I just called a business associate to arrange to pick up some goods. She is from Vietnam and sometimes we “miscommunicate” about pick-up and delivery times, so I always call first. Today, however, her cell phone is answered by (friend/co-worker/family member) someone who doesn’t speak English. Now I don’t know what to do. Shall I drive on over and hope that what I need is ready to be pick-up or do I keep calling back hoping to get someone else on the phone?
I need to know right now so that I can plan the rest of the day.
Have you ever sat around waiting for God because he and you “miscommunicated?” You just aren’t sure if he said to sit still or take off as fast as you can. You aren’t sure if he said to climb on board or to wait for the next bus. Sometimes, it may seem as if he and you are speaking different languages.
Okay, if that last paragraph was written by a pastor/teacher/Christian-who-has-it-all-together-and-knows-everything, then it would have ended with something like: You need to work on your communication skills. God is always speaking the right language and using the right frequency. He is always making his will for you easily known. If you don’t get it, it’s because you aren’t listening.
But sometimes the problem is not with my spiritual ears. I do listen, read, and try to discern his word and his will and I still don’t get it. Perhaps what I need is patience. God will speak to me, in his time. It may not be an immediate response (and that is not because he’s busy with someone else). He just wants me to learn to wait.
Which is exactly what I’m doing on my Vietnamese friend.
Maybe I should blog about waiting, but I don’t have time.
Psalm 27.14
Friday, September 4, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Grace and Gasoline
Yesterday, I had a few extra minutes to kill while and decided to mow the property around a house that my friend owns. I’m not sure who normally does the yard or what equipment they use, but I knew there were several mowers under a tarp in the back. I checked gas and oil in 2 of the mowers and pulled and pulled, but neither started. Then I noticed the third mower was an electric.
Ever since childhood, I’ve understood electric motors better than combustible engines. As a kid, I was fascinated by the neighbor that used an electric mower and I used to tell my dad we needed one of those. It just looked “cooler.” My dad would always point out that the cord gets in the way.
So yesterday was the first chance in my life to try a childhood dream. I found several hundred feet of extension cord in a closet and set out to push this lightweight, quieter, electric mower all over the property.
The lessons learned include:
1) Dad was right (oh how I wish he were here so that I could call him and tell him that once again, he was right!). The cord is always in your way
2) More cord is not better. I thought I should unravel all the cord at one time and thereby have it all available as I worked further from the house. Bad idea. What I should have done is use one cord to mow close to the house, and then add cords as I moved to areas further from the plug.
3) Wear gloves. Since one hand is always holding the cord, you are basically mowing with just one hand. That one hand now has a big old blister from trying to push and steer all by itself.
4) Electric mowers are NOT for yards with trees, bushes, and anything sticking out of the ground that the cord will wrap around. It was quite amusing to see the tangled mess I had made.
5) An electric mower is about being tethered. It’s about slavery. A gas powered mower is about freedom.
The same is true of sin. It may look like a great idea. It may look easier, quieter, save the ozone layer and all that. In reality, however, sin is a great big chain (or bright orange cord) that keeps you from enjoying life. Grace is the combustible engine of life. Start her up and roam the neighborhood looking for things to mow. Grace allows you to mow around trees with ease, change directions effortlessly, and enjoy the experience without keeping a constant eye on the tether (sin).
I’ll take grace and gas anytime!
Ever since childhood, I’ve understood electric motors better than combustible engines. As a kid, I was fascinated by the neighbor that used an electric mower and I used to tell my dad we needed one of those. It just looked “cooler.” My dad would always point out that the cord gets in the way.
So yesterday was the first chance in my life to try a childhood dream. I found several hundred feet of extension cord in a closet and set out to push this lightweight, quieter, electric mower all over the property.
The lessons learned include:
1) Dad was right (oh how I wish he were here so that I could call him and tell him that once again, he was right!). The cord is always in your way
2) More cord is not better. I thought I should unravel all the cord at one time and thereby have it all available as I worked further from the house. Bad idea. What I should have done is use one cord to mow close to the house, and then add cords as I moved to areas further from the plug.
