tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12430587110381509832024-02-21T05:07:38.340-08:00I Am The Day Of Current TasteA superfluous collision of Jesus, people and culture.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-21733956089131244042014-04-20T20:30:00.000-07:002014-04-20T20:30:57.528-07:00The Longest Sabbath Ever.<br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-274b50c7-8254-d2b1-78c5-40ca0a2626dd"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment." </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luke 23:56</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This does not seem like the proper response after your rabbi, master, and lord has just been executed for a crime he did not commit. If I was one of the disciples I would most certainly be freaking out right now, despite Jesus' multiple proclamations that this is exactly what was going to happen (see Luke 9:18-22). In my mind, Jesus was going to overthrow Rome, be established as king, and usher in a new Golden Age for Israel. He was definitely NOT going to die by the hands of those very same Romans. But isn't it interesting that the one full day Jesus lay dead in a tomb just happened to be the Sabbath?</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, the Sabbath is all about rest. In Genesis, God makes everything in six days, and on the seventh He rests. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God does not need to rest. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God is not tired after a full work week.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">God is doing something here. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He is intentionally wiring the world to work in a certain way, a certain rhythm. God wants creation to enter a rhythm of work and rest, work and rest. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Sabbath teaches us not to rely on ourselves but to trust in God by resting in His work for us.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So then why is Jesus in the ground on the Sabbath? Because he has finished his work and now it is time to rest in that work. That is what God does. Jesus as the eternal God already has a track record of resting after a magnificent work; first in creation, and secondly in salvation. But Jesus does not need to rest after the work of the cross. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The rest is for us</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We are the ones that need to rest in God's work. If the disciples actually listened to Jesus and understood what was taking place, they would be resting in the fact that God has finished His redemptive work and wait for Jesus to rise from death. But instead they had lost all hope that Jesus was who he said he was. Luke 24:21 accounts two disciples reaction to the whole scenario:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel."</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can just hear the despair in their voices; </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"we had</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hoped..."</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> I'm quite sure that although God had planned to have the death of Jesus land on a Sabbath, the disciples did not grasp the full reality of this move. For them the Sabbath was a routine part of life, and so the deep truth of this Sabbath must have been lost on them. Maybe it's just me, but perhaps the reason God puts so much weight and emphasis on the Sabbath was for this specific day. Every command of God is not just a command in itself, but always points to a bigger reality. The entirety of existence in a sense is packed into 3 days. On Good Friday God works in a magnificent display of glory, He rests on the Sabbath, and then He ushers in a new creation. God's intent in the Sabbath falling between the cross and resurrection is to teach us to rest in God's work for us, trusting in his atoning work and looking forward to his resurrecting power. And notice that he is not "suggesting" we rest, he is commanding it. "On the Sabbath they rested </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">according to the commandment"</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (emphasis mine). </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our command is not to impress God with our work, but to be impressed by His work and rest in it.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So if we take this passage and zoom out to see all of redemptive history, it would seem that we are living in the longest Sabbath ever. we live between Good Friday (God's magnificent work) and Easter Sunday (His new creation). The whole life of a Christian is one long Sabbath; we behold the work of God on our behalf, live our lives in light of that work, not adding to it, and we wait for Him to resurrect everything. So behold the marvelous atoning work of Jesus, rest in it, and wait in hope for the New Creation.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</span>like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-8080498895528012014-03-03T14:30:00.000-08:002014-09-05T10:05:26.443-07:00Dating Law vs. Dating Gospel, Part 4: The Junk Drawer: Or, The Difference Between Legalism and Wisdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4Du-fzwyp7m_fXfcVXNZPbJqlqRmtyyCVV3wg9ADm-mGrUxCnlB_jnIiJf894EaVyj9PdLvBPFTu06AA0RhUhhxOkPGWFTiPQuXiah5YfnNHQRj7cZdU-yTHTy9ymPi5ni0TWZvxAAqF/s400/messy-drawer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4Du-fzwyp7m_fXfcVXNZPbJqlqRmtyyCVV3wg9ADm-mGrUxCnlB_jnIiJf894EaVyj9PdLvBPFTu06AA0RhUhhxOkPGWFTiPQuXiah5YfnNHQRj7cZdU-yTHTy9ymPi5ni0TWZvxAAqF/s400/messy-drawer.png" height="166" width="200" /></a></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-a5755b44-46c0-2d5d-fb69-78a01de3e0b8"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is part 4 of a series on grace, dating, and law. Today we will look at how having a dating gospel influences how we think through the “can’s”, the “cannot’s” and what wisdom the Bible has to in regards to dating relationships. You can check out the rest of the series </span><a href="http://likeacannon.blogspot.com/2012/06/are-you-under-dating-law.html" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://likeacannon.blogspot.com/2012/06/gospel-for-dating-part-one-identity.html" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and </span><a href="http://likeacannon.blogspot.com/2012/07/gospel-for-dating-part-two-implications.html" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If you haven’t figured it out by now, let me confess: I am a grace addict. It fuels my life, drives my motivations, and guides my relationships. Now it didn’t used to be, but with the help of some key people in my life and the work of the Spirit on my pride and insecurity (yes, those two things are connected), I have come to desire nothing more than to bask in my acceptance before God because of the work of Jesus on my behalf. I still struggle with pride and insecurity, but I now know that it does not change or affect how God sees me, rather, the only thing that changes is my attitude towards Him, myself, and others. Now as you can imagine, this has had a profound effect on my dating relationships, namely because nothing brings out pride and insecurity more than grace and acceptance in the presence of sheer failure. I’m sure nobody wants to fall flat on their face in front of people on a regular basis (especially around those whom we are dating), but many of us seem to get stuck in cycles of sin, failure, and defeat in this specific area. So to continue with our theme of law and gospel, I would like to propose two ways to handle failure, rough patches, and the junk drawer of sin in dating, and how different of a result they produce. As with before, let’s begin with our dating Law.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b id="docs-internal-guid-a5755b44-46c3-d495-626a-e82c352a53f1" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dating law, when addressing how to navigate sin, frustration, and failure will do three things: </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) Assess which rules have been broken.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Assign blame.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) Reassert a “do better, try harder” outlook.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In my dating relationships this is what I did, because my pride (which said I didn’t need outside help to figure this out) and my insecurity (which said I still wasn’t good enough) were directing my decisions, not grace. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dating gospel, when addressing the same issues, will react like this:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) Assess how they have not looked out for the good of the other.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Seek wisdom from Scripture and godly counsel.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) Reassert identity in Christ.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What I have learned (and am still learning) is the importance of the gospel in the moment of weakness and failure, and the inclusion of wisdom afterward. For you see, if you do not remember the grace of God in the presence your failures and frustrations, you will revert back to a self-centered introspection which can only lead to pride (thinking you’re not that bad) or despair (thinking you’re too far gone). If you do not remember the gospel (which by it’s very nature is outside yourself) afterward, then you will be prone to make the same mistakes over and over again. This is where wisdom from outside comes in and helps form us in regards to gospel relationships. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The thing I have gotten the most most pushback when sharing this idea with others is how far grace stretches. I hear “but Jordan, if you don’t enforce some kind of moral standard, then people just do whatever they want and sin will reign in that relationship”. They will speak of “cheap grace” (a contradiction in terms if I’ve ever heard one), which shows how little grace is actually understood. There is no such thing as cheap grace, because grace is by definition infinitely costly, though the cost is on God, not ourselves. To quote Tim Keller once more, “God is so holy that because of sin, Jesus had to die, but because God is loving, Jesus was glad to die.” Sin is serious, and in dating that reality is only magnified because when you allow another into your life, it becomes hard to hide (exactly what relationships are supposed to do, bring us into the light). Interestingly enough, the other hesitancy I receive goes something like this: Well if it’s true that grace changes everything, including the way we date, then shouldn’t that be all we need? Isn’t all this supposed “biblical wisdom” the exact kind of “law” you have been warning us about? If grace is all we need, why look for a guiding rule to dating? The problem here is an unnecessary and unhelpful dichotomy. Wisdom from the Scriptures and submission to godly counsel and authority is exactly the kind of grace I am talking about. If the dating gospel is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">looking out for the good of the other, and not the needs of the self</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">then we would do a disservice to those we are dating if we isolated ourselves from others and refused the grace that is present in wisdom, seeing that grace is not a rug that we sweep all our mistakes under, but a transformative reality. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So let’s end with a few practical points for surrounding ourselves and our significant others with the grace of wisdom, and training ourselves to see the deception of dating law.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FIrst:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Surround your relationship with godly people who love you and will speak truth and grace into your lives. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This doesn’t just mean you have “accountability partners”, but that you are constantly spending time with and around these people. They are part of the normal rhythms of your week and see you two in the good and the bad. One of the worst things you can do for a relationship is to isolate the two of you where you spend all your time “alone together”. I’m not just talking about physical temptation (that will always be there), but when you only get time with one person, it begins to be more difficult to do what is actually best for them.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Second: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be quick to repent. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In dating relationships you are going to sin against one another, and when it happens, acknowledge your sin, repent, and ask for your significant other’s forgiveness. If you are both fully covered under grace, then sin doesn’t have to come in and tear you apart. You can acknowledge what it is, and live in the reality of God’s forgiveness as it flows through you. The goal of the gospel is reconciliation, and if God can reconcile sinful humanity to himself, then you can apologize for trapping her cat in the closet or belittling him in front of his friends.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Third: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be quick to forgive.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, when to sinners get together, sin happens. In relationship, what seems miniscule to one may be a huge deal to the other. If we are using the gospel as the defining mark of dating, then practicing forgiveness has to be a core element. We must learn to understand that the vertical reality of our relationship with God has to have horizontal implications for those we are relationship with, especially those in our dating relationships. Holding onto resentment, bitterness, and unforgiveness is the quickest way to dissolve a relationship, and if we have experienced such a great forgiveness, why would we hold it back from those closest to us?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next week, in our final installment, we will try to understand the relationship between the gospel, dating, and marriage as a capstone to all we have discussed so far. Dont miss it.</span></div>
