Humility in position

The bible seems to indicate the John the Baptist was a person of significance and influence in the time leading up to Jesus' appearance on the public scene. Whether by title or just his influence, he was a leader. Then Jesus comes along and John gives us an incredible picture of humility.

I was reading the end of John 3 and saw something in a new light. John's disciples were concerned that people stopped following John and followed Jesus. Wouldn't you be concerned? You are an influential person in your field (a leader) and all of a sudden people leave you and start following someone else. Humiliating, don't you think? Wouldn't you be filled with self doubt that you weren't good enough or maybe feel bitterness or envy towards the person that "took" your followers away? I think I would. Well John's response (as you probably already know) is "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, ans is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less." What a lesson!

Who's capable of love?

So I went to two weddings this weekend. One of which I am confident that the couple has a solid relationship with the Lord and the other...not so much. It may have just been my perception, but what I observed was sad and it's something I've been noticing the past few years as I've gone to many, many weddings. I so look forward to Christian weddings! You can see love and 'pure' joy on the faces of everyone there, from the bride and groom to the random friends that are there. But at the weddings where you're pretty sure they are not Christians it just seems like a formality. Of course everyone is happy, but it's not the same kind of anticipation, joy, or excitement.

What I'm getting at is this, and this is a rather bold and possibly painful statement; those who do not know God don't really have the ability to love...I know, you think I'm out of my mind. You're saying, "Of course they love! People fall in love and get married." There are many outward acts that we would say are carried out because of love (in marriage and otherwise). For instance, commitment and compassion. I would argue that those things can be misconstrued as love. 1 John 4:7-8 says, "Dear friends, let us love one another for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." This would seem to back up what I'm proposing. I've always known this verse, but I don't know that I've ever taken it seriously because, come on, all people love...don't they?

Loving Father

God is truly the loving Father who lavishes good things on us. There's no way that, at 30 years old, I should still be able to put on my spikes and run the race that has been such a huge part of my life for over 15 years...and still be competitive with college athletes. But God is gracious and has continued to allow me the ability to do something that I love sooo much.

He's giving me a new perspective on competition since the last time I ran for a college team. Back then it was all about getting better and winning and be an All-American or a National Champion or breaking the school record. Now I appreciate it so much more and know that every step I take on that track and every beat of my heart is because He allows it. Now I compete for the love of it and knowing that every time I do something that He's created me to do it brings Him glory! Praise God for His goodness!

Matthew 7:9-11: "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

What does 'faith in Christ' mean?

I'm finding that I have a real aversion to Christian lingo. I think it has to do with my disdain for cliche's. You know how a word loses it's meaning if you say it a whole bunch of times in a row? Try it once if you don't know what I mean. Say the word 'boat' over and over until it loses meaning and is just a word...Okay, cliche's are the same way. There must be truth in them or they wouldn't be said all the time; right? When I hear a cliche that has lost it's meaning to me I try to reword it in a way that has meaning, or at least break down the current wording to figure out what it really means.

I want to take the phrase 'faith in Christ' and look at what it really means. When I hear/read that phrase my brain associates it with believing that He exists...I think that is a wrong association...You would never say that you have faith in a friend to mean that you believe they exist. You would say it in that way to mean that you believe that they can/will accomplish something. So, if I say I have 'faith in Christ', I must mean that I believe that He will accomplish (or maybe has accomplished) something...?

Just a thought...

Grace and love and the War in Iraq

I'm not usually one to argue politics, but I ran across an argument that I must comment on. Shane Claiborne, in Irresistible Revolution, makes a pretty up front statement that it was wrong of us to go into Iraq. That it was not a loving thing to do. And he gives quotes from people saying, "What kind of liberation would do this to a child." Speaking of a child with metal shards in it's skin. He says that this is not showing grace.

There is no argument that thousands, even tens of thousands of people, both civilian and military, both Iraqi and American, died these past five years. But what were we supposed to do? Let Saddam continue to violate what we Americans call inalienable human rights!!!? Are we just to stand by and let him (and the culture around him) abuse and kill humans!!!? No doubt that any life lost is tragic, but isn't it worth the risk of lives to ensure safety and health for this and future generations? Maybe I'm wrong...and I'll gladly admit it if you can give me a good argument, but letting the atrocities committed by Saddam continue would not be giving grace or love!

Please set me straight if this is crazy-talk. I want to walk like Jesus walked and I don't think He would stand for what was happening...would He?

The most important event in all of history!

