There is a bush in front of my house. It looks awful. This is my fault, because I had to go in with a saw and try to reclaim an unruly portion of our yard. Because of the lack of upkeep this particular plant has faced it kept on growing and looked like a massive entaglement of foliage. As I searched through the inner portions of the plant I noticed that much of it had died and was beginning to choke itself to death from the inside. All of the greenery that was showing came from just a few living branches that were struggling to survive. So I began to hack away at this plant with all hopes of a more sane and picturesque bush as a result.
When I had chopped away all of the dead parts, the bush itself looked really awful because now it was incredibly lop-sided and had no apparent shape or design to it at all. The only way I could begin to make this shrub into something nice was to prune the still living portions - some were pruned back a bit and some were pruned out entirely. Needless to say, I had quite the pile of lawn refuse lying behind me when I finished chopping away at this bush. Upon seeing such an outrageous sheering, my neighbor from next door came to survey the work and commented, "That bush really needed that! Last spring it hardly bloomed at all because it was choking itself out."
That made me feel better about the whole project.
One does not need to look far to understand the spiritual implications found in this little story, as pruning is a very simple and common biblical metaphor. However, I couldn't help but notice the amount of good stuff was being thrown out with the bad. It is as though the living portions of the bush had to be pruned because they were too intertwined into the dead shrub and were thus being choked out. This is why pruning can be a difficult process.
To remove a dead part wouldn't be that bad. . .because it's dead. The problem comes when we take spiritually dead parts of our lives and try to create something fruitful from them. We may be able to grow (for a while), but ultimately our core is being choked out. And we can never bloom in the season in which we are to do so.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. . ."
~Jesus
Sunday, July 31
Monday, July 25
echoes of reflection
I have often pointed out that one has a better chance of being right all of the time than being wrong all of the time. You would have to know too much to be wrong all of the time since there are often versions and incomplete variations of what is right. This is a simple knowledge problem which basically means that in just about anything and everything there is some form of truth. This doesn't mean that it is the whole truth or even that it is the truth found in its proper context. I have often noticed this in studying other worldviews and world religions - every now and then we find truth in an otherwise erroneous perspective.
I found a couple of lyrics that illustrate this point rather well. The first is by a long-time Christian artist, David Meece:
I'll be waiting for you
When you open your eyes
And the light fills the skies
I'll be waiting for you
When the day's fresh and new
I'll be reaching my arms out to you. . .
The second by far-from Christian, Elton John:
Someday out of the blue
In a crowded street
Or a deserted square
I'll turn and I'll see you
As if our love were new
Someday we can live again
Someday soon
Different perspectives given on the same hope which is found deep within each and every heart. It is called a 'soul' and seeks to be reunited with its Creator, even when the person is not particularly aware of it. As St. Augustine once said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." At times there is passion and truth which needs to be redirected.
It is important to see these echoes, that we might see God in the reflection.
I found a couple of lyrics that illustrate this point rather well. The first is by a long-time Christian artist, David Meece:
I'll be waiting for you
When you open your eyes
And the light fills the skies
I'll be waiting for you
When the day's fresh and new
I'll be reaching my arms out to you. . .
The second by far-from Christian, Elton John:
Someday out of the blue
In a crowded street
Or a deserted square
I'll turn and I'll see you
As if our love were new
Someday we can live again
Someday soon
Different perspectives given on the same hope which is found deep within each and every heart. It is called a 'soul' and seeks to be reunited with its Creator, even when the person is not particularly aware of it. As St. Augustine once said, "Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee." At times there is passion and truth which needs to be redirected.
It is important to see these echoes, that we might see God in the reflection.
Tuesday, July 19
chutes and ladders
Well, I'm not one to be overly critical about religious gatherings. Those close to me know that I would never be like that. This being said I would also like to say that the heart of this particular post came not from me, but from a fellow observer in a recent gathering. I just came back from a church conference meeting in which the speaker was incredible but not as much can be said for the rest. . .aaahhh, conference.
At the end of the speakers session, so moved was the worship leader (and various others) that they extended the final song and invited the many pastors and elders and lay leaders to come forward in order to rededicate their lives and ministries in such a way as was relevant to the evening message. This went on for a bit and there was the usual late-inning chastize, ". . .this is the final verse, now there are so many of you who know that you ought to be here. . ." And there was a number of pastors who came forward.
