I like Christmas. I like it a lot. It's a season where people get simultaneously crazier and nicer. There's pushing and shoving from Black Friday on, but many people seem to be more joyful. As I write this, I'm watching the end of Miracle on 34th street. In it, Kris Kringle shows up out of nowhere at the Thanksgiving day parade. Apparently he's in the habit of attending this parade. So on Thanksgiving day, Santa Claus comes into some ordinary, skeptical people's lives and saves them from the life of the humdrum. They doubted the "supernatural" (humor me) and Santa Claus came in to save the day and let them believe in something more. Through his work, the girl (I didn't pay attention enough to get her name) was saved from a boring life and brought to life in a world where she could truly live as she was intended, as a little girl. She was free to pretend and imagine and hope and dream and believe.
In the same way, this time of year brings to my mind the miracle of the incarnation, which dwarfs the sequence of events described earlier (Not to diminish the significance of the Thanksgiving day parade, or Santa Claus, or Santa Claus at the Thanksgiving day parade, the Incarnation is just that cool). The Incarnation can be described simply as the action of God the Son taking on flesh, being born of the virgin Mary. Though it is far from a simple process and cannot be explained simply or easily (all great theological truths are like that), the Incarnation is one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith, and our hope of salvation from the power of sin and death.
As Karl Barth believes (stay with me, he's a beast), God is wholly other from us. He is of an entirely different material than his creation, and we do not have the power to transcend the gap from us to him. There is a vast chasm between us and God which is the equally vast distinction of the difference between the quality of our being, and that of God. This, which Barth calls the infinite qualitative distinction, leaves fallen man without any hope of knowing God. You see, God is far higher than man, far higher than man could ever hope to reach. Man's only hope of knowing God is that God (he's infinite ya know) would cross the infinite qualitative distinction and reveal himself to man. God does this in three ways.
1) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
(Romans 1:19-20 ESV)
Calvin calls this general revelation. God's fingerprint is in his creation. The creator has left his mark on our world. Because of this, every civilization in the history of our world has attributed its creation to a higher power. We sense the presence of God in our world, though some have perceived Him incorrectly.
2) God has revealed himself at certain times to certain people. More generally, he has revealed himself through scripture. Calvin calls this special revelation.
3) Finally , Jesus the Word became flesh in the most significant act of revelation. Although God's other revealing activities afford us the knowledge of God's activity and his character, we are still on the wrong side of the gap known as the infinite qualitative distinction. Our hopes and dreams are realized, but they are unattainable. We know who God is and how we ought to live, but we find we are unable to live in such a way that is truly pleasing to him. Because of Christ's work through his life death and resurrection, we not only know who God but we also have the opportunity to commune with that God.
So as Christmas approaches quickly I am reminded of an old Christmas song:
O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. Because of Christ, we can know God. Because of the incarnation, we have hope. We can escape the power of sin and death through the power of Christ. Praise the Lord that our one hope came through. My only chance at real life is Jesus, and he succeeded.
Merry Christmas.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Perspective
I recently had one of the worst weeks I can remember. Crushed dreams on Monday. My mom called on Tuesday and we had to put my 14 year old cat down. That was hard. I felt sick all week and I knew well the impending doom of the five papers that were due in the next seven days. It was awful. I felt lower than I had in a long time. But was it really so bad? What makes life good or bad?
I've considered this concept for a while, probably after my brief experiences outside the country, when I saw poverty like I'd never seen before. I find that a lot of the things that absolutely plague me would seem run of the mill or even wonderful to a lot of people in the world.
I come from an upper middle class home in a suburb outside of Memphis. I've been spared a great number of the struggles that many people have had to endure. My parents love each other and have a great relationship. My brother and sister are great and I love to spend time with them. I played sports all through my childhood and played in band in high school. I had some really solid friends in high school who were there for me when I needed them. I go to a private Christian college. It's expensive but I've been blessed with scholarships and my parents have pitched in the rest. All that to say: I've had a pretty good life. Few tragedies. Few sorrows. Many joys. Holidays and birthdays were always happy.
