Peripatetics: The Art of Walking

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

The rumor has it that my mom and dad hadn't settled on a name for me when they headed off to the hospital for my mom to give birth. Back then, prospective father's weren't allowed in the delivery room so he was resigned to the waiting room. Apparently, my mom told my dad to grab a copy of a "baby name" book and to try to come up with something agreeable.

At some point, my dad came in and said, "Charlotte, what do you think of the name 'Brent?' It means 'proud.'" Apparently she liked it since that is indeed my name. What's funny is that he also brought up the fact that since both of them were called by their middle names that they shouldn't give their new baby a middle name. Just plain old first name and then a last name. Apparently, she liked that idea, too...since I don't have a middle name...which is always a discussion starter and never believed.

What is so funny about that process is that, if you knew my father at all, you'd know that he was good at two things: "Getting by" in life and manipulating my mother. He was not very ambitious and really just wanted to enjoy a good ball game either in person or on TV, and he exhibited both of those traits in choosing my name.

When he told the story about choosing the name it was decidedly different than to hear my mom's more romantic view of it. He said something like, "Charlotte gave me this baby name book and wanted me to pick a name for the kid while I was waiting. I was already tired of just sitting there reading names by the time I got into the "b's" pretty good and finally came across Brent. I could live with that after I said it with the last name and it sounded okay...and I wasn't about to go through that process again with a stinkin' MIDDLE name. So, I just went in, told her how excited I was about the name Brent with no middle name, and she was thrilled that I'd made a decision on it, so she went with it since she kind of liked the name, too."

It really was that simple.

But names in first century culture meant something. Think about it. Jacob, in the Old Testament, was so-named because he was a "heel grabber" or "a deciever." His name was later changed to Israel after his heavenly wrestling match as "Israel" means "one who fights and persists with God." Jesus' was to be called "Immanuel" which means "God with us." So, in that culture, to know someone's name was to know their very nature...everything about them, so to speak.

Which makes Jesus' words in vv. 6-12 so much more detailed:

"I manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; Yours they were, and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given them; and they received them, and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You did send Me. I ask on their behalf; I do not ask but on behalf of the world but of those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours; and all things that are Mine are Yours and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. And I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are. While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name, which You have given Me; and I guarded them, and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."

Notice right off the bat that Jesus mentions that He manifested the Name of the Father to the disciples. It means that Jesus was showing them the true nature and character of God while they were observing Him.

What is interesting is when you think about what transpired over those three years. Jesus showed them all sorts of things than confused them, gave them hope, made them rub their eyes...they scanned the whole gamut of emotions and experience. They saw water turned to wine. They saw a man raised from the dead. They saw a nation rise up to make Jesus king, and then turn on him in an instant to kill him. They saw Him walk on water, and then alienate the watching crowd only hours later. Jesus manifested God to them...showed them Who He was and is.

And they "got it," too. Jesus said they truly understood it, too. Can you imagine? They saw all the data, and figured out that Jesus was indeed the Messiah the son of God, come to to save the world. (keep in mind these Jewish believers would've had a distinctly different idea of what that "looked like")

Others didn't have that reaction. They saw the miracles...and then didn't deny that the miracle took place, but rather had issues with the fact it took place on the Sabbath. They were fed in the wilderness sermon, but when he didn't provide more food the next day and in fact, suggested that they'd have to eat His flesh and drink His blood to take part in the Kingdom, they were disgusted and left. Some people, even when they see the undeniable, still deny it.

And Jesus looked at his disciples and asked, "What about you? Are you leaving too?"

To which Peter responded, "Where else are we going to go? We've left everything and we know that you hold the keys to eternity?" They had the same information as the masses, they simply responded to it differently.

And Jesus is praying for the 11 (Judas was the son of perdition mentioned in v. 12) that now that He is leaving them in the world, that the Father would keep them in His Name...His very nature and character.

And because they have the same name keeping them, they should be unified in v. 11. They should be one family, with the same father. And Jesus knew they would need the Father soon because things were going to get very rough in a matter of minutes...and we all need encouragement and support when life's storms hit.

So, for today, think about what it means to have His name. How do you view Jesus and His saving, miraculous work in your life? How does that affect you in the right here and right now? What about being unified with others into one family? It's very interesting to view others as true brothers and sisters in the faith...and is there some other believer you need to straighten things up with?

What's in a name? In this case, everything.

Brent 4:13 AM

Comments:

Usually, they'd observed something in the child's character by the 8th day, when they had to go to the Temple for naming. It could also change as they got older (like Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, etc.).

posted by  Brent : 9:06 PM

 

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Tuesday, February 22, 2005

It was always assumed I would go to college.

My grandparents started in on their children with the importance of a college education. Their children all became school teachers, and so ingrained their children with the importance of a college education.

It worked, too. All my cousins have graduated from universities, and their are 5 of us with advanced degrees, too. Only my sister didn't graduate...but she has enough hours to, they just aren't in the right courses. Besides, she dropped out of her university as a senior to work for a company and made enough money to retire at age 30, so I don't think my mom's too bent out of shape by that.

In fact, my mom didn't make too big a deal out my high school graduation. It was expected, and viewed as a necessary step. Sure, I got luggage and a typewriter and a ten-speed bike like everybody else in my class, but even my gifts of "celebration" were viewed as necessary items for the next step of my life.

You'd think that I would've taken applying to college more seriously with my background and all. I didn't, though. I pretty much knew what school I wanted to go to, had the grades and test scores to get into that school and just assumed I would go there unless something better came along. Nothing did.

Funny thing was, I spent the first year pretty frustrated. I changed majors three times in that year. Engineering. Business. Then philosophy. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and was growing with angst about it.

I shared my feelings with the guy that was discipling me at the time, Charles. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "I have no idea what I'm doing with my life, Chuck (me and the guys in my Bible study called him that because he told us it got under his skin). I mean, I'm just spending my mom's money with no real direction and I can't believe this is a good thing. I mean, I'm supposed to be at college to get trained to get a good job, and I'm certainly not making any progress there."

Charles: "Who told you you were supposed to go to college to get a good job?"

Me: "I dunno. That's why you go to college. That's what everybody's doing."

Charles: "That may be what everybody's doing, but do you know why UNIVERSITIES were founded? To expolore the condition of the universe and your place in that universe. So, you're actually the one that's doing what you're supposed to be doing instead of just trying to find a career."

I had never thought of it that way before, but Chuck was right. And I spent the next two years changing majors (I had 7 total before I finally graduated) and trying to make some sense of the universe and my place in that universe.

And that's what Jesus is getting at in verses 1--5 of John 17:

"These things Jesus spoke; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, 'Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gavest Him authority over all mankind, that to all whome You have given Him, He may give eternal life.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

And now, You glorify Me together with Yourself, Father, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

Very powerful stuff there, so let's take a look at what's being said.

Jesus was praying in the Garden right before His arrest after Judas' betrayal. He knew that His hour had come, and he prayed for glorification of Himself so that glory would reflect the glory of the Father. He knew He was The Way to eternal life (see John 14: 6 for more detail on that part of the story).

And then he defines eternal life: Knowing God, and Jesus Christ. That's it. It isn't harps and clouds and all that stupid stuff the television shows and movies show us...it's knowing Christ. So, eternal life begins the moment we know Christ, even as we move around this planet, rubbing shoulders with humanity, we're living the eternal life. Just a more hands-on part of it right now. It'll change later, but for now, knowing Christ IS eternal life.

The point of this life is obvious since a variation of one word happens five times in these five verses: Glory.

In particular, it references giving God glory for the life that is lived.

You know, that's what I found out about the universe and my place in it. God created the universe. Knowing that God is eternal life. So I want to know that God and experience eternal life. And why would I do that? So God could be glorified in me.

And, why is that important? Because if my God is glorified, then other people will want to know Him, and experience eternal life for themselves...kingdom living for their very own possession. That, in turn, will draw others...and so on...and so on.

The details can always be filled in later for you, but...

for now, the condition of the universe is that God created it and wants to have a relationship with you.

for now, your place in the universe is to give God glory, where you are, as you are. Nothing fancy, just walking with God, depending on Him, in the right here, right now, doing what you're already doing.

So, how's your relationship with your Father? How does it affect your moment by moment lifestyle? How does this change your view of the things you do every day in class or at work, or with your parents, or the things you do/say with your friends? How do you give God glory in everything you do?

Frankly, if you can answer those questions, you've got a pretty good head start in life...Kingdom living.

