Peripatetics: The Art of Walking

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Major Ian Thomas uses the phrase "they forgot to remember" repetitively in his teachings. It's a catchy little phrase that reiterates the role obedience plays in the spiritual life...and the memory of God's faithfulness actually helps us learn to be obedient in the here and now. I thought that title fits Psalm 132 and even wrote it in my Bible.

Anyway, I was thinking about the Oliver Stone movie "JFK." It seems like there have been very few events in American history that have captured our fancy like the murder of president John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Dallas. There are several reasons for that, I guess.

Mostly the fact that the murder has questions surrounding who really did it. There's a plausible version that Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy, acting alone. Many people believe there was a number of possible conspirators acting in conjunction to kill the president.

The movie begins with a quote: "The past is prologue."

See, the movie believes a ton of conspirators were working behind the scenes...and is really a movie that suggests the government can't be trusted. And then it spends more than two hours to show us the dangers of trusting the government. In other words, if we don't learn from the lessons of the past, they'll repeat themselves in the future...so the movie lets us know right up front we're vulnerable now if we don't question our government.

Now, I'm not suggesting that Oliver Stone got it right (frankly, he couldn't have gotten it wrong...he blamed everyone, so the odds are in his favor that he got something right), but the sentiment is real in that we can learn valuable lessons from our pasts.

In particular, we can learn valuable lessons from our past with God. And Psalm 132 starts us off with one particular moment from the past:

"Remember, O Lord, on David's behalf, all his affliction; How he swore to the Lord, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, Surely I will not enter my house, nor lie on my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids; Until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."

For those of you who don't remember much of David's life (usually, after David & Goliath and the sin with Bathsheba, well, a lot of people don't remember much) it's easy to glaze over these words. If you look deeply into David's life, much of his role of reuniting Israel as a nation revolved around his desire to build a temple for the Lord.

It bothered David a great deal that God didn't have a "home." He wanted a temple built which would house the Ark of the Covenant, so the nation would no longer be known by their history of wandering. They'd no longer be divided. The nation would be unified around their God. They'd have a permanent home. Their God would be with them continually (symoblized by the Ark) in one location.

Maybe this is why David was a great king. He understood what made Israel Israel. He didn't forget to remember.

David wanted desperately to glorify God by building a temple. He prayed for it. He swore he would do it. And God told him "no." Remember all his affliction...

God told David he was a warrior, not a builder. And God told David he would indeed give a temple to the people, but it would be David's role to provide, through various kingly endeavors, to raise the money to ensure the building would take place. God told David his son, Solomon, would actually do the building.

Can you imagine? David had all the strength and resources to build the temple. He told God he wanted to do it. And God said to wait. In fact, you'll die before you see it, David. But don't worry...your role is to make sure Solomon doesn't have any worries in getting your dream fulfilled.

It would've been tough to be obedient. To have a passion so deep you lose sleep...or don't even want to go to bed...that God would be glorified within your kingdom...and then be told no. Sometimes I wish I had that kind of passion for God.

That is affliction.

But he was obedient anyway. He didn't build. He saved money and resources. He understood that obedience nurtures hope in God's promises, and we'll talk more about that tomorrow.

Is there something in your life you need to be obedient to and are struggling with? Know that it's tough, and can cause affliction, but forgetting to remember is dangerous.

Brent 5:59 AM

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Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Growing up has it's moments:

The little baby rolls over.
Then the little baby crawls, and eventually pulls up on the furniture.
Then there are first steps and walking.
Then there is running.
Then elementary school, and reading and the basics.
Then there's middle school, with the social pressures and algebra.
Then high school, and driving and extra-curricular activities and jobs.
Then college comes along, with all sorts of discoveries of self and careers.
Then careers, with their pitfalls and victories.

And, every step of the way we become more and more self-sufficient. Whereas before crawling, there was dependence on parents to get you everywhere. After crawling, a parent can actually wonder where the child is, usually being very happy inside the cabinet where the Tupperware is kept...having a great time...on their own.

Same for walking around and climbing...usually playing on the swingset in the backyard all by themselves.

Then they walk to school by themselves...and eventually ride bikes to school by themselves.

There is having to know all about their homework all by themselves, and then a lifestyle that allows the pre-teen to have all sorts of information and experiences the parents don't know about.

This only increases in high school...and by the time college rolls around, the "weaning process" is complete, with a fully-formed adult living life, out on their own.

Picking themselves up by their own bootstraps. Being their own person. Taking care of themselves.

Hogwash. Hogwash to the 10th power.

Scripture is very clear on the idea that we are anything but self-made, and Psalm 131 highlights that reality:

"Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my sould is like a weaned child within my. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever." (verses 2 & 3)

Remember from yesterday that David was reminding himself that, even as king of Israel, his "heart" was not proud, nor his "eyes" haughty...he was not selfishly ambitious.

The allure of the world can cause these things. Deep in our souls we want "more" from life, and then our eyes open that window to our soul. We want more stuff. More power. More popularity. And, if we had supportive parents, we buy into the American Dream: That if we work hard, apply ourselves we can be whatever we want and obtain whatever standard of life we so desire.

And this is true. The "American Dream" can become reality...we can be self-made and accomplish much using our various gifts and talents.

But our souls will become discontent...no matter what. David found that out. He had wives and concubines and was so confident militarily that he didn't go to battle in the springtime when most kings went to war. You know the rest of the story. An affair. An child outside of marriage. A murder. He had it all, was discontent, and fell to depths that should shock us with their relevatory insights into our own souls.

David gives us imagery we can all relate to. Even in those "self-sufficient" moments growing up, like when you almost got hit by a car riding your bike, or you forgot to do the entire science project, or fell off the skateboard, or got hurt by the boyfriend/girlfriend, or didn't get into college or didn't get the job promotion...

