At first today I thought I would write about the church that has filed a restraining order to keep someone with autism out of their church. I'm afraid though that my writings about that would contain massive amounts of profanity and could possible incite riots. I will simply state about that moronic church...what the hell!!! (literally)
What I will really write about today is the ways in which we typically label "victory", "success", and even "abundant life". Anyone that has spent any time at all in a church knows that Jesus came to give us abundant life...but what does that mean? I think we typically think less as a realist and more as a hedonist. Hedonism is when people seek pleasure and avoid pain. Christianity for many people is a shame reducer, guilt deflector and an overall license for hedonism to exist...in the name of Jesus, of course.
What I mean by that is that if I am not dead or dying, I haven't had a diagnosis of cancer, I am not sad, depressed, lonely, hungry, etc...then I am victorious, successful and obviously being blessed by God. However, if people are treating me poorly, I don't have enough money, I am sick, I hate my job, it is raining outside or my kids are acting like they have no discipline (they are 2, 3 and 5 years old), well then I have to ask "where is God?"..."Why am I suffering so?"..."I thought if I tithed, prayed, went to church and am nice to people, life would be easy, fun and well, can I say easy again?"
That sounds silly when I read it and though we may never admit that we feel that way...don't we? I know at times in my life I have been a bold, prophetic warrior when things were going well but, add the case of the flu, marital conflict or money crunches and it becomes so easy to climb into a corner and retreat. I assume others have been there too.
And what about something beyond behavior? What about how I feel and how near I think God is? I think this is where we believe the great lie of "perception is reality". Perception is just that, perception. My perception isn't reality and in fact my perception usually just reveals my skewed theology, pet sins or areas of insecurity. The great people in the Bible reveal that their perception is as skewed as mine. David asks "How long will you forget me Lord, forever?"...and what about Jeremiah accusing God of seducing him and raping him? Are those cases of accurate perceptions?
So what does it mean if life really sucks right now...for whatever reason? It means I am still alive. It means I continue to make this journey and it means that God is still God. I am convinced that God is utterly unconcerned about my comfort but his is obsessive about my transformation.
I have a friend who is currently going through a tough time. She has endured radiation, surgery, procedures and she feels worn down, beaten up and defeated. Is she defeated...even if she feels that she is? No. Is she doing something wrong and being punished? No. Is she human, alive and continuing to grow in her walk with God? Yes. The point about growth with God is that my growth or her growth or your growth is a process. As a process the growth or progress can't be measured in feelings or even behavior. God uses the things in our lives, whether good or bad, for his glory. Even our sin, gives God the avenue through which to glorify himself and accentuate his mercy, grace and boundless love.
In a recent message my friend said she has even allowed her condition to limit her writing. I smiled when I read that...for two reasons. First, because I greatly understand where she is coming from. Second, because I thought to myself, "your words are still being read by all those who know you and are coming in loud and clear". God is not far off, God is not finished and neither are we. "Keep pressing on toward the upward call of Christ" (Philippians 3). And smile!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Days That Never Happened
Have you ever had a day that you wish never occurred? Me too. Even in the Bible you can find people cursing the day they were born. Do you have any idea what happened October 4-October 15, 1582? Go ahead, try to find any event listed on those dates...try to find someone born then...you won't find anything because those days never happened. No, I'm serious, those days don't exist.
How did that many days never happen? Where did they go? Well, those days were wiped away and technically never happened. That is when the Western world transitioned to the Gregorian Calendar and to make it all fit some days had to be erased. I think that's really cool. If you met someone on October 3rd, 1582 the very next day you could proclaim, accurately be the way, that you had known them almost 2 weeks.
So what of the days before the Gregorian Calendar? Should one use the Julian Calendar to mark events prior to October 1582...which is what was changed to the Gregorian? If you run the Gregorian Calendar in reverse it is referred to as the Proleptic Gregorian Calendar. What is really neat and really insightful to me is that this one event...that occurred relatively recently in the scope of world history...is that it has become accepted. No one even speaks in terms of Gregorian Calendar as compared to the Julian, ISO, Unix, Mayan, Persian, Islamic or Hebrew Calendars. We just accept that today is May 16th, 2008. If I implied that today is May 3rd, 2008 (Julian) I would be right...but not according to everyone around me. If I proclaimed today is 11 Iyyar 5768 (Hebrew) I wouldn't be wrong. I am wishing you Happy 1429 Jumada I-Ula 10 (Islamic) and you shouldn't technically be confused by this. When it is all said and done though, today isn't any day other than May 16th, 2008. So what?
What else do we accept as law, fact, or truth that in reality has not always been? What Biblical "truth" do we accept without realizing that a time existed when our assumptions would seem silly or even irreverent? I suppose many such assumptions exist...but here's a few I can think of:
Church: Today we ask people where they go to church. That kind of language isn't found in the Bible and it would have been a strange question to anyone in the first 300-400 years (at least) of Christianity. We are asking in effect, "when you go to a place to fulfill your religious obligations, where is it?". The first, and arguably most fundamentally sound followers of Jesus knew nothing of that kind of talk. They were followers of Jesus and if you lumped them together they were an Ecclesia or church...not based on location, creed or doctrine, but because they had exchanged their former lives for the life God had for them.
Morals/Ethics: This one is simple. How many things do we accept today that were never accepted just a few years back? My grandmother was for all practical purposes an atheist. However, I knew that "trashy shows" like Three's Company were not to be viewed at her house. She couldn't believe that men and women would live together unmarried...even if they had separate rooms. Of course that's just one example but you get the idea.
Alcohol: I remember being amazed as a child when I heard a missionary from Germany discussing that his entire congregation would go to a local pub for lunch after church each Sunday. I thought it was weird that christians would even attend a bar...and then he mentioned his congregation drinking beer and toasting one another while at the pub. AMAZING!
Now as an adult I think it isn't amazing at all. What is amazing is the hypersensitivity we have in the Bible-belt regarding alcohol. The truth is, Jesus was called a drunkard and a glutton for a reason. Jesus made wine for people who were already drunk yet he never sinned. The founding fathers of this country who many like to insist were christian men (and I suppose they were) spent on average 20% of their yearly income on Rum...RUM for goodness sakes...and Benjamin Franklin made a really cool statement: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy". Enjoy a nice pint of brew or your favorite libation and relax...it isn't the faith issue we have assumed it to be.
Sex: Good Lord (literally) where to start? The hypersensitivity we have in this area makes the sensitivity we have regarding alcohol look minuscule. Simply put, God created sex...it is good. When christians learn to live out a more Biblical worldview regarding sexuality, perhaps the world will be more willing to hear other things we say. As long as we allow the world to dominate and define a creation of God I think we will continue to miss the blessing of sexuality and disappoint God.
I could go on but it would be better if I didn't type from now until May 4th or 5th...which would be one or two days from now had things never changed. I guess the point is for us all to put down our preconceived notions, traditions and prejudices and FREAKIN' THINK! That would be really nice and that would lead to great freedom for us all.