3) Wear gloves. Since one hand is always holding the cord, you are basically mowing with just one hand. That one hand now has a big old blister from trying to push and steer all by itself.
4) Electric mowers are NOT for yards with trees, bushes, and anything sticking out of the ground that the cord will wrap around. It was quite amusing to see the tangled mess I had made.
5) An electric mower is about being tethered. It’s about slavery. A gas powered mower is about freedom.
The same is true of sin. It may look like a great idea. It may look easier, quieter, save the ozone layer and all that. In reality, however, sin is a great big chain (or bright orange cord) that keeps you from enjoying life. Grace is the combustible engine of life. Start her up and roam the neighborhood looking for things to mow. Grace allows you to mow around trees with ease, change directions effortlessly, and enjoy the experience without keeping a constant eye on the tether (sin).
I’ll take grace and gas anytime!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
What Happens to the Guilt?
An interesting discussion erupts in my mind (thanks to a group discussion with others last night) about guilt and possibility that it can be taken away. It all started with a quote from The Living Bible (anytime someone quotes TLB, my skeptical ears perk up. I will not base theological concepts on the TLB alone!). They read Psalm 32: 1-2:
“What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven. What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.”
The discussion focused on how God removes our guilt. Is this true? My sin is on the bottom of the ocean’s floor, as far as the east is from the west (Micah 7, Ps 103). But has he removed my guilt as well?
To understand this passage in Psalms, I need to remind myself of an important fact: Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism. In other words, say something one way, and then say it again in a different way (The clouds are pretty. The sky is beautiful to look at today.) In this poetic sense, the poet uses three terms for sin. You can see this in the NAS and NLT translations (The NLT -New Living Translation- is always preferable over the TLB, because a team of experts actually reviewed Dr. Taylor’s work against the actual texts, and were much more faithful to word choice than Taylor’s previous solo effort). The three terms are basically transgressions, sin, and iniquity. The NAS renders the passage well:
“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity…”
The first word, transgression, is the same term used in Ps 51.1 (“blot out my transgressions”). It is when we rebel against God. This term is used of sin that is directly against God. Okay, you can argue that all sin is against God. But at times it seems that some sin we purposely commit as a rebellious act. Go ahead and fill in your blanks here.
The second word, sin, is the more common Hebrew word for sin. It means that we’ve missed the mark. This is the definition you’ve heard again and again. I bet you’ve got something to fill in this blank too!
The third word, iniquity, means basically “crookedness.” It comes from the root word that means to bend, or twist. It is a good description of how many of us take something good and bend it into something bad. It’s misusing God’s gift of (go ahead and fill in: sex, food, sports, whatever) for selfish purposes. We twisted it.
BTW, all three terms are also used in the first 2 verses of the classic Psalm 51.
So what about the translation (okay, technically, The Living Bible is not a translation, it is a paraphrase. Even Taylor himself admits that) that says God forgives our guilt. Well, I hate to argue with Ken Taylor, but guilt can’t be forgiven. Your transgression (the real word used) can be forgiven. We sinned/transgressed against God and so he forgives us. However, guilt is the consequence here on earth of that sin. If you murder your grandmother, God will forgive you. But you are still guilty. Even if your parents, your aunts and uncles, and the state in which you live all forgive you, you are still guilty. You will always be guilty. Forgiveness will never change your guilty status of being a murderer.
Does God see you as a murderer? I think when he forgives/covers our sin, he is removing the eternal consequences of that sin. We can still spend eternity with him regardless of how many grandmothers we murder (chew on that thought for a moment). However, our guilt remains with us. Even after you become a Christian, complete a study course, lead a church, and become a upstanding pillar of the community, you are still guilty of murder. Forgiven, yes. Redeemed, yes. Rehabilitated, yes. Useful to the Kingdom, yes. But you are still guilty. God and you both still know it.