...composing and quieting our souls is usually found "against the mother." Even though we were weaned, when the chips are down, being comforted by mom is sometimes the best elixir for hurting.

And it's the same way with God: Deliverance from haughty eyes and proud hearts, being self-made and self-sufficent, comes when we realize that contentment is found in the Lord, resting like a child with their mother.

So, what are we dealing with in our own strength, that we need to humble ourselves and rest in the Lord? Trust me, being a "grown-up" ain't all it's cracked up to be...practically and spiritually...

Brent 7:08 AM

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Monday, November 22, 2004

Psalm 131 starts with these words:

"O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me."

Humility is a lost art in our society. Even in team sports, we see the star athlete celebrate himself more than his team's victory...and sometimes even entire teams thump their chests after big wins. Businessmen talk about how much they deserve their accolades and bask in their financial scoreboards. Housewives even make icons of their childraising accomplishments by posting bumper stickers on their cars or bragging on bunco night.

It's a focus on self, at it's core...and pride really has no place in our walk with God as Psalm 131 reiterates.

The psalmist starts out with a recognition of the Lord...God is God and we are not Him.

He then states that his heart is not proud. See, pride runs deep...all the way to our hearts. Then it manifests itself in how we look at life. Our eyes can get haughty. It really is true that what is inside of a man will have outward manifestations.

David then declares that he doesn't invovle himself in great matters or excessive ambition. He was the king of Israel, for crying out loud! I would think everything he would do is a great matter. Ambition is almost inherent within the system, wouldn't you think?

But not for David. Apparently there was a way to be one of the most powerful people on the planet and remember your place under God's authority...and we'll talk about the specifics of that tomorrow.

For today, think a bit about areas of your life that cause pride for you...and here's a quote from Brennan Manning that might help you get your thought processes going:

"Just how a smart man knows he is stupid, so the awake Christian knows he/she is a ragamuffin. Although truth is not always humility, humility is always truth: the blunt acknowledgment that I owe my life, being and salvation to Another. This fundamental act lies at the core of our response to grace. The beauty of the ragamuffin gospel lies in the insight it offers into Jesus: the essential tenderness of His heart, His way of looking at the world, His mode of relating to you and me. If you really want to understand a man, don't just listen to what he says, but watch what he does."

Brent 7:01 AM

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Sunday, November 21, 2004

Here's a quote to get the whole semester's thoughts going. Tell me what you think:

Read this quote, from Brian McLaren:

"In the emerging culture it may well be that theologians will leave the library more often and do their research and study among the rest of us. And the best of the emerging theologians will join hands and hearts with poets, musicians, filmmakers, actors, architects, interior designers, landscape designers, dancers, sculptors, painters, novelists and photographers, Web designers--not only to communicate authentic Christian theology for these times, but also to discern it, discover it.

Such a marriage of theologians with artists reflects a shift from left-brain to whole-brain-from reductionist, analytic rationalism to a broader theological holism. The coming theology is one that works in mind and heart, understanding and imagination, proposition and image, clarity and mystery, explanation and narrative, exposition and artistic expression."

Brent 8:09 AM

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Saturday, November 20, 2004

In Matthew 7: 24--27, we have some words of Jesus:

"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.

And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against the house, and it fell, and great was it's fall."

Basic Bible study methods show you a few contrasts. There's a wise man and a foolish man. There's a house on sand and a house on rock. One house stood and one had a great fall. Pretty basic stuff.

Notice that both men heard the words of Christ. There were differences in responses, though. One acted upon them. The other chose not to.

And the rain came down on both.
And the floods came on both.
And the winds came on both.
And the houses had bursts against them both.

I often get frustrated with Christian leaders who don't tell both sides of the spiritual life. Sometimes we try to paint a pie-in-the-sky view that if you follow Christ there's pretty much only angels with high fives and pizza all the time. That hasn't been my experience...and I firmly believe that if anyone is honest at all, it isn't their experience, either.

Christians have their daughters die.
Christians have job losses.
Christians get cancer.
Christians have car accidents.
Christians have spouses walk out on them.
I could go on, but you get my point.

Christians and non-Christians, in reality, have the same lives. The storms come to both. So, what's the practical difference between the two lives?

Hope.

Christians have hope.

Our houses are built on the rock, which gives us the proper perspective on our troubles. We are not permanent residents of earth. This isn't all we get and then we die. There's more to our lives, even in the dark days, than what we see. What is seen in indeed temporary, and what is unseen is indeed eternal.

Like Psalm 130, we hope in the Lord and His Word...like Jesus said in Matthew.

Hope has it's reasons...and it's what separates us from those who don't believe in the practical sense. And it helps us move from head to heart like no other if we learn to practically apply hope...

...because we are not of this world.

And there will be a dwelling place for me in eternity. And there will be a supper in which my King will eat and drink with me, since He's been waiting since 33 A.D. to do it. He will ride a white horse and win a military victory like none other. He will come and get me when the trumpet sounds...

...and those realities put a few earthly setbacks in true perspective...

...and gives me the freedom to walk worthy in the storms.

Brent 1:13 AM

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Friday, November 19, 2004

On my first trip to Holland in 2000, we were able to visit the home of Corrie Ten Boom. She's the author of a book, "The Hiding Place," which is her account of being a leader of the Dutch resistance during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands during World War II.

The long and short of it is this: Her family built a faux wall on the upper floor of her home in which they could hide Jewish refugees. Corrie Ten Boom's faith spurred her actions of love for her Jewish friends...in which, once the Nazi's would enter her home, a system of warnings had already been issued, sending those on the run up the stairs, through a faux bookshelf, and then safely behind the fake wall.

And then those on the run would wait.

And wait.

And wait.

It could last up to three days before the occupants got the "all clear" signal.