A friend of mine recently posted in his blog that "the cross is the focal point of all history". What a profound reality! The entire old testament points to that day and all of history since that day has revolved around it.

Whether you believe in it's significance or not you cannot argue that the cross and the Man on it has not shaped the world! Is there a greater point of contention anywhere in the world? If you believe in it's significance it is the source of unending peace and joy in the fact that we can spend eternity (starting today) with God and not eternity without Him. And if you think it was a meaningless occurance you cannot ignore the fact that governments have been built around it and countless wars have been fought either defending or attacking those who profess it's importance. I wish I were more eloquent, but reading that statement hit me in a new way. It truly was the most important event since the fall of Man; for if Man hadn't sinned, the act of the cross wouldn't have been necessary...but that's a whole other topic!

Orphans, Widows and the Poor

Jesus told us to take care of the orphan, the widow and the poor.

What if an orphan is someone who doesn't know God as their father, a widow is someone who is not the bride of Christ and the poor is someone poor in spirit (ie: lacking the Holy Spirit)?

Balance

Note: I wrote this a year and a half ago, but never published it. I guess I felt like it was an unfinished thought. I ran across it and decided to publish it anyway...
Ahh, balance. This seems to be the theme of my life right now. Not that I exhibit this quality, but I seem to be encountering it and talking about it a lot. I see us as Americans (and Christians in particular) finding something that we believe in and taking it to an extreme. Let's take politics for instance since it's already termed left-wing and right-wing. We pick a side and run full force at it. While I admire passion and commitment in people I think that going to one side of the road while ignoring the other isn't healthy. I think we need to go down the middle of the road. I don't mean we should be wishy washy or luke warm, but that we need to find a balance. Let me speak in spiritual terms/church-talk. On the left we have legalism and on the right we have freedom. Some would jump with full force to the side of legalism and say that by no means can we ever alow X to happen while others will say God gives me the freedom to do whatever I want so I am going to indulge in X. Because of what Christ accomplished, we are now free from the restrictions of the law, but in acting out our faith (salvation that we obtained by grace) we will naturally follow the law because of the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Love & Evangelism

The greatest commandment and the great commission seem to sum up what the Christian life should be all about. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27), and go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19).

Love God. Love people. And make disciples; ie: evangelize.

The case for love for the sake of love: God calls us to love...period. Not to love with a motive.

The case for evangelism: God calls us to make disciples. I believe that loving people is an excellent means to do so.

There's a bit of a conflict of the heart here. I argue that we should love for the sake of love with no ulterior motive. But, then, what about evangelism? If we are using love as a means to evangelize is it actually love or just a method? Maybe evangelism is what motivates us to action, and love is the means in which we carry it out. Is that love real? Are we being fake? Are we reaching out in love just to bring someone to Christ? Is it wrong if we are? What if that person we're reaching out to shuts us down and evangelism is going nowwhere? What do we do? Far too often, I believe, we love only to evangelize and then when we're done evangelizing, we stop loving and then we're shown to be hypocrites. The world is just waiting for us to perpetuate that stereotype.

The argument was recently made that if we love someone we should want them to be saved. That is true and we will go on loving that person no matter what, but we want them to know God. That's not what I'm talking about, though. I'm talking about evangelism to the random person (neighbor) that walks by or is at some point or for some reason in your life. You don't know the person, so would you honestly say that you feel love for them? Probably not. However we are called to act in love towards them. Now the question; do you act in love so that they will come to know Christ, or do you act in love for the sake of love? Does it matter?

This may sound like symantecs, but I believe that Jesus gave ample examples of how He cares more about your motive (what's in your heart) than your outward action. Your outward action may be love, but is that what's really in your heart?

That whole discussion was a preface for the following statement. You must be willing to continue to love even when evangelism seems to be going nowhere. Just like everything else in the Christian life (and life in general) there must be balance.

Sabbath

So we were talking about the Sabbath last Friday at this early morning coffee shop thing that I go to and we talked about what it really means to observe Sabbath as a 21st century Christian. Is it still relevant? How do you observe Sabbath? What it's for? At some point I made a comment about it being a day of rest and so whatever is restfull to you is what you should do. I realized, partly that morning, but more-so today how wrong that is. The Sabbath is not just about rest. It's about setting apart a day for God. I was thinking about this today as it is MLK Jr. Day. It's a federal holiday and lots of people have off from work or school. So basically it's a vacation day or a day of rest, but how many people actually "observe" the day for it's inteded purpose? A couple times today I thought to myself, "Oh, it's Martin Luther King Jr Day today". But other than that I did nothing to set today apart as a day to think on or honor the meaning of the day. I think the Sabbath is like that. I (or we) recognize that it's Sunday and those fortunate to have the day off can spend it resting and in the end may think I am so holy b/c I went to church and took a day to rest, but did I really set apart the day for the Lord? Did I take time to rest with Christ or was it all about me? What do I want to do to rest? Did I truly "observe" the Sabbath, or did I just rest?

