quarterinchjack

journey's end

2005-12-04T22:41:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: new blog

I started this little project one year ago because my voice was seeking a place to speak. Not necessarily to be heard, but to speak. And the journey has been unexpected.

But now this season is giving way to another and the time and energies must follow. Thank you for keeping up with this small thread of the web and this diffident spark in the fire of our faith.

". . .a time to be silent, and a time to speak. . ."

touch

2005-12-03T12:06:00.000-05:00

"King Midas and the Christian Touch"

Some time ago there lived a king name Midas who was very wealthy and quite concerned about the encroachment of the pluralistic society on his kingdom. He spent much of his time fighting for prayer in schools. Curiously, however, he very seldom prayed with his lovely daughter, Christiana.

While the hot sun beat down in the afternoon, Christiana would play in the vineyard while King Midas thought about ways to revers the culture’s dreadful trend toward secularism.

“Please read to me,” said Christiana one day. She loved to hear Mother Goose rhymes, and because the king could not think of a Christian alternative, he took up the book and recited “Jack and Jill.”

At the part where Jack fell down, a thought came to him: if only everything in my kingdom could become Christian, the world would be a much better place. The would would be safe for my daughter, and I wouldn’t have to worry about lawsuits, unless of course it was a Christian world that didn’t read the Bible very carefully.

“If only I could have the power to make everything Christian,” he said aloud. “I would give anything to have that power, anything at all. As he stared into space as fathers sometimes do, Christiana said, “Come on, Dad, read!”

But her pleas fell on deaf ears, for all at once King Midas was stunned by a bright light and a piercing voice that said, “Your wish has been granted, King Midas. As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, anything you touch will become Christian.”

“Will it change into a deeply committed Christian thing or simply become lukewarm?” King Midas asked. 
“That is for you to see,” said the voice - which being interpreted means, “It’s for me to know and you to find out.”

And find out he did. In the morning King MIdas awoke fitfully from sleep and found the mattress he was lying on had become Christian. The tag displayed the manufacturer’s name with addresses in Wheaton, Illinois, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Anything I touch now will become Christian, thought the king. How wonderful for my kingdom.

Immediately he jumped out of bed and put on his shoes, which became sandals. He ran down the stairway eagerly, looking for objects to touch, and came upon his daughter’s book of nursery rhymes. One touch, and instantly the book was transformed! Every story, every poem, now had a religious slant.

The king ran on to one of his favorite places, the royal baseball diamond. Players for the minor-league Nuggets were running wind sprints and chewing tobacco, which should be done only by professionals. Forgetting his gift, King Midas approached a particularly rugged player who was the star of the team. Upon seeing the king the slugger uttered a few unprintable words and offered his hand.

Instantly the chaw in his cheek and his stubby beard disappeared. “Praise the Lord,” he said to the king. “It’s a real blessing to meet you.” 
I’ve never heard this player talk this way in postgame interviews, the king thought. Aloud he said, “You are certainly a talented young man.”

“Well, I just want to thank the good Lord,” the player said.

King Midas was overjoyed about the effect he was having on his kingdom. He ran in to a royal used care lot and leaned against one of the automobiles to catch his breath. Straightaway, each end of the care was graced with bumper stickers that said “One Way” and “Honk If You Love Jesus.” King Midas stepped into the dealer’s office and shook hands with the owner and his sales staff. They too turned Christian and began praising the Lord by offering markdowns on their inventory.

The king walked by the royal broadcasting center with its radio and television outlets and thought, Why not? Thus it came to be that one minute his kingdom was watching a talk show that paraded people with every known relational dysfunction across the screen. The next minute they were watching the same people being counseled by a Christian psychologist/faith healer.

King Midas was not only delighted in the change, he was ecstatic that all he had to do was touch a person or object to make it holy. No hard work, no prayer, no long days of waiting and struggling. Just a little touch, and each thing or person was converted.

Walking back toward the palace, he touched flowers and trees, which thereupon sprouted “Jesus Loves Me” buds. he met the gardener, an unkempt, bushyhaired individual with a long beard. When King Midas touched him, his hair turned three different shades of orange, and he went running toward the nearest televised sporting event to hold up a “John 3:16” sign.

The king approached two children who were playing with violent action toys. One touch, and the toys became biblical violent action toys with spears and slingshots.

A group of concerned politicians had gathered at the palace. When King Midas shook hands with them, they turned from the opposition party to the “League of Believers,” a new Christian coalition.

King Midas knew he had one important person left to touch. He found Christiana alone by the grapevines, reading her new Mother Goose book. He toucher her gently on the cheek and watched closely to observe the metamorphosis. To his surprise, he did not see any change. So he touched her shoulder a bit more firmly.

“What are you doing, Father?” she asked.

“I’m trying to turn you into a Christian,” he said, and grabbed her arm and shook it vigorously.

“Father,” she said meekly, “since my youth I have known of the things of God, as the Sunday School teachers have taught me. The words from the book about the man from Galilee, his perfect life, his perfect sacrifice, and the forgiveness he offers - that message touched my heart long ago.”

“Then I have been misled,” said the king. “I have thought all this time that I was making a society Christian. But you are saying it is not true. The voice I heard must have been lying.”

“The only One who can truly change our culture and the people in it is the One who touches the heart,” Christiana said with wisdom beyond her years. “You certainly have affected the outward appearance of men, such as the baseball player and the used-car salesman. But tomorrow one will put cork in his bat an the other will overcharge his customers for a brake job unless the Spirit reaches them.”

