Some Brothers...

So some brothers torture their sisters by popping their balloons, my son is different.


He ate his sister's balloon.


That's right, my daughter Zoe was playing with her pink balloon, O happy day! Everything was right in the world.

And then my son Zane, who is in the midst of an intense 'pretend I'm a cheetah' phase, pounces...


He ate that pretty pink balloon.

And today, we saw it again. Yes, that's right, the balloon made it out, a little worse for wear, but free again.

I'll let you blow it up...

Thank a Vet

No matter how you feel about it, your presence in America (and the rights and privileges that come with that) have been paid for by the blood, sweat, and tears of countless soldiers and their families.

In spite of how you feel about the current war, or war in general, say, "Thank you," to a veteran today.

"Thanks, Dad."

Go Cheryl!

If you are interested in hand crafted (and made to order) scarves, hats, shawls, and other items, then click the link above.

Our friend Cheryl Lewis has decided to pursue her dream of running her own small business selling her own hand-made items.

Just click on the title link!

Jesus the First Time Traveller

Don't worry, I promise we aren't starting a UFO cult! Just think on this...


Jesus comes to us from the future.


One of my favorite authors, NT Wright, says that looking to the future (in reading the biblical prophets) is like looking into a fog and describing what you see...

There is something there, but it is mysterious and the detail is hard to make out with any clarity.

...how if someone came walking to us out of the fog?


That someone is Jesus!


He Is from God's future redemption! The Age to Come is fully revealed in the life, death, and specifically, the Resurrection.

It bear's considering, if we were to meet someone 'from the future,' (think some ridiculous sci-fi 'B' movie) what would the attendant thoughts, emotions, questions, and experiences be? ...

Ephesians

In the opening verses of the letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes that he is a messenger or apostle "by the will of God." The Message has Paul saying he is "under God's plan." By way of an introduction to the series we will be doing on the letter to the Ephesian Church, we will be exploring this idea.

What is God's plan? ...God's will? How do we get 'under' it?

What is the letter to the Ephesians all about? The answer to this question dovetails nicely with the others above:

Ephesians is largely a letter that provides the 'big picture' of God's action in history, and provides insight into how we fit into that unfolding redemptive drama. This is, I believe, what Paul means by being 'under God's plan.'

So what do we see? Do we see God's action? Or are we consumed with our own needs and desires?

Do we see dry bones? Or Ezekiel's army? (Ezekiel 37)

Do we see the surrounding Arameans, or the chariots of fire? (2 Kings 6)

Acts 19-20 provide the account of Paul's time in Ephesus and the founding of the community of disciples in that city. It also goes a long way towards shaping our understanding of what it meant for Paul to be 'under God's plan,' how it was a guiding impetus to his life, illuminating a path for him. It was God's plan of salvation, and Paul's own specific purpose within that plan that gave Paul (revealed by the Holy Spirit and imbued with His power) his drive and stamina, his total willingness to pay any cost, as well as giving him direction and allowing him to make decisions about the course of his life.

So how do we make decisions?

How do we choose what to do with our time and energy?

How do we choose what to give our lives to?

When I Run...

(Check the Title link for an old post on a similar topic)

There is a scene in the popular movie Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell is talking with his sister. She is concerned that his career as a runner (he was Scotland's first Olympic Medalist) will stand in the way of his career as a missionary to China. Eric responds with this line:

"I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure."

There is something there that we need to grasp.

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The God spoken of in Scripture is the God who invented pleasure of all kinds. We do well to remember this! The Psalmist says to God, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

We can easily turn Jesus into a whip-toting, grimacing killjoy. Yet, even His enemies would dispute that point. The Pharisees accused Him of being a drunkard and friend of sinners, a party-going glutton. How could we ever confuse a Jesus who laughingly gave his friends nicknames with a morose religionist?

The Oval Office?

What would you think of a national religious figure who was referred to by his followers as the "Commander in Chief" and the "Leader of the Free World?" Who called his place of work the "Oval Office" and from there issued highly publicized speeches that were called "State of the Union" addresses? Who had appointed "Cabinet members" to help him accomplish his task and referred to his followers as "Citizens?"

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The following terms:

gospel
church
kingdom
twelve
temple
christ
lord
savior
prince of peace
(and many others)

All are terms that would be full of the same kinds of political significance as the "Oval Office" or "citizenship" are to our contemporary ears.

Gospel - the term used in the OT to refer to the coming of YHWH as king, setting things right for the nation of Israel in terms of justice, not least in terms of vanquishing the national enemies and oppressors. In the Roman world the term was used to refer to the official proclamations of the victory of Caesar's armies, the birth of Caesar's sons, and the acclamation of Caesar's deity.

Church - the term used in the Greco-Roman world to refer to the body of citizens called together.

