Peripatetics: The Art of Walking
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
I grew up in a place where everybody had a church home. You may not have gone there except on Easter and/or Christmas, but you had a church...and the differing denominations helped us all know where each person stood.
I had a lot of friends who were Catholic. They went to confession and didn't eat meat on Fridays during Lent. The rest I was a little fuzzy on.
I also had a lot of friends who were Southern Baptist. They were always inviting me to big events their church held or we were going to play basketball at their church. They had altar calls and you had to dress nice when you went there. The rest I was a little fuzzy on.
I had a couple of friends who went to the Methodist church. They didn't talk much about it and I didn't ask. I was very fuzzy on what they were about.
My family went to the Episcopal church. There was only one other girl in my grade who went to an Episcopal church and it wasn't the one I went to. What I remember most was how formal everything seemed, with organ music and silver/gold stuff everywhere, stained glass, repetitive creeds and readings and responses, kneelers. I was fuzzy on what my own church was about.
Later in high school I started attending a Bible church...and EVERYBODY in my town was fuzzy on what THOSE PEOPLE were about. It shattered conventions of the comfort zone of denominations. We dressed in our normal clothes for church services. Our youth group was pretty small (like our congregation) but we were pretty good friends, both at church and in the hallways at school. We had a worship leader who only used a guitar. We had to sprinkle people for baptisms because our building didn't have the money for an indoor pool to immerse new converts.
To me, it was peculiar that all my friends asked so many questions about it. We were just a church in the community, with no ties to any other church. We gave money to missionaries we wanted to and not some larger organization within the denomination. We took votes on what to build or buy for just our property. My mom even visited every Sunday for a month to make sure we weren't a cult.
And you know what my mom and most people that I invited thought about the services and the teaching style?
Too much Bible.
See, there would be a couple of songs, then about 40 minutes of teaching straight from the Bible, then another song while an offering was taken up. Then we'd all stand and sing one last song and we'd head for Sunday School...where there'd be some games, a song or two, and then 30 more minutes of Bible teaching.
My teachers weren't Bible thumpers or pulpit pounders. They weren't necessarily all that charismatic or dynamic where people were drawn to them or anything like that. The services weren't very flashy or very well choreographed.
They taught the Bible.
They trusted that we would seek the Holy Spirit's guidance through prayer.
That made perfect sense to me.
And apparently, it made sense to Paul as he wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4: 4 & 5, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is receieved with gratitude; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
It all seemed so simple in my way of thinking. It still does. That there is a God we can know...and we can get to know Him through His Word, through His creation, and by our experience of walking with Him. It also seemed so simple that the Bible was very much the final authority in our lives. It settled all disputes and that was that. You might not've gone by what it said, but it was definitely God's words and you could get to know God through what was written.
Since that time I've been curious as to how people make life decisions without Scripture as a guide...and the Holy Spirit's conviction. I mean, the Bible is quite clear on many things that are NOT the will of God: Drunkenness, any extramarital sex, gossip, anger, lust, pride, the list could go on and on...
That settles it, right?
Same for making "gray" area decisions, like where to go to college and what movie to see/not see or music to listen to, etc...those areas of grace-living...we can be led by the Holy Spirit and our perceptions of that to make those decisions.
That settles it for personal decision making, right?
I never got what it was so difficult or different to see those things. I still don't.
So, for today, since we're all good Bible church going folk: What is difficult about letting Scripture be the undisputed final authority for our lives? What is difficult about discerning the will of God through prayer on those issues Scripture doesn't address directly? What would be the results in our lives and the lives of our church if we took this seriously?
Brent 4:26 AM
Monday, May 30, 2005
When I was a freshman in high school I wasn't a disciple of Christ. I mean, I was a Christian but after the death of my father, I just drifted away from Him...and the church. So I have zero recollection of being welcomed (or even initiated) into a student ministry. Maybe that's why I really enjoy welcoming the new classes into our student ministry so much (like we did last night, so "welcome" class of '09!). Maybe it'll help them from buying the lies that I bought into when I was coming into high school.
You know...maybe subtle things, but lies I honestly believed:
Like church wasn't really all that important.
My sport was really the most valuable thing I could do with my time.
My friends were all "good" people.
Reading the Bible and praying on my own wasn't valuable since I didn't understand them, anyway.
Making grades was higher priority than my development as a person.
Evolution made logical sense.
Popularity was valuable and worth making sacrifices and taking short cuts to get.
Having a girlfriend was necessary.
You couldn't really be good enough to be in God's favor.
You really couldn't have enough money.
Pride was a good thing.
Stuff like that. But I honestly believed them in 9th grade.
And no one was helping me learn to think for myself.
I had fallen into a trap...I was decieved by the "normal" thought processes of the world.
1 Timothy 4: 1--5 reads:
"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage, and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by the word of God and with prayer."
See, I fell away from the faith.
I was decieved. I really bought into those things.
"Church wasn't really all that important." In fact, I didn't go to church for nearly two years. Not only did I miss out on the abundant life then, think about what my spiritual life could've been with two more years of foundation built.
"My sport was really the most valuable thing I could do with my time." Again, if I'd spent half the time and energy I put into sports into my walk with God, I'd be further ahead. Also, there was no real "payoff" to the sports. I mean, they didn't really develop character or discipline...those things I would've developed with or without sports. They wound up just being a lot of memories with no real substance.
"My friends were all "good" people." Their "morality" was really just a sliding scale anyway. When we got older, they were involved in drinking and some with drugs and most were having sex...but we still considered those things "good" because we weren't as "bad" as other people we chose to compare ourselves to. Good and bad were relative terms, not absolute.
"Reading the Bible and praying on my own wasn't valuable since I didn't understand them, anyway." I had a really good Bible. I never read it. Prayer only took place when I was asking God to get me out of some pickle I was in at the time.
"Making grades was higher priority than my development as a person." I spent more time on homework and school work than I did on spiritual stuff. And I was a below average student, too. So you can imagine how little time I spent on my personal development...making my faith my own.
"Evolution made logical sense." I didn't even question it. I was a very poor thinker.
"Popularity was valuable and worth making sacrifices and taking short cuts to get." You know, I bought into "group think." If a movie was deemed cool by my friends, I went along with it. If the group didn't like the album I LOVED, well, I never spoke up that I liked it anyway, I just didn't listen to it with them around. I laughed at racial jokes that I didn't believe. I cussed. Now, I didn't go totally out there with other stuff like drugs or alchohol or sex, but I still gave in on all sorts of personal thinking and beliefs every day because I didn't want to make a stand that might cause me to be made fun of or possibly disliked.
"Having a girlfriend was necessary." It wouldn't be a reality for two more years, but impressing girls was a high-level priority...even higher than schoolwork, so you can imagine how much energy I put into that endeavor.
"You couldn't really be good enough to be in God's favor." So, I didn't try at all. God was perfect, I wasn't, and since I couldn't be perfect, why bother at all, right?
"You really couldn't have enough money." In fact, if you had it, you must be important. Suburbia really warped me in that regard in my formative years.
"Pride was a good thing." We were always told to have pride in ourselves and in our school and in our country and in our teams. Now, what they meant when they said it was really more like, "Value these things," but what they said was pride...and it was allegedly good to be prideful. I was one arrogant kid.
While I'm glad I didn't get sucked into false doctrines of demons...which...frankly...I was probably susceptible to and probably would've joined some cult or something if the right people had been talking to me, I still look back on what my early high school years COULD'VE been.
And my high school years were really pretty fun when I look back, too. Some laughs. Some wins. Some losses. Some girls. Some friends. It was all pretty generic. I didn't overachieve. I mildly underachieved. But it certainly wasn't BAD.
But it isn't what I want for the class of 09. It isn't want I want for the class of 06.
So, for today, what deceptions have you bought into and what were the negatives associated with those? How did you change your thinking? Upperclassmen, what advice would you give to those who are coming in from your experiences?
Brent 6:41 AM
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Today is PROMOTION SUNDAY...which is always a very cool time as it's a chance to look at the "new" face of the high school ministry! The Class of 2005 will be off to the college/career class and the Class 0f 2009 will join us for the very first time.
So, with that in mind, it's my hope that--even with the holiday weekend upon us--you'll make every single effort possible to get to class on time tonight so we can properly welcome the new guys.
Also, you might want to glance over 1 Timothy 4. We'll spend the entire time there and at the same time, we'll have some discussion over what you'd like to see in our ministry.
See you in class tonight at 6:30PM!
Brent 4:40 AM
Saturday, May 28, 2005
In many ways, I view the senior speeches as my "final exam." I feel as if a person is given five minutes to address the student ministry, they will really say the things that are most important to them at that time...and the things that are most important did come out this year.
The strength of your class was always it's diversity.
Personalities and passions all clashed. Running backs and goths and everything in-between were around...yet there was room for everybody. Everybody had a place. It didn't matter at all if you'd had your diapers changed in CBC's nursery or you just moved in last year, or if you spent every day you could at church or saw the "party crowd" as your ministry, or if you played sports or graduated early to go on missions, you had a place in our ministry.
And I like to think it was because everybody focused on walking with Christ their way, in their time, and you gave each other the grace to be who they are in Him.
That's what legacy I think you left to our ministry during your four years here. And while it's somewhat sad to see you go, it is indeed time for you to go. So, Godspeed, seniors of 2005...and thank you for using your senior speeches to hightlight that legacy for us.
It has been an honor. Thank you for your trust and your friendship. They both mean more than you know and more than I can express.
Brent 6:16 AM
Friday, May 27, 2005
Each year we turn over the Sunday School class to the graduating seniors, who dispense wisdom and things they've learned over the course of their time in our student ministry to the underclassmen. This week, on the site, I've taken some of their main points to provoke all our thinking.
Josh Gunter gave a speech and during it made this comment: "The definition of a Christian is like being an eternal optomist. Really, when you think about it, you'll always come out on top."
He then quoted 2 Corinthians 4: 8ff, "...we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."
Then he skipped down to v. 16: "Therefore, we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day."
So, for today, do you agree or disagree that Christians are actually "eternal optomists?" If so, how do the verses above help you understand whatever trials you're going through at the moment? How is the life of Jesus "manifested" in our bodies? What do you do when you lose heart?
