While I don't have much in the way of deep thoughts to share, seeing that the new school year begins tomorrow for me and my kids, I'm feeling like I should at least have something "penned" for the occasion. That being said, I'm astonished at how quickly summer passed by. All three of my kids have grown so much over the summer. And we've done a number of fun things together this summer ... the usual trip to grandparents for long weekend excursions (the kids loved the pool!), trips into Chicago to visit various and sundry museums, and a number of walks around a few different Forest Preserves were among our summer's activities.
We also had many a trip to the town library ... on average of at least once a week, and sometimes twice. In order to connect with my oldest daughter, and gain some insights into her own reading habits, I spent the last week and a half reading all four of the Twilight series books. I have to admit, they are really well written with a good story line that pulls the reader in. As my wife told me last winter, it's more Pride and Prejudice meets the Vampire than a typical monster/horror story. But she's also read biographies of Christian missionaries, and so many other titles that I cannot hope to relay them all to you. My youngest daughter adopted her older sister's appetite for reading, and has devoured a great many books herself, including an interest in the Guiness Book of World Records genre of encyclopedias. My son was the most noticable in his growth of reading habits. He went from only getting out kid's graphic novels to increasing his reading level through the likes of A to Z Mysterys and the Chet Gecko mystery series. It's all very encouraging to see. My wife enjoyed the library, but in addition to the books, she encouraged us to attend a couple of Monday night concerts hosted on the library green. The first one we attended was a Steel Drum band, while the last was a young Christian band. Both were very enjoyable.
But now it's back to school. The kids are nervous - they still feel unsettled after having moved out here almost nine months ago - but to be honest, so am I. Tomorrow begins year two of my classroom studies, and in some ways, I feel more pressure. I am looking forward to being in classes with friends, and hanging out and catching up. I think I missed that a great deal during the summer break. But it is also back to a break-neck reading, research and writing schedule.
Sarah has taken the last few days off from work so that we could have some family time together before the school year started back up. Our staycation was good. But she heads back into her office tomorrow, with all of it's own rollercoasterness.
And I am reminded that we are not going through our various and sundry first days of school alone. The Lord is with us - He goes before us, beckoning us to follow Him. And when I focus on that, when I remember that He called me to this program of study and that He called our family out here so that we would be together, then I remember that He who called us is faithful, and He will accomplish His purpose(s) in our lives. Oh, that faith in Christ would be the constancy of my focus each and every day, and throughout. That God would be glorified in every thought, word, and deed that described my daily walk. This is my hope ... for tomorrow ... for every day.
These are my thoughts before school. As things get going, I hope to add more.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Sermon Podcast: "Rooted in Scripture"
For those interested, my latest sermon is online at http://joycast.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=508393. Thanks to Pastor Scott Hackler for the invite to proclaim and share God's Word on Sunday, July 26. Feel free to give a listen, and share your thoughts. God bless!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
'The Shack'
As the title implies, I am interested in your thoughts, your feelings, ... your reaction to this book, "The Shack". I just finished reading it this evening, and my feelings are ... well, I don't want to unduly influence your own comments or thoughts.
Here are some questions to help prime the proverbial pump for discussion:
Here are some questions to help prime the proverbial pump for discussion:
- What do you think is Paul Young's purpose in presenting this story?
- What were your "gut" feelings about the story?
- What did you think about the presentation of God?
- Did this story provoke any theological questions for you? If so, what were they?
- Did this story provoke any theological concerns for you? If so, what?
- How do you reconcile the "theology" of "The Shack" with the whole message of Scripture?
- How might this story be useful in communicating the gospel in today's culture/world?
- Do you see any limitations to this story's use in communicating the Christian faith? If so, what would they be?
- Does this book get you thinking about your own "theology"? How so?
I certainly don't expect anyone to answer all of these questions, though you are each welcome to try. I do encourage you consider each of them before you begin answering. I'm hoping that a number of people will indeed respond, and do so respectfully and thoughtfully, to any and all responses, not least, my own.
God's blessings to you!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Difference of a Year
I'm living in the Chicagoland area, much as I was a year ago. The only difference is that a year ago, I just gotten out here, having driven cross-country to begin a grueling Summer of intensive German language reading studies. Back East, in Philadelphia, my family was adjusting to not having me around. It was hot and humid back in the Philadelphia region. Lots of thunderstorms. Lots. Back here in Chicago, it was hot, but not oppressive. Low humidity compared to what I was used to back East. Even comfortable.
