hard to get

You who live in heaven
-hear the prayers of those of us who live on earth

Who are afraid of being left by those we love
and who get hardened by the hurt

Do you remember when you lived down here where we all scrape
to find the strength to ask for daily bread
Did you forget about us after you had flown away
Well I memorized every word you said
Still I'm so scared I'm holding my breath
While you're up there just playing hard to get


You who live in radiance
-hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin

We have a love that's not as patient as your was
but still we do love now and then

Did you ever know loneliness - did you ever know need
Do you remember just how long a night can get
When you are barely holding on and your friends fall asleep
And don't see the blood that's running in your sweat
Will those who mourn be left uncomforted
While you're up there just playing hard to get


I know you bore our sorrows - I know you feel our pain
I know that it would not hurt any less even if it could be explained
I know that I am only lashing out at the one who loves me most
And after I have figured this somehow
All I really need to know is if

You who live in eternity
hear the prayers of those of us who live in time

We can't see what's ahead
and we cannot get free of what we've left behind

I'm reeling from these voices that keep screaming in my ears
All these words of shame and doubt, blame and regret
I can't see how you're leading me unless you've led me here
Where I'm lost enough to let myself be led
And, so you've been here all along I guess
It's just your ways and you are just plain hard to get

-Rich Mullins



(c)1998 Liturgy Legacy Music

. . .here tomorrow?

[part two]

Along with the more general statements of Christians and culture is the very present and specific examination of the church's response to George W. Bush. Many within the church prayed and cried about having a president who is a believer. Now that W holds that office, a large number of evangelicals complain because he's too divisive, too forthright, too ________. I suppose more than anything else, I just want the current Christian subculture to make up its mind.

As previously stated, I am particularly disgusted with believers who believe that the church is called to make a difference in the world while simultaneously complaining about Christians being involved with any particular venue (such as government). I feel that this has led to a situation in which the church has lost its effectiveness. This, of course, is apparent to just about everyone at the table except churchgoers. Ultimately, we're divided on our self-perception. Some believe that the church is totally non-effective, making no difference whatsoever. Others would say that the church is making powerful strides forward to advance the kingdom of God. My conclusion is that both sides are correct.

The church is making a difference where it decides to make a difference. Not pretends, but decides. Many more churches pretend to be doing this than you might think. Here's an incredible question that every church (and believer) should ask about their ministry:

"If the church were removed today, would anyone notice tomorrow?"

gone today. . .

While cruising through my local "Christian store" I happened across a book that has been fairly popular as of late (I withold the title fearing possible backlash and loss of readership, which I can't really afford right now). Although I anticipate a rise in blood pressure as a result of reading some snippets of a work of Christian-pop, I go ahead and do so. Hey, what else have I to do with all of this free time?

In a section that was aimed at the role of the Christian, this particular author spent much time on how non-political the church ought to be in today's world. I considered his argument for a full three seconds before returning the paperback to its place on the shelf. Now let me see if I can get this straight, as I have heard similar statements elsewhere in my life. . .

Supposedly, the church is God's primary force of change in this world and its members (believers, if you will) are placed with a divine appointment (elected, perhaps) to make a difference to all that surround us without becoming involved with political realms of society. Yeah, I think that's it. For some unknown reason, this has become the popular stand among many evangelicals at present. While we're at it we could also remove ourselves (if we haven't already) from judicial, legislative, philosophical, scientific, literary, journalistic, and artistic realms of society as well.

Too much?

Let me put it this way: in order for the church to make an impact with society, the church must engage society. Further, it is important that we take opportunities that are afforded to people living in a nation where the individual holds the highest responsibility of running the nation itself. How many Christian voices were made known in the last election? How many Christians made concious efforts to know and understand the issues of our day? The numbers may surprise you.

OK, OK, OK, OK. . .let me present a simple clarification: it is not the job of the church to dictate political agenda. In other words, while it may be acceptable to remind people to exercise their right and responsibility of voting, it is wrong for the church to endorse any political candidate. However, too many religious leaders have used this as a shoddy excuse for avoiding all discussion that may or may not be political regardless of the spiritual implications involved. Perhaps this is why so many feel as though we're losing the culture wars. . .it's because we're not fighting the culture wars.