Brent 4:24 AM
Thursday, May 26, 2005
This past Sunday, the seniors took over the podium in 5 minute bursts. It's a tradition that started 9 years ago and the graduates look forward to sharing the wisdom they've gleaned over the last few years.
One senior did something very interesting this year...but first, a little background.
There were two particular senior guys who started the year out as close friends. I'm not sure exactly what transpired, but they had a heated argument in late Fall and decided not to hang around each other.
It affected them both. It's difficult to show up at a small group Bible study when there's tension between the two. It can be hard showing up at Sunday School when everybody's asking what happened...maybe even choosing sides, etc. One of them eventually decided to stop coming. Just seemed easier that way.
Well, during his speech, he decided to talk about the "elephant in the kitchen" and made the comment that he learned some things during that time. He said he was changing some things in his life, and he wanted to say he was sorry for the broken relationship.
They made up right then and there.
Now, I'm sure that they both have some details to iron out and discuss. I'm sure that the hurts are still there and the issues--whatever they are/were--are unresolved unless they've met in the last few days to iron them out.
But the lesson that was given is that broken relationships need to be repaired, especially between brothers and sisters in Christ. Matthew 5: 23 & 24 says, "If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way, and first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."
I was encouraged by their desire to at least start working on things that night. So, for today, is there a relationship you need to work on before making your "offerings?" What is hard about doing that? What are the benefits of working through those things?
Brent 4:19 AM
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
This last Sunday in Sunday School, my senior class took over the role of teacher. Each one had 5 minutes to address the group, with no reprisals from staff. So, I decided this week that I'd pick a few highlights and use them for discussion starters on our site.
One of the seniors, Abby Berek, who I praised publicly for her consistency and faithfulness over the last 7 years, returned the favor:
"Brent, you've often praised me for my consistency. That I'm like the church cockroach that's here every time the doors are open and the lights turn on, but I want to thank you for YOUR consistency. No matter what, I could count on you to teach the Word, and let us make our own conclusions and draw our own applications."
So, today, I'd like to talk about consistency. How do you keep a walk with God that is faithful over the long haul...the ups, the downs, and everything in between? What is it about consistency that is so encouraging to others? Why does the Christian community seem to reward "flash-in-the-pan" camp highs and not day-in, day-out simple faithfulness?
Brent 4:24 AM
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
This week in Sunday School, our senior class dispensed words of wisdom to the underclassmen. Each one got 5 minutes to address the group, and so on the blog I thought I'd give out a few highlights and give you the chance to address them.
Another theme that developed over the night was that of choice of friends, especially in their power to influence one negatively. Jon Berek said, "Parents and pastors can only help you so much. Your friends will influence you more than anything else."
It reminded me of some verses in Proverbs. Specifically, chapter 4, v. 14--17:
"Do not enter the path of the wicked. And do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it. Do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; and they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence."
So, for today, given that some people can influence you negatively, what steps can teenagers take to give them the best possible choice to succeed spiritually? Where's the balance between "avoiding the path of the wicked" and becoming a "holy huddle" of Christians?
Brent 4:00 AM
Monday, May 23, 2005
Last night was our annual senior night. The deal is that each senior gets 5 minutes to say whatever they want with no reprisals. It's always cool to hear what the seniors learned, the insights they gleaned and the wisdom they share. So, this week I'll give you the flavor of some of their speeches.
Christina Brannen was one of several girls to give advice to the younger ladies in our group, generally giving the idea that it is wiser to stay "boyfriendless" than to lower your standards. She didn't say who said it, but probably the most powerful person quoted went something like this:
"A girl's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a young man should have to seek Christ's heart to find hers."
So, today's question is first, do you agree or disagree with the quote? Secondly, if a young woman decides to live by it, what difficulties would she likely face?
More senior night quotes each day this week!
Brent 6:32 AM
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Tonight, it's our annual SENIOR SPEECHES!
So, in order to prepare, really all you have to do is remember to be there at 6:20PM to get started instead of our normal starting time. Also, plan on staying a few minutes later, too.
Finally, pray for the senior class...that they will remain calm and their speeches will be from the heart, honoring Him.
Brent 4:42 AM
Saturday, May 21, 2005
It was as stressed as I'd ever been.
It all started when the Internal Revenue Service sent some people to our office and I was the only one there. My boss hadn't shown up yet. They had all sorts of documents saying they had the right to go through our financial records.
Turns out my boss had made some mistakes in accounting. Honest mistakes. Well-meaning mistakes, but mistakes nonetheless. People quit the ministry. The boss lost that position. I was the only one left on staff--really because I had nowhere else to go.
There was now extreme financial hardship and a vital reality: Our ministry depended on the support of people's donations. Our reputation was sullied, and there was no ministry (except my own) to promote since everyone left. I found out quickly that people don't like giving to ministries with tarnished reputations and they certainly don't like giving money to make up for mistakes of the past.
One particular week, it got very bad. The I.R.S. put a lein on our bank account. The health insurance company was considering cancelling our coverage because of a series of slow pays the year before. The organization I worked for was considering pulling our charter...meaning we'd lose our tax-exempt status and couldn't raise money.
I spent nearly 75 hours that week on the phone and fax and in meetings because I wanted to save the ministry I had...and, let's be honest, my job.
I was eating a steady stream of fast food.
I was sleeping poorly, and even then in short spurts.
I wasn't exercising at all.
I couldn't get my mind off what was going on at work, even in the short amount of time I was at home.
I couldn't sit still.
And I wasn't spending any time doing any of the disciplines I talked about all week.
I was on pure adrenaline...which can sustain you for a while...and doing everything in my own strength.
In retrospect, I should've done a couple of things:
I should've abided in Him through prayer (John 15: 4&5).
I should've abided in the Word (John 8:31) more that week.
I should've been using my spiritual gift (Ephesians 4: 11&12) by continuing the ministry I was entrusted to, letting the Board of Directors handle that stuff, instead of cancelling Bible studies and such.
I should've fasted (Matthew 6).
I should've been still before Him (Psalm 19).
I should've given joyfully financially to the ministry.
I should've lived my life that week as an offering of worship (Romans 12: 1&2).
I should've paid closer attention to my life and my teaching (1 Timothy 4: 16) by eating well, sleeping well, and getting some exercise.
Instead, what I did was do things in my own strength.
I ran on pure adrenaline.
I neglected my gifts.
I focused on me.
I robbed myself of joy.
I failed to honor Him by how I dealt with the storm.
And, isn't that the way we tend to do it? We scramble, doing what we think we have to do when, in reality, all we have to do is be responsible and trust God? It's Kingdom living in a non-Kingdom world.
That's the Christian life.
Turns out God was gracious despite my shortcomings. The I.R.S. worked a deal with us. The insurance company worked a deal with us. Our chartering organization worked a deal with us. Friday at 5PM it was over. We had a workable plan in place. We were faithful from that day forward, too.
I was exhausted (and if I'd handled it differently spiritually speaking it would've been cause for celebration, right?) and went to bed at 6PM that Friday...and I slept the hard sleep of stress relief.
Tracy woke me up at 8AM, smiling. She had known for a week that she was pregnant with our 2nd child but didn't want to add to my stress level.
I laughed. Isn't that just like God to bless us even when we're goofy? Nice reminder, God, that life isn't about ministry. Ministry is about life. And living it with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. And teaching others to do that, too.
All these disciplines we discussed all semester are designed for us to live this life in a weird, strange way--compared to the world's way, anyway--so that we can enjoy our time here by glorifying Him, and drawing others to Him.
It really isn't all that complicated, is it? So...for today, why do you think we resist living the spiritual life so much?
Brent 5:09 AM
Comments:
we resist living by the Spirit when the storms come because we are prideful. First of all we think that if we were really "good Christians" then God wouldn't be doing this to us. So we alienate ourselves because of guilt, or we feel that doing things God's way won't work. We aren't allowing ourselves the time to feel God's presence, so it isn't REAL to us. So we go on doing it in our own strength...and we suck it up every time.
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Friday, May 20, 2005
I had a friend who was serious about memorizing Scripture when we were in college together. He spent a lot of time with a campus ministry that had a very structured method on how to learn the Word...it involved blank business card sized cards on which he wrote out the verses and carried them around for a week. He pulled them out periodically during the day and worked on them, and then he put them in this special blank business card size card holder. He reviewed them on Saturdays.
I didn't see much purpose in memorizing Scripture, frankly. Didn't have time for it. Didn't seem so important as long as I had my Bible with me...I could just look 'em up.
Until Chuck realized that was pretty much the attitude of our entire Bible study.
Chuck, our fearless leader, decided that not only was memorizing Scripture something we'd benefit from, but he had a whole 'nother theory on it: That it should be memorized IN CONTEXT...which, in reality, meant memorizing large chunks of it. Chuck was serious about it, too. We had two weeks to memorize all of Romans 6. That's right. All of Romans 6.
I have to admit that I did it sheerly from peer pressure. I didn't want to be the only one at Bible study of the due date and not have it done...so...I buckled down and did it.
It's peculiar, too...that I still remember much of it. And I don't even have a handy-dandy review box, either.
It's peculiar, too...that whenever my brain starts working towards being a bit too free with my grace-based lifestyle the first few veses pop into my brain. I'm guessing the Holy Spirit causes that to happen, too.
Makes the words "living and active" a bit more meaningful, too.
From Psalm 119: 9--12, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word. With all my heart I have sought Thee; Do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee. Blessed art Thou, O Lord; Teach me Thy statutes."
How do we stay pure?
By keeping His words.
How do we avoid wandering?
By treasuring them IN OUR HEARTS.
Not by having the Bible close at hand, or by remembering the "gist" of something we read, but rather buyhaving it in our hearts.
I read somewhere that Jewish men in their culture went to extremes with this...something called phylacteries...little boxes that held tiny scrolls with verses on them strapped near their foreheads and hearts were prevalent fashion accessories.
What it means is that you allow God's word to penetrate your heart. It really is living and active and God-inspired and all that, and you'll be surprised at how simple that is.
For some of you, you'll respond very well to the structure and discipline my friend had.
For others of you, you'll do well by memorizing large chunks at a time.
Others might have your own method, like putting post-it notes all around the mirrors or refrigerators or car dashboards or doors in your home with the same verse on them.