like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-2726323118161735922014-02-24T17:48:00.000-08:002014-09-05T09:48:06.490-07:00The Gospel for Dating Part Two: Implications<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jD66DMeJ2VIvzTVRFj4HZqT-6tvFu8n-Qz7gkSp3Jmy-J7IZ5f6LBZyHN2QqusKjdlYVgJVb_vRHaX6W6PEoIBb3FT3n1417rmIdg1wDGqc36IWeVcRogZ-28CkgML0Jj8Oa7F6WpdNO/s1600/holding-hands.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jD66DMeJ2VIvzTVRFj4HZqT-6tvFu8n-Qz7gkSp3Jmy-J7IZ5f6LBZyHN2QqusKjdlYVgJVb_vRHaX6W6PEoIBb3FT3n1417rmIdg1wDGqc36IWeVcRogZ-28CkgML0Jj8Oa7F6WpdNO/s200/holding-hands.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760748624495154066" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 150px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">(This is part three of a five-part series entitled “Dating Law vs. Dating Gospel”. Today is a continuation of my post yesterday about Gospel identity with a focus on the implications for dating relationships)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
If you missed yesterday’s post, you can check it out <a href="http://likeacannon.blogspot.com/2012/06/gospel-for-dating-part-one-identity.html">here</a>. Today we’ll build on part one of “The Gospel for Dating”, so if you didn’t get a chance to check it out, I’d suggest reading it before jumping in.<br />
<br />
When you anchor your life in the reality that God has rescued you from slavery by giving His Son to make you righteous and free, you are free to stop obsessing about your life because it’s not about you, it's about Jesus. This then leads us to the following conclusion:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Gospel-centered dating is about the good of the other, not the needs of ourselves.</span><br />
<br />
This has generated three profound implications in my own life. I share them with you in the hopes that they will set you free as well.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Who you date does not define you.</span><br />
All of the pressure we take on when we set out to find “The One” disappears when we apply our identity in Christ to the idea of what our “perfect partner” would be like. And let’s face it, they don’t exist ok? Tim Keller says in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Meaning-Marriage-Complexities-Commitment/dp/0525952470/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341276696&sr=8-1&keywords=the+meaning+of+marriage">The Meaning of Marriage</a> that “you never marry the right person”, and, because dating is the precursor to marriage, that statement applies to dating as well. <span style="font-weight: bold;">You will never date the right person.</span> Find someone who you can let into the mess of your life ,and see if you can stand to be around them for more than ten minutes at a time. Don’t set out looking for Michelangelo's <span style="font-style: italic;">David</span>, just look for a good piece of marble, and let God shape you both into the people He made you to be. When you give up all of your dating laws and start embracing the Gospel in light of your relationship, it starts to become less about your wants and needs and checklists. You can finally, selflessly give to the other person, serve them, and care for them instead of using them. When you realize that they do not define you, you can stop trying to control your relationship and start working on it, letting them be them, and learning together how to help each other become all that God has created you to be.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">2. How you date does not define you.</span><br />
Because God has set you free from any self or culturally imposed law, from all the electric fences, from all the do’s and do nots, you are now free from any preconceived notions about how this dating thing is going to work. Grace is your defining measurement of and requirement for your dating relationships. When you start believing in and proclaiming unfettered grace, people will inevitably start asking, <span style="font-style: italic;">“So does that mean we can do whatever we want and God will forgive us?”</span>, and your answer will be a resounding <span style="font-style: italic;">“YES! But you won’t want to!” </span>If you think that is an overestimation of grace, I would ask you what you think grace accomplishes. Is grace a sort of rug that you sweep all your junk under? Or is grace a radically transforming reality that changes everything about you, including your desires and motivations? If you were hesitant about my earlier <span style="font-style: italic;">“YES!”</span>, than I would submit that you have actually, tragically <span style="font-weight: bold;">underestimated<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span> grace, and that you would probably fall in the former category. Grace isn’t neat, it isn’t orderly, and it most definitely ISN’T controllable. Grace makes you do ridiculous things. Grace leaves all paranoia of “are we doing this right?” in the dust and chases after the broken-hearted and those hopelessly wounded from not measuring up. It grabs them, embraces them, shakes them silly, and messes up their hair. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Grace messes up your hair.</span> And when it’s done, you can brush the dust of Dating Law off your clothes and freely, adventurously pursue someone in hopes that they’ll experience the same hair-raising grace that you have.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">3. Why you date does not define you.</span><br />
One of the saddest products of Dating Law has been an overly pious and spiritualized assessment of our motivations. I cannot tell you how many times I was asked after expressing interest in someone, “so why do you want to date them?” like what I was describing was nothing but carnal. Many of us want pious and glib answers to make us feel like we’re in control, but truth is, <span style="font-weight: bold;">we want to date because we want the opportunity to experience love</span>. It’s as if we didn’t trust ourselves to be in any sort of place where we have a deep commitment and experience together with another person without sin getting in the way (which is a sure sign that you are under the Law). Of course sin is going to get in the way, <span style="font-weight: bold;">we are all sinners! </span> Do we think that we have to (or are even able to) get to a place of perfection before we ever start even thinking about dating someone? That is pure naivety and another sure sign that we are deeply entrenched in a Dating Law. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Relationships are messy.</span> Whenever you put two sinners together, things are gonna get a bit messy. This does not mean that your relationship is unhealthy (although it will become so without grace), it just means it’s real and not a fairytale. You are going to sin with and against one another, and the only way for you not to idolize the other person or completely despise them is to center yourself around the Gospel of grace as you seek to understand your motivations for wanting a relationship. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">God created you to be in relationships.</span> It is not sinful to want the company and affection of another, even if you are not ready for it. God made you to image Him, to reflect Him. This is what theologians call the <span style="font-style: italic;">imago dei</span>, the image of God. Now since God is trinitarian in nature and essence, always and continually in community within Himself with each member of the Trinity loving, serving, and giving to each other, we by our nature image God in our desires for love, communication, and relationship. It’s no accident that God said <span style="font-style: italic;">“it’s not good for man to be alone”</span> after He said repeatedly and emphatically said that everything He made “was very good”. Our desires flow out of God’s nature, so we want relationships because God's very nature is relational. When the Bible says “God is love”, it is saying “God is in relationship”. Trinitarian love is the basis for all human love, so just as each member of the Trinity loves and serves the other, love in a romantic context, or any context for that matter, should seek to do the same because it’s built into the very core of who you are. It’s beautiful and godly to want a suitable companion. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.</span><br />
<br />
So let your heart be full of the grace of God, and I promise you, it will begin to flood the lives of others, especially those you date.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">(Next week we’ll be looking at some wisdom in dating, and specifically the difference between wisdom and legalism. stay tuned...)</span>like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-29851934719662250612014-02-17T15:33:00.000-08:002014-09-05T09:47:34.311-07:00The Gospel for Dating Part One: Identity<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTUweFm24QCscs5ZF6-woaV1mycpCF_Jd1wI1c3cFl2vkfqLNzhE1hu7aeD23E55MRFI2ZBW8HW2KO8ep7hPckm9YL4XV-WG6cr-DttyOGCse1IhhISkgSUWiP3rNlG4_BSsdW2Aw9O1a/s1600/17-who-am-i.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTUweFm24QCscs5ZF6-woaV1mycpCF_Jd1wI1c3cFl2vkfqLNzhE1hu7aeD23E55MRFI2ZBW8HW2KO8ep7hPckm9YL4XV-WG6cr-DttyOGCse1IhhISkgSUWiP3rNlG4_BSsdW2Aw9O1a/s200/17-who-am-i.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760379891604549394" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 125px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Note: This is part two of a five-part series titled "Dating Law vs. Dating Gospel". Today we will look at identity in Christ and grace, and tomorrow we'll flush out some of the implications of this on dating. You can catch up by reading Part One: "Are You Under a Dating Law" <a href="http://likeacannon.blogspot.com/2012/06/are-you-under-dating-law.html">here</a>.</span><br />
<br />
Before we dig in, let me say this: This idea has actually been very hard for me to express, and I nearly gave up and scraped this whole series, but some key friends really pushed me to finish this because they believe what I am wrestling with is exactly what God is going to use to help others. In addition to struggling with having a massively crushing Dating Law myself, I have never quite experienced what this blog will describe. I have experienced failure, loss and plenty of rejection, but grace is not something I have seen in my dating life. The Gospel is the only thing that can help me deal with the complexities of modern romantic relationships. The fact that I have trouble believing this doesn't mean it isn't true, it just means that (ironically) grace seems harder to live by than the Law. So would you join this broken and fragile man in seeing how the great story of God's radical grace in Jesus can transform how we view and deal with our emotions, relationships, and immensely broken hearts?<br />
<br />
In my last post we looked at the problem of Dating Law, in which we set up a list of rules and standards for ourselves and those we pursue in relationship in order to get what we think we deserve in a potential mate. But this law becomes a crushing weight that turns us into frustrated and despondent people lacking any grace. The development of this dating law looks something like this:<br />