Can you imagine what that would be like? Playing a game of hide-and-seek, and if you lose, it costs you your life? And not only you, but the people who are hiding you, and BOTH of your families?

Sitting behind a wall. In the dark. Not knowing if the all clear signal will come in 10 minutes or in 72 hours. Waiting. With your life in the balance.

That's what the psalmist is describing in Psalm 130 in verses 5 & 6: "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait. And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchman for the morning. Indeed, more than the watchman for the morning."

Note that these verses follow a vivid description of his soul in pain, crying out to God, and being glad that God's response doesn't hinge on how good he is.

He's asked the prayer...and now he waits.

We've all been there, haven't we? We've asked the prayer; we've talked with God; we've poured out our heart...and then we wait.

It's also helpful to mention where the author's hope lies: In the word of God. His hope isn't in hope itself (just wanting things to get better), or in some miraculous event, or some 11th hour salvation. Nope. His hope is in God's Word. The very breath of God.

And that Word of God very rarely describes a quick fix. Seems to me that there's a lot more of learning to persevere through trials and triblulations than there is about God fixing the problem you're having. But his hope is found in God's Word.

And he waits like the guard who has been at his post all night, never knowing what is around the corner, friend or foe, death or life, with a lot of responsibilities while on duty. He waits like that soldier waits for the morning, when his relief comes and he can get some rest.

Or like someone behind a wall trying to be quiet so the Nazis don't hear him.

And the Lord is his hope, too. The God who loves him faithfully, no matter what he's like. The Lord who will redeem him and his nation from all their iniquity.

Some of those behind the wall would get a special signal. One that, once given, would require that they exit the hiding place, ascend a flight of stairs, exit to the roof and then jump over a series of rooftops that would get them to a house at the end of the block.

From this house, they would get to another safe house, one with all sorts of legal documents that could get them out of the country. To safety. To freedom. In some ways equally scary because of the unknown trials and tribluations that would be inevitable in a wartime escape...but safety and freedom nonetheless.

And when you wait on the Lord, who is faithful and loyally loving, He will redeem. He will. One way or another, He will.

And that gives us hope. True hope, not some blind leap in the dark.

Which leads to freedom.

No matter what you're facing right now. Hope in the Lord and the promises of His word.

Brent 4:41 AM

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Thursday, November 18, 2004

Some of my fondest childhood memories involve Santa Claus. It was all-out, too. There were sightings on the weather radar before bedtime. Leaving cookies & milk out (with celery for the reindeer, of course). Hoofprints on my roof. Making a Christmas list when the Sears catalog came out and mailing it directly to the North Pole. Seeing his helpers in the mall and telling them about what I'd mailed. The whole deal.

One of the realities of good old St. Nick is that he is making a list. He checks it twice. He finds out who is naughty and who is nice. That's the reality. He will find out. There is a system of reward and punishment, too. He brings toys to the good little boys and girls. Ashes and switches, or maybe a lump of coal, are the result for those that have been found lacking in the behavior department.

Santa seems to have a very lax system of measure, though. I've never known anyone who got ashes and switches, or a lump of coal, from Santa for Christmas. And I've known some bad kids, too. There were years when, truth be told, I probably should've been in the mix for the ashes and switches. Seems that every kid in my neighborhood withstood the scrutiny.

Psalm 130 tells us that wouldn't be the case with God, though, in verses 3 & 4: "If Thou, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, That Thou mayest be feared."

If it were God making the naughty and nice list for Christmas gift distribution, Santa and the elves could take the year off. The life off, for that matter. If God were keeping score of naughty and/or nice, we'd all come up short in the tally. No one could stand.

Very depressing news, for sure. No one stands. We're undeserving. Unholy. Unrighteous. Un-everything. We can't stand before a deserving, holy and righteous God. He is everything we're not. Ashes and switches and coal all around.

Wait a minute, though. There's hope.

There is forgiveness with God. His own naughty/nice list becomes a moot point. A holy God chooses to erase the board for an unholy people. Abundance for those in a relationship with Him.

And why is there forgiveness? That the Lord may be trusted. That the Lord will "feared." Not a shaking, trembling, scared kind of way, but that He will be understood for Who He Is and given reverence. That He is your King, and you can trust Him to do what's best for you.

Think about it. You can trust Him because He doesn't simply reduce us to ashes and switches and lumps of coal. He doesn't give us what we deserve, but rather lavishes us with abundance we DON'T deserve. That our behavior doesn't play into whether or not God loves us. We know how bad we are.

We can trust Him, fully and completely, to bring the gifts anyway.

And that reality gives us hope when times are tough. We don't have to depend on our goofy and inconsistent selves to bail us out, but rather a God who loves us enough to wipe the slate clean and bless us anyway. If He loves us enough to forgive us...

Brent 5:00 AM

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Wednesday, November 17, 2004

I was 13.

My dad = best friend.

He died unexpectedly.

It didn't really "hurt" at first. It was more shocking than anything else. There were too many details for my mom to attend to. It was busy. There was a lot of family around for support.

My mom kept me busy, too. My dad died on a Saturday. I was back in school the day after the funeral. Kept me from thinking about it too much.

Funny...but the day after the funeral was the first day of my distancing from God. I don't know what answers I was looking for or that any answer would've been sufficient, but I do know that the presiding clergyman "congratulating" me on my dad's entrance into heaven didn't offer any support.

I didn't want to think about my dad's death, so my middle school years were a blur of friends and activities and sports.

I went to the cemetary to visit his gravesite a few years later and it hit me. For some reason I simply came unglued...and I wept uncontrollably for about an hour right there by his headstone. The footstone reads: "Our loving husband and father." It's still etched in my brain and I haven't been there but once since the day I came unglued.