King Midas looked sad, and teardrops fell down his cheeks like so many little fish symbols. He loved his daughter even more because of the valuable lesson he had learned.

From that day forward he and Christiana devoted themselves to prayer for the kingdom. The regularly visited the poor, the widows and the orphans and set up a shelter for the homeless. They related the timeless message that the Great King of Glory loves people and wants them to know him. One by one people’s lives were changed, and the kingdom was never the same.

Chris Fabry, Spiritually Correct Bedtime Stories: Parables of Faith for the Modern Reader (Downers Grove: IVP, 1995)

if the music is groovy

2005-11-30T00:19:00.000-05:00

Just had a great conversation that pushed me to this direction. In the context of storytelling, ethics and responsibility it has become quite evident that the Christian voice has walked away from the table of public opinion and is now having such a difficult time returning. And, of course, evangelicals take the 'high road' of claiming this is no fault of their own but that they are being persecuted and ignored because of their religious beliefs. The cite certain biblical passages which tell them that being pushed around by society is indicative of doing the right thing (even though Jesus' warning of the world's hatred does not cover cases of sheer tactlessness).

And the absurdity continues to grow and further remove us from our effectiveness. . .and our relationship with the divine.

The comment was made to me, "Christians are afraid of magic. Hence, Christians are afraid of mystery and the unknown which leads them in a direction way from God." Right on. Let us consider what magic means (I'll hit the F12 key and check; if you don't know what this means, don't worry about it).

"magic" - the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces

If there is anyone who should believe in magic, it should be Christians! Another reason for this blog now is that in just about one week from now there will be released a movie version of C. S. Lewis' classic, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. And in this book there is an emphasis on magic (i.e., chapters 9 & 10). I'm waiting to see if any fundamentalist wing of evangelicalism will decide to have a problem with this to appear consistent as there is a clash between "Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time" and the triumphant "Deeper Magic from Before the Dawn of Time."

In our spiritual infatuation with having all of the answers we have paved the road away from the power and mystery and depth of a creator who stands beyond the veil. And we run from 'magic' like it will be our undoing. Perhaps it will be our undoing. . .and maybe that's a good thing.

[thanks to lovin' spoonful]

sometimes we find that hope falters in the face of hope that we might discover the fulfillment of true hope

2005-11-29T15:16:00.000-05:00

When a pitcher is on the mound with a runner on first, it is his responsibility to keep that runner from stealing second (or to have too much of a head start toward the other base in the event of a hit). In order to accomplish this pitchers have developed very intricate ways of deceiving the runners in order to keep them guessing as to where the ball is going to be thrown. In the issue of fairness, Major League Baseball Official Rule Paragraph 8.01 states that when a pitcher commits himself to a certain point (various moves are described specifically), he must throw home. If not, it is a balk.

Zechariah in the temple is faced with a great hope. We are told that he had been praying for a son, and given the advanced age of he and his wife, we can see traces of a great hope that lies within him in the power of Israel's god to do mighty works. And then he is told that his prayer has been answered and that this son would be great to the entire nation and in the history of humanity. This son would prepare the way for the coming of the messiah. Although Zechariah had hope, he was entirely unprepared for the fulfillment of this level of hope.

And he balked.

He had committed to throw home (i.e., he had demonstrated some hope) and was distracted by a runner on first to the point where he didn't complete the pitching motion. Although he had committed to the belief that 'god can do anything' (after all, who doesn't believe that?), his theology could not comprehend the fulfillment of that reality. In actuality, though, the fulfillment of promise frequently goes far beyond our expectations. Perhaps most of us would not have done much better.

But then do we hold on to hope or do we find eloquent theological positions and search for articulate-sounding questions?

I suppose it depends on whether or not you can throw heat.

interpretation

2005-11-28T14:54:00.000-05:00

"Our understanding of Jesus' career is guided by the Scriptures, but so is our understanding of the Scriptures shaped by Jesus' career; the two are mutuallly informing." *

What a wonderful statement of both hermeneutical approach and theological understanding. In the first place it speaks of the revelation that the Scriptures give about Jesus and how he is quite unique. Only he could accomplish the work which he came to do. And we further enlightened to the significance of his mission and ministry by diligently observing what the Scriptures teach of this anointed one.

And then he interpreted the Scriptures to compensate for our lack of understanding. Or to correct our incorrect interpretation. Or both.

The lesson found in this is that nothing is the same after encountering Christ. He has a way of showing things as they way they really are - or the way they should be. And in spite of the many who try to recast him into their own wants and desires, he never remains within the parameters of human expectation. His is a reality far beyond that which our minds can fabricate. And perhaps this is why so many would rather dismiss him than face him as he is. Is it not easier to walk away from a supposed fraud than to admit the shortcomings of your own theology?

". . .I will not call it my philosophy; for I did not make it. God and humanity made it; and it made me." **

*Joel B. Green, "Learning Theological Interpretation from Luke" in Reading Luke: Interpretation, Reflection, Formation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 70.
** G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy (New York: Dodd, Mead and Co., 1908), 13-14.

ǀə'soom'd • ə'θoritɛǀ

2005-11-23T19:59:00.002-05:00

ǀə'soom'd • ə'θoritɛǀ

adj.

exercising power or serving a function without being legally or officially established; assumed by one's own act, or without authority; cf. emergent leadership. syn: de facto, self-assumed.