However you do it, I'd encourage you to experiment and discover what is most effective for you and your schedule...
...and you'll be surprised how the Holy Spirit will pop those verses into your thought-life at appropriate times.
For today...what are the things that have kept you from consistent Scripture memory? How could some of those be overcome?
Brent 4:00 AM
Thursday, May 19, 2005
My early days in the spiritual life were a checklist of sorts.
I woke up and prayed. Check.
I read the Bible. Check.
Me and some friends did a devotional at school. Check.
I went to my Wednesday night small group...even did the homework sometimes. Check.
Went to Sunday School and church. Check.
Did the youth group fellowship after night service. Check.
Went to the occasional youth conference. Check.
Mission trip. Check.
My friends and I thought we were pretty spiritual guys, too...
Until Big Dave asked us during small group if we thought King David was a spiritual guy.
"Of course," we answered. "He was after God's own heart. Killed Goliath. Wrote, like, half of Psalms or whatever. King of Israel." It was a slam dunk, right?
Until Big Dave brought up all the other stuff: Adultery. Murder. Rage. He threw out some other stuff, too, that Scripture allowed us to take a gander at...none of it really pretty.
Then he asked us again if David was spiritual.
We desperately wanted to say yes. Really. We just knew that was the right answer, but the evidence was against "yes." But we knew the answer was "yes," we just didn't know how to back it up.
And then we read 1 Corinthians 2: 14--16, "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For 'who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ."
Notice in verse 15 that the man (or woman) who is spiritual appraises all things. The spiritual man looks at the world through God's eyes.
And, in essence, that is worship.
No longer is school about education.
Sports aren't about winning.
Jobs aren't about making money.
Relationships have deeper meaning.
All the decisions matter now.
It's taking the normal day-in, day-out occurrences in our lives and filtering them through God's glasses. Actions aren't the measure of the spiritual life at all...which is foreign to our way of thinking, right? We're results oriented folks. The checklist becomes our personal walk with God.
Which cheapens the walk with God when you think about it.
And, how do you begin to think about the world the way God thinks about the world? The question is really, "How do I become spiritual?"
You know the Word and apply it to everyday situations...which we'll deal with in detail tomorrow.
But for today, how does the reality that the spiritual person having the mind of Christ change the way we view spirituality? How does that affect our spiritual life as we live it in the here and now?
Brent 4:22 AM
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
I grew up in a denomination that had a very "high church" feel to it. It was very predictable, beginning with the incense-led procession down the aisle and communion from a common silver cup and there was a lot of ceremonial reading and such. Really, the service was the same every week and I can still respond to the pastor at the appropriate times with the correct responses. The only music was played on an organ, and there couldn't have been three songs and each one of those was played in an almost dirge-like tempo.
I changed churches when I was in high school and it was very progressive for my hometown in Alabama. They had a piano for sure and played about three songs. But as a special during the offering, there was always a guy with an acoustic guitar singing a song he wrote and that was cutting-edge for that town in 1982.
Every time my youth group went to a conference there was some great band with drummers, electric basses and guitars, and a long-haired lead singer. Stuff exploded. We all cheered like crazy. It was the 80's.
Later on, when I was on a committee to hire one of those bands to lead one of those conferences, we settled on having a band to lead worship at that conference. They were some college kids from Virginia who put together a rap group and we thought that would be pretty innovative (which it was at the time). We were right. Our kids loved DC Talk rapping worship. They all cheered like crazy. It was the 90's.
The churches I've attended have all gone to drums and keyboards and have full bands that lead worship on Sundays. There are words projected onto screens using power point. Sometimes the music is loud so you can sing loud and other times it's softer for more reflective singing. It's usually very well presented.
The current movement in churches is getting away from glitz and glitter, though. The general tone is to have a dark room, maybe put some candles around, and have one person pretty much singing folk music. Occasionally, there will be a drum of some kind. They also put out blank canvases in case somebody wants to worship through artistic expression.
And there's a coming split in congregations because the older generation likes light & large airy rooms with upbeat music projected on a screen played by borderline professional musicians and communion to 1,000 people done in 5 minutes. The younger generation likes dark rooms with folk music played by one or two people who have passion over professionalism and more ceremonial communion.
And the common thread in all that is that worship has become defined as singing.
Merely singing.
When teenagers tell me that they want to "worship more," I'm a bit confused by what they mean. Do they want to have more times of singing? Do they want the atmosphere when we sing to be more conducive to a deeper "experience" of God? Usually, the desire they have revolves around singing more, a solemn environment and thoughtful songs. There's nothing wrong with those things, either.
But worship is about oh so much more than singing.
Read 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."
Your spiritual service of worship is presenting yourself a living and holy sacrifice. To God.
And that's what I try to do after I am "still" in the mornings.
Whatever I do can be worship.
Worship can be how I drive.
Worship can be how I study for a class or a test.
Worship can be how I write a blog.
Worship can be how I spend time with a friend.
Worship can be how I do yardwork.
Worship can be how I spend my time in the office.
Worship can be how I go to a concert.
Worship can be how I clean my house.
Worship can be how I take a walk in the park.
Worship can be how I cheerlead.
Worship can be how I do my job after school.
Worship can be how I play for the team.
Worship can be how I interact with younger classmates.
It is not merely singing...and I fear we've reduced it to that.
We want to "worship more" which means we want to stroll up on Sunday night and have some really cool songs in a really cool environment and have an experience that might bring tears to our eyes and stir our emotions.
But let me throw this out: Maybe our corporate times of worship could be the "end" of our week together. That if we offered ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, and did everything in our day-in, day-out lives as an offering to Him, we would come together on Sunday nights and celebrate a life well-lived together...well...I imagine that would be a very intense experience.
See, I get the feeling that in worship we want to be stirred from the outside stuff. The songs, the environment...whatever. In fact, I'd say that many in Christian circles these days are actually settling for less than genuine experience in the spiritual life of worship because they use the weekly service to get "charged up" for the week. They have an experience that carries them over until the next week.
What it should be is coming together to celebrate the life we already lived in sacrifice to God during the week. It would result in some meaningful singing. There would be joyful giving. There would be sharing of what God did in an through us during the week. There would be reading of the Word, not for a sermon or lesson, but simply as worship...and a lot of other elements such as reverent silence, or prayer, or celebrating the communion, etc.
I'm suggesting that maybe instead of wanting "more worship" we should focus on "worship as a lifestyle" which would result in more meaningful times of celebration in our corporate time together.
It's easy today...do you agree or disagree?
Brent 4:16 AM
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
In Sunday School this week, I felt the best way to wrap up our semester looking at the process of sanctification--our growing in Christ--and the steps that help us most in that manner would be to walk you through my day and simply share with you what I do (not being presumptuous that I'm a standard of any type, mind you) to help me walk with Him.
Yesterday, I talked about beginning the day with a simple set of "target" prayers...to help focus on Him as the center of your day.
After I go through my task of getting ready, I get set to apply Psalm 46: 10, which reads, "Cease striving, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
See, I'm an early riser. I love the mornings when it feels like the entire world is still asleep but me. I don't know if I'd feel that way if I lived in a more naturally serene environment like a farm or mountains or on a lake or something, but my reality is that I live in a major metropolitan and cosmopolitan area. There's plenty of noise during my day.
When I get up early, my children are still asleep. My wife is still asleep. My dog is still asleep. Very few airplanes will fly over my home as will before 10PM. There are few cars and motorcycles rambling through my neighborhood. It's about the only time I can truly be still.
I take the dog out for a short walk. I get a cup of coffee. I get in my recliner. It's about 5:30AM by this time.
I read the newspaper...which takes about 20 minutes or maybe a half-hour depending on what's going on that catches my eye.
Then, to remind myself that the stuff I just read (which can usually get my creativity going and my passions stirred up) is all temporary, I go for devotional reading of Scripture.
Most days I read a Psalm from The Message. Other times it might be what my small group is studying that week. Other times it's a favorite passage. Sometimes I just open it at random and start reading. Most times I read an entire chapter, though. Sometimes I'll break it up, like if I read Psalm 119 (the longest one) I might break it up into three or four weeks). But mostly, I just get something and read it.
I do this because John 8:31 reminds us that disciples abide in His Word. They "live" there. It won't be the only time I get into the Word on any day, but I certainly have about 5 minutes to say a short prayer that God would guide my thoughts as I read His living Word, read a chapter, and then, from Psalm 1: 2, meditate on what I just read.
I ask two simple questions: What does that say about God? What does it say to me or about me? And I think, in the quiet and uninterrupted time.
That process reminds me who I am and who God is. It reminds me that what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal. It reminds me that God is God and I'm not. It really just keeps me in that state of trying to see the events of this life as God sees them and not as man sees them. It keeps me from buying the lies that will be thrown at me as well as the ones that already were thrown at me from the newspaper I just read (ads, the importance of sports, the problematic nature of world poverty and war, etc.).
I take that time to be still, and think about Who God is and What He's like and that He makes all things with His hands and He will be exalted. He is in control. He is not moved, no matter what is going on in the world or in my life.
And that's how I get my day started. For you, your time of being still might be at lunchtime when you can grab a bench away from everyone at school, or maybe eat lunch alone in some isolated place. It might be at night before bedtime. It might be whenever and wherever you can grab some space.
But the morning is my time...and for some reason, the stuff I read in the morning stays in my brain for quite a while. And tomorrow we'll look at what I do when the day sort of "ramps" up and gets busy.
So, for today, when is your time to cease striving? What practical helps, such as location, reading material, journals, etc. "work" for you?
Brent 4:16 AM
Comments:
hey brent,
I really enjoyed your lesson on Sunday. Even if your schedule doesn't fit everyone in the room, there is something you say about your routine that helps us (well me anyway) be able to find ours. I , myself, am a morning person as well. 6:30 is sleeping late, and I wouldn't have it any other way. When you told us about your prayer in the morning... "whatever, whenever, whoever...today", that really got me thinking to where when somthing came up, that prayer would pop into my head and it would cool me down. I think that the psalms are great...I haven't really gotten into them yet, but I have the same problem that my father has, every passage is his favorite, so I am haveing trouble finding something to read every day. Anyhow... loved your last lesson of the year, next year will be awesome.