Emily had just returned from completing her freshman year at Houghton College in upstate New York. She had done well, and had plans to major in Pre-Med. Emily is the third of seven kids. Her father is a Methodist pastor, and a year ago, was in the midst of packing up the church-owned parsonage he and his family had lived in for over fifteen years for a move to a new church family in the Delaware Water Gap region, north of Philadelphia.
That was a year ago.
On Tuesday, June 10, 2008, a terrible wave of thunderstorms blew through the Philadelphia region. That evening, Emily was outside, raking up fresh-cut grass, with one of her younger brothers when the storm hit. They went in, waiting out the storm, hoping for it to end so they could go back outside and cool off. From what I was told, the storm seemed to have ended. Emily and her brother went back outside, maybe fifty yards from their house. It thundered, and her brother decided to go in. There was a loud a thundering crash of lightening, and he decided to run inside, turning to yell to his sister to do the same, but she was lying on the ground.
I won't try to recount all the details to the story that was told to me many times. But Emily was struck by lightening. And she was dead. Her brother ran in, and told his parents, a neighbor called 9-1-1, and her father ran out and began CPR. An ambulance showed up, and continued trying to recusitate Emily. CPR wasn't working, and neither did the defibulator. My understanding was that after administering adrenalin along with another shot from the defibulator were they able to get her heart started ... somewhere around fifteen minutes after her heart had first stopped beating.
That was a year ago.
The initial prognosis was not good. It was an emotionally painful time. But after weeks in the burn unit, and then more weeks at a rehab hospital, Emily was able to go home. But she is not the same Emily. She suffered brain trauma due to the lack of oxygen, and requires much attention. However, God in His grace, delivered her. She undergoes regular therapy sessions due to the great attention, courage, and love of her parents and siblings. She has made noticable, if slow progress. And it is far greater progress than any of her initial physicians estimated possible.
She is relegated to a wheel chair, and needs help being fed. But with great effort, she can respond to some questions. She is aware of her surroundings.
That was a year ago.
She was dead, but now she is alive. It's the difference of a year. While there is no prodigalness (if there is such a word) to this story, Emily's parents are today thankful to God, the God of mercy and grace. God restored her, gave her back to them. Their lives are not at all what they thought they'd be at this point. Their life as a family is are hard. But they would not trade it for the alternative. They trust God. Trust Him to work through life's difficulties. Trust Him for the grace to deal with the day-to-day difficulties. Trust Him to bring life out of death.
The difference of a year can be absolutely incredible. It can also be absolutely frightening. We, like the hypothetical man in the book of James - whom James holds up as making all of life's plans without any care or concern for God - too often live our lives without any sense of how quickly life can change. Only those who have experienced tragedy, whose faith has been tested in the crucible of pain and suffering like Emily and her family, know how fragile is humanity. As Isaiah, and Peter after him remind us, the grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever.
The difference of a year reminds me that God, and God alone, must be our foundation. As Emily's mom and dad have reminded me solely by the way they've lived out their faith this past year, only faith in God is enough to get us through a year.
Emily had just returned from completing her freshman year at Houghton College in upstate New York. She had done well, and had plans to major in Pre-Med. Emily is the third of seven kids. Her father is a Methodist pastor, and a year ago, was in the midst of packing up the church-owned parsonage he and his family had lived in for over fifteen years for a move to a new church family in the Delaware Water Gap region, north of Philadelphia.
That was a year ago.
On Tuesday, June 10, 2008, a terrible wave of thunderstorms blew through the Philadelphia region. That evening, Emily was outside, raking up fresh-cut grass, with one of her younger brothers when the storm hit. They went in, waiting out the storm, hoping for it to end so they could go back outside and cool off. From what I was told, the storm seemed to have ended. Emily and her brother went back outside, maybe fifty yards from their house. It thundered, and her brother decided to go in. There was a loud a thundering crash of lightening, and he decided to run inside, turning to yell to his sister to do the same, but she was lying on the ground.
I won't try to recount all the details to the story that was told to me many times. But Emily was struck by lightening. And she was dead. Her brother ran in, and told his parents, a neighbor called 9-1-1, and her father ran out and began CPR. An ambulance showed up, and continued trying to recusitate Emily. CPR wasn't working, and neither did the defibulator. My understanding was that after administering adrenalin along with another shot from the defibulator were they able to get her heart started ... somewhere around fifteen minutes after her heart had first stopped beating.
That was a year ago.