66³

2005-11-22T16:12:00.001-05:00

Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.ps

The activity of Israel's god was told and retold and preserved for many generations to hear. Beyond the notion of heritage, though, was the intent of telling outsiders about this incredible creator. In the context of the Ancient Near Eastern culture this could simply be a move to tell of how Israel's god was superior to the many other deities which were represented in the surrounding nations. And while this may also be the case of this particular statement (and the psalm in its entirety), there is yet more to this beckoning to come and listen. . .

Within the framework of religious practice, to tell of divine activity is to glorify the one who acts. In other words, whenever a story is recounted it is for the purpose of promoting and glorifying the figure at the center of the story. Psalm 66 is a hymn of thanksgiving which makes use of this principle.

"And when he bids his fellow believers hear what God has done for him, then this 'narration' is likewise meant to form a part of the glorification of God's saving deeds in the presence of the congregation, which forms the purpose and theme of the cultic ceremony."*

In summary, narration beckons glorification.

For Israel's god to act drives the individual and community to an appropriate response of thanksgiving and worship, which encapsulates the telling of his story and produces glorification. And we know now why his actions bring him glory (though perhaps a greater process than first imagined). I would suppose that it is a good thing for this process to become rather instantaneous in our lives. . .so long as we do not forget to tell of what he has done.

*Artur Weiser, Psalms OTL (Lousiville: WJK, 1962), 471.

fights

2005-11-21T16:53:00.000-05:00

While in the wilderness, on his way to meet Esau, Jacob wrestled with God.

God started it.

Even though one can trace an impressive character development in the story of Jacob, there evidently was more growing that needed to happen. [Insert all-night fight sequence] The determination with which Jacob struggled was quite remarkable. Yet this account is not attempting to say that Jacob was as strong as God but highlights the tenacity of this particular individual. The tenacity of this very conniving individual who did not yet realize that he would begin a covenant people.

I have to wonder if anyone in the modern church would classify Jacob (as seen here) as a 'seeker.'

If so, then it begs the question of why he was looking for Esau rather than God. If not, then one is left to wonder why this was such a meaningful spiritual experience if Jacob was not a seeker. The answer to this might come down to the fact that we have no idea what it means to be a 'seeker' in the first place. For it is not required of us to seek God in specific religious practices but to live life and allow God to find us.

And start a fight.

Why a fight? Because God is not concerned with our safety or our well-being as much as he is concerned with having our passion driving us toward him. So Jacob walked away limping. . .and changed. And so we too walk away limping. . .and broken. For only then can we truly allow God to get down to business. His business of salvation and restoration. He knows our will must be shattered and he recklessly swings away.

". . .he bloodies your nose and then gives you a ride home on his bike."
~Rich Mullins

66²

2005-11-20T12:32:00.000-05:00

You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you-vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.ps

While reading through this literary piece, I was drawn to the phrase, "The history of suffering is the history of grace." Perhaps more attune to the overall biblical story is that the history of suffering becomes the history of grace. But then again, that might just be semantics. A while ago this blog cited, "And does glory ever come except on the heels of sorrow?" (R. Mullins); that is to say, can we ever find the true glory or grace of our god except when he has dispelled the rumors of truth found in this world? Instead, he works to destroy the so-called reality of this world in order to capture us into the legend of the other side.

The difficulty we find, then, is that we cling so tightly to all that we can see and hear and touch and feel and perceive. And so it becomes to us a punishment, perhaps because we have not matured enough to realize that pain is not necessarily punishment. On the other hand, however, it is neither for us to become religious masochists (even though the eyes of this world will regard our behavior as such). The promise of this journey has been referred to as the things of this world growing strangely dim.

After all of this, it becomes clear that indeed the history of suffering is/becomes the history of grace. For he will not have anything to do with competing for our attention. He must (and will) remove it from the equation. Until only two remain on the path (accomplished over and over and over again. . .).

How can I find something
That two can take
Without stumbling as we
Walk into our future's wake

(As Long as It Matters)

shaken

2005-11-16T00:34:00.000-05:00

[in regards to paul and the damascus experience - which, incidentally, was also the name of his punk rock band]

Following his encounter with the risen kind, we see a tremendous change come over the outlook and activity of this devout Pharisaic and zealous first-century Jew. A faithful member of the nation of Israel, this man knew that obedience to the Law was the only hope that this people group had for their god to come and establish his kingdom. Any attempt to subvert this divine activity had to be removed from the picture - by force, if necessary. Such was the devotion and zeal of this man.

And yet we take for granted the impact upon him as we are content with our sunday-school representation of Saul going down the road, blinded and commissioned by a risen Jesus, and suddenly changing his name to Paul (which isn't the case anyway. . .) while going on tour to tell everyone that Christianity was the right choice. With such a glossed over reading of the text it is no wonder why we do not see more people in our churches wrestling with their faith and fearful to struggle with spirituality. For as advances as Saul was in his own spiritual understanding, this face-to-face with Jesus left him in a definite daze.

In his own account of the impact of this event, we learn that he had to get away from everything for at least three years in order to sort all of this out (see here). And this is a guy with serious credentials. I am a firm believer that there is no encounter with Jesus that does not leave us in some sort of a daze (if so, then it probably was not a legitmate encounter with him). His holiness impacts our unholiness with such incredible power that we can not come away unchanged.