I also notice that complaints such as the one in that particular book come from people who don't have a public voice. How many times does the Christian community sit around whining and crying because there isn't anyone who will step forward and be a champion for the church only to have that person come along and be left for dead at the frontlines. I've seen this firsthand with a public leader. . .it is amazing how quickly evangelicals can turn on one of their own because of stupid reasons.


(. . .more to come, I'm not through with this)

no longer living

". . .Genesis 1:26-27 stands at the pinnacle of the biblical creation narrative that, unlike the myths of other ancient peoples, posits a God who creates the world in freedom as a reality external to himself and then places humankind within creation as a creaturely image of the Creator. Genesis 1:26-27, therefore, functions not so much as an ontological declaration about human nature as a prologue to all that follows in the biblical narrative. Viewed from this perspective, the first creation narrative is intended to indicate that God has endowed humankind as a whole with a vocation: to live as God's representative within creation, that is, to be that image through whom God's presence and self-manifestation may be found." *

Gaining much popularity in certain circles is "the exchanged life" theology, which is one particular approach to understanding grace and atonement from a Christian perspective. As a way of moving past the legalism of various religious systems, the exchanged life approach offers fresh air in much of the ecclesiastical presentations of grace. Although the adherents of this perspective do not claim that this is a new idea (nor are they the first to describe it), many believers today do not realize the full implications of the atonement and thus find the exchanged life perspective new and inviting.

The fundamental position of the exchanged life promotes the oft-underemphasized notion that when an individual comes to faith in Christ their status as a person is no longer valid, for we become one with Christ's status - participants in his life, death and resurrection (see Galatians 2:20). Thus, we are no longer called to performance in order to merit God's grace or affection. While this is a good and valid viewpoint, there is a bit of foundational work that helps us understand our place in God's kingdom.

As the opening quotation by Grenz points out, humanity from the beginning was placed within creation with God's own image in order to be his representative on earth. This means that the imago Dei that is stamped upon each person comes with a responsibility to work on his behalf - something intended as humanity's role from the beginning. Paul was on to something when he declared that we were created to do good works. But, that is not the entire story. . .Jesus adds more to our role within creation as we are now adopted into his sonship as coheirs with Christ.

"In Romans 8:29, Paul presents the idea of the new humanity in Christocentric language reminiscent of Genesis 1:26-27. According to the apostle, God's intention is that those who are in Christ participate in Christ's destiny and thereby replicate his glorious image. The language of the text is eschatological. Paul declares that his readers will be caught up in the Christ event and become copies of God's Son. The climax of the verse comes in the declaration, 'that he might be the firstborn,' which expresses the Christological intent of God's foreordination, namely, the preeminence of Christ among those who participate in the eschatological reality." *

Not only are we created with the imago Dei marked upon us, making us God's representatives within creation, but now - thanks to the work of Christ - we are recreated with the imago Christi which brings us to the place where we are one with Christ in his Sonship. I've heard the pop-phrase that we "might be Jesus" to someone today. . .this blows that imagery out of the water. We are in reality Jesus to the world. At every moment.

So, the exchanged life is off to a good start. Perhaps there is more to this than anyone first imagined. The life, death and resurrection of Christ was for much more than fire insurance. And it empowers us to more noble tasks of service than telling our wallets to produce more money, pursuing divine healing for every stomachache, condemning others from street corners, or mistreating fellow believers for personal gain.

Really. . .what would Jesus do?




*Stanley J. Grenz, "Jesus as the Imago Dei: Image-of-God Christology and the Non-Linear Linearity of Theology" in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society vol. 47, no. 4 (December 2004): 622.

the church's one foundation

“When did the church become a building?” *

A very good question to ask in this particular day and age. Certainly the concept of church did not start out in the same way we experience it now. The foundational understanding of the church was a group of people - a people called out, to be more precise. Thus the emphasis was more on the function of a body of believers and not a descriptor of a particular meeting place.

Ever since the first church buildings appeared during the 300s, there has been a human struggle with how much our earthy structures occupy our time, talent, and money. Today’s culture is no different. Many churches reduce their effectiveness to country-club-level groups that gather together for the intent purpose of building design. Somehow I don’t think carpet shade and paint samples quite capture Jesus’ ideal of the Kingdom of God.