The initial prognosis was not good. It was an emotionally painful time. But after weeks in the burn unit, and then more weeks at a rehab hospital, Emily was able to go home. But she is not the same Emily. She suffered brain trauma due to the lack of oxygen, and requires much attention. However, God in His grace, delivered her. She undergoes regular therapy sessions due to the great attention, courage, and love of her parents and siblings. She has made noticable, if slow progress. And it is far greater progress than any of her initial physicians estimated possible.
She is relegated to a wheel chair, and needs help being fed. But with great effort, she can respond to some questions. She is aware of her surroundings.
That was a year ago.
She was dead, but now she is alive. It's the difference of a year. While there is no prodigalness (if there is such a word) to this story, Emily's parents are today thankful to God, the God of mercy and grace. God restored her, gave her back to them. Their lives are not at all what they thought they'd be at this point. Their life as a family is are hard. But they would not trade it for the alternative. They trust God. Trust Him to work through life's difficulties. Trust Him for the grace to deal with the day-to-day difficulties. Trust Him to bring life out of death.
The difference of a year can be absolutely incredible. It can also be absolutely frightening. We, like the hypothetical man in the book of James - whom James holds up as making all of life's plans without any care or concern for God - too often live our lives without any sense of how quickly life can change. Only those who have experienced tragedy, whose faith has been tested in the crucible of pain and suffering like Emily and her family, know how fragile is humanity. As Isaiah, and Peter after him remind us, the grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the Word of our God stands forever.
The difference of a year reminds me that God, and God alone, must be our foundation. As Emily's mom and dad have reminded me solely by the way they've lived out their faith this past year, only faith in God is enough to get us through a year.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Fear Factor
Is 'Fear' something that never crosses your mind? Something that other people deal with?
More than likely 'Fear' is something you know of, something you live with. If you're like me, you are familiar with fear. I know a lot about fear because I grew up with it as part of my life. When I was younger, fear almost won, almost drove me to kill myself. Even today, fear is something that still seeks to have mastery over my spirit. I know its cold voice.
But before we go any further, it's helpful to distinguish between rational, or what we might call 'real' fear, and irrational fear. Real fear is the sort of thing that keeps us alive, keeps from injury. It was the motivator that kept you from sticking your hand on a hot burner on the stove, or kept you from running out in traffic.
Irrational fear, however, is different.
It is an abberation of the former kind. It is sometimes no more than a figment of that part of our imagination which is fallen. And other times it is the means by which the enemy, Satan, the devil, seeks to paralyze us into inaction or doing the wrong thing. It often contains a grain of truth, just enough reality or facts to make it seem real, believable, or just plain old frightening. But whereas real fear is our bodies' way of keeping us alive or unhurt, irrational fear has only one purpose ... to hurt us, to harm us, to dehumanize us. And what I mean by that last part is simply that irrational, unreal fear makes us less than who God created us and calls us to be.
Do you fear? Does fear plan a daily role in your life? Does it effect your marriage? Your relationships and/or friendships? Does it keep you in the same dead-end job? Does fear keep you from attempting your dreams? Does fear keep you from giving your whole heart and life to God? Does it keep you from trusting God?
When fear seems bigger than life, when fear seems bigger than God, life is not full. No matter how good our lives may look on the outside, fear can still rule in our hearts. Image is not everything, however, for fear robs us of the joy that God would have us live out of. In some ways, fear that dominates one's life is nothing less than an idol. Even when we don't want it to be so, when we fear we are forcing God off the throne of our hearts. But lest you think this is a note to express to you how angry God is about you being fearful, fear not.
"Fear not". It is one of the most oft repeated messages God or His angels first speak to people. It tells us that fear is not part of God's kingdom. Fear is not part of God, and it is not be part of our character. And yet, that often seems like a word that's so much easier to agree with than it is a reality to live out of. We don't want to fear, and yet, if you've grown up with fear, or you have become accustomed to fear, it's hard to imagine how to live otherwise.
But this is exactly what God not only calls us to, but promises us. John the apostle writes exactly this, when he says of God's love for us, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." And Paul writes about God's work in us through His Holy Spirit, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
God is not a god of fear, but one who loves us - though not with a sloppy, sentimentalism that allows us to live however we want. True love, as John reminds us, drives out all fear. True love is the very opposite of fear. God's kingdom drives out fear. This is one of the awesome dynamics of the Kingdom of God that Jesus first proclaimed to the people of Galilee and Judea. It is the same message that his first disciples continued to spread to the ends of the earth. And it is at the heart of the message proclaimed in the combined witness of the New Testament Gospels and letters.