<br />
1) All of us want to have some sort of control over our dating relationships in regards to a biblical standard of holiness<br />
2) But we also live in a culture which subtly feeds us a standard based on a self-centered worldview<br />
3) So we have merged our own personal code for holiness with modern dating, in effect creating a dating law.<br />
<br />
We saw last week that the biblical Law gave a diagnosis of the spiritual and relational problems of God's people, but was never intended to be the cure. And along the same lines, having a dating law can tell you what you want for yourself and those you wish to pursue, but it can never bring any real and lasting change in the way you relate to them; for that you need the Gospel.<br />
<br />
In Exodus 20, when the original Law, the Ten Commandments, were given, God prefaces it with a very important piece of truth that we often overlook, and it has caused a detriment in our thinking, living, and interacting with others, including the precarious realm of dating.<br />
<br />
This is how <a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/Exodus+20%3A1-17/">the 10 Commandments</a> begin:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">"And God spoke all these words, saying,<br /><br />'I am the LORD your God, <span style="font-weight: bold;">who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery</span>.'"</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Before God ever told them what to do, how to behave, or what to expect of each other, He gave them a decisive foundation on which to build their life:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> I am your God and I alone have rescued you out of slavery.</span> <br />
<br />
This should absolutely floor us. God has made a people for Himself by rescuing them from themselves, their enemies, and all who would oppress them. No doubt He gave them a mode of conduct to set them apart from all the other people, but before He spoke even one word of command, He told them who He is and what He has done. If the Law is the diagnosis for the spiritual and relational problems of God's people, then Exodus 20:1 is the cure: <span style="font-weight: bold;">God has rescued you out of slavery. </span><br />
<br />
This is the Gospel.<br />
<br />
J. Alec Motyer, great OT scholar, using the story of the Exodus as well said it this way.<br />
<br />
"If you asked an Israelite coming out out of Egypt on the way to Canaan 'Who are you?' they would say 'I was in a foreign land, under the sentence of death, in bondage, but i took shelter under the blood of the lamb. Our mediator lead us out of there and we crossed over and now we're on our way to the promised land, but we're not there yet, but He's given us His Law to make us a community, and He gave us the tabernacle because you have to live by grace and forgiveness. His presence is in our midst and He is going to stay with us until we get home." <br />
<br />
Funny, that is exactly what a Christian says.<br />
<br />
God has rescued you from your slavery to sin, not by killing all the firstborn sons of your oppressors, but by providing the sacrifice of His one and only Son. He has called you His own, brought you out of the land of slavery and sent you on a journey to the Promised Land. Therefore, your identity is no longer based on obedience or disobedience, success or failure, perfect law-keeping or reckless law-breaking, but in the perfection of Christ's life, the spotlessness of his death, and the glory of his resurrection. All of it. Everything that Christ did is reckoned to you. Every temptation he overcame is now your victory. Every bead of sweat and drop of blood shed as now completely, <span style="font-weight: bold;">completely</span> covered all of your sin. When you believe in Jesus, God immediately takes His eyes off of your iniquitous life and turns to look at Christ. <span style="font-weight: bold;">And He can't take His eyes off of him.</span> He is no longer interested in keeping track all of your wrongs (and your precious little rights); He is only interested in the matchless record of Jesus, given to you. This is where you stand, and this is what now defines you. You are <span style="font-weight: bold;">in Christ.</span><br />
<br />
The cure for our ailments comes <span style="font-weight: bold;">before</span> the diagnosis. God gives the answer to all of our woes before He tells us what's wrong. That's because <span style="font-weight: bold;">it's not about us</span>, but about Him and His grace. <br />
<br />
This is where we can begin to see the Gospel in relation to dating:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Gospel-centered dating is about the good of the other, not the needs of ourselves.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Stay tuned tomorrow where we will continue to look at how Gospel identity reorients our dating relationships.</span>like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-61317407505377236212014-02-10T12:24:00.000-08:002014-09-05T09:46:22.369-07:00Are you under a Dating Law?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5j3kWc4YP8lJXHRZltXlPny_sgiMVTKpznr_3fwS6JeyqvAAWfyThyOrzpYKLZ5wNrkdR2ZIk_XkdSPAINIKCZVzDK6I5ckYP4f7fsZdCtGirjXKIEnqzKtvh8Qat1n1pZq7b1KxQWEk/s1600/m217499426.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH5j3kWc4YP8lJXHRZltXlPny_sgiMVTKpznr_3fwS6JeyqvAAWfyThyOrzpYKLZ5wNrkdR2ZIk_XkdSPAINIKCZVzDK6I5ckYP4f7fsZdCtGirjXKIEnqzKtvh8Qat1n1pZq7b1KxQWEk/s200/m217499426.gif" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5751378887428488530" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Note: This is the first of four posts of a series i’m entitling “Dating Law vs. Dating Gospel”. Looking at dating through the lense of law and gospel has freed me from the crushing weight I put on myself and those I pursue in relationship, and I hope it will do the same for you.</span><br />
Have you ever been golfing? It’s difficult. it’s expensive. And yet every weekend, the courses are full of men and women in goofy outfits having minor Turette’s episodes regarding the number FOUR. Similarly, every weekend you’ll find restaurants and movie theatres full of men and women wearing their best outfits and trying to disguise who they really are. Now, pepper some American evangelical nonsense into all that, and it’s enough to turn anybody into one frustrated curmudgeon. I know because I have experienced this first-hand over the last ten years, with little fruit to show for my hard work.<br />
<br />
Dating culture in the modern church seems to be lost in-between two worlds: that of the biblical Christianity that we try to take seriously, and that of the secular world which has an invisible grasp on our decisions, standards, and practices. Most of us desire to live lives of holiness (especially when it comes to dating), and so when considering who to date, we have things like purity, trust, and service in mind. What we don't often realize is the world around us is subtly feeding us ideas about what we should look for in a potential mate. These would include social status, income, how they make us "feel", and most importantly, sex appeal. Now these things aren't inherently bad (for example, no one wants to date someone they are not attracted to), but they do need to be assessed biblically in order for them to contribute positively to a healthy dating relationship. <br />
<br />
American evangelicalism has "Christianized" this second list, taking all that we want in a boyfriend/girlfriend and justifying it spiritually. For example, "income" becomes "can he provide for me?", "How they make me feel" becomes "Do they speak my love language?" and sex appeal becomes "will she protect me from lust"*. For example, I think somewhere in the mid-90's, many Christian girls I knew were being told that they were princesses; they were "daughters of the King". This led to the only logical conclusion that if they were princesses, then they must be waiting for a prince. This set an incredibly high standard for the average Christian guy, one that many, if not all, felt they could not meet. The qualifications necessary to date a Christian girl became so ridiculous that Jesus himself could've walked into the room and five of the girls would have said, "I don't like beards"**.<br />
<br />
So what was the solution? <br />
<br />
Easy.<br />
<br />
1) learn to play the acoustic guitar, <br />
2) lead a small group <br />
3) start working out at The Lord's Gym. <br />
<br />
I did all of these things fairly early on in my Christian life, thinking that if I could just get these things down, maybe I could snag a nice church girl of my own. When it came to actually taking her on a date, it all had to be perfect. The date had to be elegant, not too cheap, creative, and fun. It had to be approved by your pastor, her parents, your small group, and her BFF's. Everything had to be perfect.<br />
<br />
Do you see what we have done? We have created a set rules and standards that nobody in the world could possibly keep. We have created a Dating Law. <br />
<br />
We have, in effect, created our own Mosaic Law when it comes to dating. In biblical terms, the Law is a list of 613 rules and practices that God gave to His people through Moses in order that they might thrive in relationship with Him and with each other. It provided a diagnosis of their spiritual and relational condition, but It was never supposed to the cure. A law can never solve a problem, it can only point it out. So, do you have a "Ten Commandments of dating"? I did, and I have only began to see that I thought God did not trust me with any kind of romantic relationship unless there were strict guidelines, which brings me back to my original observation: <br />
<br />
We have merged Biblical Law with modern dating, and the outcome is a lot of broken hearts.<br />
<br />
You see, the Law works on an "if/then" principle. If you obey these commands, then God will bless you. Dating has subsequently taken on these same parameters; "If" you meet my requirements, "then" I will give you my attention and affection. But does anyone want that? Don't we all feel a little despondent, just wanting to find love without all the stupid rules? Is there a better way?<br />
<br />
Well if there is a spiritual answer for those who can't keep the Law, then there must be a relational answer for the same. But that’s for next week...<br />
<br />
*I am not saying a woman is responsible for a man’s lust (which she is not), I am just pointing out what happens when we justify worldly ideas with “spiritual” answers.<br />
**This isn’t to say that guys haven't set an incredibly high standard as well, but that doesn’t really flow with the joke.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-2277863134331000892012-12-14T14:25:00.002-08:002012-12-14T14:25:47.235-08:00Grief and the Gospel<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://relationshipdevelopment.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Sydney-grief-counselling-how-to-deal-with-the-loss-of-a-partner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://relationshipdevelopment.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Sydney-grief-counselling-how-to-deal-with-the-loss-of-a-partner.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Evil.</div>
<br />
<br />
What a complex word. I am at odds with myself on how to describe how I am feeling right now; writing, deleting, rewriting to try and express what is welling up in me right now.<br />
<br />
I do know one thing though; evil showed up this morning. It showed up in a classroom in Newtown, CT, it showed up on the front page of my newsfeed as tears streamed down my face, and it showed up in the heart of a young man who, for reasons unbeknownst to us, decided he needed to take the lives of nearly 30 people today, mostly young children.<br />
<br />
Now I know that many you experienced the same thing: brokenness, tears, unquenchable grief, and a sense of lostness and confusion rarely felt. As I scrolled through the story this morning, stopping every few lines to weep, I realized something; Everything I am feeling is a gift. It is no accident that I am feeling unbelievably crushed, even for a group of people I have never met, for it pulls me out of my self-centered world and forces me to deal with ultimate reality. Many people will baulk in coming days, "I can't believe in God when there is evil like this in the world", and yet it is precisely because of this kind of evil that I have to believe in God. The only explanation for the weight I feel over this story, the utter sadness that sweeps over me, is that I am made in the image of a God who weeps, a God who feels, and a God who is by no means a stranger to grief. We can point fingers and make deriding comments towards a deity we may or may not believe in, but the fact is, deep down, there is a well of emotion that no scientist or philosopher can explain. As tragedy and horror strikes, we drink deep of the well of God's emotions, just as he weeps and mourns along with us.<br />
