of adjustment. As your family changes, do not impose your change(s) on others. Naturally this would be done with good intentions. Sadly it often has disastrous results. In fact, all legalism has disastrous results. Yet by all means, share your new knowledge and some of the things it is leading you to do as you seek to follow Jesus more closely. Yet do so with humility and grace.

Please understand, this does not invalidate your change(s). Neither does this say others should not make the same change(s). What this does is acknowledge forced change is not lasting and godly change. Our Christian walk is a journey and we are all at different stages. I want to be clear again, this is not a call for complacency. Rather, it is a call for grace and encouragement. Changed lives lead to more changed lives as they are lived out in community. However, simply telling others to change merely leads to closed ears and hearts. For certain the miracle of Incarnation has shown us that…

Advent or Christmas? [3]

2011-12-22T09:55:00.000-06:00

The last post ended with a statement of how when we long for the return of Jesus during this time of Advent, it ought to reorient everything in our lives – finances included.

Do you know what I find increasingly disturbing about this time of year? In our consumer oriented society it is easy to think some “may not have much of a Christmas”. Quite often those meant by the previous phrase are the ones pushed to the edges of society which includes – but is not limited to – the poor. One problem with this belief is its gross historical inaccuracy. It is foolish to think “the poor” and “the forgotten” cannot celebrate Christmas [see endnote]. It is true they may not be able to celebrate it in a culturally appropriate/normal way, but this is far different from thinking they cannot celebrate Christmas. Indeed, given the distinction between Christmas and Advent, “those people” are actually in a better position to appreciate Advent and therefore truly get the Christmas Season more than many others.

Did you know the Bible indicates Joseph and Mary were poor? The sacrifice they presented for their purification in Luke chapter two was “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Lk2:22-24). By reading in the Old Testament we see this was an acceptable offering for one who was “poor” (cf. Leviticus chapter 12, especially verse eight). Indeed, being “poor” did not stop them from experiencing the marvel of the incarnation. Luke also tells us shepherds were among the first to know of Jesus’ birth. While I cannot say they were poor – although the majority of people in Biblical times were – I can say shepherds were often despised by religious people. Why? They were looked down upon because their work kept them from participating in religious festivities (never mind the fact their work made many religious festivities possible; i.e., lambs to sacrifice).

So the poor, along with those who were despised, overlooked, or taken for granted (however you want to say it) all got to experience the miracle of the incarnation. Granted, neither the shepherds nor Joseph and Mary knew the full implications of Jesus at the time. Yet do not miss this – the best news in the history of the world was made known to those among “the least of these” first.

So what does this have to do with finances? It is easy to think, at least in a culture where Christmas has been commercialized into a “Christ-mess”, that without finances one will miss out on this time of year. Culturally there is truth to this. However, a hard truth is financial stability far too often leads to being comfortable and complacent (it can also lead to worry and greed – but that is another issue). When people are comfortable and complacent…there is not much urgency. There is not much longing for Jesus to return. I realize this is not a blanket rule – but our culture pretty much shows it is…

So what can be done? Since God’s rule includes provision for everyone…Christians ought to be turning loose of finances (and using other means) to help “the poor” and “the forgotten”. This is a natural outflow of both Advent and the Christmas Season.

Until next time, Holy Advent to you.

Endnote: I am in favor of helping the less fortunate experience some happiness by being able to have and give gifts during this time of year. In fact, this is an overflow of Advent. While we long for the return of Jesus, when all needs will be met, we (the body of Christ) rise up to do our part in meeting needs in the here and now. Granted, Christmas gifts are not usually “needs” – but it is a way to show the love of God, which is a need. Plus, things on the Christmas list for many of “the poor” truly are needs – things like coats, shoes, even a job… In fact, some organizations (like World Vision and Christian Missionary Fellowship) have Christmas catalogues where gifts can be purchased for those in the two thirds world (commonly called in the past “3^rd world countries”).

Advent or Christmas? [2]

2011-12-17T07:15:00.001-06:00

With a very basic groundwork of Advent and Christmas in place, let us begin to look at some implications.

Quite often the holiday season (if I dare type that) is a difficult one for people. Although our culture seeks to trump up a festive and even family focused time – topped off with social gatherings, songs, drinks and oh yes…presents – a variety of things make this season a difficult one. A major difficulty for many during the holiday season is the unfortunate reality of death. Have you ever lost a loved one? Did you miss them the first time the holidays (or any special day) rolled around? Sure you did. In fact, you likely still miss the person even if it has been 20 years, or longer.

So how can a focus on Advent help? It can help because Advent reminds us this world is not our home. This world will pass away and our sojourn here will be revealed as extremely short. There ought to be no denying this world is a mess. Horrific things happen here; people are oppressed and abused, forgotten and ridiculed, even murdered and worse. Yet Advent reminds us none of those occurrences will have the last word.

Let us move back to the reality that the death of loved ones often makes this time of year difficult. Advent reminds us one day there will be no more death (Rev21:4). Advent reminds us our King, Jesus, will one day return and everything will be made new (Rev21:5)! We, along with our deceased loved ones in Christ, will receive resurrection bodies! Indeed, the faithful in Christ on earth will meet the deceased in Christ who are currently with Him, and we all will come back to this refined earth together (cf. 1Thess4:13ff; 2Pet3:8-13). At that point we will then, and forever more be, in the presence of God!!

The truth and focus of Advent helps to take some of the sting out of missing a loved one. Granted, grief is still real and memories will bring a mixture of happiness and sorrow. Yet the neglected Christmas story of Revelation chapter 12 reminds us there is a cosmic battle raging all around us. This battle is over the eternal destiny of humanity. We will not get this message from the commercialization of Christmas in our culture. Quite the contrary, our culture wants to lull us into complacency and put forth comfort after comfort, luxury after luxury, until we are so inundated with them that if we miss one we feel less fortunate and deprived.

While we may still miss loved ones, a focus on Advent – longing for the return of Jesus – tempers this grief. In fact, it gives us hope because one day things will be made right. One day loved ones will be reunited (and the oppressed and abused will be healthy and whole, the forgotten and ridiculed will have God wipe away tears from their eyes as they realize – for the first time perhaps – they have worth and value) – what a glorious day it will be!! The worth of Advent is immeasurable for the Christian community. Indeed, Advent’s worth is immeasurable for all humanity. As we long for the return of Jesus it ought to reorient everything in our lives; one of these areas is the realm of finances.

May you continue to experience a Holy Advent.

Advent or Christmas? [1]

2011-12-16T09:21:00.001-06:00

Have you ever been upset about something and even “fought” for said thing, only to later learn you were either all worked up about nothing or worse yet, wrong? Take the uproar caused by some (well meaning) people who will fight and even boycott a store which does not say “Merry Christmas” during this time of year. While there is validity in trying to “keep Christ in Christmas,” unfortunately the whole thought process is standing on a faulty foundation. In other words good intentions can be misguided, even harmful.

Speaking from a historical vantage point, we are in the season of Advent. Advent begins the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, which is November 30^th, and lasts four Sundays. This year Advent stretches from November 27^th until December 24^th. Christmas Day begins the Christmas Season, which always lasts 12 days until the 5^th of January (the 6^th being Epiphany). This means Christmas is more than a mere day. This makes sense as the implications of Christmas impact everything. We all know a mere day can be easily lost in the shuffle of the busyness of our lives. Yet the Christmas Season is a celebration of the Incarnation – a history altering event! This also means saying “Merry Christmas” is not technically accurate until the 25^th of December, but do not worry – you can keep saying it past the New Year!

A variety of questions may come into one’s mind right now. A few of them may be: Why does this matter? Who cares? How did this happen? Can we do anything about this? Should we do anything about this?

Firstly it matters because ignoring history is not wise. While we should not be shackled by history, we should at least allow it to inform us. Better yet, we should seek to make use of the godly principles we can learn from it. Our forefathers (the saints who have gone on before us) were wise in establishing a Church Calendar. Sadly, many outside of the more “liturgical churches” ignore it. For Christians to ignore history is unnecessary and dangerous – even foolish.

Secondly, Christians ought to care about the Advent and Christmas distinction. It is HUGE. The word Advent is a Latin translation of the Greek word parousia (parousiva), which basically means coming or presence. In other words, the focus of Advent is on the first and second comings of Jesus. Obviously these are vital to the Christian faith, yet they also have implications for everyone – regardless of religious beliefs.

Thirdly, we ought to do something about it. Unfortunately far too many Christians have been duped by culture. We have become placated with less than the gospel message. This time of year is full of good intentioned Christmas stories and Nativity scenes. The efforts behind these are noble, and all of them can be a vehicle through which God works. Yet a focus on Advent helps us to remember things are not as they appear. The Christmas story told by the writer of the Gospel of John makes this very clear. Yet if you turn to John you will not find it. No, to read his account you need to turn to Revelation chapter 12. Indeed, thing are rarely as they seem to be…

I plan to have a succession of posts fleshing out the importance of this distinction in applicable ways for us. In the mean time “Holy Advent” to you and yours.

What Would You Do If...? [5]

2011-12-08T11:57:00.001-06:00

What would you do if money was not an issue?

If you had asked me that question 10 or so years ago I would have answered the question with a few of my own... Does this mean I am rich? Am I retired? Am I dead? Do I have an unending line of credit? Can you give me some more information please - I would like to make the most of this opportunity!?! Questions like those reveal a major stumbling block for Christians in an affluent culture. In light of this we need a strong dose of behold!!

Granted, we do not make frequent use of "behold" in our daily conversations. This is likely why some Bible translations will say "see" or "look" instead of "behold". I understand using modern language to communicate a thought. Yet what I do not understand is why, at times, translations completely omit the word (e.g., the NIV in both Rev21:3 and Rev21:5). Behold is used to prompt us to take our eyes off our present circumstances. We are to (literally) look up...even see things (in part) from God's perspective. [Maybe I will cover behold in another post, but for now back to...]

Again, the opening question - What would you do if money was not an issue? I ask this question because of what John wrote in verses 18 and 21 (v18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass....v21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass...). Do not miss what is being communicated here. While it is possible the streets of Revelation are actually made out of gold, this is not the issue - at least something deeper is being communicated [see end note #1 at bottom of post]. When we allow an image/symbol to breathe - well it is breathtaking.

One issue we see in Rev21:18,21 is a beautiful - and challenging - irony. Gold is valued more than almost anything else on earth (especially for monetary worth - in John's day and even ours with the "bull run" gold recently). Yet John tells us what people will trample and kill other people for here on this fallen earth is only good enough for the feet of the saints in the new heaven and new earth!! That is beautiful - and challenging - at the same time.