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I really enjoyed your lesson on Sunday. Even if your schedule doesn't fit everyone in the room, there is something you say about your routine that helps us (well me anyway) be able to find ours. I , myself, am a morning person as well. 6:30 is sleeping late, and I wouldn't have it any other way. When you told us about your prayer in the morning... "whatever, whenever, whoever...today", that really got me thinking to where when somthing came up, that prayer would pop into my head and it would cool me down. I think that the psalms are great...I haven't really gotten into them yet, but I have the same problem that my father has, every passage is his favorite, so I am haveing trouble finding something to read every day. Anyhow... loved your last lesson of the year, next year will be awesome.
Monday, May 16, 2005
I've been blessed with a family that has always been around churches. It was always a priority, and I remember some of my thoughts about those clergy members I ran across.
The first pastor I remember was in a more formal church environment...and my view of the guy was that he was very unapproachable. You couldn't really get to know him because he was the guy in the robes and doing all these cool things with incense and formal liturgy that I didn't picture him as a real person. He was a holy person who didn't mix and mingle with the masses. The only time I ever saw him be "normal" was when I heard him talking about football with some other guys in the church. In retrospect, I'm sure he was one of the guys to the guys in the church as he was very nice and laughed and all that, it's simply that my impressions were that he was a paid holy guy.
Then, I left the church for a while, and when I returned, there was another guy who was almost the exact opposite. He was a youth leader and he wore blue jeans and his faith was very non-traditional. He led the games and he oversaw the staff but his primary role was teaching these large group "fun" meetings...but at least I learned that he had a family and that walking with Christ was more accessible.
That guy put me in touch with another guy who led my small group. He was a volunteer and he taught my Bible study for the last two years I was in high school. He really let us into his life and was very open about his past and the lessons he learned, which helped us immensely, too. But he didn't tell us much about his personal spiritual walk.
Finally, another guy at college, Chuck, discipled me for three years. He really did a great job in sharing not only Bible truth, but he taught me a lot about how to be open and honest and transparent with those you're discipling. The reality is that I grew to admire him more because he talked about difficulties in his prayer life, or his Bible study life or other ways he grew in the Lord...it didn't make me think less of him if he had some "dry seasons" spiritually, it actually made me think I could be real with my faith.
And I think that all of them had a part in my spiritual development. They all had a place and strengths and weaknesses that helped me put into practice some habits that I still put in place to help me in my walk with Christ, and I'd like to take the next 6 days to, hopefully, do something similar with you in this space.
So, I'm going to go through a day spiritually with you as I experience it on this blog and maybe it'll give you some insights as to how I "do" the spiritual life that will help and encourage you in your walk.
So, when my alarm goes off, before my feet hit the floor, I say a very short prayer to God...something like, "God, help me to serve today, however, whenever, wherevery you want me today. Please make me sensitive to the leadings of the Holy Spirit to realize and do the better things over the good things." I get that from 1 Thessalonians 1:5, which we learned earlier in the semester on prayer, how "praying without ceasing" means something like a "hacking cough" that, as often as your body would cough every time the urge struck it, that we would pray these "target" prayers as the Lord brings them to mind. It's a habit I continue as I go through the rest of the morning routine of brushing teeth, showering, getting dressed, etc.
And that's really the very first thing I do every day. I guess it takes me about a half an hour to get ready for the day, and I simply pray a lot of "target prayers" during that time...and the longer that time takes the more time I have prayer.
I've also found it helpful that I'm moving at that time, too. To sit still would cause that to be ineffective, I think as my mind would wander. So, while I'm walking around or pacing back and forth I can get a lot of prayers going...
I pray for my wife.
My kids, that they would experience grace.
Friends and teenagers that God brings to mind.
Church staff and missionaries and issues of church.
Leaders and authorities and "current events" stuff.
It took some work, but once my mind got used to that drill over a period of years I have a lot of time to get that in, but it isn't rushed at all. It's really a time to get God's perspective on the day at hand.
I use the first 45 or so minutes of my day, even though I'm actually doing a few things, to pray for those things God brings to mind right off the bat. Sure, my mind wanders a bit (especially on a day like today when I'm physically exhausted) but with practice you can usually reign it in before you begin down rabbit trails and silly day dreams.
So, for today, what helps you focus on God for the day when you wake up? What help could you give us on helping start the day off on the right foot?
And, don't worry, we'll go a lot faster during the week regarding the nature of my day and the disciplines, but it's good to have a foundation laid before you build the house, and "target prayers," or praying without ceasing, is the foundation of mine.
Brent 7:54 AM
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Tonight,in Sunday School, we'll be wrapping up our semester's teaching on the spiritual life (sanctfication). We'll review most of the Scriptures we've already looked at, so you'll want to glance over...
1 Thessalonians 1: 5
Psalm 46:10
John 8:31
Psalm 1:2
Romans 12: 1 & 2
Colossians 3: 17
Matthew 6:
Psalm 119: 9--12
2 Timothy 3: 16 & 17
Psalm 19
And it's the last time I'll formally teach the Class of 2005, so I hope everyone will make a special effort to get to class to make their "last one" more special. And next week...
Senior Speeches!
Brent 7:46 AM
Saturday, May 14, 2005
I grew up in the buckle of the Bible Belt. I know lots of places claim to be the buckle of the Bible Belt, but you'll have to trust me on this one. Birmingham, Alabama is really it, in my opinion. If it isn't, it's certainly the first notch in that Belt.
What that really means is that conservative thoughts and beliefs sort of pervade the culture of the entire community. There are all sorts of "do's" and "dont's" based on, or believed to be based on, the truth of Scripture. So, the result is that you have all sorts of social mores based on some sort of Biblical reasoning: What television shows to watch, movies to see, clothes to wear, music to hear, dating rules, etc., etc., ad naseum.
(As an aside, I always found it interesting that these behavioral rules always fell on what teenagers might do, but never focused on adult behavior so much. You know, like being more frugal when purchasing a home or car, or money spent on clothing, or not being a glutton during meals--which, in the Deep South, is a legitimate temptation every time you sat down to eat--etc. Maybe it's because I was a teenager and didn't see those rules applied to adults...but now that I'm outside looking in, I still don't see them.)
One of those "cultural norms" was related to giving financially to the church. It had its own word, too: tithing.
Loosly translated, it means giving 10% of your income to the church. It it taught with a vengeance in churches, and it's the only thing I ever remember hearing regarding giving. We were supposed to take our paycheck, give the first 10% to God, and be wise with the rest.
It fostered all sorts of nuances, too.
Do you tithe off the "gross" pay or the "take-home" pay? What about bonuses? What about gradma's birthday cash? Does it all go to the church? Could we take it and give it to the homeless? Does a time tithe reduce my financial tithe? Etc.? Etc.? Ad naseum.
But, even as teenagers, we did it. Well, we tried to do it. And when we came up short for whatever reason, we felt guilty. Sometimes it felt like a burden to do it (even cashing the check at the bank, annoying tellers with things like, "Could you give me 'cash back' in two twenty's, four ones, and 81 cents, please?").
But we did it, no questions asked.
Which went well until I was in college. Being discipled by a guy who really believed and lived out the message of grace, I asked him one day, in all seriousness, "Hey, Chuck, do I have to tithe on the allowance money my mom sends? I mean, she's probably already tithed on it, but it's still new to me. Should I just tithe on it again to be sure or what? I mean, money's a little tight being in school and all, but if I should tithe on it, I better do it."
Well, Chuck asked me why I tithed. I laughed. Chuck, c'mon. Everybody tithes. It's in the Bible.
"Really?" asked Chuck. "Tell you what, you comb through the New Testament for the next week and when we meet next you show me everywhere Jesus said we should tithe, okay? Or better yet...tell me where Paul or any of the other writers talk about it, too."
I combed.
I couldn't find anything.
And neither can you.
Because Jesus never brought it up.
Neither did Paul. Or any of the other writers.
And I discovered that it's an Old Testament doctrine that actually isn't even taught correctly in churches today...because if it were, by the time you added up all that you were supposed to be giving under the Old Testament Law, you'd wind up actually giving 20% to 33% of your income (depending on how much you made) to the church or whatever...
So imagine what I went through. Here I was, tithing because I felt like I had to, based on what was culturally normal and seemed like a good thing, when it wasn't in the New Testament and now I found out that I still wasn't giving enough.
Nope. Grace gives us a better way to give.
Read 2 Corinthians 8: 16--24.
You'll see we're to give generously to the work of the church and our ministries and our ministers.
Now read 2 Corinthians 9: 7 & 8.
You'll see we're to give cheerfully...joyfully. Not under duress or because someone is making us. We're to give abundantly.
And so the myth of tithing might actually limit giving when you think about it. The myth of tithing might actually rob you of joyfully being a part of someone else's ministry. It might actually reduce the love felt by the reciever if they knew you weren't giving because you wanted to but because you had to.
It's a lose-lose doctrine.
So, giving should be a part of the spiritual life...joyful, loving giving. Anything else falls short.
For today, how does this change your view of giving? How will this knowledge affect your giving?
Brent 8:05 AM
Friday, May 13, 2005
Yeah, I know. Churches beg for money. It's one of the common knocks against the tribe when people leave a church. "The pastor's always talking about money," they say as they gripe and spend their Sundays at home.
Maybe there's some truth to it. My church experience is relatively limited, so maybe there's this thing going on that I'm unaware of...but it seems to me that LOTS of organizations want your money.
Nobody really whines if Public Television only shows the very best shows during their week long fundraiser. If there's a telethon on a holiday to raise money for reasearch to eradicate a truly horrible disease it's pretty much dismissed as both needed and tradition. If the local firefighters need a little cash they "pass the boot" in my community at stop lights. If the local playground needs to be rebuilt due to vandalism, I can buy a plank with my child's name on it.
Seems to me that the difference is in the expectation of the hearer. I guess maybe people go to church expecting to hear something "relevant to their lives" or "encouraging" or "spiritual." The other folks asking for money are just doing their jobs...and obviously, where would we be without Sesame Street (or Ramones documentaries, which Public TV showed two weeks ago! Sweet!) and research and fire fighting equipment or local parks? Those benefit us directly, right?