Have a great 1387 Ordibehesht 28...that's tomorrow for those of you not familiar with the Persian Calendar
How did that many days never happen? Where did they go? Well, those days were wiped away and technically never happened. That is when the Western world transitioned to the Gregorian Calendar and to make it all fit some days had to be erased. I think that's really cool. If you met someone on October 3rd, 1582 the very next day you could proclaim, accurately be the way, that you had known them almost 2 weeks.
So what of the days before the Gregorian Calendar? Should one use the Julian Calendar to mark events prior to October 1582...which is what was changed to the Gregorian? If you run the Gregorian Calendar in reverse it is referred to as the Proleptic Gregorian Calendar. What is really neat and really insightful to me is that this one event...that occurred relatively recently in the scope of world history...is that it has become accepted. No one even speaks in terms of Gregorian Calendar as compared to the Julian, ISO, Unix, Mayan, Persian, Islamic or Hebrew Calendars. We just accept that today is May 16th, 2008. If I implied that today is May 3rd, 2008 (Julian) I would be right...but not according to everyone around me. If I proclaimed today is 11 Iyyar 5768 (Hebrew) I wouldn't be wrong. I am wishing you Happy 1429 Jumada I-Ula 10 (Islamic) and you shouldn't technically be confused by this. When it is all said and done though, today isn't any day other than May 16th, 2008. So what?
What else do we accept as law, fact, or truth that in reality has not always been? What Biblical "truth" do we accept without realizing that a time existed when our assumptions would seem silly or even irreverent? I suppose many such assumptions exist...but here's a few I can think of:
Church: Today we ask people where they go to church. That kind of language isn't found in the Bible and it would have been a strange question to anyone in the first 300-400 years (at least) of Christianity. We are asking in effect, "when you go to a place to fulfill your religious obligations, where is it?". The first, and arguably most fundamentally sound followers of Jesus knew nothing of that kind of talk. They were followers of Jesus and if you lumped them together they were an Ecclesia or church...not based on location, creed or doctrine, but because they had exchanged their former lives for the life God had for them.
Morals/Ethics: This one is simple. How many things do we accept today that were never accepted just a few years back? My grandmother was for all practical purposes an atheist. However, I knew that "trashy shows" like Three's Company were not to be viewed at her house. She couldn't believe that men and women would live together unmarried...even if they had separate rooms. Of course that's just one example but you get the idea.
Alcohol: I remember being amazed as a child when I heard a missionary from Germany discussing that his entire congregation would go to a local pub for lunch after church each Sunday. I thought it was weird that christians would even attend a bar...and then he mentioned his congregation drinking beer and toasting one another while at the pub. AMAZING!
Now as an adult I think it isn't amazing at all. What is amazing is the hypersensitivity we have in the Bible-belt regarding alcohol. The truth is, Jesus was called a drunkard and a glutton for a reason. Jesus made wine for people who were already drunk yet he never sinned. The founding fathers of this country who many like to insist were christian men (and I suppose they were) spent on average 20% of their yearly income on Rum...RUM for goodness sakes...and Benjamin Franklin made a really cool statement: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy". Enjoy a nice pint of brew or your favorite libation and relax...it isn't the faith issue we have assumed it to be.
Sex: Good Lord (literally) where to start? The hypersensitivity we have in this area makes the sensitivity we have regarding alcohol look minuscule. Simply put, God created sex...it is good. When christians learn to live out a more Biblical worldview regarding sexuality, perhaps the world will be more willing to hear other things we say. As long as we allow the world to dominate and define a creation of God I think we will continue to miss the blessing of sexuality and disappoint God.
I could go on but it would be better if I didn't type from now until May 4th or 5th...which would be one or two days from now had things never changed. I guess the point is for us all to put down our preconceived notions, traditions and prejudices and FREAKIN' THINK! That would be really nice and that would lead to great freedom for us all.
Have a great 1387 Ordibehesht 28...that's tomorrow for those of you not familiar with the Persian Calendar
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sissy Adventures
I am prone to the radical. I am likely to do temporary things like shave my head or grow a beard but am also likely to do lasting things like marry a woman I had known for only 8 months, 6 months if you count my time out of the country. I may go live among African tribes and I might even do it twice. I may get bored one summer and enlist in the U.S. Army for 6 years. I may take a strange Alabama Co-Ed to the 2000 Orange Bowl (I can't overstate how completely platonic it was and how the use of the word "strange" is not an accident). I may embarrass my wife by correcting a note my son's teacher sends home and writing on the note "-4" and sending it back...it did contain a dangling participle and I hate it when flighty women with a degree in elementary education pretend they are the absolute authority on raising children. I may fake a car wreck to get my wife to her Birthday Surprise party. I may be found at a Jewish Sabbat service. I have attended an exorcism and I have done CPR on 3 different people...for the record I am 1 for 3 though my lone positive outcome was in 12 different newspapers and one national magazine. I may speak on a panel of "medical experts" (which was laughable on many levels) for the Alabama Department of Public Health's nationwide CME program one day and be invited to be on an MTV documentary on prescription drug abuse the next. I have attended AA meetings though I am not an alcoholic and I was once honored by the Huntsville Chapter of the Civitans Club for simply cooking chicken over an open fire...which by the way lead to one of the two times I endured Salmonella. Which leads to another thing...I have had salmonella, giardia and malaria so I feel as though I am a walking petri dish. I once provided marital counseling to a couple-he had only one arm and was a crack addict but she was cheating on him so I feel as though it kind of averaged out...by the way, they divorced. I have been bitten by a poisonous snake, I have seen a black Mamba..though thankfully that wasn't the snake that bit me. A baboon tried to get into my car once and I was once being tracked by a cheetah...a real one. I was sexually harassed by a "Cougar" boss I once had and I once had a breast biopsy with no anesthesia.
The more I write the more I feel like Forrest Gump so that's enough about me for now.
While I have had to settle down a bit since getting married and having children I still have thoughts about taking my family to some far away place to live off the land, be a farmer or even take the CIA up on their offer from several years back (It's amazing what a security clearance can get you down the road). I love the thought of doing something radical, something outside of the box and something adventurous. I was daydreaming about something cool to do today and it hit me that the most spontaneous, weird or unorthodox things I have done isn't adventurous enough. I can pretend that I have lived a wild life but it will be just that...pretending.
I did indeed do all of the things above...and those are just the tip of the iceberg...but from a spiritual place I find something saying, "so what". I hear that some people try to live a life to compensate for ego issues, insecurities or something else...and maybe I have. Maybe rock climbing up the face of a cliff is crazy but it is nothing compared to the ultimate adventure. Perhaps people applaud those who stare death in the face and smile...personally I sweat and become really mean and judgemental when that has happened to me...but death doesn't hold a candle to real adventure. Just like everything else in this world, the best adventure I can conjure up is a Sissy Adventure compared to the adventure of following God with no regard for personal safety or personal advancement.
