Quit complaining about your job!

Thanks to my friend Mark Friesen who sent me the following pictures. He titled them, "Quit complaining about your job!"

It's not just a job, it's an adventure.

Momma never told me there'd be days like these.

Cubicle buddies

God explodes!

I'm working on a text for a sermon this week that includes the following section.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. (Mark 11:12-14)

Why would Jesus curse a fig tree for not bearing figs. It wasn't even the season for figs. That's not very fair; not very "Christ-like". What were the thoughts of the disciples as they walked away from this scene? Was Jesus' behavior as shocking to them as it seems to us?

The reality is that God often acts in ways that we don't expect. Sometimes He moves in ways that we think are completely out of character for who He is. And yet that's the problem. Our conception of who He is can often be far from the truth. He wants to blow away our perceptions so that when the smoke clears we get to see the real Him. Buechner said it so well when he wrote,

"God doesn’t explain. He explodes. He asks Job who he thinks he is anyway. He says that to try to explain the kind of things Job wants explained would be like trying to explain Einstein to a little-neck clam...God doesn’t reveal his grand design. He reveals himself." (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking, p. 46)

God please explode for us. Break apart our boxes lined with pre-conceived notions. Wash away the "thoughts of men" and give us the "thoughts of God". Give us You - for that is all we really need.

“For the first two or three years after my conversion, I used to ask for specific things. Now I ask for God. Supposing there is a tree full of fruits -- you will have to go and buy or beg the fruits from the owner of the tree. Every day you would have to go for one or two fruits. But if you can make the tree your own property, then all the fruits will be your own. In the same way, if God is your own, then all things in Heaven and on earth will be your own, because He is your Father and is everything to you; otherwise you will have to go and ask like a beggar for certain things. When they are used up, you will have to ask again. So ask not for gifts but for the Giver of Gifts: not for life but for the Giver of Life -- then life and the things needed for life will be added unto you.” (Sadhu Sundar Singh)

P.S. Just so you know, the fig tree makes alot more sense when you read about what Jesus did next.

Habits of a Child's Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines

New Book alert - Habits of a Child's Heart: Raising Your Kids with the Spiritual Disciplines

I haven't read this but I think I want to. If anyone has then let me know what you think.

Link

And if you want to see my wish list of books here it is.

Did Paul really mean it when he said...

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:14-21)

I took the time to read over this slowly and let the words sink in. It occured to me that if we really lived out what Paul is calling us to that we would have trouble living in society. We would be seen as strange. Radicals. Did Paul really mean it? And what does that mean for us?

An excellent article, worth the read...

Jordon Cooper, via Jonny Baker, led me to this article by Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost. I've just been reading their book, "The Shaping of Things to Come" and the article does a great job of summarizing some of their main ideas.

"The Christendom-era church has these three flaws in its DNA; it is attractional, dualistic and hierarchical."

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What's in my cup?

When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised. Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. (Luke 11:37-41)

I've read this passage so many times, but until today I've never really seen the last verse. Jesus calls the Pharisees to deal with the filth inside their "dish", but His remedy is not what we might think. Instead of a sinner's prayer he calls them to give who they are ("what is inside the dish") to the poor. Far too often we make salvation and conversion out to be such personal, me-centered acts. But Jesus says that conversion comes as you give yourself away to the poor. No, I'm not saying we aren't saved "by grace, through faith". But I am saying that our conversion/salvation has to do with more than just us. It's not a cognitive act that is somehow separated from who we are and the context we live in. It's a matter of looking at what's inside, asking for it to be transformed and then giving ourselves away. Jesus gave Himself away, even to the point of death. And if I'm not mistaken He did say, "As the Father has sent me, so send I you."

These ideas remind me of something I linked to a few days ago - Todd Hunter's Theory of learning. Todd says that "A person's experience should always be greater than their education." As I have been reflecting on this I have been reminded that we don't tend to utliize this principle in the church. We over-educate. We pump people so full of Biblical knowledge that they are often too bloated to go and work our what they know. That's why churches have to make sure that they build themselves around mission. Doctrine is very important, but taken as an academic study, it will destroy our spiritual life. As we live out the mission of Jesus, giving away what is in our dish, we will become hungry for doctrine. Our experience will motivate our education.