Even so I still have days where the world feels like it's falling down around me. One week this semester was especially difficult because I had a ton of homework. Not to be that evangelical, but there are kids in Africa who would love to have homework. There are people who would do anything for an opportunity to be where I am learning what I'm learning.
So what makes an experience either good or bad? Each experience fits within the larger framework of experience, and is compared to other experiences in order for the present experience to be deemed either good or bad. Admittedly, good and bad are largely subjective terms in this case, though there are some experiences (death of a loved one) that could be more objectively determined. So for me, homework is often a factor in a bad day. It often makes my day worse. It shouldn't, but that's the way it is.
When I think of things like this, I'm reminded of others who have had far worse experiences and been the victim of truly awful things. The added perspective reminds me that my interpretation of the goodness or badness of my life is flawed and quite possibly trivial. I need to remember that I have been blessed with material things. I have all my needs provided for. My life can pretty much always be described as "good."
I believe that I have been blessed with material things so that I might bless others, but I only really live this out when God blesses me with perspective. Perspective to see my "sufferings" in the grand scheme of things. Perspective to understand that this world does not revolve around me and that there are people who hurt worse than I could possibly imagine. They need love, and I have been blessed with the means to give love. God help me to get over myself and see the hurts, pains, hopes and dreams of others.
I've considered this concept for a while, probably after my brief experiences outside the country, when I saw poverty like I'd never seen before. I find that a lot of the things that absolutely plague me would seem run of the mill or even wonderful to a lot of people in the world.
I come from an upper middle class home in a suburb outside of Memphis. I've been spared a great number of the struggles that many people have had to endure. My parents love each other and have a great relationship. My brother and sister are great and I love to spend time with them. I played sports all through my childhood and played in band in high school. I had some really solid friends in high school who were there for me when I needed them. I go to a private Christian college. It's expensive but I've been blessed with scholarships and my parents have pitched in the rest. All that to say: I've had a pretty good life. Few tragedies. Few sorrows. Many joys. Holidays and birthdays were always happy.
Even so I still have days where the world feels like it's falling down around me. One week this semester was especially difficult because I had a ton of homework. Not to be that evangelical, but there are kids in Africa who would love to have homework. There are people who would do anything for an opportunity to be where I am learning what I'm learning.
So what makes an experience either good or bad? Each experience fits within the larger framework of experience, and is compared to other experiences in order for the present experience to be deemed either good or bad. Admittedly, good and bad are largely subjective terms in this case, though there are some experiences (death of a loved one) that could be more objectively determined. So for me, homework is often a factor in a bad day. It often makes my day worse. It shouldn't, but that's the way it is.
When I think of things like this, I'm reminded of others who have had far worse experiences and been the victim of truly awful things. The added perspective reminds me that my interpretation of the goodness or badness of my life is flawed and quite possibly trivial. I need to remember that I have been blessed with material things. I have all my needs provided for. My life can pretty much always be described as "good."
I believe that I have been blessed with material things so that I might bless others, but I only really live this out when God blesses me with perspective. Perspective to see my "sufferings" in the grand scheme of things. Perspective to understand that this world does not revolve around me and that there are people who hurt worse than I could possibly imagine. They need love, and I have been blessed with the means to give love. God help me to get over myself and see the hurts, pains, hopes and dreams of others.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Success
I'm addicted to success. Those who know me may or may not believe me, but I think that's only because I hide it well. I have dreams for a future that I think are necessary for my happiness. One of the things I consistently struggle with is how to reconcile my aspirations with a life fully surrendered to God. Can I have dreams? Or are are personal aspirations by nature contradictory to a life surrendered to God?
A life fully surrendered to God is what I'm ultimately after. I want to be able to honestly say that my only concern is Christ and pleasing him, but if I'm honest, that's not where I am. Let me explain that the life surrendered to God is not at all incompatible with happiness. In fact, my reading and experience tells me that the most worthwhile life is one that seeks God. At the same time, I wonder to what degree my dreams hinder my availability as a servant in God's kingdom. I have not given this too much thought, but it seems reasonable that dreams follow many of the same principles as other elements of our natural life. That is, dreams are morally good or bad insofar as they are brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I am of the belief that Jesus does not need to be my first priority (that is, one of many priorities), but he must be the Lord over all my priorities. With that understanding, every pursuit in my life ought to be directed by Christ and done for the purpose of bringing him honor and glory.
