Peripatetics: The Art of Walking

Monday, April 18, 2005

I was in a fraternity in college. I was walking with Christ. I stuck out like a sore thumb.

There were days when I got tired of being the designated driver. My friends looked like they were having so much...

...well...

...FUN.

There were days when it seemed like going to the party for the express purpose of doing all those things my friends did at parties was so much more...

...well...

...FUN...

...than honoring God with my behavior.

But, for whatever reason (which, in retrospect, I have come to see as God's grace in my life), I KNEW better. I simply had a clear line in my mind of what "right" was and what "wrong" was in God's eyes. Chalk it up to a couple of years in a good Bible teaching church, or loving people who took the time to disciple me, or my circle of friends in Bible study who sharpened me, but I remember having thoughts that were distinctly dishonoring to God.

And, I'd pray and ask God for strength, and then something would happen that would remind me about the 4th element of walking by the Spirit, which is OBEDIENCE to Him.

One of those times I was sitting in my room praying during one of the Thursday night socials we were having with a sorority, having a bit of a pity party that my friends were having so much "FUN." Telling God that I would be obedient but I didn't like being obedient and I didn't really enjoy being a Christian all that much and asking why Christians had to be so boring and asking Him how come I wasn't having any "FUN." The pity party prayer was really about me.

Then my friend Tim entered the room and closed the door behind him. This never happened.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure, Tim. What's up?"

"Well, it's about Lauren. She's LATE." Tim stared at the floor. "I'm not sure what I'm gonna do if she's pregnant. I mean, she's not really the kind of girl I'd want to marry or anything like that. She's fun and smart and all, but I'd never thought of her as a wife. On the other hand, I always thought that if I had a kid, it'd be in a 'family' kind of deal...me and my wife and kids and I'd be a good dad and everybody would be happy. If she's pregnant, everything's gonna change. I'm only a junior in college and I gotta finish up my classes and graduate...but if she's pregnant she'll have the kid in the middle of my senior year. I'd have to get out of the fraternity. My parents are gonna be all kinds of mad and disappointed. Man, I'd really thought my senior year was really gonna be FUN, too." Then he trailed off.

I gave him some sort of lame advice about waiting to find out all the facts.

I faked some biological knowledge about girls and how LATE doesn't always mean PREGNANT.

I told him to hang in there, and not let his mind run away with itself and gave some stupid analogy about playing poker and only playing the cards in your hand, not what might be in the deck.

Tim thanked me for listening and even thanked me for the lame advice by telling me that's why he came to talk to me because he knew I'd put it in perspective for him.

Then, as he was leaving my room he turned and said, "You know something? You're really lucky. You stick to your religion and you don't have to worry about stuff like this. I wish I could stick to my religion...it'd keep me out of crap like this."

I literally teared up when he left, thanking God for being so patient with me. Here I was telling God I wanted to be more like Tim, and Tim was going through one of the most difficult few days in his life because he was being like...

...well...

...Tim.

But it's true. One of the elements of walking by the Spirit is OBEDIENCE. And a nice example of this is found in James 1: 22--25:

"But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in the mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in one he does."

The Greek word for "prove" above actually means to "test and approve." The idea is that, through experience you can verify the reality. We're to prove that we're a "doer" of the word and not merely a "hearer."

I've found it difficult, in my area, to find someone who doesn't know what the Bible has to say in most of the areas of behavior. I mean, I don't know teenagers who come into their home and say things like, "Mom, I discovered the coolest thing last night. There's this drug called cocaine..." or "Mom, I had sex last night and it was awesome!" or "Mom, I lied to you and the benefits far outweighed the punishment." I just happen to live in the Bible Belt and morality is pretty well uniform. And that standard is much more Biblically influenced than legally influenced.

In short, we have a lot of hearers of the word.

It's the "doing" that our community tends to have problems with. It's the doing Christians have difficulty with.

But there are benefits in the real world, too. Just like there are benefits to waking up and looking in the mirror. You wake up and check yourself out in the mirror. You make a certain decision to fix a few things. Brush some hair here. Wash the face there. Think about what your friends would say if you rolled out of bed, looked in the mirror, said, "Yep. Good to go from here." And you just went through your day in your pajamas and all that. If you forgot what you looked like there would be definite repurcussions...everything from jokes to maybe serious conversations about you needing to see a counselor.

But if you roll out of bed, look in the mirror and make changes, there are benefits. You don't have your friends worrying about your mental capacity/sanity. You make positive first impressions with other people. You don't have to worry about any of the negative connotations of poor hygiene.

It's the same way with doing the Word and not just hearing it. If you obey the Word, then you realize that there are benefits. If you don't gossip, you don't lose friends. If you don't have sex, you don't have to worry about your girlfriend being late. If you tell the truth, you get a good reputation. If you don't drink, you don't get a hangover and don't embarrass yourself. I could go on and on, but you get my point.