Brent 4:41 AM

Comments:

it comforts me to know i'm living out eternal life in christ right now, in this moment. it gives me a peace about where i'm at and what i'm doing and who i am. and i want to live fully for him.

michelle

posted by  Anonymous : 12:12 PM

 

i'm not doing so well with this one. thinking about how great the Father only makes me realize how insignificant i am and how unworthy i am to even be called His. it's almost an insult to call me His child. i have a lot to work on...

posted by  Julie : 12:45 PM

 

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Monday, February 21, 2005

There's been a lot written about the movie that came out last year entitled "The Passion." You remember, the Mel Gibson movie that everyone was talking about for about 5 weeks?

Anyway, the movie starts out with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene and he is praying. The scene is dark and foggy...the moonlight gives the only lighting in the scene.

It shows Jesus in agony as this time of prayer before His crucifixion begins. Other accounts in the Bible tell us that Jesus was under such duress that His sweat was like drops of blood. The disciples were sleeping.

Jesus was shaking...leaning up against trees for support. He was sweating profusely. At one point He was face down in prayer, voice quivering, praying with all His might.

From what I can tell, while the rest of the movie takes liberties here and there (and this scene does too) I think the film does this moment in Jesus' life justice. I think Jesus was in agony. The weight of the whole world, literally, was on His shoulders. And now He was making time to grab some moments with His Father...to maintain that relationship...to experience His grace in that moment of need.

And before we look at the specifics, it's important to get an overview of the nature of tis prayer:

In verses 1--5, we see that we are to share in His life.

In verses 6--12, we see that we know His name.

In verses 13--19, we see that we have His Word.

And in verses 20--26, we see His prayers for future believers.

See, sometimes in reading this section, particularly in the New American Standard translation, you can get lost in the sentence structure. It can be a difficult read and it helps to have a semblance of where Jesus is going.

So think about that for a second...

We are to share in His life.
We know Him.
We have His Word to help us through this life.
And he prayed for us.

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, on the night in which He was betrayed, prayed for us.

That we would live a life for Him and with Him.
That we could have a relationship with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
That we could live practically and holy in this world...in fact, we'd been "set apart" especially to do exactly that.
And we would show unity and glorify Him by how we lived.

He knew He was going to die.

And our High Priest was concerned about the spiritual life. Our spiritual life.

Here in Dallas today its 80 degrees and beautiful. It's the perfect day to get out and evaluate your spiritual life, don't you think? Try to scrape together some time, even if the sun has set, to be alone and think through your spiritual life. Show concern for it...

...and talk to God. Read through John 17 with the outline in mind, and we'll break it into more detail later this week.

Brent 7:12 AM

Comments:

If I haven't told you in a while...thank you for doing this.
- Hollywood

posted by  Anonymous : 3:18 AM

 

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Sunday, February 20, 2005

If you'd like to prepare a bit for Sunday School tonight, you'll definitely want to read John 17 a time or two. In fact, to get some context, you'll probably want to scan chapters 13--16 as they tie into what happens in 17. I'll be showing a pretty powerful scene from The Passion that actually portrays chapter 17, so you may want to read it and get there on time.

In your reading, try to look for:

In verses 1--5, what word do you see five variations of?

In verses 6--12, what did Christ do for the disciples and what was their response?

In verses 13--19, where does Christ want them to stay and how does He encourage them?

In verses 20--26, what are we supposed to be and what is the supposed outcome?

We'll also be wrapping up our last session on prayer and after Oscar night, we'll being looking at "abiding in The Word."

See you at 6:30PM!

Brent 3:22 AM

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Saturday, February 19, 2005

There's a scene in the movie "Bruce Almighty" (in which Jim Carrey plays Bruce, a newscaster who gets to have God's job for a short period of time) in which Bruce is listening to people's prayers. He consolidates them into a database on his computer but they keep coming in faster than he has the capability to answer them.

In order to keep his hard drive clean, he decides to highlight all the prayers on his database and then hits "yes to all."

Chaos ensues as everybody's prayers were answered. The one that stands out is a newscast in which the broadcaster informs the viewer that there were an astounding number of lottery winners...something like 20 million people won the 21 million dollar award. They all won a dollar.

And I think about my prayers sometimes.

If I'm honest with myself, I kinda pray to God with an idea of what I think the best answer to the prayer is. For example, one time I was praying for one of my children who was having surgery on her ear. I prayed with the right words. I mean, it was this kind of prayer:

"God, you know my daughter is having surgery. Her ear is in bad shape. I want your will to be done...*nudge nudge wink wink*...but what I pray for is that her ear will be healed by the work the surgeon does and that she'll have full hearing restored about a week after the deal."

I had in my mind the best possible outcome. I wanted that.

It didn't work out that way.

In fact, there was another surgery...and both cost us some money we didn't really have. She was in some pain. She missed school and all that entails. And when all was said and done, we spent more money we didn't really have on a hearing aid.

How was that the best?

Well, looking back on it all, I guess if God had answered the prayers the way I wanted I might have a little more money in my bank account and my daughter's ear would work. But I imagine that I would have long forgotten all about it after the initial "thanks a bunch, God" prayer that I hope would've followed after all was well. I would've moved on with life.

Instead, I learned some lessons about how to depend on God when the bills came in. I learned some lessons about myself, and how to serve my wife and family when the tough times came around. I learned a lot about being thankful to God as I found out what could've happened to my child if we'd waited three months. I am now sensitive to seeing other children's hearing aids...and there are more than I'd have imagined. I can now pastor a little better when other parents go through surgery and waiting rooms and recovery. I could go on and on. Really. But you get the idea.

God answered my prayer because he knew what was best for me...not what was easiest or most efficient or most comfortable. Because He loves me. Because He wants a more intimate relationship with me.

And that's what Paul was getting after in the last half of the verses we read yesterday:

"...may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly beyond all we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever, Amen."

Paul prays for us that we would be able to understand how "deep and wide" (great children's ministry song!) God's love is for us. It is bigger than our ability to understand or know. That we'll be filled up with the fulness of God.

God is able to do more than we can even ask or think.

Think about THAT.

Think about what you'd pray for and then come up with your wildest dream of how that prayer would be answered. You would't be able to dream up the best possible outcome or answer. It goes so much beyond lottery winnings and convertibles and houses and pools and having MTV Cribs come by for the shoot and not having to have your Ride Pimped.

It's about Him. His glory.

And our relationship with the God of the universe.

So, as we begin to wrap up our discussion on prayer...the issue is really do you trust God with the answer to your prayers, and do you experience His love and grow in your relationship with Him?

Brent 6:21 AM

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Friday, February 18, 2005

There's a line in "The Lion King 1 and 1/2" where Rafiki says something very thought provoking, and Timon nods and Pumbaa and says, "Check out the monkey gettin' all existential on us."

Well, today, in a very Rafiki-like manner, I think I'm gonna get a little existential on 'us.'

Have you ever just been strolling through life felt like there should be MORE?

I dunno.

More than just getting up every day and getting ready for work or school?
Or when you get to work or school, that there should be MORE to each class?
Or maybe that your friendships should be MORE authentic and transparent?
Or that your conversations should have MORE depth?
Or that your extracurricular activities should involve MORE passion?
Or that your relationship with your parents should involve MORE?
MORE to your passion?
MORE to your excitement level?
MORE than just the day-in, day-out, nose to the grindstone, pick yourself up by your own bootstraps, it's not what you know but who you know, workin' for The Man every night and day, kind of life?

I feel that way sometimes.

In fact, plenty of authors have written about it. One even said that the biggest crime against mankind is not that we live so wickedly, but rather than we live so inanely (look it up, don't just read it and move on if you don't know what it means, silly).

And it's a common feeling. When we're in bed at night, alone with our selves and our thoughts and we have the covers pulled up to our chins and we're sitting there knowing that we shouldn't...

...settle...

for an anemic, insipid (look them both up, don't just read them and move on if you don't know what they mean, silly)...

...life.

But we do.

And that's why I love Paul's prayer for us in Ephesians 3: 14ff, "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according the the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through the Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being grounded in love..."

(I'll pick up with the rest of the verses tomorrow)

Paul knew that we get all existential on ourselves.

And he prayed to our Father. And since we all have the same father, we are to live in a "family." Part of our MORE is being part of a family. It's more than a community...it's being a part of a tribe that loves each other, cares for each other and, even with all it's disfunction and weirdness and all that, looks out of the well being of each member. It's supposed to be deep, and life affecting and challenging. Even when it hurts.