Not a single great character in the Bible became great without a period of time in the wilderness...usually alone and usually in less than ideal circumstances. Moses, Abraham, Elijah, Jacob, Joseph, David, Paul, John and even Jesus had wilderness experiences.
Joshua, once he entered the Promised Land...a land that was full of people who wanted to kill him and his people was ordered by God to do something crazy...and arguably adventurous..."circumcise yourself". Now I have been in some fights in my life and I don't think one of them would have ended well if I had been circumcised just prior to the fight.
The relatively young disciples are just getting the hang of being around Jesus and who does he end up dealing with? A naked, demon possessed man...talk about your crazy friends. And what of the sleep habits of Jesus? He sleeps when all hell is breaking loose in a storm at sea but doesn't sleep during calm nights because he wishes to pray. And what about the value system of Jesus? He came to set the captive free and did for the woman with bleeding, the woman caught in adultery and many blind people...but his cousin, John, was beheaded and Jesus never went to set him free...he just sent what amounted to a postcard..."The blind see, the deaf hear and the lame walk". If I am John I am thinking, "and what about those who are to be beheaded?"
Maybe our desire for mountain climbing, mountain biking, skydiving and other forms of adventure are just attempts to fill the gaping void left by not having true adventure with God. The idea of fasting for 40 days is scary to me...but isn't real adventure found when confronting fear and overcoming the natural tendency to avoid pain? Leading my wife and sons spiritually is a hard task..but adventure by design isn't supposed to be easy. Selling out to God and submitting my agenda to His will is uncomfortable...but adventure isn't for the faint hearted...and passionately following God, recklessly following Jesus and blindly opening ourselves to His Spirit isn't for the faint hearted either.
May we all choose God and the amazing adventure he makes available to us...if we do, jumping from a plane, volunteering for Ranger School or eating rotten fish in a West African village will be no big deal.
The more I write the more I feel like Forrest Gump so that's enough about me for now.
While I have had to settle down a bit since getting married and having children I still have thoughts about taking my family to some far away place to live off the land, be a farmer or even take the CIA up on their offer from several years back (It's amazing what a security clearance can get you down the road). I love the thought of doing something radical, something outside of the box and something adventurous. I was daydreaming about something cool to do today and it hit me that the most spontaneous, weird or unorthodox things I have done isn't adventurous enough. I can pretend that I have lived a wild life but it will be just that...pretending.
I did indeed do all of the things above...and those are just the tip of the iceberg...but from a spiritual place I find something saying, "so what". I hear that some people try to live a life to compensate for ego issues, insecurities or something else...and maybe I have. Maybe rock climbing up the face of a cliff is crazy but it is nothing compared to the ultimate adventure. Perhaps people applaud those who stare death in the face and smile...personally I sweat and become really mean and judgemental when that has happened to me...but death doesn't hold a candle to real adventure. Just like everything else in this world, the best adventure I can conjure up is a Sissy Adventure compared to the adventure of following God with no regard for personal safety or personal advancement.
Not a single great character in the Bible became great without a period of time in the wilderness...usually alone and usually in less than ideal circumstances. Moses, Abraham, Elijah, Jacob, Joseph, David, Paul, John and even Jesus had wilderness experiences.
Joshua, once he entered the Promised Land...a land that was full of people who wanted to kill him and his people was ordered by God to do something crazy...and arguably adventurous..."circumcise yourself". Now I have been in some fights in my life and I don't think one of them would have ended well if I had been circumcised just prior to the fight.
The relatively young disciples are just getting the hang of being around Jesus and who does he end up dealing with? A naked, demon possessed man...talk about your crazy friends. And what of the sleep habits of Jesus? He sleeps when all hell is breaking loose in a storm at sea but doesn't sleep during calm nights because he wishes to pray. And what about the value system of Jesus? He came to set the captive free and did for the woman with bleeding, the woman caught in adultery and many blind people...but his cousin, John, was beheaded and Jesus never went to set him free...he just sent what amounted to a postcard..."The blind see, the deaf hear and the lame walk". If I am John I am thinking, "and what about those who are to be beheaded?"
Maybe our desire for mountain climbing, mountain biking, skydiving and other forms of adventure are just attempts to fill the gaping void left by not having true adventure with God. The idea of fasting for 40 days is scary to me...but isn't real adventure found when confronting fear and overcoming the natural tendency to avoid pain? Leading my wife and sons spiritually is a hard task..but adventure by design isn't supposed to be easy. Selling out to God and submitting my agenda to His will is uncomfortable...but adventure isn't for the faint hearted...and passionately following God, recklessly following Jesus and blindly opening ourselves to His Spirit isn't for the faint hearted either.
May we all choose God and the amazing adventure he makes available to us...if we do, jumping from a plane, volunteering for Ranger School or eating rotten fish in a West African village will be no big deal.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Unaware
Yesterday my dad went to visit his mother. She lives in a nursing home and has for several years now. She went to live in a nursing home after having many strokes that erased her memory to a degree that she was a threat to herself. She has dementia but there is no difference in her and a usual Alzheimer's patient.
I haven't been to see her in a few years. That sounds cruel and harsh and perhaps it is. I last saw her at Christmas time when she still lived at home. She answered the door that day and had no clue who I was. I was already married and had 2 of my three sons at that point but she didn't know she was looking at her only son's son (me), nor did she know that she was in the presence of her great-grandsons. My grandfather invited me in and while we sat around and visited for a bit my grandmother continued to watch us with some degree of skepticism. It was like she didn't trust who we were or thought we might steal something. Though I spent some time with my dad's parents as a child, they were never really close to me and never made it a point to be in my life to any significant degree. With that said, I must sadly admit that my main concern regarding that aspect of my life is for my dad and the emotions he must feel as he asked his mother yesterday if she knew who he was and her simply, yet sure reply was, "No".
It has to be a massive hit to hear what you thought to be true...your mother isn't capable of recognizing you. In so many ways that moment may mark for him her death. In my twisted sense of reality I no longer thought of her as being alive in my world when she didn't know me. Relationships exist on the continuation of knowing one another.
My thoughts instantly go to Jesus possibly saying to me at the culmination of the ages, "Depart from me, I never knew you"...but initial thoughts aren't always the ones to write about.
My second thought turns toward the utter pain that Jesus must experience in that very moment. Let's face it, while it is horrific for the family, my grandmother is feeling no emotional pain from her current state. Jesus on the other hand must hate the idea that one day he must announce the truth and culmination of one's life to that person.
That makes me want to live better...and I don't mean just morality to the extreme...I mean live life in love with God. It also makes me want to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. Obviously the shell of my grandmother lives on but it is absent of relationship...so what does it matter. In the same way, what does it matter if I know about God and even read the Bible and even live according to some rules I read about in the Bible if there is never a relationship? If you think about it, isn't it the religious that Jesus tells he didn't know? They did things in His name...but no relationship. He was there at their creation...but no relationship. Why not get to know Jesus on a deep, intimate level? Otherwise we soon realize that life void of relationship is no life at all.