It is beautiful because it reminds us all humans are made in God's image and therefore have inherent worth, value, and dignity (cf. Gen1:27). It is challenging because finances surface often in Revelation. The issue pops up in the oracles to the seven churches (Rev2-3) and with the beasts of Revelation 13. It is present again in the destruction of "Babylon" in sobering ways (cf. Rev18-19). In light of the low economic status of many to whom Revelation was addressed, God says they will have access to the "water of life without payment" (Rev21:6) - and yes gold is only fit for the feet of His people (Rev21:18,21).

In light of these things, how do you view money? In your hands is it a tool with which you can truly bless the Kingdom by blessing others? What would you do if money was not an issue?

This is a timely topic as we are in the season of Advent - NOT Christmas - right now. But alas, that is another post for another day...

So, what would you do if money was not an issue?

#1 Remember, Revelation uses symbolism to communicate truths - in profound ways (e.g., Rev21:12 a "great high wall, with twelve gates..." - this would communicate safety and security in the ancient world as gates were for defensive purposes. Yet just a bit later, in Rev21:25 we read "and its gates will never be shut by day...". So what gives? Huge walls and gates for security that are never shut? Exactly, there is no need to shut them because evil is gone (cf. Rev21:1). When we allow a symbol to breathe is is breathtaking for us...

What Would You Do If...? [4]

2011-12-01T11:18:00.003-06:00

How else should the truths contained in Revelation 21-22 shape us?

What would you do if you knew you were loved and valued? While it may seem like a frivolous question; the reality is the answer to this is foundational for human behavior.

Every single person I know walks with a limp. In other words, things have happened to them...and they leave a mark. Some of these "things" have been done intentionally by others to inflict hurt. Other "things" have been done in ignorance by people who love them - yet they still hurt. Either way the truth remains, what happens to us shapes us. As a result we look for significance and meaning in a variety of wrong places (e.g., material things, job titles, improper sexual fulfillment/attention, tearing others down, drugs, etc.).

Read again John's words in Revelation 21:9-11,
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

I am sure you noticed John is going to see the bride, the wife of the Lamb. By taking concepts from other passages (e.g., Matt25:1-13; Eph5:25-32) we know "she" is The Church. This deduction is made concrete here in Revelation 21. Yet added to this picture is how the holy city Jerusalem is also the bride...which is The Church. So, more than a place, the concept being communicated here is about a people - God's people.

Speaking of God's people, the first description is that of a rare jewel, like a jasper. The first time this stone/jewel appears in Revelation is in chapter four, which is when John gets a picture of One seated on the throne (Rev4:2 - God) who is described as having the appearance of jasper... (Rev4:3). In other words, the people of God (Rev21) look a lot like God Himself (Rev4). How is that for value? It sounds a lot like Genesis 1:27, So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Everyone has inherent dignity worth and value because they are made in God's Image. Granted, this image has been distorted due to the Fall...yet God's people are destined to again look a lot like Him.

Yet we need to remind ourselves that God has revealed these truths to us (e.g., Gen1:27; Rev21:9-11) so that our lives are changed. He wants us to live our lives with no doubt about our worth and value. If God's people truly did this it would ignite a revolution of sacrificial love and service. The truth is undeniable; the more inadequate we feel the more we are led to dwell on how bad we are, go into depression, attempt to "achieve" in order to look important, etc. Yet living out of an overflowing reality of who we are as God sees us sets us free from those things. And when we are free we are able to more fully love others around us (which is exactly what God does).

The longer I serve God the more I love people. If only people could see themselves as loved and precious (because you are), and therefore not seek attention in the myriad of ways it is touted by the world, the more addictions and destructive behaviors would be overcome...the more God's people (myself included) would truly live as redeemed people.

What would you do if... (how would your life be different) you knew you were loved and valued? Those who are most secure in their identity love others all the more - just think of Jesus.

What Would You Do If...? [3]

2011-11-25T10:35:00.001-06:00

How should the truths of Revelation 21-22 shape us? Remember, the only reason God reveals anything about Himself (which includes the future) is so that we conform to it. However, while reading the last two chapters of the final book of the Bible, it is understandable why it is often ignored. Yet we must not make the mistake of continuing to ignore Revelation (or abusing it) - the stakes are too high.

Let's take verse one of chapter 21, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. This verse is easy to quickly read over with hopes of getting to the "good stuff". Yet in a sense the best stuff (at least the foundation for it) is contained right here.

The easiest, and perhaps most striking image is that of the sea being no more. While water lovers among us may bemoan this concept, we need to understand what is being communicated. In the Jewish mind the sea was the stock image for evil and chaos - it is the abyss. This can be seen in Daniel 7 where four evil beasts (four kingdoms) arise out of the sea. Likewise, in Revelation 13, one of the beasts emerges from the sea. So when a Jew (and early Christian) heard sea they did not think beach and relaxation...rather they thought evil and chaos. Therefore when John said "the sea was no more," he means all evil is gone. Can you imagine that, a future devoid of evil? And please, do not think "evil people". Rather, think evil - as in the sinful thoughts and desires that wreak havoc on your own soul. Won't it be amazing (truly liberating) for those to be gone?!? A future without "evil" - how hopeful!

John also saw a new heaven and new earth. This needs more explanation, but for now think of an old beat up car that has been restored to vintage (and maybe even better than) quality. That is this word for new. It is not "new out of nothing" new...but new in the sense of taking what exists and refining/purifying it. It is a lot like what God does with us (cf. 2Cor5:17).

So let's stop here for now. A future where both "heaven" and "earth" are refined and made new...and a part of this means no more evil is present. One of the many things this does is give us hope.

We do ourselves a tremendous disservice when we do not focus on this hope more. Somehow Satan has duped us into thinking heaven is escapist thinking and is of no help to daily life. How many of you have ever felt a bit uneasy (or "churchy" or "religious") about saying to someone who is suffering that "One day...all of this stuff will be gone when Jesus comes back and everything is made new." Granted, we should not make the mistake of offhandedly dismissing the pain and suffering of anyone. Yet neither should we make the mistake of failing to bring hope into the picture. What is the other alternative? A future without hope looks something like, "Well, I know it is bad now...but you know what...that's just the way it goes...it's rough for some but not for others...the luck of the draw I guess..." Yeah, that isn't much help. In fact, that is more rude and calloused than bringing in the truth of the new heaven and new earth.

In light of that, why not say something similar to, "I don't know why this has happened to you (your loved one, etc.)...but rest assured a day is coming when Jesus will return...this world will be refined...all who are faithful to God will be able to live in a new heaven and new earth...nothing evil will ever happen again...we will live in relationships of harmony and mutual love (but that is going into a future post)..."

In summary, what would you do if you reminded yourself that this world is temporary and something much better is in store for us? Remember, this does not ignore pain, suffering, evil, or anything like that. Rather, it gives us a way to face it square in the face and with confidence say "You will not have the last word...my God is going to make everything new!!"

Praise God for that!

What else would you do if...?

What Would You Do If...? [2]

2011-10-20T11:34:00.001-05:00

If you had a firm view of "heaven" in your mind - would your life be any different? This question begs another, "Just what can we know about 'heaven'?" (more on that later). Do you realize God wants what He has revealed about "heaven" to shape what it is we do in the present? Think about it, why has God revealed anything about Himself? So we change - right?

God has revealed Himself through creation (general revelation) so that people will respond by acknowledging something bigger than themselves. A response to creation ought to be something like "Wow!! This can't be an accident. I wonder what kind of God/being made all of this...does He care for little ol' me?!?".

God revealed Himself through Jesus, His Son, so that we would see, more concretely, what God's desires are. Ultimately, God desires the consummation of His Kingdom. Until that day (when Jesus returns to renew all creation) God desires the lives of changed people to impact and transform the world for His glory. A response to this revelation of God (i.e., Jesus) ought to include things like, "Jesus, save me!" "Jesus, You are my Lord!" "Jesus, I want to love people the way You love(d) people!"

God has revealed Himself through the Bible (His Word), so that we can have a record of Who God is, What God desires, and What God demands from us (this is a definition of prophecy offered by Shane J. Wood - I think it fits quite nicely for 'why the Bible' as well). When we read the Bible it is not merely to pass the time, learn something new, or make a check next to our Christian "to do" list. When we read the Bible we are to submit ourselves to It. In other words, we ought to realize Scripture is the subject and we are the object - it pokes and prods our lives...and we are to conform to it.

In light of all of this, since God has revealed so much about "heaven" - why do we do ourselves a disservice and insult God by not studying and reflecting on it more? Go ahead and read Revelation 21-22. What is the big picture here? How should concepts contained here shape us?

What Would You Do If...?

2011-09-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

What immediately came to your mind when you read the title question for this post?

What would you do if ________?

Questions are powerful. It could be argued that without questions there would be no advancement (however we want to define that term) in society. It goes without saying that we are glad someone else asked, and answered, certain questions (e.g., I wonder what would happen if I squeezed that growth under the cow’s belly and then drank what came out of it? – OK, I think that is an old Jeff Foxworthy joke or something…).

Be those things as they may be, questions are powerful. In fact, it does not take much investigation to see how the questions being asked in a society play a major role (if not the major role) in shaping a society. Yet before a society is shaped we know individuals need shaped first – right? Evidently the questions you think about are important. Of course individuals can also be shaped by a society – as the society poses certain questions (e.g., advertisements).

How many times did you hear the question, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” Did that have an impact on you? If you are a parent, how many times have you asked that question? What might that question convey to your children?

If you are a parent how many times have you heard the question, “Mommy/Daddy, are we going to have any food to eat tonight?” Oh, perhaps that has not been asked of you. Evidently there are vitally important questions asked by many that others never even dream of having to ask.

Yet one question everyone has asked in one way or another – no matter your culture or economic level – is, “What does the future hold in store for me?” We all think about the future. In fact, whether we realize it or not, what we think about the future will dictate our decisions in the present. In light of that I think we can see that the questions we ask about the future are significant. What do you think?

What would you do if…?

Confused About "God's Will"? [1]

2011-07-01T11:04:00.001-05:00

What is God's Will?

a google search produced 27,300,000 results in .17 seconds...
a search for books on amazon.com produced 2,096 paperback books and 692 hardcover books...
a survey on the street will likely produce at least half as many answers as people you ask (in other words a lot of variety with some overlap)

Should discerning God's will be this confusing? Does God intend for it to be confusing at all? Is all the confusion associated with our culture, or is it universal (i.e., do people in other parts of the world struggle as much with it as we seem to struggle?)? Is all the confusion about God's will a recent development, or has it been a constant throughout history?

Perhaps a reason why there is so much confusion about God's will is because a popular belief I often hear is God "knows the plans He has for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future..." (cf. Jeremiah 29:11 - NIV). Well there we have it; God has plans for you (and "me"). And if God has "plans for you" then that must be His will - right? (We can add "everything happens for a reason" to this discussion...but that will likely be done next time.) Before we leave the Jeremiah passage alone I simply ask you to read at least verse 10 along with verse 11 (God may indeed have hopes for you, but to whom was this text initially addressed?).