And then he prayes that we would be strengthened with power (Greek: dunamis--read yesterday's entry) through the Spirit in the inner man. This means that deep down in our bones, we are to experience the Holy Spirit and His leading of us. I wonder what would happen if the Christian community had this prayer answered on a wide-scale. I wonder what would happen to my life if I had this prayer answered on a personal scale. I imagine it would look a lot like Galatians 5: 22 (look it up if you don't know it off hand, don't just read it and move on, silly). And that experience wouldn't leave you wanting more I don't think.

Finally, the result would be LOVE. For God and for others...and that's the key to the deeper, more meaningful life.

So, for today, how is your experience with your "family?" Are you being honest and transparent in your relationships? How is your experience with the Holy Spirit? What does that 'look' like? How can you improve that? Finally, how is your 'love' life? Do you truly love people--saved and unsaved--and want what's best for them with a sacrificial love which often surpasses understanding?

I know it's gettin' all existential on us...

...but a few comments to sort through it might help us all as we're on our journey.

Happy weekend, ever' body!

Brent 4:43 AM

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Thursday, February 17, 2005

I am Washington Moody Childress' grandson. I was 8 years old when he died.

He was an excellent grandfather, too. He was always playing sports with me outside or board games or taking me with him on some business trips when I was smaller. He always involved me in whatever he was doing, like he purchased me a toy lawnmower that blew bubbles so I could be in the yard with him while he mowed.

He took me on long walks to a place he called Big Rock. It was behind his house about half a mile. I remember him holding on to my pants while I leaned off the rock to look in the creek about 10 feet below it.

He was a very typical grandfather. He snuck me ice cream before bed time. He let me stay up late to watch the end of the game. He read to me a lot. He took me and all my cousins into the ocean when we vactationed at the Gulf of Mexico. He laughed a lot. I could go into his office whenever I wanted.

It was only later that I came to realize exactly who my own grandfather was.

Turns out, he was a vice-president in charge of personnel for one of the largest corporations in America at that time. He was a shrewd investor of money, and was not only wealthy but also what people call "well-connected." He was always getting special deals on stuff because of who he was. It was years before I realized that he was powerful and well-connected. It came up in two instances.

I was having some problems with insurance after a surgery and went to the insurance department of that same larg corporation he worked for. I was getting the runaround by the receptionists and secretaries and I couldn't even get my claim looked at, much less dealt with. I didn't know what else to do so I called my mom. She said to tell the receptionist to tell her boss that Washington Moody Childress' grandson wanted to see him. I did...and she did. Not only did the right guy come right out, the problem was solved and settled in five minutes.

Later, I was having dinner in a restaurant he frequented that was very pricey and exclusive (my grandmother got me the reservations) with some friends from high school. When I asked the waiter for the check, he said he'd be right back. The owner of the restaurant came out and told me it was an "honor" for him to have one of Moody Childress' grandsons in his restaurant, and that no grandson of his would pay a dime in that place.

Keep in mind that both of these events happened 8 years after he died. 8 YEARS!

I had gotten a little bit of enlightenment on who this man was.

And that's what Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus in 18-19a of chapter 3 of Ephesians: "I pray that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe."

Note what Paul prayed for:

He wanted the "eyes of our heart" to be enlightened. In other words, he wanted each one of us, deep down in the very core of who we are, to gain a true understanding of three things.

First, that we would know the HOPE of His calling. People ask me all the time why I would want to spend all day every day working with teenagers. I always respond with a question, "Why would you assume that I have a choice?" I mean, God built me a certain way, with certain passions, with certain gifts...that lead me to know that I'm called to do this. This leads to hope...that our time isn't wasted.


Second, that we would know the riches of our inheritance in the Saints. When we became saved, we became, literally, co-heirs with Christ. Then you have to ask, "What is Christ going to inherit?" Everything. And, if we're co-heirs with Christ, then we'll inherit everything. So, all of a sudden, whatever problems we face here on earth, pale in comparison to the abundant life we'll all obtain through His work. The things of earth do grow strangely dim in the light of His honor and grace (sometimes the old hymns hit the nail on the head).

Third, the we would know what is the surpassing greatness of His power. The Greek word for "power" is dunamis (the word we get dynamite from)...it's an explosive power, and a "life-force." He wants us to know that this power is beyond all we can dream up...and we can live our lives that way!

Wow.

So, my grandad had a few of these qualities. I mean, he taught me what it was like to be a Childress and the values he believed in. He had a little inheritance money for us and he had a little bit of influence in our community.

But it was nothing compared to the hope of His calling...

and the riches of His glory...

and the explosive power to live life...

And the obvious application for today is to ask yourself if you are experiencing on a consistent basis the hope of His calling YOU, the riches for YOU and the explosive power He wants YOU to have?

If yes, then I'd bet a time of prayer thanking God for his gracious and generosity to you.

If no, then what are you going to do to change things?

Brent 3:45 AM

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Wednesday, February 16, 2005

I remember when I first started working with teenagers.

I was getting some really good training from an organization called Youth for Christ. It's the same organization that launched a guy you might be familiar with: Billy Graham. An organization like that takes training seriously.

One of the first things they taught us was that our spiritual life was vital to the long-term (and short-term, for that matter) well-being of our ministries. After that, we were told that we needed to trust God with our teenagers...hence, praying for them was going to be one of our primary concerns.

I took that very seriously in those days. I take that very seriously in these days.

I prayed for one teen that he would be able to deal with his Cystic Fibrosis.
I prayed for another that she would make the cheerleading squad.
I prayed for another that she wouldn't give in to the physical temptations her boyfriend was pressuring her with.
I prayed for one of them as he gave his first sermon as a senior at his church.
I prayed for one that he would get that football scholarship.
I prayed that one would stop dealing drugs and turn to Christ.
I prayed that one kid's parents would get back together.
I prayed that one would overcome his addiction to alchohol.
I prayed that I could develop a relationship with one particular teen who hated churches and their youth ministers.
I prayed that several would support their own youth minister during a stressful time in his ministry to them.

You get the idea. I took it seriously. I loved those kids...just like I love my teenagers now. So I prayed for them. I prayed for them to experience God's love and respond to the abundant life He offerend.

But it sounded so much more simple than Paul's offering for his people. Check this out, from Ephesians 1: 15-17, "For this reason, I too having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you while making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him..."

Paul and I were praying the same thing, I guess. But, manalive, his just sounds great! But let's make a few observations:

First, he had heard of the faith in the Lord. This means that they must've been being salt and light within their culture (which, by the way, was very Vegas-like...and that's putting it mildly), but it's safe to assume that at the very least they were having a worthy walk.

Second, this worthy walk resulted in love for ALL the saints. The readers had gotten the point that Paul discussed in his letter to Timothy...that the very goal of his instruction was LOVE.

Third, he prayed without ceasing. See the entry from Feb. 14 for more detail.

Fourth, he told them he was praying for them. This is always an encouragement to the hearer of these words, and in this case, I'm sure it meant a lot to have the apostle Paul say them to the church at Ephesus.

But what was he praying for? As best as I can discern, he was praying for two things at this juncture in our reading:

First, he prayed that God would give them an spirit of wisdom. This means an attitude of being intelligent. An attitude of being discerning. In other words, he was praying that they would take great care to be wise people. People that were "doers" of the word, not just "hearers."

Second, he prayed that God would give them revelation in the knowledge of Him. "Revelation" means something similar to an "unveiling." The idea here is like if you went to see the unveiling of a painting. If it were on the wall with a cover on it, you could still make out some basic facts...maybe make an estimate of the size of the painting, if it were framed, where the lighting is, etc. Once they took off the cover, the veil, you would see it more completely...the subject of the painting, the type of painting style, the brush strokes used, the colors, etc. That's the idea of God revealing Himself.

And Paul wanted this revelation to be of the knowledge of him. That we would know Him progressively, intimately and personally.

When you think about it...if that prayer were answered, then all the other prayers I prayed for my teens would be taken care of. Sure, there's nothing wrong with the prayers I prayed for my teens early on...

...but praying that God would reveal Himself to others is really what we're asking for.

So today, I'm praying for my students this very prayer...And I wouldn't mind at all if they prayed it for me...or for each other today. That God would reveal Himself to us all, that we would know Him deeply and experience Him on the most intimate of levels. I'd bet the rest of our needs, wants, hopes, desires and all that would become "strangely dim" in light of the other.