It is, I think at the heart of a story about Jesus and His disciples from the Gospel of John 6:16-24, where the apostle writes ...
It is significant that among the disicples crossing the Sea of Galilee in that boat, several were experienced fishermen. Rough waters at night were nothing to be taken lightly. And yet when Jesus shows up, after night has fallen, they are frightened at the sight of him walking across the choppy, stormy waters. But wouldn't you be?
Instead, Jesus identifies Himself, "It is I." And He tells them, "Don't be afraid." We need to read more than just Jesus not wanting the disciples to be afraid. There's much more to both this story, and to our lives.
Jesus is not just trying to calm their fears in the moment. He's also making a statement; He's making a claim that only God can make. He is asserting that He is not only the Jewish Messiah, sent by God. He is stating that He is the God of heaven and earth, the One, True God, who commands nature.
Interestingly, in both Matthew 8 and Luke 8, Jesus calms a storm by merely speaking - commanding the storm to stop - and it does so. John wants us to know not only that God is with us when things seem dark and stormy. John, along with the other Gospel writers, is stating that Jesus is Lord over the things that cause us fear.
Don't read this the wrong way. God is not using the things that cause us fear in order to punish us or keep us down. Even coming to such a conclusion is the result of buying into fear. No, not at all. Instead, God wants us to trust Him in the midst of life's storms. The things that cause us fear, whether they be of the real kind (like mortgage foreclosure), or the irrational kind, are nothing compared to God, because the reality is - even if we cannot "feel" His presence - God is with us, and God is in control. He wants us to trust Him to take care us in the storm, and trust Him to bring it to an end.
Fear, the irrational kind, is ultimately the means for keeping us from believing God is as good as Scripture testifies to. Consider that even after humanity sins against God in the garden, God fashions clothes for Adam and Eve. Consider that God chooses one man to enter into a binding covenant with. Consider that God remembers His covenant, and rescues an insignificant group of slaves from Egypt, puts up with their complaints and whining, and leads them to the promised land. And that's just part of the Old Testament!
The revelation of God's love continues into and is incarnated in Jesus, God's Son. Consider this love is so great that Jesus teaches with the authority of God in order to correct the poor and sometimes false teaching of men. Consider that God's love in Jesus is so great that Jesus is willing to die a painful and hideous death in order to defeat sin, depraved human nature, and the devil. And consider God's love is so great that not even death could keep Jesus from rising from the dead to new life. And if that's not enough, consider, too, that it is God's love present in our lives, present in the heart of every faith-filled, believing man and woman in the third person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit.
God's love is with us. We do not need to fear anymore. God is with us. Emmanuel. God has saved His people. Y'shua. This is the Good News of the Kingdom of God. It is this love that keeps "fear" at bay in my own life.
It is this love that has defeated the power and temptations of death that sought after me to take my own life as a 17 year old, but which God meant instead to illuminate the power of His love for me in Jesus Christ. Love is all-powerful, because God is love. And true love drives out all fear.
Don't be afraid! God is with us!
More than likely 'Fear' is something you know of, something you live with. If you're like me, you are familiar with fear. I know a lot about fear because I grew up with it as part of my life. When I was younger, fear almost won, almost drove me to kill myself. Even today, fear is something that still seeks to have mastery over my spirit. I know its cold voice.
But before we go any further, it's helpful to distinguish between rational, or what we might call 'real' fear, and irrational fear. Real fear is the sort of thing that keeps us alive, keeps from injury. It was the motivator that kept you from sticking your hand on a hot burner on the stove, or kept you from running out in traffic.
Irrational fear, however, is different.
It is an abberation of the former kind. It is sometimes no more than a figment of that part of our imagination which is fallen. And other times it is the means by which the enemy, Satan, the devil, seeks to paralyze us into inaction or doing the wrong thing. It often contains a grain of truth, just enough reality or facts to make it seem real, believable, or just plain old frightening. But whereas real fear is our bodies' way of keeping us alive or unhurt, irrational fear has only one purpose ... to hurt us, to harm us, to dehumanize us. And what I mean by that last part is simply that irrational, unreal fear makes us less than who God created us and calls us to be.
Do you fear? Does fear plan a daily role in your life? Does it effect your marriage? Your relationships and/or friendships? Does it keep you in the same dead-end job? Does fear keep you from attempting your dreams? Does fear keep you from giving your whole heart and life to God? Does it keep you from trusting God?