It's cyclical. The more you obey the Word, the more you see the "benefits" of obedience, the more strength it gives you to obey the word more, which gives you more "benefits." Ultimately, you'll "prove" to yourself (and others) the value of obedience.

So, for today, can you tell us of a time when you obeyed and it "proved" to be the best thing for you and how it encouraged you the next time you had to deal with being obedient?

Brent 6:48 AM

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Sunday, April 17, 2005

We'll continue our study on the elements of walking by the Spirit next week as this week in class we'll be focusing more on the big picture of those things & having an extended time of questions and answers.

Part of the class time will be a deeper look into one of the "elements" lessons from Colossians. So you'll want to look over Colossians 2:16 through 3:17.

What are the three types of traps you can fall into from 16--18, 18--19 and 20--23? What is the basis for our walk of faith according to 3: 1--4? What does this "look" like in 5--11 and 12--17? How do you "consider members dead" as well as "lay aside" certain encumbrances? "How" do you "put on," "bear with," and "forgive?"

Oh yeah, and come to class with lots of specific "how-to" questions about your own walk with Christ otherwise the class will have an inordinate amount of awkward silences!

Brent 4:50 AM

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Saturday, April 16, 2005

As a kid, I had an affinity for baseball. In my hometown, there was a storied minor-league team that played in an historic stadium. Willie Mays, one of the greatest players of all time, was raised in a suburb of my town. Cable came along and gave me a steady dose of the major leagues, showing me every game from the Cubs and the Braves.

This naturally led to an affinity for baseball cards. You know, the little rectangles with pictures of professional players on them? Like everybody else, I started out trying to get the ones of my favorite players...which is like a drug addiction, because then you try to get all the cards in each year's "complete set." Don't even get me started on the "updated" set that came out in September with the new rookies and traded players in their new uniforms.

Anyway, in March or April, the new cards would come out and I'd start saving dimes because I wanted to get new packs and such. Well, one Saturday morning, my dad had to run to a local hardware store to get a part for the lawnmower so I went along for the ride. When we got in there, for some strange reason, the hardware store carried baseball cards and they had the first box I'd seen that early spring.

And I didn't have any money.

My dad and the sales clerk had headed to the back of the store to find the part, and I really wanted the cards. My brain said, "Just take a pack or two. No one will ever even know."

I was saved at a young age and I've always had a real sense of right and wrong, and it's possible that it was the Holy Spirit telling me my next thought, "Don't take them. That's stealing. It's wrong."

We've all had those moments where it felt as if there was an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, each vying for our undivided attention. Most everyone, I think, has that "Jiminy Cricket" to our Pinnochio.

But then we have to make a choice...which is where Romans 6: 11--13 comes into play.

"Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."

So, how do we make that choice to honor God?

The first thing is that we have to THINK. We "consider ourselves" dead to sin. It also has a positive side, too, that we consider ourselves alive to God in Christ Jesus. The idea here is pretty simple: Before we were saved, the "devil" on our shoulder seemed like a pretty good idea. It was "alive" to us. It seems like the best "life" would be making that particular choice. So, we're to remember that Christ came to give us an abundant life. The best life. We're to think that the "sin" is the lie, and make that "consideration."

The second thing we should do is realize that obeying our lusts is presenting yourself for unrighteousness. Our "mortal" lusts usually have to do with our senses. Those things that appeal to us are usually selfish...and we're not loving towards God or others. We can't control the thoughts that pop into our brain, which usually are our "mortal lusts" but we can control HOW we think about them, and realize they're unrighteous is a good second step.

Finally, there's a positive as well...that we make a choice to yield ourselves to God as an "instrument of righteousness."

That choice could be a pack of baseball cards.
That choice could be to keep your eyes on your own paper during a test.
That choice could be to take a drink at a party.
That choice could be to have sex with someone who isn't your wife or husband.
That choice could be to hit the website you know you shouldn't.
That choice could be to do what your parents asked of you.
That choice could be to drive faster than the law calls for.

Sin is fun. It appeals to us. It appeals to our lusts, whatever those might be.

But it's a lie.

And we have to make the choice moment-by-moment every day to yield to God or to please ourselves.

So, when you think about it, the ability to choose is another element of walking by the Spirit. For today, tell us about a time when you had a choice to make with the "devil/angel" on your shoulder and what you learned?

Brent 6:03 AM

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Friday, April 15, 2005

Let's just say that my academic career hasn't been all that distinguished, shall we?

When I was in high school, well, what was most important to me was hitting the ball and chasing the skirts. Now that I think about it, the "hitting the ball" and "chasing the skirts" careers weren't all the distinguished, either.

But I kicked around in all sorts of activities that had little to do with cerebral pursuits in high school:

I was into heavy-metal music which morphed into a punk-rock phase (which, if truth be known, that phase is still more-or-less going on).

When we got cable television, I began to watch hours of re-runs of the Three Stooges, Gilligan's Island, and a new channel called MTV (which, at the time showed about 7 music videos over and over and over). Don't even get me started on the hours of pro-wrestling I watched.

