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?