In the last church I was at there was an incredibly large and incredibly useless building that had been recently built. I remember once showing a friend of mine this particular structure and he commented, “This is a great monument. . .really big and stately built with no pragmatic touch.” Indeed, this was a very expensive place that no one could effectively utilize, other than parking clave’s twin-engine prop plane in there.

“How many of the needs of ‘the least of these’ could be met if all the church buildings were sold and the money given to the poor?” *

Too extreme? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I suppose our knee-jerk reactions might be telling in this case as to how we’ve been conditioned to think.

Called to make a difference. . .not ampitheaters.


". . .and for her [wool-knit-altar-kneeler] he died."




*Ole Anthony and Skippy R., “A Handful of Nails” in The Wittenburg Door no. 197 (January/February 2005): 47.

these two remain. . .until we can do better

. . .As for you, Morrel, this is the whole secret of my behavior towards you: there is neither happiness nor misfortune in this world, there is merely the comparison between one state and another, nothing more. Only someone who has suffered the deeper misfortune is capable of experiencing the heights of felicity. Maximilien, you must needs have wished to die, to know how good it is to live.

So, do live and be happy, children dear to my heart, and never forget that, until the day when God deigns to unveil the future to mankind, all human wisdom is contained in these two words: 'wait' and 'hope'!

Your friend
Edmond Dantes
Count of Monte Cristo. *


The Christian faith is at once a remembrance of things past and a preparation for things future. For the believer there really is no separation of the two for we are called to build our hope for tomorrow on that which we know has happened in a thousand yesterdays. Biblical study is, at least at the outset, a study of historical events - this we believe to be the work of God Almighty. From early on, the Israelites were instructed to commemorate such divine works through feasts and festivals and other religious observances otherwise out-of-the-norm for their daily activities.

Even today the church follows a liturgical calendar to mark important historical events (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Organ & Tissue Donor Sunday. . .um, that last one might just be the UMC). Even churches that turn their noses up at liturgical practices still seem to find a way to celebrate the "major" days as well as fit in the offering, sermon, candle-lighting, fifth-Sunday communion, etc. into the same slots during the same services on the same days.

Sunday ritual notwithstanding (I'll save that discussion for a future blog), it is important that adherents to the Christian faith remember God's activity in the past that it may serve as a foundation for our future. Dumas' words are very captivating and I think he does well (through Dantes) to capture the human condition in 'wait' and 'hope.' It is the inherent nature of humanity to wait and hope yet many do not have a basis for their hope. Think of the postmodern production Waiting for Godot. The play is (author's plot summary) a bunch of long drawn-out discussions that occur while waiting for a character (Godot) that never appears. That's it. For those who would like to be more entertained with the same overall plot premise, I suggest Waiting for Guffman. . .he never shows up either, but it's funnier.

"But now, LORD, what do I look for?
My hope is in you." **

Indeed, we are waiting and hoping for something. . .but what? This is where the message of faith and deliverance can be so effective and powerful. In Christ we are given a reason to wait and a foundation for hope. In Christ the things of this world make sense and then fade away. All of this begins with our understanding of our biblical past and our abiblity to dangerously live. Unlike our unfortunate fellow travelers who never get to see Godot or Guffman, we know for certain God comes to those who wait and hope in him.

"Wait for it!" ***








*Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo (London: Penguin, 1996), 1077.
**Psalm 39:7
***Cpl. Walter "Radar" O'Reilly, 4077 M*A*S*H

and am persuaded

"If our lives and ministries are expressions of what we actually believe, and if what we believe is off center and yet so pervasive that it is seldom even brought to conscious discussion, much less debated, then this explains why our impact on the world is so paltry compared to our numbers. I cannot overemphasize the fact that this modern understanding of Christianity is neither biblical nor consistent with the bulk of church history." *

For centuries within the history of the church, believers were identified as very able and willing individuals who often engaged the broader intellectual culture of the world. Many ecclesiastical leaders during the 1800s were considered to be among the most learned members of a community. Sadly, this all began to change at the turn of the nineteenth century when fundamentalists started to withdraw to their own holy huddles and left the public discourse. And thus, the salt removed itself from the culture.