So enjoy the fact that your intentional transgressions, missing the mark sins, and crooked iniquity can all be forgiven and removed. However, the quilt that lingers is what reminds us of why we need forgiveness is the first place. My awareness of my guilt keeps me humble and dependent on God’s grace.
“What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven. What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.”
The discussion focused on how God removes our guilt. Is this true? My sin is on the bottom of the ocean’s floor, as far as the east is from the west (Micah 7, Ps 103). But has he removed my guilt as well?
To understand this passage in Psalms, I need to remind myself of an important fact: Hebrew poetry is based on parallelism. In other words, say something one way, and then say it again in a different way (The clouds are pretty. The sky is beautiful to look at today.) In this poetic sense, the poet uses three terms for sin. You can see this in the NAS and NLT translations (The NLT -New Living Translation- is always preferable over the TLB, because a team of experts actually reviewed Dr. Taylor’s work against the actual texts, and were much more faithful to word choice than Taylor’s previous solo effort). The three terms are basically transgressions, sin, and iniquity. The NAS renders the passage well:
“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity…”
The first word, transgression, is the same term used in Ps 51.1 (“blot out my transgressions”). It is when we rebel against God. This term is used of sin that is directly against God. Okay, you can argue that all sin is against God. But at times it seems that some sin we purposely commit as a rebellious act. Go ahead and fill in your blanks here.
The second word, sin, is the more common Hebrew word for sin. It means that we’ve missed the mark. This is the definition you’ve heard again and again. I bet you’ve got something to fill in this blank too!
The third word, iniquity, means basically “crookedness.” It comes from the root word that means to bend, or twist. It is a good description of how many of us take something good and bend it into something bad. It’s misusing God’s gift of (go ahead and fill in: sex, food, sports, whatever) for selfish purposes. We twisted it.
BTW, all three terms are also used in the first 2 verses of the classic Psalm 51.
So what about the translation (okay, technically, The Living Bible is not a translation, it is a paraphrase. Even Taylor himself admits that) that says God forgives our guilt. Well, I hate to argue with Ken Taylor, but guilt can’t be forgiven. Your transgression (the real word used) can be forgiven. We sinned/transgressed against God and so he forgives us. However, guilt is the consequence here on earth of that sin. If you murder your grandmother, God will forgive you. But you are still guilty. Even if your parents, your aunts and uncles, and the state in which you live all forgive you, you are still guilty. You will always be guilty. Forgiveness will never change your guilty status of being a murderer.
Does God see you as a murderer? I think when he forgives/covers our sin, he is removing the eternal consequences of that sin. We can still spend eternity with him regardless of how many grandmothers we murder (chew on that thought for a moment). However, our guilt remains with us. Even after you become a Christian, complete a study course, lead a church, and become a upstanding pillar of the community, you are still guilty of murder. Forgiven, yes. Redeemed, yes. Rehabilitated, yes. Useful to the Kingdom, yes. But you are still guilty. God and you both still know it.
So enjoy the fact that your intentional transgressions, missing the mark sins, and crooked iniquity can all be forgiven and removed. However, the quilt that lingers is what reminds us of why we need forgiveness is the first place. My awareness of my guilt keeps me humble and dependent on God’s grace.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
It’s four months till Christmas!
That sentence may make you panic or roll your eyes. You may think I’m an alarmist, over-planner, or somewhat cynical. Am I seriously worrying about all that I think must be done before December 25 or am I making fun of those who think they have too much to do before the holiday season?
You can’t tell from that simple, written sentence. To understand what I really mean, you would have to hear the inflection in my voice and observe my body language. You would have to know my previous comments on the topic of holiday preparedness (or lack thereof). To judge my written statement, you would have to know me.
Beware of judging people by short sentences in electronic communications. All those IM’s and Tweets may not reveal the truth. Truth comes from face-to-face time.
That sentence may make you panic or roll your eyes. You may think I’m an alarmist, over-planner, or somewhat cynical. Am I seriously worrying about all that I think must be done before December 25 or am I making fun of those who think they have too much to do before the holiday season?