Well, maybe those pastors accused of "begging for money" might benefit from Christ's teaching on giving in Matthew 6: 2--4:
"When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give alms do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Now, keep in mind, these verses fall smack in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus, in giving His Kingdom manifesto to the hearers was beginning His public ministry by delivering a sermon. He'd already rocked their world by telling them that just because they're Jewish by race, they'd been given a blessing they hadn't been experiencing or sharing, and they're failing at being the people of God. Then He addressed them on the reality that it's about heart attitudes and not legal score-keeping, and is now going to follow up on "kingdom living."
And isn't it interesting that the first thing He addresses in practical life is giving to the poor (alms)? In fact, He starts off with "when" you give, not "if" you give. Christ assumed that giving was crucial in life in His Kingdom.
He begins with the reality that some of the followers of God were making a "show" out of their giving to the poor. They'd blow a trumpet in the very streets, making a parade out of their gifts so that others would see how "compassionate" they were. Same went for making a big deal out of their giving in the Temple. Jesus let them know that the attention they got from others would be their entire reward...it wasn't impressing God one iota.
But they were supposed to be giving. It's a spiritual discipline. And it came up FIRST in the practical Christian living.
So, if Christ thought it was so important, why do so many pastors take heat when they bring it up? Why does it ruffle so many people's feathers?
Maybe it's because it's rarely taught at the opportunity it really is. Perhaps those teaching it are actually teaching it as an obligation, a duty, and using guilt motivation to do it. That's my suspicion, anyway. But they do that because people tend to be slow in giving to the church...so it's a vicious circle.
When, in reality, giving should excite us...it's an eternal investment.
For example, through a series of events, our student ministry wound up with some coffee shop equipment. The professional kind...a la Starbucks. Long story short, it was an answer to an awful lot of prayer. In fact, an even longer story short, it's a chance to reinvent our outreach ministry.
This reinvention will be enhanced by some changes in the layout of our student ministry room. We'd love to build a deck, a nice one, with a firepit for barbecuing and winter weather benefits. We'd like to get some trellis work done around the deck to keep the harsh Texas sun off in the summer using vines and greenery. We'll need to install a door where the window is now. There's some other minor "start up" costs, too.
Recreating this environment will fit where the teens are right now. In our warp-speed community, teens are looking for down time. Starbucks, and it's philosophy of the "third space" (home, work, & "hang out") is reaping huge benefits and profits. We think we can offer a "third space" and do it cheaper and as a service, and turn that into long-term benefits for the Kingdom.
It's an opportunity that should excite our church body. The chance to provide something needed/wanted, do it in a relevant manner to where the teens in our community are.
And that's just one thing our church is doing. There are literally all sorts of opportunities we get to be a part of from child care to senior citizens and everything in-between. Christ is at work, changing lives all across the board, and we have a chance to be a part of that through giving...even the maintenance costs to keep our doors open are a chance to give.
And one of the benefits are that we get to be unified with others in a cause SO much bigger than ourselves and be a small part of the work that God is doing in the world. Giving money is actually something that Christians are the only ones doing, we just do it with more than civic responsibility...we do it to give God glory and help others get what we already got. We give because we love God and love our neighbor.
No guilt.
Just opportunity.
So, for today...What are the positives and negatives you've seen with how giving is presented? What difficulties do you face in making this discipline a priority in your life?
Brent 4:31 AM
Comments:
its difficult for me to give because i feel like i need to be saving for while i'm in college, and while my living expenses increase daily with the rising oil prices, it just makes it that more difficult
other people need to comment cause its the cool
other people need to comment cause its the cool
it got cut off at the end, but i was saying other people need to comment cause its the cool thing to do
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Thursday, May 12, 2005
I never realized how much I was my car's slave until I went to New York City.
My sister moved to Manhattan and my family and I went for a visit. We were there a week and never needed a vehcile...and we went all over the place, too. We did Times Square, Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, the Museum of Natural History and a variety of restaurants. It was my first experience with public transportation on a consistent scale and I started asking a whole lot of questions. Generally, these were related to how you might get to a more remote location or visit friends far from the subway hubs that frequent the city.
She answered those logistics questions by explaining that you could combine a series of trains and busses and if that didn't complete the journey in question, taxicabs. "The system works really well no matter where you're headed," she said. She even covered how other potential hassles like oversized packages or luggage might be solved.
And then she got to cost, telling me that all her transportation needs for the month (which included a couple of limos to the airport--which, in NYC are actually cheaper than cab rides) were around $225 a month.
So I said that was a car payment...to which she challenged me to figure out all my transportation needs. I started to do the checklist:
Gasoline.
State Inspection.
Oil changes.
Registration and tags.
Monthly payments for ownership.
Tolls on certain roads.
Maintaining the car, everything from repairs to wiper blades to cleaning supplies.
I could go on, but I also didn't bring up "time" issues, like being able to read or time wasted sitting in traffic. Or health issues, like the average New Yorker walks about 6.5 miles a day, while the average commuter walks 2.5 or something like that.
I was spending pretty much three times per month what my sister did on transportation, not to mention the "no cost" loss of time and such.
I was a slave to my own car...and I didn't even know it!
And that's just my car...don't even get me started on what it costs to own and maintain a home...not to mention the time issues involved there.
Or hobbies.
And all of a sudden, on the plane flight back to Texas, it dawned on me that you really can't serve two masters, like from Matthew 6 yesterday. That's the danger of possessions and such is that they take time and money to upkeep and maintain all the while causing you to focus on them and lose sight of God in the process.
Our "things" have a way of demanding our time: The yard needs mowing. The television needs to be fixed. The computer has a virus we have to fix. The guitar needs practicing. The car needs washing. The exercising needs doing so we get a gym membership. And we get focused on self and what we want, and it's so easy to get bogged down in the mundane--
SERVING these good things--
--and drift in our relationship with God. It isn't that we hate God or anything, He kinda gets away from us.
In fact, verse 24 tells us we will "hold on" to one and "despise the other." Wow. In "holding on" to our possessions we eventually despise God. Of course, the converse is true.
Part of the "despising" was alluded to in verse 21 that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
I'll use another "car" experience to illustrate this: I had a pretty cool car when I was 16. I spent some of my money on more than gas and oil. I purchased some really sharp rims and tires. I upgraded the engine. I got some pretty cool stereo equipment installed. I'd wash and wax it on Saturdays. I really did get to where I loved that car...my money was into it.
Nothing could set me off more than a breakdown, or a door ding, or the stolen equalizer I wrote about yesterday...because I cared about the car I put my money into it, and because I put my money into it, I cared more about the car. It was a vicious cycle.
And, it's only in loving God and getting a proper perspective on our stuff that we can "hold on" to Him. I mean, the "stuff" isn't inherently bad, but serving it and "holding on" to it will drive us away from God. You know, my little public transportation experience actually caused me to "despise" the money and time I spend on my vehicle now because I simply have a new perspective on an present reality.
What should scare us is that we can simply check our desire to "hold on" to God by checking out our receipts on the stuff we buy and looking at our day planners...
So, for today, what are some possessions that you don't realize that you're actually serving, and what steps can you take to put them in proper perspective? Is there a time when you've changed perspectives? What did you learn?
Brent 4:30 AM
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Minimum wage when I was in high school was $3.35/hour. I had a job that loaded me down with hours in the summer, too. I could make around $300 bucks ever two weeks if I worked as much as they'd let me. I did, too. I really wanted the "power booster."
For some reason, that seemed very important, and cost about $200. Well, the one I wanted did. Anyway, for those of you who don't know what a power booster is, it boosts the power for your car stereo. It makes it VERY loud and this one actually had an "equalizer" on it...and, oh, yeah...I'd be needing some new speakers, too.
So, after saving for a month I was off to the car stereo store, and by the time I got out of there with warranties and installation costs and all that jazz I was about $450 bucks in.
And, man. It was worth every penny, too.
My music was loud and it sounded great. My friends thought it was very cool and it made my car the car of choice when riding around. It impressed the girls. It made my grandma laugh out loud and cover her ears when I showed it off to her giving a ride somewhere. It let my mom know when I was getting close to home from about three blocks away. It was that loud and it really did make my music sound great (please, no quotes about equalizing sound when listening to the Sex Pistols and the Ramones--I was 16 and this all made perfect sense at the time).
Almost a year later, I was getting ready to go to work one Saturday morning (I worked at a golf course and all our work had to be completed by sunrise) and I noticed the passenger side door of my car slightly ajar.
Funny.
I thought I locked it?
Then I looked below the dash: The power booster was gone. Wires hanging. Tapes stolen.
I slammed doors.
I cursed.
I yelled.
Sure, I had insurance...but I had a $500 deductible (the part you pay before the insurance begins to cover the rest of the damage) so it was futile to make a claim.
I called the police...they didn't offer much hope.
And I was angry every time I got in my car and the radio didn't work. It really had me off my rocker for about three days. I was livid and was taking it out on everybody else. All I could think of was an entire month of work at the golf course thrown away for literally nothing. Air. I'm getting stirred up just writing about it.
Anyway, the guy that was discipling me took me to breakfast and I went into the litany of reasons I had a right to be angry. I went on and on, too. As I am wont to do, I went on a rant of epic proportions about everything from sin nature to my taxes being wasted by the suck police force in our town.
Big Dave just kept eating and let me go. By this time, he knew me well enough not to stop me.
When I finished my tirade, Big Dave said, "I know it was the best equalizer out there, and I know you worked hard for it, too. I'm sorry it got stolen. But is it worth all this? I mean, if you don't let this go at some point, you'll work yourself into some sort of stressed out ulcer and if you ever found out who it was, you might actually go to jail for what you might do to them. Brent...it's just a THING..."
Big Dave went on to remind me of all the blessings in my life and compared to my father dying and how much I'd grown in Christ in a short time and the whole deal. By the end of the breakfast I had gone from livid to disappointed, which is a bit safer of an emotion.
Then Big Dave wanted me to repent of my anger. Ugh.
Then he wanted me to repent of my attitude, which he based in Matthew 6:
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where theives break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither most nor rust destroys, and where theives do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Yeah, they're famous verses.
But they have some startling ramifications if you think about it.
For example, the contrast that there are only two places to make your investments: Earth or heaven. The earthly ones are all temporary. Kingdom investments are eternal.