Moreland lists five characteristics that capture the essence of anti-intellectualism on today's evangelicalism:
1) a misunderstanding of faith's relationship to reason
2) the separation of the secular and the sacred
3) weakened world missions
4) anti-intellectualism has spawned an irrelevant gospel
5) a loss of boldness in confronting the idea structures in our culture with effective Christian witness

Unfortunately, faith is not often characterized in these terms in much of our modern Christianity. I will never forget that a senior pastor with whom I once worked (with forty years of ministry experience) told me that church members could not be challenged very much because they would not have the ability to follow. In other words, it is the responsibility of church leadership to dumb down Christianity so that people will continue on with their botox-esque churchy smiles that ignore real spiritual growth or biblical maturity. With this attitude prevailing in our pulpits today, it is no wonder that the church is seen as ineffective and stereotyped as a safe haven for stupidity.

By contrast to this approach to church is the biblical understanding of faith that is always built upon reason. Although I have been told many times that you cannot reason your way to heaven, we should have a good foundation for thinking that Christianity is true before we dedicate ourselves to it. Further, in every single instance where faith is mentioned in Scripture it is built upon knowledge and understanding. Nowhere does the Bible speak of a blind faith nor does Jesus ever say, "Don't think about it, just believe. . .just believe." Yet so many Christians repeat this mantra over and over and over again.

Faith is a necessity for the Christian life. However, a misunderstanding of faith leads to a misrepresentation of faith which means we have an entire culture of beleivers that are believing in false doctrine. Theoretical reason is no longer part of our churches - sould we be surprised when so many of our own fall for so much? Let us work to recapture the spiritual mind, which thinks and reasons and postulates on God. Then we will know him more and grow in our effectiveness in the world.

Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding.
~Proverbs 2:2




*J. P. Moreland, Love Your God with All Your Mind (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1997), 25.

responsible freedom

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
~Galatians 5:13

"Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well - afire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world." *

Already the press is having an apparent brain aneurism over the president's second inaugural speech. Evidently, Peggy Noonan was left with a "bad feeling" and "reluctant dislike" over such an assertion of agenda and (in her thoughts) overuse of God. Yet the primary thrust of this speech was on liberty and what liberty means in the world. In fact, it resounded many of the sentiments expressed in the founding documents and the personal papers of our nation's fathers.

What the president spoke of is the biblical notion that true freedom cannot exist apart from a relationship with the Creator. Since he assumes 1) there is a Creator and 2) Scripture is true, he has rocked the boat somewhat with his statements. And what bothers me is that many believers do not share in his conviction. Perhaps this is because the accurate biblical portrait of freedom compels individuals to act - something that American Christians do not always care to do aside from throwing money at some cause.

We have been given the gift of freedom. . .it is thus our responsibility to spread liberty across all of the world. There is much that has been entrusted to us and there is so much work that lies ahead.

. . .and then we also have responsibility as Americans.

"When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, 'It rang as if it meant something.' In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength - tested, but not weary - we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom." *



*President George W. Bush, Second Inaugural Address, January 20, 2005.

assurance of the unknown

I have no job. Let's just get that out of the way right now. It should be made clear to everyone who reads this blog that it is being composed by a man who does nothing for a living. At least, at the moment. I can testify that it is very difficult to get prospective employers to move swiftly on the hiring process during the holiday season, especially churches. Since I have resigned myself to believe that nothing in this life is going to happen "normally" it comes as no shock that my present situation should ensue. And now the ice is getting thinner, the road is narrowing, the net is filling with holes. Choose your cliche.

And today clave has the nerve to say (with a straight face), "You'll be fine. Everything's gonna be alright." Imagine the nerve of someone who could stand directly in front of me, knowing all that has been going on, understand the mounting tension of our situation and utter words so fundamentally and completely. . . . . .true. In fact, the profundity of his statement so strongly sounds the gong of truth and promise that it is actually frightening. Frightening to know that God is waiting to act at precisely the perfect moment, perhaps just to show off a bit that he is God and I am not. For some reason, he gets a kick out of doing that (truth be told, I tend to like it too. . .um, when it's over).

