Sunday School Sneak Peek

We're back in Sunday School this week, and we'll be having a little bit of a mixed bag to our time. I'll be doing a summary/review of the 3 E's. For those who might not know, the "3 E's" come from the mission statement of the OMPC singles ministry. They're the three phrases that help us remember what we're supposed to be about: encouraging the body, equipping believers, and engaging the lost. The really great thing is that, taken with the way Chad ended his lesson two weeks ago, the 3 E's actually provide a really nice introduction to the book of Acts that we'll be studying in January and February. After that, we're going to spend some time brainstorming and praying for 2009 and the singles ministry. The leadership team is pretty excited about this time, because we really do feel like we lead with the entire group, and we want to hear what you have to say.

I know that many will be out of town, recovering from the holidays, etc., but I really want to encourage those who are around to be there at 9:05am, in Room S-180. See you then!

Put the Sleigh in Park

So, Christmas 2008 is done for me. I've got a couple of things to return, and the decorations still have to be taken down, but all in all, I'm finished for another year. Can I just say, that I love the week after Christmas? For so many people this week is a let-down: no more presents, no more expectation, and it's like the wind that was pushing this chaotic busy ship forward for the past four weeks is gone. But, for me, the week after Christmas is a time to relax and catch my breath after the busyness of the past month. I'm also pretty reflective, and so I love the closing out of a year and having the time to sit and think back over all that's happened. Usually, it's a mixed bag. There are some regrets, some things to be thankful for, happy times and sadness, and it's a great chance for me to find comfort (if I will) in God's sovereignty in my life. I love seeing how through it all, my sin, the falleness of this world I live in, the blessings, and the small victories, God is leading me and guiding me and using it all to accomplish his will in my life.

Here's the thing: reflection can sometimes be a dangerous thing. Because we are all born with a sinful nature, depression, feeling sorry for ourselves, and going "dark" is something we all have the potential to struggle with. And yet, there is a sense in which God has called his people to reflect. In the Old Testament he was always pointing the Israelites, his chosen people's eyes forward, calling on them to look ahead to their home in the Promised Land and the Messiah that would come and save them, but there were times when he would instruct them to take a minute and reflect, to look back and see where he'd work and remember his faithfulness. They might seem mutually exclusive exercises, but they're necessarily linked, because if I don't take time to regularly remember God's character and faithfulness, it's nearly impossible for me to trust him with what's to come.

The trick is, like most other things in life, to take my eyes off myself. This isn't looking back on Jason, and myself this past year. It's looking back on God and what he's been doing, his character and the ways that character has become more clearly visible the past twelve months.

Caroling, Caroling: Joy to the World

Okay, here's the thing about "Joy to the World,": did you know that if you look in most hymnals (those books with all the songs that we used to sing out of in churches) that this song will be listed, not really with the Christmas carols, but with the advent carols? It's supposedly a song that's to be sung before Christmas ever gets here. Why is that significant? Well, it's significant because if you relegate to the "advent hymns/carols" pile, you might miss the fact that the meaning of this song doesn't actually end with Christ's first coming. This Christmas, as you sing "Joy to the World," sing it as someone who's looking for Christ's return, his second coming to earth, when he will restore, judge, and make all things new, right, as they should be. I love Mariah Carey's version of this song from her CD Merry Christmas. Enjoy!

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
("Is come." He's coming. This is the hope of the believer: that Christ will come again. That he will make things right again. What a promise that we have to look forward too, and that will be the day of complete, true joy for the world.)
Let earth receive her King;
(A reminder that he will come as king on that day. The first time he came he was, in essence, king of the world, but that's not how he came. When he returns, he will come in that capacity, to set up reign.)
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
(A foreshadowing of how the entire earth will be "singing" at the return of Christ, when he makes all creation new and redeems it from the damage and destruction of man's sin.)
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
(The ever-increasing number of sins and sorrows on this earth, will be stopped with Christ's return. Not only will they be stopped, but they will be wiped out totally, completely.)
Nor thorns infest the ground;
(An allusion to the curse that God put on man and the earth after Adam and Eve's sin in Genesis 3. With the promise in Revelation, comes the promise of a new Heavens and a new Earth.)
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
(I love these lines, because they remind me that the Gospel, which was instituted by Christ's first coming to earth, is able to reach far and wide. There's not a person that the gospel doesn't have the power to save, and there's not a situation or life that the gospel doesn't have the ability to transform and redeem. Just when I think situations are hopeless, here's a reminder that as far as the curse of sin goes, so does the transforming power of the gospel.)
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
(When Christ is king, his character is proven. The attributes of who he is are seen in the way he changes those who are his. When a people have the gospel, they have change. There can be no question that change will occur, even if it's not as quick or dramatic as we would like. On the hearts of men is where you'll find the record and evidence of Christ's coming.)
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

Am I Paying Attention?

Have you ever been halfway listening to someone, and they say something that you really aren't paying attention to, but then you realize that what they said was really important, and it stops you dead in your tracks? That's what happened to me today. I was out working in our yard, and the little boy from across the street came over. He's pretty lonely, so he talks a lot, and I have to admit, that in the midst of stories about snakes that he really never saw and adventures that never really happened, I kind of tuned him out. Then, the following exchange took place:

"Jason, my shoe's untied, can you tie it for me?"
"Sure, sit down on the step, and I'll tie it for you."
"When I was five I knew how to tie my shoe, but now that I'm six, I don't anymore."
"That's odd. Did you forget how?"
"No, it's just that no one's ever shown me how before."

I was back raking leaves, before I realized what he said. Here this little boy is, six-years-old, and no one's ever taken time to show him how to tie his shoe. It's hard to see how to rake leaves with tears in your eyes. Suddenly, I was tuned in to every word he said, listening for what was really being said behind all the made-up stories, and lies about his life. Here's the thing: it's easy for me to tune people out and pretend that I'm listening and engaged when really my mind is far away. I do it because I spend so much time listening to people. I do it, because I'm pretty good at asking the right questions and making the right comments so that folks think I'm paying attention. But mostly, I do it because my heart is not nearly softened enough towards people, and it's days like today that remind me that a lot is being said, and I need to pay attention.

It's Real

I went to one of those walk-through nativities a couple of weeks ago at a church in the town I grew up in. The folks had done a pretty good job with everything, but I just wasn't feeling it. I'm not sure why, but sometimes it's hard for me to really let my imagination go in places like that, and I was pretty much on guard the whole time. "This isn't real. These people just all live here. I see that kid's tennis shoes." Even for me, a guy who's pretty sappy anyway, especially around Christmas, it just wasn't happening. Then, at one point, we were in one the "shops" and all these kids came running in.

"It's happened!" "He's here!" "Come quickly and see!" Of course, they were announcing the birth of Christ. I don't know what it was about it, but when they ran in and started yelling at us, their excitment seemed so genuine and so real, that my hard heart softened a little bit, and I found myself getting caught up in the moment. I wanted to run to the manger with them to see what was going on. Then, as I was walking out, one of the little kids said to me, "It's so exciting, sir, hope is here!" And that's when the tears welled up in my eyes, because he was exactly right. Hope was here.

Here's the thing: as I've thought about that night, I've been struck at how my heart compelled me to run to the manger to see Jesus. Sometimes I wonder, and especially this year I've wondered, if my heart is becoming too hardened to Christ. I worry sometimes that I could get to the point where I would just go my own way, and like Pilate, no matter how much of Christ I see, I would reject him as the Messiah. And yet, there I was, longing to run and see Jesus, reminded again that it is he who draws me to himself, and that it is nothing that I do or feelings I conjur up that keeps me close.

