What it means to pastor...

John Frye does a great job at defining pastor in a way that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning to do what I do. You really need to read it here.

Something is not right with the world...

Bob Robinson at Vanguard Church writes a very moving post with which I can identify. Anyone who has ever had to walk a family though the death of an infant struggles with the big questions. Bob writes -

Some would say, in some desperate attempt to find comfort at a time like this, that God must have wanted this to happen—that it must have been God’s will for Noah to have died at 14 months.I disagree.This is wrong. Period. Something is not right with the world.This is the carnage left by the Fall. This is why Jesus introduced the Kingdom of God—to overthrow the power of death through the power of His resurrection.

Read the entire post

Developing Mental Toughness...

Don't ask me why, but I signed up to be part of a relay team for a huge race this November. My leg of the race will be about 10k. It was one of those decisions that seemed like a way to force myself into some disciplined physical exercise. Well, it worked. I'm doing some disciplined physical exercise at least every other day now. But it's not all that it's cracked up to be. At this point I can truthfully say that I don't like to run. In fact, as I was finishing my little 2 k run yesterday I realized something. It's not my body that needs the training. Well, maybe it does need the training. But what I really need to develop is my mind. I realized that my body as it is right now could run more than 2k. If I was being chased by a British Columbia Grizzly I could keep it up for quite a distance. But my mind, that's another story. Even though my body doesn't need to stop my mind keeps reminding it that it's way more soothing and comfortable to lie down on a grassy stretch beside the road.

This realization has totally transformed my concepts of training. Yes, I need to develop some more physical stamina. But what I need even more is to develop the mental toughness to push my body closer to the limits of my physical stamina. My mind has to set the pace and then call my body to catch up. As I reflected on this throughout the day I realized that the same is true of spiritual growth as well. In any given situation we have options. We can choose to work through the difficulties, calling our spirit to actually live out what Jesus calls us to, or we can take the easy road and just quit. How much of our spiritual immaturity is the result of us choosing to cut and run when things get difficult?

I need to develop some mental toughness for this 10k run. Hopefully God will help me develop some spiritual toughness in and through the situations that He brings my way.

More on understanding "Kingdom"

I posted here about Scot McKnight's series on the Kingdom of God.

Here are some more in that series...

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Thoughts on church.

How far...

Cyndi Nickerson asks a probing question...

"I guess my initial question - How far are you willing to go? is me wondering what do all these beliefs mean to me in the way I live my life. How much am I willing let my belief shape my actions, my decisions. How do you not live radically different that the people around you if you REALLY believe all this stuff? How can you not give sacrificially, hold your life loosely, love without boundaries, forgive constantly."

Read More

A Dangerous Paradox...

Harper's has an excerpt from an August 2005 article that really makes you think. And lest you Canadians shake your heads at the Americans, the same is true north of the border as well.

"And therein is the paradox. America is simultaneously the most professedly Christian of the developed nations and the least Christian in its behavior. That paradox - more important, perhaps, than the much touted ability of French women to stay thin on a diet of chocolate and cheese - illuminates the hollow at the core of our boastful, careening culture."

Read More

The Strength of Weakness

Whoever came up with those "All I ever need to know I learned in..." sayings obviously didn't understand the concept of lifelong learning. It seems that all of life is an education, especially when it comes to spiritual growth. I've been recently "taking a class" (not really a class, just a series of life lessons that God seems to be sending my way) called "The Strength of Weakness". I really thought I had this one down already. I knew all those strength in weakness scriptures, I've even preached on most of them at some time or another. But I guess God thought that maybe I had a little room to grow in this area, so He enrolled me in this particular class. I set it up pretty nicely by doing some stupid things that helped to amplify my own weakness. By the time I had done them there was no doubt that I was a perfect candidate as one who God could use my inability to reveal His ability. As if that wasn't enough, I had some people enter my world who said some very painful things. Things that came to my mind as I laid awake at night. Complicate this even more by one of my children going through a struggle with anxiety, "friendly" emails implying that both I and my church are falling headlong into heresy, and I get to the point where I'm not even so sure that I want to get up to go to "work for God" anymore. In a nutshell, the first part of this "class" has been a review of how little strength or power that I actually possess.

The most encouraging part of this whole process has been the way God has brought experiences around to me that have been so clearly meant for me at this point in my journey.