As wonderful as this sounds, It's a work in progress. My life cannot be characteristically described as surrendered to Christ, but I suppose that's a fact of the human condition. I've had a lot of dreams that were all about me.
For example, I always wanted to be a Major League Baseball player. I played for years growing up. Some of my first memories are of my playing baseball with my brother in the backyard. That was my first dream.
Next, I decided I was going to be a rock star. I was about 13 years old at this point, and I had become a Christian a couple years earlier. So I thought "I've got to do something Christian." So I was going to be a Christian rock star. Of course, this was a mere sprinkling of Holy Water on my secular dreams in an attempt to make them "Christian." It was silly and shallow, but God used that time in my life to grow me. That was my second dream.
Then one day I realized I wasn't very good at music. So I decided I'd be an architect. I loved playing with LEGOs (still do) and I was good at math, not to mention the draw of a 6 figure salary. Again, I was a Christian, so I thought "I'll build churches." God wouldn't give me a break. That was my third dream.
Finally, the summer after my sophomore year, I got tired of dreaming dreams that my conscience gagged at. God was working on my heart, pulling me closer to himself. I had a few really great people pouring into my life and they all played a part in God's plan. That summer, I surrendered my life to Christ, telling him I would do whatever he wanted me to. That has gradually filled out into a call to the ministry, which I am so excited about. God put in me the desire to spend my life glorifying him. This is my last dream.
Now obviously the story doesn't end there. I lose sight of that dream. I drift from a life devoted to God. I am still growing, and I am often faithless, leaving God for something that feels more reliable or tangible. As is his way, God shows me my sin and leads me to repentance. He's shown me some dreams and hopes that I have for my future, which have usurped the control he has over my heart and have become idols.
One of those is my dream of a family. Since my future in the ministry kind of destroys any dreams I might have of wealth, a family is one of the ways I could measure personal success. My family has been great and I find that a major marker of success in my life is a beautiful family. Families are wonderful, but they are not the zenith, the end, the highest point of human achievement. My thought has been "If only I can find the right girl, we will have a beautiful family, AND THEN I will be successful." I will matter.
God has shown me that the point of the family is to glorify God. So my desire for any sort of success is only right insofar as it is brought under the Lordship of Christ. Nevertheless I still dream. I'm prone to wander. I'm prone to leave the God I love. My life is a struggle of remembering that every dream I have must fall under the bigger, final dream of bringing glory to God.
A life fully surrendered to God is what I'm ultimately after. I want to be able to honestly say that my only concern is Christ and pleasing him, but if I'm honest, that's not where I am. Let me explain that the life surrendered to God is not at all incompatible with happiness. In fact, my reading and experience tells me that the most worthwhile life is one that seeks God. At the same time, I wonder to what degree my dreams hinder my availability as a servant in God's kingdom. I have not given this too much thought, but it seems reasonable that dreams follow many of the same principles as other elements of our natural life. That is, dreams are morally good or bad insofar as they are brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I am of the belief that Jesus does not need to be my first priority (that is, one of many priorities), but he must be the Lord over all my priorities. With that understanding, every pursuit in my life ought to be directed by Christ and done for the purpose of bringing him honor and glory.
As wonderful as this sounds, It's a work in progress. My life cannot be characteristically described as surrendered to Christ, but I suppose that's a fact of the human condition. I've had a lot of dreams that were all about me.
For example, I always wanted to be a Major League Baseball player. I played for years growing up. Some of my first memories are of my playing baseball with my brother in the backyard. That was my first dream.
Next, I decided I was going to be a rock star. I was about 13 years old at this point, and I had become a Christian a couple years earlier. So I thought "I've got to do something Christian." So I was going to be a Christian rock star. Of course, this was a mere sprinkling of Holy Water on my secular dreams in an attempt to make them "Christian." It was silly and shallow, but God used that time in my life to grow me. That was my second dream.
Then one day I realized I wasn't very good at music. So I decided I'd be an architect. I loved playing with LEGOs (still do) and I was good at math, not to mention the draw of a 6 figure salary. Again, I was a Christian, so I thought "I'll build churches." God wouldn't give me a break. That was my third dream.