I liked to read, but mostly biographies. The classics bored me.

I liked video games (not the ones on TV, but the stand-up machines at the arcades) and hanging out with my friends.

My friends and I actually had a wiffle-ball league in my backyard. You know wiffle-ball, right? The game four-year-olds play with a plastic bat and baseball. That's right. When I was 15 or 16, me and my friends actually spent hours in my backyard playing wiffle ball and had standings and playoffs and everything. We also had spent the winters in my house playing a table-top hockey game similar to foosball and had a league and playoffs and actually played for a 5-inch tall replica of the Stanley Cup.

"Higher things" and "Brent" would NOT have been something you would've put in the same sentence if you'd known me in high school.

As I got older, and into college, I started meeting friends from all over the country who each had some things they were into (don't get me wrong, it wasn't Algonquinian by any stretch of the imagination) that were of more of a higher order.

For example, instead of hitting the ball, the focus changed to playing the game for fun.

Instead of chasing girls who only looked good, we started chasing girls we might want to take home to Mom.

The heavy-metal music sorta died out and was replaced by a very brief classical music phase (which I've never embraced) as well as the brilliant & soulful Mississippi Delta Blues which expresses emotions like no other.

Cable television evolved into watching news and forming opinions on world events and local politics.

I discovered the classics section at the local bookstore and started reading all those books so much that I decided to major in English for a time (I did minor in it).

I started playing chess seriously instead of Donkey Kong.

Now don't get me wrong. There's still some overlap...which is why I refer to myself as a "pseudointellectual." I mean, my wife laughed at me once when I finished reading Doestoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" and put Dumb & Dumber into the DVD player.

But the point is that, as we grow as people, you begin to search for deeper experiences. More meaningful experiences. A more geniuine experience of life.

And Paul points that out in Colossians 3: 1--4:

"If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."

And that's the 2nd element of walking by the spirit: Remembering the work Christ did for us and who He is. (see yesterday's entry for the 1st element, which is knowing Christ).

The word "if" in verse 1 is actually a first class conditional in the Greek, which means that the answer is assumed. A better rendering in English would be "since." So, "since" we have been raised up with Christ, we should "keep seeking" the higher things. The eternal things, where Christ is.

In other words, since Christ died for us and desires to live through us, we should strive to know and experience the life He want us to live. Not so much the house in the burbs, two kids and a minivan lifestyle (although those things could very much be a part of the higher life that Christ wants some people to experience) but rather to seek out who we are in Christ and how that fleshes out in our life.

We should "set our minds on things above." Think about how our lives are different because there will be certain realities if we do that...you know, the reality that Christ could possibly come back for His Church any second now. That there will be a time that we'll be walking with Christ in His Kingdom and enjoying dinner at His table. That the Holy Spirit indwells us and we can have explosive power to live the abundant life Christ promised in John 10:10 in the here and now.

And this is all possible because, like in verses 3 & 4, Christ did something for us in the past, is working in us now, and will finish that work in the future.

So, remembering the big picture of our lives...focusing on the universe and our place in it...the higher things...should be part of our walking by the Spirit. For today, "how" do you do that in a 2005 setting? Fill us in, and comment away!

Brent 6:48 AM

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Wednesday, April 13, 2005

When I had my first office at Crossroads, I wanted to communicate to parents that I was competent as a pastor...not just a "youth pastor." I really wanted to be viewed as a "pastor" who happened to specialize in teenagers rather than a "youth pastor." And, I felt like it might help people who came to my office feel at ease if I had my qualifications framed so they could be seen.

There's my framed undergraduate degree from Auburn University.
There's my framed certificate from Youth For Christ completing their year of training, which is very meaningful to me due to their storied history of influential staff.
There's my framed degree from seminary, complete with the "honors" sticker.
There's my framed certificate from my ordination.

In fact, when we moved into our new building and I put them up in my new office, I started thinking about my "pedigree":

I was discipled by an excellent youth pastor who I gleaned a lot of the way I work simply from imitating him.
I had a well-rounded high school experience that helps me relate to my current students, not matter what their interests.
I went to a good Bible-teaching church that really helped me out spiritually at an important juncture in my life.
When I was at college, I was challenged by another guy who chose to disciple me.
I was involved in an excellent small group of guys who sharpened each other for three years.
I was trained at Youth for Christ, who gave me all sorts of chances to grow personally, professionally & spiritually.
I got training at one of, in my opinion, the best seminaries in the world.
I got ordained at one of, in my opinion, best Bible-teaching churches on the planet.

My time of reflection was cut short when one of my colleagues asked me if I was enjoying staring at my "I LOVE ME" wall...I still think of that and laugh.

I laugh because I really don't take myself that seriously...because I know what Paul said about those types of things.

And here's why he said them:

The apostle Paul had all the "right" qualifications to walk with Christ as a member of the nation of Israel, and detailed them in Philippians 3: 4--8.