A shaken faith might not be the end of the world. . .

And when Christ has stripped away all of your 'phony-baloney' kind of systematic theology, all of your lame, Protestant kind of stupidity, all of your Catholic hang-ups, when Christ has stripped away everything that we have invented about Him, then maybe we will encounter Him as He really is. And we will know ourselves as we really are. So don't be afraid that your faith gets shaken. Could be that God is shaking you forward, and shaking you free.
~Rich Mullins

66¹

2005-11-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

"Come and see what God has done. . ."ps

In the context of Israel's worship one finds a continual and recurring theme of remembering and recalling all that their god has done in the process of salvation history. This occurs on many different levels, from the personal and intimate to national history and the miraculous. What I found to be of special note on this topic, particularly in Psalm 66, is how the story of salvation and the activity of the divine among humanity is told in both historical and present form. In other words, the past and the present are told in one breath.

This is due to the fact that the biblcal portrait of heavenly activity is seen as a single and unified event. The past serves as a heritage for the faith that we display in the present. In turn, our present activity will be the heritage upon which the future will be built.

And whenever we remember the past it actually becomes part of our present experience, which means the telling and retelling of God's activity allows it to live and impact and save today. "In the cultic representation the 'there' and the 'once' of history becomes the 'now' and the 'here' of the [salvation-history]; it becomes the eternal presence of the rule of God which is the true object of the cultic ceremony and of the hymnic praise of the tribes of the covenant people."*

So if the 'there' and 'once' become the 'here' and 'now' it is our responsibility to make the 'here' and 'now' become the 'everywhere' and 'tomorrow.' Our story must be continually present.

*Artur Weiser, The Psalms OTL (Louisville: WJK, 1962), 470.

sycamore

2005-11-14T18:12:00.001-05:00

"The statement of Zacchaeus [Luke 19:8] is to be understood as a reaction to the initiative of Jesus and to the objections of the crowd. In order that Jesus may be freed from the suspicion of consorting with a sinner he makes a public declaration of his intention to live a new life. In such a situation a declaration of intent was an adequate sign of repentance. At the same time, his action is to be seenas an expression of gratitude to Jesus for his gracious attitude to him, and as an example of the sort of change in life that should follow upon the reception of salvation." *

This particular comment struck me quite odd, yet remarkably difficult to pass by. The second line is what makes this account leap off the page - In order that Jesus may be freed. . . - and thus creates a shocking situation. Most people know the basic story of Zacchaeus (p.s., from what I can gather he was a wee little man) and thus are familiar with the fact that Jesus invited himself to this tax-collector's home. Two observations: 1) Jesus appears to have no hesitation to invite himself to someone else's house, which is a bit weird; 2) by going to this certain house he would have raised a number of eyebrows, as evidenced in Luke 19:7 with the response of the crowd. In fact, the response of the crowd shows that this activity of entering into a sinner's home was the same as sharing in Zacchaeus' sin.**

But at the end of the story the weight is given to the action of Zacchaeus to free Jesus from the reputation he had taken upon himself. What an incredible portrait of grace is demonstrated (once again) here to see the length to which God will go to reach his beloved. Such a magnificent humility is found in Jesus' willingness to bind himself to a sinner with the intent purpose of making that sinner pure. How is this possible? Jesus knows that holiness is not corrupted, but that it is the more contagious entity. In other words, holiness influences unholiness.

So in spite of the separationism of many modern evangelicals, this is not the solution. Rather than sit back and let this world pass on by, it is our duty to engage the sinfulness of this world on its own terms. For only then can we allow our holiness to pervade it and draw it to Christ.

And what about ourselves?
Christ has bound himself to us in our sinfulness.
Have we freed him from such a reputation?

*I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978), 697.
**Craig L. Blomberg, Contagious Holiness: Jesus' Meals with Sinners (Downers Grove: IVP, 2005), 153.

stumbling

2005-11-04T12:26:00.000-05:00

One of the most interesting observations about biblical narrative is the frankness with which the story is told, with much care given to the perfection of the Author and a seeming disregard for how each character comes across. Never are the blunders or shortcomings of any individual glossed over for the sake of good storytelling. Even some of the most well-known (greatest?) of our Sunday School heros are a bit rougher than we first realize. Samson is a sex-starved dimwit; Jonah is a jerk and a half who does not preach because he does not think his recipients worthy of salvation; Paul calculatingly murdered Christians; the Twelve had their own problems throughout; etc. . .you get the idea.

Much like Moses, we get the idea that these are ambling through this life and somehow stumble onto holy ground. When this eighty-year-old sheep-herder ascended the mountain he just wanted to see what all the smoke was about. He never envisioned himself returning to Egypt for some divinely commissioned task. And then he tried to get out of the job. Walking along, minding his own business he found himself on the brink of a movement that would shake the foundations of the world. He was unholy on holy ground.

I once learned that true greatness does not seek out great things. Rather, great things will come to those who are destined to be great. Not that we always find greatness accompanied by much acclaim. For the truest greatness is standing by the power which God has given you in those times into which he has brought you. And perhaps we find that in all of our stumbling along we are doing a great thing. We stand in the middle of a movement that is shaking the foundations of the world. We are unholy on holy ground.

So we who trip and lose footing find eventually that it is because we have actually and unknowingly been ascending a mountain. And certain moments demand we remove our sandals. . .