<br />
God is not immune. Not only does He grieve with us, he has suffered for us. God is intimately familiar with the lost of a child, just as many parents in Newtown are experiencing today. God lost a Son, not in the chaos of gunfire, but in the horror of Roman execution. The shooting today only brought hurt and mourning, but the crucifixion brought peace to all. God wept so that we could not weep hopelessly. Jesus suffered so that we do not suffer in vain.<br />
<br />
God may not explain evil, but he experienced it, and He holds out the hope that one day, He will destroy everything that sets itself up against his heart, and when that day comes, evil will be only a distant and fading memory.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-80296731556376894862012-04-17T13:24:00.003-07:002012-06-06T17:00:55.178-07:00Blue Like Jazz, The Gospel, and Heart-softening Stories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uftPY6b1LzKkuNNLnulajqVcyQw9pePUZSqEQnxC6JIzabi4T7ec5aeA6Yap6Ix_URXzRJPcWEsnLdjLGqA_E1XZc8YqiPvLi0DwEQiSTzEKuOyplT9rksmwWKQdqyHe7w3r6GgUTK6K/s1600/MV5BMjEyNjAxNDMyMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODI4ODE0Nw%2540%2540._V1._SY317_CR0%252C0%252C214%252C317_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6uftPY6b1LzKkuNNLnulajqVcyQw9pePUZSqEQnxC6JIzabi4T7ec5aeA6Yap6Ix_URXzRJPcWEsnLdjLGqA_E1XZc8YqiPvLi0DwEQiSTzEKuOyplT9rksmwWKQdqyHe7w3r6GgUTK6K/s200/MV5BMjEyNjAxNDMyMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODI4ODE0Nw%2540%2540._V1._SY317_CR0%252C0%252C214%252C317_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5732468746930786738" /></a><br />Yesterday I went and saw the motion picture rendition of Donald Miller's spiritual autobiography Blue Like Jazz. Needless to say, I had been anticipating this for some time now. Blue Like Jazz was the first spiritual book, besides the Bible I had ever read, and it quickly became my favorite read for a number of years. Now while Don, Ben and Steve Taylor did a tremendous job at creating a compelling story out of a set of memoirs on Christian faith, which I heartily encourage everyone to go and see, this is going to be less of a movie review and more of a reflection on how to share God's story in a post-Christian world.<br /><br />The film has been critisized by some, including a few of my friends for "not having a clear Gospel message", to which I replied, "Maybe, but that was not its job; that's your job."<br /><br />You see, we always want to outsource evangelism to something or someone other than ourselves. Now, whether that be a movie, Christian television, or God forbid, a brochure featuring cartoons of people burning in hell, we secretly hope that these things will do the hard work of gospel proclamation for us The problem is, these things cannot and will not talk back. They can't ask questions, can't know what someone needs to hear, and they certainly can't offer up prayer. With all the good things movies like Blue Like Jazz can do, they can never replace a real person in sharing God's story with those who don't know it. <br /><br />Blue Like Jazz did magnificently at answering common objections to Christian faith, and I think that is, in some sense, what it was meant to do. My hope is that Christians see that, and when they invite their friends to see it with them, they would use Don's story to share God's story as well.<br /><br />Find Blue Like Jazz at a theater near you.<br /><a href="http://www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com">www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com</a>like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-33937038807064311632012-04-12T21:44:00.003-07:002012-04-12T22:47:17.781-07:00Afraid of grace.I was going to see Explosions In The Sky tonight. <br /><br />God had other plans. <br /><br />The band had to cancel due to adverse weather conditions coming down I-5. Benjamin and I were sorely disappointed, defeated even. So obviously the only things to comfort us were coffee and wings. As we chatted over a few capps from The Hub and some wings from Slice, I shared about a situation in my life where God had begun to bless me, and could continue to bless my socks off in the future, and I begun to confess that I was scared about this. I was scared of being a disappointment, scared of not living up to the moment, scared of not being good enough. My wise and faithful brother then pointed out, "Jordan, you're scared of God's grace." He continued, "You feel that it's safer to not believe that God wants to bless you because then you can be in control." <br /><br />That wrecked me.<br /><br />It wrecked me because I know the Gospel, and that is most certainly NOT the Gospel. There was a schism between what I knew and what I actually believed. Does this happen to you? I think it happens to everybody. We are all unbelievers in some aspect. Our Christian vernacular makes this dichotomy between "believers" and "unbelievers", like there is ANYBODY out there who believes completely and perfectly all that the Scriptures say to us. We all have areas of our life where the good news of Jesus has not touched, areas we hide from God's grace. I say, "ok God, you can have all theses things, just don't touch this. Move along God, nothing to see here...<br /><br />Here is where I am an unbeliever. I don't believe God really wants to bless me. I actually believe that God is impressed with my suffering and misery, and that somehow my ability to take a punch makes me more holy in His sight. <br /><br />Isn't that a bunch of hogwash? It sounds ridiculous when you actually say it out loud, but that is how I think ALL THE TIME. Many of us can see the dangers of so-called "prosperity theology", where as one pastor put it, "God is like a piñata, and faith is like a stick, and if you whack Him hard enough, money, candy, and a Bentley with rims will magically fall out." Every discerning Christian can see how absurd that is, and yet no one ever talks about the other side of the pendulum. There is another end of the spectrum, where if you are poor, suffering and sick, then God will really be impressed with you and might let you into heaven. Here's the problem; our right standing before God has nothing to do with us. For those that believe in Jesus, God only sees Him. You take on the very quality that Jesus has, and because of the cross, all that Jesus is before the Father is imputed to you. You are as secure as Jesus is.<br /><br />Wait. <br /><br />Stop.<br /><br />That can't be true, can it? It can't be that good. It just can't. <br /><br />And there is my unbelief. I am an unbeliever. I want to shirk off God's grace because I don't think He is that good, and I don't want to be disappointed in the end. What I have done is because I don't believe in grace, I become the disappointment that I so fear. I always will. I can never achieve what I want. I can never accomplish what I really want to happen, and because I cannot do it, I think it can't be done (or more specifically, I must not deserve it). <br /><br />This is where the Gospel comes in. <br /><br />Benjamin sat across from me, picking meat off of a gnarly chicken wing, and he begins to gospel me. What I mean is that he begins to shine light on the dark areas of my unbelieving heart. He begins to tell me, "Of course you can't make things happen, YOU'RE NOT GOD. God is way better than you Jordan. You make a terrible God, so let Jesus do His job, and you do yours. I ask him, "and what is my Job"? "Receive", he said, "Just receive." He continues, "You are afraid to receive Jordan. You're scared because receiving puts you in the passenger seat, and you want to be the driver. The problem is, you're a terrible driver. You're blind, with no arms and one leg. Now tell me, do you want someone like that driving?" He was right. I am afraid of receiving God's grace. I can't imagine it being as good as it is, so I ignore it and try to do it myself. I suppose that is the difference between my religious, unbelieving heart, and God's gospel heart. My heart says "DO". the Gospel says "DONE". My heart says "try harder". God's heart says "receive". <br /><br />I am not writing this because I have this all worked out or I have fixed this problem. I am still afraid of grace. But somehow, I am beginning to see that there is grace for that too.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-70254999702401945742012-03-16T18:28:00.003-07:002012-03-22T10:02:00.387-07:00A Parable of Emergence.A man goes out to fix his car. <br /><br />In his frustration he takes out the engine, transmission, and brakes because the engine requires fuel, the transmission is complicated and the brakes are a pain in the butt to fix. Then he giddily puts the keys in the ignition and turns them to find he no longer has a car, but a very nice portable movie theater...like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-15247160075523252912011-12-29T14:34:00.000-08:002011-12-29T15:47:17.955-08:00Books that shaped my 2011.Ok, It's that time of year. The time when lists of every kind and sort show up on anonymous blogs everywhere. So as I seem to be in the spirit today, I'll share with you some books that churned my heart, invigorated my mind, and fed my soul in 2011. So here they are, in no particular order. I hope you enjoy.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Call-Finding-Fulfilling-Central-Purpose/dp/0849944376/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325200049&sr=8-2">The Call</a> by Os Guinness <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWjpNsaoaEJC4By6WoTas2evo1g_r3SuIMKo50Eg_xyu1PlQeWLMKGVv0ZXaLEG3jC3e_NIfavXXzBQNmEcQ-LmqcwgFq5ole4HoY9_krdMNnDbqDFGVSfUkTfFkZh0_C5oEqlTZy0sdP/s1600/41L6NEkIBWL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA115_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 115px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWjpNsaoaEJC4By6WoTas2evo1g_r3SuIMKo50Eg_xyu1PlQeWLMKGVv0ZXaLEG3jC3e_NIfavXXzBQNmEcQ-LmqcwgFq5ole4HoY9_krdMNnDbqDFGVSfUkTfFkZh0_C5oEqlTZy0sdP/s200/41L6NEkIBWL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA115_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691685259494826434" /></a><br /><br />I was assigned this book to read for a spiritual formation class, and from the look of it, was not excited. But I was really floored from the introduction on by Os Guinness' ability to weave art, literature, history and the humanities into gripping illustrations of spiritual longing and transformation. The book is written from a Biblical worldview, but is quite accessible to anyone yearning for a deeper meaning in life without having to default to fluffy New-Age Oprahism. What was particularly helpful were the chapters on calling as a way of life, not just a vocation. He successfully crushes the idea of "ministry" that is only available in the full-time vocational places like the pastorate or missionary work. I would highly recommend this to any person who wants to target what the call of their life is in respond to the calling of Jesus Christ.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Meal-Jesus-Discovering-Community-Mission/dp/1433521369/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325200116&sr=1-1">A Meal With Jesus</a> by Tim Chester<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2kM0O9LHc6Pbf9o1Xhq_SyP_jR0slx0gJ6QT16tcayXb8-DQ-p1tcy3pH9n8stHuv8W2lF_4eTVghR_E9HClGwOgTUYFiFnVfi1O_hNJepj1uYf0Ai3T6mfBnUDvqTOUOdpCpryJzVlc/s1600/51QDAK86CPL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA115_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 115px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2kM0O9LHc6Pbf9o1Xhq_SyP_jR0slx0gJ6QT16tcayXb8-DQ-p1tcy3pH9n8stHuv8W2lF_4eTVghR_E9HClGwOgTUYFiFnVfi1O_hNJepj1uYf0Ai3T6mfBnUDvqTOUOdpCpryJzVlc/s200/51QDAK86CPL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA115_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691687306768303122" /></a><br /><br />Tim Chester lays out here a biblical theology of meals and hospitality here with wisdom and insight, showing that a seemingly mundane event can reveal to us God's grace, draw us into God's community, and send us out on God's mission. I was deeply moved multiple times while reading of how "The Son of Man came eating and drinking..." and how Jesus used meal to bring healing and to point the a bigger reality in which we will all someday eat a meal with God in His kingdom. He brings you from Genesis to Revelation, pulling the thread of meals through the entirety of Scripture, and showing us how to eat to God's glory.