I haven't been to see her in a few years. That sounds cruel and harsh and perhaps it is. I last saw her at Christmas time when she still lived at home. She answered the door that day and had no clue who I was. I was already married and had 2 of my three sons at that point but she didn't know she was looking at her only son's son (me), nor did she know that she was in the presence of her great-grandsons. My grandfather invited me in and while we sat around and visited for a bit my grandmother continued to watch us with some degree of skepticism. It was like she didn't trust who we were or thought we might steal something. Though I spent some time with my dad's parents as a child, they were never really close to me and never made it a point to be in my life to any significant degree. With that said, I must sadly admit that my main concern regarding that aspect of my life is for my dad and the emotions he must feel as he asked his mother yesterday if she knew who he was and her simply, yet sure reply was, "No".
It has to be a massive hit to hear what you thought to be true...your mother isn't capable of recognizing you. In so many ways that moment may mark for him her death. In my twisted sense of reality I no longer thought of her as being alive in my world when she didn't know me. Relationships exist on the continuation of knowing one another.
My thoughts instantly go to Jesus possibly saying to me at the culmination of the ages, "Depart from me, I never knew you"...but initial thoughts aren't always the ones to write about.
My second thought turns toward the utter pain that Jesus must experience in that very moment. Let's face it, while it is horrific for the family, my grandmother is feeling no emotional pain from her current state. Jesus on the other hand must hate the idea that one day he must announce the truth and culmination of one's life to that person.
That makes me want to live better...and I don't mean just morality to the extreme...I mean live life in love with God. It also makes me want to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. Obviously the shell of my grandmother lives on but it is absent of relationship...so what does it matter. In the same way, what does it matter if I know about God and even read the Bible and even live according to some rules I read about in the Bible if there is never a relationship? If you think about it, isn't it the religious that Jesus tells he didn't know? They did things in His name...but no relationship. He was there at their creation...but no relationship. Why not get to know Jesus on a deep, intimate level? Otherwise we soon realize that life void of relationship is no life at all.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
"One Particular Harbour" and Clarity
One Particular Harbour (by Jimmy Buffett)
I know I don't get there often enough
But God knows I surely try
It's a magic kind of medicine
That no doctor could prescribe
I used to rule my world from a pay phone
And ships out on the sea
But now times are rough
And I got too much stuff
Can't explain the likes of me
But there's this one particular harbour
So far but yet so near
Where I see the days as they fade away
And finally disappear
But now I think about the good times
Down in the Caribbean sunshine
In my younger days I was so bad
Laughin' about all the fun we had
Lakes below the mountains
Flow into the sea
Like oils applied to canvas
They permeate through me
And there's that one particular harbour
Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shore each day
And all are safe within
Most mysterious calling harbour
So far but yet so near
I can see the day when my hair's full gray
And I finally disappear
Some people like the beat of music...and that's OK with me, but if I can have my choice I will take great lyrics any day over any musical aspect of a song. My tastes in music are as eclectic as most every aspect of my life. I enjoy everything from the William Tell Overture composed by Gioachino Rossini to Detroit Rock City by Kiss. I love U2, Take 6, Hank Williams, Jr., Ricky Skaggs, Lynard Skynard, Fairfield 4, Byron Cage and The B52's. Believe it or not I once actually dabbled in The Dead Kennedys and The Butthole Surfers...that was a fun time in life and interesting to say the least. When it is all said and done though I go back to the lyrics. To me the best lyrics come from people like Jimmy Buffett, Willie Nelson and even Billy Joel.
One Particular Harbour was my late brother's favorite song by Buffett and I really wanted to hear that today for some reason. Those lyrics really touch me because Jimmy is singing about a comforting place in life that is often just our of reach. Things, schedules and stuff continue to be obstacles to that one particular harbour. It's as though the place he really wants to be is hidden from him by the life he is living.
For me, the place where I long to be and the place where I often find myself are so different. Why? Is it the difference between my stated beliefs and my core beliefs? Is it the fact that I just don't exercise the discipline to produce the outcome I desire? Do I really not long to be in that good place? Maybe the simple truth is hidden by the complex perception?
Maybe I am exactly in that one particular harbour and I just don't know it. Maybe I wake up daily in that Harbour and despite how far I walk and how much I doubt, I never leave that Harbour. There is so much comfort in that thought...I hope it's true. I think God speaks about a Harbour through David in Psalm 139.
Psalm 139:1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
It seems that when we go to sleep, when we wake and when go about our lives God is there, present and paying attention. The Creator of Peace walks with us. The Inventor of Life is near. The Designer of Grace hovers about us, extending all we need. Still that One Particular Harbour of God is hidden by the dense fog we allow to settle in our lives. That's how God can be so close, yet seem so far. Maybe the Harbour isn't about a place because maybe it is so much more simple than that. Maybe the Harbour is about vision and that vision affecting our attitudes. I can allow bitterness, resentment, guilt and shame to cloud my vision of the Harbour to the degree that I even deny the existence of the Harbour or I can see clearly.
Jesus once spit in the eyes of a blind man and it only partially healed him. He could see but not with any great degree of clarity. So he did it again and the man was completely healed. I don't think Jesus misjudged the amount of blindness the man had and I don't think he just botched it. I think Jesus was showing us that even though we have been saved, maybe we need another touch. Maybe we need to have another touch so we can clearly see the Harbour in which we live and maybe seeing that Harbour will allow us to rest in Him. When we see with His clarity we can stop searching for our Harbour and begin to live for others in hope that they also will join us in God's One Particular Harbour..."Then I see the day when my hair's full gray and I finally disappear". May it be so...and soon.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Wealthy Swingers and the Amish
My wife recently shared some shocking news with me. Maybe I shouldn't have been shocked when considering the duplicity and multiplicity of life as most of us know it. Apparently the two most affluent areas in Birmingham have rather large swinging groups. Now for those of you who have been living under a rock, swinging is the practice of "non-monogamous sexual activity". That definition seems a bit sanitized so let's just say it is the practice of couples, usually married, participating in sexual activity with other couples or groups..."wife-swapping".
Now for the record and to be "fair and balanced" I must give you some stats on swingers/swinging.
1. 60% said that swinging improved their relationship; 1.7% said swinging made their relationship less happy. Approximately 50% of those who rated their relationship "very happy" before becoming swingers maintained their relationship had become happier.
2. 90% of those with less happy relationships said swinging improved them.
3. Swingers rate themselves happier ("very happy": 59% of swingers compared to 32% of non-swingers) and their lives more "exciting" (76% of swingers compared to 54% of non-swingers) than non-swingers, by significantly large margins.
4. And for those who claim this "lifestyle" is androcentric, There was no significant difference between responses of men and women, although more males (70%) than females completed the survey.