It strikes me that faith is so much easier to hold on to when you talk about it rather than when you are forced to live it. I guess that's why we overuse language of God's "testing" of our faith. Wait. . .testing? If faith isn't faith until it is lived then how can every time we are in a position to live it we give it a negative connotation of being tested as though this is some unwarranted, uncalled-for, obscene pop quiz during third period? We are called to a life of faith, not a life of faith-directed dialogue. So this is what faith really is. And clave's comments to me were so certain about a future that has not happened. Then it hits me.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

This is faith. And faith becomes a worldview by which believers live. Thus, life without faith is not living since we have been called to live by faith. The two are inseparable. Living requires faith; faith demands living.

I believe that it is time for us all to move past this notion that any challenge, any trouble, any difficulty, any actual required effort is some animated essay contest by which we either pass or fail with Professor God in order to see if we're acceptable in his sight or not. Instead, let us just live. After all, the ice is getting thinner, the road is narrowing, the net is filling with holes. . .right where he wants me.

cut to rich:
"After all, He had a certain fondness for sparrows and did not consider their care and feeding beneath the dignity of God - though God's care and dignity (Jesus would assert) is beyond the comprehensiveness of men." *




*Rich Mullins, "Considering the Lilies" in The World as I Remember It (Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 2004), 32.

and there's reason to believe

Alright, sometimes conversations make or break your day. I just had one that did a little of both. Since I genuinely have an adoration for all except one of my former disciple students (keeps them guessing), it is always a pleasure to talk to them. This one was a very interesting encounter. It was humbling to hear him tell me how much he misses me and how much he enjoyed the class while I was leading it. Then he wanted to take a moment and reassure me since I had been quickly dismissed from the church for having a pastor who did not like me. Basically, he told me that his observations have led him to believe that in this district of the UM church he feels that only a handful of the pastors do not need serious counselling (his own guesstimation).

While this statement had obvious spirit-lifting qualities, there was something else that has kind of stuck with me. I say that the conversation made my day because it is always uplifting to be appreciated (something I missed from the church leadership). But I will never be unbothered by such disturbances within the Body of Christ. I think that we ought to be deeply bothered by it. I suppose that if I were working as a surgeon, then my ignoring of such behavior would be labelled malpractice; if I were an airline pilot, reckless endangerment; if I were a businessman, they would call it fraud. Yet so many have listened to my spiritual concerns about the climate and character of this church office and have quickly written off. And why should we care? It's only spirituality. . .not like the important stuff, right?

"Jesus did not come simply to rescue people for heaven, but also to have them know God's transforming presence. . .This different way of relating to God, the call to service verses power, and the road of suffering it entails will not be popular, and so commitment to Jesus' teaching and path is required."*

So it has been a long December and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last.** I will never forget the wonderful perspective that my friend provided (which seemed to fit): "so they have hurt your feelings a bit, good for them. They haven't touched you inside." That, my friends, is the power of God's transforming presence. Spiritual transformation is talked about much more than it is lived - which means what we're discussing is not really transforming. When it is truly experienced is when we find ourselves and our God.

Once when I spoke of passion to one of the key leaders in this church he said, "I think people just don't want that." I think that some people are just plain dead. The passion for God that comes through the transforming power of his Spirit's presence upon us compels us forward. For church leaders to totally miss this point is one of the biggest problems facing the church today. Spiritually clueless people leading. . .or was that the blind leading. . .um, something like that.

In any case, looking back at the last few weeks I cannot say that it has not hurt. I cannot say that I am unchanged. My honest prayer is that the church leadership can say the same. It has been a difficult road to be able to pray for them, but a very wise woman advised me to do so. No matter how absurd or difficult it seemed at the time, she was right.

I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself to hold on to these moments as they pass.
And it's one more day up in the canyon. And it's one more night in Hollywood.
It's been so long since I've seen the ocean. . .I guess I should**

I stand firmin my conviction that we are passionate beings who are searching for our creator that we might be able to make our way home. There are, I think, still some who are alive enough to press on with me.

So it's been quite a long December. . .like, I spent a decade there one month. Although I will not stop in my relentless pursuit of godliness among ourselves, held to the highest standards among the leaders of the church. . .I let this one go.

Thanks Ed.