As I come to the end of this year, I find myself wondering and asking, more than I ever have before in my life, will things ever really change? I wrestle more, at thirty, with the reality that there are sins I've been struggling with as long as I can remember, and they don't seem to be getting "better," and I wonder if I'll still be struggling with them at forty, fifty, and beyond. I have friends whose end to 2008 looks very different than the beginning did, and I struggle with whether it's just simplistic idealism to believe that 2009 could bring real change, real peace, and real victory in their lives. And then, a little boy, in the midst of a little re-enactment, reminds me that with every new observance of Christ's birth comes a fresh wave of hope, and I realize that the questions and thoughts I'm having are outdated. They belong to the mind of someone who lived before Christ was born, because with the coming of God in human flesh, the answer to all my questions about the potential for overcoming my own sins, and the potential for peace and change in the lives of those around me is "yes." With Christ here I no longer need to wonder if change is possible, if peace can be found, if sin can be defeated, because with Christ here it's no longer a question of if but when.

The really amazing thing about waiting for that hope, is that we don't wait alone, because the last phrase of that little boy's sentence was "is here." Christ, the one that brings hope, also brought himself to be with me while I wait for the realization of that hope. The change and peace that I plead with God for in the lives of my friends, may not come in 2009. I may not wake up on January 1, and be instantly freed from some of these sins I've grown so weary of dealing with year after year, but the "is here" part of that sentence lets me know that Christ isn't going anywhere in the midst of all that. He will carry me through this, if I'll just run to him, like I wanted to that night. I guess this is one time I really do need to keep running, straight to the manger because, "It's so exciting. . . hope is here."

Where's the GPS?

Micah, one of the Old Testament prophets writes, "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days." (Micah 5:2)

See, here's the thing: nothing big should have happened in Bethlehem. No major historical events that would alter the course of the entire universe should have had their beginnings in this little village. Not because there was anything necessarily wrong with Bethlehem, but because it was so tiny, the runt of the litter. And yet, here it is, immortalized for all of eternity, as the place God chose to have his Son born. He had to bring a ruler to power that would order a census to be taken, and even before that, he had to make sure that generations back, Joseph's family originated in Bethlehem, so that when everyone went back to their home cities, Joseph would go to the right place.

But, Bethlehem?! It's the most unappealing choice. It was small. It was unimportant. It was, exactly the kind of ridiculous choice that God would have made! As I think about the choice of Bethlehem and how odd it is, I'm filled with a renewed sense of wonder and hope in a God who uses things that no one really wants or expects much from to house himself. I mean, I read that verse from Micah, and I realize, "I am Bethlehem!" I'm too insignificant, I'm too lowly to be considered anything by the world, and yet I am the place where God chose for his Son to dwell. What a wonderfully absurd truth is brought out by the town of Bethlehem.

Caroling, Caroling: Silent Night! Holy Night!

Here's the thing: I've always thought it was kind of odd that there are exclamation points in this title. They don't seem to fit with the overall mood of the song, and even thought I get that they're kind of proclaiming something, which is a big part of the Christmas story, it just seems strange to me that they would be proclaiming silence and holiness. . . until I started thinking about that more, and I realized that in the world I live silence and holines are such foreign concepts that they almost have to be proclaimed, shouted even, to get the point across. I know it's a little cheesy maybe, but I would recommend Mannheim Steamroller's version of this song, from their CD Christmas, because I think the absence of words and the "new-age" feel that their music has really does what the title indicates, it proclaims silence. (By the way, the song is titled "Stille Nacht" on the CD.)

Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
(I'm not sure even on the first Christmas, all was calm, and the Bible indicates that at least with the Israelites, all was not bright. Sound familiar? But I think these lines serve as a reminder to me that, with the coming of the Christ-child, in that moment, because of all that God had planned and because Christ would be obedient and fulfill his Father's will completely, as soon as he took his first human breath, ultimately all was calm and bright because of the hope of redemption.)
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
(I like that this line is in there, because I need to be reminded of Mary's place in the story and the absurdity of having a virgin, teenage girl give birth to the Savior of the world. This is no sentimentality or mere sweetness, this is theology that gives hope!)
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
(Again, not much about glory coming down from heaven and angels singing that lends itself to peace, but when I'm singing these lines, it's hard for me not to be overwhelmed by the lengths God went to to announce his Son's birth.)
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
(What an amazing thing to say about Jesus! He was the pureness of love. Looking on Christ, we see the ultimate example of love.)
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
(These are the two lines that get me every time. I dare you to sing them without getting teary-eyed. "With the dawn of redeeming grace." From the very beginning, it was there. The Cross and my redemption was written all over Christ's face from the very beginning.)
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Caroling, Caroling: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Here's the thing: in his commentary on Galatians, Martin Luther makes the case that one of the reason the law was so burdensome is that it was meant to make the Israelites cry out for relief, for rescue, in short, for the Savior. In other words, God intentionally made the law impossible to follow and therefore mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually taxing, so that his people would run and cling to the gospel of grace and rescue his Son provided when he came to earth. There's a lot in this song that applies to us, the church, living in this world that at times is mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually taxing as well. As believers we don't have the burden of the law anymore, but I wonder if God has ordained and designed this life to be difficult in its own right to make us long for, cry out for rescue, for our Savior who is coming again.

My advice on this song is to download Jim Brickman's version from his CD Grace. While the long intro. is playing, let your mind and emotions be flooded by the difficulties of this life. Read Ephesians 2:1-3 and be reiminded of what you were, and then let yourself cry out with the chorus, "Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to Thee O Israel." Rejoice. He is coming.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
(A reminder that, just like Israel, we are exiles. This is enemy territory we live in. This is not our home. This teaches me not to fight so hard against those feelings of loneliness, because those very feelings are evidence of my salvation.)
Until the Son of God appears.

Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice!Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.
(Just spend a couple of hours repeating the word "shall" over and over again to yourself, and see if you can somehow get the certainty of it.)

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
(The name "Rod of Jesse" reminds us that Christ is in the lineage of King David, and that he is our king who goes out to fight our enemies for us. The hardness of this life should not leave us hopeless, because we have a king who is fighting on our behalf, and he is fighting Satan, our greatest enemy.)
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
(A reminder that Christ came not primarily to be born but to die. This is one of the great hopes of the Incarnation. We can have victory over death.)
Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
(Again, a joyless Christian is one who doesn't understand their Savior. Christ's first coming gave us joy. The facts, the reality of all his life, death, and resurrection accomplished, should give us much to rejoice about, even in the midst of our exile.)
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Refrain

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
(A reminder that our getting to Heaven is all the result of our Shepherd's leading. He makes the path wide and safe, and through his intercession, assures that we'll make it.)
And close the path to misery.
Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
(This is a reminder that, whether they act like it or not, the desire of every person on planet earth is for Christ. He is the ultimate object their hearts were made to ache for. No matter what their cultural norms, history, etc., the nations do desire Christ.)
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
(Peace. Ultimate peace. Our souls at rest, so that our bodies and emotions would be at rest as well.)
Refrain

Sunday School Leftovers: Sometimes Sovereignty Sucks

Yesterday, we started off the lesson watching one of my favorite Christmas shows of all time: "A Charlie Brown Christmas." There's so much we could say about that scene with Linus and Charlie Brown on the wall. I said that we all need to have a Linus in our lives to listen to us and then speak truth, just like he did for Charlie Brown, but the thing I didn't have time to mention was the aspect of Linus' character that is so obvious. Go back and watch the scene, and notice what our little theologian, our little truth-speaker is doing the whole time he's listening the Charlie Brown: he's sucking his thumb and clinging to his blanket. It's such a great scene, because it once again reminds me that we are all broken. Everyone of us has our blankets and our thumbs that we cling to at times instead of Christ, and yet just like Linus, we must not let our own sins and our own weaknesses prevent us from encouraging and speaking truth to those around us who are struggling.

What our brothers and sisters in Christ need to see. What those outside the body of Christ need to see, are Christians who listen, who speak truth, who encourage, while it being very obvious that we don't have it all together and figured out.

Guess Who's Coming to the Birth?