What about the idea that what you spend your money on reveals where your heart really is? Jesus said that. We can tell the spiritual condition of our hearts by looking at our check book entries. Man. We really do LOVE our money and stuff.
You can't serve earthly stuff and Kingdom stuff. You will be a slave of something, so you pretty much have to choose which one you will serve. Can't be both.
And it's a spiritual decision and discipline to periodically make a conscious choice to do without something you personally want in order to make a Kingdom investment. At least I think it is. It's part of the spiritual life to deny yourself of a perfectly legitimate "want" of a THING to decide not to buy it and use that money as a gift for "Kingdom investments."
Maybe you want a CD by your favorite group that comes out today and you're headed to the music store right after school to pick it up. Maybe you decide that as a spiritual discipline that you're going to take that $15 and donate it to a mission trip, or the church, and pick up the CD next week.
See? There's nothing wrong with the CD. There's nothing wrong with stuff or things at all. You just decide to discipline yourself to remind yourself to put things nad stuff into the proper perspective. What Jesus was talking about was not the stuff or things, but the heart's desire regarding the stuff or things. Perspective.
So, for today, use the comments as a general statement about teenagers: What percentage of teenager's spending do you think goes toward eternal things? Needs--food, clothing, shelter, gas, etc.)? Self? What do you think this indicates about the hearts of suburban teens? Can anything be done to change this? If so, what?
Brent 4:32 AM
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
I was discontent.
And I had no reason to be.
I mean, we had just finished our ministry's yearly annual September kick-off event called the "Burger Bash" with unprecedented attendance. Enthusiasm for our ministry was high. I had recently gotten a promotion. Some of my writing had been published in an "in-house" journal for staff. Tracy and I were enjoying the benefits of being part of a community through our involvement in that community--the kids were throwing us baby showers and their parents (knowing we were struggling financially) were showing us love in all sorts of ways. Things couldn't have been better.
So, why was I sitting on my porch swing feeling as if I was in the wrong place?
Maybe it had something to do with the reality that the organization I worked for was, and still is, known for reaching lost teenagers. And in our ministry, no one had come to know the Lord in two years. Never mind that, at one time, we had over 100 high schoolers a week involved in our small group Bible studies.
I began to feel like I wasn't being true to myself...it was obvious that my gifts were in discipleship, not evangelism. I began to feel as if I couldn't stay in that organization because their focus WAS on evangelism (even though my bosses seemed very pleased at what we were doing). I began to feel very tired because of our dependence on the parents to help my family out with groceries and car repairs and things like that. Money was VERY tight.
I had even felt that I should've been in a church. I went on one interview right after Shelby was born and it went brilliantly. I didn't get the job because I didn't have a seminary degree. Another local church in our neighborhood wanted me to become their youth pastor but I couldn't do it after some improprieties in the search and withdrew my name when I found them out. The last straw was when the church I grew up in spiritually told me that I couldn't get an interview because I didn't have a seminary degree. All this with 5 years' youth ministry experience, too...which almost nobody has.
So, I pretty much figured that God was leading me to seminary. And there was one I really wanted to go to but couldn't afford. There was another I really didn't want to go to and disagreed with on some minor docrtinal points but gave me some serious scholarship money. Plus, I could always stay where I was. Maybe that was an answer. But I had a wife and two kids to consider.
I took a cue from Acts 13: 1--4. We learn that in Antioch, the church had some gifted servants and "While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work which I have called them.' Then, when they had fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit..."
Yesterday we talked about fasting and the reality that it should be a part of our walks, and we left off the "what" and "why" questions.
Fasting, in this instance, involved doing without food and water for a specified period of time. They "why" is to seek specific direction from the Lord...it might be a decision you're trying to make or a sin you're trying to deal with.
That's what the church was doing in the Acts account. They had all these gifted servants and were seeking the Lord's will with a ministry...they just wanted to know "who" and "where."
And that's what Tracy and I did. I chose to fast for lunch every day for a week. Just sit and think and pray and then LISTEN...I've never heard an audible voice from the Lord but I think in instances like this the Holy Spirit guides our thoughts. Sometimes, I take a journal and write these thoughts down and process them later.
And that final Friday, early on, I was convinced that God wanted me to take the more expensive option, which would create all kinds of inconvenience on me, my family, financially, my career, my teenagers, everybody and everything. It really didn't make logical sense at all, what God was telling us to do. But I had this incredible peace about it.
As it turns out, all those concerns were alleviated in short order. Once we acted on that decision through fasting, all sorts of prayer requests came together: Our house sold in hours (when two others on our street were on the market longer); we got scholarship money; jobs fell into place; moving expenses were paid by the students we were moving away from (how gracious is that?); and Tracy still could be a stay at home mom.
But, even if those thing hadn't transpired, I would still have learned something from the experience...maybe more about me and my ability to listen, something like that...
But fasting is an excellent way to seek God's will in specific areas, and I hope you'll develop that discipline as needed.
For today, have you tried fasting, and what was the experience like for you?
Brent 4:16 AM
Monday, May 09, 2005
It was my very first small group discipleship group.
I was growing in my relationship with God and learning the ropes of teaching others how to do the same. And since I really believe that the starting place of following Christ is found in the Sermon on the Mount, that's where we started our study of Scripture.
Then we came to Matthew 6: 16-18.
"And whenever you fast, do no put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance in order to be seen fasting by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you fast, annoint your head, and wash your face so that you may not be seen fasting by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you."
Like I said before this bunch was serious about their growth in Christ, so they said, "Maybe we should have a 'fast.' I mean, it doesn't say IF you fast, it says WHEN you fast. That pretty much means we're supposed to be doing it."
And they were right. It does say that. Jesus pretty much assumed this would be part of the walk with Him.
Unfortunately, I was too young in ministry to lead them to ask a couple of more questions...like WHAT a fast consists of, and WHY they might want to undertake it. Nope. I was too "green." A rookie. We were at that point in the text, so we decided that we should just do it.
We pretty much knew that a fast was giving up food and drink. And we knew that Jesus had done one for 40 days before He began His public ministry...but we weren't quite ready for that, nor were we undertaking a redemptive ministry for the world, either. So we decided to start a bit smaller...like 24 hours without food and drink.
Other than that, my only guidance to them was that maybe they should keep a journal of the things we thought about during the day...and we'd get together for a dinner the next day to share those thoughts with each other.
It really didn't seem all that complicated.
Sure, during the day, we all got a bit legalistic about it. They were adamant that we shouldn't tell anyone what we were up to, but every now and then one of them would slip up and talk about what they learned at Bible study and tell somebody what we were doing. I got a phone call from one kid during the day because he wanted to know if the fact he "accidentally took a sip from the water fountain" wrecked the fast. I know that I didn't get much work done because I was so busy writing stuff in my journal for the dinner that I never really got on track with what I was supposed to be doing that day.
And when it was over, we spent more time talking about how hungry we were than sharing what we learned.
I guess what we learned was that fasting should be part of the spiritual life, and that doing it has it's own set of difficulties associated with it. Later, I had them look up fasting (because we obviously didn't "do it" right) so maybe we could be more informed about it.
They came to the conclusion, after their research, that Jesus was talking about abstaining from food and drink for a pre-determined duration of time. They also came across modern forms of fasting that might involve doing without something like television, radios/music, going to movies, eating certain types of food and things like that.
They were pretty sure that what you were supposed to do is give up something meaningful to get in tune with God...and that it should be a part of your spiritual life.
And you know what?
In the simplicity of that, they were correct. It's a meaningful denial of a desire, designed to focus on Him (so that when it isn't there and you think about it, you're supposed to direct your thoughts to Him) and make your walk more meaningful.
Tomorrow, I'll share a bit more of what else they learned...because I still haven't addressed the question of "why" we should be making this discipline a part of our lives.
But for today, have you ever fasted? What was difficult about it? What did your fast consist of? Do you think this discipline has been neglected by the church these days? If so, why?
Brent 7:20 AM
Comments:
Since this is the only time I have to post a comment, I'll have to comment on the whole Sunday School study in this.
I want to say, yes I've fasted, but particularly, from playing the game Halo. I was playing the Internet first person shooter for 3 weeks straight. 30 min to 1 hour before school, and, average of 5 hours after school, 12 hours the first Saturday, 7 hours on Sunday. One morning, I got tired of it, and pulled out God's Word on my computer and read and studied a Proverb for the first time in forever. Playing Halo is not a bad thing, its when you get "hooked" and it becomes a god. Praise God for breaking me from Halo!
Fasting doesn't necessarily have to be about food or drink. It can even be, I'm sure, your time spent in something, extra hours in a job, on a computer, on a game (he he), or even schedule.
I don't have the study sheet with me, so I don't remeber what's next. However, I do remember something about treasures and the story about the man who asked Jesus about entering the Kingdom of God. Jesus' reply was to "keep the commandments". The man replied, "I have done these things from when I was young". (from my youth up) Then Jesus replies, "Then sell all that you have, and give the money to the poor, and follow me." His reply? He was grieved and said no way. Christ looked at him and said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kindom of God" Where your treasures are, there your heart will be also. That's right, I remember now. You cannot serve "God and mammon (money, stuff)" God, or stuff. Look at what you spend your money on. This can, I'm sure, relate to anything not of God. Just REMEMBER, God has told us "Whatsoever your hands find to do, do it with all your might." So, if you have a paper your working on, to bring up your grades, I'm sure you don't have to fast on that. Just anything your overly obsesed over.
Then I remember giving. Brent taught a concept I give full praise and support on: Tithing, is NOT a requirement of the Christian. I'm very sure God expects us to do it, but there is NO commandment that we are to do it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be an offering. It also wouldn't be considered a gift either. In fact, in the church of Macedonia BEGGED Paul and considered it a FAVOR to give to him. If Paul, writer of many of the epistles to the churches made it clear that tithing was a necessary thing, and he stressed it, why would the Masadonians BEG him to give for his ministry? (2 Cor. 8) You might find this an interesting chapter to study, even at a glance. Now then, it also comes to my understanding that the hypocrites in Christ's time blew a trumpet and gave their money in large amounts for all to see, but he asks us to do this in secret, for their reward is in full. (Personally) I don't like the passing of plates for the offering. I understand that way of receiving the offering makes a LOT more money than the simple method of letting people drop into an offering box (believe me, I know. I attended a church who did not pass the plate, and they did not receive a whole lot and were many times under the necessary payment, and people STILL didn't give, at least, not that way. Somehow, they still exist, and have even moved into a larger building after only a few years.) Oh yeah! Giving of alms is to be something between you and God.