Knowing Jesus is not something that we do in a classroom. He's not a laboratory specimen that we examine under a microscope. We meet Him as we interact with others in His mission. And from that we gain a knowing that is relational. That's why He said things like,

"If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (Jn 7:17)

and

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 5:39-40)

and that's why Paul wrote

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." (Philemon 6)

Jesus calls us to live out our faith as we work with Him in His mission. As we do that we are transformed, and we gain a deeper knowledge of who He is. As you "give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you."

Do you ever wonder?

Do you ever wonder what God is up to? I've had two conversations today with people who are in some of the most difficult and discouraging situations that I have ever encountered. What's unique about both of the situations is that these are people who are spiritually hungry. They are ready for some response from God to their hunger. They're not expecting fireworks, no over-night resolution to their problems, just a sense that there is some meaning in the midst of their misery. If I was God I think I'd try to give them the encouragement that they are thirsting for. But He seems to be "away from the office". Meanwhile, on the "other side of town" where I live, I encounter people with no spiritual hunger who have a life that others would give their right arm to have. I'm not talking about wealth and ease, just a "normal" life. What is God up to? I'm getting tired of saying, "I don't know".

That mean Canadian Government is at it again...

"A flying squirrel named Sabrina is at the center of a fight between Canada, which wants to deport the rodent, and its owner who says the creature is harmless and has bonded to him. Ottawa wants to send the animal back to the United States, citing a 2003 ban on importing rodents into the country after a monkeypox outbreak south of the border last year. Naturalist Steve Patterson, who brought the squirrel across the border last June after filling out the necessary papers, said the government is simply being stubborn. 'The good the squirrel can do far outweighs the bad,' he said on Wednesday. 'If we could apply for refugee status, I would certainly put an application in for her, but I don't think the laws cover small, baby squirrels.' "

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Todd Hunter's Theory of Learning...

Let me tell you, this makes so much sense. And it has radical implications for the way that we help people learn to follow Jesus.

“Hunter’s Theory of Learning:" A person’s experience should always be greater than their education.

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An analogy that is making more sense to me everyday.

“When Jesus announced the kingdom, the stories he told functioned like dramatic plays in search of actors. His hearers were invited to audition for parts in the kingdom. They had been eager for God’s drama to be staged and were waiting to find out what they would have to do when he did so. Now they were to discover. They were to become kingdom-people themselves.” - N.T. Wright

Detoxing From Church

I have unsettling thoughts in my head. I'm wrestling with an overload of ideas and am not sure where to put all of them in order to bring some type of coherence to my thought life. My constant struggle is to differentiate between what I have grown accustomed to as church and what church really is. It's my desire to live as a part of a Christ-following community - surrendered to His leadership and allowing that to impact the culture all around me. However what I far too often find myself doing is living in a community shaped more by cultural baggage than by Christ. Maybe that's why the following words from The Off Ramp resonated so deeply with me.

"Imagine what you would have left after you remove from your life everything connected with the organizational church. I mean everything. I've discovered the hard way that living most of my adult life in cultural Christianity has formed my entire identity as a Christian. And when everything in my life connected with the church is gone, including sixteen years of professional ministry, I'm confronted with the true raw status my personal faith.
Now I'm going to say something harsh: In order to BE the Church, we need to leave the church. In other words, in order to truly become God's people as he intended, we must abandon our cultural version of organizational church. The application of this statement might vary, but it must happen. And as we abandon the church to become the Church, we will go through a detox period. Why such drastic measures? Involvement in an organizational consumer-driven church blinds us to the real state of our lives."

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Why we are used...

I've been seeing my own faults a lot lately. It's frustrating to have to acknowledge that you are not the you that you want to be. But the amazing thing is that with our acknowledgement of weakness and inability comes hope. Hope because God is not limited to how good we are. He is not limited to our abilities. In fact, when we are most useless, he often uses us the most. It reminds me of a story that Haddon Robinson once told,