Love people so that...?

Jesus said to love our neighbors...period. Not to love people so that they will 'get saved'. He also said that "They will know that you are My disciples by the way you love one another." The motive is to love for the sake of love, not to love for the sake of "bringing someone to Christ."

It's such a fine line. Some college kids and I bring homemade cookies and other treats to a spot on campus Thursday nights to give to anyone walking by. People ask us what group we are with or why we are doing it. We tell them that "Jesus told us to love our neighbors so that's what we're trying to do." The question on my mind is do we do this in the name of love so that maybe, just maybe, someone will 'get saved', or do we do this solely out of love with no ulterior motive?

As always with Jesus, it's about the motive, not the outward action...

I'm reading this book called "UnChristian" and they talk about how this generation is "quick to sniff out what they believe to be the underlying motivations and superficialities." And it's often thought that Christians (genuine motives or not), "rather than being genuinely interested in people for their friendships, often seem like spiritual headhunters."

Identification Please

People often throw out the phrase "identity in Christ" and I never know what that means. They say they know their identity in Christ. If that were a multiple choice question (What is your identity in Christ?) I don't even know what the choices would be. If the question were "what's your favorite color?" or "What state were you born in?" or even "What's your favorite part or verse in the bible?" I would at least know what some possibilities would be: Blue or green, Wisconsin or California, Romans 12:2 or 1 Timothy 5:2.

As I often do with overused statements and cliche's I tried to reword the statement so that I could understand it in a way that makes sense. I asked myself, "If God issued my ID card and not the state of MN, what would it say about me on that card?" My first thought was that I am a son, a brother, an ex-husband, a coach, and a friend.

That's all well and good, but those are just my relationships to other people. Who does God say that I am? I am a child of God, a son, an heir to the Kingdom, the bride of Christ. I am a man who seeks after God's heart. I am a disciple, a missionary, a servant. Satan has no power over me and sin's chains have been broken. I think that's a pretty sweet identity.

I'm also rereading Eldridge's "Wild at Heart" and he talks about "taking the mask off". I guess he means that we act in a way that is not who we are to hide. Hide what or from what...? I guess it's to hide our wounds and to hide who we actually are. What lies about the world or about myself am I trying to hide? What wound(s) am I hiding or compensating for...? Boy, those are tough questions that I just don't have answers to.

What do these two separate questions/comments have in common? I guess it's about who we are and who we act like we are. And I guess even who we think that we are, even though we have no idea.

God's will and the open door

I've been meditating on Romans 12:2 the past few days* and a thought occured to me that when you are faced with a number of open doors that all seem like they are in line with God's overall plan for humanity (ie: loving God, loving your neighbor, and fullfilling the great commission) just pick one and charge through it full blast, guns blazing. There's no need to wait around to figure out which one God wants you to do.

*Rom 12:2 - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what the will of God is - His good, pleasing and perfect will."

If I could go back to any one moment in history...

I was paging through the book of Joshua in the bible the other day and the fall of Jericho caught my attention, so I read it more closely. It starts like this: Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come."

WOW!!! Can you imagine that!!!? I mean, of course there are a ton of other cool moments that it would be great to see (the transfiguration, the burning bush and probably a ton of others now that I think of it), but seriously, The angel who is the commander of the army of the Lord. Okay, first of all angels...? How powerful must they be? And God? No one/Nothing more powerful! And this guy is the commander of God's army? Wow! All I'm saying is that is one moment in history that I would have liked to been there for!