Here's the thing: Shepherds who slept with the sheep they were watching, and who left those sheep standing in the field by themselves. Astronomers, scientists, who did nothing but "star watch" all night and had to travel from an entirely different continent. Not exactly the star power you'd necessarily think about when it comes to the Creator of the Universe sending his son down to earth. Pretty absurd when you think about it. With nativity scenes that are not only made out of ever substance on earth but range from the realistic to the ridiculous, it's easy to forget that these were real people, with real social standings, and they were about the most ridiculous group possible to be included in on something like this, but man, what hope this particular aspect of the Incarnation gives!

There's the obvious fact that God is not interested in how much money someone has, and that's true and does give hope, but for me, when I start thinking about the fact that he sent his star so that men from an entirely different country and race could see it, it just reminds me that Christ came for every tribe, tongue, and nation. (Good news for all us, non-Jews!) And that they didn't get there until probably at least a month after the birth. What a great testimony to the fact that God is drawing people to himself, in his time, at his pace. A great reminder to me that I should never give up on folks. Those who seem like they'll never make it to Christ, those who I've been praying for for so long. Just when I want to give up, the absurdity of the wise men coming from the East reminds me that God never gives up on those whom he calls, no matter how long it takes them to get there, and that maybe those folks I'm praying for just have a little more desert to cross before they finally make it.

Then, when I think about how the shepherds must have looked when they arrived at the stable. They'd been out in the fields with animals, and the Bible doesn't say they stopped off at the Bethlehem Bathouse before they went to the manger. And yet, in a matter of minutes, they found themselves kneeling before the one who had come to save them. What hope! What a reminder that I bring nothing to the stable. I come, smelly, cut-up, without a "social" leg to stand on, and kneel before the Messiah, the one who came to save me, not so I would look and smell good, but so that I would, through him, be good, and be upgraded to adopted son of God.

I love the way the shepherds reacted as well. They didn't give a second thought to their appearance or status. They knew something so good was taking place that they went, immediately, to see what was going on. In many ways they foreshadow the disciples who left their nets, tax collection booths, and followed Christ when he called them. I pray I would remember the absurdity of who the shepherds were and what they did as a reminder that my coming to God is just as absurd if it weren't for Christ making a way. And I hope they serve as a reminder too that Christ is exactly the person smelly, low-lifes like me are supposed to run too.

Timing Is EVERYTHING

So, as I've been reflecting this week on my "thought for Advent," I've been struck by the absurdity of God's timing. It's striking to me how the Bible refers to the timing of Christ's birth with the phrase "in the fullness of time" (Galatians 4:3; Ephesians 1:10) and yet the carol "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" refers to his arrive as "late in time." Two very different perpectives that I think give a very helpful contrast to the perspective. For God, Christ's arrival happened exactly when it should, exactly when he planned, but for us, as humans, it seemed late.

For thousands of years the Jewish people had lived in expectation of a Messiah. They suffered slavery, wandered around the desert for a while, and then, even when they made it to the Promised Land, they were constantly being conqurered and oppressed, all the while waiting for Messiah to come. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, God sent Christ at a time when Rome, a stable yet almost completely pluralistic and anti-Christian government was in place. Wouldn't it have been easier to send the Messiah earlier, have him be born in Canaan, where the government of the Israelites had been set up by God in the first place?

And what about all the Jewish people who lived their entire lives, really devoted to God, and looking for a Messiah? Why let them suffer through the oppression the nation endured, all so that Christ could be born in a place and time that seemed to care less that he had come?

Here's the thing that gives me hope as I reflect on this: I love the idea that God's timing is not "late" but "in the fullness." It gives me enormous hope as a I suffer that there is a plan being worked out, invisible to me and the rest of the world, that will be brought to light one day. It also gives me great comfort to know that God sometimes likes to rescue his children from calamity, not always prevent the calamity in the first place. To be sure, there is a lot of things I've been saved from, but it seems like I recognize God's hand more when he sends his saving power in the midst of trials, not necessarily before those trials come.

Caroling, Caroling: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Here's the thing about this carol: it's arguably the most theologically packed Christmas carol out there. I mean, really, it's kind of like the "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" of Christmas carols! My favorite version of this song is one you probably can't get anywhere. It was done by the choir at Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church last year (2007) in their Christmas program. Here's a link to Jason Sears, the Worship Leader at Oak Mountain's blog. Maybe he can help.

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
(That we can be reconciled to God! It's probably one of the preeminent messages of Christmas. And I love the past tense of the verb "reconciled." Everything necessary is now in place. God has done it. He has reconciled mankind to himself.)
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
(Christ didn't come for a particular ethnic group or race. This line should give great hope to us Gentiles and all the people groups of the world.)
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,“
Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
(These lines affirm Christ's diety. He was God. You can hear echoes of John 1 and Philippians 2 in these lines. The heresy that Christ was just a man, good man or not, is completely wrong. He was God, and he came.)
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
(This was no ordinary birth.)
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
(I love the word "veiled" in these lines. It didn't erase his diety, but there was a masking of it on some level. He didn't give up any of his "Godness" to come to earth, but it wasn't fully visible. But, as you approach Christ in the Gospels, keep this song in your mind. He was fully God: Father, Son, and Spirit while he was here on earth.)
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
(Wow, he was "pleased" to take on our flesh and dwell among us! Is there any response to this but worship?)
Jesus our Emmanuel. Refrain

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
(Do you ever stop and think about how wonderful the words, "peace on earth" are? We won't fully realize that until Heaven, but peace between men, peace between nature and humans, peace within our souls. It's repeated over and over again by secular culture to only apply to war, but it's so much more than that. You can have peace, because of Christ.)
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to us He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
(I think sometimes I forget that Jesus' ultimate goal on this earth was to heal. He healed the sick, yes, but this was only to illuminate the fact that he had come to heal souls, heal the rift between God and man, and ultimately heal creation damaged by sin. I think this line just reminds me that healing isn't something he did, it's something he is.)
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth. Refrain

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
(This is a direct allusion to Genesis 3 where God tells Eve that her offspring will crush Satan's head under his heal. Tired of the ravages of Satan and his forces on this earth? If Christ didn't come as man, there would be no one to crush him at the end of the age.)
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
(Over and over again in the Old Testament we see nature punished for man's sin. In Romans Paul says all of creation groans for the return of Christ. God created the Heavens and the earth, and he means to restore them as well.)
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine. Refrain
(We have union with God through Christ, see John 17 for Christ's prayer which includes this.)

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
(These lines provide so much hope because they refer to the fact that we can actually have a new nature. The Adamic sin nature no longer has to apply to us. In Christ, we are actually made new. Wow. What a concept.)
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart. Refrain

Sunday School Sneak Peek

Charlie Brown: [Charlie Brown and Linus stop at a wall on their trip to the pond for ice skating] I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel. I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed.

Ever feel like Charlie Brown this time of year? Wonder what it is about the calendar changing from November to December that tends to send you into a tailspin?

This Sunday, we're beginning a three week mini-series on being single around the holidays. During the first lesson we'll be tackling the root issue of most of our frustration, anger, and sadness at Christmas: God's sovereignty. I've titled the lesson "Sometimes Sovereignty Sucks." (Due to censorship, it might appear as "Stinks" in church e-mails.)

At any rate, I hope you'll join us for the month of December. See you in S-180 at 9:05am.

I GET to Choose!

Have you ever chosen to "set your love on someone"? A friend of mine used the phrase about two weeks ago, and it really struck me. We were talking about a friend of mine, and I was describing how cool it is when you just decide you're going to love someone. I mean, when you just make the choice to love someone no matter what. It actually makes life a lot easier with that person, because so many questions are already answered. Well, what about if they do this? Love 'em. Yeah, but what about if you get treated like this? Love 'em still. I know, but what I'm saying is, what if they do this and this and this and do it over and over and over again? Um, the answer is, love 'em over and over and over again. Now, it doesn't necessarily make the circumstances any easier, but it sure gives you a great battle plan for moving forward.