*Darrell L. Bock, "Luke" in The Face of New Testament Studies (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 360.
**A Long December by Counting Crows

no take-backs

'Praying for particular things,' said I, 'always seems to me like advising God how to run the world. Wouldn't it be wiser to assume that He knows best?' 'On the same principle,' said he, 'I suppose you never ask a man next to you to pass the salt, because God knows best whether you ought to have salt or not. And I suppose you never take and umbrella, because God knows best whether you ought to be wet or dry.' 'That's quite different,' I protested. 'I don't see why,' said he. 'The odd thing is that He should let us influence the course of events at all. But since He lets us do it in one way I don't see why He shouldn't let us do it in the other.' *

C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), 217.


I suppose this entails moral responsibility for our actions: the notion that what we say and do matters and becomes the basis by which we are held accountable for this life.

In such a world where our decisions mean so much and we are given such an important role in accomplishing the will of God, are there really any "insignificant" choices? There probably are. . .but which ones are which?

crutchlessness

"I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home."
Mark 2:11

An interesting component of Jesus' healing ministry is that he tended to ask for things of those to whom he was ministering. In other words, he was not going around offering blanket healings as magical cure-alls. Instead, he healed as one aspect of an overall ministry to guide people along in their faith and to combat the forces of darkness that run loose in his creation. The passage quoted above demonstrates this approach as Jesus calls to the paralyzed man to stand up. We could probably envision Jesus going over and standing the man up himself, but that is not the point of the overall mission.

Perhaps there was a mental or emotional component to this man's suffering. It might have been more that just a muscular disability to move. One can almost hear Jesus' tone: "Get up, you can do this. Stand up!" It was the original Nike ad: just do it. Along with whatever physical cure there was in this moment, this man who believed so much in Jesus finallly had someone who believed in him. As he gazed the mile between his life on a floormat and Jesus' face standing over him, these words of challenge and assurance sent chills down his spine - perhaps the first chills he has ever felt. Jesus assures this man that despite his insecurities and inhibitions he can go his own way.

Jesus never treated people like passive objects. He never regarded individuals as a means to an end. He never told someone that their malady occured because "everything happens for a reason" or that it was part of "God's unknown higher plan." Jesus never tried to minister through the painted-on smile of "Well, just remember, God loves you." And not once did he tell a sick person that they had ticked God off by not having enough faith. He healed.

If we want to model ourselves after Jesus, we need to start here. We are not called to walk people through faith by theological practices, liturgical rites, or methodical traditions. To follow Jesus is to challenge and assure people so that they might be empowered to greater depths of faith and perhaps feel - for the first time - the chill that is at once fear and blessing that overcomes those who stand before the Almighty.

"Offer your leprosy, your paralysis, your blindness, your exhaustion to Jesus. Talk to him about your illnesses. What happens to you then?" *



*Anselm Grun, Images of Jesus (New York: Continuum, 2002), 53.

downside-up

"In the end all authority will be given to Jesus (Mt 28:18), but the path to his victory led through death and resurrection. The way of God in Jesus will not be achieved through overwhelming power or invulnerability. Jesus acknowledges his place as a creature of God dependent on divine provision, which entails the possibility that he shall go hungry and be susceptible to injury. Jesus accepts the finite conditions of existence as a blessing from God. Consequently, he does not accept the Old Testament 'prediction' that the Messiah would be immune from bodily harm (Ps 91:11-12) as applicable to himself. Jesus trusts in the same providence that covers all humans. This involves acknowledging the risk and vulnerability we experience in life. Providence does not mean protection from the vicissitudes of life. Jesus chooses the path of faithful trust in God the Father in the midst of life's uncertainties. 'What does it mean to worship and serve the Abba God?' asks Tupper. 'It includes the renunciation of dominating power and overwhelming force as the way to accomplish the will of God.' The way of God in the world is not a display of raw omnipotence - a love of power - but the power of love. It is in this that Jesus trusts." *

Perhaps this is why Jesus was so effective in his ministry. He genuinely cared for the lost, the lowly, the downtrodden, the hurting. He had no agenda of his own and he did not seek out any earthy positions of power or fame.

Perhaps this is why we can be so ineffective in our ministries. Many pay lip-service to God but do not genuinely care for those around us. We often have our own hidden motives that we keep secret from everybody - maybe even ourselves. Even the seemingly harmless activity of saving face usually means that someone else is hurt for our own gain.