I am going to humbly suggest something. Is it possible a reason there is so much confusion concerning "God's Will" is because we confuse God's desired response with His will? What exactly do I mean by that?

God always wants faithfulness from His people - period. I know we could say God wants us to "do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with" our God (cf. Micah 6:8). We could also say God wants us to love Him with all we have and our neighbor as ourself (cf. Matthew 22:36-40). Yet those responses fall under the umbrella of faithfulness to God.

So, God desires faithfulness - nothing more, nothing less. And this is why we confuse God's desired response with His will. E.g., "family A" suffers the loss of a child due to a tragic auto accident, but the remaining family members turn to God and their faith grows. As a result they are not only closer as a family but a neighboring family comes to know Jesus because of the marvelous way in which the tragedy was handled. Wow!! That must have been "God's Will" - right?

Let us consider another example. Here "family B" also suffers the loss of a child due to a tragic auto accident, but instead of turning to God the family turns their back on Him. The family also breaks down and goes their separate ways; a neighboring family sees this and wants nothing to do with God, etc. Wow!! That must have been "God's Will" again, right! Right? Wrong.

God desires faithfulness. Due to this Scriptural truth it is easy to confuse the response of "family A" with God's Will. But again, what about the response of "family B"? God's Will was for a family to turn their back on Him, be fragmented, and negatively influence neighbors for the Kingdom? Really?!? There is no doubt God can be glorified as a result of any life situation (e.g., Romans 8:28). Yet this happens when people respond in faith to God. Indeed, that is light years away from saying God causes all life situations to happen (note "causes" and not "allows").

The reality is, a lot of "stuff" happens because we live in a world impacted by sin (cf. Genesis 3; Romans 8:19-22). So when thinking about "God's Will" allow the beautiful portrait Scripture paints to inform your thinking and not merely isolated verses and popular sayings in our culture.

Hmmm...maybe here is where part of the problem lies. After all, it is a lot easier to be, with good intentions, searching for God's Will (praying, hoping, trying things - which if it does not go how we wanted it to then it must not have been God's Will) than it is to be sexually pure (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18). By the way, both of those areas are "God's Will" according to Paul.

As you can see this is [1] - of how many I do not yet know...

"Happy Birthday"

2011-06-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Time flies so quickly! It is hard to believe our youngest daughter, Charis, is now a month old...it seems like yesterday she was born. It does seem a bit further back than yesterday for her big sister Ellei (who is 2yrs and 9mo today) - but not much further back.

Dates of birth usually receive a great deal of attention in our culture. Quite often they bring family and friends together for a celebration. Unfortunately it seems many parents go overboard, worry, stress, spend money they do not have, etc. - all for a party a child likely will not remember... What we are to make of that is not my focus here. Instead I will briefly focus on the other extreme - ignoring important "dates of birth".

How many Christians, especially those in the "Protestant" (what an ugly word) tradition, know today is John the Baptist's "birthday"? It is sad, but true, that when The Church ignores the "Christian calendar" a cultural calendar will dominate Sunday mornings (and therefore the minds of many Christians). Yet what does this mean exactly? One example is how many congregations will make much ado about the "4th of July" next weekend (i.e., on the 3rd) - but John's name will scarcely be mentioned in a few days. Another example is how many congregations likely touted "Mother's" and "Father's" Day recently - but Pentecost (perhaps) passed by with barely a whisper, let alone a sound like a mighty rushing wind.

Why do we do this? I certainly do not know all the reasons - but one has got to be that we do not have a Kingdom focus. Think about it, John was the herald of the coming King - Jesus. Therefore John knew what was important; he preached about the Kingdom of God (e.g., Matt3:2). Interestingly, Jesus preached the exact same message (e.g., Matt4:17). Yet not only did Jesus preach the same message as John, Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the same thing as well (e.g., Matt10:7). Hmmm, maybe The Church should focus a bit more on the Kingdom of God.

I have hopes and dreams of an "extended advent season" in the future where I serve - but that will take a lot of preparatory prayer and work. My hope is to ground it in God's Story...to show the needs for HisStory to impose itself on our cultural story (i.e., cultural norms). In other words, for His Kingdom to trump everything else (e.g., our desires). Unfortunately, it seems that is not a popular message. After all, John's message started with "Repent..." - which implies a radical change had to be made.

So "happy birthday" John. May we learn to live as citizens of the Kingdom our King established.

What Next? Apparently this...

2011-05-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

It did not take too long for an explanation to come out concerning the failed "prophetic" prediction of Harold Camping. You can click here for an article; the basic explanation is Camping was off by five months as this past Saturday was an "invisible judgment day" (how convenient), and October 21st is still the day the earth is going to be destroyed by a fireball (presumably a gigantic one). Apparently, as you can read here, this dawned on him over the weekend.

I wonder what happens with "the rapture" in light of this new revelation? That is (unfortunately) a mainstay in the eschatology of many...but apparently Camping - err, I mean God - has no use for that now. Apparently there is no use for the earth either as it will be destroyed...but I will leave that behind for now.

While far from being an exhaustive list, a few major options we have are to either a) believe Camping, b) dismiss him as a false prophet, c) go about life as normal and ignore eschatology because another prediction has failed, or d) take a serious look at eschatology and its implications.

I opt for "d" - but this is where many often do not like to go because of the belief eschatology is confusing. This is unfortunate because the implications of eschatology are important...important enough God wanted them clearly communicated so His people would obey by them. Believe me, God does not want this to be confusing - why would He?

Indeed, many live unconcerned about eschatology due to ignorance. Please note I did not say "stupidity"; we are all ignorant of many things - this is a fact of life. So how about this, how about we shed light on some biblical teaching concerning eschatology in an attempt to remove the cover of ignorance? While doing this together people will be able to form their own conclusions; e.g., reject the most commonly held eschatological teachings as false (e.g., a rapture, the earth being destroyed, etc.) and actively seek to live a life of readiness...OR accept what culture says is true about eschatology - and basically ignore it.

Open our eyes Lord...

What Next?

2011-05-23T11:37:00.001-05:00

To the dismay of several, yet not to the surprise of most, "judgment day" did not occur this past Saturday. I am not sure how Camping and his followers will adjust. While I would like to say I could care less, as a follower of Jesus I am compelled to care (and therefore repent of a "care less" attitude). Based on past predictions, which have ALL failed, it seems some will leave the group and others will become more entrenched in the belief based on an explanation of some sort.

Partially leaving the "Judgment Day" prediction of 5/21/11 behind for now, I turn our attention to the tornadoes of Saturday (Reading, KS) and Sunday (Joplin, MO) evenings. What are Christians to do in response to those events? Among other things we should offer help. God's love is shown in times like these through His people. Indeed, our interaction with others directly reveals how much we love God (cf. Mt22:34-40).

The reason I said 'partially leaving...' above is because I want to keep this discussion informed by eschatology, which ought to influence all Christian discussion. Among other things, in Luke 13:1-5 Jesus tells us we should not be concerned about finding a "one-to-one" correlation between disaster and some sort of cause/sin. Rather, Jesus tells us is we need to live a repentant life. Living in light of eschatology ought to compel one to lead a repentant life. So why don't we live in light of what the Bible teaches concerning "eschatology"?

Confusion is one answer. I hope to post a bit about confusion in the near future.

Yet it also seems to me the very fact of living a repentant life is another struggle we have with living in light of biblical teaching on eschatology. By and large people do not want to repent. By and large people enjoy doing what they think is best. By and large people enjoy the (supposed) comforts life in this world offers. Yet what happens when those comforts are wiped out?

Alas, we are back to the tornadoes of Reading and Joplin (not to mention the recent flooding of the Mississippi and other tornadoes...or the earthquake/tsunami in Japan...or ______). This is not to minimize the loss of lives and material things suffered recently, or at any other point in history, due to anything (such as a "natural disaster"). What it is intended to do is help us to realize an obvious reality; THINGS ARE NOT RIGHT IN THIS WORLD!!!

Somewhere around 22,000 children die of poverty related issues around the world every day. The majority of those deaths are on different continents, which makes "out of sight and out of mind" very prevalent for us in the West. However, when tragedy strikes closer to home it is harder to ignore the reality of this world being a mess. At this point we have options. CS Lewis said "pain is God's megaphone". I am not saying God causes these horrible things to happen (views on this vary). Yet I am saying we can either choose to listen to the pains of the world or ignore them (I do not know if there is another option).

Back to the Camping crew...as misguided as they were at least they acted on their beliefs. I, for one, need to repent of not being shaped more by what I believe - which is shaped by what I know about eschatology.

After Saturday...

2011-05-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

I readily admit, I am not well informed when it comes to popular culture. I suppose I ought to be, yet I often rationalize I have better things to do. Perhaps this is a reason why I have basically ignored the whole Harold Camping date-setting issue. I have had a few private conversations with people, but nothing too much. I knew better...

About a month ago (while relaxing and reflecting with a cup of coffee) I saw three moving billboards (2 vans and a box truck if I remember correctly) drive right past the Java Cat 5 window on a Thursday morning. Their message, among other things, 5/21/11 is The End. The other day my eye was drawn to a full page add in the USA Today on the issue as well. Then yesterday an article in the Kansas City Star caught my eye as I tried to find the USA Today add online for another look. I cannot ignore the issue any longer...

Thankfully my wife keeps me reigned in on the issue or else I would likely be quite abrasive. So here goes: this (and all other date settings) are "unfortunate" [how's that for gentle honey :)]. One of the things this does is make The Church a laughing stock. The general thinking is "If they can't get Jesus' 2nd coming right...why should we believe anything they say about His 1st coming?" I find no fault in that logic. Indeed, there are entire websites devoted to documenting failed predictions (there are also websites poking fun at the rapture in general - like "rapture ready pets" - but I am being nice and not, ummm...well, I am not talking about the "rapture" of the church here).

While I acknowledge this is not good for the unbeleiving world (e.g., it is another way in which they can write off The Church as irrelevant), the larger harm is for The Church internally. Why? This is another example/reason/excuse of why many see "eschatology" as irrelevant or too confusing. Indeed, properly understood "eschatology" is the most important aspect of Christianity (I think I agree with that statement...).

What should The Church do? 1) We should begin praying (if we are not already) for those who are expecting the world to end and are going to be let down. It would be tragic if some were to leave the faith due to a failed prediction. 2) We should begin praying Harold Camping will repent and be held accountable (Harold as well as many others who have done the same...). 3) We should begin praying the scoffing of non-believers will somehow (by God's grace) be turned into questioning and searching. Pray God will use this too for His glory - somehow. 4) We should begin praying The Church will take "eschatology" seriously (I think #4 is a key to revival...).