Brent 3:51 AM

Comments:

sometimes it seems that we can easily spin our wheels over topic concerns and forget the heart of the issue which is to know God progressively, intimately and personally as you put it. that's a good prayer. i like it.

posted by  victim of suburbia : 10:50 AM

 

that is a lot easier said than done, for me anyway

posted by  Julie : 11:04 AM

 

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Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Yesterday we talked about praying without ceasing...as the apostle Paul mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5: 17. Frankly, that fits our American "warp speed" lifestyle. We like fast food. We go all out from the time we get up until the time we go to bed, from activity to activity and, if truth be told, we like it. I mean, I can stand in front of a microwave waiting on a baked potato for like 5 minutes and really say, "Man, this thing is takin' FOREVER."

So I don't think it was really too much of a stretch to pray without ceasing. The idea of the Greek word mentioning a hacking cough is actually comforting to us. We can have a thought of something pop into our brain and simply fire off a prayer right then and right there. While the idea of keeping an attitude of prayer is daunting, it's kind of comforting because it fits our lifestyle.

Then we're faced with the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:6 (from The Message): "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace."

But it was more than words with Him.

We'll check out Mark 6:46 in a second, but first a little background. Jesus had a cousin who He bonded with (quite literally) since the womb. John the Baptist had an effective ministry preparing people to hear the message of The Kingdom, and even had the amazing privilege of baptizing Christ Himself! It's my belief the two of them were very close.

Flash forward to Mark 6. Part of John's ministry involved being a prophet, and in that role he had called out the king's wife as an adulterer. The queen's daughter had performed the entertainment for one of the king's parties, and the king, in return offered the daughter a large gift of her choosing. At her mother's request, she chose to have John the Baptist beheaded (he was already in jail). The king granted this request.

Can you imagine how Jesus, in His humanity, felt upon hearing this? The cousin He grew up with and shared a lot of ministry with had been killed as a party favor? He was grieved, and wanted to get away and be alone.

The masses saw Him get in a boat with the disciples, they ran along the shoreline, following the boat, until he got to the next town. He was greeted by a large crowd. Jesus, at great personal sacrifice, went back to work. He preached a sermon...pretty much went all day long. He performed a miracle...fed around 10,000 people with five loaves and two fishes. They cleaned up. It had been a long day.

I'm sure Jesus was tired.
I'm sure He was emotionally worn out.

But look what He did next:

Mark 6:45-46 (from The Message): "As soon as the meal was finished, Jesus insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead across to Bethsaida while he dismissed the congregation. After sending them off, he climbed a mountain to pray."

Did you catch that?

He was as busy as we ever are...at least on this day He was. He was as physically tired as we are. He was as emotionally drained as we get. He needed time alone to commune with His Father.

At great personal expense, He climbed a mountain to talk to His Father.

He found a quiet place. A secluded place. A place where He could be alone with God. A place to shift His focus off Himself and focus on the Father. A place where He could experience the grace of God.

Jesus didn't just talk about that stuff in flowery sermons. He lived it out.

And, yes, we should model that same thing.

The application today is obvious: Where is your quiet place? Your secluded place? The place where you can be quiet before Him? A place where you can experience the grace of God?

There's another application that isn't so obvious: What excuses do you give for not getting away and being still before the Lord? Too tired? Too busy? Too drained? Can I suggest that you might not be those things if you carved out some time as you need it to be alone and still before Him...

Brent 3:50 AM

Comments:

Getting away is difficult for me too. It's not that I mind being alone, it's just that the house is never quiet, and I get distracted easily so I can't go somewhere with other people around. That, in the FlowerPlex, is hard to find. I find that nature calms me, places like Pine Cove, where I can go off by myself and get lost in the beauty and serenity of God's handiwork. I find there's only one place where I can pour my heart out to God. It's the only true place I can lose myself. But even then it's not quality time, and finding such has been a constant struggle for a long while for me. I need to discipline myself. Thanks for doing this for us Brent, it's much appreciated.

posted by  Julie : 11:18 AM

 

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Monday, February 14, 2005

Since it's Valentine's Day, I thought I'd mix in a bit of romance with the Bible lesson. Actually, the story kind of fits what the point of the text we're going to look at today quite nicely...a very happy coincidence.

Anyway, in September of 1987 I was wrestling with a life-changing decision: Whether or not I wanted to marry the girl I was dating. We had been good friends for quite some time...almost two full years. We had been dating since January. We had been dating very seriously since March. By the time summer ended I felt like some choices had to be made.

Especially since I was moving 600 miles to attend seminary and she still had a full year of university to finish up. It seemed that, using a colliqualism from the Deep South, I needed to "fish or cut bait." That means I needed to either get serious about marrying her or I needed to end the relationship...get serious about "fishing" for the afternoon or call it a day and "cut bait." But at some point a decision simply has to be made.

I'd been praying about it.

It all seemed so complicated. So many things to think about...to analyze...to make determinations about...the whole deal. It's the most important decision you'll ever make in your life, and if ever a decision involved making sure you analyzed all the factors, this seemed to be the one.

So very complicated.

And then I attended a seminary class on family ministry and one of the professors told a story of a couple who came to visit him and wanted to know if it was God's will for them to get married.

The professor asked the girl: Do you love Christ and want to grow in Him? Do you love this young man? Do you like this young man? She said "yes" to all three questions.

The professor asked the young man: Do you love Christ and want to grow in Him? Do you love this woman? Do you like this woman? He said "yes" to all three questions.

The professor then stood up and said, "Get married, for crying out loud! Don't overthink this because it's really simple. If you love Christ and love each other, after that, it's all personal choices made moment-by-moment anyway, so get married. Don't wait. Do it as soon as possible, too!"

It made my choice simpler, too.

And that's the way the section we're going to read in 1 Thessalonians is. After Paul writes to that church and tells them a great deal about Christian behavior and personal trials and ways they could grow in their faith, not to mention a diatribe on the ever-confusing end times, the author then closes with these simple sayings:

"Rejoice always;
pray without ceasing;
in everything give thanks;
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit;
do not despise prophetic utterances.
But examine everything carefully;
hold fast to that which is good;
abstain from every form of evil."

Isn't that simple enough? I mean, I can rejoice and give thanks. I can try not to quench the Spirit. I can examine everything carefully, I can pull for good, and even abstain from evil.

If we did only those things wouldn't our lives be more abundant?
And if we did those things on a societal scale, wouldn't our society be better, too?

Of course, it really isn't all that complicated, is it?

Or is it?

"Pray without ceasing?"

How do you do that? I mean, sometimes I can't pray for a minute without my mind wandering off in all sorts of directions, so I can't pray "without ceasing?" All the time, 24/7, praying? I'd get discouraged in my walk pretty quickly knowing full well that I couldn't attain to that standard.

But Paul is telling us to do it...so obviously, it can be done. And you'll find it healthy to know that Paul is telling us to pray as if we had a "persistent, hacking cough." That's what the Greek word is also used to describe. And we can relate to that, can't we? We've had that kind of thing in our lives...whenever we're just going along, living life, that it comes out of nowwhere and you just cough involuntarily. Nothing you can do about it...it just happens.

And that's what Paul is exhorting us to do: Pray when those things just pop into our brain. In other words, Paul is saying that prayer is an attitude we have when walking through life, and sometimes we verbalize it.

So part of your progressive sanctification (fancy words for "spiritual growth") involves praying as a response to your thoughts and mind. So, when you walk down the hall and you remember that friend's mom is in bad shape financially, say a little pryaer. When your friend tells you they're concerned about the upcoming tryouts pray for them. When you see your parents struggling to make ends meet. When your boss at work gets on to you, pray for him. When your pastor tells you he's had a rough week. When evil thoughts pop into your brain. Pray. When you know you should be focusing on the lecture the teacher's giving and you're thinking about the girl instead, pray for God to lead your thoughts back to the lecture.

And that's praying without ceasing. It can be done. It really is that simple

Today, as you go through your day, make a concerted effort to attempt to pray without ceasing...just having that attitude of eternal perspective on this temporary world, and then verbalizing those thoughts...you'll see how your perspective on your day changes as you come into harmony with what God wants for you. Maybe even take the time to write down your observations in a journal about any "successes" you have with this or difficulties you see in doing this...

Brent 3:11 AM

Comments:

"Persistant, hacking cough."