In an ABC Investigative Report about swinging not one of the 12 marriage counselors interviewed advised couples not to swing. They stated that swinging typically increases intimacy and dramatically increases levels of confidence for the women involved as they feel a sense of control.
The problem with stats produced by swingers is the people who don't answer the questionnaires. People who have divorced after entering the lifestyle or the people who have left the lifestyle after intense jealousy or acquiring a disease aren't polled. The overly positive stats are skewed at best and most likely should be considered confounded in the truest sense of the word.
So what has lead the presumably wealthy people to be attracted to a lifestyle of swinging? They have money, status, family, luxuries...the things most people strive for their entire lives. Yet they want more. What about sex with a single spouse isn't enough? What about a lifestyle of relative ease and financial security leaves some lacking?
The polar opposite of the affluent swingers may well be the Amish. They are more than content with modest homes, outdated farming methods and one wife. They mostly live off the land and are so "plain" they even avoid having "fancy" things like electricity, cars and clothing with buttons (zippers apparently are fine). On the surface it would seem the lives of the wealthy people of status would be much preferred to that of the simpletons. However...and of course there is always a "however"...
I have had the absolute honor to befriend an Amish community in East Tennessee. They are calm, relaxed and devout. I envy their simple lives, simple aspirations and utter reliance on God. The community I have met is the lone open Amish community in the world. That is to mean that they are not "ordnung"...they speak English in their services and invite non-Amish to their services. Interestingly enough they have to find a new farm to hold their converts...that's right, Amish conversions.
Last October Brook and I were blessed by riding our Mountain Bikes through their community. We met several rather delightful people. One woman was new to the community. She had a simple beauty and a great spirit about her. She and her husband converted in 2007. They have a son serving in the Army as a helicopter pilot and her husband was a computer programmer and Baptist Pastor for 16 years. They had enough of the "I need more lifestyle". They were finished with the complexity of life and the struggles we all face as we attempt to live out our faith in such a complex culture. So they exchanged the lives focused on acquiring, obtaining and expanding for a life that is content. Content with what? Just content.
Here's the crux of the matter for me. My life, of course absent of the sexual aspect, looks a lot more like that of the wealthy swingers than that of the simple Amish. My aspirations often include extravagance rather than the plain. Living an abundant life for me includes things that are not abundant nor life giving. Admittedly, if my current lifestyle was played out to its logical conclusion, it would be much more of a stretch to live like the Amish than like the Swingers. Of course these two lifestyles are not the only options but often the extreme, absurd or grotesque are valuable in being made aware of ones brokenness and need of God's grace. Some know this as an aspect of via negativa (see previous post).
I pray that as Brook and I continue to make plans in life for our families that the only swinging we will be doing is swinging toward a life of simplicity and the only thing we will be seeking more of is more of God in our lives. Anything less will be futile, banal and disappointing.
Now for the record and to be "fair and balanced" I must give you some stats on swingers/swinging.
1. 60% said that swinging improved their relationship; 1.7% said swinging made their relationship less happy. Approximately 50% of those who rated their relationship "very happy" before becoming swingers maintained their relationship had become happier.
2. 90% of those with less happy relationships said swinging improved them.
3. Swingers rate themselves happier ("very happy": 59% of swingers compared to 32% of non-swingers) and their lives more "exciting" (76% of swingers compared to 54% of non-swingers) than non-swingers, by significantly large margins.
4. And for those who claim this "lifestyle" is androcentric, There was no significant difference between responses of men and women, although more males (70%) than females completed the survey.
In an ABC Investigative Report about swinging not one of the 12 marriage counselors interviewed advised couples not to swing. They stated that swinging typically increases intimacy and dramatically increases levels of confidence for the women involved as they feel a sense of control.
The problem with stats produced by swingers is the people who don't answer the questionnaires. People who have divorced after entering the lifestyle or the people who have left the lifestyle after intense jealousy or acquiring a disease aren't polled. The overly positive stats are skewed at best and most likely should be considered confounded in the truest sense of the word.
So what has lead the presumably wealthy people to be attracted to a lifestyle of swinging? They have money, status, family, luxuries...the things most people strive for their entire lives. Yet they want more. What about sex with a single spouse isn't enough? What about a lifestyle of relative ease and financial security leaves some lacking?
The polar opposite of the affluent swingers may well be the Amish. They are more than content with modest homes, outdated farming methods and one wife. They mostly live off the land and are so "plain" they even avoid having "fancy" things like electricity, cars and clothing with buttons (zippers apparently are fine). On the surface it would seem the lives of the wealthy people of status would be much preferred to that of the simpletons. However...and of course there is always a "however"...
I have had the absolute honor to befriend an Amish community in East Tennessee. They are calm, relaxed and devout. I envy their simple lives, simple aspirations and utter reliance on God. The community I have met is the lone open Amish community in the world. That is to mean that they are not "ordnung"...they speak English in their services and invite non-Amish to their services. Interestingly enough they have to find a new farm to hold their converts...that's right, Amish conversions.
Last October Brook and I were blessed by riding our Mountain Bikes through their community. We met several rather delightful people. One woman was new to the community. She had a simple beauty and a great spirit about her. She and her husband converted in 2007. They have a son serving in the Army as a helicopter pilot and her husband was a computer programmer and Baptist Pastor for 16 years. They had enough of the "I need more lifestyle". They were finished with the complexity of life and the struggles we all face as we attempt to live out our faith in such a complex culture. So they exchanged the lives focused on acquiring, obtaining and expanding for a life that is content. Content with what? Just content.
Here's the crux of the matter for me. My life, of course absent of the sexual aspect, looks a lot more like that of the wealthy swingers than that of the simple Amish. My aspirations often include extravagance rather than the plain. Living an abundant life for me includes things that are not abundant nor life giving. Admittedly, if my current lifestyle was played out to its logical conclusion, it would be much more of a stretch to live like the Amish than like the Swingers. Of course these two lifestyles are not the only options but often the extreme, absurd or grotesque are valuable in being made aware of ones brokenness and need of God's grace. Some know this as an aspect of via negativa (see previous post).
I pray that as Brook and I continue to make plans in life for our families that the only swinging we will be doing is swinging toward a life of simplicity and the only thing we will be seeking more of is more of God in our lives. Anything less will be futile, banal and disappointing.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Church-enstein and Croatians That Convict
"Mingled with this horror, I felt the bitterness of disappointment; dreams that had been my food and pleasant rest for so long a space were now become a hell to me; and the change was so reapid, the overthrow so complete." (from Frankenstein By Mary Shelley)
Jesus came to set the captive free but my personal religious experiences have not at all lead to freedom. In fact, I often feel shackled by "church-ianity" and the ways in which I have experienced the more institutionalized faith of today. It seems that the typical current model of American church doesn't function unless fear and spiritual slavery is added to the mix in healthy measures.