Angela and I had coffee and cake with a close friend who is celebrating 4 years of sobriety. She has struggled for each and every day of these four years. One of her statements cut right to my heart. She said that the minute she thinks that she has made it, that alcohol has lost it's grip on her, that is the beginning of the end. The reason that she celebrates these "birthdays" (she doesn't enjoy them - they're very humbling) is to remind herself that each and every day she needs God to overcome her desire for alcohol.

And that's a little like I feel right now. I am so aware of my own inability that if anything that happens in my life for the Kingdom I have no choice but to acknowledge that it is God at work. When I fail, He succeeds. When I blow it, He triumphs. And little by little I learn the lesson of the strength of weakness.

There is hope in my weakness. God uses all of this to remind me who He is. To remind me that He will not fail. To remind me that His love for me is not based on my success for Him, but on His own nature as Love Incarnate. Let me leave you with a benediction that comes from Brennan Manning. It goes something like this...

May you lose everything that you've got.
May everything that you try fail.
May you be embarrassed in front of the world so that you may laugh and sing and dance
Before the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Good teaching on The Kingdom

Scot McKinght from Jesus Creed shares an excellent series on the Kingdom of God. To understand Jesus and the "Good News" that He came to share you really need to take the time to wrestle with the Kingdom of God.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

More resources on Kingdom...

I can hardly wait...

...for December 9th. That's when The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe will be in theaters. View the trailer here.

Humility needed...

Brian McLaren makes me hopeful and angry all at the same time. Hopeful in that maybe the church can move past the mistakes we constantly make as we seek to present Christ to the world. Angry because he just opens up so many "cans of worms". All anger aside, I appreciate what Brian does, especially in his book A Generous Orthodoxy. As I was reading through my blogroll today I was reminded by Darren at Thin Spaces of a quote from the book that I found to sum up alot of my thoughts regarding a continual "reformation" that the church has to surrender itself to.

"We must continually be aware that the 'old, old story' may not be the 'true, true story.' In other words, we must be open to the perpetual possibility that our received understandings of the gospel may be faulty, imbalanced, poorly nuanced, or downright warped and twisted. Here we must retain the good protestant, evangelical, and biblical instinct to allow Scripture to critique tradition - including our dominant and most recent traditions, and including our tradition's understanding of the gospel. In this sense Christians in missional dialogue must continually expect to rediscover the gospel."

Scary, yes, but very important that we do not allow our ideas for the church to crowd out God's Kingdom agenda. Slavery was sanctioned by the church at various times throughout history. We have to have the humility to at least be open to the fact that maybe we have some blind spots when it comes to our own theology. Humility, the gift nobody wants, but the one that we all need.

The truth is beyond...

As I've been preaching though Acts at my church I am constantly amazed at how the problem was so often that the Jewish religious leaders were afraid to surrender to the new ways that God was leading them through Jesus. They held tightly to what had always been and in the process missed what God was doing. That's probably why this quote from Marcel Proust jumped out at me.

"A little knowledge separates us from God, much knowledge brings us back. One should never be afraid to go to far, for the truth is beyond."

Dealing with conflict

Stephen at Emergesque has some incredible wisdom when it comes to dealing with conflict. He is speaking specifically of our tendency to divide into "political parties" even within Christianity. He writes...

"Sometimes conflict is unavoidable and sometimes, even, one should intentionally take actions that can reasonably be predicted to be controversial. But many,many times, different perspectives debilitate into conflicting egos. That - in my opinion - is what can make party so horrible and dangerous to both community and truth.

There is only one antidote: humility. This expresses itself

- by focusing on the substance of what's being said and setting aside ego and party.
- by provisionally and hypothetically assuming the other person is completely correct
- by evaluating that hypothesis
- by sifting out what is true and either embrace it enthusiastically or if necessary - to refute or, in many cases, both! Many times wholesale rejection of a point of view is inappropriate. Surely something of worth is being said."

Thanks Stephen for what you have shared. I have found it to be true in my own experience as I've watched myself enter conflict with a desire for vindication rather than a sense of humility seeking the health of the body of Christ.

CS Lewis on Marriage...

A friend of mine passed this on to me in regards to the recent legislation in Canada which allows for gay marriage. My take on this whole issue has been that regardless of what the government says marriage is, God is the one who ultimately defines marriage. And He has made it clear that in His eyes marriage is only between one man and one woman. I think our first mistake was to ever let the government into this discussion. Our role needs to be to affirm what marriage is in the eyes of God and call all believers to show the world what Christian marriage really is. But enough about what I think. Here's what CS Lewis wrote over 60 years ago...