He even said he had a reason to have confidence in the flesh, and then supports his point. He was circumcised on the 8th day. He was a member of the nation of Israel. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was an example of what a Pharisee should be, trained in the best seminary they had. There were none more zealous. He even said he was blameless before the Law.

He had it all. He had a serious "I LOVE ME" wall.

And then he says this:

"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them rubbish in order that I may gain Christ."

All his pedigree.
All his life he'd worked for success, and he'd achieved it beyond what most people dream about.
He was practically at the top of his field in a very impressive field.

And, in his brain. It's a loss.

Rubbish.

He gave it all up for Christ.

More than that, nothing mattered compared to one thing:

KNOWING JESUS CHRIST.

And he'd do it all again in order to gain Christ.

Christ was his everything.

So, for today, think about everything you've worked for thus far, and everything you're working for for tomorrow. How would your life change if you adopted the same approach Paul did: That, compared to your relationship with Christ, it's all rubbish?

It's easy to say, but the first element of walking by the Spirit is KNOWING CHRIST above everything else...is this true of us? Why or why not?

Brent 10:32 PM

Comments:

I'm glad I don't stare at my "I love me" wall every day. Thanks for the new update Brent!

posted by  Anonymous : 5:35 AM

 

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Perspective.

I grew up in the suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama. It is a medium-sized city in the center of the state. I had a family that loved me...and that included an extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole bit. Summer vacations at the Florida panhandle of the Gulf Coast. Holiday weekends at the cabin on the river. An occasional trip to Atlanta to go to Six Flags Over Georgia or a major-league sporting event. Very few people moved in. Very few people moved out. When I got married, our first home was 10 minutes from my in-laws, and 30 minutes from my mom. My first job was ministering to suburban teenagers in Birmingham, Alabama.

It was a lot of the same-old, same-old. For 28 years, that was my perspective.

Then I moved to Dallas, Texas to go to seminary...where I met people from all over the world. Literally, there was a guy there who had to leave his village on a bicycle and ride 40 miles to the airport. I met Hebrew scholars. I met people who had never actually seen a microwave.

Then I came to serve a very missions-minded church. I've seen barrios in Juarez, Mexico (9 times, too). I've taken teenagers to Native American reservations to spend a week. I've seen abysmal poverty in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, as well as the scenic countryside of that nation. I've seen suburban teenagers in Alkmaar, Holland.

I've had the chance to travel since I left Alabama, too. I've visited New York City twice. I've done Disney World for a week with the fam. I've been to San Francisco. I've been to some part of the Rocky Mountains almost every summer. I've been to San Antonio.

I tell you that, not to brag, but to tell you how much my perspective has changed. For nearly three quarters of my life, I only had one perspective. Now it's much broader.

But the biggest thing that has happened in the last 10 years has been how much my spiritual life has changed. And it's happened in large part because of these verses. They're very special to me.

See, I learned that worship is offering myself...not singing. In the Old Testament, which Paul would've been familiar with, someone who worshipped brought an offering to the Temple and had it killed. Paul showed us that Christ wants us to do the exact opposite: Don't die, but rather LIVE for Him. Every single thing we do can be worship, provided it's done as an offering to the Lord.

I learned that the world really is trying to "conform" me...press me into their mold. I learned that transforming really is an inside-out happening.

But what I learned that really affected me comes from Lawrence Richards:

"Paul tells us how (to transform): by the 'renewing of our minds.' 'Mind' here is nous, not so much the organ of intellect as the organ of perception. What is to be transformed is the way we look at life: the values, the thoughts, the motives, the viewpoint from which we evaluate choices. Simply put, we ned to see everything from God's point of view."

And, that, frankly, is the essence of the spiritual life.

And, it's why I can see what the world might say are average, ordinary teenagers, and genuinely see young people that Christ died for, who He loves so much that the very hairs on their head are numbered, who are gifted and talented for the express purpose of helping the body of Christ mature...who are not part of the church of the future but they are the church of right now.

It's why I can care about homeless people in Juarez.
It's why I can enjoy church with my church family in Haiti.
It's how I view a vacation or some comp tickets to the ball game.
It's how I see my wife and kids.
It's how I drive my car.
It's how I study for teaching my senior guys.

I could go on and on.

You get the point.

It's seeing everything in the world from God's perspective.

And, I'll put some more meat on those bones tomorrow.

But, for today, how would you "rate" your ability to see everything from God's perspective? What practical steps can you take to begin to see the world as God sees the world?

Brent 4:04 AM

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Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Hacky sack.

The first time I ever saw the leather "footbags" was when some guys on our high school soccer team (that had several foreign-exchange students) had them to help them prove their footwork for their sport. They'd goof around with them whenever they had a free moment or two.

For some reason, the craze took off at our high school my senior year. We had a courtyard where seniors could go if they had a study-hall or free period or whatever, and when the weather was nice, you'd see lots of people standing around in a circle, trying to keep the footbag from hitting the ground before everyone touched it once...or you'd see a couple of guys showing off all sorts of tricks and impressive moves.