A few years ago I did some Radio Spots on "the last days". Please listen; there are several. I am open for dialog if you disagree...but at least you have to agree I have used the Bible (and if you disagree please feel free to tell me why). If you agree then share the link or this post. There are other links and people to whom I can refer for the study of eschatology - I think I'll save that for a future post. Yet Shane J Wood is too good to pass up; especially since I may not do a 2nd post (I have been known to do that you know). I am certain what you will find will be informative. Shane is one who takes eschatology seriously.

Indeed...a Shepherd

2011-05-02T12:24:00.000-05:00

Today is Dr. Lowery’s funeral; yesterday was the visitation services. Although it pains me to not be there; given the responsibilities of each day – and what I know of Dr. Lowery – he would have encouraged me not to come.

Yesterday we had a Family (Congregational) meeting at New Life. I could have been gone from preaching. Yet the meeting was too important as we work toward more health as a body. I think he would have agreed.

Today my wife has a late afternoon baby appointment followed by a birthing class in the evening. I am going to both. With Melissa due mid-May I cannot justify leaving her home while I drive a long distance to “say goodbye”. In fact, now that I think about it, I believe we (my wife Melissa, our daughter Ellei, and the baby still in Mommy’s tummy) will have our own little celebration and dance party for Dr. Lowery this afternoon after Ellei wakes from her nap. I can almost hear Dr. Lowery’s hearty laugh of delight at such a thought/image.

I relay the information of what we will do because of another aspect of Dr. Lowery. A few days ago the focus was on the Scholar; today the focus is on the Shepherd. Indeed, those two aspects fueled one another. His study drove him to be a better shepherd; his love for people drove him to a deeper study of God’s word – which drove him to be a better shepherd… Indeed, beautiful cycle.

In the fall of 2004 I took Preaching from the New Testament with Dr. Lowery and Dr. Sackett. During that week of class (an intensive week) I was not only introduced to Dr. Lowery the World-Class Scholar for the first time; I was also introduced to Dr. Lowery the Humble Shepherd as well.

One way both Scholar & Shepherd were shown was how Dr. Lowery (as well as Dr. Sackett) offered affirmation and critique after I gave my sermon during the week of class.

I also fondly remember both professors making time to pastor/shepherd those of us in the class. Both men acknowledged difficulty in finding time to study God’s Word deeply while finding time to love people in tangible ways (i.e., be a shepherd). Dr. Lowery mentioned the staggering number of unread emails which had accumulated in his Inbox since Monday morning (class from 8am-5pm coupled with prep time for the next day as well as family time does not leave much time for email). Basically, you have to make time for what is important.

The following fall I had a class over Revelation with Dr. Lowery (and 18 or so others). Due to circumstances in our marriage, mid-week it became necessary to share some marital struggles my wife and I were experiencing. These circumstances were first shared with only few of my classmates. Yet these classmates (appropriately) shared with Dr. Lowery. His concern was obvious as before class began for the day (which, remember, was focused on Revelation) time was made to pray for us. Prayers for another marriage were included in this time, after which an appropriate break/breather was given.

After the week of class, for a time, I kept everyone up to date on improvements in our marriage and desired prayer requests. I kept Dr. Lowery up to date longer than others. I did this because of his responses to my emails. Last week I was moved to tears again in remembering how Dr. Lowery – despite having 100’s of emails every day to answer – would answer mine. I could reproduce what he shared with me in response to some of my email updates. But it is sufficient to say they were specific and not a general “help/bless them God”.

I also know this is not unique to me. In one email reply he mentioned using a portion of Friday mornings to pray for students in ministry who are facing a variety of difficulties. Given the 1,000’s he influenced I am certain that list was long.

Indeed – a Shepherd…a Shepherd shaped by his Scholarship. May we all conform to God’s Word.

Indeed...he's Dancing

2011-04-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

Dr. Robert Lowery's earthly pilgrimage ended last night. In lieu of what I had tentatively planned to enter today, what I will offer here is a conglomeration of thoughts and comments which have filled the web upon people learning of his death. It ought to go without saying this is not exhaustive... Yet I will say I think the most beautiful snippet you will find is the last one by Joe Mollet - a loved son-in-law (who I am certain was treated as a son).

My mentor and friend Dr. Robert Lowery just went to be with Jesus...I will do my best to carry on your legacy with honor friend...grace and peace

Shane J. Wood - via Facebook

Dr. Bob Lowery passed this evening around 6 pm. His family is very thankful for the prayers and words of comfort this week. Please continue to be in prayer for them, his friends, and his students. Bob is now dancing with the Lamb; we still face the Dragon. May his influence in our lives lend us strength to carry the battle forward.

Rob Peterson - via Facebook

My teacher, mentor, and friend Dr. Robert Lowery now is able to "behold" ... I look with hope toward the day when all will be made new. (Rev 21-22)

Jim Dalrymple - via Facebook

Revelation 14:13 -- the blessing can be claimed by yet one more. While my heart is saddened by Dr. Lowery's passing, it is also full of confident hope that death has not really won for undoubtedly this one has died "in the Lord!" May he rest in the presence of the Lamb ...

Matthew Martin - via Facebook

Bob passed quietly in the company of his friends and family. As with all our mentors, his legacy lives on in us. What he's contributed to the church and the world will continue to make a difference because he's placed in another generation of faithful men and women. Though I realize the context is different, Rev 14:13 comes to mind: "...and his works will follow him."

Dr. Chuck Sackett - via Facebook

Dr. Lowery quietly and peacefully passed from this life about an hour ago. Marilyn said that he
squeezed her hand tightly, then quit breathing.

a portion of an email sent from Dr. Paul Boatman of LCU

After a lifetime of Listening to the Lyrics of the Lamb, Dr. Robert Lowery is now joining in the chorus.

Vance Russel - via Facebook

If we listen to John, we learn that in the end, you, I, indeed, everyone, will have a new beginning, either the most wonderful or the most awful beginning of all. It is an ending that leads to rhapsody because we stand before the reigning Lord and the redeeming Lamb or to woe because we are banished forever from their presence. In the end, what makes the difference is the song we sing." - Robert Lowery
This quote is from "Revelation's Rhapsody", a book by Bob that my classmates and I (who were in his 2005 Revelation course) were privileged to participate in creating. In his humble wisdom, Bob always invited the dialogue of fellow believers to inform his scholarship.
Bob is singing for Jesus in His full presence today -- and for all time. My head says "Rejoice!" -- my heart isn't their yet.

Ann Kafer - via her blog

And I think the most fitting to end this short collection:
Papa to the girls "In a couple of days you will get a phone call from Grandma. She will have good news and bad news. The bad news...I will be dead, but the good news...I will be in Heaven with Jesus. When Grandma calls I want you to dance because I am in Heaven." Tonight my girls danced for Papa. We miss you Bob but will see you again.

Joe Mollet - via Facebook

Indeed...Dr. Lowery is dancing!! Our minds rejoice - our hearts will catch up. Indeed...we will see him again!! Amen - praise God for grace & salvation!

Indeed...A Scholar

2011-04-28T15:54:00.001-05:00

Since learning of Dr. Lowery’s impending death on Monday, not a day has gone by when tears have not filled my eyes. I share my thoughts not merely to share my emotions, but to share principles I am learning during this time of grief. My hope is this process will help shape me into a more godly man.

Yet before I get too far I want to make a disclaimer; I am not a “Lowery-ite”. In other words, I follow Jesus and not Dr. Lowery. I state what ought to be obvious because this series of posts (as well as other posts you may visit via this blog) may make Dr. Lowery seem “larger than life”. No one’s intention is to deify Dr. Lowery. The intent of anything you may read in relation to him is to convey how a godly man has impacted the lives of many as he followed Jesus.

There is no doubt Dr. Lowery is a “world-class” scholar of the Bible. Sadly, many do not know his name. The reason for this; if you do not publish in academia, you rarely get “big name” recognition. Dr. Lowery was not concerned about a “big name”. He felt called to teach a full (or beyond full) class load and invest in the lives of students rather than teach fewer classes in order to write.

Dr. Lowery’s teaching style (for classes dealing with books of the Bible) was to teach principles of Bible Study rather than lecture about the content of a book. Personally, I would have loved more lectures from him; yet what I learned is far more valuable than information. I learned how (despite my limitations) to probe God’s Word to the point where I realize I am being probed by It. In other words (while the following is not verbatim, I attribute it to him), “The deeper we probe Scripture the more we realize we are the object and It is the subject.” There are many applications to this, one of which is we ought not to shape God’s Word into what we want it to say…rather God’s Word ought to shape us into the people He desires us to be.

To say Dr. Lowery never revealed elements of his Bible Study with his students would be false. Yet examples of that is not the intent of this post. My prayer is I, and those influenced by him, will continue to reveal elements of our study (influenced by his teaching and scholarship) in our lives – via preaching, teaching, and loving others – as we live for God’s glory.

In order to bring this entry to a close I will briefly mention my first class with Dr. Lowery. In the Fall of 2005 I took Preaching from the New Testament (which he team-taught with Dr. Chuck Sackett; another profound influence on my life). The principles I began to learn that week I still seek to implement (and my shortcomings in doing so are my own – not those of the men who taught me); yet an eye-opening moment from that week will be the basis of my next entry.

Here is a post of a book recently published in honor of Dr. Lowery.

Links to other posts will occur in following articles.

Indeed...

2011-04-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

As I type, the pilgrimmage of a professor of mine is nearing its earthly end. The life of Dr. Robert Lowery, on this earth, is drawing to a close. He is in hospice care. Unfortunately cancer has taken a devestating toll on his body. He is ready; ready to be in the presence of his God.

An attempt at conveying the variety of things I have thought, experienced, reflected upon, and prayed since learning of Bob's rapid health decline on Monday would a) make this post too long, b) not do justice to my intentions - as they may be incoherent right now - and the truth is, c) others are more qualified than me to write reflective thoughts on Bob. Therefore, if I stick to my intentions, this will be the first of a series of posts. I hope they will be received well.

You may have noticed I mentioned Dr. Lowery is a professor of mine. This may strike some as odd since I graduated from the Seminary side of Lincoln Christian University last Spring. It may sound a bit more odd when I acknowledge my last class with him was in the fall of 2007. Yet the apparent oddness is reality. I am quite certain I am not the only student of Dr. Lowery who will acknowlege that in a very real way he continues to impact me (and them) today. My intention is to relay some of what I mean in the coming posts.

Yet before I venture there I must state the obvious. Those of us who know Bob do not grieve as those who have no hope (cf. 1Thess4:13). No, our grieving is of a different kind. Yet before I move into that I do want to acknowledge the loss and pray for his wife Marilyn as well as their children Rachel and Brian - both of whom are married with children. While the Kingdom is losing a godly man; they are losing a Papa, Daddy, Father-in-law (I am certain they called him Dad), husband, and best friend.