Here's the thing: this is exactly what God has done to me. He has chosen, of his own free will, to set his love on me. Despite what I'll do in the future, which he even has the disadvantage of knowing about! Regardless of whether I reciprocate this love or not. He just loves me. That's all. It's an amazing concept, and one which we as humans are obviously not able to duplicate perfectly, but one which I think we can and should try to emulate as much as possible, and not just with our spouses. It's something I'm still learning a lot about and thinking about, but it just blows me away to think about this in terms of my own life and relationship with God. He has "set his love on me." Wow! That will give me hope to get out of bed in the morning. That will allow me to face the struggles of this world with joy.

Caroling, Caroling: Angels from the Realms of Glory

Here's the thing about this carol, it is so not worthy of the tune that we've been singing it to all these years! It is a great song, with words that are theologically rich as well as emotionally deep. I would definitely encourage you to listen to the version of this song from Steven Curtis Chapman's All I Really Want for Christmas. It'll definitely awaken you to the greatness of the truth in this little song.


Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story
Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.
(I just love the imagery here of elements of Heaven coming down to earth, and the fact that the angels were there singing in Creation and now are here, singing in the hope that Creation may be reborn with the coming of Christ to earth.)

Refrain
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.

Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o’er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
(Perhaps one of the most powerful lines in the history of song-writing. Just try and reflect on this fact for a moment, and see if your head doesn't come close to exploding. In an instant, just like that, he's here.)
Yonder shines the infant light:
Refrain

Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
(A great reminder that the things we strive so hard for and spend so much time on at this season and most others, really, aren't the things we should be thinking about and using our resources on. Something better's out there. Seek it.)
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
Refrain

Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
(This is a cool image, because it seems like the saints here are those that are already dead. Those who's faith was credited to them as righteousness. They now know that the Christ is coming to justify them in "real-time." What a concept: the Incarnation from the perspective of believers in Heaven!)
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Refrain

Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.
(Wow! If you can get through these two lines without tearing up, then you don't feel the weight of what you deserved and what you've been given. Not us, not what we did, but Justice revokes its own sentence. Amazing! God sends his Son to provide a way for his own justice to be done.)
Refrain

Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father’s throne,
(We should always have one eye on Bethlehem and one eye on Golgotha. And both of these should be within the backdrop of Heaven.)
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:
Refrain

All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th’eternal Three in One.
Refrain

Caroling, Caroling: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Here's the thing: this is a song I don't really ever remember singing growing up, but when I heard Steven Curtis Chapman's version from his album All I Really Want for Christmas, it just hit me between the eyes, and now it's one of my favorites.

I'm not going to comment on each line of this one, but I'll tell you how I see this song. I see the bells as the music of the gospel. When I think about it that way, the entire song makes sense to me. So, try listening to it and see if it resonates with you the same way.

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Caroling, Caroling: O Holy Night

Here's the thing: this is probably my favorite carol, so it was easy to start with this one. My suggestion for listening to this one is Josh Grobin's version, but really most any will do for this one.

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
(This line reminds me that this night is the antithesis of the chaos that so often surrounds our Christmas Eve. It centers me back on the fact that this is moment when God became man to save me.)
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
(This reminds me that the world, like the Israelites were aching for a Savior, and that I should feel that same ache, that same need.)
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
(The soul, then and now, tormented by sin and Satan's attacks, and now there's hope for salvation. Hope for salvation! Hope that we can be changed!)
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
(The only proper response when you let the previous lines really sink in.)
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
(These two lines are such a picture of salvation to me. We are led, brought to salvation by faith. This is the gospel, God sending his Son, to draw men and women to himself. I can never sing these lines without seeing myself, a sinner with nothing, like the shepherds, the least of all, brought to the manger to receive everything!)
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend!
He knows our need—to our weakness is no stranger.
(This is direct allusion to the Hebrews 4:15-16, which talks about our High Priest, Jesus, who can sympathize with our weaknesses. What an amazing thing! That Christ is our friend through trials, because he's experienced them.)
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King; before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
(These four lines are pretty popular with the world because they talk about love and peace, but really they are a reminder to me that the only way we will have true peace with each other is if every individual on earth, first has peace with God--Romans 5:1-2--and that the fact that the slave is our brother is the good news from Galatians 3:26-29 that anyone God choses may be saved, regardless of status or ethnicity.)
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!
Christ is the Lord! O praise His name forever!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow’r and glory evermore proclaim!

Caroling, Caroling

One of the best parts of the Christmas season is the music. I mean, I just love Christmas music! Try as I might to wait until after Thanksgiving to start listening, I just can't wait. I've loved the carols ever since I was a little kid, and I know all the verses to all of them by heart. They are as familiar as the other traditions of the season. . . and therein lies the problem. Because I know them so well, it becomes so easy for me to sing the songs without ever hearing the words I'm singing. So here's the thing: I thought I'd take a few posts this season with some of my favorite carols, and things that stand out to me about the words, so hopefully when you're singing them in church or at a party this year, you'll actually stop and think about what you're saying and in a sense, be re-introduced to the wonder of these songs. If I know of a really good version of the song I'll let you know that as well. Most times, for me, I just need a version that's a slightly different tune or rhythmn, just to force me to engage and pay attention to what I'm singing.

I'll be titling each post "Caroling, Caroling" and then the song. They'll also be under the "Advent/Christmas" and "Christmas Carols" labels, so you can find them easy. Enjoy!

'Tis the Season to be Scattered

This Sunday, November 30th, marks the beginning of Advent for the Western Church. It's a time when Christians have traditionally set aside four weeks to reflect, anticipate, and prepare for the coming of the Christ child. It a good exercise, because it mirrors the anticipation that the Israelites were to have that a Messiah would come to rescue them and be their king, and it also reminds those of us who live post-Christ's birth that we are to live in a constant state of advent as we eagerly look with expectation to the time when Christ will return judge the world, usher in the new heavens and the new earth, and when we'll live with him for all of eternity. It's a great idea, this advent. The only problem is, it comes right in the middle of the Christmas season! I mean, with all the parties, buying, decorating, baking, Christmas movies, traveling, etc., who has time to think and reflect?! Really, wouldn't it be better if Advent came sometime in June when I had the time to slow down and focus?

So, two years ago, I began picking one thought, one idea to reflect on throughout the Advent season. I had to. My mind can become so scattered this time of year, and even if I only focused on the spiritual, Christian aspect of the holiday, there was way too much to choose from. Angels, Bethlehem, virgin births. It's enough to make your head spin, and way too much for me to think about at one time. But, I also found myself falling into the sentimentality of the season. It's so easy with the same stories, decorations, songs, routines, recipes all so familiar and swirling around me to feel like I'm having some warm fuzzy "holiday experience," but to really not be engaged with anything. I need to have my mind honed in on one thing that I can reflect on and develop.

And so, here's the thing I'm thinking about this Advent season: how the absurdity of the Incarnation gives me great hope. I'm really excited about this year's concept, and can't wait to see how it plays out over the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll be blogging about my thoughts as they develop on this, but I want to encourage you to join me in doing something like this. It's really not hard, you just pick something to think about and think about it. It doesn't have to be sophisticated or whatever. (You can even use mine if you want. . . Merry Christmas!) But, if you're like me, you run the risk of going through the next few weeks from this to that, and having very little "on your mind." As one buddy of mine said the other day, "I guess I don't really think about much of anything this time of year." I feel his struggle and appreciate his honesty. It's so easy to go on auto-pilot this time of year. So, as you're out buying, wrapping, baking, decorating, singing, or listening, also be thinking.

You wanna run that plan by me again?

The holidays always make me think about mystery. I know that sounds odd, but it's true. I'm always struck by the mysterious, "otherness" of God around the holidays. I mean, think about it. There's something about the Son of God, coming as a baby, being born into poverty, so that he could spend his life giving himself away, only to be rejected by the very people he came to save that just doesn't seem to fit. (Especially if you hold, as I do, a high belief and trust in God's complete and total sovereignty over all things.) When you start taking into account the fact that God could have sent Christ long before, and that he chose to let generations of folks live and die before he ever sent his Son. . . well, it's just pretty awe-some.