What a brilliant concept. I'm an incredibly visually oriented person, so everything I see sparks some sort of thought or memory. Today I've tried to pray for those things that come to mind...the test I have on Friday...my best friend in the army...and so on. I have not only been successful, but I feel better for it. When a not-so-pleasant thought comes into my head, when my "hard time" seems almost unbearable, I can pray for whatever the matter is and feel a lighter heart and peace.

That's all I got. Take care.

posted by  Anonymous : 1:13 PM

 

and what do you do when you want, so desperatly to be able to pray without ceasing...but when something goes wrong your first thought isnt prayer? And when someone is rude or pushy you think about being rude and pushy back verses praying for them? Thats when the "hacking cough" concept causes doubt and frustration. I guess the real question I'm trying to ask is how do you get yourself into the mindset of constant prayer?

posted by  Anonymous : 8:51 PM

 

Okay, i know that i should have the mindset of never ceasing prayer. However, as i've heard you say before, there is a difference between knowing and believing. What if i believe in God and his promises, and am saved and all of that good stuff, but i find myself not wanting to be never ceasing in prayer. Now don't get me wrong i still pray. But does it have to be something where i like step aside go into a corner bow my head and pray. Or is it just thinking to myself to God and having a relationship without having to step aside, and just do it then as i'm walking and just kind of think to myself "God be with so and so"???

posted by  Anonymous : 9:49 PM

 

sometimes i find that walking and praying (sometimes out loud) can be the best way for me to stay focused. whether its shopping at target, driving to school, wallking to class, etc. don't limit yourself to the "prayer closet". memorizing scripture and recalling them during the day can also be very refreshing.

posted by  victim of suburbia : 11:19 AM

 

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Sunday, February 13, 2005

In order to get ready for class tonight you'll want to read the following passages:

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-22 and notice the actions we should take as an individual as they relate to our spiritual walk. Especially look at verse 17 and think through what it means to pray without ceasing.

Look at Matthew 6:6 and Mark 6:46 and contrast that with 1 Thess. 5: 17. How are they different and what do you make of this?

Finally, take a look at two passages in Ephesians:

Chapter 1: 15-19a. Note what Paul prays for each believer. How should this affect our lives...including our prayer lives.

Also read chapter 3: 14--21 and compare and contrast what Paul prays for at this point. How should these affect our lives?

Take a little time to familiarize yourself with this, and I'll see you in class tonight!

Brent 4:00 AM

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Saturday, February 12, 2005

When I was younger I had a small addiction: Baseball cards.

It all started with a couple of boxes I found in my cousin Jody's attic...he didn't care about them and gave me about 5 shoeboxes full of "old" baseball cards. This was 1975.

So, I went through the cards and found most of my favorite players who played major league baseball from 1965 through 1973. They were all in "mint" condition, too. Rod Carew. Johnny Bench. Nolan Ryan. Pete Rose. Frank & Brooks Robinson. Jim Palmer. Hank Aaron. Willie McCovey. It was a glorious few years in baseball, I had some really great cards.

I looked them up in a price guide. There were some rare cards in that box. There were some rookie cards in that box. There were some complete sets of some rare years. I had racked up quite a find in my cousin's attic...to the tune of about $2,500 bucks worth.

I took magnificent care of those cards, covering the cards in specially designed sheets of plastic...and the more rare and valuable cards in special waterproof cases. There were special boxes in which you could put complete sets in numerical order. I kept them on the top shelf of my closet.

I made trades to upgrade the collection. I went to shows and purchased cards. It was an enjoyable hobby.

And the beauty of it was that new cards came out each baseball season that could be purchased for about 10 cents for a pack of 15 cards and you could try to get all the new cards.

Well, one Saturday morning I rode with my dad on a trip to a neighborhood hardware store (there used to be such things), and when I walked in I noticed that they had just opened a box of brand new 1977 Topps baseball cards for the upcoming baseball season.

I don't know if I've ever wanted anything more. While my dad was looking for some specific lawnmower part I was lusting after the 10 cent packs. For a buck I could get a good start on the season, too. I asked him for a dollar. He told me my hobbies were my responsibility and he'd lend me a buck if I had a dollar at home. I didn't. No loan, no dice, no cards today then. He went back to searching for his lawnmower part.

I was tempted big time.

And that Jiminy Cricket voice in my head was telling me not to take the cards.

The next thing I know, I'm putting packs of cards into my pocket. I really wanted those cards. I knew taking them without paying for them was wrong...and even had the Jiminy Cricket voice reminding me. But I really wanted those cards and was taking them...that's just how it was.

My dad found the part, and when we left the store. He immediately went outside to work on the mower, and I immediately went upstairs to get a start on the 1977 collection. Door locked, business to take care of.

My dad came upstairs to get me to do my part of the yardwork and knocked on the door. I'm sure he heard packages opening and I'm sure I was more than suspicious. I shoved them under the bed, and he came in and searched...found the stolen cards, and we went back up to the hardware store for a full confession and offer of restitution. Not in payment, but I had to work it off by sweeping and taking out some trash and stuff like that for a couple of hours.

But I remember vividly the nature of temptation...and can still feel it's draw. It might not be over baseball cards these days. It could be over what I choose to let my mind dwell on, or a desire for a certain kind of car, or better stuff/things, or to overeat, or to tell that story because it's funny instead of realizing it's gossip, or whatever.

Human nature is a powerful beast. No matter how hard that Jiminy Cricket voice tries to remind us what's right.

And that's why Jesus told us to pray that we wouldn't be "lead" into temptation. Isn't that a peculiar choice of words? Being "lead" into temptation? What we're admitting is that Jesus is our "guide" through life, leading us on the steps of our journey...and whenever we wind up in various trials and temptations, we have a chance that we'll fail. So, we're asking God to lead us on different paths, and to lean on Him to be our guide when we're tempted. Our human nature is just too hard to overcome on our own. We'll steal whatever "baseball cards" are...whatever that chink in our armor is, we'll fall if left to our own devices.

We're also to ask to be delivered from evil. Evil can pop up all around us when we're on our journey. When it does, we're to trust our Guide to provide deliverance from it. A way out. A way to avoid it.

So, in this section, we learn that we need a guide to keep us from ourselves as well as those external things that can lead us to sin.

The remainder of verse 13 is omitted from the earliest Greek manuscripts, so I don't really want to offer any "official" teaching comment on it...but there's certainly a reality that if God were to answer all the lines of the Lord's Prayer, that God's kingdom would be glorified...that He's our King, we are His subjects, He is powerful, and He should be glorified forever...and He will be. That's all over Scripture, even if the last part of 13 was added by scribes later...we don't need it to know those things.

Anyway, today, think through what the "chinks" in your "armor" are, and how many of them there are. How do you respond to them when they arise? What, based on what you learned today, are some practical steps to take when they pop up?

Brent 5:07 AM

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Friday, February 11, 2005

When I was younger in my faith, I knew I was supposed to ask God for forgiveness for my sins. I did, too.

But when I was in college, the guy that was discipling me in the faith asked me a question:

"When Christ died, how many of your sins were in the future?"

Seeing as how it was 1986, the answer was obvious to me: "All of 'em."

Then he asked me another very interesting question, "Then why ask God to forgive them, since when he died on the cross they were already forgiven?"

I really didn't have much of an answer. In fact, I didn't even try to fake it. "I dunno. Now that you mention it, it seems strange."

My friend Charles wasn't insinuating that I shouldn't ask God for forgiveness at all. I mean, he knew as well as I did that Christ mentioned it in The Lord's Prayer. He was simply wanting me to get to the core of the issue.

One that is highlighted in the life of King David. In fact, when we think of David we usually either think of his big military victory over Goliath...or we think of his affair with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband. And, we get a picture of why we need to ask for forgiveness from God in Psalm 51.

In fact, if you read the introduction to Psalm 51, it tells you why David wrote this Psalm: After Nathan had confronted him on the sins of murder and adultery.

Note what David asks for in verse 1: "Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; according to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions."

David had to appeal to God's grace. See, there was no sacrifice he could offer for murder and adultery. He couldn't walk to the Tabernacle and make a few sacrifices that would give him a temporary covering for his actions. In fact, the only penalty for his particular sins in this instance was death. He had nothing before the Lord in this instance.

He asks for grace because God is compassionate.

In verse 2, he asks for forgiveness: "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me."

David was aware of what his sins were. So was God.

David knew this, and he also knew that his salvation couldn't be lost. In verse 12 he doesn't ask for his salvation to be given back, he simply asks for the JOY of his salvation to be restored. In verse 14, David calls God the "God of my salvation."

So, let's see what we have. David is aware of his sin. So is God. David is saved and can't lose that salvation.