“On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played University of California in the Rose Bowl. In that game a man named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California. Somehow, he became confused and started running 65 yards in the wrong direction. One of his teammates, Benny Lom, outdistanced him and downed him just before he scored for the opposing team. When California attempted to punt, Tech blocked the kick and scored a safety which was the ultimate margin of victory.
That strange play came in the first half, and everyone who was watching the game was asking the same question: “What will Coach Nibbs Price do with Roy Riegels in the second half?” The men filed off the field and went into the dressing room. They sat down on the benches and on the floor, all but Riegels. He put his blanket around his shoulders, sat down in a corner, put his face in his hands, and cried like a baby.
If you have played football, you know that a coach usually has a great deal to say to his team during half time. That day Coach Price was quiet. No doubt he was trying to decide what to do with Riegels. Then the timekeeper came in and announced that there were three minutes before playing time. Coach Price looked at the team and said simply, “Men the same team that played the first half will start the second.” The players got up and started out, all but Riegels. He did not budge. the coach looked back and called to him again; still he didn’t move. Coach Price went over to where Riegels sat and said, “Roy, didn’t you hear me? The same team that played the first half will start the second.” Then Roy Riegels looked up and his cheeks were wet with a strong man’s tears.
“Coach,” he said, “I can’t do it to save my life. I’ve ruined you, I’ve ruined the University of California, I’ve ruined myself. I couldn’t face that crowd in the stadium to save my life.”
Then Coach Price reached out and put his hand on Riegel’s shoulder and said to him: “Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over.” And Roy Riegels went back, and those Tech men will tell you that they have never seen a man play football as Roy Riegels played that second half.”

Because of who we are we live with failure everyday. Yet the reality is that Jesus says to you and I, “…get up and go on back; the game is only half over.” We are used because we are His, not because we are good. That gives me hope.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing the emerging church?

Dan Kimball says... (via ginkworld)

I think the biggest overall and subtle challenge right now that comes to my mind is consumerism. For those who have grown up in the church, we really have taught them to view church like they would if they were on the panel of 'American Idol'. The expectation of performance, the mindset of 'what does this church have to offer me?' the way they judge church by how good is the preacher, how good is the music etc. I think we would admit that this is the mentality of most Christians in evangelical churches if we were honest.

I don't blame them, because since they were children we taught them to view church as the place to have 'fun' with hyper-kids games and videos, and for youth to view church as the place to get emotionally charged and hyped from songs and energetic rallies and camps which teach Jesus etc. We have brought them to the Christian concerts, fed them into the consumerism of Christian commercialism of T-Shirts, CD's etc. and in many ways have based their Christian experience primarily around these things, with an occasional missions trip to Mexico thrown in. I hyper-exaggerate here, but I have a sinking suspicion if we really think about this, we leaders may be the very ones who had a lot to do with what we are now fighting in our churches in regards to consumerism."

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For those who liked "Blue Like Jazz"

Don Miller's new book is out. I haven't read it but I hope to read it soon.

Amazon.ca: Books: Searching for God Knows What

Words of wisdom for the American Church

Thanks to Darren at Thin Spaces for this quote...

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." --Theodore Roosevelt

Link

It really is a Journey...

I've always wanted to do great things for God. As I look back on some of the great things that I've attempted I have to admit that they were usually great things for me, done in God's name. It's interesting how we lose focus, we miss the true intentions and motivations of our own heart.

That's why I'm glad that this life of following Jesus is a journey. Times of ease and times of difficulty. Times to learn new things and times to reflect on the things you thought you had already learned. And at some point you begin to realize that anyone who tells you that you take quantum spiritual leaps is probably selling you something. The journey isn't flashy. (Jesus used "taking up your cross" as a metaphor.) But it's a journey of joy. It's the journey I was created for. And it progresses one small step at a time. "He must become greater, I must become less", said that camel skin wearing, locust eating prophet. That's a life long process, one that happens a little at a time. My friend Matt Auten wrote a song a long time ago that said something like this -

"What the wind cannot lift it will wear away
What they waves can't break they will shape a new way.
All I am and all I will be are buried in who You will be to me.
Rather than lose me to my worthless loves You gain me grain by grain."

Grain by grain. A journey. Small steps. Reminds me of a quote that I love.

"To give my life for Christ appears glorious, to pour myself out for others. . . to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom - I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory. We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking $l,000 bill and laying it on the table - 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all'. But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $l,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, 'Get lost'. Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious. It's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it's harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul." (Fred Craddock)

It really is a journey. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

One more plug for spiritual honesty...

The House Church Blog pointed me to Leighton Tebay who writes...

"Let us be honest, we don't know how to fix the church."

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