CR550N

2005-10-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

As I was driving down the highway today I became acutely aware. . .

1. There is such a wonderful color and beauty which surrounded me in nature. Since it is autumn, the various colors that are otherwise hidden within the leaves are able to emerge and display such a magnificence. And this is all part of a dying experience. For some this already sounds too morbid, but I believe this is because we have too easily lost a proper appreciation for the seasons of life - it is not that those who see beauty in the process of dying are particularly warped.

2. There seems to be an equation to spiritual existence. Yet this is not some mathematical economy which may be experienced as a formula in which lives are placed in a cosmic algebraic recipe and have all turned out. There is faith and hope. . .faith is built upon that which God has done in the past and hope is looking forward to the future. Yet there are three that remain: love is that which enables us to move from faith to hope in a three-part pilgrimage.

c. Trinity gains us an understanding of reality (it is the ultimate reality). Three persons, one essence. Bound together by an eternal and perfect love. Which means (among MANY other things) that Jesus and the Spirit and the Father are connected through love. We are told to display love toward each other and toward this loving perfection. The only possible way we can experience love is through the Spirit, which is the presence of Jesus who has enabled us to enter into the throne room of his heavenly Father. Could it be that the love we share carries the very presence of Christ? Perhaps even the heavenly glory of the Father?

4. Have you ever stopped to realize how close we are to the eternal? Our world is marked by so much that is temporary, yet the activity of grasping for these straws somehow binds us to that which will never end. We try to hold on to this life - sometimes for good and sometimes because we can't help ourselves - and we find that everything slips away from our reach. Even the most spiritually momentus occasions can not be preserved, yet we are still reaching for them. Perhaps our lives are indeed sacraments: outward signs of an inward grace. Sometimes we might be sacramenting the wrong direction.

four roads: one intersection: in more ways than one. . .

“Gratitude is a spiritual virtue that opens the door of the soul to the world around us.” *

C. Hassell Bullock, Encountering the Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004), 160.

penetrable

2005-10-21T12:35:00.000-05:00

There are, I suppose, two incompatible thoughts of god which dictate human existence. At least, they may be found incompatible in our particular uses (or understandings) of them. The first is to believe that god is a mighty fortress which cannot be infiltrated. And the other is that god is so interested in our lives that he can be summoned over the slightest murmur of a prayer. In modern day evangelicalism I do not see a healthy connection of these ideals. Perhaps this is because we do a rather poor job of acurately living this out. Our church spaces are most likely the best indication of this: either we have spaces that are truly contemporary but display little (if any) sense of reverence and awe or we have spaces which are stately and majestic but which make it difficult to approach god on terms other than white-collar, upper-class, management terms.

An interesting situation.

However, a solution might be approached if we realize that god is not an impenetrable and ineffable mystery before which one bow down to the dust, overwhelmed by mystical emotions but one who is intimately involved with every aspect of his creation. When Scripture speaks of his mindful eye it makes a profound statement that God is actively caring for all he has made. What is more, all that he has made is given an incredible position of being able to call out his name.

An interesting solution.

The notion of this god being available leads to the biblical position of god being moveable. Although many systematicians claim that god is not able to change (despite things such as the incarnation), Scripture is very clear and forthright about praying as though prayers make a difference! All of this leads to a god who has opened himself up to the risk of being hurt all so that he might have a genuine love and relationship with his people. This does not sound like an impenetrable force.

An interesting vantage point:

Since we are enamored with the biggest, strongest, best, etc. . .we cannot help but have pictures of might color our view of God. Even after he has demonstrated not a love of power, but a power of love (see blog. And given his position as creator and sustainer, it is not a question of whether or not this god exists as one who cannot be dethroned, but rather what kind of god is this that would risk rejection and a thwarted will (at least, in part) that he would enter into this world.

And as the creator, sustainer, and foundation. . .one must not worry about his lack of mighty strength (cf. Isaiah 40)

*gratitude to: Artur Weiser, The Psalms (Louisville: WJK, 1962), 467-472.

penitence

2005-10-17T16:44:00.000-05:00

illuminate

my heart's conscience

that

I might emerge

from your Shadow

:

simply

2005-10-16T14:17:00.000-05:00

. . .but success in whose terms?

I once was told that churches seldom (if ever) divide over matters of doctrine or theology, yet somehow find ways to split over the color of carpet, which font should be used on the hymnal engraving, or other seemingly meaninglessness tidbits. Although this mostly a facetious statement, there is a sting of truth in it. More acurately, it is the love and desire of power of influence which causes the difficulties to emerge. Perhaps this is because it is very much a part of human nature (or fallenness) that we should seek to have control. After all, is it not the first sin to take matters into our own hands?

St Francis penned:

To those who have lost their way, let me restore it to them.
To those who are aimless, let me bring purpose.
To those who do not know who they are,
let me teach them that they are the children of God and can be used as his instruments in the never-ending work of healing and redemption.

The image of 'instrument' is a far cry from the power struggles which so often characterize our modern Christianity. The relevant passage here is Romans 6:13: "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness."

Interestingly enough, this simple monk from Assisi has reached across time and space in order to impact so many who have listened to his words. With a lack of regard for himself, he allowed the glory of God to shine through his words and actions and so let his power of influence be controlled by the Almighty. It is noticeable that the great saints that have gone before simply sought the face of God. It is because of this that they have been so powerful in reaching across the centuries as "instruments."