We're usually aware of our sins. I mean, we'd have to be in order to ask forgiveness for them, right? God is aware. We are saved and we can't lose that salvation. All our sins were in the future when Christ was on the cross, hence they've already been forgiven.

Again, why ask for forgiveness?

A clue is foun in verses 16--19 of Psalm 51: "For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; Thou art not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise. By Thy favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then Thou wilt delight in righteous sacrifices. In burnt offerings and whole burnt offering, then young bulls will be offered on Thine altar."

Did you catch that David realized it wasn't the sacrifices that were important. It was a contrite heart. A broken heart. The admission that God is God and I am not Him. That He alone is holy, and I'm not. And when I confess sin, I admit that understanding this is the cornerstone of our very...

...relationship.

That's what it's about. Relationship.

Forgiveness restores the relationship...which is what God really wants with us. He doesn't delight in us cowering in front of Him...but saying we're sorry allows us to experience the joy of our salvation, knowing that God is forgiving and gracious and compassionate. And eternal life is knowing Him, and experiencing that is in the restoration of relationship.

And, it's the same way in dealing with others. Not only are we to ask God to forgive us...we're supposed to model that same grace and compassion to others. Our realtionship with those that God loves is hindered if we're holding grudges against them.

So, it's about your relationship with God.

And, the obvious application today is to ask is there something between you and God that needs to be confessed in order to enhance the relationship? Is there something between you and someone else that is affecting relationships? If so, what steps are you going to take in order to restore the joy of your salvation?

Brent 3:45 AM

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Thursday, February 10, 2005

It never really dawned on me until I started looking for something specific. See, my daughter was turning 13 and I wanted to do something a bit special and I thought a nice surprise would be something I had been saving for 13 years:

The newspaper from the day she was born.

And I knew it was around the house SOMEWHERE. But where, exactly? The file folders that sit on the laundry room shelf? Nope. The waterproof file folders for the more important papers? Nope. Did I move it to the office file cabinet? Nope. On the bookshelves between some things in the garage? Nope.

During the hunt, my wife noted that this search highlighted how "cluttered" our house seemed with "stuff." Why did it seem so cluttered? "Because we haven't moved in almost 8 years. This is the longest time we've lived in one place," replied my wife.

And we do have lots of stuff.

There's an abundance of Christmas stuff in the attic...a lot of it we don't use. There's a bunch of stuff in the garage that rarely get used, including an ice cream maker and room humidifier. Not to mention a ton of books and summer beach toys. We have a lot of blankets and coats in one closet, and every one of us needs to donate some of our clothes to charity. Each child has a roomful of toys and stuffed animals and clothes and books. We have a studio with dance equipment and art supplies. We have a pantry full of food and snacks. We have lots of dishes and cookware. My wife and I have clothes. We have two cars.

We do have lots of stuff.

And I wonder sometimes that, as Americans, we can comprehend the humble prayer that Christ taught us, to simply give us this day our daily bread.

I mean, I've been to Juarez, Mexico and Chambellan, Haiti where that prayer might be a bit more honest. They do live meal to meal...at least in the areas I've been to. And when they pray that prayer that Christ taught them, they truly are asking for genuine necessities. You know, food. Clothing. Shelter.

In fact, a bit further in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about this. In Matthew 6: 25ff, it reads, "For this reason, I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?...For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

So, it seems to me that Jesus was telling us to put our trust in our Father for our basic needs. Paul intimated that he knew what it was like to have abundance, and he knew what it was to do without. And I've experienced times when there was financial gain left at the end of the month, and I've known what it's like to juggle the power bill and the water bill.

As we talk to God, we should always be thankful for the extreme abundance that God has given us this day...it's so much more than our "daily bread." But we are to remember that God is our provider and that our relationship with Him is never contingent on what we possess or what we don't have...

...but rather He is the provider of all our needs.

And asking Him for those reminds us of our dependence on Him. So, today, thank God for his abundant blessing...and remember that He provides all to us. The key is learning to depend on Him.

Brent 4:02 AM

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Wednesday, February 09, 2005

When trying to describe what that phrase might actually mean, the thing that jumps to my mind is that what we're really asking for is that we'd kinda like to switch places with what's going on in Heaven.

And many theologians and thinkers have tried to describe what that might be like. In my way of thinking no one has done it as well as A.W. Tozer in his book "The Knowledge of the Holy." In fact, in the very introduction, the author lets us in on one side of this phrase:

"True religion confronts earth with heaven and brings eternity to bear upon time...The message of this book does not grow out of these times but is appropriate to them. It is called forth by a condition which has existed in the Church for some years and is steadily growing worse. I refer to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular religious mind. The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshiping men. The she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge; and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic...

The low view of God entertaine almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us...

The only way to recoup our spiritual losses is to go back to the cause of them and make such corrections as the truth warrants. The decline of the knowledge of the holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way to curing them."

I'd suggest that there's something to this line of thinking.

That we'd like for God to rule earth in a similar fashion as He does heaven. And, every time we look in Scripture at what is going on in heaven, well...it's pretty majestic.

Take Revelation 4 for example:

"After these things I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, 'Come up here and I will show you what must take place after these things.' Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; adn there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. And around the throne were twenty four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. And from the throne proceed flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. Adn there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal..." (verses 1--6a)

And we're supposed to ask that things be done on earth like they are in heaven...

My suspicion is that we're asking for a view of God's Majesty. The mystery, the wonder. If we can think of God and think rightly about Him that will affect us profoundly.

So, today, ask yourself if you experience the majesty on earth like it is in heaven, and maybe if you're not, think through how you might...

Brent 4:01 AM

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Tuesday, February 08, 2005

An old writer's exercise is to write vignettes from childhood memories. It's supposed to get your creativity going and all that, but sometimes it can bring about some embarrassing things to your brain.

I made the mistake of thinking about stuff I used to pray for...it became a mistake becuase of how long I was able to extend that line of thought beyond childhood and into adulthood.

Sure, like everybody else who got saved when they were young, I remember praying to God like He was some sort of Santa Claus. You know, I prayed for bikes and tickets to games, and various things I wanted. That's not really what I'm talking about.

I'm talking about other stuff, that if answered, my life would've turned out VERY differently.

I prayed that my father would recover from his coma.
I prayed that God would change various answers on almost every test I ever took.
I prayed that I would get the baseball scholarship to a particular college.
I prayed that I would marry the high school sweetheart.
I prayed that I would get a particular job in the business sector.
I prayed that I could keep my job with Youth for Christ.
I prayed that I would get a fellowship with a Christian think-tank in Switzerland.
I prayed that both of my wife's pregnancies would result in twins or triplets.
I prayed that we would be able to purchase a particular house.
I prayed that I would get a particular church job in North Carolina.

Now, for the sake of avoiding huge embarrassment, all of those are examples that are at least 10 years old. And there's a common theme that runs through them if you read between the lines.

In each of those cases, I don't remember heeding Jesus' words in the Lord's Prayer to pray "not my will, God, but yours be done" in the answering of these prayers. What I remember very distinctly is asking God and hoping He'd give me the desires of my heart. For some reason, as Christians, we are real good at remembering that verse and real convenient at forgetting Christ's admonition in prayer.

It wasn't God's will that my father recover from his coma.
It wasn't God's will that I get incredible grades in high school which would've changed my educational options (actually, it's more God's will that my grades were an accurate reflection of what I truly learned, which was about a 75 or so no matter what).
It wasn't God's will for me to play baseball at that particular college.
It wasn't God's will that I would marry the high school sweetheart.
It wasn't God's will that I would got that bank job.
It wasn't God's will for me to stay with YFC.
It wasn't God's will for me to go to L'Abri in Switzerland.
It wasn't God's will for us to have twins or triplets or quints.
It wasn't God's will for us to move into that house.
It wasn't God's will that I work at that great church in North Carolina.

And in each one of those answers to prayer there was pain and disappointment in my mind...maybe not so much with my daughters being born, but I still really wanted twins. I wonder if it's because I didn't finish those prayers with something like, "God, I really want this, but more than that, I want Your will to be done in my life more than anything, so reveal your will to me so I can be content with that reality."

I was much more into how I thought God should answer the prayers for my life. Sometimes, I really believe I know what's best for me. The reality is that on the flip side of all those prayer requests, God's will has turned out to be better than I could've ever imagined.