I often have to remind myself of the sentiments of the Croatian Theologian, Miroslav Volf. I take from his book, Exclusion and Embrace, the timely and convicting message that my reaction to evil, abuse or injustice can be just as evil and ungodly as the initial offense. If I am honest I must report that often the anger and sarcasm I direct toward "church" is rooted in the expectations and dreams I once held for "church". There is a word used to describe such expectations and dreams...idolatry.
Attributing saving power or absurdly high hope to anyone or anything other than God is idolatry. I have mistakenly used "church" and "God" or "Jesus" interchangeably. Why else would it be necessary for one to attend church? Whether we admit it or not, we believe that is where we encounter, commune and experience God. Why else would it so wound when ministers and pastors cheat, lie and steal? We elevate them as "super-christians" and we even compensate them as "professional-christians"...don't we all make a living with work we are gifted, experienced or educated to do? Why else would church doctrine increasingly stray with scripture over time? Why else would people blend preference and scripture to a degree that canonizes preferences? I just feel that we ascribe a worth, a holiness and a necessity to the institution of church and the nominalization of "christians" that isn't in step with God's intent for His people and His church.
It is just so easy to protect our positions. It is so easy to have an opinion that can be substantiated by a Bible verse. It is so easy to turn a blind eye to other verses not as clear cut or not in favor of our positions. It is so hard to wrestle with scripture...its meaning, its intent and the ways in which we can live faithfully according to scripture.
Mark Twain wrote, "men and rivers both become crooked when the easy way is taken". In my opinion, the easy way has been taken by the people of God and churches in general for far too long. I can't change that now...in fact, I am not capable of something that huge. What I can do though is to continue to humbly put my frustration, anger and hopes at the foot of the Cross. I can be an agent of change through proactive behavior and attitudes. I can assure that my reaction to what I consider to be a hijacking of faith and gross injustice in the name of God does not lead me into a place of impurity, harshness or any place void of the grace of the Father...in whom and for whom it is all about anyway.
Maybe one day the "bitterness of disappointment" and dreams that have become a hell for me will only refer to the disappointment and shattered dreams known outside the embrace and presence of God. I pray that the "overthrow so complete" will only refer to the degree to which I have yielded to the agenda set before me by God and God alone. May it be so.
Jesus came to set the captive free but my personal religious experiences have not at all lead to freedom. In fact, I often feel shackled by "church-ianity" and the ways in which I have experienced the more institutionalized faith of today. It seems that the typical current model of American church doesn't function unless fear and spiritual slavery is added to the mix in healthy measures.
I often have to remind myself of the sentiments of the Croatian Theologian, Miroslav Volf. I take from his book, Exclusion and Embrace, the timely and convicting message that my reaction to evil, abuse or injustice can be just as evil and ungodly as the initial offense. If I am honest I must report that often the anger and sarcasm I direct toward "church" is rooted in the expectations and dreams I once held for "church". There is a word used to describe such expectations and dreams...idolatry.
Attributing saving power or absurdly high hope to anyone or anything other than God is idolatry. I have mistakenly used "church" and "God" or "Jesus" interchangeably. Why else would it be necessary for one to attend church? Whether we admit it or not, we believe that is where we encounter, commune and experience God. Why else would it so wound when ministers and pastors cheat, lie and steal? We elevate them as "super-christians" and we even compensate them as "professional-christians"...don't we all make a living with work we are gifted, experienced or educated to do? Why else would church doctrine increasingly stray with scripture over time? Why else would people blend preference and scripture to a degree that canonizes preferences? I just feel that we ascribe a worth, a holiness and a necessity to the institution of church and the nominalization of "christians" that isn't in step with God's intent for His people and His church.
It is just so easy to protect our positions. It is so easy to have an opinion that can be substantiated by a Bible verse. It is so easy to turn a blind eye to other verses not as clear cut or not in favor of our positions. It is so hard to wrestle with scripture...its meaning, its intent and the ways in which we can live faithfully according to scripture.
Mark Twain wrote, "men and rivers both become crooked when the easy way is taken". In my opinion, the easy way has been taken by the people of God and churches in general for far too long. I can't change that now...in fact, I am not capable of something that huge. What I can do though is to continue to humbly put my frustration, anger and hopes at the foot of the Cross. I can be an agent of change through proactive behavior and attitudes. I can assure that my reaction to what I consider to be a hijacking of faith and gross injustice in the name of God does not lead me into a place of impurity, harshness or any place void of the grace of the Father...in whom and for whom it is all about anyway.
Maybe one day the "bitterness of disappointment" and dreams that have become a hell for me will only refer to the disappointment and shattered dreams known outside the embrace and presence of God. I pray that the "overthrow so complete" will only refer to the degree to which I have yielded to the agenda set before me by God and God alone. May it be so.
Mother's Day
I know typically Mother's Day is a day when women are honored for their goodness, kindness, sacrifices and love. The tendency seems to be to honor all women for all things, but today I feel like really writing about my wife. I can say a million things about her in general...but what about her as a mother to our 3 boys?
Brook has a strength and endurance any Kenyan marathon runner would envy. When sleep has been little and work has been plentiful she keeps going...well, that actually isn't enough of the truth. She keeps going with grace and that grace makes all the difference in the world. Even during the most difficult days she pauses to kiss a scraped knee or put a Band-Aid on a "wound" that isn't even bleeding. When she faces the choice of self or the boys (or me for that matter) she chooses to be self-sacrificial and daily shines the very light of Jesus into our home and into the lives of the boys. She is up early 7 days a week preparing herself through journaling and reading for the day that is ahead of her. She plans events for the boys that will be very difficult for her and her only compensation are happy boys, smiles, hugs and kisses...and with her gentle and transformed heart, that is enough for her.
I wonder if she even realizes what she is doing and what she has created in the long term? I wonder how often she pauses, or is even able to pause, to think about the character, integrity and Godliness she is displaying and instilling in our sons? Does God ever allow her a glimpse of the well adjusted husbands and fathers that lead their families and others in a way that honors God and her? I pray that she knows that her daily tasks, though they seem mundane and void of lasting value, impact me, her sons and their future generations. Brook radiates too brightly, influences so positively and loves too exhaustively to not impact, influence and forever change everyone she touches. Our sons are forever blessed and much better than they otherwise would be because God saw fit to place them in the love and care of their Mom. That single fact alone has made and will continue to make all the difference in the world...literally.
My quandary isn't how wonderful Brook is or how great she is as a mother. My greatest difficulty is deciding what to get her for Mother's Day. I have no clue what to get her and I now only have 4 days to figure it out. If she were average, usual or typical my decision would be so much easier. But she isn't average in any way. She doesn't know the definition of the word, "usual" and "typical" has never accurately described Brook. Regardless of what I get her I am sure of one thing...it will in no way appropriately reflect her worth, her radiance or the love felt for her by the 4 boys she blesses every day. Knowing Brook though, she will smile and be gracious no matter how short my efforts fall. That's just another reason why I fall in love with her all over again each day.