And it probably was a revitalizing time. And it was probably very meaningful. And. . .
Then the meeting ended.
And everyone went about their business. And the yip-yap level increased dramatically. And. . .
This is when the man next to me (who is from my church) leaned over and captured this sentiment to overly manufactured mountatintops when he said, "Now this should be one of those times when everyone leaves silently and thinks about the message. I mean, everybody here seemed real moved by the Spirit but now they are acting as though they've already forgotten it!"
Then I'm pretty sure that God applauded.
At the end of the speakers session, so moved was the worship leader (and various others) that they extended the final song and invited the many pastors and elders and lay leaders to come forward in order to rededicate their lives and ministries in such a way as was relevant to the evening message. This went on for a bit and there was the usual late-inning chastize, ". . .this is the final verse, now there are so many of you who know that you ought to be here. . ." And there was a number of pastors who came forward.
And it probably was a revitalizing time. And it was probably very meaningful. And. . .
Then the meeting ended.
And everyone went about their business. And the yip-yap level increased dramatically. And. . .
This is when the man next to me (who is from my church) leaned over and captured this sentiment to overly manufactured mountatintops when he said, "Now this should be one of those times when everyone leaves silently and thinks about the message. I mean, everybody here seemed real moved by the Spirit but now they are acting as though they've already forgotten it!"
Then I'm pretty sure that God applauded.
Monday, July 11
feeling smaller
When I consider how many American evangelicals in the early 21st century believe that praying over wallets and for parking spaces is a way to combat demonic powers rising against the church, this particular letter made my world grow amazingly big:
"We have seen the hand of the Lord at work all these years. Lives have been transformed, leaving everything to follow Christ. In our church we have 61 home groups that meet weekly, and this has been glorious for reaching the lost. The work has been hard in all these years, with many problems and struggles, but God has given us the victory, and he will always hear our prayers. God has also blessed the presbytery. We started with seven churches. Now we have 18 churches and 25 missions. We are bombarding the devil from every direction."
-A.G., Cuba
From "The Voice of the Martyrs", Special Issue, 2005.
*emphasis mine, so its perspective would be less easily ignored
"We have seen the hand of the Lord at work all these years. Lives have been transformed, leaving everything to follow Christ. In our church we have 61 home groups that meet weekly, and this has been glorious for reaching the lost. The work has been hard in all these years, with many problems and struggles, but God has given us the victory, and he will always hear our prayers. God has also blessed the presbytery. We started with seven churches. Now we have 18 churches and 25 missions. We are bombarding the devil from every direction."
-A.G., Cuba
From "The Voice of the Martyrs", Special Issue, 2005.
*emphasis mine, so its perspective would be less easily ignored
Saturday, July 9
appropriately appropriating
taken from Charles Colson's Breakpoint Commentary:
July 6, 2005
Real Problems, Real Solutions: Fighting Poverty and AIDS Effectively
Could last weekend’s “Live8” event, rock concerts worldwide raising the awareness of poverty in Africa, be considered a success? That depends on how you define success. Putting aside my misgivings about the self-congratulatory nature of the event, Sir Bob Geldof and company did indeed focus the world’s attention on the desperate needs of the African people. And the organizers were determined to put pressure on the G-8 nations meeting today in Scotland to pump billions into Africa.
Now, I don’t want to rain on Geldof’s parade. But as good as his intentions are, I doubt that his approach would work. That’s why I did not sign the recent letter circulated by religious leaders, urging President Bush and the G-8 members to give massive sums to Africa and indiscriminately cancel all debts for the poorest countries.
My view about what needs to be done is more like the approach taken by New York Times columnist David Brooks. Brooks recently visited Africa, accompanying Mike Gerson, one of President Bush’s assistants. Here’s what Brooks, who is a self-described Jewish agnostic, said about helping Africa fight poverty and AIDS: “If this were about offering people the right incentives,” Brooks writes, “we would have solved this problem. But the AIDS crisis has another element, which can be addressed only by some other language. . . . The AIDS crisis is about evil. . . . It’s about disproportionate suffering. . . . It’s about these and a dozen other things—trust, fear, weakness, traditions, temptation—none of which can be fully addressed by externals. They can be addressed only by the language of ought, by fixing behavior into some relevant set of transcendent ideals and faiths.” Brooks later went on to write that the Bush Administration’s approach “is built upon the assumption that aid works only where there is good governance, and good governance exists only where the local folks originate and believe in the programs.”