Indeed, what a loss. Indeed...

Living on Borrowed...

2011-02-18T06:35:00.001-06:00

It is quite amazing when you stop to think about how accustomed we are to borrowing in our culture. One such evidence is the massive amount of debt the average person has. Indeed debt has become an assumed reality for (practically) everyone today. Want a house? Go in debt. Want a car? Go in debt. Want some clothes? Hey, stores can make that easy too - "Do you have a _____ card?" - go in debt. Want the "Just can't live without it hits you love from the 70's, 80's, and early 90's? You can have them for just three easy payments..." Go in debt.

I understand some will argue for "good debt" (e.g., business debt, school loan debt), but monetary debt is not my focus - it is merely an illustration.

Rather, consider people who claim to not believe in God and desire to live how they want (they could be "good" or "bad" citizens, it makes no difference). They are living on borrowed time because they want to enjoy all the benefits which can only exist if there is a moral Creator (e.g., don't steal my stuff, treat me with decency and respect, pay me for the work I've done, etc.), yet they do not want to conform their lives to His desires. In essence they are in debt. In other words, there will come a time when they have to give an account for their lives...

Consider also a Christians who hold a grudge, withhold giving to God's Kingdom, do not serve in God's Kingdom, etc. They too are living on borrowed time. They were forgiven when they entered God's Kingdom, but somehow justify withholding it from others (and in essence hold themselves in bondage). God has blessed them with abilities in order to earn money (and everything is His anyway), but they desire to spend it as they wish (and in essence hold themselves in bondage). Jesus came to serve and not be served, but they choose to not follow the way of the cross (and in essence hold themselves in bondage).

I know there are a variety of reasons why one justifies a grudge, not giving, not serving, not loving others - basically not dying to the things of the world. Yet all that does is hold one in bondage to the world and its evil system (run by Satan).

I also wonder if an influence that has increased the stranglehold of those unGodly habits in the lives of many Christians is the way debt has influenced our view of tomorrow. "It really is OK, enjoy the benefits now - you deserve them - you can always pay it back tomorrow..." The problem is we can get accustomed to enjoying the benefits, want more of them, and not realize we have run up a huge tab...or in the case of non-Christians, not even realize there is a tab.

Sanctity of Human Life

2011-01-21T16:44:00.000-06:00

This coming Sunday (1/23/11) is "Sanctity of Human Life Sunday". It started 23 years ago in an effort to, "Raise awareness...Reach out with nonjudgmental, compassionate support and practical help to women facing unplanned pregnancies." (from a Facebook page created by Care Net).

Let me be clear, I am all for compassion toward the whole abortion issue. This post is in NO WAY a 'slap' toward "Sanctity of Human Life Sunday" in any way, shape, or form. Yet let us not forget a few things...

1) Abortion is a complex issue. Do not read more into the statement than what is written (and I know that is open-ended).

2) If you are pro-life that means you are just that, "Pro-Life". While it may sound redundant, it is important to note that a true "sanctity of life" stance will extend compassion to anyone and everyone (more to come later).

3) It seems to me some issues are overlooked (neglected, ignored, ?) in the abortion issue (as I said, it is complex). One of these is the factor of finances. Did you know 42% of those having abortions live on $10,830 a year or less? Did you know an additional 27% live on $21,552 or less a year? DO NOT think you read what I did not say. What I said is statistics show nearly 70% of those having abortions live on $21,552 or less a year.

What is The Church to do about this? What have the people of God done historically? Does a Kingdom perspective influence anything at all?

Lord teach us to...

2011-01-03T14:31:00.000-06:00

If you could ask Jesus anything, what would it be? This could be a search for an answer or it could be for help. So, what would it be?

I find it interesting how the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to raise good children. Oh wait, that isn't in there... I find it interesting how the disciples asked Jesus to help them have a good marriage. Oh wait, not there either... I find it interesting how the disciples asked Jesus to help them manage their money better and even to have more money to pursue the "American Dream". Whoops, not there again... I find it interesting how the disciples asked Jesus...

From my (admittedly) limited knowledge of Scripture, the disciples only asked Jesus to teach them how to do one thing - pray.

I am not sure what I find more interesting a) how Jesus answered their question or b) how many Christians do not pay attention to His answer (at least that seems to be the case). I wish I could grasp the depth of Luke 11:2-4 (Jesus' answer). The words in our English text look too simple, too unassuming, too plain... Is that really all the better the Lord of the Universe could do?

At this point I must be honest, prayer is a mystery to me. I do not understand it - but I want to. I do not pray enough - but I want to pray more. I have not paid attention enough to it in the Bible - but I am starting (again). For some reading this who know me these admissions may come as a bit of a surprise. Forgive me if I have put on a facade which would indicate I know more about prayer than I do. I try to be honest...but I do not know if I have publicly ever said prayer is a mystery to me. I look forward to exploring the mystery the next few Sundays. Believe me, we will not come even close to scratching the surface (let alone exhausting it) - but it seems the journey of knowing prayer deserves looking at it for a while, reflecting, implementing, and then returning to it at a later date...

What about you? What do you not understand about prayer? What have you learned? We learn best (and apply what we learn best) in community.

Merry Christmas - from the letter of Philemon

2010-12-24T10:26:00.000-06:00

A quick note - "cliff notes" are at the end...

This week I had intended to write a bit each day about this time of year. In part it was going to be a time of reflecting on our cultural Christmas and how what it emphasizes is a far cry from the Bible and the reality of Emmanuel (God with us). BUT alas it is now Friday and here is the first entry. So, the thoughts I had for the week will not make their way into this entry (maybe later), it would be far too lengthy. Instead I will highlight a few things from the letter to Philemon.

Now I realize Philemon may not seem like a "Christmas text" - but the truths found within it flow out of the reality of the entire Christ Event (Jesus' birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and longed for 2nd coming), of which the Christmas season is a part.

1) We are family. For many the "holiday season" brings desires for enjoying time with family. You know the drill; everyone makes it home for Christmas, a wonderful meal is shared along with laughter and the general sharing of life. Our culture (as warped at it is) puts this forth as ideal. Hmmm...perhaps our culture may not be that bad after all... Yet the reality is, this idealistic picture is not reality for the majority of people. E.g., the emptiness of missing a deceased loved one (recent or past), actual tension within the family, even dread of who will show up and say the wrong thing this time. In thinking about this...I suppose our culture is up to its modus operandi (i.e., "M.O." - mode of operating) by "elevating family" during this time of year because that is where thoughts can drift (and let's face it, thinking of family is not bad in and of itself). Yet in overemphasizing a 'good thing' a focus on Emmanuel is lost and we turn to fretting over family issues instead of being joyous concerning the truth of the Gospel and the impact it is to have. (Please note, if your family situation is "ideal" then do not feel guilty...just be aware this is not reality for the majority of people.)
Therefore it is foundational to remember we are family "in Christ". Paul uses the term "brother" (vs1,7,16,20) and "sister" (v2) in Philemon. Interestingly both Philemon (vs7,20) and Onesimus (v16) are designated as "brother". This is interesting because Philemon is a master and Onesimus is his slave...the social structures of our world (any culture) are flipped on their head due to the Christ Event.

2) Our lives are to impact the world. Somehow we have taken the idea of "peace" and changed it to be something internal and subjective. The same is true with "faith" and "love" - things which we take to be very individualistic. If "faith" and "love" and "peace" are individualistic...then the Christ Event does not impact the world as it was intended to do.
On the other hand, looking in Philemon, we can see Philemon was wealthy (v2 indicates he not only owned a home, but it was large enough for "the church" to meet there) and used his wealth for the Kingdom of God. While it is true we do not know what he was like before coming into the Kingdom of God, we know his life after that fact was marked by "love" for God's people and "faith" in the Lord Jesus (v5). Obviously this faith and love were not privatized, otherwise Paul would not have known of it. Philemon's love and faith prompted him to do things for the Kingdom of God - which impacted the world.
Paul uses "Jesus" to refer to Jesus of Nazareth 212 times in his letters. I find it interesting (and instructive for us) how all but 12 of them include "Lord" or "Christ" (or a combination of the two) in conjunction with Jesus' name. As we continue to grow in our understanding of what "Lord" and "Christ" mean...there is no option but for our faith to impact the world. And this leads us to the fact of...

3) Love is the only sustainable force for change there is. Our culture puts forth a variety of things as driving forces for change - e.g., desire for more, guilt, wanting to please someone else, coercsion. None of those will sustain change in the long term.
The structure of Philemon is chiastic (at least it seems so to me).
A) vs1-3
   B) vs4-7
       C) vs8-11
        c) vs12-17
   b) vs17-22
a) vs23-25
I won't go into all of those details except to point out how Paul could have commanded Philemon to do what he should have done (v8). This is a reality of the Christian faith. We serve a Lord (not a genie) and He demands we do things. However, we must note all of those demands are undergirded by a statement of fact (e.g., 'be holy' in 1 Peter 1:16 because God is holy in Leviticus 11:44). Dr. Lowery (a former professor of mine at Lincoln Christian University) would refer to this as "under every imperative there is an indicative" (or something phrased similar to that).
So, we see how Paul could have commanded Philemon to "do the right thing," but instead he appeals to love...the only force that will sustain the change in Philemon Paul (and God) desired. In that mode of thinking, to whom within the family of Christ can/should you write to affirm (vs4-7)? We do not do this enough - I am convinced of this fact.

In the reality of Emmanuel we see how Jesus left the riches of heaven to invade the slums of earth. Why did He do this? Because of love (and to establish a Kingdom). So my question, what will the love of Christ compel us to do? What will it compel us to do not just in this time of year...but throughout the year. Because after all, if Christmas is true...then it changes everything.

Cliff Notes:
The Christmas season has been greatly distorted. The reality of the Christ Event ought to impact everything. In Paul's letter to Philemon we can see three truths which are inherent to this time of year.
1) We are family.
2) Our lives are to impact the world.
3) Love is the only sustainable force for change there is.
3.a) So...write a letter (but read Philemon first).

Give and you will be _____

2010-11-30T15:55:00.002-06:00

I am perplexed. In “KJV bible-ese” I may be getting close to “undone” (cf. Isaiah 6:5). We are currently doing a series on stewardship at New Life. I do not know if it is because…well I just do not know – but I was not looking forward to it.

It is not that I am against talking about money (a while back in a sermon I suggested with a Kingdom perspective we do things differently: like seeking to live on less in order to support a “missionary” or if both spouses work seriously consider giving a salary away to help the “least of these” – or to meet needs and then give it away, etc.). I suppose what I do not like is how quite often the way giving is talked about within the church rubs me wrong. In typing that please understand I am seeking to be humble because I realize the way I go about things may rub people the wrong way as well. I want to learn from others and humbly offer some reflections for others to ponder.