Brook has a strength and endurance any Kenyan marathon runner would envy. When sleep has been little and work has been plentiful she keeps going...well, that actually isn't enough of the truth. She keeps going with grace and that grace makes all the difference in the world. Even during the most difficult days she pauses to kiss a scraped knee or put a Band-Aid on a "wound" that isn't even bleeding. When she faces the choice of self or the boys (or me for that matter) she chooses to be self-sacrificial and daily shines the very light of Jesus into our home and into the lives of the boys. She is up early 7 days a week preparing herself through journaling and reading for the day that is ahead of her. She plans events for the boys that will be very difficult for her and her only compensation are happy boys, smiles, hugs and kisses...and with her gentle and transformed heart, that is enough for her.
I wonder if she even realizes what she is doing and what she has created in the long term? I wonder how often she pauses, or is even able to pause, to think about the character, integrity and Godliness she is displaying and instilling in our sons? Does God ever allow her a glimpse of the well adjusted husbands and fathers that lead their families and others in a way that honors God and her? I pray that she knows that her daily tasks, though they seem mundane and void of lasting value, impact me, her sons and their future generations. Brook radiates too brightly, influences so positively and loves too exhaustively to not impact, influence and forever change everyone she touches. Our sons are forever blessed and much better than they otherwise would be because God saw fit to place them in the love and care of their Mom. That single fact alone has made and will continue to make all the difference in the world...literally.
My quandary isn't how wonderful Brook is or how great she is as a mother. My greatest difficulty is deciding what to get her for Mother's Day. I have no clue what to get her and I now only have 4 days to figure it out. If she were average, usual or typical my decision would be so much easier. But she isn't average in any way. She doesn't know the definition of the word, "usual" and "typical" has never accurately described Brook. Regardless of what I get her I am sure of one thing...it will in no way appropriately reflect her worth, her radiance or the love felt for her by the 4 boys she blesses every day. Knowing Brook though, she will smile and be gracious no matter how short my efforts fall. That's just another reason why I fall in love with her all over again each day.
Friday, May 2, 2008
The Expectations of Process
I am 32 years old. I am certainly not an old man but I am too old to ever use youth, immaturity or inexperience as a viable excuse for a major mistake. Last night I went with a friend of mine to the local minor league baseball game. These kids were walking around with beers and I had to face the harsh reality that these "kids" were of legal age and therefore had to be at least 21 years old. These "kids" can legally vote, carry a weapon, drink alcohol and sign contracts. So to say the least, I felt dated.
So the next logical step for me is self evaluation. Where am I in life? How am I doing in my walk with God? My marriage? What kind of father am I? The only measuring stick I have in these areas is to think about what I always wanted to be and to look around me at how others are doing. But there is a huge problem with these attempts to measure. My expectations were formed without the benefit of experience and the opinions I have of others is based on extremely limited information about them. Not to mention, without the benefit of seeing how the lives of others turn out, I am still dealing with a lack of experience. So where do I turn?
In order to best determine if I am on the right path I think it is best to go to the One who created the path and created me to walk on the path. My natural tendancy would be to get a check list together, compose a list a Bible verses through which I can compare my life or to conjure up a great program to work in order to land at some favorable place. As comfortable, predictable and challenging as that may be I can't bring myself to do it.
While God is a God or order and while I know He has certain expectations of me, I know that God's goal for me is a process. It isn't a program, schedule or mandated guidelines...it is process. How else could the murdering Moses lead the people of God? How else could the murdering, cheating David be "a man after God's own heart"? How else could the denial of Peter be understood by Jesus? How else could James deny his brother's diety early in life only to lead others to him later in life? Process.
Why else would we be referred to as God's children? Do children grow, change, make mistakes? Sure they do and in fact, we expect them to. Why else would we be referred to as the bride of Christ? I know my wife and I are better to one another than we were, more in love than ever and enjoy a depth that wasn't possible when she was first my "bride". With all of that stated, the Bible seems to teach about a faith in a God that is all about process.
So am I in the process of "becoming"? Sure I am. Is right now a particularly high or low point in my walk with God, my marriage or as a father? It doesn't matter. Process implies the horrible and the fantastic, the slow and the fast, the hurt and the healing. Perhaps we are vulnerable to our over correction leading to mistakes, guilt and shame when we focus too much on the here and now or when we try to grade ourselves on today...or even on this week or this month.
Luther said, "Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly still". Amen.
May we all live boldly in faith, in our relationships and even in our failures...but live out the boldness of the absurdity revealed to us on the Cross of Jesus in all aspects of the Process.
So the next logical step for me is self evaluation. Where am I in life? How am I doing in my walk with God? My marriage? What kind of father am I? The only measuring stick I have in these areas is to think about what I always wanted to be and to look around me at how others are doing. But there is a huge problem with these attempts to measure. My expectations were formed without the benefit of experience and the opinions I have of others is based on extremely limited information about them. Not to mention, without the benefit of seeing how the lives of others turn out, I am still dealing with a lack of experience. So where do I turn?
In order to best determine if I am on the right path I think it is best to go to the One who created the path and created me to walk on the path. My natural tendancy would be to get a check list together, compose a list a Bible verses through which I can compare my life or to conjure up a great program to work in order to land at some favorable place. As comfortable, predictable and challenging as that may be I can't bring myself to do it.
While God is a God or order and while I know He has certain expectations of me, I know that God's goal for me is a process. It isn't a program, schedule or mandated guidelines...it is process. How else could the murdering Moses lead the people of God? How else could the murdering, cheating David be "a man after God's own heart"? How else could the denial of Peter be understood by Jesus? How else could James deny his brother's diety early in life only to lead others to him later in life? Process.
Why else would we be referred to as God's children? Do children grow, change, make mistakes? Sure they do and in fact, we expect them to. Why else would we be referred to as the bride of Christ? I know my wife and I are better to one another than we were, more in love than ever and enjoy a depth that wasn't possible when she was first my "bride". With all of that stated, the Bible seems to teach about a faith in a God that is all about process.
So am I in the process of "becoming"? Sure I am. Is right now a particularly high or low point in my walk with God, my marriage or as a father? It doesn't matter. Process implies the horrible and the fantastic, the slow and the fast, the hurt and the healing. Perhaps we are vulnerable to our over correction leading to mistakes, guilt and shame when we focus too much on the here and now or when we try to grade ourselves on today...or even on this week or this month.
Luther said, "Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly still". Amen.
May we all live boldly in faith, in our relationships and even in our failures...but live out the boldness of the absurdity revealed to us on the Cross of Jesus in all aspects of the Process.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Church, Money and Giving the Church your Money
“They just want your money”. That can be said about several groups. Politicians, people who ask for money downtown and even corporate America. Unfortunately one other group says this and they often get away with it…church!