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Tilt---Whirl-Wide-Eyed-Wonder/dp/0849920078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325200156&sr=1-1">Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl</a> by N.D. Wilson<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eI8vdCEI9kq-YVrH6O_AAuLMRqHMEvhrUmRyAtsmdHpu09z1L9ys8HfnFR_LWF-XYUxutSXSJ_Ja-09slfTYsdOPpo9Upf3LZGZuJsNeAiod_5Y0hgtSou1w3gvcqXFgZLncYupzJwQV/s1600/51eOKYnaHxL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA160_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eI8vdCEI9kq-YVrH6O_AAuLMRqHMEvhrUmRyAtsmdHpu09z1L9ys8HfnFR_LWF-XYUxutSXSJ_Ja-09slfTYsdOPpo9Upf3LZGZuJsNeAiod_5Y0hgtSou1w3gvcqXFgZLncYupzJwQV/s200/51eOKYnaHxL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA160_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691688725231548162" /></a><br /><br />An intellectually and spiritually rousing collection of prose, opening us up to the wonder of the world we live in, all spoken by an infinitely powerful but intrinsically available God. If you feel like so much of the literature on apologetics is dry, wooden and unengaging, I would suggest you pick up a copy of this book. He opens up the blinds and shows you a beautiful, but badly broken world. A world that never stops moving, a world that is more alive than we ever imagined, and behind this beautiful world is a beautiful Poet, a magnificent Artist who is just waiting for his masterpiece to see Him and rejoice with Him in all that he has done.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kings-Cross-Story-World-Jesus/dp/0525952101/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325200185&sr=1-1">King's Cross</a> by Tim Keller<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvACopeyMWQP40uoC5hs83hkuYnW4brsXJdwbUpHAz9VO6UsWrv4MLoG6yyDbTrUNvEXyVLY406dOljt6RMnQdthkwADkWJx1cipCm7j80dz0AkAInKcOaNxylGtPDYcVkm4God0PdGMjh/s1600/41HHFDRv09L._AA160_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvACopeyMWQP40uoC5hs83hkuYnW4brsXJdwbUpHAz9VO6UsWrv4MLoG6yyDbTrUNvEXyVLY406dOljt6RMnQdthkwADkWJx1cipCm7j80dz0AkAInKcOaNxylGtPDYcVkm4God0PdGMjh/s200/41HHFDRv09L._AA160_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691690703819106130" /></a><br /><br />You can never go wrong with a book by Tim Keller. He is my favorite author, and I never get sick of reading him tell a story and weave the Gospel beautifully through it. King's Cross is no different, and I would argue might be Keller at his best. He goes through the Gospel of Mark, showing that the story of the whole world --- all of our goals, our stories, our desires are seen most clearly in the life of Jesus. In every story Keller pulls through the storyline of the Bible, centers it on Jesus, and invites us to take part in the story that shapes all of history. Please don't pass this book up. I promise you won't be disappointed.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Life-Prayer-Lifeblood-Christian/dp/1845505867/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325200754&sr=8-1">The Hidden Life of Prayer</a> by David M'Intyre<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5nQtuc0MJrbZ6B_jV_u4Jc2M9-ldAdZNkpPOxDmC9ETy6YJX5JLpr8Di2Zfs0f0_1ruh-TuuW1ekAHxsTqSgwyoy-rf7MxhUlxxZmbYyaqqrGYG_nf0qnxOGi1uQbzwU2eVnk913mm4g/s1600/41nVsLGVhWL._AA115_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 115px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5nQtuc0MJrbZ6B_jV_u4Jc2M9-ldAdZNkpPOxDmC9ETy6YJX5JLpr8Di2Zfs0f0_1ruh-TuuW1ekAHxsTqSgwyoy-rf7MxhUlxxZmbYyaqqrGYG_nf0qnxOGi1uQbzwU2eVnk913mm4g/s200/41nVsLGVhWL._AA115_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691694159944782130" /></a><br /><br />An old classic, reprinted for a new generation to glean from; few things in the world of publishing are better. That is what we find in David M'Intyre's little treatise on prayer. the good minister focuses in on one verse, where Jesus tells his disciples that "But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you", and spends 120 pages bringing that into the ordinary Christians life. I personally was captured up by M'Intyre's vision of communion with the Lord, and it has profoundly shaped my private prayer life.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Same-Kind-Different-Modern-Day-International/dp/084991910X/ref=sr_1_1?<br />ie=UTF8&qid=1325201235&sr=8-1">The Same Kind Of Different As Me</a> by Ron Hall and Denver Moore <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyUq0sB73lyye0tm9legYcJ7peAXuSCrH5qRTvQSBQzSus284mv5XgTcg_SV9RAvQn0Q3qbElESzlea8bZzUKN6qMjB8v-IDaOrdqXwUOEdcGjORE3QmMB2DLTsE1-26hXRUru5TubeYI/s1600/51sUby94sYL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA115_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 115px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyUq0sB73lyye0tm9legYcJ7peAXuSCrH5qRTvQSBQzSus284mv5XgTcg_SV9RAvQn0Q3qbElESzlea8bZzUKN6qMjB8v-IDaOrdqXwUOEdcGjORE3QmMB2DLTsE1-26hXRUru5TubeYI/s200/51sUby94sYL._SL160_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-dp%252CTopRight%252C12%252C-18_SH30_OU01_AA115_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691696226942251730" /></a><br /><br />This may have been the most powerful book of the year for me. The story is told from two different angles: one man, a powerful and successful art dealer, and the other man, a sharecropper's son, in all accounts, a modern-day slave. Each chapter is told by one of these men, recalling the sometimes unbelievable details of their lives, and showing the power of the Gospel to change men of every sort. I rarely cry while reading, but this book had me broken in several place, and rejoicing over grace in others. I had a tough time putting it down at many times, and would gladly pass it on to you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/When-People-Are-Big-Small/dp/0875526004/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325201782&sr=1-1">When People Are Big And God is Small</a> by Edward Welch <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbJYJDLdimipzMIQMLUbwZjv2V79HnDPZ_XlYOeAXOWgbiVm7XO8bEp-UZZ6NAZbsQH89B290EvM8EHPFWU911Iu0siWtlmgLk1OBXN8HmJgHGjRvYBIDkfTmLDmVmXjFJsrTsYsF9Pfu/s1600/51ZE84GV6HL._AA160_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbJYJDLdimipzMIQMLUbwZjv2V79HnDPZ_XlYOeAXOWgbiVm7XO8bEp-UZZ6NAZbsQH89B290EvM8EHPFWU911Iu0siWtlmgLk1OBXN8HmJgHGjRvYBIDkfTmLDmVmXjFJsrTsYsF9Pfu/s200/51ZE84GV6HL._AA160_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691698650698435570" /></a><br /><br />Some books are for the mind, like "Notes...", some are for the hear like "Same Kind..." and some are for you soul. Ed Welch's book on the fear of man is definitely one of those books. Dr. Welch, speaking from his own experiences, scholarly expertise and years of counseling brings us before God's gracious presence to show us what fear does to a soul, what we do to enable others to control us, and what God has done in Jesus to free us from that. He builds a stunning case from Scripture about how to understand the fear of man, and how to graciously come under the fear of God. I would commend this book to anyone who feels that they cower under the demands of others and how the Gospel can address a heart broken by fear and co-dependancy.<br /><br />So, those are the books that have shaped my life, heart and thinking this year, and I hope they can be helpful to you as well.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-7657976841441871562011-12-23T16:54:00.000-08:002011-12-23T19:11:18.611-08:00The Last Words of a King.Near the end of J.R.R. Tolkien's <span style="font-style:italic;">magnum opus</span> series "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King", Aragorn, the wandering ranger and true king of Gondor gives a rousing last call to fight hard and die well. He is preparing his army, which is being surrounded by an army of 10,000 orcs, to fight with everything they have until the very end, and he is willing to die on the battlefield with his men, like a true king. He yells, triumphantly, <br /><br /><blockquote>"Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers. I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!" </blockquote><br /><br />We, who likewise belong to a kingdom, have all heard the same call from our King: The last words that have driven His people forward for almost 2000 years. <br /><br /><blockquote>“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."<br /></blockquote><br /><br />This time of year we remember how our King stepped of His throne, out of His castle and entered our pitiful village. He called men to follow him, and then led the charge against our enemies of Satan, sin, death and hell, dying on the battlefield of Golgotha, winning the fight we could not win, by giving up the life we should've given. Like a true king, he dies on the battlefield. But death couldn't hold our King. He rose to take His throne, and rule his people righteously. And as this Kingdom rule is revealed, the King declares that it must be heralded. Good news must be told of this victorious King and his Kingdom of Grace. <br /><br />But I was thinking as I watched Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas and others tear through a wall of orcs, what would have happened if Aragorn's speech had fallen on deaf ears? As they were surrounded by swarms of enemies, would they just collapse under pressure? Aragorn knew that the only way out of hell, was through it. So, what would've happened if Jesus' disciples left the mission of the Gospel behind? The most important and life-altering event in history would've passed unnoticed. We would sit, two millennia removed, knowing nothing of the salvation and kingship of Jesus Christ, and we would remain lost, wandering in a foreign and oppressive kingdom with no knowledge of the rescuing King and his Kingdom of Grace.<br /><br />Don't go AWOL, move forward with the command of our good King. Tell of His great battle with death, his victory over sin, and His gracious reign and rule over all of life. Herald Him as the Great King he is, and bring His kingdom into view in all of life.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGUNvIFTQw"></a>like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-40445669546737420492011-05-22T01:02:00.000-07:002011-08-05T20:08:46.634-07:00A Brother Lawrence momentI think I had a Brother Lawrence moment tonight...<br /><br />Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection was a monk living in Paris in the 17th century who, although keeping a lowly position as a kitchen worker in a monestary, has had a profound influence on believers for centuries, mainly for his book "The Practice of the Presence of God" which accounts how Brother Lawrence communed with God in mundane, everyday tasks. It was said that people would come from miles around just to watch him do the dishes, because he did them with such joy, and that joy was infectious to others.<br /><br /><br />At the end of a long and exhausting (but incredible) day, I spill a whole bucket of mop water all over the floor at Origin Coffee right before I was ready to leave. But before I had the chance to get frustrated and angry, God stilled my heart and asked me to enjoy this moment. Everything seemed to slow down, and I just started praying for a friend whom I saw tonight and it turned out to be the best part of my day (which is no small remark considering I saw two of my best friends get married, danced and partied with some crazy awesome people AND played Mumford covers at open mic night). There, mopping up the huge mess I just made, I was at peace, and felt the joy of the presence of God. Anything could've happened in that moment, and I would have been ok, because my joy was rooted in such a way that nothing could be taken from me, even if EVERYTHING was. It's funny, because we chase after that moment, that experience, that feeling, and forget the object that is behind our catharsis. People travel to distant countries, uproot their whole lives, join massive movements, all to find some sense of satisfaction, joy or excitement, and I stumbled upon it in a puddle of dirty mop water. God wants to be with you in the ordinary, often more than in the extraordinary because we live most of our lives in that; the everyday not-specialness. God wants your laundry time and your rush hour commute and your smoke break and your cleaning accidents.<br /><br />Leave the mountaintops to the religious; let's live with Jesus here in the valley.