You can’t tell from that simple, written sentence. To understand what I really mean, you would have to hear the inflection in my voice and observe my body language. You would have to know my previous comments on the topic of holiday preparedness (or lack thereof). To judge my written statement, you would have to know me.
Beware of judging people by short sentences in electronic communications. All those IM’s and Tweets may not reveal the truth. Truth comes from face-to-face time.
Monday, August 24, 2009
A Jesus Seminar
“Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples.”
Mark 9.30
Imagine if Jesus utilized our methodology for teaching. (We often think he likes our methods!) If he was walking around Earth today and wanted to teach his disciples something, and wanted to do it the way we do it, this verse would say something like:
“Jesus outsourced the design of a really cool logo for the upcoming teaching event. He found enough money in the budget for t-shirts and koozies imprinted with the logo for all the participants. He purchased a web-site for the specific event (ignoring the graphics on godaddy.com) and signed a deal with constantcontact.com to alert everyone in his address book about the upcoming event. Jesus rented a very posh hotel banquet room, complete with complimentary coffee in the mornings and soft drinks in the afternoon. He did have to pay extra for the oversized white board and video projector. He designed a “killer” PowerPoint Presentation to help him communicate with his students. Since it was near the end of the budget year, and he would lose any unspent money, every participant received a leather portfolio with the conference logo embossed on the cover. He also placed ads on 3 different billboards and bought time on 2 different radio stations to help publicize the event. All of this led to a fantastic “teaching moment.” At the end of the day, each disciple was asked to fill out a survey on the event. The next day, the lectures ended up on YouTube. One month later, the outline was released in a book.”
For Jesus, teaching someone something simply meant teaching them something. And what he teaches us from this interesting little footnote in scripture is that content always trumps hype, preparation, and marketing.
Mark 9.30
Imagine if Jesus utilized our methodology for teaching. (We often think he likes our methods!) If he was walking around Earth today and wanted to teach his disciples something, and wanted to do it the way we do it, this verse would say something like:
“Jesus outsourced the design of a really cool logo for the upcoming teaching event. He found enough money in the budget for t-shirts and koozies imprinted with the logo for all the participants. He purchased a web-site for the specific event (ignoring the graphics on godaddy.com) and signed a deal with constantcontact.com to alert everyone in his address book about the upcoming event. Jesus rented a very posh hotel banquet room, complete with complimentary coffee in the mornings and soft drinks in the afternoon. He did have to pay extra for the oversized white board and video projector. He designed a “killer” PowerPoint Presentation to help him communicate with his students. Since it was near the end of the budget year, and he would lose any unspent money, every participant received a leather portfolio with the conference logo embossed on the cover. He also placed ads on 3 different billboards and bought time on 2 different radio stations to help publicize the event. All of this led to a fantastic “teaching moment.” At the end of the day, each disciple was asked to fill out a survey on the event. The next day, the lectures ended up on YouTube. One month later, the outline was released in a book.”
For Jesus, teaching someone something simply meant teaching them something. And what he teaches us from this interesting little footnote in scripture is that content always trumps hype, preparation, and marketing.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Key to Faith
I had a key made this morning. I started calculating everywhere I’ve lived and work, and I figure I’ve had about 40 different car/house/office/work keys so far in my life. If I added every other key I’ve been responsible for (auxiliary keys at work, storage facilities, work vehicles, etc) the number would easily double or maybe even triple. Many of those keys I’ve had copies made.
In other words, I’ve made enough copies to know that I need to try out the copy I had made today before I return the original. I’ve been around the block enough times to know that copies don’t always work. They may look the same, but you never know it is a true copy until you insert the key into the lock and it actually does the job.
I am a fool in many ways, but I’m not foolish enough to get locked out again by a bad duplicate key!
The anonymous author of Hebrews concludes his letter with this bit of advice: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (13.7 NIV)
It’s interesting that we are not advised to imitate their life. You can “consider” their life. Study it, learn from it, and more than likely be disappointed by it. You don’t know a leader (if you really know them) whose life should be imitated. Leaders let you down.