We all got one. We'd run over them with our cars to get them to loosen up faster. We'd oil them up every now and then to keep the leather from cracking. We carried them with us everywhere we went. In fact, some of the deepest conversations me and my friends would have were after the group had "hacked in" in a parking lot somewhere and we could talk without focusing on the talking. Guys are like that. Anyway, the last memorable footbag session I had was a couple of nights before my group of friends headed off for our respective colleges.

A couple of weeks later, I had pledged a fraternity. After our session of cleaning up the house and all that, I busted out my hacky sack and started kicking it around, half expecting a few guys to "hack in" and we'd hang out for a little bit. A couple of my pledge (freshmen) friends did and they were actually pretty good.

The next thing I know I hear this scream of horror from one of the "brothers" in the fraternity who grabbed my footbag and literally threw it as far as he could onto the roof. He said something about how only "stoners" or "California pretty boys" or "(insert a derogatory term for homosexuals you might have heard somewhere here)" played this stupid game. In fact, he went on for a minute or so about how we were never supposed to be seen with one ever again. Apparently, the guys of Sigma Pi weren't into that game.

A few weeks later, me and the same friends who were "hacked in" that day were walking to class and passed some other guys who were playing hacky sack in their yard and laughing and having a good time.

"Stoners," I said.
"California pretty boys," said my friend.
"(Derogatory term for homosexuals)," said another.

We laughed at them and their stupid game, too.

How did something that I really thought was fun and a great way to spend time when you're hanging out with friends change from that to my ability to associate it with the drug culture or surfers or homosexuals?

Simple, really. I allowed the thoughts of others to influence the way I thought. And I didn't want those others to dislike me or give me a negative label or anything like that...so I adopted the "party line" and even became an "anti footbagger."

It's a small example.

But it happens to us in the spiritual life, too. Notice in Romans 12: 1 & 2, from The Message:

"So, here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him.

Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside-out. Readily recognize what He wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings out the best in you, developing well-formed maturity in you."

Remember yesterday how pointed out that, in the Greek, verse 1 is written in the "aorist" tense...which implies a one-time, decisive action? Well, verse 2 is written in the "present" tense...which implies a continuing action. So, it isn't too much of a stretch to say that verse 2 offers insight into how to continue to apply the one-time decision you make (made?) in verse 1.

So, the key to presenting yourself to God as an offering?

It's being transformed from the inside out, by the things you think about. You have to think like God thinks because the world spends most of it's time trying to get you to "conform."

In the NASB, verse 2 begins, "And do not be conformed to this world..." The word conformed connotates something being pressed into its mold. And the world lies to us continually: You should look like the girls on the magazine covers, or you should smell like the body spray that will get a bunch of girls on elevators to kiss you (well, more than that, actually), or get a certain car because you deserve it or you should act certain ways to gain popularity...

...you get the point, right?

These same events we should begin to transform (or change) by "renewing our minds." We should take those same lies and run them through a "God-shaped filter." So, instead of saying that you're going to college so you can get a good job and live a comfy life, maybe you begin to thank God for the opportunity to get an education and that you'd use the time to figure out the make-up of the universe and discover your place within that universe (that's why they were originally called UNIVERSITIES). Or maybe you should realize that smelling good and good hygiene might be good things, but that buying a spray that will get girls to enact sinful acts upon you might be a lousy motivation as well as indulging sin...or whatever.

The idea of offering yourself to God involves the continual, almost moment-by-moment present-tense thinking like God thinks...not as the world thinks. This will help you to maintain that once-for-all commitment of verse 1.

So, for today, let's play "SPOT THE THINKING ERROR" as we go about our day: What lies did you see perpetrated? Go ahead, list them out in the "comments" section...and while you're at it...what would do you think God's response to that lie would be?

Brent 4:29 AM

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Monday, April 11, 2005

I remember my wedding day as if it were yesterday.

I had a good night's sleep the night before.
I watched Looney Toons and had a bowl of Lucky Charms.
My best man picked me up and we went to the church.
We had pictures made and laughed a lot with my groomsmen.

And I wasn't nervous about what I was about to do.

Sure, I was a little nervous about what my groomsmen had up their sleeves for a practical joke (which never occurred as they surprisingly played it straight), but I wasn't nervous about what was actually taking place that day.

Yes. I was younger.
No. I didn't fully understand what I was doing (but, really, no one does).
But to the degree that I got the point of the day...

...that I was giving my life to another person...
...for better or worse and all the other vows we exchanged...
...until death do us part...
...and making a life-long covenant before God Himself...

I wasn't nervous about it at all.

In fact, I was actually excited about it. I was marrying my best friend. She was (and is) the coolest girl I ever met and I couldn't fathom (and still can't) why she wanted to do enter into a covenant with me, of all people. At that time in my life it seemed...
...so natural.

So normal.

So logical.

And it's funny (not funny "ha ha" but funny "peculiar") that I had the exact opposite reaction with Christ in reading Romans 12: 1--2.