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-34474869778142257512010-12-18T14:06:00.000-08:002010-12-21T12:43:50.193-08:00Behind the shadow.As a child, I was fascinated by shadows. I vividly remember Independence Day when I was four, and my parents took me to the park in our small mountain town where a 4th of July carnival was going on. As we walked down the street in the late afternoon, our shadows seemed to dance on the pavement, and my parents seemed tall as giants, their massive limbs swaying like the branches of an autumn tree, seemingly weightless with the absence of its leaves. But oddly, as my shadow grew along with me, my fascination with it did not. The mystical quality of them dwindled, and as shadows seem to blend into the night, irrecognizable from the surrounding darkness, so did my fascination with them. This was until my sophomore year of high school, when an encounter with Jesus in the Scriptures re-ignited a curiosity once lost with these dancers of the dark. As I read the Bible, and other theological works, I began to see what both Paul in Colossians and the author of Hebrews describe as “…a shadow of things to come” (Col.2:17, Heb. 10:1). I've been reading Exodus a lot lately, and this theme has literally been jumping out at me, so I thought I share a bit. The Book of Exodus is a story of redemption, and of the making of a redeemed people, by and for a personal God, who reveals himself simply as “It is I who will be with you” <br /><br /> This personal God makes Himself known and declares He will redeem those whom He has promised blessing and will secure them against all their enemies. He then works against these enemies with mighty acts of power to save them from endless slavery. But redemption is never free, and the cost is severe. Blood must be spilt to snatch people from the clutches of bondage and death. This sacrifice institutes a feast, where they celebrate the fact that God has looked over their sin because of the blood that was spilled. Then God makes them a people by sending help and offering Himself if they will have faith in Him. He makes order out of chaos, appointing people to carry out the charges He gives them, and gives them authority to lead and guide this Redeemed into the fullness of joy and blessing. As they live out this blessed life, in touch with their Creator and Rescuer, others, who are trapped in their own slavery, look to this Redeemer for transformation in their lives, and the pattern continues. The Redeemed become instruments of hope, bringing the story of redemption to everyone near them, in hops that they will “taste and see that the LORD is good’ and be saved from their bondage to false lords and false gods. So, I come back to my point at the beginning; we can see a shadow and have an idea what is casting it, but with out seeing the full form, we will always be in the dark. That is why we have to remember; behind the shadow, there’s a person.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-14186344362898993742010-09-07T14:33:00.001-07:002010-09-07T15:34:20.684-07:00Business as usual.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fFrAc_48GMcpvlYE5pk116FX0melA2mza2x0XajswzEoXBu5-zxjy_Zb5L8X3dvbczPPex01cuZlWOTB_PWYbj-gzfsrHMiM53HctbnIZMJ6tX6u7tog_FbCk5wXxQj9fzz48oeEp3bS/s1600/e50u.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fFrAc_48GMcpvlYE5pk116FX0melA2mza2x0XajswzEoXBu5-zxjy_Zb5L8X3dvbczPPex01cuZlWOTB_PWYbj-gzfsrHMiM53HctbnIZMJ6tX6u7tog_FbCk5wXxQj9fzz48oeEp3bS/s320/e50u.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514289245727389042" /></a><br /><br />I saw this as I drove around, trying to acclimate myself somewhat to the City of Reno, and it immediately brought up some questions like, "What kind of church was this?", "What happened?", "Where did the people go?", and "How long did it take for the Gospel to lose it's power and for religious duty to set in?". As I pondered these things today, I came to realize that for many of the churches peppering the American landscape, the stark reality is that they don't look much different than this bank does. Many churches treat Christian faith like an exchange of goods and services. You come in, deposit something of value, get sound advice from a professional and hope that you earn a return on your investment. So the question is "Are you surprised by this church-bank conversion?" I'm saddened for sure, but surprised, I am not. Now obviously I didn't know this church personally, but I do know the Gospel, and I understand the cultural landscape of Reno pretty well. What inevitably happens in every church that stops proclaiming the Gospel is that first the mission goes, then the giving goes, then the community goes, and on and on until there is no longer a gospel people doing gospel things for gospel reasons, but a people who revert to "business as usual" by just coming, consuming and refusing to serve or give themselves to any task that is not about them. See, the Gospel is the opposite of "business as usual", and the church stands and falls on the Gospel. No person, idea, funding or persistence can keep it alive, and eventually everyone will just give up, because they no longer have anything to fight for. So pastors, do you live, lead and preach like your building a business, or are you receiving a kingdom and building into that? Christians, why do you come to church? do you come for an exchange of goods and services, hoping to increase your spiritual pay-off, or do you come to sacrificially love, serve and give for the sake of the Gospel?<br /><br />May our churches never look like banks, but like hospitals for the sick, families for the orphans and refuge for the vagrants.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-78525033984778851202009-12-14T11:51:00.001-08:002009-12-14T16:19:08.037-08:00The Sins Of Our Fathers.I have been in a funk lately. For the last couple weeks it seems like nothing I do has had any meaning or validity to it. It has felt like I left my life at the bus stop or the mall around Thanksgiving and never made the effort to go back and find it but instead have just tried to get by without; like my livelihood has been that favorite pair of jeans that are dirty but I've just been too lazy to wash them so I just stick with wearing the ones that are a size too small. Something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I hadn't stolen anything, looked at porn or betrayed anyone lately, so why did I feel like crap? I was reading my Bible, but the words seemed distant, I was spending time in prayer, but my praises and requests seemed too ephemeral, like they were getting lost somewhere between me and God. I felt lonely, even though I was constantly surrounded by people; good people. What was this thing, this feeling that was keeping me down, keeping me stuck in second gear? I asked God to show me, but all I could think about was my Dad. <br /><br /> His birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and although I have made a couple of efforts to see him, I just couldn't track him down. He can be a hard man to find at times. He doesn't own a cell phone, has never been on a computer, and I would be surprised if he knew what the Internet was. He is 54 and lives with some friends in a mobile home in the small mountain town I grew up in. He works as a roofer, has worn the same ratty Giant's hat for the last 20 years and I can't picture him without a beer in his hand. He is a good, kind-hearted man who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He is also the definition of the word pagan. Now, most of us when we hear the word "pagan" conjure up images of men in black robes with goats and pentagrams tattooed on their arms dancing around a fire in the woods. While that maybe one description of the term, it's certainly not what the people of Jesus' time thought of. The word pagan in its greek roots refers to people who live in rural areas and work with the land for survival and tend to worship things like trees, animals and other objects in the natural order. A professor I once had defined a pagan as "the guy who lives on the farm." Now my father would never be described as a religious man, but my mother once told me that the one conversation she had with him on the subject had my father telling her that he believed in the Sun, that we were grown in the ground and the Sun grows us and we should worship the Sun because that is were life comes from(I could make a really cheesy christian joke right now about worshipping "the Son" and totally over-spiritualize this, but I'll save that for my friend Andy). That my friends is paganism. I never really thought he was serious about this until I started thinking about his life and the way it plays out. You see, my father is a man completely devoid of any purpose, goals or aspirations, and has been since as far back as I can remember. Now he is not lazy or irresponsible in the traditional sense; he works hard at a blue-collar construction job and has since before I was born, but he is extremely lazy and irresponsible in the sense of having his life go somewhere. Nothing drives him. Nothing stirs him. Nothing tugs at his inner being and pulls him to achieve or excel. If I could link these two things together, his paganistic beliefs and his complete lack of purpose, I would have to say that because he sees life as just part of the natural order, no different than a tree or a waterfall or a badger, then that is what leads him to be totally bankrupt of drive and desire. I wondered what it must be like for my dad, floating through life aimlessly, moving from job to job, bar to bar, never quite having a destination but driving anyway. Then it hit me, this is how I have felt for the last 3 weeks. <br /><br /> You see, we all inherit things from our parents; things like eye color, metabolism and heart disease. But we also inherit spiritual qualities. we carry around a generational sin, an iniquity that can be traced down the very roots of our family tree. for some of us it's anger, for some it's alcoholism, for me it's laziness and futility. My father passed down to me and my brothers(although both of them have taken two wildly different paths with it) a sense that nothing we do matters, and it's too hard to do anyway, so why bother? It has permeated nearly every area of my life and has been something I have fought for 10 years, with mixed results. To be completely honest, It is a daily battle for me to get up early, shower, brush my teeth, eat right, exercise, do my homework, and take care of myself, and these last couple weeks have been a massive failure on most of those fronts. It has been a sin I have needed to repent of, and this is my confession. God has been showing me that I am not my father, I do not have to live his life and It would be sin of the highest order to deny the new life He has given me for my dad's life that I was sure to repeat without God's mercy and intervention. It will be 10 years that I have been walking(or stumbling) with Jesus this week and I have been dwelling on the state of my life had it had not been for the irresistible call of of the Gospel on that cold Thursday night a decade ago. The problem is that I have been living like that never happened. I have been living like God hasn't call me out of darkness and into light, beckoning me toward the godward life of making much of Jesus. It is so easy for us to revert to some old version of ourselves because we know where that self will go and what they will do, but to live in the moment, as one chasing after Jesus is the most dangerous thing one can experience. That is what we were made for, not some meaningless cycle of eat, sleep, work, repeat, die. It is so hard for me to live purposefully, proclaiming the name of Jesus, but it is the only reason I am alive. It is the only reason you are alive. For those that know me, I invite you into my life. Help keep me accountable to the life God has called me to. I only seeing it getting harder, but God has not given me my fathers life. He has given me my own and does not expect to live his mistakes, follies or regrets. I hope this has been a blessing to you, and that God will show you that you have been given no one else's life but your own, and even though we carry around the burden of our parents sin, "The Spirit has set us free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death"(Romans 8:2), and we no longer need to follow their mistakes, but learn by the grace of God that he is true when he says "Look, I am making all things new!"like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-10504507937247366972009-09-13T13:38:00.000-07:002009-09-13T14:35:24.898-07:00An exercise in futility.I don't know if you live in the suburbs, or if you have a grasp of what life is like here in the bedroom communities of America; but let me give you one little insight into the culture I happen to live in. This morning I volunteered with some guys from church for a festival of sorts called "Woofstock." Last year, all the volunteers bailed out at the last minute and so my church stepped in a provided some hands in order to pull the event off. They asked us back this year, which we considered a privilege to help out in any way we can. We want to be good for the city, and sometimes that means setting up booths for doggy day care spas.