All the while so many are determined to walk the easy path of complex religion rather than the difficult path of simple faith.

nauseated

2005-10-11T20:23:00.000-05:00

The moral flabbiness born of the bitch-goddess success. That - with the squalid interpretation put on the word success - is our national disease.*

Just how long will our churches and religious communites submit themselves to such earthy notions of success, whereby we measure our effectiveness by number and power? I have been a part of churches both large and small, economically secure and lacking, in fine facilities and those with peeling paint. And no matter how many times the issue of overemphasis on attendance, buildings and cash is denounced by religious leaders there remains many power struggles ranging from the direction of millions of dollars worth of funds to what color the sanctuary carpet should be. Why? Because we have sold ourselves to the notion that success is them most important ideal.

But success in whose terms?

Denominations want to see increased revenue, membership and baptisms. Church boards want to see people filling their pews. Churchgoers desire the best music and a flashy sermon. And everyone desires their churches to be admired and accepted by the community. Perhaps the case can be made that each of these are fine in and of themselves, but the constant hyperextension to include these at the center of church life demonstrates the current situation of moral flabbiness of which William James speaks.

I have found this in many conversations following all types of religious gatherings (from church 'business' to church 'fellowship' - as though the life of a church can be separated). There are many who want to immediately decide if everything was a 'success'. What if it wasn't? Then what? Do we work to make it a success next time, if there even is a next time? Provide enough of these situations and one can easily trace the downward spiral of fabricating socio-cultural entertainment. In other words, our incredibly poor concept of success leads us further away from our mission as a church. And the result is a moral flabbiness which is characterized by the lack of understanding truth and pervading sinfulness within our churches today. It also explains the failure of the 'seeker-sensitive' movement which paved the way into this level of churchy leisure instead of holding fast in a world of shifting sands.

It is indeed a shame that the words of Amos are so quickly forgotten in our modern culture. Speaking on behalf of God:

I can't stand your religious meetings.
I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
your pretentious slogans and goals.
I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,
your public relations and image making.
I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
I want just - oceans of it.
I want fairness - rivers of it.
That's what I want. That's all I want

I have to admit that there are times when my stomach turns as harshly as this. And I am begin to think that it's not last night's pizza anymore!

"So long as man remains free he strives for nothing so incessantly and so painfully as to find someone to worship."**

Bible translation from The Message: a good paraphrase for those "too comfortable" with Scripture. . .

*William James, 11 September 1906
**Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

IX

2005-10-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

My Dear Wormwood,

I hope my last letter has conviced you that the trough of dullness or "dryness" through which your patient is going at present will not, of itself, give you his soul, but needs to be properly exploited. What forms the exploitation should take I shall now consider.

In the first place I have always found that the Trough periods of the human undulation provide excellent opportunity for all sensual temptations, particularly those of sex. This may surprise you, because, of course, there is more physical energy, and therefore more potential appetite, at the Peak periods; but you must remember that the powers of resistance are then also at their highest. The health and spirits which you want to use in producing lust can also, alas, be very easily used for work or play or thought or innocuous merriment. The attack has a much better chance of success when the man's whole inner world is drab and cold and empty. And it is also to be noted that the Trough sexuality is subtly different in quality from that of the Peak - much less likely to lead to teh mild-and-water phenomenon which the humans call "being-in-love," much more easily drawn into perversions, much less contaminated by those generous and imaginative and even spiritual concomitants which often render human sexuality so disappointing. It is the same with other desires of the flesh. You are much more likely to make your man a sound drunkard by pressing drink on him as an anodyne when he is dull and weary than by encouraging him to use it as a means of merriment among his friends when he is happy and expansive. Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy's ground. I know we have won many a soul through pleasure. All the same, it is His invention, not ours. He made the pleasures: all our research so far has not enabled us to produce one. All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden. Hence we always try to work away from the natural condition of any pleasure to that in which it is least natural, least redolent of its Maker, and least pleasurable. An ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure is the formula. It is more certain; and it's better style. To get the man's soul and give him nothing in return - that is what really gladdens Our Father's heart. And the troughs are the time for beginning the process.

But there is an even better way of exploiting the Trough; I mean through the patient's own thoughts about it. As always, the first step is to keep knowledge out of his mind. Do not let him suspect the law of undulation. Let him assume that the first ardours of his conversion might have been expected to last, and ought to have lasted, forever, and that his present dryness is an equally permanent condtition. Having once got this misconception well fixed in his head, you may then proceed in various ways. It all depends on whether your man is of the desponding type who can be tempted to despair, or of the wishful-thinking type who can be assured that all is well. The former type is getting rare among the humans. If your patient should happen to belong to it, everything is easy. You have only got to keep him out of the way of experienced Christians (an easy task nowadays), to direct his attention to the appropriate passages in Scripture, and then to set him to work on the desperate design of recovering his old feelings by sheer will power, and the game is ours. If he is of the more hopeful type, your job is to make him acquiesce in the present low temperature of his spirit and gradually become content with it, persuading himself that it is not so low after all. In a week or two you will be making him doubt whether the first days of his Christianity were not, perhaps, a little excessive. Talk to him about "moderation in all things." If you can once get him to the point of thinking that "religion is all very well up to a point," you can feel quite happy about his soul. A moderated religion is as good for us as no religion at all - and more amusing.