There were games he never got to see me play. There were sporting events we never got to see together. There were girlfriends (that I really thought I was going to marry...funny how the teenage brain is) he never got to meet. First cars he never got to help me fix. Father/Son events I avoided. Jobs he never got to give me advice on. Colleges he never got to see me try to get into. Fishing trips we never took (even though I hated the fishing, I loved the trips). 20th wedding anniversaries that he never got to celebrate that my friends parents got to see. You get the idea.

It was a time when my soul hurt. It truly was at the depths of despair.

And I had just returned as a prodigal to my Heavenly Father. God provided some great disciplers for me...and they told me to do what the psalmist in Psalm 130 did: Tell God.

Verses 1 & 2: "Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications."

Sometimes that's the most important thing we forget to do: Tell God.

When our soul hurts. When things aren't going our way. When we're desperate. When we're on the run. When we're in trouble. When things look their bleakest. When it looks like there's no hope...

Talk to God. Tell Him what's going on in our brain.

And that gives us hope. If we're talking to God about these things, there's an underlying admission that He is there. He is in heaven. He is actually sovereign. He has a plan. He is more powerful than us. He can help us...

...somehow...

...someway.

And that gives us hope.

And hope gives us the ability to survive even the darkest of days.

Or hours.

Or minutes.

Or seconds.

Hope is a powerful reality. Only as powerful as the Object you're placing the hope in.

And if the Object you're placing the hope in is the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniomni of the universe, then hope is the most powerful reality you can have.

And it will give yout he ability to survive the darkest of days.

Or hours.

Or minutes.

Or seconds.

Trust me on this one. I've been there.

And trust the psalmist on this one. He's been there.

Hope has it's reasons. More on that tomorrow.

Brent 4:45 AM

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Tuesday, November 16, 2004

In moving from head to heart, it's very important to learn perseverance. The reality is that (if you read the words of Jesus) the wise man builds his house upon the rock, and the foolish man builds his house upon the sand...the one thing that we can count on is that storms will come on both houses. Jesus said it Himself: In this world you will have trouble. As we learned yesterday, the first half of Psalm 129 shows us that we need to focus on God's faithfulness to us in the past.

Early on in our ministry, Tracy and I were in a ministry that required that we raise funds for our salary. So, sometimes our paychecks were late and sometimes they didn't come at all...and once we'd only gotten a small portion of our paycheck, and we were pretty much out of groceries. We decided that we'd spend lunchtime praying that God would somehow provide food for us.

Well, around dinner time we didn't have any answer or any food or any money, so we decided that if we simply showed up at dinner time at her parents house (who only lived 15 minutes away) they'd feed us.

On our way out of the house, these ladies pulled up and asked us if we were the youth leaders who worked at the local high school. We said we were and she introduced herself and the ladies with her as a senior women's prayer group from a local church who supported us. She said they'd prayed at lunch and felt that they, as a gesture of love and encouragement to us, would go and buy two weeks worth of groceries for us.

In our minds, it might as well have been God Himself walking those groceries into our home.

We've never forgotten that (and, frankly, we have LOTS of other stories from that time in our lives). At one time, we had a fishbowl that we'd keep answers to prayer in on little slips of paper so when times got tough, we could persevere as we'd focus on His past faithfulness to us.

That's what happens in the first half of Psalm 129...the second half reads (from The Message): "Oh let all those who hate Zion grovel in humiliation; Let them be like grass in shallow ground that withers before the harvest, Before the farmhands can gather it in, the harvesters get in the crop, before the neighbors have a chance to call out, 'Congratulations on your wonderful crop! We bless you in God's name!"

So, the next step is using those moments in the past to trust God with the future tribulations. When trouble stares you in the face, turn to God and trust Him...and if you focus on Him, you'll likely find a pretty stout track record God has already put before you, and simply trust in Him while you're struggling in the "now."

Today's application seems pretty obvious: What persecution are you facing, or what trouble are you going through, that you simply need to trust God to provide somehow, someway?

Brent 4:00 AM

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Monday, November 15, 2004

I'm thinking that I've lived a charmed life.

I mean, I grew up with parents who loved me. I had a very enjoyable childhood...one in which I have lots of fond memories with extended family. I had an upper-middle class house in an upper-middle class neighborhood. I had a good public education. I had plenty of meals. I had plenty of clothes. I went to a good university.

I got married, and was still in the middle class, just on the blue-collar side of it this time. But I still didn't miss meals. Got the wife...two kids...dogs...minivans...house. On top of that, I'm male. Beyond that, I'm in the majority when it comes to race and religion in my country.

None of that is bad...I'm just saying that my life is charmed. And because of that reality, I have difficulty relating to persecution.

And I grew up in Alabama, where, during my childhood, people were truly persecuted because of their race. Before I was born, people were oppressed in a myriad of ways simply because of their skin color. I heard about it. I saw news accounts of it. I've read books about it...but I can't really relate to it.

It's the same for the religious persecution the Jewish nation has endured, and the psalmist records this in Psalm 129, verses 1--4:

"Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say, 'Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up; yet they have not prevailed against me.' The plowers plowed upon my back; they lengthened their furrows.' The Lord is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked."

From the beginning, the Israelites have known persecution. True persecution. They'd been enslaved in Egypt. They'd had wars fought against them, in large part because they were being obedient to a Holy God who was using them to enact judgement on those who'd rejected Him. This was an active attack on those who followed God...not something as simple as ridicule for archaic beliefs.

So, how do you deal with persecution, even if it's something as simple as ridicule for archaic beliefs?

The first step is to realize that God is sovereign. Notice at the end of verse 2: They have not prevailed. The enemies of God won't, either. Whenever we're peresecuted in any form or fashion, a focus on the reality that God will ultimately "win out" is a great reminder to focus on Him rather than on the situation at hand.