Kingdom - a common term used by both Jews and Romans to refer to... a "kingdom!"

Twelve - the symbol for the nation of Israel, the twelve tribes.

Temple - the symbol of national pride, the place that declared to the world the primacy of Israel over other nations.

Christ - Literally, "the One who has had oil poured on him," the term for the King of the Jewish people.

Savior, Lord, Prince of Peace - Titles specifically ascribed to Caesar. All Roman subjects were required once a year to officially proclaim, "Caesar is Lord;" to which Christians responded, "Jesus is Lord."

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Certainly blurs the line of distinction between politics and spirituality, doesn't it?

So what does God think about politics? What were Jesus aims?

What are His desires for our lives?

Judgment and Theodicy

The voices crying foul about sin and evil in the world (claiming it proves God's non-existence) are the same voices crying foul about God's judgment on sin and evil (claiming the doctrines of hell and judgment are themselves evil).

They seem to vacillate back and forth between the belief that human concepts about justice and evil are valid ways of understanding the universe; (this is the basis upon which they pronounce their judgments upon the Creator of such a wicked Universe as ours) and the belief that evil is a fiction, and the only real evil is to believe in human concepts of justice and evil (these concepts, they claim, are merely religious attempts to control others and prevent them from having a good time)!

I say, choose either one or the other...

Pray

10 Years Ago

Click the title link to read an AP article about the murder of Matthew Shepard.

My wife and I were both in Laramie, attending the University, when this event happened. We were both there for the crazy protesters and counter-protesters; the media circus that followed the murder, another one following the trial a year later, and then another one two years later when they were filming the movie.

This should be a point of reflection and repentance for the Church.

Whenever we point fingers at 'them' we help to create an atmosphere where these kinds of brutalities can happen. The reality is that people engaged in homosexual behavior are no more or less broken than the pastor who calls them an 'abomination.' The reality is that homosexual acts are no more a perversion than a man having sex with his wife while fantasizing about another woman.

We are all created in God's image, and we are all stained with sin. We are breathing Icons of the Creator, but we are cracked.

We are all familiar with infamous Christians who live double lives. Roundly condemning activities publicly that they are covertly and habitually engaging in. Recently a famous Christian leader who was routinely making comments about homosexuality was outed by the male prostitute he had been having a three year relationship with.

I am more than willing to give this man the benefit of the doubt, his sincerity is not what I want to question, rather, I want to ask, 'how did this happen?' If this man had come forward with his struggles, if the Church did not create a 'super-sin' out of this particular issue, if the Church would place more emphasis on Jesus and less on 'good looks,' if the Church would be the first place where sin was able to be confessed instead of the last, if, if, if...

Reflection, and repentance.

It must begin in the Church.

Politics and Religion

You‘ve heard the phrase about being ‘so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good.’ This assumes that heaven and earth have nothing to do with each other; that spirituality and politics are two totally separate realms.

And yet, even on the surface of it, that doesn’t fit with our own cultural experience. Conservative Evangelicals as a voting bloc put George W Bush in the White House. Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor first, and a civil rights activist second. The Church has historically been extremely influential in political issues like abolition, prohibition, prison reform, abortion, education, and many others.

So which party would God endorse?

...both?
...neither?

Does God even care about politics?

And where should the people of God stand on political issues?

Wisdom

To that question, the whole Bible offers one massive and obvious answer: Wisdom. That beautiful and haunting poem from the book of Job issues a call to rediscover the wisdom we need in the middle of the times we live in. I chose that reading long before the present crisis, but re-reading it now it leaps out at us that, in the previous chapter, Job denounces those who think they can make their financial systems last for ever: ‘though they heap up silver like dust, though they build their houses like nests, they may go to bed with wealth but they will do so no more; terrors overtake them like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries them off.’ I remember being told as a boy that the Bible was as up to date as tomorrow morning’s newspaper, and there you have it in Job 27: a vivid and accurate picture of our world. And it is in that context – our context – that the poet asks, in chapter 28: Where then shall wisdom be found? You can dig for gold, you can trawl the sea for pearls, you can buy coral and crystal and jewels with money; but you can’t get wisdom that way. Indeed, we might want to add, if you spend all your time thinking about gold and pearls and crystal and money you can guarantee that you will not find wisdom.

NT Wright

What am I?

What is human nature?

I have been asked this on more than one occasion.

We are fundamentally good.

We are God's image.


But there is a force at work within us. Evil unleashed, like a bengal tiger that has somehow been turned loose inside the royal gardens, or the proverbial 'bull in a glass shop;' we are completely and totally beautiful, purposeful, good, powerful, compassionate, just; but there is a force at work within us that claws and devours all goodness.


The term 'Cracked Eikons' is used by Scot McKnight to describe human beings. We are images of God, clearly reflective of who He is, and yet obviously no longer whole; like a cracked mirror will still reflect, and yet is also clearly not whole.