Why does the church need our money? The usual argument is so that the work of the Lord can be done. There are expenses incurred by churches. Typically, and I am aware of some exceptions, the actual church building, staff salaries and operating expenses take up the lion’s share of the money. No wonder we only equate the work of the Lord with things that happen at church buildings and with “church people”. No wonder the average Christian doesn’t lead any significant charge into the enemy’s camp or even feel that they have a responsibility to do so. We have been trained to financially support the professional Christians we label “pastor”, “preacher”, “reverend”, “priest” or “minister” through our secular jobs and the money we earn there.
Why do we even need a “church building”? The early church didn’t have buildings and frankly didn’t need them. They met in homes and in public places. Church buildings and properties were unheard of prior to Constantine adopting Christianity as the official religion of his empire. Yet we have them today and they cost a lot of money. If we are honest though, we must admit that the church building has little or no impact on “the Lord’s work”…especially on days other than Sundays. I would even argue the buildings that cost so much are detrimental to the work people claim to be about…but they do look nice.
Now to church staff…in my opinion the idea of an official minister is also a detriment to the Lord’s work. Let me add that I tread lightly here since some great friends of mine are ministers that are not typical and are not parasites, but with that said…if churches and Christian in general lived as they should professional ministers wouldn’t be needed. I said that I have friends who are ministers and from hearing about their ministries I can say with certainty that their job mostly entails “babysitting” Christians who should NOT require babysitting. Which came first? The baby Christians who never grew up spiritually or the professional ministers who continue to baby the spiritual infants and never hold them responsible or accountable for their own walk with God? Who knows…but I do know that the expense of mostly overpaid ministers is laughable at best and an abomination at worst.
So what does the New Testament say about giving money to the church organization? Nothing! In case you missed that or misunderstood let me state that again. NOTHING! The N.T. does provide an example of those who gave as they had the ability to give. (2 Cor. 8). We also read of the early church practicing of giving to people in need (Acts 2 and Acts 4). We are told that we are to give whatever we do in secret (Matt 6). We are told to give whatever we give cheerfully (2 Cor. 9). With all of that I still can’t find that we are commanded to give to a church organizational structure. Nor can I find that we are to support a building fund, staff salaries or any other things we typically hear that we should support.
So what does the Old Testament say about giving to God? God outlines well for us what His people should do in Deuteronomy 14. Let’s look closely for a minute…
Deuteronomy 14:
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. ok, so 10%...that’s easy, what’s next
23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. Wait a minute…we are to save a tenth of our production and then eat it as long as we do so in the presence of the Lord? What does that do? Oh, it teaches us to revere the Lord…got it
24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. so if I can’t get to the Temple I am to exchange my production for money, which the bank has already done for us…then what? I can use the money to buy WHATEVER I WANT? Sweet!!! Then we just enjoy what we purchase in the presence of the Lord and rejoice…got it
27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. Ok, Levites…are these not what we may today call ministers and therefore we have to give them money? NO NO NO. The Levites had no way in which to make money and never had an inheritance…ministers have plenty of other ways to make money and they are left an inheritance if their family has the financial means to do so…so this doesn’t count today.
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. every three years it sounds like the rules change a bit…how so? Well, apparently we are to use our tithe in the third year to care for the foreigners, fatherless and the widows. That sounds very Christ-like and very near the heart of scripture as a whole
So what about paying the mortgage on church buildings, paying staff salaries and making sure our pet “religious” projects happen? Nope. Nothing. It’s not in there…so then why in the hell do we do it and why in the hell are we asked to? I have an idea…let’s just say I intentionally used the word hell…but that’s just my opinion.
Why does the church need our money? The usual argument is so that the work of the Lord can be done. There are expenses incurred by churches. Typically, and I am aware of some exceptions, the actual church building, staff salaries and operating expenses take up the lion’s share of the money. No wonder we only equate the work of the Lord with things that happen at church buildings and with “church people”. No wonder the average Christian doesn’t lead any significant charge into the enemy’s camp or even feel that they have a responsibility to do so. We have been trained to financially support the professional Christians we label “pastor”, “preacher”, “reverend”, “priest” or “minister” through our secular jobs and the money we earn there.
Why do we even need a “church building”? The early church didn’t have buildings and frankly didn’t need them. They met in homes and in public places. Church buildings and properties were unheard of prior to Constantine adopting Christianity as the official religion of his empire. Yet we have them today and they cost a lot of money. If we are honest though, we must admit that the church building has little or no impact on “the Lord’s work”…especially on days other than Sundays. I would even argue the buildings that cost so much are detrimental to the work people claim to be about…but they do look nice.
Now to church staff…in my opinion the idea of an official minister is also a detriment to the Lord’s work. Let me add that I tread lightly here since some great friends of mine are ministers that are not typical and are not parasites, but with that said…if churches and Christian in general lived as they should professional ministers wouldn’t be needed. I said that I have friends who are ministers and from hearing about their ministries I can say with certainty that their job mostly entails “babysitting” Christians who should NOT require babysitting. Which came first? The baby Christians who never grew up spiritually or the professional ministers who continue to baby the spiritual infants and never hold them responsible or accountable for their own walk with God? Who knows…but I do know that the expense of mostly overpaid ministers is laughable at best and an abomination at worst.
So what does the New Testament say about giving money to the church organization? Nothing! In case you missed that or misunderstood let me state that again. NOTHING! The N.T. does provide an example of those who gave as they had the ability to give. (2 Cor. 8). We also read of the early church practicing of giving to people in need (Acts 2 and Acts 4). We are told that we are to give whatever we do in secret (Matt 6). We are told to give whatever we give cheerfully (2 Cor. 9). With all of that I still can’t find that we are commanded to give to a church organizational structure. Nor can I find that we are to support a building fund, staff salaries or any other things we typically hear that we should support.
So what does the Old Testament say about giving to God? God outlines well for us what His people should do in Deuteronomy 14. Let’s look closely for a minute…
Deuteronomy 14:
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. ok, so 10%...that’s easy, what’s next
23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. Wait a minute…we are to save a tenth of our production and then eat it as long as we do so in the presence of the Lord? What does that do? Oh, it teaches us to revere the Lord…got it
24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. so if I can’t get to the Temple I am to exchange my production for money, which the bank has already done for us…then what? I can use the money to buy WHATEVER I WANT? Sweet!!! Then we just enjoy what we purchase in the presence of the Lord and rejoice…got it
27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. Ok, Levites…are these not what we may today call ministers and therefore we have to give them money? NO NO NO. The Levites had no way in which to make money and never had an inheritance…ministers have plenty of other ways to make money and they are left an inheritance if their family has the financial means to do so…so this doesn’t count today.
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. every three years it sounds like the rules change a bit…how so? Well, apparently we are to use our tithe in the third year to care for the foreigners, fatherless and the widows. That sounds very Christ-like and very near the heart of scripture as a whole
So what about paying the mortgage on church buildings, paying staff salaries and making sure our pet “religious” projects happen? Nope. Nothing. It’s not in there…so then why in the hell do we do it and why in the hell are we asked to? I have an idea…let’s just say I intentionally used the word hell…but that’s just my opinion.
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