Note, in verse 3, the pain inflicted on the persecuted: It was a continuous, systematic and brutal persecution. Think of the horror stories that are told from Holocaust survivors of the brutality of the Nazi regime. It was systematic. It was continuous. It was brutal.

And it could get to you if you were to focus on your reality.

Again, the key is to focus on Him. From verse 4, "The Lord is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked."

Notice that the situation isn't detailed for us. But we know that whatever the situation is, the Lord is righteous. He has "cut in two the cords" of the enemies of God. The idea is that the cords that connect the oxen's yoke to the plow, well, God has already cut them in two. The plow is now useless for plowing. It's impotent.

God, on the other hand, is omnipotent.

Frankly, it's difficult to write a devotional on dealing with persecution when I'm not sure that I can empathize with true persecution.

But what I know is that if we focus on our circumstances rather than on the faithfulness and power of God, then we'll sink. And we'll fail when we try to handle persecution. Really, I pray for the grace to do just that if I'm ever truly persecuted.

Brent 7:04 AM

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Sunday, November 14, 2004

In order to get ready for class tonight, take a few minutes to read through Psalm 129. Ask yourself a few questions, like...

...How long had Israel been persecuted?
...How is this persecution described?
...What is the contrast found in the Lord?
...What is the prayer of the psalmist in response to this?

Then you might want to read through Psalm 130. Ask yourself a few questions, like...

...What is the emotional state of the psalmist?
...What does this state suggest?
...What would happen if we were to "keep score?"
...What is the solution the psalmist offers?

See you in class tonight!

Brent 9:05 AM

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Saturday, November 13, 2004

...and I've been putting in quotes from stuff I'm reading to get a little discourse going on-line (which has worked somewhat, too...so props to all you who commented!). Here's the final one before we get back to Bible study next week, it's by Donald Miller from his book "Searching for God Knows What":

"If I weren't a Christian, and I kept seeing Christian leaders on television more concerned with money, fame, and power rather than with grace, love and social justice, I wouldn't want to believe in God at all. I really wouldn't. The whole thing would make me want to walk away from religion altogether, because, like I was saying about Santa Claus, their god must be an idiot to see the world in such a one-sided way. The god who cares so much about getting rich must not have treasures stored up in heaven, and the god so concerned about getting even must not have very much patience, and the god who cares so much about the West must really hate the rest of the world, and that doesn't sound like a very good god to me. The televangelist can have him for all I care.

You know, the real problem with God-imposters is that they worship a very small god, a god who exists simply to validate their identities. This god falls apart as soon as you touch him, as soon as you start asking very basic questions about the sanctity of all human life, the failure of combat mentality, and the lustful love of power."

I guess the direction I'd like to take for our comments is this one: How do we make our God small in our day-to-day lives? How do we treat Him in a one-sided manner like we do Santa Claus?

Brent 6:16 AM

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God is not a person, a force maybe , that lives in each living soul, if we were strong enough to realise this then we can all adopt a universal religion.Harness the powers within, for the betterment of mankind and then we can say we have evolved.Granted most men need the stuctures of religion to be and live as " better human beings " but really the powers all lie within each one of us...

posted by  Anonymous : 7:30 AM

 

hey, nice star wars reference. could you maybe go into more detail on what the powers within are?

posted by  Anonymous : 6:58 PM

 

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Friday, November 12, 2004

...I've been finding some quotes from some of the reading I've been doing and trying to foster some on-line iron-sharpening-iron stuff for us all by encouraging you to comment. So, here's today's quote, from Andrew Murray in "The Deeper Christian Life":

"I tell you, beloved, when the Holy Ghost comes upon a man he becomes a spiritual man, and instead of denying his Lord he denies himself, just remember that.

...You always must do one of hte two, you must deny self or you must deny Jesus, and alas, Peter denied his Lord rather than deny himself. On the other hand, when the Holy Spirit came upon him, he could not deny his Lord, but he could deny himself, and he praised God for the privilege of suffering for Christ...

Just as the Lord Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to Peter, He is willing to give the Holy Spirit to you. Are you willing to receive Him? Are you willing to give up yourself entirely as an empty, helpless vessel, to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, to live, to dwell, and to work in you every day?

...I can tell you one thing that will help you. What helped Peter? Peter went out and wept bitterly. It must come with us to a conviction of sin; it must come with us to a real, downright earnest repentance, or we can never get into the better life. We must stop complaining and confessing, 'Yes my life is not what is should be and I will try to do better.' This won't help you. What will help you? This: that you go down in despair to lie at the feet of Jesus, and that you being with a very real and bitter shame to make confession..."

So today's question: How do we get to a point of a "real, downright earnest repentance?" Why is that so hard for us to do?

Brent 5:26 AM

Comments:

i kicked off yesterday with that question in mind. how, in our suburban culture, where we undeniably have more than we need (see 1 Timothy 6:8) come to a point of needing Jesus on a daily basis. so you have a great car, trophy wife, good kids that make good grades and an obedient dog. i still think you need Jesus. does a person have to lose all that in order to know christ. do kids have to get drunk every weekend, do drugs and have sex before they realize what a mess they are getting into and that a relationship with Christ is truly the abundant live. sometimes i think they do but i wish it didn't have to be that way. there's got to be a better way

posted by  victim of suburbia : 9:48 AM

 

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Thursday, November 11, 2004

...I've been throwing quotes out for you to consider and comment on, thereby giving us a sense of on-line community that will help sharpen one another. Today's quote comes from a book I'm reading called "The Revolutionary Communicator" by Jedd Medefind and Erik Lokkesmoe:

"Of course, our world differs greatly from the one Jesus faced. Science and innovation have profoundly altered everyday life. Today's children routinely use media that would have left previous generations--not to mention people of Jesus' day--gaping in wonder. Sounds and images invade nearly every moment, pursuing us and wooing us toward new products, ideas and experiences. As one of California's top political consultants observed, lamenting his own inability to break through this static with even the most well-crafted advertising, 'Our society is diseased with messages.'