William Wilberforce: Anti-Hero of Conservative Christians?

I just recently rewatched Amazing Grace and (among many other more profound and emotional thoughts) was struck by the fact that the life of William Wilberforce is a stark antithesis to the model held up by the Conservative Church.*

Okay, so it is, admittedly, a bit more nuanced than the above statement, but true none-the-less...

Here is the nuance:

Conservative Christians have been enthralled by the movie depicting Wilberforce's crusade against the slave-trade in the British Empire, and have been precisely because Wilberforce explicitly expresses that crusade as emanating from his conversion to a personal faith in Christ.

However, whenever contemporary Christians proclaim that our faith in Christ should, as a matter of course, result in similar crusading for justice on the earth, they are responded to by our Conservative brethren with the bitter refrain, "social gospel, it's the social gospel!" It frustrates me...

...especially when the life of Christ Himself seems to be such a commanding anthem for justice on the earth!

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It seems to me that the emphasis on personal faith should naturally and easily result in justice, moreover, it seems these two should never be held as somehow antithetical to each other, but rather to flow in seemless unity out of the Gospel proclamation of the Kingdom of God; "Jesus is Lord." If our faith is in the One who Rules the earth, then we will be doing our King's bidding here in His kingdom.


Or am I missing something?

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Okay, more nuance...

I know that Conservative Christians will be the first to teach and preach morality in their Churches, however, it is always with the caveat that "you can separate morality from salvation." We hear talk of justice,** but it seems completely severed from the salvation-life we receive from Jesus.

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*I, in many ways, consider myself to be a 'Conservative Christian.' (Although not in all ways, obviously...) And hope that my words are seen as critique, yes; but, critique from within, not attack from without...

**I must also point out that Conservative Christians tend to be Conservative politically as well, and so, tend to see 'justice' in terms of maintaining personal morality, admonishing personal responsibility, and advocating for private property rights of the citizens of democratic nations; but rarely if ever in terms of reversing systematic oppression, setting free those in captivity, or undoing the global trend towards building market economies on the overwhelming debt of third-world countries.

The Theology of GWB

Many of us are familiar with Bush Doctrine, namely, that a country is within it's rights to take preemptive military action in the event of intelligence against another country indicating a serious, immanent threat. Now of course there are critics of this thinking who would say that such action is the cause of conflict, not the interruption of conflict. But my agenda here is to neither defend, nor critique such a policy (we'll do that some other day...), rather to use this idea of 'preemption' as a jumping off point to discuss something more significant than global warfare and massive socio-political upheaval.

Agape is one of the 1st Century Greek words translated into English as the word 'love.'

It is distinct from other Greek words also translated into English as 'love.' Loosely translated:

Phileo - the love expressed in the bond of friendship
Storge - the love expressed in kind affection
Eros - the love expressed in romance

Agape is expressed in a number of significant ways:

1) Creation - as parents choose to bring a child into existence out of love (the love coming before the child and bringing it into existence), not out of any sense of what the child can do for them, but out of a desire to provide something for the child. In fact the mother's love causes her to provide for the child, and to bring the child itself into existence in order to provide for it, just so God's love has burst forth into words of creative power, bringing into existence all that we see.

2) Election - God chose Abram. The calling and the naming of Abram (Abraham) are significant in that Abraham had done nothing to earn this blessing, in point of fact, God chose Abraham in order to bless him. God called him 'Father of Nations' when he and his wife were extremely old, and were childless. Through God's calling, naming, blessing, and choosing Abram, he became Abraham, Father of Nations, elect of God.

3) Incarnation - God personally and intimately involved Himself in the human condition. He shared in our humanity, frailty, and vulnerability. He invited broken people to share in His fellowship, not requiring purity and righteousness as a prerequisite for that fellowship, but rather creating purity and righteousness out of fellowship with Him! He did this not out of any sense of what we could do for Him, but out of a desire to do something for us.

4) Atonement - ultimately agape is expressed in a human being hanging from a cross. This man, who was more than a man, was the precise way in which God took all of human suffering, evil, chaos, and death upon Himself. Again, God did this not because we were somehow deserving of it, but precisely in order to make us into a people who were no longer warped and broken by suffering, evil, chaos and death.

Agape is preemptive love! It is love that strikes first; not because that love is deserved, but rather because in giving love to what is undeserving of love, agape can make what is unlovely and unlovable into something lovely and lovable!

God is Green

Green SUVs, green stock-portfolios, green music videos...
green products permeate pop-culture. Should the Church
join this craze?

How does God feel about the environment?

Why has God given it to us?

How would He want His Church to act towards it?

Join us as we search the Scriptures to discover His heart
on environmental issues

God Loves What He Makes