Tying it all together
It really makes sense to say that all three subjects relate, and all three "disciplines" relate, to a very great degree. I am sure that giving money is not the only way you can "tithe". And what better way to tie up Matthew Chapter 6 from the Sermon on the Mount than with verse 33.
"But seek first His kingdom and His rightousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Many people, too many, take a single verse, and rip it out of the text and slap it on stickers, preach sermons, and such and such. However, from reading the WHOLE text, it really makes more sense. Also, verse 34 says:
"Therefore do not be anxious for tommorrow; for tommorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
6:1 also says: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."
What does verse 33 say? Yup. Sometimes, the very feeling of accomplishment (maybe when you break from something such as fasting) is a reward in itself. You don't even get that when you put forth your deeds before men.
Everything is between you and God. Your relationship, your stuff, your money, your time, yourself, your other relationships, your ministry, and the list, I'm sure, goes on. Even your success. By fasting, giving, and knowing where your heart lies, you can keep check of the things that can over rule your life with God. God is love. Give, fast, and grow in your relationship with God and others, with love. God also gives wisdom. He has led me to give back to you this wisdom. Thank you for your time in reading this.
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I want to say, yes I've fasted, but particularly, from playing the game Halo. I was playing the Internet first person shooter for 3 weeks straight. 30 min to 1 hour before school, and, average of 5 hours after school, 12 hours the first Saturday, 7 hours on Sunday. One morning, I got tired of it, and pulled out God's Word on my computer and read and studied a Proverb for the first time in forever. Playing Halo is not a bad thing, its when you get "hooked" and it becomes a god. Praise God for breaking me from Halo!
Fasting doesn't necessarily have to be about food or drink. It can even be, I'm sure, your time spent in something, extra hours in a job, on a computer, on a game (he he), or even schedule.
I don't have the study sheet with me, so I don't remeber what's next. However, I do remember something about treasures and the story about the man who asked Jesus about entering the Kingdom of God. Jesus' reply was to "keep the commandments". The man replied, "I have done these things from when I was young". (from my youth up) Then Jesus replies, "Then sell all that you have, and give the money to the poor, and follow me." His reply? He was grieved and said no way. Christ looked at him and said, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kindom of God" Where your treasures are, there your heart will be also. That's right, I remember now. You cannot serve "God and mammon (money, stuff)" God, or stuff. Look at what you spend your money on. This can, I'm sure, relate to anything not of God. Just REMEMBER, God has told us "Whatsoever your hands find to do, do it with all your might." So, if you have a paper your working on, to bring up your grades, I'm sure you don't have to fast on that. Just anything your overly obsesed over.
Then I remember giving. Brent taught a concept I give full praise and support on: Tithing, is NOT a requirement of the Christian. I'm very sure God expects us to do it, but there is NO commandment that we are to do it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be an offering. It also wouldn't be considered a gift either. In fact, in the church of Macedonia BEGGED Paul and considered it a FAVOR to give to him. If Paul, writer of many of the epistles to the churches made it clear that tithing was a necessary thing, and he stressed it, why would the Masadonians BEG him to give for his ministry? (2 Cor. 8) You might find this an interesting chapter to study, even at a glance. Now then, it also comes to my understanding that the hypocrites in Christ's time blew a trumpet and gave their money in large amounts for all to see, but he asks us to do this in secret, for their reward is in full. (Personally) I don't like the passing of plates for the offering. I understand that way of receiving the offering makes a LOT more money than the simple method of letting people drop into an offering box (believe me, I know. I attended a church who did not pass the plate, and they did not receive a whole lot and were many times under the necessary payment, and people STILL didn't give, at least, not that way. Somehow, they still exist, and have even moved into a larger building after only a few years.) Oh yeah! Giving of alms is to be something between you and God.
Tying it all together
It really makes sense to say that all three subjects relate, and all three "disciplines" relate, to a very great degree. I am sure that giving money is not the only way you can "tithe". And what better way to tie up Matthew Chapter 6 from the Sermon on the Mount than with verse 33.
"But seek first His kingdom and His rightousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Many people, too many, take a single verse, and rip it out of the text and slap it on stickers, preach sermons, and such and such. However, from reading the WHOLE text, it really makes more sense. Also, verse 34 says:
"Therefore do not be anxious for tommorrow; for tommorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
6:1 also says: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven."
What does verse 33 say? Yup. Sometimes, the very feeling of accomplishment (maybe when you break from something such as fasting) is a reward in itself. You don't even get that when you put forth your deeds before men.
Everything is between you and God. Your relationship, your stuff, your money, your time, yourself, your other relationships, your ministry, and the list, I'm sure, goes on. Even your success. By fasting, giving, and knowing where your heart lies, you can keep check of the things that can over rule your life with God. God is love. Give, fast, and grow in your relationship with God and others, with love. God also gives wisdom. He has led me to give back to you this wisdom. Thank you for your time in reading this.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
As we begin wrapping up our series on sanctification (can you believe next week is the last time I'll teach this year's seniors? or that the week after that is senior speeches? or the week after that is promotion Sunday, where we get our new incoming class?) you'll want to re-read Matthew 6 and focus on giving, fasting, and then the remainder of the chapter regarding God & "mammon."
You'll also benefit from reading Acts 13: 1--4 regarding fasting. Why do you think they undertook this practice?
If you read Matthew 13: 44-46 and Luke 18:18 ff you'll get some more insight into where we're headed with some "spiritual disciplines."
And finally, if you check out 2 Corinthians 9: 7 and 2 Corinthians 8: 8 & 9 you'll get some insight into attitudes we should have as we deal with giving.
Have a great Mother's Day, and I'll see you in class!
Brent 4:36 AM
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Maybe it's a case of "good old days syndrome" (where you fail to see the negatives in life of the time when you were younger and over-romanticize those days) but life sure seemed slower for kids back then.
I mean, my dad worked for the same company all his life. He came home every day (well, from about when I was 5 when he got promoted to management) around 5PM. I was home. My sister was home. He would take us outside and goof around until my mom called us in for dinner. He had weekends off.
My mom was a homemaker. She did her work in the home, making sure that the house was kept, she was involved in the PTA at our schools, and she did some minor shuttling to baseball practice or dance or whatever.
But we had TIME. I mean, we had a sit-down, family dinner almost every night. Maybe on Friday or Saturday we'd actually go out to eat, but even then we'd actually go inside a restaurant and eat there. The only time I can remember eating in a car (drive-thru lanes weren't invented yet) was at the drive-in theatre we went to once. The whole family had time to go to each other's stuff. If my dad played softball, we all went. They were all at my baseball games. If my sister was in the school play, we all attended.
It seems like TIME has faded away.
My children's childhood seems much more "warp-speed." All too often there are conflicts with activities, with my wife taking one child to one thing while I take the child to the other. This requires stops at the drive-thru more often than not. They don't get out of school until 4PM (started and ended an hour earlier) and it seems like homework is rushed to get done before the next activity. School clubs are in the mix, too. Friday nights at home with everybody are extremely rare. Same for the Saturday...and my schedule requires that I work Sunday morning and evening, too.
My wife owns her own business and she's doesn't have the time to prepare full course, sit-down meals every night, either.
Now, don't get me wrong. These aren't bad things at all. My children are better educated than I was at their age. They are better at their respective activities than I was at their age. They seem more independent and strong. My wife seems challenged and gets to be innovative and creative. I have interesting opportunities.
But it seems like going through white-water rapids. It's really fun and the adrenaline gets going...but when do you get to the slow water and simply take a look around and enjoy the Big Horn rams butting heads on the side of the mountains you're in between?
That's what the final stanza of Psalm 46 is about. Remember, from the past two days, we talked about what how God is a shelter and strength, and how He is with us even when it feels like He isn't. We're supposed to pause (Selah) and dwell on these things.
Verses 8--11 read as follows:
"Come, behold the works of the Lord; Who has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 'Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.' The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah."
We're being invited to take a look at the works of the Lord. Not to talk to it. Not to critique them. Just look. Observe. Slow down and think.
In their particular case, with enemies at the gates (see earlier entries), they're reminded that God will act in human history:
Wars will cease.
Armies will be defeated...soundly.
We know from our interpretation of Scripture that the Messiah will ultimately accomplish these things. The reality should give us hope because no matter how bad things seem or how distant God feels, He has a plan for all of history.
And based on that reality we should "cease striving." It wouldn't be unfair to translate that Hebrew word into modern American English as "relax." Maybe "Let go."
So, we're to focus on God...not our busyness.
When we're alone, we should realize that everything we do here is under the subjection of the Lord of Hosts...that He has a plan into which we fit, and therefore we don't have to be stressed. We can be faithful, try to do our activities with excellence, but trust in God that He will get out of each one of them what He wants. It's part of His plan.
So, for today, in the comments, could you tell us if that is easy or hard to do and why it is that way for you. Can you share a specific time you did this? What was the result? How was God glorified by you "letting go?"
Brent 5:58 AM
Comments:
It seems like every activity that I am involved in is supposed to be the most important thing in my life...or at least to the people in charge of that activity. It makes it really hard to relax and enjoy the fact that God is God, when society is trying to make me think that I have 5 or 6 different "gods" (ex. band, sports, academics, money.) When I am supposed to be the best at all of those things, stress and disappointment come into the picture. Getting "recalibrated" with God is the only thing that can help me to realize the real order of importance in my life.
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Friday, May 06, 2005
If you read my personal blog, you'll get a similar taste of what's on my brain today.
See, I had an experience with God last night.
It didn't start out that way. In fact, if the events of earlier in the day were any indication, it didn't feel much like God was around. Don't get me wrong, there weren't seances and tarot cards...it's just that they day seemed so busy. Our church is hosting a Bible study conference this week, and the attendees seemed so serious and focused and regimented (which is not the way I study the Bible at all. I mean, I'm disciplined, but it usually involves flannel pants and a recliner and a bit more, ahem, shall we say, stream of consciousness.) I had a meeting. Two actually. There were some people needs. There was a bit of enjoyment watching my staff make a presentation and get what they wanted plus some gravy. There were normal dealings with people...explanations, meetings to set up, etc.