Another possibility is that of direct attack on his faith. When you have caused him to assuem that the trough is permanent, can you not persuade him that "his religious phase" is just going to die away like all his previous phases? Of course, there is no conceivable way of getting by reason from the proposition "I am losing interest in this" to the proposition "This is false." But, as I have said before, it is jargon, not reason, you must rely on. The mere word "phase" will very likely do the trick. I assume that the creature has been through several of them before - they all have - and that he always feels superior and patronising to the ones he has emerged from, not because he has really criticised them but simply because they are in the past. (You keep him well fed on hazy ideas of Progress and Development and the Historical Point of View, I trust, and give him lots of modern biographies to read? The people in them are always emerging from Phases, aren't they?)

You see the idea? Keep his mind off the plain antithesis between True and False. Nice shadowy expressions - "It was a phase" - "I've been through all that" - don't forget the blessed word "Adolescent."

Your affectionate uncle
Screwtape

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Letter IX

chase

2005-09-29T11:47:00.000-05:00

. . .and when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. . .
Revelation 5:8

. . .those who had been victorious [sang]. . .'Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.'
Revelation 15

In the first scene there is a portrait of the heavenly throne room, which is painted in terms similar to the earthly temple that stood in Jerusalem. For morning and evening worship there was offered from the temple incense to symbolize the rising of the prayers of God's people to his throne. What happened next? Perhaps there were some individuals who had various answers or thoughts on what happened to these prayers once they had ascended from the earth, but most likely it was considered to be in God's hands and therefore unnecessary to ponder. Or maybe even some who (so much like us today) felt as though they had fulfilled their religious quota by praying and could then move on with the remainder of the day.

There is, however, a picture of what happens to this rising incense: it is gathered in heaven and held in the presence of God. For the sake of accuracy, we must recognize that not all prayers are being described here, even though there seems to be a more universally principle understood. Rather, these prayers are specifically for the return of Jesus and the glory and judgment which will accompany his coming. These prayers for justice and righteousness - the heart of God's kingdom - are held in the very presence of God that he might be mindful of them.

In the second seen there is a portrait of those who have prayed and have proven themselves victorious, which is painted in terms that display a deeply spiritual significance to their lives. As God's will is being done on earth as it is in heaven, these persons cry out a worshipful song of praise, All nations will come and worship before you.

"Thus the saints have followed their own prayers to heaven. The faithfulness with which they lived and died in hope of the kingdom for which they prayed, has made them part of the answer to their prayers."*

The picture is this: the saint offers a prayer (a life) which rises as incense to the heavenly throne room. From there the saint runs furiously after this prayer to witness and worship the one who brings fulfillment. Perhaps this sounds odd, yet this could only be the coloring of our own culture which does not see prayer as a source of empowerment to godly action but a means of escapism from the duty and responsibilities of partnering with the divine. We chase because we can act. . .and we can witness. . .and we can worship.

. . .as it is in heaven. . .

*Richard Bauckham, "Prayer in the Book of Revelation" in Into God's Presence, ed. Richard N. Longenecker (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 266.

life is a church

2005-09-27T17:55:00.000-05:00

watching the surf cover up my toes
breathing the salt air from the coast
ten years old with my eyes pressed closed
life is a church

remembering first love's tender kiss
mourning the loss of my innocence
the bittersweet taste of it on my lips

life is a church
these are the sacraments
this is the altar
love is the spirit
making the blue planet turn
life is a church

watching my baby being born
written all over you, pain and joy
holding your hand, it's a little boy

life is a church
these are the sacraments
this is the altar
love is the spirit
making the blue planet turn
life is a church

ashes to ashes, earth to earth
the preacher throws in the first handful of dirt
my little boy asks me, "Does goodby always hurt?"

life is a church
these are the sacraments
this is the altar
love is the spirit
making the blue planet turn
life is a church

life is a church
Marcus Hummon
(c) 2005 Careers BMG Music Publishing (BMI)

dim

2005-09-26T16:09:00.000-05:00

"when the music fades. . ."

There are days when you don't feel your faith within you. Not exactly the dark night or barren wilderness, but times when the Christian commitment does not demand an emotive expression. For those who have not understood the difference between joy and happiness, this can often be confused with spiritual dryness. I maintain that they are vastly different.

Sunday past was one of these days when my emotions were more of the "I'm-just-not-in-this" variety than anything else. Even though I was looking forward to the services. Perhaps this would be bothersome to certain individuals but my reflection has brought me to see that this was a time of allowing the noise of an outpouring faith to cease just long enough to hear a still small voice.

And that is what happened.

Through our community of faith we had a moving and memorable worship experience together with our Lord which made the lack of emotion meaningless. For faith goes so much further than emotion and is a call to true commitment and discipleship regardless of the world around us. Or empassioned by the world around us? Or inspired by the world around us?

To identify God as the cause behind all of this is to identify him as the author of creation. This means that when we look at creation we see into the mind of the creator. Life is no different, its experiences and moments become the grand movements of the outworking of a wild imagination. Sometimes the most emotional movements come to dimmed individuals who have grown tired of big shows.

incontheivable

2005-09-14T17:39:00.000-05:00

I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24

"How does one develop a faith like that? The matter is not helped by the way in which the disciples have just seen Jesus cause a fig tree to wither and been told that faith can move mountains. How can these things be - even if it be granted that the saying is metaphorical and hyperbolical? Our concern is not usually with moving mountains! Far more often it is about doing things that are a great deal more ordinary by comparison." *

Until I read that earlier today, it had never before occurred to me that it might be possible to over-expect in our prayer life. I mean, in all of my years growing up in the church I never hear this. . .in fact, I was always given the understanding that we do not expect enough when we pray. In all actuality, I believe that both (mis)approaches go hand in hand.