"Before leaving the question of divorce, I should like to distinguish two things which are very often confused. The Christian conception of marriage is one: the other is the quite different question - how far Christians, if they are voters or Members of Parliament, ought to try to force their views of marriage on the rest of the community by embodying them in the divorce laws. A great many people seem to think that if you are a Christian yourself you should try to make divorce difficult for every one. I do not think that. At least I know I should be very angry if the Mohammedans tried to prevent the rest of us from drinking wine. My own view is that the Churches should frankly recognize that the majority of the British people are not Christians and, therefore, cannot be expected to live Christian lives. There ought to be two distinct kinds of marriage: one governed by the State with rules enforced on all citizens, the other governed by the Church with rules enforced by her on her own members. The distinction ought to be quite sharp, so that a man knows which couples are married in a Christian sense and which are not." (emphasis mine) (C.S. Lewis, Christian behavior, 1943)

Very relevant. And very challenging - calling the church to live out the truth in the midst of a culture that is opposed to the truth. Sounds a little bit like the book of Acts to me.

Gifts I am receiving...

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17)

I am beginning to learn that everything that comes my way is a gift from God. This is a truth that has made it into my head and is slowly descending into my heart. In other words, I know it theoretically, but struggle to live it out practically. I have had a difficult few weeks. I've struggled with some difficult relationships, with some difficult texts, and with some painful criticism. As I reflected on all of that today I felt the Spirit challenging me to see these things as gifts instead of difficulties. So I've decided (in my head and hopefully in my heart) to choose to be thankful for the following...

1. Criticism - Criticism is a gift from God in that it exposes my own pride. It drags my arrogance out into the light so that I can see it. It challenges my motives, helping me to remember why it is that I am doing what I am doing. It also calls me to cling to God for His affirmation and direction, rather than just doing what I do because people enjoy it or affirm me for it.
2. Other people assuming they know and understand my motives - This is a gift because it allows me to understand what Jesus must have often felt. It also challenges me not to jump to conclusions in regards to my understanding of the motives of others. And it exposes in my own heart my need to defend myself rather than to live with humility. My gut reaction is to control and to seek power - to be justified for all the world to see that what I did was right and genuine. I just read an article by Walter Norris in the most recent E-pistle from Ron Sider. The article was entitled "Teaching Humility". The following words leapt of the page...

   We have lost sight of the words of Micah (6:8): "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" How many of us evangelicals really believe this verse? Political slander and a spirit of divisiveness were all too evident in the church during the last presidential election, and those attitudes persist. In contrast, humility requires respecting and loving those with whom we do not agree philosophically. Service to others, which is what Jesus Christ calls us to, requires humility and sacrifice. Are we willing to reach down and love those on the bottom? Are we willing to get our hands dirty? Are we willing to be like the One who sends us out? I once read somewhere that "the life that Jesus lived is the life Jesus invites us to live." Does this life conflict with ministers having six-figure salaries, being the star of their own television shows, or hobnobbing (and lobbying) with the political elite? I believe that humility needs to be taught in our churches. It needs to be a part of our active ministry. We need to consider the possibility that our humility might be the most powerful tool for influence that we have at our disposal. (empahsis mine) In his book WHOLISTIC CHRISTIANITY (Brethren Press, 1985), David Moberg maps out a way for evangelicals to make a way for making change. He calls this road map "Strategic Principles for Confronting Change." The first is being biblical, the second is being Christ-centered, and the third is being humble. If we are going to make change that is positive for our society, humility has to be at the forefront of our actions. Moberg further explains, "A haughty spirit that implies that we have all the answers will turn many away; humility will win respect and often friends as well." This is in contrast to those who proclaim that God is on our side as a nation or culture. How do we teach humility and better society through that humility? First, we must live as Jesus lived. Leaders in the church should first set the example of serving not just our friends but also those we do not like or feel comfortable with. The power of the resurrection to work miracles is about being able to love those that society does not love. (emphasis mine)