Last night God answered a prayer that I had quit praying. Really, truly, I had given up praying for this particular thing, and yet he answered it anyway. In an amazing way. And, it just reminded me again of how utterly above and over me God is. I mean, this is something I've been praying for for months and months now. I've cried, begged, pleaded, others have prayed, and last night, for reasons known only to him, God chose to step in and answer the prayer that I quit praying a few weeks ago.

Here's the thing: as I think about this season, this time of year, it's good for me to let the oddness and illogic of it all strike me. Bethlehem, the virgin birth, shepherds, God becoming man, just letting the weirdness of it all flood over me, gives me strength to press on, because my God doesn't act and think as I and the rest of those who live around me do. What a hopeful thing is the seeming absurdity of God!

Sunday School Sneak Peek

This coming Sunday, November 23, we end our Life in the Body Series. Ten weeks, we've spent focused on trying to understand how to live the Christian life as a single. It's been challenging for me, and frankly I'm glad it's over. My toes were getting stepped on too often!

At any rate, this week, we'll be looking at Mark 9:30-35. It's a great passage, and I think it will be a nearly perfect cap to all we've been talking about. It's a question with many implications, and one that if we answer it, will reveal a lot about our priorities and our understanding of just what the Christian life is all about.

See you Sunday morning at 9:05am in Room S-180.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

Only two more Sundays left in our Life in the Body series. I hope you've enjoyed and benefitted as much from it as I have. This week, we're going to be re-visiting the issue of boundaries within the group. As we talked about the negatives or what not to do the last time, we're going to look at how to make decisions about what to tell, how much detail to go into, etc. I'll be using my story from LIFE Group as an example.

See you in Room S-180, Sunday morning at 9:05am.

"I just like this blanket for the articles. . . "

Last night I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine and just started laughing. Laughing so hard that I couldn't talk. My friend was wondering what was going on, and when I finally caught my breath, I explained that Radley, my roommate's puppy was. . . how can I put this delicately. . . "actively engaging" with this blanket he had in his mouth and pulled between his legs. Okay, apart from revealing that I'm not 30 but actually 12 and still think stuff like that is funny, it was another one of those moments when God revealed something to me about the gospel through this dumb little dog.

Here's thing: when Radley does something bad or wrong, he just does it right there. He doesn't care who's watching or who knows about it. His "sins" are out in the open for all to see, just like his romantic romp with the blanket. Radley doesn't try to hide because he knows he's loved. At the end of the day, he knows (as much as a dog can) that he lives in an enviornment of enormous love and care, and that nothing he does will change that, so he's just himself. . .the good, the bad, and the inappropriate!

He's not like me, always trying to hide and keep things from those around me. See, I live in a loving, caring enviornment too, but so much of my time is spent covering up, trying to look good, trying to impress, and trying to put forth an image of something that's really not true. Why can't I be more like that dog, recognize that I'm loved, and just be myself. . . the good, the bad, and the inappropriate! It's a lesson I need to learn over and over again, and God seems to be willing to use all kinds of methods to teach me!

That's My Pile of Ashes You're Sitting On!

On Tuesday, a majority of the people in the United States of America went to the polls and elected Barak Obama as the 44th President of this country. For many Christians where I live, this was a sad, sad day and one that has driven them to despair and lamentation about the next four years. For some it's God's judgement on our country for the moral state we've allowed to take hold. For others this is evidence of sin and the falleness of the world in which we live. I've heard a lot over the past 48 hours from Christians about the trajedy of it all, but what I haven't heard a lot of is praising God for his sovereignty and absolute will that was done on Tuesday, November 4th.

See, here's the thing: Romans 13:1-7 is pretty clear on this subject, and keep in mind, Paul was writing to Christians who were living under a government that fed them to lions for sport. "what God has appointed," "God's servant," "minster of God," these are the phrases the Bible uses to describe President-Elect Obama. From before the foundation of the world, God the Father, put into motion things which would lead to what happened this past Tuesday. His plan for Barak Obama was for him to become our president, and his plan for our country was that Barak Obama would be our president at this time.

So often I accept God's sovereignty as a kind of "parting gift" for not winning the real prize: what I want. It's like I just chalk all the crap that happens, everything contrary to my will, to God's sovereignty and resign to live under it. Instead, I should see God as always, in all things, working to spread his glory and the fame of his name, and view his sovereignty as an integral component of that.

If that's the case, then not only is President-Elect Obama God's sovereign will, but his being president is the most glorifying to God over anything else that could have happened last Tuesday! I need to be able to look at the big picture, and see this election for what it really is: God bringing his will to pass and glorifying himself in amazing ways. Then, I need to get with the program and glorify him myself.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

This week Craig and Mary Branch will be teaching on the topic of marriage. It should be a great time.

See you at 9:05am in Room S-180.

Relationships Within the Body, Part Two: Leftovers

In Sunday School yesterday morning, we looked at how to deal with friends that are struggling with sin, knowing when to confront them, what sins to confront, and how to do it. While I always enjoy the prep. and actually getting up in front of people to teach, there are some lessons that I enjoy giving more than others. This was one of those lessons. I just felt like I was learning a ton of new stuff and looking at accountability and confrontation from a totally different angle than I ever had before. As I said in the into. yesterday morning, rules and black-and-white standards of which sins to confront and how to do it are great, but they rarely work outside of a theological, academic context. When we're in community with others who are struggling with sin, it's rarely, nice, neat, and black-and-white.

I think the example of Great Pyrenees is probably the most helpful, so I'm posting that as the main leftover from the lesson:

"As most of you know, my roommate has a dog named Radley, who's part Great Pyrenees. I've been reading about Great Pyrenees, trying understand the breed better, and there's one thing very interesting about them, that I think applies to what we've been talking about this morning. Great Pyrenees are guard dogs, mostly used to guard animals in the mountains and hills. The interesting thing about them, though, is that as guard dogs they can appear to be very laid back, not really paying attention to what's going on. Looks can be deceiving though, because even though they seem like they're just laying around, they are very aware of their surroundings and always looking out for potential danger. The minute they see or sense something, they don't bark--being that the herds they're protecting can at times be very close to cliffs, barking and scaring them can be dangerous--instead they get in between what they're guarding and the perceived danger, and they nudge what they're protecting away from the danger. Isn't that such a great picture of what Christian community should look like?! What a wonderful, merciful God to give us such a great example in his creation of what we should be doing for one another!

Accountability doesn't mean we're always looking for the worst in people's lives. Much like the Great Pyrenees, we're just supposed to be around those that we're called into community with, not pacing, nervous, looking for sin, but always aware, no matter what we're doing, of potential dangers. And when we see them, the idea is not to bark and get all bothered, but to get in between the person and the perceived danger and nudge them away from it, back to safety."

A Bigger Box

Next Tuesday, November 4, the citizens of the United States of America will go to the polls and vote for the person they believe will be best next president of the country. And, presumably, barring any kind of weird 2000 stuff, when you wake up on Wednesday morning (or for those like me who won't go to bed until a winner's announced!) the anchors will be telling us who we elected.

I was thinking today about next Tuesday and here's the things that popped into my head:

• Heaven will be no different on Wednesday morning than it is today or was the day the Red Sea was parted.
• God has already ordained who will be elected. (Notice I didn't say "allowed." I said "ordained." God is not a passive observer of the affairs of men. He is active, always bringing about his will.)
• Depending on who wins, there will be some people who will feel a stronger need to pray for America on Wednesday than they do today, and that just seems odd to me.

The election, in fact politics in general, is very important. I think Christians should be active and involved, as a part of our Genesis 2 mandate and our desire to see every part of the world redeemed. I just hope we don't trade our theology for it.

It's a Gift

Last week I re-read The Giver. I hadn't read it since college, and I had forgotten what a great book it is.