Because of the death of my father, I've learned some personal lessons that have helped me minister to teenagers more effectively...not to mention that I learned some private things about dependence on God and what it's like to try to live my own life.
The lessons I learned in high school weren't repeated when I went to seminary, and learning to depend on God to learn about Him was paramount in that environment.
I'm a better parent and minister because of a proper perspective on athletic achievement.
I definitely married the right girl for me and my ministry.
Me, at a bank for a living? What was I thinking?
My spiritual gift isn't evangelism, and YFC's main goal is that very thing.
If I'd gone to Switzerland, I likely would've sacrificed my relationship with Tracy.
I was exhausted all the time with "single" births.
Our house is perfect for our ministry now, in location and "tone."
My church now is more my speed than that church in North Carolina.

In retrospect, it seems so clear that God knew better than I did in each of those really big decisions.

At the time, it seemed so clear that my solution to each situation was more beneficial than anything God could come up with.

And isn't that the issue?

That Jesus would tell us to pray that God's will would be done instead of our own? Really, wouldn't we be more secure knowing that we have an opinion, but that God's will would be done?

And I think if we were honest with ourselves, and looked back on all the stuff we pray for and how God answered it better than even our truly wildest dream...well...I suspect we'd all admit that we're no good at running our lives.

Finally, can you imagine how life would've been different if Jesus Himself had failed to pray that the Father's will be done right after He told the Father that He wanted the "cup taken from Him" in the Garden of Gethsemene?

See, admitting that we really want His will done for us sets us free, knowing that we have a Father that loves us, cares for us, and knows better for us than we do for ourselves.

So for today, think through what you've been asking God for and then praying for the will of God to be revealed to you in what you've been asking for...and see what difference that makes in your prayer life.

Brent 4:01 AM

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Monday, February 07, 2005

Last night, on The Simpsons, Homer pulled his car in front of the First Springfield Church. The church sign out front said, "First Springfield Church. Rapture alert level: ORANGE." Funny moment...and at least there was an eschatalogical reference.

And it seems that there's very little true understanding of Christ's Kingdom...that in dealing with the end times (that's "eschatology" for you looking for SAT words) you either get some silly joke or have a pop culture understanding of the end times (i.e., the "Left Behind" series of books). Good jokes or stories but not really taken as coming true.

But why would Jesus tell us to pray for God's Kingdom to be ushered in?

See, it's really a history review:

God created mankind.
Man sinned, by intent and omission.
A sinful man and a holy God can't have fellowship.
God provided a way to redeem man.
It involves a Messiah.
This Messiah will come to rule and reign and establish his Kingdom.
Mankind and God will live happily ever after in this Kingdom (which, by the way, will involve a new heaven and a new earth).

And, don't we all want to live with everything being set back as it was before the Fall of mankind? A perfect world, with God as King?

So, would it be wrong to pray for that to happen quickly?

Of course not, and here's why: Right now we are separated from our King, and to want Him to come back expresses a longing for a fulfillment of our relationship with Him.

Let me explain.

See, I've taken communion in church ever since my confirmation classes I took when I was a young boy. It was really neat in my old church, too. Dark setting, hard pews, silver chalices, real wine, a blessing from the priest, white linens...the whole deal.

Today, our large church has a lot of natural light in our auditorium, soft chairs, plastic cups, grape juice, distributed in brass trays...it's designed for a lot of people to take it in a short period of time. It's effective and still meaningful.

And we take communion together because of something that Jesus said and did in Matthew 26: 26--29, "And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He brotke it and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins; but I say to you I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom."

Think about that for a second.

We are to symbolize the unity we have as believers by repeating this ritual...and partake of it as a remembrance of the person and work of Christ. Sure, we get that.

But the idea that our King is waiting for them...

...waiting for us...

to be with Him in His Father's Kingdom...

That means that the Kingdom will come one day.
That means that we will celebrate with Christ in that Kingdom one day.
That means our relationship with Christ will be what it was created to be.

So you see, it's a prayer of hope.

And we should never be afraid to pray for that moment. The one where we'll be sitting with our King, at His table, sharing that moment with Him. The sooner the better, if you ask me.

The application today is to live our life as if we really believed that when we prayed that prayer that we truly expected it to come true.

Brent 4:59 AM

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Sunday, February 06, 2005

"Hallowed" according to the dictionary, means, "To make holy or to set apart for holy use."

On NFL films (you know, those slow-motion highlight reels of football games that have a guy with a very deep, serious voice?) they've referred to some of the older football stadiums that have storied history as "hallowed" grounds.

The same word has been used to describe locations where heroic events in our nation's history. Maybe it's a cemetary like in Noramandy. Maybe it's a civil war battlefield. Maybe it's a place like "Ground Zero" in New York City.

I've even heard the word used to describe the seminary I attended. That the "hallowed halls" of our school were worthy of reverence of some type.

I guess it's like the word "love." I mean, you can love your spouse and love spaghetti...but it's two entirely different things.

And I think that's the case with "hallowed." Sure, sports fans can look fondly on a stadium that holds a lot of special memories for them. Sure, people who've lost loved ones can experience a connection between their past and the right now by being at a place that has mutual meaning. Sure, seminary students can have an appreciation for the long history of their school.

But I think "hallowed" is a very strong word.

And I think we've messed up the idea of "Hallowed by Thy Name" in our culture, too. Don't believe me? How is the God of the Universe addressed in movies and on television and in books?

Jesus.
Christ.
God.

Can you think of any expletives that involve those words? Can you list five shows you've heard them used in an unflattering manner? I bet you could do it before you finished reading this sentence.

And I think we could learn a lot from our Hebrew heritage on this. They had a lot of different names for God...and here's a survey of some of them:

Elohim (God) means ``might or strong one"; it denotes the power and pre-eminence of God and is especially used in relationship to creation and strength. (Genesis 1: 1; Psalm 68: 1)

Adonai (Lord) means ``master, sovereign ruler or Lord" and generally denotes the authority and position of God. (Psalm 68: 32; Isaiah 6: 8-11)

Yahweh or Jehovah (Lord) means most likely the self-existent one (I am who I am or Iam the One who is) and denotes God's personal name and His eternality. It is often used in relationship to God as redeemer and covenant keeper. Yahweh is the most common name for God in the Old Testament. God's personal name was so sacred to most Jews that they feared to write or say it lest they misused it and usually substituted Adonai for Yahweh. Jehovah is an English word created from the other two to stand for God's personal name. (Genesis 2:4; Exodus 3:14; Psalm 68:14)

El Shaddai means ``God Almighty" and pictures God as the all powerful source of blessing and comfort. (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3; Psalm 68:14)

El Elyon means ``God most High" and pictures God's strength and sovereignty. (Genesis 14:18; Psalm 9:2)

El Roi means ``God who sees" and denotes God's personal care and presence (Genesis 16:13)

El Olam means ``Everlasting and Eternal God" and pictures God's eternality and infinite strength. (Genesis 21:33; Isaiah 40:28)

The following are the main Old Testament Yahweh/Jehovah compound names:

Yahweh Jireh means the ``Lord provides" and was used by Abraham when God provided a sacrificial lamb instead of Isaac. (Genesis 22:14)

Yahweh Sabbaoth means the ``Lord of hosts" (hosts is sometimes translated almighty or army) and pictures God as the commander of the heavenly armies. (Joshua 5:14; I Samuel 1:3; Psalm 24:10)

Yahweh Rophe (or Rapha) means the ``Lord who heals" and denotes the physical and spiritual healing power of God. (Exodus 15:26)

Yahweh Shalom means the ``Lord is peace" and denotes the lack of tension, conflict and strife in God. (Judges 6:24)

Yehweh Nissi means the ``Lord is my banner" and signifies that the battle is the Lord's. (Exodus 17:15)

Yahweh Tsidkenu means the ``Lord our righteousness" and signifies God as the only source of true righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:6)

Yahweh Maccaddeschcem means the ``Lord our sanctifier" (or the Lord who makes you holy) and signifies that God is the one who sets people apart and makes them holy. (Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 20:8)

Yahweh Raah (rohi) means the ``Lord our Shepherd" and denotes God's loving care, protection and provision for His people. (Psalm 23:1)

I read these and am drawn to the Hebrew nation and their understanding of God.

And I wonder if somehow, in our culture we've lost a bit of touch of reverence for the name of God. Almost as if we're entirely too familiar with it and use it too flippantly...because names don't mean as much in our culture as it did in theirs.