Finally, the summer after my sophomore year, I got tired of dreaming dreams that my conscience gagged at. God was working on my heart, pulling me closer to himself. I had a few really great people pouring into my life and they all played a part in God's plan. That summer, I surrendered my life to Christ, telling him I would do whatever he wanted me to. That has gradually filled out into a call to the ministry, which I am so excited about. God put in me the desire to spend my life glorifying him. This is my last dream.
Now obviously the story doesn't end there. I lose sight of that dream. I drift from a life devoted to God. I am still growing, and I am often faithless, leaving God for something that feels more reliable or tangible. As is his way, God shows me my sin and leads me to repentance. He's shown me some dreams and hopes that I have for my future, which have usurped the control he has over my heart and have become idols.
One of those is my dream of a family. Since my future in the ministry kind of destroys any dreams I might have of wealth, a family is one of the ways I could measure personal success. My family has been great and I find that a major marker of success in my life is a beautiful family. Families are wonderful, but they are not the zenith, the end, the highest point of human achievement. My thought has been "If only I can find the right girl, we will have a beautiful family, AND THEN I will be successful." I will matter.
God has shown me that the point of the family is to glorify God. So my desire for any sort of success is only right insofar as it is brought under the Lordship of Christ. Nevertheless I still dream. I'm prone to wander. I'm prone to leave the God I love. My life is a struggle of remembering that every dream I have must fall under the bigger, final dream of bringing glory to God.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Discipleship
Discipleship is something God has been teaching me over the last year. Formerly I held the belief that people would disciple themselves if they were serious about their faith. They would plug themselves into a church on their own and read the Bible and pray if they really loved Jesus. All we really needed were evangelists and churches. In my plan there was no one on one discipleship. I used passages like the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts and Paul's conversion. I imagined that I had no notable discipleship and I was just fine.
Certainly there are some contradictions between my view and the Bible. I couldn't really get around the Great Commission. Ya know... The part that says "make disciples." Maybe I assumed discipleship meant sitting in church services or Sunday school classes. That's what I see in a lot of churches. I also see a lot of complacency.
I'm pretty tired of churches defining "discipleship" as a class or a program. It just seems like another class or another self-help program. In my experience, discipleship classes offer limited community and a good bit of anonymity. Maybe I've just experienced them done wrong.
The discipleship I see in the Bible is gritty and difficult. It's not clear cut. It's not an easy 12 step program; it's doing life together. One man takes another man or two under his wing and shows him his life. The rabbi (if you will) teaches his disciples all the wisdom he has learned from his rabbi. Our proverbial rabbi holds the disciples accountable and teaches them what it means to love and to serve and to live missionally. He pours his life into theirs.
This can definitely happen in a class. The class can't make it happen. The class should never be the focal point. The majority of teaching should happen outside the classroom, just like the majority of Biblical learning should happen outside the church service. The class should be a place where people can come together and share their discipleship experiences and be encouraged as they go back out to do more discipleship.
When I was in 6th grade, I had a group of seniors (in high school) who really poured into me. I thought they were really cool and I was really lame, so I wanted to be like them. They just hung out with me and invited me to a Bible study and asked me about my life. They are a huge part of why I started reading the Bible and pursuing Christ. I've had so many people pour into me and I hadn't seen that until recently
So this is broad strokes. I'm not sure there's another way to develop the title "discipleship" another way. God's been showing me how vital personal discipleship and mentors are in Christian growth
Certainly there are some contradictions between my view and the Bible. I couldn't really get around the Great Commission. Ya know... The part that says "make disciples." Maybe I assumed discipleship meant sitting in church services or Sunday school classes. That's what I see in a lot of churches. I also see a lot of complacency.
I'm pretty tired of churches defining "discipleship" as a class or a program. It just seems like another class or another self-help program. In my experience, discipleship classes offer limited community and a good bit of anonymity. Maybe I've just experienced them done wrong.
The discipleship I see in the Bible is gritty and difficult. It's not clear cut. It's not an easy 12 step program; it's doing life together. One man takes another man or two under his wing and shows him his life. The rabbi (if you will) teaches his disciples all the wisdom he has learned from his rabbi. Our proverbial rabbi holds the disciples accountable and teaches them what it means to love and to serve and to live missionally. He pours his life into theirs.