When fear seems bigger than life, when fear seems bigger than God, life is not full. No matter how good our lives may look on the outside, fear can still rule in our hearts. Image is not everything, however, for fear robs us of the joy that God would have us live out of. In some ways, fear that dominates one's life is nothing less than an idol. Even when we don't want it to be so, when we fear we are forcing God off the throne of our hearts. But lest you think this is a note to express to you how angry God is about you being fearful, fear not.
"Fear not". It is one of the most oft repeated messages God or His angels first speak to people. It tells us that fear is not part of God's kingdom. Fear is not part of God, and it is not be part of our character. And yet, that often seems like a word that's so much easier to agree with than it is a reality to live out of. We don't want to fear, and yet, if you've grown up with fear, or you have become accustomed to fear, it's hard to imagine how to live otherwise.
But this is exactly what God not only calls us to, but promises us. John the apostle writes exactly this, when he says of God's love for us, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." And Paul writes about God's work in us through His Holy Spirit, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
God is not a god of fear, but one who loves us - though not with a sloppy, sentimentalism that allows us to live however we want. True love, as John reminds us, drives out all fear. True love is the very opposite of fear. God's kingdom drives out fear. This is one of the awesome dynamics of the Kingdom of God that Jesus first proclaimed to the people of Galilee and Judea. It is the same message that his first disciples continued to spread to the ends of the earth. And it is at the heart of the message proclaimed in the combined witness of the New Testament Gospels and letters.
It is, I think at the heart of a story about Jesus and His disciples from the Gospel of John 6:16-24, where the apostle writes ...
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. 22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
It is significant that among the disicples crossing the Sea of Galilee in that boat, several were experienced fishermen. Rough waters at night were nothing to be taken lightly. And yet when Jesus shows up, after night has fallen, they are frightened at the sight of him walking across the choppy, stormy waters. But wouldn't you be?
Instead, Jesus identifies Himself, "It is I." And He tells them, "Don't be afraid." We need to read more than just Jesus not wanting the disciples to be afraid. There's much more to both this story, and to our lives.
Jesus is not just trying to calm their fears in the moment. He's also making a statement; He's making a claim that only God can make. He is asserting that He is not only the Jewish Messiah, sent by God. He is stating that He is the God of heaven and earth, the One, True God, who commands nature.
Interestingly, in both Matthew 8 and Luke 8, Jesus calms a storm by merely speaking - commanding the storm to stop - and it does so. John wants us to know not only that God is with us when things seem dark and stormy. John, along with the other Gospel writers, is stating that Jesus is Lord over the things that cause us fear.
Don't read this the wrong way. God is not using the things that cause us fear in order to punish us or keep us down. Even coming to such a conclusion is the result of buying into fear. No, not at all. Instead, God wants us to trust Him in the midst of life's storms. The things that cause us fear, whether they be of the real kind (like mortgage foreclosure), or the irrational kind, are nothing compared to God, because the reality is - even if we cannot "feel" His presence - God is with us, and God is in control. He wants us to trust Him to take care us in the storm, and trust Him to bring it to an end.
Fear, the irrational kind, is ultimately the means for keeping us from believing God is as good as Scripture testifies to. Consider that even after humanity sins against God in the garden, God fashions clothes for Adam and Eve. Consider that God chooses one man to enter into a binding covenant with. Consider that God remembers His covenant, and rescues an insignificant group of slaves from Egypt, puts up with their complaints and whining, and leads them to the promised land. And that's just part of the Old Testament!
The revelation of God's love continues into and is incarnated in Jesus, God's Son. Consider this love is so great that Jesus teaches with the authority of God in order to correct the poor and sometimes false teaching of men. Consider that God's love in Jesus is so great that Jesus is willing to die a painful and hideous death in order to defeat sin, depraved human nature, and the devil. And consider God's love is so great that not even death could keep Jesus from rising from the dead to new life. And if that's not enough, consider, too, that it is God's love present in our lives, present in the heart of every faith-filled, believing man and woman in the third person of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit.
God's love is with us. We do not need to fear anymore. God is with us. Emmanuel. God has saved His people. Y'shua. This is the Good News of the Kingdom of God. It is this love that keeps "fear" at bay in my own life.
It is this love that has defeated the power and temptations of death that sought after me to take my own life as a 17 year old, but which God meant instead to illuminate the power of His love for me in Jesus Christ. Love is all-powerful, because God is love. And true love drives out all fear.
Don't be afraid! God is with us!
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