Even when we recognize God's kingdom as operating "backwards" we have difficulty living it.



John Sanders, The God Who Risks (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 94-95.

accepting the unacceptable

If you, LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
Psalm 130:3

"Let us not, therefore, be insensible to his kindness. For were he to reward us according to our works, we should cease to be. Therefore, having become his disciples, let us learn and live according to the principles of Christianity. For whosoever is called by any other name besides this, is not of God. Lay aside, therefore, the evil, the old, the sour leaven, and be changed into the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be salted in him, lest any one among you should be corrupted, since by your savour you shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Jesus Christ, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not merge into Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believes might be gathered together to God."
The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians, first century A.D.


It is a very sad (sickening) observation to witness Christian groups so easily accept and live under God's grace but never offer that grace to anyone else. This is especially true of the way some denominations or church groups exclude other believers on the basis of stupidity, such as which Bible translation is the "only one" or what color of carpet is the only acceptable means by which flooring should be adorned (o.k., so maybe the carpet-thing is a stretch).

Then there are those groups who like to hide their hypocrisy behind more "important" sins. Perhaps homosexuality. Those who know me understand that I have an unwaivering position of homosexuality as a sin on the basis of clear biblical teaching. However, I have always stressed the necessity for churches to be places where those who struggle with this sin may be welcomed and guided - right alongside the rest of us vulgar, despicable sinners.

I once had a discussion (argument) with a local pastor who was standing on a street corner with signs condemning practicing homosexuals to hell on the basis of various prooftexted Bible passages. All I had to do was ask why he chose to do this for him and his group to accuse me of being evil for "defending them." Tact was not in his vocabulary. The point at which I almost blew chunks was when he said: ". . .if one of them f*****s would come up to me and showed some repentance, well I would kneel right there and pray with him."

(I considered a momentary conversion to Islam so that I could punch him. . .)

Although to some (twisted) folks this may sound like an admirable act of love and acceptance, it made me sick to think of how vulgar he treated his fellow humans. As Psalm 103 reminds, if transgressions were being counted. . .none of us could stand. How quickly we forget. There seems to be an insatiable drive to accept grace and then keep it for ourselves. God isn't fooled by this either.

Churches are afraid to touch these topics. There is either the tendency to accept without moral standard or the tendency to inflate moral standard to the loss of the ability to accept. Christ came to embrace. . .then to change. We have a real need in this world to do the same.

struck down. . .but not destroyed

Today I was surfing through the many, many channels of nothingness that is cable television while waiting for a football game to come on. Through all of the overplayed infomercials (which I usually watch time and again) I finally found something worth pausing over for a while: a movie channel was running The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It was at the place when Aragorn saw the thousands marching toward Helm's Deep and was racing to warn the city. Since I knew that a great battle was approaching, I put down the remote.

Every time I see the multitude of Orcs quickly attacking the city walls I get the immediate feeling that this battle is already over. Those within Helm's Deep are vastly outnumbered and the night grows increasingly dark. The enemy is advancing through the gates and scaling the walls with much destruction. Eventually everyone is huddled in the innermost portion of the city - the last place of refuge - with the doors failing to hold any longer.

I can remember the first time I saw this movie being amazed that there were any left, not to mention the main characters of the story. Then they notice that morning has broken and all are reminded that this is all they had to do - fight and survive until the dawn. It is then that Aragorn and the king ride out and advance upon the evil, only to be met with Gandalf and his mighty army. The enemy is destroyed.

This is the church. . .clearly. Although there is much evil that surrounds us and comes against us - much of which attacks and scales the walls with great quickness and efficency. Yet there is much battle to be done and we are called to fight and survive until the dawn. Perhaps we are sometimes called to pull back into the deepest recesses of safety. . .and then we are called to advance on the encroaching evil. When the morning breaks we will see a glowing rider on a white horse that will come and wipe clean the very ground on which we fight.