Yet all the technology, change, speed, and noise, the fundamental truths at the heart of powerful communication--the principles Jesus lived out in every communication act--have not changed at all."

So, what is at the heart of "powerful communication?" And what are some things we can do to "live out" these things in our actions?

Brent 4:56 AM

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Tuesday, November 09, 2004

...I'm just finding some quotes that I find provocative and looking for some interaction in the "comments" section so we can have some on-line community going on here. So, here's today's quote from Charles Swindoll in "Paul":

"In less than a week, God transformed Saul from a vicious, Christian-hating murderer into a passionate preacher...But God had only begun. His ongoing process of preparing Saul was time away, all alone, to think through the implications of his newfound faith, to begin to know his Savior much more intimately, to come to terms with what it meant to be a messenger of grace."

..."For three years, Saul lived somewhere in the desert, cut off from his former manner of life--in solitude, quietness and obscurity."

..."I'm convinced it was there, in that barren place of obscurity, that Paul developed his theology. He met God, intimately and deeply. Silently and alone, he plumbed the unfathomable mysteries of sovereignty, election and depravity, the deity of Christ, the miraculous power of the Resurrection, the Church and future things. It became a three-year crash course in sound doctrine from which would flow a lifetime of preaching, teaching, and writing. More than that, it's where Paul tossed aside his polished trophies and traded his resume of religious credentials for a vibrant relationship with the risen Christ. Everything changed."

So, in today's comments, I'd like to see some discussion on this: Is it possible in today's warp speed American culture to find "solitude, quietness and obscurity? If so, how? Is it necessary to be "silent and alone" to meet God intimately and deeply? Why or why not?

Brent 10:01 PM

Comments:

It must be possible. Culture should not dictate our ability to be still before our maker. Still this is something I think everyone of us struggle with. How do we balance the demands of our time (i.e. work, children, husbands, church, etc.) and with the call to be still? I remember working full-time outside of the home and thinking, "I'll spend more time with God when I stop working." But it is still a struggle to look past all the distractions and sit quietly with the Lord. I really think my problem is a matter of priorities and desires. If my true desire was the cultivate my relationship with Christ , I would make every effort to do that. Somedays that is my desire, other days I'd rather get the laundry done. Sounds dumb doesn't it.

posted by  Justin and Michelle : 6:21 AM

 

i think solitude is a good start...

posted by  victim of suburbia : 4:21 PM

 

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...and we didn't have our normal Sunday School teaching time, I'm finding some provocative quotes that I hope will help turn this page into a more interactive forum rather than simply a "read and go" devotional. So here's today's quote, taken from Brennan Manning's "The Ragamuffin Gospel."

"Sooner or later we are confronted with the painful truth of our inadequacy and insufficiency. Our security is shattered and our bootstraps are cut. Once the fervor has passed, weakness and infidelity appear. We discover our inability to add even a single inch to our spiritual stature. There begins a long winter of discontent that eventually flowers into gloom, pessimism, and subtle despair: subtle because it goes unrecognized, unnoticed, and therefore unchallenged. It takes the form of boredom, drudgery. We are overcome by the ordinariness of life, by daily duties done over and over again. We secretly admit that the call of Jesus is too demanding, that surrender to the Spirit is out of our reach. We start acting like everyone else. Life takes on a joyless, empty quality...

...something is radically wrong."

Now, keep in mind that he was talking about what happens when we try to live a life of structure, formula and self...rather than a life of grace. Read it again, and in the comments tell us if you agree or disagree and why...and if you agree and had this type of experience, share what God taught you through it.

Brent 4:52 AM

Comments:

i actually went through this about a year ago. i felt like i just wasn't good enough....life got boring, and i figured that was just life. but God got to me, and reminded me of His love that originally brought me into a relationship with Him. i realized by watching my brothers and sisters in Christ that we are meant to have an abundant life....and i highly doubt by "abundant life" God would mean the boring stuff i felt. so since then...yes, sometimes i still struggle with it, but God reminds me that by sending His Son He intended for me to have a joyful, fruitful life, built on a relationship with the God who loves me more than i can know, so that i can glorify Him.

posted by  Anonymous : 9:14 PM

 

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Monday, November 08, 2004

...and there really wasn't any formal "teaching" time (although, frankly, sometimes the absolute very best teaching comes from focusing on God and talking to God) during Sunday School last week, I thought I'd try to stir up some comments in the comment section by giving you some quotes from stuff I'm reading right now.

The first one comes from Donald Miller in Searching for God Knows What:

"Some would say formulas are how we interact with God, that going through the motions and jumping through hoops are how a person acts out his spirituality. This method of interaction seems odd to me, because if I want to hang out with my friend Tuck, I don't stomp three times, turn around, and say his name over and over like a mantra, lighting candles and getting myself in a certain mood. I just call him. In this way, forumlas presuppose God is more a computer or a circus monkey than an intelligent Being. I realize this sounds harsh, but it is true...

...So if the difference between the Christian faith and all other forms of spirituality is that the Christian faith offers a relational dynamic whith God, why are we cloaking this relational dynamic with forumlas? Are we jealous of the Mormons? And are the forumlas getting us anywhere? Are modern forms of Christian spirituality producing better Christians than days long ago, when people didn't use formulas and understood, intrinsically, that God is a Being with a personality and a will of His onw? Martin Luther didn't believe in formulas, and neither did John Calvin. Were they missing something, or are we?"

So, comment away, everybody! Do you agree or disagree and why?