<br /><br /> Woofstock, in short it was a gathering of dog lovers to make much of their dogs by treating them like people and buying them a bunch of crap they don't need. Apart from all the commentary I could make on the ridiculousness of this experience(which could very well go on forever), I want to focus shortly on one thing. In the suburbs, people will go to great lengths, and spend exuberant amounts of money to please their dogs and impress their neighbors, but would never even think of doing half the work it took to pull of an event like Woofstock for displaced people groups in Africa or sex trade victims in Asia. This is one more reason why we need Jesus so much, and why apart from the good news of the Cross, we are just selfish idolators who rob God of his glory by giving it to other things. This event had professional dog etiquette trainers, custom made oak dog kennels, and gourmet dog biscuit companies. Anything and everything you could think of to get for your canine friend was advertised and demonstrated for your consumer pleasure. Here's the problem: While I happen to love dogs and have owned and treasured many of my own, a dog is not a worthy thing to devote this kind of time, talent and treasure on. In the global and eternal scale of things, Woofstock was(apart from a chance to point our community to Jesus) an exercise in futility. It did not ease suffering in the world, it did not change things on a eternal level, and most people are going to forget about it tomorrow. I don't want to devote my life to such useless commodities and activities. I want to say at the end of my life that it wasn't about music, writing, people, relationships, money, style or experience. I weep for those who stand before Jesus and try to explain why they spent $500 on a custom dog kennel when somewhere in the world, a child dies every 5 seconds from starvation. Even in the suburban facade of mellow, pleasant perfection, things are more dire than we think, people are more broken than we can possibly imagine and devotion ends up in the most impotent of places. That is why I'm so thankful for Jesus, because He loved the rich, religious and resilient Pharisees with a deep and unrelenting passion. And although they for the most part did not repent, there IS hope for us in Suburbia, who have the same problems. Maybe we can repent of our apathy, consumerism and counterfeit righteousness and turn to trust in the Savior who died for our fake piety, so we could take on his genuine holiness. Maybe we can focus our lives away from worthless things and on to a hurting, dying world that is bleeding out and doesn't even know it. Maybe Woofstock will turn into Save-an-orphans-lifestock(not as catchy, i know). Maybe suburban life can be known for generosity and love and mercy. Maybe.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-16538015603080214602009-07-26T11:40:00.000-07:002009-08-07T09:54:33.652-07:00Authenticity is not cool.Amid our culture of pluralism and ambiguity there always needs to be a constant and deliberate defining of terms. Some so-called "buzz words" are thrown aimlessly around like drunken punches in a bar fight, hoping to strike a gut reaction from some poor innocent bystander. We all know these words. For some they sting deep in our literary senses, knowing the cheapening and overuse of beautiful words like "organic,' "communal," "authentic," and "missional" will somehow lead to the unfortunate and early death of these because all the meaning will have been stripped away. <br /><br />But what if these words weren't cool anymore? What if we took them at face value, and instead of dressing them up in equivocation and placing them in our smooth, confident sentences for all to admire without ever asking what in the world we are really talking about, we would begin to flesh out what these verbally aesthetic appellations actually mean? <br /><br />This became clear for me a couple nights ago while I was at my local free trade hipster coffee shop. Prior to this, I had dinner with some friends who have been trying to live life together intentionally, being open and honest and loving one another, not matter how its makes them look, and was super encouraged by the example set forth in this group's lives. So, after dinner I headed over to grab a cup of coffee and read. Now, I am consistently not cool enough to hang out at this particular establishment. I even wore my V-neck and skinny jeans, and still felt a bit out of place. If this was five years ago I might be able to hang, but now that I am in my mid-twenties, with responsibilities and a few extra pounds it just won't work. As I sit reading, enjoying my two and half dollar cup of french press, my ears perk and I tune into a conversation being had by two 18 year old scenesters with hebrew tattoos, wearing "To Write Love On Her Arms" shirts and brand new TOMS. One girl started talking about a local college ministry she attends(which most people at this coffee shop, including the owners also attend), trying to convince the other to come check it out, saying that is real and authentic, and maybe they might fit in there. Now, I have been to this event a few times, and while it a great place to meet people, hear a great worship band, and be moved by an attention-grabbing, entertaining speaker; I don't know if "authentic" is the best word to describe it. So, I pondered this girls choice of words for some time, wondering why authentic and real was the phrase she landed on. Then I came to a realization. Authenticity is a really cool word, but actually being authentic is not. <br /><br />Now, we live in a day where the prototypical example of this new generation of Christian community includes nothing more than proximity and affinity. Community for us simply means that you are in close proximity to other Christians and/or share common interests and perspectives. The only problem with that is the Bible. We see in the Book of Acts that those who believed in and followed Jesus "had all things in common" and "suffered together for the sake of the Gospel." We do not create community. Jesus is the only one that can create community; because Jesus' idea of community is "all nations, tribes, languages and peoples" coming together to worship the King and bring hope to the world around them. Only then will we truly begin to understand words like authenticity. You see, being authentic is not cool, because it's messy. Being authentic means you have to be vulnerable, imperfect, laid bare for all to see and hopeless with out a Savior. I experienced this at dinner before my little epiphany. these people were not "cool" in the way the people at the coffee shop were. There were young married couples with kids and regular old God-glorifying jobs, overworked singles sacrificing dreams for the sake of the Gospel, and starving college students with emotional baggage and souls heavy with life. These people cannot afford to be cool. All they can do is enter into community, receive mercy, and in turn go out into the world to give mercy to as many as God would allow them to. So, my admonition to you is to stop trying to be cool, because you are missing out on so much life; ugly, messy, fumblingly beautiful life, to drop the persona and pick up reality, because cool has a momentary shelf-life, but authenticity will never grow old.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-78749772781939497822009-05-09T17:11:00.000-07:002009-05-14T10:58:45.265-07:00The Pursuit Of And Escape From Community.So, in the last six months I have transitioned from working for and being a member at a very large church(of which I had been a part of since I got saved) to being a part of a new church plant with is about 1/100th of the size of my former church home. And I have learned a great amount of things about my self and about gospel community in the process, But thing that totally stuck out to me today was this; in my experience, Christians and not-yet-Christians seem to be drawn to different churches for different reasons. Now this is a VERY general statement, and i'm going to be painting this thought for you in very broad strokes, so just realize, this doesn't apply to everybody. <br /><br />Since the transition to my new church home, It has been much easier for me to invite not-yet-Christians to our corporate gatherings and much harder to invite already-Christians to come. Now, coming from a big church with lots of programs and do-hickeys and laser beams and guitar solos I found it quite simple to get my Christians friends to come but arduously difficult to get my non-Jesus loving friends to check it out, and now I seem to have the opposite happening now. <br /><br />A couple of days ago I had an eye-opening conversation with a friend who has a passing knowledge of Christianity but would never consider themselves a church-goer. She explained to me in great angst and detail how she felt like going to a large church gathering felt like going to an event or concert instead of engaging in a community of believing peoples. I was struck by her candor and precision in nailing what exactly what she (and I imagine many others) felt was lacking in Churchianity. Now, this in no means is a blast on megachurches. I thank God for the many large congregations in my area because bigger churches generally mean more people meeting Jesus which is always a good thing. The problem is see is this: It seems to me that many christians go to bigger churches so they can escape from being known and not-yet-christians seem to like smaller churches so that they can known. You see, it is much easier to go to a program or event than it is to part of a family. Families are messy, but events are smooth and enjoyable. If we were completely honest (and I know that church is not the place for that), we would admit that even though we try to look good and perform well at church (cuz' thats what you do at church, right?), we are just a broken as the people on "the outside." But if good, church-goin' folk found out who we REALLY ARE, well, what would we do then?? I think the answer comes in "heathen" form. Not-yet-believers want to be known, they deeply desire for the community that we as Jesus' church are supposed to have! They have been so beat up bedraggled and bushwhacked that they just want a place that will met them where they are and love them, not try and fix their life, not try and make them more presentable in church, but just love them with the love of the Father. Can we all agree that its hard to step into unfamiliarity, especially when it comes to church? Then shouldn't we make it as easy as possible to invite people into community? <br /><br />Now back to the Christians for a moment. Why are we so afraid of Community? Why do we hide away in our massive church buildings and play as if church were an interview to get into heaven? Can't we really believe in a big God and a big Cross and grace enough for everybody's shortcomings? even the most religious and most heathen of us? It seems to me that those outside of church would gladly enter into our fellowship, and honesty, and accountable relationships. Are we just taking up room in church so we look good and check off being "holy" for the week? If so, than I have met plenty of non-believers that would love to take their place, to have what they have. Let's thank Jesus for making community and ask Him how to best use it for his glory and our joy.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-36691905255462374542009-01-08T15:35:00.000-08:002009-08-07T09:44:15.035-07:00Hard Lesson From The Christian Front.I got away this week. No phone, no facebook, no iPod, no people. Just Me, a Bible and the silence. I wont go into details because if I did I wouldn't ever finish this note, but i will let you in on one conversation I had with the Lord Jesus. <br /><br />I see in my self a need to be justified by others and to receive recognition for what I do, and It is really nothing more than a sense of needing to be loved.. It is a blot on my soul that I was most afraid people would find out about. In one sense, it is entirely human, because we are made to feel a need for Justification, and Jesus has accomplished this for us on the Cross. But what I could not seem to get away from is the fact that all that I do, from words, actions and even thoughts seems to get put through this process of "are they going to realize what I have done for them?" or " If I do this, will they love me?" There is an angst that penetrates every fiber of my being that comes from this and I wrestled very deeply with this part of my life in my time away. I cried out to the Lord as David did "My eyes long for your promise;I ask, "When will you comfort me?" I asked him to show me what to do in order that I might understand why I sow and do not reap, why I pour out onto others and do not receive back. Other than being totally selfish and in deep, deep sin because of it, the Lord remained silent for a bit, until he showed me a reel of His earthly life, and how He endlessly poured into to others, healed others, taught others, and cried with others, but had no comforter except the Father, no companion except the Holy Spirit. I saw this and I wept. I wept, because I was trying to be like Jesus, but did not have the framework to understand the cost of what it means to emulate him. The hard lesson I learned is that sometimes you get nothing for your effort, you will reap nothing from your sowing. It does not matter how much you love someone, serve them, pray for them or seek to help them; the plain fact is is that Christian is someone who does not seek any gain. Whether emotional, spiritual, physical or financial; it it not in the heart of Jesus to seek after those things. It hurt deeply to see this and to realize the fact sometimes God ordains people in your life that your job is to pour into them and they will not give as much as a thank you, but that doe not mean that your work was in vain, but that it was not for you to see.