For those who don't know, it's a kind of sci-fi story about a society that, in an effort to cut out all chaos, instability, etc. has done away with emotions. (This concept has been looked at in movies, since the book was written.) Jonas is a boy who, when he turns twelve, instead of being given a job like all the other children who are now "adults," is chosen to be "The Reciever," the only person in the entire community allowed to have memories. At any rate, as Jonas has memories transferred to him from the man who has been "The Receiver," his world begins to change. He sees color for the first time. He experiences emotions, both pleasant and hurtful, in ways he never has before.

The interesting thing that happens as Jonas begins to see and feel all these things for the first time, is that he realizes how blind the rest of his community is to how false they're lives really are. He now realizes that when families gather each night for required talks about their feelings, while they really believe they're working through their feelings and emotions, it's all just surface and a shadow of the things Jonas has felt in the newly transferred memories. He comes to realize that the laughter and tears of those living in the community are actually just logical reactions to objective observations of situations. No one actually knows what happiness or sadness is.

As I was reading this book, the music of the gospel played loud and clear in my ear. Those of us who are followers of Christ, know exactly what Jonas went through. We know what it's like to look around and realize that the rest of the world is existing in a perpetual state of being duped. They believe they're what they're feeling and experience is real, what they were made for, and they might even think they're reactions are honest, real, and raw, when really, like the folks in Jonas' community, what they're really experiencing is much like logical reactions to objective observations of situations. The aisles and aisles of self-help books at Barnes and Noble, and the hours and hours of talk radio and television, though they may seem very deep and probing, are shown to be surfacy and manufactured.

Here's the thing: that's what the gospel does. It opens your eyes to reality. It's not a reality that's always pretty or easy. Like Jonas, our eyes are opened for the first time to the fact that people die. We realize that everything we've been taught to believe is really just contrived and sterile. In other words, the introduction of the gospel into someone's life, much like the introduction of memories into Jonas' life, doesn't "fix" the problem. But, just like the memories, it gives us a context to know how to deal with the realities of the world around us.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

So, we're suppose to love people, bear one another's burdens, and walk with them through the hard times in their lives, right? But what happens when that person is headed down a path of sin that you're pretty sure will ultimately lead to destruction? How do we mix understanding with accountability? What if it's a sin you struggle with yourself, does that change anything?

This week in Sunday School we'll be looking at what the Bible has to say about how to handle relationships within the body when someone you love and care about seems to be on a collision course with sin in their life. Like most things that have to do with the gospel, there aren't a lot of easy answers, but the gospel does provide us a framework in which we can love people and spur them on to love and good deeds.

See you Sunday morning at 9:05am, in S-180. Don't forget to let Cammie Snowden know if you're willing to help with breakfast, room set-up, or Info. Table.

Relationships Within the Body: Leftovers

Trying to come up with leftovers to yesterday's lesson is pretty daunting. The buzz and amount of discussion that it created are both encouraging and overwhelming. It seems that there are two different responses from the group that we can categorize. One is that for some folks this lesson came completely out-of-the-blue. They weren't aware that unhealthy guy-girl relationships existed in the group, so for them the lesson kind of left them scratching their heads. To those folks, I would say, "Great! You're obviously involved in the right kinds of relationships, so keep doing what you're doing."


For the vast majority of folks, though, there seemed to be a sense of frustration. They recognized that there's a problem, and they want to see things change, but they were really dealing with the fact that, in the lesson, I didn't give any practical steps or rules as to what to do. This was on purpose, as I said in the lesson, but I think it did present some folks with a sense of "what do we do now?" It's as if they would have preferred I give "5 Guidelines for Healthy Relationships with the Opposite Sex." Problem is, I couldn't do that because that's not what the Bible does. There aren't any specific rules or guidelines given for how singles should interact in community, and so we are left with a mess to kind of sort through.

One of the few things I'm sure of about this issue, though, is that we cannot fall into legalism. We cannot come up with a list of rules and guidelines and expect that these will solve the issue. It just doesn't work that way. The law (whether about holiness, dating, or whatever) will only condemn us because we can't live up to it. But, so often if feels easier instead of asking ourselves the really hard questions the gospel forces us to.

My guess is we aren't done as a group with this issue, and I'm actually looking forward to grappling with it together in the coming weeks and months!

Bliss or Reality?

I really do think and believe that honesty, absolute, no holds-barred honesty is possible. I don't think it's meant to be had with many people. Actually, I really believe it's only meant to be had on that level with one person: your spouse. If you're single, I'm not sure you're suppose to have it, at least not on all levels, because the physical, sexual component should be missing. I do think it's possible to come close as a single, but it will look differently.

Here's the thing: it's something that you have to be ready for. You have to decide beforehand that you're going to love this person and stick with them regardless, because once you decide that you're going to be honest like that with someone, you open up yourself to the possibility that you can be and probably will be hurt very, very deeply. You give up your right to censor what you find out about, and sometimes what you learn isn't what you wanted to know, and there's no way to "un-know" it. (That could be another good reason not to be this honest with a lot of people. Emotionally, I'm not sure we would be able to handle it.)

On the other hand, it can bring incredible joy and closeness of being known and being loved, that is ultimately a reflection of the desires of our hearts that God perfectly accomplishes in salvation. He fully knows us, and fully loves us. Amazing as it is! And that's why it's necessary in our lives, I think. It's risky, but the potential is huge and hugely important because it might help us come closer to understanding the gospel in ways that few other things will.

Sunday School Sneak Peek

This week we're starting a two-part lesson on "Relationships Within the Body." Our focus this Sunday will be on the challenges singles face in developing and having healthy relationships within the body of Christ.

How do we serve and love one another well in the context of relationships? What are some of the potential hazards singles tend to fall into when it comes to cross-sex friendships? How do we have the potential to give ourselves to one another in ways that married couples don't?

Come join us at 9:05, in Room S-180 this week to hopefully discover at least part of God's design for waltzing through relationships with other believers as singles.

Relationships Outside the Body: Leftovers

I didn't teach Sunday School this week. Actually, I wasn't even at Sunday School this week, opting instead to head to the beach for 72 hours of just being away from the fray. At any rate, I have it on good authority, that the lesson was on evangelism and reaching out to non-believers that we know and work, live, and play around and with in the normal course of days and weeks.

Here's the question that I've been asking myself about evangelism recently: what's my motivation for it? I mean, really, I've "shared my faith" as it were in about four different countries on three different continents, and I wonder, really, what my motivation for evangelism is. I don't have an answer for that question yet, but here are the possibilities I've come up with so far: because I was commanded to in Scripture; becuase I really love people and want them to know Christ and have a relationship with him; because I really do believe that anyone who does not trust Christ will spend eternity in Hell and anyone who does will spend eternity in Heaven; because I want to show my gratitude and love to God for calling and drawing me to himself; because it's what good Christians do; because it was my job; because I want there to be lots and lots of folks worshipping God and the only way they can do that is to be his children; because it brings glory to God.

I'm not saying that any of those reasons, in and of themselves, are bad reasons (although some of them might be more biblical than others), but what struck me were all the reasons that there are, just in my own mind for sharing Christ and "doing evangelism." I'm not even sure there's one particular answer I'm supposed to land on, but it is interesting to think and pray about, because I am pretty convinced that unless I have a motivation that's significant and compelling, I won't share my faith.

Shackin' Up, Part Two

I finished The Shack this weekend, and man, I'm totally blown away by the power of this book! If I could force people to read books, this would definitely be at the near top of the list of ones that I would make them read. It's that good. Again, the theology of it never got any better. (Although, in fairness I should say that there are Christians who believe in the innerancy and authority of Scripture, who would find nothing at all wrong with the theology of the book.) But, man, the journey that the main character, Mack, goes on with the Trinity over the course of a weekend, is just too incredible. I have rarely seen anyone capture the love that the Bible talks about God having towards his children in such a clear and expressive way as the author, Paul Young, does. Here's the thing: if you're a believer in Christ, and you've ever doubted God's love for you, or if you have been through things in your life that you felt weren't fair, and there have ever been moments when you've wanted to blame God for those, you need to read this book.