Prison Fellowship’s ministry members in Africa, and other mission groups I know, all confirm what Brooks says. The hard fact is that African poverty will not be solved through international concerts by celebrities or by pressuring the G-8. Money alone won’t work any more than an alcoholic can be cured by giving him money. To dump limitless funds into corrupt governments does nothing more than create more multi-million dollar dictators who stash their funds away in Swiss bank accounts—good for the Swiss bankers, bad for the African people.
The key to the African crises is to find ways to target the aid to the people who need the funds. This is what Christian ministries do best—and what we should all be supporting.
And we should be asking our public officials not simply to open the treasury, but to use funds to encourage freedom, the rule of law, and good government. Otherwise, we’ll simply be propping up corrupt regimes that take the food out of the mouths of the poor.
So thank you, Sir Bob and company, for reminding the world of the tremendous problems in Africa. Now maybe you’d like to come and visit some of those mission outposts where you’ll see organizations like World Vision that have been doing this for years, quietly getting goods and food to the people who need it most. And yes, maybe you would even like to give them a hand.
July 6, 2005
Real Problems, Real Solutions: Fighting Poverty and AIDS Effectively
Could last weekend’s “Live8” event, rock concerts worldwide raising the awareness of poverty in Africa, be considered a success? That depends on how you define success. Putting aside my misgivings about the self-congratulatory nature of the event, Sir Bob Geldof and company did indeed focus the world’s attention on the desperate needs of the African people. And the organizers were determined to put pressure on the G-8 nations meeting today in Scotland to pump billions into Africa.
Now, I don’t want to rain on Geldof’s parade. But as good as his intentions are, I doubt that his approach would work. That’s why I did not sign the recent letter circulated by religious leaders, urging President Bush and the G-8 members to give massive sums to Africa and indiscriminately cancel all debts for the poorest countries.
My view about what needs to be done is more like the approach taken by New York Times columnist David Brooks. Brooks recently visited Africa, accompanying Mike Gerson, one of President Bush’s assistants. Here’s what Brooks, who is a self-described Jewish agnostic, said about helping Africa fight poverty and AIDS: “If this were about offering people the right incentives,” Brooks writes, “we would have solved this problem. But the AIDS crisis has another element, which can be addressed only by some other language. . . . The AIDS crisis is about evil. . . . It’s about disproportionate suffering. . . . It’s about these and a dozen other things—trust, fear, weakness, traditions, temptation—none of which can be fully addressed by externals. They can be addressed only by the language of ought, by fixing behavior into some relevant set of transcendent ideals and faiths.” Brooks later went on to write that the Bush Administration’s approach “is built upon the assumption that aid works only where there is good governance, and good governance exists only where the local folks originate and believe in the programs.”
Prison Fellowship’s ministry members in Africa, and other mission groups I know, all confirm what Brooks says. The hard fact is that African poverty will not be solved through international concerts by celebrities or by pressuring the G-8. Money alone won’t work any more than an alcoholic can be cured by giving him money. To dump limitless funds into corrupt governments does nothing more than create more multi-million dollar dictators who stash their funds away in Swiss bank accounts—good for the Swiss bankers, bad for the African people.
The key to the African crises is to find ways to target the aid to the people who need the funds. This is what Christian ministries do best—and what we should all be supporting.
And we should be asking our public officials not simply to open the treasury, but to use funds to encourage freedom, the rule of law, and good government. Otherwise, we’ll simply be propping up corrupt regimes that take the food out of the mouths of the poor.
So thank you, Sir Bob and company, for reminding the world of the tremendous problems in Africa. Now maybe you’d like to come and visit some of those mission outposts where you’ll see organizations like World Vision that have been doing this for years, quietly getting goods and food to the people who need it most. And yes, maybe you would even like to give them a hand.
Tuesday, July 5
/in·'dik·ə·tiv/
"So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers."