With all of that said, in reading, praying, and studying for this past Sunday’s sermon I became – well I am not sure what I became. If you are still with me I am not trying to be confusing. I suppose my hem-hawing around is due to how my eyes are continually being opened by God’s Word…and sometimes I do not like what I see. Perhaps more accurately that last statement should be what I see both excites and disturbs me.

I cannot recount the number of times I have heard Malachi 3:10 utilized when encouraging people to “tithe”. Last week I read and re-read Malachi several times (a good principle for Bible study). I do not know how many times I had read Malachi last week before I realized what verse 10 said. The plea is for there to be “food” in God’s house.
(Disclaimer: this sermon did not focus solely on Malachi; at the beginning of the week I had a thought of looking at Malachi 3:10 at some point in the sermon…so during the week I read and re-read the book several times. I mention this disclaimer to state it is possible I am wrong…BUT PLEASE if I am, help me by showing me – just be gentle as I am seeking to be). Please note, I try to keep these somewhat brief so they are read in their entirety…so please either a) stick with me or b) look at the cliff notes at the bottom of the post (if I remember them).

Malachi 3:10 says, Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Every verse has a larger context within a pericope, chapter, book, Bible. With this in mind if we quickly back up to 3:6 we read, “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” Another way of translating the end of verse six is “…O children of Jacob, have not ceased” or “…have not ceased to be the sons of Jacob” (Baldwin, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi: TOTC). We must remember Jacob’s name meant he was a deceiver (cf. stealing Esau’s birthright). So basically YHWH (the LORD) is consistent, but so too are the “children of Jacob”. In other words, God is consistent in showing mercy and grace while His people are consistent in rebelling against Him. Ouch!! (Did I mention Malachi was a prophet? Also, 47 of the 55 verses in Malachi are in 1st person form directed at Israel as a collective whole – this last from Hill & Walton, A Survey of the OT.)

Yet I am sure you noticed v6 starts with “for”. In the Hebrew text this is a ki-clause, which is very important for understanding what is taking place. Basically it gives a reason for something (e.g., Malachi 1:14 says YHWH deserves the best when it comes to offerings “for” He is a great King).

So, we need to back up a bit further – for the sake of time we will only go to Malachi 3:5, “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.” The last part of verse five speaks loudly to issues of social justice. A casual reading of the Bible clearly shows God is concerned for “the least of these” – those who are in need and totally dependent on others for help.

So, we see God upset at the people of Israel for covenant unfaithfulness (e.g., Mal1:6ff; 2:10) which leads to (among other things) the oppression of people (e.g., Mal3:5). Not long after that we have God say (paraphrased) remember, all you have is Mine anyway…but if you bring in just the small portion of what I ask for…test Me…

Why does YHWH want the “full tithe”? Why does He say “test Me”? Is He promising a bigger blessing in that if you “tithe” He will materially bless your socks off to the point you are overwhelmed? This is often what is practically said (if not blatantly taught) with this verse – at least in my limited experience. Yet read Malachi 3:10 again, Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing UNTIL THERE IS NO MORE NEED.

I put the last few words in caps to emphasize them ;). Firstly, “until” is a temporal conjunction – meaning it is “time-bound”. In other words, God will do something until something else is achieved; in this case when there is no more need. This raises an obvious question, what is the need? Secondly, remember why he wants the “full tithe” – for there to be food, period. Remember the “oppressed” back in 3:5?

At this point I will mention how Deuteronomy 14:28-29 states every three years the tithe will be used to feed the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow (and more other gracious acts were intended along the way). Hmmm…the last three of those are identical to Malachi 3:5. In fact, I think it is fascinating how the two sets form a chiasm (but I will not press the issue because these are two separate books…BUT it is really cool). Why did God say that in Deuteronomy? That YHWH may “bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.” This in turn obviously means the needs of people will be met. What does He promise in Malachi when the full tithe is brought into the storehouse? He promises to “open the windows of heaven” until there is no more need. Whose need? My needs so I can have what I want? No. The needs of the oppressed are clearly the focus.

For the sake of length I will begin to wrap up. I would say this is “part one” – but sadly I have yet to do “part two” of an earlier post (it is not that I do not want to…well, I suppose stewardship plays a part in it). So, what does Malachi 3:10 teach us? God wants us to give back to Him (and I did not even go into “the tithe” concept – that is another issue…) not so He can ipso facto (by that very fact) give back all the more to us (He may do so…in fact it seems often He does – He is serious about needs being met). No, He wants us to give back to Him so that the needs of others are met.

While it is not popular in our culture, the Biblical principle seems to be “no one has too much and no one does without…or has too little” (e.g., Proverbs 30:7-9). This raises an obvious question, “What is too much and too little?” That is not the issue of this post. The issue is there are real needs in our culture and around the world. I cannot remember where I first read/heard it, but 26,500 children die EVERY DAY due to poverty related issues. This saddens me – but not as much as it should I am afraid…

What is The Church’s responsibility in that? Well, those 26,500 children fit squarely into the groupings of Deuteronomy 14:29 and Malachi 3:5. Look at our church buildings. Look at our cars. Look at our clothes. More and more I am becoming a man “undone”…

Cliff Notes:
1. Typical ways of talking about finances “in church” bother me…
a. I realize what I do may bother others – there is grace for all (thank God)

2. Malachi 3:10 – a personal promise to “give a little and gain a lot” or a command to give back to God what is His (the portion for which He asked in the OT) so needs can be met?
a. The focus is on physical needs of people being met.

3. We live in an affluent culture that will never say “enough”.
a. This is a hard teaching for me…

But I Am Baptized [pt2]

2010-11-15T13:05:00.001-06:00

So...I was doing good keeping up with sermons for a minute...

Part two of this will be coming (hopefully in the not too distant future).

Do We Really Believe in the God of the Bible?

2010-11-15T12:59:00.000-06:00

I realize this title may strike some of us as a bit odd. Yet it is a legitimate question. Now, I am not going to delve into issues of hermeneutics (studying the Bible / interpreting Scripture) and applying those findings to life. Well, not too much anyway...because any reading of the Bible automatically makes one an interpreter [and Theologian :)]. What I mean by not delving into issues of hermeneutics is I am not going to get into caricatures we make of God (e.g., a “Calvinistic” God or an “Armenian” God or a "Prosperity" God or any other “Type” of God we like to put into a Theological box…it seems He busts all of those).

What I mean by “do we really believe” is – do we believe He owns everything? It seems Revelation 4:8b and 4:11 are clear. God is Eternal (Rev4:8b) and has Created Everything (Rev4:11). Translation, God owns everything (e.g., Psalm 24:1; 50:10-11). This means we are stewards. Therefore, we have been entrusted with what is His to do with it as we please. EENNT!! I am sorry, that is incorrect.

God has not entrusted us with what is His to do with it as please (although humanity often does). God entrusted us with what is His with the hope of us doing as He pleases. Just what exactly is His? Everything. We are to be good stewards of our time…friends…material things…finances…thoughts… you name it, it fits into the blank.

So a basic question. With what do you struggle the most in being a good steward?

But I Am Baptized [pt1]

2010-10-07T16:51:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, while continuing our Shaped By Worship sermon series, we considered the issue of baptism. But before we even get directly into baptism let me ask two questions: 1) What has shaped you to this point in your life? and 2) By what do you desire to be shaped from this point forward? While both questions are valid, they are certainly not equal.

Question #1, "what has shaped you?" can (LET ME BE CLEAR - it certainly does not have to) lead to a victim mentality. E.g., "Well I did ______ because of ______."; or "Two years ago _____ happened and so now I ______."
Now, I am certainly not so naive as to say events and circumstances of our past have no impact on us. This would obviously be false. Yet we cannot ignore the reality that "has shaped" is a passive phrase. In other words, the focus is on something external to us which has impacted us in such a way that we are "just this way" now. Obviously this is a simplification and my intention is not to minimize life-shaping and even life-altering events. Yet I do want to move our focus to...

Question #2, "by what do you desire to be shaped?" can (again it will not automatically) lead to an overcomer mentality. E.g., "I know ______ happened, but I am a child of God and so I am to imitate Him; therefore I will _____."
If we desire something that puts us in an active role. Once again this is a simplification and I do not want to be read as indicating we can "take the world by the ears" and become whatever we want. Yet the reality is, to a large extent, we are in the driver's seat when it comes to things which shape our life.

So how does this relate to baptism? Well, before we get into that we need to briefly look at the actual word. There are a handful of things we need to note...

It is a transliteration of a Greek word. What this means is instead of taking the meaning of the word and bringing it over into English, the Greek letters have been brought directly (or correlatively) into English. This should be clear when we see the Greek verb βαπτίζω close to the English "baptize". This happens frequently in the Bible and a major drawback is words are then open (even moreso) to interpretation. In the case of baptism it not only leads to confusion about how it is done (e.g., sprinkling, pouring, immersing), but it also leads to a loss of some significant nuances in the word...
The Greek word(s) related to baptism are full of violence. E.g., Josephus uses the verb for "baptize" to describe ships that were sunk in the Mediterranean Sea, Herod the Great drowning an "enemy," and even for a sword being plunged into another's body. As I said, much violence surrounds this word...as well as death. These historical realities seem to be a "missing link," if you will, in understanding baptism today.

With that (abbreviated) bit of background done it seems clear to me that baptism involves 1) being plunged under water and 2) death. Yet it seems Christianity cannot even agree on these basics...

In my "church heritage" (i.e., the Stone-Campbell Movement) a large emphasis has historically been placed on baptism. After all, the leaders of the movement (which desired to unify all Christians, in whichever sect (basically denomination in our verbage today) they found themselves, in order to evangelize the world - cf. Jn17:20-23) desired to follow the New Testament Church as closely as possible. I certainly applaud that intention...but we all know it is difficult (perhaps some of those difficulties will be a future post).

In order to shorten this post I will quickly cut to the chase and end part one. Often those in the heritage of the Stone-Campbell Movement (e.g., Christian Church, Chuch of Christ, Disciples of Christ) have focused on Acts 2:38, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." While I think it is admirable to do this, unfortunately due to differing Theological perspectives (e.g., Reformed, Arminean, Openness, etc.) there is a great deal of disagreement on a text which seems very clear.

I am not going to focus on v38 because what flabbergasts me about this text is not what Peter says so much as the response to what he said. In v41, "So those who received hsi word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls." That is amazing. Yet a question that must be answered is "Why the response?". Perhaps if we focused on the answer to that question the contention around baptism would dissipate and we would be able to utilize it as the tool/resource that it truly can be (and I believe was intended to be).

Oh, you can read Galatians 3:23-29 as well as Matthew 21:23-27 to prepare for the next post.

Remembering...