Brent 7:06 AM

Comments:

I think many of us, myself included, find formulas to be a source of comfort. They give us a sense of control....if I do this and this, then this will result. Of course, God is not controlled by our formulas, so when one quits working we develop a new one. Let's face it...we like rules. It's a struggle for me even in relationships with people.

posted by  Justin and Michelle : 1:20 PM

 

i agree. we try to reduce God to something other than He truly is, something more compact, without character, by assuming that we must do a little jig to get His attention. it gives us a sense of control over a God who in fact cannot be strung on a leash. rather, He comes to us willingly when we ask for Him, because, contrary to what many think, He is a person, and He does have character. He cannot be bound by any formulas our small minds can concoct.

posted by  Anonymous : 8:52 PM

 

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Sunday, November 07, 2004

In order to get ready for Sunday School tonight, spend some time today analyzing your spiritual life, confessing sin where needed and praying about what God would have you to do and praising Him for the work He has done.

It's Lord's Supper Sunday in church, and we'll be having a time of reflective worship and prayer tonight in Sunday School. See you tonight!

Brent 4:44 AM

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Saturday, November 06, 2004

Yesterday, we looked at the nature of God's blessings...and there can be a tendency for people to look at the simplicity of what the psalmist mentioned as blessings (food, shelter & family) and then take a position that anything beyond that is a waste.

But when you look at Ecclesiastes 3, you get a different perspective.

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--

A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to tear down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrance, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to search, and a time to give up what is lost;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war, and a time for peace."

If you keep reading the chapter, you'll see that God has given a time for everything under the sun as well as setting eternity in their hearts.

So, it's possible to have more than just the basics to live and enjoy those blessings, too.

A good example of this is a wedding and reception. I mean, let's be honest. You pay too much money for a dress, and bridesmaids need dresses and shoes. Groomsmen rent tuxedos at about $150 bucks each. A small fortune is spent on flowers and photographers and videographers and candles and runners for the aisle and musicians and gifts for everybody and on and on and on.

The reception is full of cakes and snacks and maybe alchohol and maybe even a sit down dinner.

The honeymoon is an expensive vacation.

But, there's a time for celebration. A time to dance. A time to laugh. A time to embrace. And, if you want to enjoy the fruit of your labor to do those in lavish fashion, well, that's a blessing from God that He's provided resources to do that with.

And it could be a nice car. Or a pool for your home. Or maybe books. Or some nice clothes.

We shouldn't be afraid of these things, and sometimes the Christian community denegrates these things because of "higher" priorities (forgetting that Jesus mentioned that we'll always have the poor with us when a woman spent a year's wages on a perfume bottle to bless Him with).

There's a time for everything, including enjoyment of God's abundant provision.

Brent 7:20 AM

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Friday, November 05, 2004

After looking at a perspective on work in Psalm 127, the next step is on how to view blessings that come into our lives.

Psalm 128 starts with the words, "How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways."

A few definitions might help us get the true meaning of that statement. There's a lot found "between the lines" of this psalm. "Blessed" means happy...implying being at peace in your relationship with God. You can almost hear echoes of the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the peacemakers...etc."

"Fear" of the Lord is not so much a "trembling" but rather a "reverence." It's understanding that God is holy and we are not. God is God and we are not Him. It's revering Who God is.

So, initially, we get the idea that those who are at peace with God are those who realize their place in God's economy.

We also see that we're blessed if we "walk in His ways." The Hebrew word for "ways" means "smooth, straight paths." We're at peace with God if we understand God is God and we aren't Him as well as walking in the path He puts there for us. All the others are rocky, crooked paths...and will put us at war with God.

So, blessings flow from God. The Doxology is right.

Notice in verses 2-4 what happens: You eat fruit of your hands, you will have enough. You won't be hungry.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine...she'll be a blessing to you (notice this could possibly be a continuation of verses 3 & 4 of 127), giving you blessings.

Your children are like olive plants...they'll make your home more abundant.

Blessings are for those who revere the Lord...and, note the content of the blessings: Food, marriage & family. Those will be there abundantly supplied. If you have your Vertical Relationship right, your horizontal ones will be great. Note blessings aren't financial in nature, or material. Food is a necessity to live...and maybe family is, too. Either way, God blesses us with these things.

The closing in verse 5 & 6: "The Lord bless you from Zion, and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. Indeed, may you see your children's children. Peace be on Israel!"

Remember, they were traveling to Jerusalem for a festival. A time of abundance. A time to reflect on God's blessings and anticipate His faithfulness in the future. The psalmist wants the hearer to experience God's blessings like he'll see in Jerusalem every day of his life. That you won't need a festival to remind you...that your every day life will be it's very own festival!

And for those of you who have grandparents (or, like me, the memory of grandparents) who love you...well, you know how crazy they are about their grandkids...and how blessed they feel just by seeing you walk into a room.

That's the kind of blessing the psalmist wants you to experience.

So, moving from Head To Heart takes a proper perspective on blessings...so take a minute today to reflect on God's faithfulness to you through the blessings you have...because we understand the He is God, we are not, and the smooth straight path keeps us at peace with Him.

Brent 4:00 AM

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Thursday, November 04, 2004

Since we've been talking about a correct perspective on work, the book of Ecclesiastes gives some insight into the cold, hard, reality of pursuing wealth and comfort.

It was written by Solomon, David's son who grew up in palaces with one of Israel's greatest kings as his father. Solomon built the Temple, the permanent home for God that David always wanted to build, so God could be honored and the nation had a permanent place to worship Him. Solomon wrote the majority of the book of Proverbs and is considered to be one of the wisest men who ever lived.