-Acts 16:5
Building upon my previous post, I continue in my challenge to those who believe that our attendence, buildings and cash are primary indicators of a healthy church. Throughout many Christianbookstores today there are growing sections devoted to church growth and pastoral leadership while the areas related to in depth Bible study seem to diminish rapidly (you can ask my wife what a headache I am to take along these days).
And while I can make my best case(s) for our approaches to growth and spiritual maturity within the local church, there is still a sentiment that can quickly respond with Acts 16:5 - a "clear claim" that growth is a sign of a healthy church. Suppose we accept that logic. . .if we allow this verse to be so simply applied to our current situation why not refer to Mark 13:6, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will decieve many." This seems to be more appropriate to the issue at hand and actually helps us to see the difference between many and many.
For so many are so quick to claim their growing numbers as a sign of the New Testament church. . .yet one can hardly find one who is ready to prepare themselves as did the early church. In other words, seeking the ends without working through the means. So what are we to conclude from such a situation? Perhaps it is that many will come. . .and will decieve many. Numbers are not so indicative as some would have us believe.
Relationships and maturity and Christ-like love are the marks of a healthy congregation. And instead of building a community on earthly wisdom we seek and find the word of God, which will not pass.
"There was no confusion in the minds of the first Chrsitians about what to proclaim. There was no searching for new and novel messages. The plain gospel that they heard form Jesus their Lord was considered entirely adequate."*
*Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 105.
-Acts 16:5
Building upon my previous post, I continue in my challenge to those who believe that our attendence, buildings and cash are primary indicators of a healthy church. Throughout many Christian
And while I can make my best case(s) for our approaches to growth and spiritual maturity within the local church, there is still a sentiment that can quickly respond with Acts 16:5 - a "clear claim" that growth is a sign of a healthy church. Suppose we accept that logic. . .if we allow this verse to be so simply applied to our current situation why not refer to Mark 13:6, "Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will decieve many." This seems to be more appropriate to the issue at hand and actually helps us to see the difference between many and many.
For so many are so quick to claim their growing numbers as a sign of the New Testament church. . .yet one can hardly find one who is ready to prepare themselves as did the early church. In other words, seeking the ends without working through the means. So what are we to conclude from such a situation? Perhaps it is that many will come. . .and will decieve many. Numbers are not so indicative as some would have us believe.
Relationships and maturity and Christ-like love are the marks of a healthy congregation. And instead of building a community on earthly wisdom we seek and find the word of God, which will not pass.
"There was no confusion in the minds of the first Chrsitians about what to proclaim. There was no searching for new and novel messages. The plain gospel that they heard form Jesus their Lord was considered entirely adequate."*
*Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 105.
growing
This past week I was challenged by a particular thought about escaping the tyranny of busyness. It is no big secret that our culture and society are busier than ever, especially the rate at which our children move between various activities. Yet all of this running about does not really make us less lazy, nor does it bring us any real fulfillment. Nevertheless, we are still overloading ourselves with so many activities.
Although this is no shocking revelation, it did cause me to think of our churches. Have we become to busy in our spiritual activities that we have lost our basic ability to think straight and consider spiritual things? I believe that we have, and that such an approach to our churchtime is becoming one of the fundamental flaws within our early 21st Century evangelicalism. Not only has it become a problem in and of itself, it is actually being prescribed by many church leaders and church growth "specialists" who believe that people must be very active less they fall away.
While I do believe that activity within the body is vital for the community of faith, an overemphasis on Christian activity can be equally destructive to the well-being of the church. When our lives become so full of activity and noise, it is easy to lose the ability to think straight. The same is definitely true of spiritual activity, which is why Scripture advocates the need to isolate oneself from activity and wait upon the Lord (Psalm 46:10).
It has been the philosophy of many church leaders and so-called "experts" that we must take new converts or members and plug them in to various activities of responsibility within the church so that they will be able to foster their growth and feel an "ownership" of the community itself. This, we are told, will ensure their ongoing participation and spiritual growth. I believe this might be wrong. For if we are to accept the premise that our lives are already filled with so much activity and that our culture has lost the ability to wait patiently upon the Lord, then it makes little sense that we should try to combat overactivity with more activity!