3. Painful relationships - (By this I mean relationships where people have chosen to believe something about me that is not true.) I am thankful for painful relationships because they give me the opportunity to love unconditionally. Jesus said, "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" (Mt. 5:46). Painful relationships give me the chance to love those who do not love me. To show grace to people who are choosing not to show grace to me. To forgive those who are not forgiving. If not for the gift of these relationships I would never know the joy of loving others for Christ's sake instead of for what they offer me.
4. People who are unwilling to see the truth - This has been a gift to me because I am realizing that the ultimate calling that I have is to love people as Christ would love them. I am not called to make sure that they are theologically sound. I am called to love. For too long I have thought it was my responsibility to "Guide them into all truth" and have forgotten that this guidance is a role that the Holy Spirit has reserved for Himself. My role is to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength - and to love my neighbor as I love myself. This last gift has been very precious because it has reminded me that I love people because God loves them, not because they comply with what I want them to do, to be, or to believe.

So I am thankful for these gifts, although at times I grit my teeth as I say, "Thanks God". And there are moments I want Him to go give some of these things to other people and just stop being so generous with me. Yet the reality is (as I wrote here and here) God is using all of these things to make me like Christ. That's the ultimate gift - my transformation to Christlikeness which brings Him glory.

A personal disclaimer...

...to all who read this blog. This is from an unamed source via Steve Brown.

"I fully realize that I've not succeded at answering all your questions. Indeed I feel that I've not answered any of them completely. The answers I have found only work to raise a whole new set of questions which only lead to more questions - some of which we weren't even aware were problems in the first place. To sum up -- in some ways I feel that we are as confused as ever, but I do believe that we are confused on a higher level and about more important things."

From an unknown source...

If you want to take long walks, take long walks.
If you want to hit things with a stick, hit things with a stick.
But there's no excuse for combining the two and putting the results on TV.
Golf is not so much a sport as an insult to lawns.

Absorbing and transforming evil.

One of the most moving aspects of Jesus was the way that He chose to deal with evil. We seem to have this mindset that evil is something to be beaten. It's an invisible foe with whom we go to war. While I do not want to negate the idea of spiritual warfare, I think we have to realize that when Jesus encountered evil He absorbed it and transformed it. That's what Isaiah was looking forward to when he wrote

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Is. 53:4-6, emphasis mine)

Jesus absorbed the evil all around Him, took it to the cross and killed it. His resurrection transformed all evil into His own goodness. But how can that be, when we see evil all around us? Bombings in London, AIDS in Africa, poverty and exploitation world wide. It appears that evil is alive and well. Let me see if I can explain myself.

I'll start with Hebrews 2:8-9

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Emphasis mine)

In Jesus, all evil is transformed. God uses absolutely everything to accomplish His purpose of bringing Himself glory in the earth.

One of the most obvious ways we can see this today is in the lessons that we learn from our own sin. God uses our mistakes and failures to strip away the evil that resides within our own heart. He used David's sin with Bathsheba to make David into a man after God's heart. He used Peter's denials and Thomas' doubts to deepen their humility and trust. He used Paul's "thorn in the flesh" to keep the one who would write more books of the Bible than anyone else in a state of humility and dependence.

Two things I have read lately have reinforced this idea. First, in THE TEMPLE, by George Herbert, I read a section called Affliction (IV)

BROKEN in pieces all asunder,
Lord, hunt me not,
A thing forgot,
Once a poor creature, now a wonder,
A wonder tortured in the space
Betwixt this world and that of grace.

My thoughts are all a case of knives,
Wounding my heart
With scattered smart ;
As wat'ring-pots give flowers their lives.
Nothing their fury can control,
While they do wound and prick my soul.

All my attendants are at strife
Quitting their place
Unto my face :
Nothing performs the task of life :
The elements are let loose to fight,
And while I live, try out their right.

Oh help, my God ! let not their plot
Kill them and me,
And also Thee,
Who art my life : dissolve the knot,
As the sun scatters by his light
All the rebellions of the night.

Then shall those powers which work for grief,
Enter Thy pay,
And day by day
Labour Thy praise and my relief :
With care and courage building me,
Till I reach heav'n, and much more, Thee.

Jeff Kuhn translation - All those things that plague me will actually be used by God to transform me.

Another book that brought this to mind is John Piper's narrative poem on Job. All throughout the poem Piper uses the term "Leviathan" to symbolize the work of Satan against the life of Job. The most moving section for me is after all of Job's suffering is over. He shares the story with his new daughter. She is full of questions...

But, Papa, please, one more: would you
Tell me about the wind that blew —
About the whirlwind and the word
Of God. You told me once you heard
the very voice of God. What did
He say?"