Instead, we are told to imitate their faith. Look at their faith and how it gets them through whatever it is they do that will disappoint you. If their faith allows them to walk through that valley of darkness without abandoning their trust in God, then it’s a faith to be imitated and duplicated. Sometimes, of course, that key of faith doesn’t work. It might look genuine, but it is not a good copy.
So if you’re looking for a faith to emulate, you might want to look at those who have seen the worst that life can throw at them. There may be much to learn from how their faith allows them to handle their crisis, addictions, foibles, mistakes, habits, dysfunctional relationships, deteriorating health, and loses. To see if faith works, you’ve got to see it tested.
In other words, I’ve made enough copies to know that I need to try out the copy I had made today before I return the original. I’ve been around the block enough times to know that copies don’t always work. They may look the same, but you never know it is a true copy until you insert the key into the lock and it actually does the job.
I am a fool in many ways, but I’m not foolish enough to get locked out again by a bad duplicate key!
The anonymous author of Hebrews concludes his letter with this bit of advice: “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (13.7 NIV)
It’s interesting that we are not advised to imitate their life. You can “consider” their life. Study it, learn from it, and more than likely be disappointed by it. You don’t know a leader (if you really know them) whose life should be imitated. Leaders let you down.
Instead, we are told to imitate their faith. Look at their faith and how it gets them through whatever it is they do that will disappoint you. If their faith allows them to walk through that valley of darkness without abandoning their trust in God, then it’s a faith to be imitated and duplicated. Sometimes, of course, that key of faith doesn’t work. It might look genuine, but it is not a good copy.
So if you’re looking for a faith to emulate, you might want to look at those who have seen the worst that life can throw at them. There may be much to learn from how their faith allows them to handle their crisis, addictions, foibles, mistakes, habits, dysfunctional relationships, deteriorating health, and loses. To see if faith works, you’ve got to see it tested.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
An Affair in the Fellowship
James 4.4
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?”
James is not talking to adulterers here. He is not talking to those who cheat on their spouse. No, he’s talking to those within the church who cause “fights and quarrels” among each other because of their own selfish motives (verses 1-3). He is saying that when we disrupt a fellowship in order to get what we want, to get things done our way, then we are simply following the pattern of the world. To do things the way the world does them is to befriend the world, and to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. In a sense, you are cheating on God. You are taking the affections that by covenant belong only to him and sharing them with a self-centered, egotistical world. You are an adulterer.
What started out as a harmless (in our opinion) attempt to get “our will done” instead of “thy will done” turns out to be a love affair between you and the world’s way of getting things done. You may not consider your manipulations to be “quarreling and fighting” as mentioned in verse 2, but that’s what it looks like to God. Whatever temporary reward might be yours as a result of the dispute, you end up “spending” on your own selfish desires (verse 3).
Like all kinds of affairs, it’s never about the other person. It’s always about yourself.
Keep reading the chapter. The action required to combat such an affair is humility and submission. The anecdote comes from God himself: Grace.
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?”
James is not talking to adulterers here. He is not talking to those who cheat on their spouse. No, he’s talking to those within the church who cause “fights and quarrels” among each other because of their own selfish motives (verses 1-3). He is saying that when we disrupt a fellowship in order to get what we want, to get things done our way, then we are simply following the pattern of the world. To do things the way the world does them is to befriend the world, and to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. In a sense, you are cheating on God. You are taking the affections that by covenant belong only to him and sharing them with a self-centered, egotistical world. You are an adulterer.
What started out as a harmless (in our opinion) attempt to get “our will done” instead of “thy will done” turns out to be a love affair between you and the world’s way of getting things done. You may not consider your manipulations to be “quarreling and fighting” as mentioned in verse 2, but that’s what it looks like to God. Whatever temporary reward might be yours as a result of the dispute, you end up “spending” on your own selfish desires (verse 3).
Like all kinds of affairs, it’s never about the other person. It’s always about yourself.
Keep reading the chapter. The action required to combat such an affair is humility and submission. The anecdote comes from God himself: Grace.
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