Beautiful picture

I saw the most beautiful picture of the church (the body of Christ) tonight! The church was doing what it was made to do; build each other up and glorify God. An empty room filled with nothing but college students, about 80 of them, scattered throughout the room. All of them there for the purpose of worshiping God with a worship team made up of their peers. A break in the music; and a man, the pastor for college students at this church, says that he feels there are people in the room that need encouragement and to be prayed over. The keyboard player beautifully plays underneath it all while students come up front for prayer and encouragement. After a good amount of time has passed and many have been up front the students begin to gather around each other to pray for their friends. A girl in the corner stands with her hands high and her eyes closed swaying back and forth as if dancing with God. Others sit on their knees in silent prayer. What a beautiful picture of unity in the body of Christ; the very thing that was prayed for at the beginning of the evening: Romans 15:5 - May the God who gives you endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Giving your very best

I'm a coach. And sometimes what I see and experience makes me think, "Is it all about winning and losing? Is that the greatest purpose of what I do? Or of sports?" Maybe it's about giving your very best. If you believe that God created you, don't you think you owe it to Him to give your best? Even if you don't believe that, don't you at least owe it to yourself? I don't remember the times I won or lost so much as the times I gave it my all or just gave up...

What's your motivation? Why do you do anything? Satisfaction? Glory? Reward? Whether God allows you to be successful or not, He deserves to be praised either way!

Ask one thing of yourself. Give your very best every day. When you fail to do that you are letting yourself down, and possibly others around you. Win or lose you can't expect any more from yourself than your very best effort. When you've given your best, that alone is something to be proud of. Never give up! Press on toward the goal!

Romans 15:20

Romans 15:20; Paul says, "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation."

That verse summarizes how I've always felt about missions. Taking the gospel to people who've never heard Jesus' name. I heard someone say once that, "No one deserves to hear the gospel twice until every person on Earth has heard it once." That's bold and maybe a bit harsh, but I think I agree with it. I think, "What good could I do in a group who hasn't been reached? Maybe I should just join with someone else's effort."

I feel like I can't argue with someone who's already made up their mind about God, but I would love to talk to someone who's never heard of Him, or who believes in a false god.

Just some randomness that I thought I'd write down...

Ted Haggard

Do you assume that everyone that teaches you something is able to execute every instruction that they give you without flaw every single time? If you’re in sales does your sales trainer ever make a mistake and you then proceed to say that that person is a fake and a liar because they messed up a sale? I’m a coach. Do you think that just because I know how to teach someone else how to pole vault or long jump that I can execute a perfect pole vault or long jump once, let alone many times over? Of course not! I’m an awful pole vaulter and my long jump form is terrible. Just because someone teaches something that does not mean that they themselves can perfectly perform that task. Ted Haggard teaches people (among other things) how to live a righteous life before God. That certainly doesn’t mean he himself is able to do so. Shouldn’t we give a pastor the same grace in failure that we give a teacher or a coach?

Salvation & The Matrix

Salvation is much like Neo taking the red pill. He didn’t find the answer (Morpheus and Trinity). The answer (Morpheus and Trinity) found him. They found him and offered him the answer, but it was up to Neo to take the pill! We don’t find God, God finds us (or shows Himself to us). Then He gives us a choice, the red pill or the blue pill. He presents us with the truth and we have to decide if we want to find out how deep the rabbit hole really is…God finds us, opens our eyes and gives us a choice: follow Him…or don’t…it’s our choice!

Worship!!!???

I've been "researching" about worship in the bible. It's really helped me see worship in a whole new way and at a much deeper level. In the first half of the Old Testament it talks a lot about bowing in worship and offering sacrifices or burnt offerings as worship, but doesn't really include "praise". Then in 2 Chronicles it starts talking about how the Levites would be designated to praise God with music while others were worshiping by bowing or offering sacrifices. Anyways, as I was sitting here listening to a song thinking and reflecting on what I've been reading I started thinking about how praise goes along with worship and then (you know how your mind goes from one thought to the next and then ties things together in a nanosecond...) I started thinking of how there are so many ways to worship and all are equally valuable. The five ways that I thought of off the top of my head were; bowing/reverence, praise/music, reflect/listen, talk, sacrifice. And then I (randomly) thought of that book The Five Love Languages and how there are different ways that people express love and expect to receive love and how that's the same as worship; there are different ways that people like to express worship at different times. So I looked up the five love languages and they are quality time, touch, gifts, acts of service, and affirming words. Then I wrote them on a page across from each other and realized that the five that I (God) came up with for worship seem to match the five love languages!!! Check this out...

Giving Praise (via Music) --------> Gifts
Reflection time with God/Listening to Him --------> Quality Time
Talking to Him --------> Affirming Words
Sacrifice (time, your life, etc) --------> Acts of Service
Bow/Reverence/Touching the face of God --------> Touch

Ahhhh!!!! God is Good!!!