For some reason, this approach believes that slapping a "Christian" label onto the front of "activity" will make it a magical practice that does not have the same effects as little league, soccer games, bake sales, band concerts, etc. . . Yet the primary problem still persists: we are running around without reflection. In all of this, Christian activity is being promoted at the expense of Christian reflection and spiritual maturity. Church-centered activities may be well and good, but without the proper priority given to engaging God one-on-one then our activities are worthless (from a more Kingdom-oriented viewpoint).
What to do, then, with our newest and youngest in the faith? I propose that, along with everyone else in the faith, they follow the model presented by Jesus. As Mark presents Jesus' preparation before his public ministry, he emphasizes the fact that Jesus goes into the wilderness and is alone with God for an extended period of time (Mark 1:12-13). The only phrase that is repeated in these few words are "in the desert" which shows the emphasis Mark is giving to this aspect of the story (since he takes no time to develop or emphasize Jesus' showdown with Satan). It should follow that since no servant is greater than his master, we should not expect that we can be effective apart from the Spirit and ready for activity until we have spent time alone with God - just like Jesus.
A church cannot be built upon activity, yet we always try to do so. This often results in activity centers rather than churches, or churchy groups that have high attendence, impressive buildings, and much cash - all of which will fade away, none of which will be of any benefit before our Master. In fact, Jesus modelled a continuous participation with the Spirit even when he was in the midst of his ministry (Mark 1:35). To grow a church we need a community that is characterized by love: for God and for each other. Out of this our ministry will grow and be effective as well as drawing persons to a more mature relationship of faith.
Our numbers are not indicative of our effectiveness. . .
Although this is no shocking revelation, it did cause me to think of our churches. Have we become to busy in our spiritual activities that we have lost our basic ability to think straight and consider spiritual things? I believe that we have, and that such an approach to our churchtime is becoming one of the fundamental flaws within our early 21st Century evangelicalism. Not only has it become a problem in and of itself, it is actually being prescribed by many church leaders and church growth "specialists" who believe that people must be very active less they fall away.
While I do believe that activity within the body is vital for the community of faith, an overemphasis on Christian activity can be equally destructive to the well-being of the church. When our lives become so full of activity and noise, it is easy to lose the ability to think straight. The same is definitely true of spiritual activity, which is why Scripture advocates the need to isolate oneself from activity and wait upon the Lord (Psalm 46:10).
It has been the philosophy of many church leaders and so-called "experts" that we must take new converts or members and plug them in to various activities of responsibility within the church so that they will be able to foster their growth and feel an "ownership" of the community itself. This, we are told, will ensure their ongoing participation and spiritual growth. I believe this might be wrong. For if we are to accept the premise that our lives are already filled with so much activity and that our culture has lost the ability to wait patiently upon the Lord, then it makes little sense that we should try to combat overactivity with more activity!
For some reason, this approach believes that slapping a "Christian" label onto the front of "activity" will make it a magical practice that does not have the same effects as little league, soccer games, bake sales, band concerts, etc. . . Yet the primary problem still persists: we are running around without reflection. In all of this, Christian activity is being promoted at the expense of Christian reflection and spiritual maturity. Church-centered activities may be well and good, but without the proper priority given to engaging God one-on-one then our activities are worthless (from a more Kingdom-oriented viewpoint).
What to do, then, with our newest and youngest in the faith? I propose that, along with everyone else in the faith, they follow the model presented by Jesus. As Mark presents Jesus' preparation before his public ministry, he emphasizes the fact that Jesus goes into the wilderness and is alone with God for an extended period of time (Mark 1:12-13). The only phrase that is repeated in these few words are "in the desert" which shows the emphasis Mark is giving to this aspect of the story (since he takes no time to develop or emphasize Jesus' showdown with Satan). It should follow that since no servant is greater than his master, we should not expect that we can be effective apart from the Spirit and ready for activity until we have spent time alone with God - just like Jesus.
A church cannot be built upon activity, yet we always try to do so. This often results in activity centers rather than churches, or churchy groups that have high attendence, impressive buildings, and much cash - all of which will fade away, none of which will be of any benefit before our Master. In fact, Jesus modelled a continuous participation with the Spirit even when he was in the midst of his ministry (Mark 1:35). To grow a church we need a community that is characterized by love: for God and for each other. Out of this our ministry will grow and be effective as well as drawing persons to a more mature relationship of faith.
Our numbers are not indicative of our effectiveness. . .
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