There weren't any deep revelations from God that brought goosebumps to my arms and there weren't any disasters that made my blood boil, either. It was just a normal day.
Until I got away from it all.
See, there was no Ranger's baseball game on TV last night (which is usually my drug of choice) and so I hit my hammock in my back yard. Just to clear my head and think.
Then another normal thing happened:
My youngest daughter brought out our copy of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It's a creative little conversation between demons and how they choose to get after people...and my daughter and I have been reading out loud to each other and then discussing what we learned after each chapter.
Anyway, here's what we read in chapter 8:
"One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom is not (as one would gladly believe) mere propoganda, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself--creatures whose life, on its miniature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in; He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself; the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."
Suddenly, I was keenly aware of God's presence. The stars were out. My neighborhood was surprisingly quiet, and I really felt like God was talking to me. I didn't share this with Shelby at the time, and very shortly after that it was her bed time and I tucked her in.
But then I went back out and started reflecting on those truths. My God, the Creator of the Universe loves me. He gives me freedom. He wants me to be like Himself. He wants me to have an abundant life. He wants me to walk with Him. He wants to adopt me. He wants to give. He wants to fill. He wants me to flow over. He wants me to belong to Him and still be me.
Manalive.
And that's a lot like what we're supposed to do from Psalm 46. Remember, yesterday we talked about the pauses and the time of reflection. Like a "grunge" song, the first verse goes tells us to focus on God and His ability to be our shelter and our power...no matter what's going on around us.
And then we pause, Selah. And think about that, and reflect on that.
Then it's time to realize that His ability to be our strength and power no matter what's going on around us is far beyond a theological concept...it's a reality. God is with us. Read verses 4--6:
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when the morning dawns. The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold."
And then we pause again, Selah.
Remember the context again. Israel is about the be invaded by an enemy. It FEELS like the city of God, Jerusalem, is about to be destroyed, and likely the Temple is the first thing to go. It FEELS like people will die. It FEELS like God doesn't care. It FEELS like the whole world is going topsy-turvy and there's nothing we can do about it and there's no God and there's...well...it FEELS hopeless. It FEELS like God isn't around.
And then we get a reminder. Entire nations rattle sabres and it rattles our cages. Kingdoms fall, right? Oh wait, God could speak and melt the whole friggin' earth. But that power has balance, too. God is our HOST, and He is with us.
See, our feelings should always be measured by the truth of Scripture. The feelings lied. The truth of Scripture is to be our reality. Not our feelings...which change minute by minute.
And it felt like my day was full of meetings.
It felt like my day was setting up meetings.
It felt like there were serious Bible students milling around.
It felt like I was just living a normal day in a normal way.
And then God reminded me through a book:
I am here.
I am with you.
I love you.
Even hanging out with your kid in your hammock...
The God of the Universe loves you.
The God of the Universe is here with you.
The God of the Universe is here.
There were goosebumps.
And my feelings weren't lying to me.
And I simply enjoyed the reality.
I don't know if you're life has an enemy army waiting outside waiting to make your world topsy-turvy or if you're life was simply mundane...but what I do know is that from Psalm 46, we learn that God is there in the midst of us.
You think you could tell us of a time when you experienced the presence of God and it changed your perspective? Yeah...that'd be great if you could do that in the comments.
Brent 4:54 AM
Thursday, May 05, 2005
"You've really got to listen to this tape," Keith said, handing over the plastic case that had a photograph of a baby underwater chasing a dollar bill on it.
"Is it some really heavy stuff?" I replied. Keith was into heavy-metal music and I figured that would be the nature of the music he was handing over.
(side note for my younger readers: "cassette tapes" are the vehicle used to listen to music that came between the vinyl album and the digital compact disc)
"Not so much. It's different. It rocks, but it's quiet, too. I've never heard anything like it, so you really have to listen to it...it's hard to explain." Keith took his music very seriously.
Since I've always used the music scene to strike up conversations with teenagers this wasn't an abnormal occurrence, and I told him I'd give a listen...and I put it in the tape deck (side note for my younger readers: "tape deck" is what we called our stereos in our cars) on the way home.
It was different.
It did rock.
It was quiet, too.
I hadn't heard anything like it.
It is hard to explain.
It was the first time I ever heard music that people would later call "grunge."
It had very heavy guitars and pounding drums. There were screaming and sometimes indecipherable lyrics involved. There was enough energy in it that you could understand why people in clubs would pogo to it.
Then it would get hauntingly quiet. There was almost whispering of the lyrics. There was no "bridge" in the song to get you from the verse to the chorus like all pop songs are "supposed" to have. New songs could just be "verse-chorus-verse" instead of "verse-bridge-chorus-repeat verse"...the drop-out kids from the Pacific Northwest invented a new way of writing songs.
I've been intrigued by it ever since I heard it, too. It seems to be just the thing to communicate deep emotions. Grunge could let you be angry. Grunge could let you sing a love song. Grunge could laugh. Grunge covered it all and the new format was perfect.
You could sing about something deeply emotional. Guitars and drums wide-open.
And then you'd stop and pause and reflect on what you just heard.
Don't believe me? Think about the most famous grunge song ever, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. The two strings being plucked so you could hear the words, the screaming anarchistic chorus, and then it goes back to two strings being plucked, echoed and a low-bass line. When it slows back down, you get reflective.
And that's what leads me to Psalm 46.
The last few days we've seen an example of Jesus who felt the need to get away from it all and find a place to think. Then we looked at why nature is such an effective withdrawal place because God reveals Himself through His creation...and today, I want to talk about what to reflect on.
Psalm 46 begins by identifying the writers, the sons of Korah. It is set to Alamoth, which literally means "maidens" but likely refers to those who sing what we call soprano.
And then the song begins:
God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though it's waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.
It's a psalm about trust...and this is the first thing we should begin to think about when we get away from it all.
God is our refuge. The place we can go when the storms are all around us.
God is our strength. When we are weak, we can draw on Him.
God is a help in times of trouble. He's right there, even when things aren't going so well for us.
And isn't that why we tried to "get away from it all" to begin with? We should start by focusing on traits that God is there, He is not silent, and He works whether we "feel" like He's there or not.
Even though the earth would fall into total upheaval there is no need to panic or worry. Ultimately God is in charge.
In reality, in historical context, the Israelites had a lot to worry about. The invading armies were camped outside the city of Jerusalem, laying seige. War, and military occupation, were at hand. Their society was about to flip upside-down. Putting this reality in eternal terms would help them deal with this harsh reality.
And then we get another word: Selah. A pause. An interlude.
A time to think about those things and reflect about how God is a refuge. How He is your strength. When the "whatever happens" things in life "happen" it's good to KNOW the He is there in the midst of our trouble.
(and a little side note: you can arrange the words to this Psalm and make them fit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and the chorus. Think like this:
God's my refuge
and He's my strength
A present help in
times of trou-ble
whatever happens
is going to happen
God's my refuge
and He's my strength.
Hey--that's where the "selah" goes and then you hear the two string notes...okay--enough silliness)
Anyway, that's the first thing you need to think about when you get away from it all. Focus on the reality that God is your shelter, strength and stability. How have you seen God get you through evaluating that situation through those characteristics?
Brent 4:43 AM
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
The student ministry trip had gone haywire from almost the minute we left.
We were off to the Gulf Coast for spring break. Me and 14 teenagers, and we were going along smoothly when the passenger side rear tire blew out. No problem. It's just a tire.
Except the reality that the jack on the borrowed vans didn't belong to that van. A kindly stranger stopped by and happened to have one that fit and helped us out. Very peculiar.
I checked my watch. 11:30 AM.
Then, about two miles down the road, the rubber came off the tire, but the steel belts kept rolling. We got off at the exit and the gas station told us there was a tire store about 2 miles down the road. Turns out, it was an old van and the store didn't have tires that fit it...but the owner had a truck he took some tires off of yesterday that might fit. Sure enough, it did. Sure enough, he was going through the same Bible study curriculum our class was heading down to the coast to finish.
Watch check. 1PM. We've lost an hour and a half of driving time and I'm hacked about it.
The kids got me in a better spiritual mood as they were talking about how cool it was that a guy was right there to help us out when the first tire blew, and how the guy had tires for us and even discussed what God was teaching him through the same study we were on.
"God's taking good care of us so far, huh?"
(*yeah, whatever*) "Sure. Yeah. God's looking out for us."
We then come up on a massive car wreck involving several cars and an 18-wheeler that had obviously happened very recently as the police cars hadn't arrived yet, but we heard ambulances in the distance.
"Hey, Brent...how long have we been on the road since we left the tire place?"
"An hour and a half."
"Wow. If we hadn't stopped for an hour and a half, we'd have been right smack in the middle of that accident, wouldn't we? Man. God's REALLY looking out for us!"
Dead silence in a van full of teenagers. For an hour.
After an hour I grabbed my notes out of my notebook and I literally threw them out the window.
The kids asked me what I was doing that for.
"Seems to me that God is trying to teach us all something about Who He is...and I can assure you that none of what's happening was in those notes. Let's just see what He has for us." I simply came to the realization that God was going to reveal Himself to us in other ways that week. Since we were at the coast, I felt like the ocean could give me a pretty nice object lesson.
We got to the beach and woke up for the first Bible study.
I had them stand on the beach, facing the ocean.
Then I read Psalm 19: 1--6:
"The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through the earth,
Adn their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
And its circuit to the other end of them;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat."
After that, I had them individually yell at the ocean: "I AM NOT OF THIS WORLD."
See, there's something very telling about nature. It reveals God and who He is. They tell us of God's glory. The universe is telling us that God is there...
And, getting in nature, staring at the stars, standing on a beach, taking a walk in a park, sitting on a dock...whatever...helps us see how God reveals Himself.
All day and all night His creation reveals Him...
So we need to get out in it more. For today, share with us a time when you felt as if you truly were not of this world because you were in His creation, watching Him reveal Himself.
Brent 4:13 AM