2010-09-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday we did something a bit different at New Life. What did we do? We remembered our baptism. In part this meant reflecting on events surrounding (leading up to and after) the personal immersions (baptisms) of people at New Life. It could be described as ‘testimony’ time, but there was more to it than that…

There is too much to explain for a succinct summary. I had thought about posting the whole service on-line at www.nlccoe.com (it consisted of praising God in song, confessional readings, confessional prayers, teaching on baptism (biblical and historical), "remembering" our baptism, the Lord’s Supper, etc.), but due to the personal nature of some stories shared during the "remembering our baptism" part of the service I will not.

Sitting and listening to the stories of others I was struck that this needs done more often. What is “this” you may ask? Well, a better (more holistic) understanding of baptism is one. Yet another is remembering it (how has it shaped you; how should it shape you; etc.), which necessitates remembering and telling your story.

Hearing the stories of others is a part of living in community (to which Christians are called). This is so helpful because we may hear someone who (heaven forbid) had it “worse” than us and God saw them through the time; therefore we have a new found hope. In addition to that, we all know people; someone we know may be in a similar spot to a brother/sister in Christ and we only know that because of knowing their story. What then is the responsibility of the “story-bearer” (i.e., the Christian to whom God was faithful)? To share what God has done with the person who now finds himself/herself in a similar situation. It may in fact be the last thing needed for a commitment to a King and His Kingdom to take place.

Oh yeah, and please do not make the mistake of thinking your story is "too much" or "too little" for others to hear. God is bigger than everything; nothing is insignificant. Let me clarify what I mean by “too little” - it is the false notion some may have that their story “isn’t any good because I grew up in Church and followed God then and still do now…” THE TRUTH IS WE SHOULD ALL HOPE FOR MORE OF THOSE STORIES!!! (I.e., people who have done their best to be faithful to God their entire life and never “walked away" from church or anything like that.) There is power in someone who “gets it” at a young age…and continues to “get it” (in increasing measures) the rest of their life.

What do you remember about your baptism? How has it shaped you? How should it shape you?

Spirituality

2010-09-23T17:02:00.000-05:00

Spirituality is becoming increasingly popular in America (and has been for quite some time); however church attendance is not. I do not have the time nor the intelligence to delve into all the possible reasons why this is happening. Therefore I want to pose a question: Is there an aspect of "spirituality" that does not fit under the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

In other words...

many "spiritual" people are concerned about the environment. Shouldn't Christians be concerned about the environment and therefore doing their part in taking care of it?
many "spiritual" people are concerned about acceptance. Shouldn't Christians love people because they are made in God's Image and allow the Holy Spirit to bring about conviction and change in them?
many "spiritual" people are looking for a connection with God without the hindrances imposed by "religion". Shouldn't Christians be the most connected people to God there are because we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us? Shouldn't Christians be willing to do away with "cultural Christianity" for the sake of the Kingdom of God?

Those are only a few examples - but the basic question remains: Is there an aspect of "spirituality" that does not fit under the Lordship of Jesus Christ? I do not think there is...if there is I want to know. With that said, I do want to be clear on at least one point.

Just because something is acceptable to "spiritual" people does not mean it is godly. In other words, some "spiritual" views may need refined based on what the Bible says. After all, the goal of spirituality - from a Christian perspective - is glorifying God. I repeat, it is not the "thrill of seeking God" that should consume a Christian. What should consume and propel a Christian is the thrill of being used by God so He is glorified.

One last note, if you have "spiritual" friends who are not Christian, talk to them about their passion for spirituality. What is important to them? Why? How did this become important to them? What is the end goal of their passion? While doing this (over the course of time no doubt) be in continual prayer asking God to show you how their passion fits into His desire for humanity.

In other words, while all spiritual paths do not lead to a common destination...all spiritual paths have at least one thing in common - there is something BIGGER than us. Our job as Christians is to allow God to work through us so those who are "spiritually minded" can see their ultimate fulfillment will be found only in God. Why? Because spirituality for the sake of spirituality is unending - there is always something "more" to do, or another "experience" to have. Admittedly, while for Christians there is always more Kingdom work to do and the overwhelming presence of God is quite an experience...we have something others do not. Acceptance and peace given to us by a Heavenly Father who loves us...

Shaped By...

2010-09-13T14:47:00.003-05:00

There are a variety of things which have had a hand in shaping the people we are today. While it is not proper to lay all the praise or blame for who we are at the feet of others, a reality is a) culture, b) teachers in school, c) current friends, d) past friends, and e) our home environment (along with many other factors) have played a part in shaping us.

A startling reality portrayed in Scripture is we become like that which we worship. This is behind the unsettling words of Isaiah 6 - "Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed..." Do not think for a second God made the people of Israel this way...they made themselves this way by worshiping deaf, blind, and mute idols (e.g., Isa44:9-20; and other places).

No wonder the world is such a self-centered and dangerous place. By worshiping things other than God we take on their characteristics. Tied into this is the reality that by choosing what it is we will worship (if it is not God), we have put ourselves in the position of "playing God" and therefore (in a sense) we worship ourselves too.

This is a reason "why" for the current sermon series - "Shaped By Worship". The implications of worshiping anything other than the "one seated on the throne" (cf. Rev4:2) are frightening. Merely look around at the world for indications...

The series will last for nine weeks, but it will certainly not cover everything pertaining to worship. My intention is to take a step back and observe a portrait of worship painted in Scripture instead of focusing on the individual brushstrokes. What do I mean by that? On Sunday we read aloud and listened to chapters four and five of Revelation. It is a beautiful scene if the portrait is observed, but it can also be extremely puzzling - even contradictory - if the brushstrokes are the focus.

E.g., Jesus (while not named) is identified as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" - but when John turns around he sees a "Lamb standing as though it had been slain". The brushstrokes are contradictory (Lion does not equal Lamb). Yet the portrait is magnificent. The foretold Messiah (e.g., Gen49:9) conquered not by destroying the "fleshly" enemies (as many Jews hoped the Messiah would) but by being sacrificed (e.g., Jn1:29); thereby giving us our modus operandi. [By the way - the real enemy Jesus faced on earth was spiritual; cf. Eph5:12.]

E.g., the Lamb is portrayed as having "seven horns" and "seven eyes". A brushstroke approach reveals a grotesque Lamb. Yet a portrait approach sees Jesus as completely powerful (7 is a number for completion and horns are a symbol for power) and completely wise (7 paired with eyes which are a symbol for wisdom). Hence Jesus is all-powerful and all-knowing - meaning He knows about the plight of everyone and is capable of intervening. Yet since He is all-knowing He may know intervening in the ways we desire are not in the best interest for the Kingdom of God (or us).

There is much more to the vision, but those will suffice for now. In keeping with the theme of worship we must not miss the Subject nor the Basis of it. God is worthy of worship because of who He is (Rev4:8) and what He has done (Rev4:11). Likewise Jesus is also worthy (Rev5:9-10).

The bottom line - when it comes to worship God has acted...we respond.

So, what are the things which have most shaped you to this point in your life?
How can true worship of God better shape you for His purposes?
How has God acted first in your life?
How can that reality shape you heading into your next gathering for worship?

What Should I Do?

2010-08-31T12:32:00.003-05:00

The short answer to the title question - LOVE PEOPLE. We have no other option as Christians...

In this past Sunday's sermon a few examples from church history were given concerning what forms loving people has taken. I "wish" I knew more history...it is so informative, so humbling, so challenging, so inspiring...

Also on Sunday I talked some about a Greek word, sodzo, which is often translated as "salvation" in the New Testament. Far too often many Christians think of salvation as some sort of future event for our souls. While there is some truth to that, it does not do justice to the the biblical portrait of salvation.

In a very broad sense, salvation can be seen as "spiritual" and "physical" in the Bible. Now, before I go further it is vital to understand a few things about how language works. Very simply stated, the context a word finds itself in determines its meaning in that setting. This is a reason why dictionaries have numerous definitions for a single word. In every day language no one attributes all possible meanings for "word" when I say I looked up the word equivocate in the dictionary. or May I have a word with you? The same "word" - but two totally different meanings. This is how language works...

With that said, the portrait the Bible paints concerning "salvation" is beautiful. Ultimately all the "bad" stuff will be gone as we live fully and unhinderedly in the presence of God. Yet we live with an "already and not yet" aspect to our faith. E.g., we may already be saved from our sins (e.g., they are not counted against us) but sin still affects us (e.g., choices of others harm us, our own bad choices, etc.) - this is the not yet portion.

Taking these truths (i.e., how language works and the "already and not yet") and applying them to "salvation" (for our purposes, sodzo) is mind-boggling. In Mark alone the Greek word occurs 14 times; three of them are clearly "spiritual" in meaning (cf. Mk8:35b; 10:26; 13:13), 11 of them are "physical" in meaning (cf. Mk3:4; 5:23,28,34; 6:56; 8:35a; 10:52; 13:20; 15:30,31,31). So clearly we see "salvation" is intended to be holistic. This is vital to understand as we love people.

E.g., the "bleeding" woman in Mark 5 desired to be "made well" (5:28 - ESV) - using the Greek word sodzo. Later, after she touched Jesus' clothing and her bleeding stopped, Jesus said her faith "made her well" - using the Greek word sodzo. Remember, this word sodzo is used frequently to talk about "salvation" in the more commonly thought of sense - spiritually (e.g., Mt1:21). What are we to make of this?

While trying to not lengthen this too much, we can see how the "bleeding woman" was in fact "saved" in a holistic sense because prior to this contact with Jesus she was alientated from all forms of community for 12 years. Most certainly we would agree community with God and and others is a huge part of salvation.

So a question to us is...how will we "save" people? LET ME BE CLEAR...only God saves in the ultimate sense of the word. Yet when we look at the concept of salvation we see so much we can and must do... Initiating a friendship with someone and providing them a community that loves them is a part of "saving" them. Again, this is because we were made for community and not isolation. Furthermore, the community we initiate can play a part in allowing God to continue to work in a person's life as they submit to Him and are thuse "saved" in the spiritual (ultimate) sense.

Questions, thoughts, observations (both the word sodzo and the sermon from Sunday)?

Who Am I?

2010-08-25T11:01:00.005-05:00

There are a handful of questions we cannot afford to get wrong in this life. But now as I ponder that question "on the fly" I wonder if there are really only two 1) Who is God? and 2) Who am I?

The reason Who am I? is such an important question is because when we figure out who we are, the rest of life's questions (will eventually) fall into place/are answered...provided "who we are" becomes Our Identity that is.

I should have been blogging each week for this current sermon series titled (you guessed it) Who am I?) but alas I have not. Perhaps in the future I will wake up to what I ought to do with this blog...but until then I have to try and fill in gaps here and there.