"I urge you therefore, bretheren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Thus far in our semester study on "sanctification" (spiritual growth)--which has been broken up a bit by our spring semester's schedule--we've looked at how prayer is vital to our growth as well as how study of the Word is imperative as well (see the archives of this blog for more detail on these studies). Today, we'll begin two weeks on allowing the Holy Spirit to live through us, which is actually the reality of growing in Him. And Romans 12 gives us the first step in this process.

The first word is "I." This is the apostle Paul writing.

The next word is "urge." The Greek word used here lets us know that this isn't a harsh command one might expect from a military officer to a subordinate, but rather it's a loving command. Author J.P. McBeth calls the Greek word parakaleo "one of the tenderest expressions in all the Bible." So, Paul is giving us a loving command to do something.

"Therefore" is a word that connects what is to follow with what came before. I'm of the opinion that it denotes a shift in thought in the text. See, Romans can be broken down very simply: Chapters 1--3 talk about man's need for righteousness; Chapters 4--11 discuss how we obtain righteousness; and the rest of the letter discusses the practice of life once we obtain righteousness.

So, Paul is lovingly telling us ("you" & "bretheren"), that based on "the mercies of God"--everything he brought up in chapters 4--11, that we are to...

..."present our bodies"...the Israelites viewed the body as representative of the entire person. So the phrase tells us we are to give everything we are as...

...a "living & holy" sacrifice. The idea here is again flavored with Jewish imagery. Just like the priests would spend a great deal of time in preparation to present themselves without blemish so they could fulfill their role and serve God, we need to separate our lives from sin TO God. This kind of sacrifice was acceptable to God to make them fit for service.

And this service is considered as "worship." Sadly, in our culture, we've actually reduced worship to the singing of a few songs or tossing a few bucks in the offering plate...and don't get me wrong...both of those are good things and parts of worship, but presenting our lives to God is actually the preceeding step before the other types of worship can take place.

Now, we'll be spending three days on this text so I don't want to blow it all out right now, but one last thing you need to know about verse 1 is that it is written in the Greek "aorist" tense. This means that it is a "decisive act"...or a choice.

So, summing up verse 1: Paul is lovingly asking us to make a decisive, thoughtful and deliberate choice to give all of ourself to Him. This is worship.

For today, what thought come to your mind if you were truly going to give everything you areto Him? Is this scary? Comforting? Intimidating? What comes to your mind? Also, if you did this, what does this do to your view of "worship?"

Brent 6:47 AM

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Sunday, April 10, 2005

In order to get ready for class tonight, you'll want to re-read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, chapters 5--7) to remember the focus of this semester's study: Sanctification. We're doing our best to make the study really practical, and so far we've talked about studying the Word on your own and prayer.

Tonight, we'll be talking about specifics on living by the Spirit.

Some verses you'll want to look over are:

Romans 12: 1 & 2.
John 15: 4 & 5.
Colossians 1: 29.
Philippians 3: 7--8
Colossians 3: 1--4.
Romans 6: 11--13.
James 1: 22--25.
John 15 (all of it).
Galatians 5: 22ff.

We'll have a busy Bible, but I think we can cover all this about the how-to's of how to live by the Spirit.

Brent 3:55 AM

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Saturday, April 09, 2005

This will be the final quote for a while. If you haven't been reading consistently, since we had woship and communion last Sunday and not a "formal" time of teaching, we're putting quotes on the site and letting you comment. Today's quote is from Philip Yancy, in "The Jesus I Never Knew":

"The Gospels show that Jesus quickly established intimacy with the people he met. Whether talking with a woman at a well, a religious leader in a garden, or a fisherman by a lake, he cut instantly to the heart of the matter, and after a few brief lines of conversation these people revealed to Jesus their innermost secrets. People of his day tended to keep rabbis and "holy men" at a respectful distance, but Jesus drew out something else, a hunger so deep that people crowded around him just to touch his clothes...

Jesus was a 'man for others,' in Bonhoeffer's fine phrase. He kept himself free--free for the other person. He would accept almost anybody's invitation to dinner, and as a result no public figure had a more diverse list of friends, ranging from rich people, Roman centurians, and Pharisees to tax collectors, prostitutes, and leprosy victims. People liked being with Jesus; where he was, joy was."

For today, can you think of ways we keep Jesus at a "respectful distance?" In what ways can we keep ourselves "free for others?" Do we, as Christians, celebrate diversity, or do we nod at it very politely as an ideal we truly don't practice? What have you seen to support your answer?

Brent 6:29 AM

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Friday, April 08, 2005

Since we had worship and communion as part of our Sunday School last Sunday night, we're taking a few quotes and just commenting about our thoughts on them this week. I promise, on Sunday, we'll resume our study on Sanctification and have daily devotions again. It seems like it's been forever.

Anyway, today's quote is from C.S. Lewis (some of you have asked why there's so many C.S. quotes on this site and my only response is, "Hey, there's a reason the man has a book compiled from his writings and speeches entitled "The Quotable C.S. Lewis.") in "The Problem of Pain."