That's what this section of the Lord's Prayer is getting at...that when we use the name of the Lord, we do so with reverence, understanding who we are in our relationship with Him. That we worship him and acknowledge Who He Is. He is everything from the Lord God Almighty to our shepherd and everything in between.

And we can know Him...

...and He is worthy of our reverence.

So, today, think through a little bit of how we can "hallow" God's name a bit more, and what that reveals about how well we know Him...

Brent 4:49 AM

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Saturday, February 05, 2005

When we think of heaven, it mostly gets silly doesn't it?

Angels.
Clouds.
Harps.
Wings.
Blue sky.
Serenity.
Peaceful.

Basically, we see it as a bunch of angels, of which we've suddenly grown a pair of wings also, floating peacefully on clouds with a blue sky in the background playing harps which adds to the serenity.

And we couldn't be more wrong...although I can tell you where you get the idea of wings. Check out Isaiah 6 (from The Message):

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on the throne--high, exalted!--and the train of his robes filled the Temple. Angel-seraphs hovered above him, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two their feet, and with two they flew. And they called back and forth to one another,

Holy, Holy, Holy is the God of the Angel-Armies.
His bright glory fills the while earth.

The foundations trembled at the sound of the angel voices, and then the whole house filled with smoke. I said,

'Doom! It's Doomsday!
I'm as good as dead!
Every word I've ever spoken is tainted--blasphemous even!
And the people I live with talk the same way,
using words that corrupt and desecrate.
And here I've looked God in the face!
The King! God of the Angel-Armies!

Then one of the angel-seraphs flew to me. He held a live coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with the coal and said,

'Look. This coal has touched your lips.
Gone your guilt,
Your sins wiped out.'

And then I heard the voice of the Master:
'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?'

I spoke up: 'I'll go. Send me!'"

When we address "our Father" (see yesterday's entry), and follow it with "who art in heaven" this is a good example of what our understanding should be.

God is in heaven. As you can tell, heaven is nothing like earth. In heaven, there are angels that cannot even look at God. God is so perfect they can't bear to look at Him. They worship Him, and sing of His attributes. They sing so loud that the foundations tremble. Isaiah the prophet was so overwhelmed he assumed that doomsday was coming. God is perfectly holy. God's glory fills the earth.

And, currently, the earth is nothing like heaven. On the earth, people see the blue sky or the mountains or lakes or stars or whatever and don't think about God much. They go to work or school and focus on themselves. They worship themselves and ignore His attributes. The stay so quiet on the subject of God that relative stillness occurs...any noise is man-centered, like a rock concert or interstate highway. We don't see doomsday when we look around. At best, we see an agonizingly slow entropy.

God is on His throne. He is, quite literally, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The train of His kingly robe fills up the Temple (and, how big do you think the heavenly Temple might be?). He is all-powerful. He is completely and perfectly Holy. He has the authority to forgive sin and alleviate guilt. He has the authority to send His subjects to do His bidding.

We, are not ever on a throne, not even our own. I mean, we are subject to all kinds of authorities during our day, whether it be a boss, or a board of directors or a teacher or coach or the police or the city or a customer or parent or whatever. We associate with people that are subject themselves, and imperfect ones at that. We sin. We are guilty. We tend to live our own lives and do our own thing in a feeble attempt to rule ourselves, but we're only kidding ourselves.

So, when we pray to our father, who is in heaven, we are admitting that He is Holy and powerful and unlike us. We are admitting that He is our King and we are in subjection to Him.

This means that even though He is our Father (Dad), we are not God. We are approaching the Holy Father, all-powerful Creator of the entire universe (which we do kind of handle a bit non-chalantly sometimes, eh?), who exposes our iniquity just by us being near Him. He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and a bunch of other "omni" words...which only exposes us for who we are.

Which are subjects of the King. And, like the subjects of earthly Kings, we have the reality and the honor of serving Him. He lovingly rules us...allowing and inviting us to be a part of the work of the universe and His plan for it. He has the moral right and authority to forgive our sin that His very existence exposes and alleviate the true guilt that comes with it. This frees us up for a life of being a new creature (2 Cor. 5: 17) as well as giving us dual citizenship (whatever country you were born in + a citizen of heaven)...with the heavenly citizenship being primary.

And when we tell God we acknowledge these realities, we are setting up for communion with Him and true worship, which we'll see a bit more of tomorrow.

But for today, how does the reality that God is powerful and Holy affect your understanding of Him? Compare and contrast that with yesterday's view that God is "daddy." How does the understanding that He is King affect you right now? Compare and contrast it with how you would act if the president of the United States was near you and appointed you to something special. How does that affect your view of God and your relationship with Him?

Brent 4:44 AM

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Friday, February 04, 2005

It was the first Scripture I ever memorized.

In the liturgy of my first church, our entire congregation repeated it together each and every Sunday.

Various sports teams I was on huddled up before games and said it together.

When I was chaplain of a football team, the coach asked me to pray it specifically to help with "team unity."

It's commonly referred to as The Lord's Prayer.

And I find it ironic that within the context of avoiding public prayer and meaningless repitition that it has become the most public of Christian prayers and said so often that we've often forgotten the meaning within the words.

But before we spend the next 9 or so days looking at the meanings of each line, I want to review the context.

Remember the entire Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' manifesto...his political plan. At least that's what was common among 1st century Messianic wannabes, of which there were plenty who went up on that mountain to stir up political support for their movement. Generally, this was some sort of plan to remove Israel from underneath the Roman occupation...and plenty of those wound up crucified and having the movement squelched.

Well, Jesus' manifesto was upside-down.

In chapter 5 of Matthew 6, He announced to Israel that this revolution would be within the hearts and minds of the hearers, not in military might. The Kingdom will be ushered in on the backs of all the "wrong people," those who are humble, gentle and weepers and mourners. And, oh by the way, Israel, you're supposed to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth and you're failing miserably. Largely, this was due to the fact that your religion has become more focused on an outward show rather than an authentic walk with God.

In fact, by the time we get to Matthew 6, Jesus begins to show them some practical realities about what the spiritual life looks like...and we've already seen in the past week that prayer is supposed to be a private matter between you and God rather than a show for the public, that you should go into a private place rather than the public square, and talk to your Father, who knows you and loves you and knows what you need before you even ask. He's a good Father, taking care of us.

Then, Jesus begins to tell us about the content of our prayers, which starts with the words "Our Father..."

Notice first that the pronoun is plural. Our. It's a collective word that reminds us that we are not alone. The spiritual life was always meant to be lived in community where iron can sharpen iron...where believers could get together and encourage one another. Share with one another the good times in life as well as the storms of life.

Another reality is that we are quite literally, a family. Everyone included in "our" has the same Father. We have brothers and sisters in Christ. Our relationship should have that reality of purity and honesty and transparency that close-knit families have. That long history of life lived together.

And then the word "Father" itself.

You have to remember the context of 1st century Jewish life. It was a life lived in which the people generally didn't approach God directly. A priest did that for them, and you could go to the Temple and commune, albeit indirectly, with Him. God had names that described His character, but to refer to God as "Father" actually was even akin to the familiarity we might have with our earthly fathers: "Dad" or "Daddy."

This was a new way of approaching God. That God isn't this far-off, fear inducing patriarch who we approach like the movie character Arthur approached his own father. In that scenario, the millionaire playboy Arthur's father wanted to arrange a marriage with a business partner's daughter so they could have a merger. Arthur had to schedule a meeting at his father's office, even being required to wait in the waiting room until his father finished his other appointments.

None of that for the Kingdom approach. No, God is more like Hobson, Arthur's butler. Hobson was approachable and loving (even if that required truth telling), and Arthur developed a relationship with Him over the years. Arthur could talk to him...tell him his hopes and dream and fears and ask for advice. In return Hobson looked out for him, guiding him. Arthur felt his love continually and later in the movie returned the favor.

So, can you imagine what this would do to your view of God in the first century? God isn't this high-powered unapproachable entity anymore, but rather a Dad in which you could crawl up in His lap and simply enjoy the reality of the new relationship.

Initially, the content of our prayer is to focus on God, who loves us like a good father loves his children and has their best interests at heart.

So, we're all family, part of God's historical plan for the universe...and He is our father with our best interest at heart.

For today, think it through as to your view of God. How does viewing Him as a good Father affect your talking to Him? What would that sound like? What would change? Stay the same? How does viewing others as true brothers and sisters living life together affect your view of Christian interpersonal relationships? How would it affect praying with others? What are the dangers? What are the joys?

Tomorrow: Who Art In Heaven.

Brent 5:32 AM

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