"He said, 'There's giant squid
Beneath the sea you've never seen,
And mountain goats above the green
Tree line that bring forth kids on cliffs
So high and steep that little whiffs
Of Wind would make a human fall.'
God asked me, 'Is the wild ox all
At your command? And will he stay
The night beside your crib and play
Or work with you on leashes made
Of hemp? And have the horses brayed
At your command, and do you make
Them leap like locusts? Do they break
Through shield and chariot because
You formed their neck? What laws
Of flight have you designed for hawks?
Have you devised the way he walks
On wind and snatches up his prey
In flight? And could you ever play
With stars to loose Orion, seize
The distant chains of Pleiades?
Where were you, Job, when I with mirth
The great foundations of the earth
Did lay, and all the sons of God
Rejoiced to watch a formless clod
Become the habitation of
My bride? Did you once brood above
The waters and appoint their bounds?
And have you joined the King who crowns
The mammoth sky with morning light?
Come, Job, gird up your feeble might
And make your case against the Lord.
Do you know where the snow is stored
Or how I make the hail and rain,
Or how a buried seed bears grain,
How ravens find their food at night
And lilies clothe themselves with white?
And finally, my servant, Job,
Can you draw down and then disrobe
Leviathan, the king of all
The sons of pride, and in his fall
Strip off his camouflage of strength,
And make him, over all the length
Of earth and heav'n, to serve the plan
Of humble righteousness? I can.
I make Leviathan my rod.
Belovèd Job, behold your God!"
"And what did you say, Papa, when
The Lord was done?" I said, "Amen,
And bowed as low as I could bow.
Come here, my lass, I'll show you how."
And when she crouched before his feet
He picked her up, and with a sweet
And tender grip he said, "Watch this."
And on her cheek he put a kiss.

Behold the light of candle four:
What we have lost God will restore
When he is finished with his art,
The silent worship of our heart.
When God creates a humble hush,
And makes Leviathan his brush,
It won't be long until the rod
Becomes the tender kiss of God.

Our God is the God who uses evil for good. He absorbs the worst that Satan has to offer and trasforms it into life. When this truth begins to sink in, the following words seem to have a bit more depth.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

A God who absorbs and transforms evil. That is a God worthy of all honor and glory.

Hard Words...Challenging Questions.

Len at NextReformation.com stirs the pot a little with some hard words and challenging questions. He writes...

"If there is any consensus in the emergent church, it is that the gospel preached in North America is not the Gospel. Closely related, many of us believe that what we call 'church' is not the church. The church exists as a quality of relationship and the transcendent intersection of Spirit and flesh in faithful communities that serve to make Christ known. It is dynamic and powerful and bears only a passing relationship to the institutions built by humankind.

A discussion on RESONATE got me thinking about the relationship of the Gospel and its expression in faithful communities. The relationship is much like that of root and fruit.

At the risk of offense, here are some thoughts. If what we see around us is congregations rather than communities.. if we see organizations which mostly limit the earthly expression of the movement Jesus died to birth... if, in other words, we see many gatherings not much 'church'.. then we are witnessing the natural outcome of a gospel that is not the Gospel.

My thesis is this: the true Gospel produces what God intended - authentic and faithful communities of Jesus apprentices who are impacting their world. If what we see around us is not that.. then it is an expression of a gospel that is not the Gospel. The fruit is wrong.. therefore the root is wrong.

Within emergent circles there is consensus on few things.. but one of those few things is that we have mostly lost the real Gospel.. we have exchanged it for slick packaged, self-oriented, pottage.. we have a gospel of sin management, fire insurance, that is informational but does not transform.. it has little reference to the Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus preached. And therefore it shouldn't surprise us if the product is McChurch rather than ekklesia."

What do you think?

A little Candian Humor...

Is there a problem here?

I'm having trouble reconciling this...

"All of our military might and technological advances will fail to protect us if we lose our sense of outrage against the enemy. My hope and prayer is that the tragic death of innocent people in London will serve as a second wake up call. It is time for us to realize we have met the enemy and the enemy is not us." (Written by a pastor and the Director of the Christian Worldview Center at North Greenville College in Tigerville, South Carolina. Read entire article here.)

...with this...

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect...All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Jesus in Mt. 5:43-48; Mt. 28:18-20)

Does anyone else see a problem here?