"We are, not metaphorically but in very truth, a Divine work of art, something God is making, and therefore something with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character."

If this is true, how does this affect your view of God? How does it affect your view of yourself? Does it comfort you or drive you crazy that you are a "work in progress?"

Brent 3:35 AM

Comments:

i have to tell you, it hurts sometimes. this constant refinement. i am reminding of the clay in the potter's hand in jeremiah chapter 18. how God reshapes the clay as he pleases. it is nice to know that it is God who is doing the shaping and not myself. i think i would be butt-ugly if it were left up to me. God sees the big picture. i find hope in that when i only see the the cuts and cracks.

posted by  victim of suburbia : 8:23 AM

 

I think its awesome! Looking at my life as a whole, past presnt, and future I would hate to stay this way forever. I would have nothing to live for! With out God's hand in my life I wouldnt be able to grow deeper in my relationships with Him. As for now, I like the person I am. I have come a long way. But to think I would stay the way I am now is depresing! I want to get better, I know I have so much potential to be a better person. So I say THANK GOD that He continues to work in us!

posted by  Anonymous : 9:15 AM

 

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Thursday, April 07, 2005

Again, since we had an extended time of worship and communion on Sunday night, I've chosen a few quotes to get your brain working and hopefully start some discussion in the "comments" section. Today's quote comes from "The Grace Awakening" by Charles Swindoll. In fact, it comes from the introduction of that book:

"Too many folks are being turned off by a twisted concept of the Christian life. Instead of a winsome and contagious, sensible and achievable invitation of hope and cheer through the sheer power of Christ, more people than ever are projecting a grim-faced charicature of religion-on-demand. I find it tragic that religious kill-joys have almost succeeded in taking the freedom and fun out of faith. People need to know that there is more to the Christian life than deep frowns, pointing fingers, and unrealistic expectations. Harassment has had the floor long enough. Let grace awaken."

So, for today, have you seen examples of the "twisted concept of the Christian life" that turn people off? Why aren't the words "winsome," "contagious," "sensible," and "achievable" the first words that pop into the average person's mind when you think about the portrayal of Christians and what, if anything, can be done by individuals to change that view?

Brent 4:15 AM

Comments:

I believe that these things to come up because society has taught us that the Christian life is not a fun one. Society's idea of fun is just twisted with sins. thefore when a non-believer looks at the Christian life they see restraints things they have been taught to think were fun he is not supoosed to do. People dont hear enough of the "WOW God is really helping me out right now" or the "God has answered my prayers and so much more lately" We hear that because we are surounded by believers but to fix this problem we have to start telling people of blessings God brings to His followers! People need to see our happiness in Christ. not out desire to do sinful things.

by the way.....WINSOME: Charming, often in a childlike or naive way

posted by  Anonymous : 9:04 AM

 

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Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Since we had a night of worship and communion on Sunday, we'll be having quotes on the site for another week and pick up our study on sanctification next week. Today's quote comes from Donald Miller in his book "Blue Like Jazz." It's a short, but highly provocative quote:

"The greatest lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me."

First of all, do you agree or disagree with this quote and why or why not? Secondly, if it were true, what practical steps could you take to "work" on that area of your life?

Like I said, the quote is short and provocative, to which volumes could be written about it...so comment away!

Brent 4:47 AM

Comments:

That's funny...because we were just talking about that last night in our small group. Of course I agree with the quote. The entire world is so caught up with themselves that other people mean nothing to them. A simple example is the way that people drive. They think that the only thing that matters is that THEY get where THEY are going on time. Life is a story about the one person that all of scripture points to, Christ. The second that we think that the world revolves around ourselves, we are placing ourselves as little gods and godesses.

posted by  Craig : 5:18 AM

 

I agree entirely with the quote. To not agree, we would be fooling ourselves and only continuing with that very lie. Craig has a great point as well. We the believers need to be conscious of our actions at every possible moment thinking 3 things. first- how does this effect God? does it glorify Him? second- how does this effect others? Sins or not, our actions are our choices, but only if it has no negitive effect on other people. its not your choice to put others into harm. we should look for things to do or say that brings people up not tear them down. then finally when you have thought of those first, think how does this effect me? In the bible in a parable somewhere it talks about a Christians life and how we should be like servants. Putting ourselves last and putting our Master first above all things.

"The greatest lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me"

this lie was placed in us by satan and now we have to work to get it out of our mindset using God and prayer as our major tools!

posted by  Anonymous : 8:56 AM

 

With all due respect, "life" is actually a story ABOUT God. "Me" is really only a person within that story. When we get into trouble is when we decide that "me" IS the story.

That's where your "Snow White" analogy falls a bit short. "Snow White" indeed is a story about "Snow White." Life, even our life, is actually a story about God.