Again, where the book shines is in its language and quotes, so here are some of my favorites from the second half of the book:

• God speaking: "The real underlying flaw in your life, Mackenzie, is that you don't think that I am good. If you knew I was good and that everything -- the means, the ends, and all the processes of individual lives -- is all covered by my goodness, then while you might not always understand what I am doing, you would trust me. But you don't."
• "He (Mack) looked again at their garden -- his garden -- and it really was a mess, but incredible and wonderful at the same time. And beyond that, Papa (God the Father) was here, and Sarayu (the Holy Spirit) loved the mess. It was almost too much to comprehend. . ."
• Jesus speaking to Mack: "But now tell me, where do you spend most of your time in your mind, in your imagination, in the present, in the past, or in the future?"
• The Holy Spirit speaking to Mack: "To the degree that those fears have a place in your life, you neither believe I am good nor know deep in your heart that I love you. you sing about it; you talk about it, but you don't know it."
• "It's absence felt odd, perhaps even uncomfortable. For the past years it had defined for him what was normal, but now unexpectedly it had vanished. 'Normal is a myth,' he thought to himself. The Great Sadness would not be a part of his identity any longer."

I'm not sure that all of us have a great sadness like the main character in The Shack does, but I know a lot of people who do, and I pray, wrestle, and plead with the Trinity that someway, somehow, at some time, it would no longer be a part of their identity either.

The Not So Incredible Journey

Yesterday I got a message from my roomate, "Hey, Radley ran away this morning. Somebody picked him up and took him to the vet. Can you swing by on your lunch hour and pick him up?" I went by and got him, of course, and when they brought him out, he was excited to see me and, because he is a dog, completely unaware that he had done anything wrong by running. Now, you gotta understand, that it makes absolutely no sense for Radley to wander off. I mean, he's pretty much got as good of a life as any dog could hope for. He gets food and water whenver he wants, we tell him he's good (whether he is or not), we act like fools when we come home and he's excited to see us, and we pet, play with, and congratulate him and give him a treat, even when he takes ten minutes to meander his way in the house while we're calling him! And yet, he left. Weaving in and out of traffic on a busy street seemed like a better option. Letting someone, a stranger he didn't know, pick him up felt like a good idea. Being taken to the equivalent of "doggie jail," apparently was the better choice.

Now, here's the thing: I see a lot of myself in that little dog whose head I could have pinched off yesterday. I've got people in my life who love me. Who genuinely take an interest in me. Who want to know what's going on in my life, and when they see the junk and the sin, they still want to be there for me to help me walk through whatever trials and hardships I face. And yet, so often, my instinct is to run from them. To run from a place of safety, to a place of danger. To run from those who know me well, to those who don't and ultimately don't love me. To go and live, even temporarily, in a place I don't belong instead of being in the center of those that God has placed in my life to care for me and love me. Yep, I'm a lot like Radley, constantly having to resist the urge to run.

I just pray that there will continue to be people in my life who call, just like my roommate and I do to that little white dog, "Come back, buddy. Don't go there. Come back." And, when the guard is momentarily down, and I do wander off, I hope there will be messages sent, like the one sent to me yesterday, "Hey, he ran away this morning, can you go get him?" (And may I also be always willing to go get others when they wander off, no matter how often or far I have to go.)

Sunday School: Sneak Peek

As we move more into the relational side of our Life in the Body series, this week we're going to focus on relationships with those outside the church and outside the faith. What are we going to do with the 51% of the Birmingham-Metro population that's single? How are we to think about those who we live, work, and play with that aren't believers? Biblical Christianity is not a faith that draws us inward, but one that pushes us out into the world, and that's where we're headed this Sunday.

The Pro and Con of Being Single, Part Two: Leftovers

Yesterday in Sunday School we looked at the Pro and Con of being single, as laid out in I Corinthians 7. I think the idea that struck me as I was preparing for the lesson was just how Paul saw singleness as such a gift from the Lord, and it was becuase he knew that there was no way he would be able to accomplish all that God had called him to do, in the short time he'd been given. I think so often in the Bible we see men and women who just felt the urgency of the hour. Over and over again biblical writers talk about the time being at hand, or the present as being the end of the age, and I don't think they're doing it in the same way that folks did before "Y2K." I think that when you see your mission on this earth to spread the glory of God throughout the earth, there's no way you could ever think you'll have enough time to do that.

My prayer for us singles at Oak Mountain is that we would be a group that would be so captivated by the grandness of what God has called us to do that our singleness would be seen as a tremendous blessing, for however long God gives it to us, and that we would be racing against the clock to see it accomplished.

90 Mintues That Maybe Mattered

It might have been the most hyped VP debate since 1984, and were it not for the economic issues that have been going on, the speculation and expectation would have been even more extreme. I watched the Vice Presidential debate last night between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin, and even though I'm not an expert on anything, here's how each shaped up, in my opinion.

Senator Joe Biden
It was no big surprise to me that Senator Biden had the more calming, steady presence on the stage. He's older and, for better or for worse, has been a politician for more than 30 years, so his discussion of issues comes across as passion mixed with history. For example, when he talked about issues John McCain, Barak Obama, or himself had voted for or against, he did it from the perspective of someone who was there. Where Sarah Palin could say, "Barak Obama voted against funding the troops." Joe Biden could say, "No, it was a procedural vote. . . " and then go on to explain what the heck a procedural vote is!

The highlight of Biden's time on stage, for me, came when he talked about knowing what the average American is going through. He shared a little from his life, and told stories about being a single parent, etc., even getting choked up at one point. I thought his line about just because he's a man he doesn't know about raising kids was pure genius, and whomever came up with that should be named ambassador to a very sunny country if they're elected.

Where Biden faltered was when he talked about Barak Obama. When he's attacking McCain, he's good. When he's talking about his own record, he's golden. But when he talks about the Barak Obama's being ready to be president and that they agree on the substance of every issue, it's sometimes hard to tell who he's trying to convince, us or himself. At times during the debate, he came off sounding a little like, "No, we really do agree. . . honest. I mean, we might disagree on the how of things, but really, I like him, he's gonna be a great president. We agree." And the whole time he's doing this, he's reinforcing what I think is a so far unexposed issue with the Democrats. They want the White House back, and they're excited because they think they have a shot, but the men and women who have been in Washington for a while, are just not sure at all about the young guy from Illinois, and away from the big crowds, it shows.

Sarah Palin
Anyone who was surprised that Sarah Palin did a good job last night, shouldn't have been. She has done this before, after all. Maybe not on this scale, but it's not like she's never debated anyone, and she came out ready to prove that she is learning as she goes. (By the way, if you go back and look at footage of Barak Obama in 2007, when this whole thing got started, you'll see many similarities between him and Palin in terms of growth. She's just having to do it much quicker.) Palin is Everywoman, and that's who came through last night. Her polling data, folks she's talked to on the soccer field, and how about her appealing to working and middle class to make sure that a) they aren't taken advantage of by corporate America again and b) that they learn to live inside their means?! A Republican candidate rallying the middle class?! If they could figure out how to tap into that more, it could be a huge asset.

The highlight of Palin's time on stage, for me, came when she talked about the Democrats' constant pointing back to the policies of the Bush administration, and said this is not looking ahead for change. It wasn't a glib remark, and I think, much like Biden's list of ways John McCain has not been a maverick, really got at the heart of one of the major parts of the Democrats' strategy.

Many might site Palin's lack of depth on certain issues as her biggest weakness last night, but I don't think that was it. I mean, it should be expected that she wouldn't have wide breath and/or depth at this point. For me, her biggest snag was not coming across as serious enough. It seemed very important to her to let America know that she doesn't always do things the way she's expected to, and there's nothing really wrong with that, but it came across as sometimes glib. Almost as if she doesn't get that the White House isn't a place to just "be different." I don't have anything against folks who want to shake things up, but I did come away from the debate with the feeling that I'm just not sure she gets the seriousness of the presidency. I mean, I like catchy phrases and an outside-the-box mentality as much as anyone, but the image of her, in the Oval Office, having to make the decisions in a moment of crisis isn't one I'm totally comfortable with, and last night didn't resolve that for me.