As I have been upfront in the sermon series, I will be upfront with this blog entry. The concept I am following has been and is being taught by Shane J. Wood at Ozark Christian College. In "The Christian Life" class Shane structures the Christian Life (i.e., what followers of Jesus are called to live because of who they are) around the following chiasm. (Note: the chiasm may not be his exact words, but the concept(s) is/are the same.) (ANOTHER NOTE: unfortunately at this time I cannot get this to work as the chiasm I want on the blog...SO imagine no space between the lines and The Christ's Accomplishments indented further to the right than Jesus' Identity and Our Identity.)

Jesus' Works (words and deeds)

Jesus' Identity
The Christ's Accomplishments
Our Identity

Our Works (words and deeds )

The chiasm (which again does not look how I want it to right now) can also be illustrated like this:
Jesus' Works --> Jesus' Identity --> The Christ's Accomplishments --> Our Identity --> Our Works

The "-->" are intended to be directional arrows, which help us to see Jesus' Works (i.e., what He did and said) inform us about Jesus' Identity (i.e., the significance of Him being Him), and His Identity allowed The Christ's Accomplishments (i.e., the cross and empty tomb/resurrection) to be done. Our Identity flows out of The Christ's Accomplishments (i.e., we are who we are because of what Jesus has done), and Our Identity informs us what Our Works are to be (i.e., what we do and say). If we start with what we think, as Christians, we are to do and say without looking at what Jesus said and did...let's just say that is not good.

I encourage you to ponder the chiasm and flow chart. Ask questions about it. Pray about it. Comment on this blog about it. There is much more I want to say about it...but I at least needed to get this entry done for now.

in Christ - Brent

Been Too Long...

2010-08-12T12:36:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone, sorry it has been too long since I've posted. I have so many thoughts and things I would like to post - but at times (most of the time) I do not make the time to do so, or I shy away from them...

With that said I should have been posting regularly during the last sermon series I did at New Life; it was from the psalms and titled "When God is NOWHERE". The obvious implication of the last word is your perspective...is God a) NOW-here or b) NO-where.

During the series some of the psalms at which we looked were lament psalms (i.e., a song written during a time of hardship in which the author is crying out to One (i.e., God) who can indeed change their situation). I know if I made a more regular practice of reading the psalms, and especially writing my own laments, I would be helped immensely. So, I encouraged us all to write our own laments. A pattern can be found by clicking on http://www.nlccoe.com/resources/devotional-guides-for-sermons/when-god-is-nowhere/ and then selecting the "Devotional Guide" titled "Why..." on 7/4/10.

I may revisit the psalms in some future posts...and even post some laments I wrote (as well as those written by others with their permission). If you would like to write your own lament please feel free to "comment" and do so.

Also please note this is not a vanity thing of "listen to my sermons" (I know I am not the best preacher)...BUT it is a plea to utilize God's Word for our continued sanctification. I believe the psalms can be a great help in this. And just maybe something you hear or read (by way of the Devotional Guides) may be of help. One thing we must do is realize we can be honest with God...and we need to be too.

A Picture is Worth...

2010-06-17T10:55:00.007-05:00

For those of you who may have found this blog from the New Life Christian Church website (http://nlccoe.com/), you may wonder why the picture...and what exactly is it?

The main focus of the picture is the statue of the "Servant King" - I do not know if that is the official name for the statue, but that is what I am most recently calling it. It depicts Jesus washing Peter's feet (cf. John 13). Let me rephrase that, it depicts the King of kings and Lord of lords (also the One in Whom creation is held together-cf. Colossians 1, the Lion of the tribe of Judah...Who is also a slain Lamb-cf. Revelation 5, the Alpha & Omega- cf. Revelation 1:8; 22:12-13, etc.) doing an extremely lowly task (understatement) of washing the feet of not just anyone, but one He knows will deny even knowing Him before the rooster crows (Jn13:38). Oh if only THE CHURCH would emulate this... So much more to say, but then again a picture is worth...

The statue is on the campus of Lincoln Christian University (http://lincolnchristian.edu/). The photo was taken on the day I graduated from the Seminary there (5/15/10).

The little girl touching Jesus' hair is our daughter, Ellei. If her name looks weird that is OK (the meaning behind it is more than weird to our world) - it is pronounced just like Elle (el with a "long e" on the end). It is spelled that way because it is a transliteration of a Greek word which means "He is merciful" - the He obviously being God. A prayer of ours (Melissa and I) is Ellei will be shaped by the reality of God's mercy and she will continually share it with others in both her words and deeds...

So here you have our firstborn child reaching out and touching Jesus (think of the woman who was healed/saved by touching "the fringe of His garment" in Luke 8) as He is serving a boastful braggart who would soon deny Him (think of both those "in the world" and sadly even those in the church who focus on themselves, which is sadly all of us at times...). There is so much more to say, but then again a picture is worth...

(way more than a thousand words...)

A Morning of Service

2010-05-06T11:13:00.003-05:00

Friday night was a multi-congregational night of praise. Sunday morning was a multi-congregational morning (and early afternoon) of service. What a God-glorifying weekend :)

On Sunday four congregations in Emporia (First Congregational Church, First Christian Church, Community Church of Christ, and New Life Christian Church) got together to serve in God's name by picking up trash in Emporia. This is significant because service is another aspect of "worship". I and others look forward to more unified worship (praise AND service) in the future here in the Emporia area.

Also, a note for those who appreciate the Stone-Campbell movement...all 3 branches of the S-C Movement (called by some the Restoration Movement) were present for this worship "service" - and no quibbling over the style of worship! PRAISE GOD!!!

What else could happen in "The Church" if we continually, and humbly, tried to look at issues holistically? Perhaps an ever-increasing appreciation of and commitment to a King and His Kingdom will help...

A Night of Praise

2010-04-30T22:46:00.004-05:00

I just got back from a night of praise at Hope Community Church here in Emporia. I cannot remember the exact number, but about six different groups (a combination of praise bands and bands) took turns leading whoever wanted to come in a time of praising God.

Jesus desires unity among His followers (e.g., Jn17:20-23)...and I cannot help but realize the Trinity was pleased tonight. The Holy Spirit was moving; the truth of Jesus' death - and more importantly RESURRECTION - were proclaimed; God was glorified (perceptions of Him were changed...).

I and others pray this is only the start of more visible unity among congregations in the Emporia area. There is a second half to this post - but I will wait for that until later. [To give a hint...praising God by music along with voices and raised hands is only one part of worship...]

The "Price" of Technology?

2010-04-01T21:51:00.003-05:00

I am not too big on all of our technological advancements. Granted, many modern inventions have made life "easier" or "more convenient" - but that is a double edged sword (and I am not going to dive into that right now). But alas, we live this side of the Enlightenment when mankind somehow "figured out" we could continually get better, solve all the world's problems, etc. Oh yeah, and we don't need God anymore either...

Obviously not everyone thinks we have no need for God...but yet we cannot escape the fact we have been programmed by our culture to turn almost anywhere except to God first. When was the last time you were sick and instead of calling the doctor you first called the elders to have them come, pray over you and anoint you with oil? Did somehow demonic possession and oppression go out of style in the first century AD? [I.e., did Satan wise up and discover that was not working?] Or have we become too educated to believe in that anymore?

What is the spiritual climate of our culture?

2010-03-18T14:49:00.004-05:00

Lord willing this will be an ongoing post/topic which will both make some observations and ask questions of the culture in which we live. I have some ideas as to where it is going, but certainly do not know fully as of yet. A word of caution...some of what I will ponder may rub us the wrong way. That is OK, introspection is not easy...

Some scholars say all priests in the 1st century were Sadducees (other scholars say most if not all were). This is interesting to me because Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, angels, and spirits (e.g., Acts23:8). Side note, it is easy to remember this about them because since they did not believe in resurrection they were sad-you-see (Sad-u-cee). Anyway...

Since the priests were to be the mediators between God and man (cf. the Old Testament), what did this disconnect with reality (i.e., no spirits, angels, etc.) do to/for the people of the land?

Now for us today... What about religious leaders here in America? I am not saying there is a denial of angels, spirits, or resurrection...but does the teaching (or lack thereof) betray a lack of their importance...?

Hmmm...we will continue, I look forward to your feedback.

2010-03-06T17:33:00.003-06:00

Here I am again for my monthly post. Hey relax, one a month is better than one for all of 2009...plus I am even early this month :) Seriously though, I do plan to be blogging more in the future. My hope is even more than one post this month!!

Question - what is it that keeps us so busy? More accurately, "What are it that keeps us so busy?" (granted the English is not best ;)...but I know there is more than one thing that keeps us busy). How do you set priorities for your life?

Until next time...

Too busy to remember?

2010-02-08T16:39:00.000-06:00

A friend and I got together today for the purpose of talking about a future sermon series. While we worked on the series, we also talked about ministry in general, prayed, and basically enjoyed each other's company (in our talking it was so amazing to see/realize how much I have changed in a few short years...more on that in later posts).

We met at basically the halfway point between where we each live and serve. During my drive back to Emporia I was struggling with thoughts of "I need to be doing something productive" while my mind was going in multiple directions at once (reply if you hear me). Among things I considered doing were spending time in prayer for people and memorizing Scripture. While I did pray some...my mind never got settled down enough for me to delve into areas which need intense prayer right now...nor did I ever work on memorizing Scripture.

So what did I do? I allowed my mind to roam...and what a marvelous trip down memory lane it was (e.g., remembering Ellei's birth and how breathtaking and beautiful it was to watch her come into the world, to be the first to hold her...and then pray for God's blessing on her life - and yes emotions were stirred in remembering that time even as I typed just now), and what a marvelous look into possible future events it was as well (e.g., potential workings of God based on what He has done in the past).

I am so glad I "stopped" and realized I did not need to "do anything." Apparently what I needed during the drive back to Emporia was to allow myself to remember and dream. In doing so I had affirmed to me once again (among other things) how I am loved regardless of what I do...and how God desires to work in the future is completely up to Him.

2010-01-13T21:56:00.000-06:00

So I am not the quickest at posting. I am still trying to get back into a bit of a pattern/routine after taking time off toward the end of 2009. Also I am having some major work done on me by the Holy Spirit.

I really wish there were more (well any for that matters) followers of my blog at this point. I say that because I have a question...

If there is no God...then why is there such a rush to help the people of Haiti? Could it be the Image of God we all bear “rises up” in times of great crisis as "we" are moved with compassion and cannot help but helping? Oh if we would but ask the right questions...Holy Spirit please help us to ask the right questions – we beg You.

Interesting to ponder is it not?

2009 is almost gone...

2009-12-31T23:30:00.000-06:00

Wow, thanks to my wonderful wife (Melissa) I am now up and blogging!! I suppose the verdict is out as to whether she has done a service to all of us or disservice (my hope is obviously the former). There is too much to post right now; I mainly wanted to get one "on the books" (or is that "on the web") for 2009. Until I post again...