It becomes apparent that our spirituality becomes so focused on grandiose religious ideals that we live out more pie-in-the-sky worldviews than real life faith. And then there is the tendency to look for mountains which we can run out and move and never notice daily situations because we quickly dismiss them as molehills. Even when those molehills are the highest of mountains to those who struggle to cross over them.

And while we are looking for summits to reconfigure, using our prayers as dynamite we miss out on all that God has waiting for us that is within our reach. Because we think of them as less-significant we assume that God will not bother in dealing with them either. Which leads us to underestimate and underexpect his activity.

One question, though: when YHWH acts, can it ever be considered more or less significant?

* I. Howard Marshall, "Jesus - Example and Teacher of Prayer in the Synoptic Gospels" in Into God's Presence: Prayer in the New Testament. Richard N. Longenecker, ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001), 121.

fuse

2005-09-10T20:39:00.001-05:00

"Much Modern theology presupposes the deistic assumption that the first step is to prove God exists. No, the biblical question is what kind of God exists?"
~ Hauerwas and Willimon

It seems to me that truth of this statement is best shown in ancient Israel's approach to understanding history. Unfortunately we have lost an appreciation for the interconnectedness found in their history and theology. To know history was to practice theology. This is largely because our modern world has decided that it is fashionable to question the very existence of God, something that the ancients would not have been so inclined to do. What made Israel's monotheism unique was not that they held to a supreme power at work in the universe, but that it was a different understanding of the supreme power than existed in the ancient near east at the time.

For example, the study of creation is critical to the foundation of Israel. Because it is a historical-theological account of how this world came into existence it does not offer scientific proofs and apologetic evidence to prove that a theistic god was behind all of this matter. As said above, it was simply not an intelligent position to think that there was no supreme power behind this world. Rather, what kind of god is behind all of this? And from this appreciation for how this god filled this world in the manner in which he made and separated creation comes a very human response of love and adoration.

Fast forward to the poetic literature found in the written psalms. These are unique in the Bible becase they contain humanity's response back to this god. In other words, this is our response to the statement which has been made in history-theology. And these responses show an entire nation and worldview being shaped by an understanding of what kind of god exists.

He is a creator god, and in his creation he displays his sovereignty.
He is an omnipotent god, and his creation of a universe (not a multiverse) attests to his order.
He is an imaginitive god, and the wild diversity shows his mind.
He is an open god, and his care for this world is seen in his outstretched arms.

And it would benefit us greatly to fuse the events of this world (:history) with our understanding of what kind of god is out there (:theology).

For he is there and he is not silent.

truth decomposition

2005-09-05T20:16:00.000-05:00

I am still waiting to hear some intellectually and morally challenged Christian to lay out an I-told-you-so to those suffering in the wake of the devistating events on the gulf coast. And although there is a general lack of public editorial at the moment, my bet is that there are many who have internalized a position of judgment being cast down upon the godless and immoral (which means that it will only be a matter of time. . .). This prompts me to toss out an immediate and preemptive point of view.

To put forth that this destruction is the direct result of incurring God's wrath does not accomplish much (indeed, nothing) in the way of caring for and saving the victims. In fact, the results would be more catastrophic as it removes the final ounces of hope from those who are hurting and further drives the wedge between them and their creator. Rather than achieve all of this we should acknowledge (along with the hurting) that there exists real evil and destruction in the world, but God is at work to right the wrongs and those who endure in their faith will find that it will be worth it.

Having said that, it is important to address the evil and pain that has occurred and is still occurring at this time. The murdering, raping, looting, rioting, and chaos is indicative of an ethical and moral loss which has been going on for some time. I do not believe that God has somehow directed this storm to attack and destroy this area. However, he has allowed the choices that have already been made to be carried forth by those who have already rejected him. In their exchange of the truth of God for the ability to live by their own morality, they have chosen a path that led them away from God - and now he has allowed them to live in that choice.

Consequently, we have people who are acting without morality and ethic as the rules of might-makes-right come into full effect. Those who have argued long and hard against the need for a standard of ethic and rule of law are now able to see a "society" which operates in such a way. And they blame God because he "allowed" this to happen - they who told God they did not want anything to do with him now wonder why he is strangely absent. Except those who are destroying themselves and their hope of rescue. These act out their worldview and demonstrate the reign of anarchy.

The postmodern relativist thinker typically holds the following position:

"Christian ethics is fine for the Christian community. However, do not try to make them applicable outside of your community. Each community determines its own ways." One may keep Christian morals as they are demystified and disinfected of any residual absolutism.*

Now, in the wake of inconceivable destruction, we can see the fruits of this worldview which has been sewn for the past years in our culture. And this is evidence that the church still needs to work its way back to the table of public opinion.

For now our focus must remain on those who are reaching out, that we might respond as adequate representatives of him who already holds out his arms to them.

Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism (Downers Grove: IVP, 2000), 193. Note: this quote does not represent the author's view, but is used in the course of his argument.