Here's the thing: I was telling my roommate the other night that debates are a little like standardized tests. You don't really have to know the material well to take and pass a standardized test, you just have to be good at taking standardized tests, and that's pretty much how debates work too. Problem is, it's really the only, nationwide evaluation we have for our candidates, and fair or not, you gotta know how to play. And, at the end of the day, no matter how much spin is tried to put on it, we don't vote for the Vice President. Who that person is, might help us make our decision, true enough, but that cannot ultimately be why we vote for a certain candidate.

Something In Common

Morgan is one of my friends. He's a guy I respect and really enjoy talking too. We mostly agree on all the stuff that really matters (faith and people) and mostly disagree on all that stuff that doesn't (politics). In light of things going on in the economy right now, here' s a discussion we had today (it was on gchat, so forgive misspellings, bad punctuation, etc.):

Morgan: Wow, Obama and McCain have been throwing out the 1-3 sentence memorable quotes the last three days like they are going out of style
Me: That's because they don't know what the hell's going on with the economy either. They both thought Iraq was going to be the main issue. Both campaigns were and continue to be so unprepared for how to react and deal with this mess.
Morgan: Where is FDR or Harry Truman when you need him?
Me: Lincoln, Eisenhower, JFK, Reagan, or Jefferson? Jefferson or Reagan I'd take right now for sure, because they both would have the sense to keep the federal governmnet out of something like this! FDR and Lincoln, not so much. They were way too involved and, in my opinion overstepped their bounds. I know, I know, everyone loves them, but it's the truth!
Morgan: True, but you need someone who is going to do something extreme, whether it is a hands off aproach or whether it is a economically revolutionary approach
Me: Buying all the debt in the country is pretty extreme. . . extremely wrong!!!!
Morgan: Hmmm....why would it be wrong? By the way, I think it is probably wrong as well, but I just want to know your reasoning
Me: Well, one thing is, I'm not sure things are really as bad as we think or are being led to believe they are.The free market got us into this, so shouldn't the free market be allowed to run it's course and eventually correct itself? I mean, did those banks have the right to give people mortgages and credit that was outrageous? Yes. Did those individuals have the right to apply for loans they couldn't afford? Yes. So, should we have to ride this out and go through the crap, because of it? Plus, on a constitutional/philosophical level I just don't think the government should be the escape clause and answer to every problem. I don't think it was designed that way. Morgan: You are probably right, people invested more than what they should have, this is an important lesson that hard currency that is immediately available is something that will always be needed for a free market economy. Too much credit and investment can in a way slow the economy. Things are bad in that people are losing jobs, people are going into more debt, people are not able to save for the future, but is the government responsible for saving people? in a way...the government is supposed to protect its people, but here is the key....the a republican democracy is a reflection of its people, we give the government the power to "save" us, so in this situation....instead of doing things to help, we are sitting back and expecting government to save us, so do I blame the government necessarily? No. Should we blame ourselves? Yes. I apologize, the government is at fault, but their fault lies in us.
Me: But, it's just built into our DNA, and for that I blame FDR and the New Deal. Once you start expecting the government to give you money if you're out of work, and give you money when you're old, and give you healthcare if you can't afford it (okay that one lies at Johnson's feet), where does that mentality end?
Morgan: Ah...but I do not think the fault lied in FDR, the fault lied in the people of the 1920's who used credit and investing to prosper, then the backbone of the economy crashed.
Me: I get that in the moment of crisis all those programs were designed to "protect the people," like you're talking about, but we're reaping the effects of that mentality.

Here's the thing: at the end of the day, as you can see, we don't always agree on every point, but we are able to have meaningful, historically based discussions about things. Let's just hope our elected representatives follow suit. (By the way, if there's enough interest, we might pick a topic and do this kind of thing from time to time. If not, oh well.)

To the Left of the Cabbage Patch

Here's the thing that made me really sad today. It's a story about women who buy very lifelike dolls and treat them as real babies, talking to them, putting them in car seats, etc. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26970782

One of the ladies told Matt Lauer, "It fills a spot in your heart." And this is the root of where my sadness lies. I'm not saying these women are pathetic or sad. What makes me sad is that there's a deep felt need in their lives, and that they're going about filling it in a way that's certain to lead to disappointment. There's a spot in their hearts that for whatever reason wasn't filled, and they're finding it filled, at least for now, by something that isn't real. I can't imagine the pain or regret or whatever that's behind each story, but there is something inside me that wishes I could sit down with them, talk about my own struggle to find fulfillment in things that aren't real, and give them a huge hug. Not that my hug would fill the void, but I so wish they could know that someone loves and cares about them, and more importantly that there is a God who loves and cares about them as well.

We all have our dolls, those things we seek to fill our spots. Maybe it's money, or a job, or an older man/woman in a relationship. Maybe it's a younger man/woman in a relationship. Maybe it's public service, but it's good for me to see stories like this and be reminded that really, all those things are just like plastic dolls. They aren't real, and they aren't ultimately going to fill the spot in my heart.

Shackin' Up!

So, I'm reading The Shack. Usually I try to avoid the "in" book, preferring to wait a few years, see if it lasts, and then dive in. I mean, heck, I only read The Great Gatsby for the first time about five years ago! But, my roommate has been reading and talking about how amazing the book is, and since I'm always looking for ways to connect with him, and since I know that a lot of other folks are reading it, I decided to dive in. When I told a few people that I was about to start it, they mostly reacted with, "You're gonna hate it. The theology is so bad, and you're not gonna like it." It's funny that no one says that when I talk about liking the TV show Friends or any number of movies. Maybe watching bad theology played out in the midst of great storytelling is different than reading it. Interesting to me how we pick and choose. Anyway. . . they were right about one thing, there is much bad theology in The Shack, at least if you read it from a Protestant, Reformed perspective. And there are times when I underline, circle, etc. and just put the letters "BS" out to the side, but man oh man, how I'm really enjoying this book!

I really identify with the main character, "Mack." He's a guy with a heart that's broken, lots and lots of questions about God and needing desperately to hear and experience the love that God has for him. See, here's the thing: I'm a guy with a heart that's pretty broken right now too, and I've got plenty of questions about God and I desperately need to hear that God hasn't forgotten about me and still loves me.

For everything that Young (the author) gets wrong about theology, there's a lot that he gets right about the heart of God, and that's where The Shack is ministering to me. I've decided to show where the book shines brightest, in its language, with some of my favorite quotes so far. Actually I could list several dozen, but here are just a few:

• "There is something joyful about storms that interrupt routine."
• "Sometimes honesty can be incredibly messy."
• God talking to Mack: "For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me Papa is simply to mix metaphors, to hep you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning. . .and this weekend is not about reinforcing your religious stereotypes."
• God talking to Mack: "You, on the other hand, were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around."
• God talking to Mack: "As much as you are able, rest in what trust you have in me, no matter how small, okay?"
• "Jesus?" he whispered as his voice chocked. "I feel so lost." A hand reached out and squeezed his, and didn't let go. "I know, Mack. But it's not true. I am with you and I'm not lost. I'm sorry it feels that way, but hear me clearly. You are not lost."

Okay, I could go on and on, and I plan to do a series of blogs about this book. I also intend to recommend it to everyone I know who's like me and hurting, and right now, that just about includes everyone I know! Maybe I'm connecting with it because, like Mack, God is shattering some of my preconceived notions about who he is and how he operates. Maybe I'm connecting with it because, like Mack, I think to myself, "if God [were] really here, why [hasn't] he taken [my] nightmares away." Maybe, just maybe, I'm connecting with it, because I'm really connecting with God. I'm not giving up on the truth, but could it be that I'm learning what it means to let my emotions run wild within the boundaries of my theology?