And these are some things he did:

He tested himself with pleasures.
Stimulated his body with drugs.
Built a massive home.
Buiit massive parks and expanded his business gain.
Lived a life of leisure, letting others do the work for him.
Fattened his bank account.
Enjoyed the best entertainment.
Enjoyed physical pleasures that women could provide.
Increased his political stature.

In verse 10: "And all that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for my labor."

He'd done it. In current terms, he'd reached the American dream. He worked hard. He got the bigger house with servants to keep it clean. He had parks to relax in with workers to maintain them. He had the best entertainment available to him. His bank account was big enough to "retire."

Others recognized his greatness. He was popular. He even had enough free time to experiment with drugs and sex.

It was human success.

Without God in the mix.

And that's what we looked at in Psalm 127. When you see the work you do through God's eyes it has meaning.

Without God, this is what it looks like: "Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun."

Solomon arrived. He did it all and retired. Whatever he wanted.

And it was a silly as trying to catch the breeze in a butterfly net. Can you imagine what a video of yourself chasing the wind would look like? 20 minutes of yourself trying to catch the wind?

Pointless. Silly. Busy, but with nothing tangible to show for it. Laughable, if only you weren't so serious about it. Insert your own adjective here.

But that's the way living your life of work without God's glory as the motivation is.

Pointless. Silly. Busy, but with nothing tangible to show for it. Laughable, but you're serious about it. Insert your own adjective here.

So, take some time to think today: What are you working for or with or about today that doesn't have God's glory at the center...and what do you look like doing it?

Brent 5:36 AM

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Wednesday, November 03, 2004

Yesterday, we looked at the perspective we need to have when we work...that when we understand that our work, whatever it is, should have "Kingdom" purposes. That's actually what gives plumbing, accounting, the presidency, pastoring, P.E. coaching, etc., it's true meaning.

What is interesting is that we were only halfway through the Psalm when we left off. We left off with, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the food of painful labors, for the Lord gives to His beloved even in his sleep."

But the Psalm doesn't end there and it appears to take a strange twist...it talks about children, of all things. "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward."

Why does the psalmist bring up children in the middle of a discourse on work? My suspicion is that it is following up on the idea that God provides even when we sleep. That when our metabolism is as slow as possible and we're a latent as we are during a day, God is still working on our behalf.

And we didn't have to "work" for children. They are truly a "gift" from God. We don't "work" for gifts. They are freely given.

The same for fruit...it's a reward. A lot happens "behind the scenes" before we ever see fruit. It's amazing how God does so much behind the scenes of our lives, and then we see the "reward."

Children are arrows...weapons in the hand of a warrior, and you're blessed if the quiver is full of them (and, yes, it depends on the capacity of your quiver as to how many arrows are in them...my quiver only holds two arrows!)

So, let's see...children are...

...a gift...

...a reward...

...an arrow in a warrior's hand...

...a blessing...

Children are a heritage from the Lord, and more important than work any day.

It's a matter of perspective. Work should be seen in light of the Kingdom, and in light of the blessings of God. Work is third on our list...at best...and that's a healthy perspective.

Brent 4:10 AM

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Tuesday, November 02, 2004

I thought with Election Day upon us today, this would be appropriate to study today:

"First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quite life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Frankly, there isn't much study to be done on this one. Seems crucial to apply it.

Brent 4:00 AM

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Monday, November 01, 2004

There's a scene in the movie "Dead Poets Society" that I'm drawn to. Mr. Keating, a teacher played by Robin Williams, takes his prep school students outside the classroom to give them a bit of perspective.

Mr. Keating read some poetry about "gathering rosebuds while ye may" and then talks about important it is to "seize the day." He's standing in front of the storied school's trophy case, in which athletes and debaters and other champions from 70 years ago were just like the students are now.

Full of hope, full of optimism, full of promise, ready to change the world. All that stuff that the students are now, they were then. And now, Mr. Keating says, they're "food for daffodils." The implication is that someday, they will be food for daffodils, too. So, they should seize the day. Gather the rosebuds while they may. Live an extraordinary life because this life is all you get. That was his perspective.

Now, granted, it's bad theology. I mean, we should live an extraordinary life but for entirely different reasons. It's a matter of perspective.

And, that's what Psalm 127 gives us: A perspective on work...from God's point of view.

It starts in verse 1: If God doesn't build the house, they labor in vain who build it. If God doesn't guard the city, they labor in vain who watch it. The Message says, "If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks. If God doesn't guard the city, the night watchman may as well take a nap."

In so many ways, this offends our American sensibilities. We're told our whole life that "God helps those who help themselves" (which isn't even in the Bible) and do things like "pick ourselves up by our own bootstraps." The reality is that it's vanity to labor in our own strength. We'll constantly be doing less than we're capable of if we were doing these things in His strength. It'll all be futile unless the Kingdom is in view.

Verse 2 even carries it further: "It's useless to rise early and go to bed late and work your fingers to the bone. Don't you know He enjoys giving rest to those He loves?"

Now, let me make it very clear that I don't think this is saying that work is bad...or that excellence is silly...or that we shouldn't strive to develop our gifts and talents to the full...there's plenty of other Scriptures that point to those things. So, you can't just go on a kickback and wait for God to be the Cosmic Santa and bring you stuff. You're missing the point if you think that.

Remember, this is about perspective on work.

And the proper perspective is that God is the reason for everything we do...and to go to class, or go to our job, or those chores around the house, or play sports or be involved in extracurricular activities for any other reason than Kingdom reasons are...

...well...

...building a shack instead of a mansion.

...or as useless as taking a nap instead of guarding the city.

So, it isn't really about "seizing the day" or "gathering rosebuds while ye may" at all because you're food for worms or daffodils. Nope. It's about remembering the purpose of doing what you do, so seizing the day and gathering the rosebuds actually has real meaning.

Kingdom meaning.

That is truly seizing the day.

Brent 4:15 AM

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