This can definitely happen in a class. The class can't make it happen. The class should never be the focal point. The majority of teaching should happen outside the classroom, just like the majority of Biblical learning should happen outside the church service. The class should be a place where people can come together and share their discipleship experiences and be encouraged as they go back out to do more discipleship.
When I was in 6th grade, I had a group of seniors (in high school) who really poured into me. I thought they were really cool and I was really lame, so I wanted to be like them. They just hung out with me and invited me to a Bible study and asked me about my life. They are a huge part of why I started reading the Bible and pursuing Christ. I've had so many people pour into me and I hadn't seen that until recently
So this is broad strokes. I'm not sure there's another way to develop the title "discipleship" another way. God's been showing me how vital personal discipleship and mentors are in Christian growth
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Crazy Kids
This is the first week of Day Camp here at Deer Run and I already feel myself being stretched. I've been teaching Bible Study 6 times a day and it has been incredible. Today is Wednesday which means we share the Gospel. We've had some kids ask some phenomenal questions today: "How do you find God if you can't see him." "Where do people go if they've never heard about Jesus?" I explained trinity and omnipresence to a 7 year old. (Successfully? Maybe.) They asked some more questions and they were all incredible.
I'm really blessed to have this opportunity to explain the Gospel to kids. They are incredible and a lot of them really desire to learn about God and to know him more.
Knack
I'm really blessed to have this opportunity to explain the Gospel to kids. They are incredible and a lot of them really desire to learn about God and to know him more.
Knack
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Christ's Supremacy
I'm currently reading Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. So far I'm a fan. He has a hard word for a generation that lives in "cheap grace."
One of the biggest things I've noticed is his awesome view of Christ. For him, Jesus is everything and he is in everything. Everything we do is for him and everything worth having is from him. As he expounds on all the ways Jesus must permeate our lives, I get uncomfortable. I know Jesus owns my life and must have his way, but it's way more comfortable for me to stay away from particulars. If I say, "Jesus has all of me," it's done. My "contract" is complete. (Of course there is no contract, but I like to make myself think there is. It's neat and easy, but discipleship is not supposed to be either of those things.) It's when I think about all the implications of Jesus' claims on my soul that I realize how much has to change.
When Bonhoeffer says Jesus must be the mediator of my every relationship, I draw back. I'm a college student! I'm smart enough to run my own relationships! I can do it on my own! Oh... Pride...
I continually find these blind spots in my faith, those areas that I refuse to believe are sin until God brings those to light. So as I continue to pursue God, I am mindful that Jesus must permeate every bit of my life. There can be no part left untouched.
I'm trying to be a branch
Knack
One of the biggest things I've noticed is his awesome view of Christ. For him, Jesus is everything and he is in everything. Everything we do is for him and everything worth having is from him. As he expounds on all the ways Jesus must permeate our lives, I get uncomfortable. I know Jesus owns my life and must have his way, but it's way more comfortable for me to stay away from particulars. If I say, "Jesus has all of me," it's done. My "contract" is complete. (Of course there is no contract, but I like to make myself think there is. It's neat and easy, but discipleship is not supposed to be either of those things.) It's when I think about all the implications of Jesus' claims on my soul that I realize how much has to change.
When Bonhoeffer says Jesus must be the mediator of my every relationship, I draw back. I'm a college student! I'm smart enough to run my own relationships! I can do it on my own! Oh... Pride...
I continually find these blind spots in my faith, those areas that I refuse to believe are sin until God brings those to light. So as I continue to pursue God, I am mindful that Jesus must permeate every bit of my life. There can be no part left untouched.
I'm trying to be a branch
Knack
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Deer Run
This summer I have the incredible opportunity to work at Deer Run Christian Camps outside Nashville. I'm looking forward to sharing the Gospel that is our only hope with some kids who need hope. I'm so excited about building relationships with my co-workers and learning from them. I know God will teach me a lot about ministry and himself. Pray for me that I would rely on his strength instead of my own this summer.
Knack
Knack
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)