So, yes, we have a bit part in the story...maybe even our own chapter. But the quote didn't say that "life is a chapter of me in a big story about God." So, the lie is, indeed, that life is a story about me.

posted by  Brent : 9:26 AM

 

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Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Since in Sunday School this week, Steve-O focused on worship and communion, we'll have another week of quotes to get your brains working (hopefully)...

Today's is from C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters. Remember, these are a series of letters written from one demon, Screwtape, to his nephew Wormwood, and it's written in the style of how they can wreck a believer's life. Here's one from early in the book:

"The trouble about argument [my note: the demon has begun to explain why trying to confuse a believer is futile] is that it moves the whole struggle to the Enemy's own ground. He can argue, too; whereas in really preactical propoganda of the kind I am suggesting He has been show for centuries to be greatly inferior to Our Father Below. By the very act of arguing, you awake the patient's reason; and one it's awake, who can foresee the result? Even if a particular train of thought can be twisted so as to end in our favor, you will find that you have been strengthening in your patient the fatal habit of attending to universal issues and withdrawing his attention from the stream of immediate sense experiences. Your business is to fix his attention on the stream. Teach him to call it 'real life' and don't let him ask what he means by 'real.'"

The point that Screwtape is trying to get across is that getting believer's thinking is negative even if they buy into the propoganda for a while...eventually they'll see the flaws in that thinking. He's telling Wormwood that the best thing to do is distract the believer into not thinking by having them focus on their day-to-day life.

What are some things that you buy into every day that distract you from your moment-by-moment walk with Christ? What practical steps can you take to avoid the temporary and focus more on the eternal?

Brent 4:29 AM

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Monday, April 04, 2005

When I started this on-line devotional page, I was hoping that it would be for a sense of "community" among the readers...what has been interesting is that based on the number of "hits" and lack of frequent "comments" it has become something different. This isn't necessarily a negative...and it's nice that people read the devotionals and appear to get something meaningful out of it, but most of the time when I ask the readers why they don't comment I get something like this: "I didn't want to be the first one to comment and so I just didn't."

Well, let me say that I generally don't like it when people, on their blogs, try to get more people to comment. I mean, the purpose here is simply to get people talking about ideas and helping to "sharpen" each other in...ahem...the art of walking.

So, today, I'm actually going to ask a question that I don't want to be viewed as rhetorical or introspective, but rather one that will encourage dialogue on the blog (hey, that rhymed!):

We tried something in Sunday School last night that was different than we normally do. What do you want us to do more of? Less of? What were your likes/dislikes?

Comment away!

Brent 7:06 AM

Comments:

I was extreamly happy to see a night devoted to worship! One of my favorite things in church is worship. The night was very cool and inspirational. A night of total praising God is just what i have been needing! I think we should make worship part of our service even if only once a month or so. It's a laid back way of bringing everyone together for some really good praise. The communion last night was cool too. It really got me to think about the awesome blessings God has given to me. (not to mention the bread was REALLY good!!)

posted by  Anonymous : 9:22 AM

 

I really enjoyed last night with Stevo and Kristy and company. I think that doing that regularly would be pretty cool. I was, however, a little disappointed that no one took advantage of the open microphone to let people know what God has been doing in their lives, but I'm just as guilty...I didn't do it either.

posted by  Craig : 12:42 PM

 

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Sunday, April 03, 2005

Tonight will be a time of worship led by Steve-O, and the best way you could prepare would be to spend some time focusing on your relationship with Christ...just get away, spend some time praising Him, confessing sin, and focusing on the person and work He's done for you...and will do in you.

That's the best of all possible ways to prepare for a worship service that involves communion.

Brent 10:52 AM

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Saturday, April 02, 2005

Okay, so I'm a little bit later today than usual...

From Dave Crowder's "Praise Habit":

"I must tell you this now. You would feel anger if I did not. Salvation life is the sweetest living. The psalmist begs us here to pursue such soaring life, to pursue such a heavenly God rather than remain fixed to the ground, living as unredeemed humans. read again [in Psalm 146] how the psalmist attempts description of the indescribable mercies and savings of God. Read as he calls us to someplace above the gray, through the clouds to a place where there is hope and healing, where justice and mercy rule, where the King of Creation cradles the widows and the orphans and the fallen, where the blind see and goodness is champion. This is our God.

There is no love greater or more beautiful. I would stop you in the street to tell you this."

So, if you stopped me on the street, what would you tell me about God?

Brent 7:20 AM

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Friday, April 01, 2005

Since there was no Sunday School on Easter Sunday, we're having quotes on the site for you to think through, and today's is from Eugene Peterson in his book "Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work":

"The Gospel message says, 'You don't live in a mechanistic world ruled by necessity; you don't live in a random world ruled by chance; you live in a world ruled by the God of Exodus and Easter. He will do things in you that neither you nor your friends would have supposed possible."

How do you see the "mechanistic world" influencing your moment-by-moment thoughts and actions? The random world? How does viewing Him as the God of "Exodus and Easter" bring up comforting thoughts about where you are in life right now? What is something He has done in your life that neither you nor your friends thought possible?

Brent 4:20 AM

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