"We have a future, but this tale is not over yet - not by a long shot. We now live between the battle for Helm's Deep and the Battle of Pelennor Fields. Between the beaches of Normandy and the end of the war. Between the fall of the Republic and the fall of the Empire. Between Paradise lost and Paradise regained. We live in a far more dramatic, far more dangerous Story than we ever imagined."
John Elrdredge, Epic (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 99.

peculiar people

"For the Christians are distinguished from other people neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. . .they dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. . .They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. . .To sum up all in one word - what the soul is in the body, that are Christians in the world. The soul is dispersed through all the members of the body, and Christians are scattered through all the cities of the world. The soul dwells in the body, yet is not of the body; and Christians dwell in the world, yet are not of the world" *

One of the great marks of the early church was its distinctiveness. In part because of their newfound status, they were the buzz of the Roman Empire. When one reads back through the ancient documents that discuss this novel community it becomes evident that the whole world was watching these devoted followers. As Mathetes demonstrates, the manner of living displayed by these folks was unique and often contrary to the rest of society.

Yet they were part of society, fully engaging their culture as participants. Often 1 Peter 2:11 gets thrown around when discussing the role of Christians in the world. This passage is used to point out the fact that believers are aliens and strangers in the world and thus do not belong here at all. I disagree with that interpretation. A clearer reading of this verse in its proper context refers to those whose citizenship is ultimately found in another place although they presently find themselves here. In fact, Peter points out that we were formerly part of the very community that now regards us as foreigners. We have not immediately left this world.

I believe that this debunks the oversimplistic notion that "we are just a-passin' through" because such a thought inevitably leads to a disconnect with this world that never makes a positive impact for the Kingdom. It does, however, bunk up (?) the idea that we have a job to do, and that our present reality is surrounded by this world. We have changed our citizenship, but remain here to do a very important work. We are surrounded by darkness. . .as a city on a hill.

At the same time we need to remain distinct. All the while we participate in the things of this world (we are not called to be separatists) we do keep in mind that the foundation of our lives is found on a higher plane.

People should talk. Not because we're insensitive-illogical-extremist-hypocritical-kooks, but because we are peculiar people.

We are peculiar people. We are peculiar people.
There is more to who we are than meets the eye.
We are peculiar people. We are peculiar people.
We will shed our human skin and learn to fly.
Yeeah-oh-oh-oh-oh.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.**


[quotes]
* The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus, ca. A.D. 130

**MUTEMATH, "Peculiar People" on Reset - EP

a bowling trophy faith

"When you think you know it all,
could it be that you are thinking way too small?"*

One of the fundamental problems Jesus had with the religious leaders of his day is that they had placed God in some box which they could (ultimately) control and manipulate to fit their individual desires and motivations. In similar fashion - because there is nothing new under the sun - we have found ourselves a God that is not too offensive and placed our understanding of him on our mantles, right next to all of the other trophies we've accrued. Although it sounds rather absurd to throw our understanding of the transcendent and omnipotent next to some gold-painted plastic kingpin dude, this is exactly what many Christians do everyday. In fact, many of us get together and form church communities dedicated to this very end.

I often point out the fact that theology is, in part, an admission that we do not have all of the answers. The entire task of theology is questions. We question what we can/cannot or do/do not know about God. Further, theology allows us to question God himself! I know that in more fundamental circles the notion of questioning God might as well be outright heresy, but for those who actually experience some level of normalcy it happens all the time. And that's o.k. Actually, it is more than o.k. - it is good. That means that we are wrestling with God and he is wrestling with us. It is the solidification of a relationship between the human and the divine.

Whenever we come to the point (and many of us are there) where we no longer ask questions about God or to God then we inevitably reach the point where we feel secure in our knowledge of God and assume we have all the answers. It is at this point that we are no longer doing theology. . .we are regurgitating thoughts of God that lose their effectiveness and meaning. By contrast, a faith that is being challenging and being challenged becomes a vibrant relationship with the divine. It allows him to tear down all of our misconceptions produced by a mind corrupted by sin and a soul shrouded behind the veil of his glory.

Knowing him shakes the foundations of the soul and allows for no rival. Approaching the hidden one scares the hell out of us. But. . .I suppose that's the point.


*John Schlitt, "God Is Too Big" on Unfit for Swine
Words by John Schlitt and Mark Heimermann/Music by Ronny Cates
(c)1998 Norman Clayton Publishing