<br /><br />So, I am ok with this now. And I realize the good that God is accomplishing, but still have this inkling to want a return on my investment, and then I realize it is not my investment but His. I am just a steward of His, and should expect nothing but a "well done good and faithful servant" at the end.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-55451702115400532762008-11-28T20:49:00.000-08:002008-11-28T20:50:02.367-08:00hurt.I hurt.... <br /><br />Because of sin done by me and sin done against me, my soul aches for healing. I feel a very real and physical pain at my core because sin separates me from God; the giver of life. When I sin, I die a little inside. A small part of me that shone for the glory of God is now blackened by the inky stain of disobedience against a holy and righteous God. This stain, this blot on my soul is right before me. I cannot escape it, and it is seen by all. For Jesus said, "the things whispered in the ears shall be shouted from the rooftops." But my hope is that this God is not removed from my pain, but has experienced it in real human physical form by taking it, all of it upon himself and suffering in my place for the very pain I should have endured. By death, this God has brought life to the very people who have hurt him so that we might not suffer this hurt forever but be healed from the pain we deal and the pain we feel. I know this sin and the pain caused by it will lead to my death as well, but I am confident that because of the death of my God in my place for my sin, that the victory and sting of death will not stand against me but that a better death and a better blood covers my inky black soul and makes me white as snow. In Jesus is the only place where black and red equal white. So, If you're hurting, know that He hurt as well. When you are aching, know He is ready to heal. And when you are dying know that He has been there and back and if you trust in His life. death and resurrection that it will not hold you back either. SIn equals death, but death has been taken care of for those who believe. Life is pain, but pain is only a mile-marker in the journey of faith. Hurt is there, but healing is not far off.<br /><br />I hurt.... but He hurt for me.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-30419175567346352382008-06-30T14:23:00.000-07:002008-07-21T17:28:13.717-07:007 Reasons Why the Church is Not a Club.I have been seeing a trend, actually its more of a mindset that is bothering me in the church lately. I am going to keep it brief, but here in short are 7 reasons why the church is not, and should not be a club.<br /><br />1. <br />-A club exists to serve the needs of the members.<br />-The Church exists to be the light of the world.(Matt. 5:14)<br />2.<br />-A club exists to promote the values of the club.<br />-The Church exists to point to Jesus, and only Jesus.(1 Cor. 2:1-2)<br />3.<br />-A club is focused inwardly<br />-The Church is focused externally.(Matt. 28:19-20)<br />4.<br />-A club pursues people with similar goals and interests.<br />-The Church pursues every tribe, nation and tongue(Rev. 14:6)<br />5.<br />-A club focuses on the good of the club.<br />-The Church focuses on being the salt of the Earth.(Matt.5:13)<br />6.<br />-A club relies on club leadership to plan, execute and promote said club<br />-The Church is a body where every part works together for the purpose of Christ.(1 Cor.12:27,Rom. 12:5)<br />7.<br />-A club meeting only consists of members of the club.<br />-A Church service consists of people who love Jesus, don't love Jesus and have never heard of the Gospel of Jesus.(The whole book of Acts)like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-85067175552812466452008-05-27T11:02:00.001-07:002008-05-27T11:26:02.983-07:00JC, John Stamos and the day I met Keya.So, after an unexpectedly refreshing night of talk and funny red and white cards I realized how much I truly love conversation. Some might see it as a quirk or flaw, but I thoroughly enjoy being able to talk to anybody at anytime about almost anything. I know some of my friends find it endearing yet tiresome my ability to talk and ask questions, but I think there is something deeper here than my gift of gab. Why do we love to communicate? what is about our humanity that yearns for community and expression? I wonder about this quite a bit, and then i came across this peculiar passage in the book of Genesis.<br /><br />" Then God said, Let <span style="font-weight:bold;">US</span> make man in <span style="font-weight:bold;">OUR</span> own image, in our likeness....."<br /><br />Genesis 1:26 (emphasis added)<br /><br />So, I at first was very confused by this, particularly by the words US and OUR. Now I was no theologian, but I could have sworn there was only one God in the Bible. As I continued to study I realized that God is a relational God because He is on community with Himself. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all are God and all have personalities and voices that make them unique while still maintaining unity. I know as Augustine said " If you reject the Trinity you lose your soul and if your try to explain it, you lose your mind" but i am just trying to figure out what the image of God looks like. I am glad that the Doctrine of the Trinity is true, because if God were by Himself not 3 in 1, then I imagine He would get rather lonely. But I know that God is fully fulfilled in part or in whole because of the His Trinitarian nature. <br /><br />This is why the Bible says that "God is love."(1 John 4:8) He is the fullest example of love because the Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father and so on and so forth. So, in this we see why we as humans, created in the image of God desire community, expression and love. We are just emulating our Creator. If we could actually get this concept, wouldn't the world be such a better place? thats why living <span style="font-style:italic;">Imago Dei</span> (the image of God) is so important because the way we treat the Created is how we treat the Creator.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-49564300510450664342008-04-14T18:59:00.000-07:002008-04-14T19:50:42.898-07:00An In-ignorable Humility.In the last week, I have had an epiphany of sorts. Thanks to my friends JR and Spectacular, I have come to realize that it always seems to be the good(and by good I mean loving, caring and obedient) christians that think they are bad and the bad(and by bad I mean apathetic and anti-altruistic) christians that seem to think they are good. I think that the "bad" ones think that they are bad because they are comparing themselves to others who have a rigid sound theology and memorized doctrine(which by all means is important). But they will go out of their way to help out a friend or stranger in need. The "good" christians on the other hand are planted firm in their theology, with their creeds memorized and their bibles ready to "do battle", but fail to see the hurting dying world that so desperately needs them to be the hands and feet of the Jesus they so diligently study. <br /><br />As i was saying, last week I had what you would say a "living discrepancy." I was without a place to lay my head for a couple days and my above listed friends came to my rescue; calling people with empty couches and even paying for a hotel room one night. I was blown away because these particular friends are always telling me how they feel like they are bad christians because they don't study the bible enough or don't know exactly what they believe. all the while I have friends who are in bible college or in ministry in some capacity who don't see the opportunities to serve "the least of these" outside of scheduled homeless outreaches' and troubled youth camps. This all comes down to an in-ignorable humility that followers of Christ should ooze out. Instead of being proud of our knowledge and values we should humbly accept the opportunities we get to serve others.<br /><br />So, Jr and Spectacular, i want to thank you for being Jesus for me when I needed Him. I think He is very proud of you.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-12125118930427908622008-01-18T13:55:00.001-08:002008-01-19T19:00:35.428-08:00Where are you Lord?Last night, after a eye-opening experience at RHOP(the Roseville House Of Prayer) I realized why I haven't felt that God is near lately. This may seem way too simple, but as followers of Christ we are supposed to follow him. That means we will want to go where He is going. As Jesus goes to and fro, we should "be covered in the dust of our Rabbi." We should want to be where he is and not where we want to be. Now as a semi-affluent but rebellious American I have been constantly covered in not dust, but in comfort and complacency, and I am fairly certain that Jesus is not hanging out at Starbucks in Suburbia. Now thats not to say that the coffee-shop goers are being neglected, but we have to keep ourselves in check and realize who is leading us. Are pride, comfort and success leading us down their path, or is Jesus leading us down His dusty trail? I hope as you read this your prayer would be "Take me with you, Lord. I want to go where you are going. I want to be where you are." <br /><br />So continually ask your self, "do you want to go where Jesus is?" Because He is not always where we'd expect Him to be. <br /><br />Sneaky Jesus...like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1243058711038150983.post-52911433743608867872007-11-18T14:51:00.000-08:002008-02-25T16:47:10.294-08:00A Novel Approach.Lately it has become exceedingly apparent that most people think that Christians are bland, unoriginal and boring because we follow a God who has rules. He has these because He created everything and therefore understands how things work. So because of that fact He can makes all the rules He wants. Now He does this for our own benefit, and most of the time we don't see this because we are not God, but "clearly" as my friend Marlene would say they are for such a reason. Moving on, the general consensus is that being a christian is lame because you are bound by these regulations and therefore become stuffy, rigid and obstinate to the world that is breaking the very rules you are trying to follow. But Paul paints a very different picture in Galatians Chapter 5. He states to a people that oddly wanted more rules in order to be a christian( i.e. circumcision, food regulations, etc.), that It is for the very fact of freedom that Christ has set us free. This is the freedom to be unique without being sinful(I believe the Christianese word is holy) by not doing the things everybody else is doing. That is what it means to to be uncommon, individualistic and unique. This striving to be different from everybody else is only accomplished when you stop trying to be different from people and start trying to be like Jesus. You see Christ was the original avant-garde. He was so radically different from everybody else, including the religious leaders of the day that eventually they got so sick of trying to one-up him that they just decided to do away with Jesus by crucifying him among two other different(but in a vastly contrasting way)people. So, may this be a warning to all of you, being an individual is dangerous. Although you probably have nothing to worry about if you are just trying to be different from people. You are human and can never get away from that, so in effect you will always be like other people. But in the journey of becoming like Christ, you will always face opposition because that is when you truly stand apart from the crowd because sin is not different, Holiness is.like.a.cannonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17466587164528324870noreply@blogger.com0