Art of UnNaming

For Everything there is a Season

2013-01-12T20:14:00.000-05:00

Currently written on the whiteboard in our kitchen is:

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

I started reading through the Bible again this year and the first passage of the year was from Ecclesiastes 3. The writer begins by saying "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Truly life ebbs and flows in seasons -- seasons of doubt, seasons of joy, seasons of heartache, and everything in between.

Maybe what I heard God whispering to me most in these words was that God wants me to be fully alive, fully attentive to each season. He doesn't use tentative or reserved words, he says when things are bad we ought to weep, to tear our clothes and mourn. And when things are good we ought to be laughing that belly hurting kind of laughter, dancing with abandon. I think so often I close off my heart from the hurt, numbing myself to the pain. To live fully alive I believe Jesus would say cry your eyes out every once in a while and make sure you laugh so hard milk comes out your nose too. In the shortest verses of scripture we find Jesus weeping and at the beginning of his ministry we see him turning water to wine, keeping the party going.

My prayer is that this year there will be more laughing and dancing than weeping and mourning, but whatever God brings I will enter fully, and my heart might be more alive for it.

I got the privilege to preach on this passage last Sunday if you care to listen.

Advent Prayer

2012-12-16T06:54:00.000-05:00

Every year I come across this advent prayer and it stirs my soul to turn toward heaven, expectant to see God coming down to earth.

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory now and for ever. Amen. {The Divine Hours}

Truly I am hindered by my sins and I need God to offer me mercy. In God's subversive way, when he stirred up his power and with great might came among us, he showed up as a baby. Only God would rescue the world from a manger.

Peace to you this Advent.

Into the Rock Gorge

2012-09-01T13:45:00.000-04:00

I should have known better, as we studied the contour lines that traced along the snaking banks of the Chattooga River. The trail climbs away from the rushing waters and all it says on the map is "Rock Gorge." Of course Kyle couldn't resist -- an uncharted, unexplored gorge along the foothills trail that surely had boulders the size of houses, whitewater rapids, who knows, maybe even some cliff lines.

So, we packed the fly rod and lures, a couple of sandwiches and took off through upstate South Carolina. It wasn't long before we saw a yard sale and stopped briefly to inspect a Coleman stove -- not without getting some auspicious directions to what the locals claimed was the best lake in the state. We took an old dirt road out to the trail head and headed into the forest.

The shade from the trees provided a retreat from the sun and we were glad just to be in the woods. We took a brief break at licklog falls and I snapped this picture at the base of the falls.

As we hiked away from the falls, the steady white noise of the river faded into the sounds of the forest making you wonder if you could still hear it below. Having climbed several hundred feet we checked our map and as best we could tell we were right above the rock gorge. So, Kyle in the lead, we charge off toward an ever steepening decent. Holding onto rhododendron and pushing our way through tickets we made it down to where we could see the river through the foliage, but it looked like it almost dropped straight off to the river. Undeterred, Kyle pressed us forward, navigating the slope and dropping us into the heart of the gorge.

As we stepped out of the green labyrinth of rhododendron we were rewarded with some beautiful rapids and peaceful shoals. Kyle pulled out the fly rod and tested the waters.

The soft whirl of the line whisking through the air fit right in with the low rumble of the water carrying over the rocks. Nothing was biting, but we didn't care. Kyle handed the rod to me and headed downstream to check out the lower part of the gorge. I worked on my technique and tried to keep from catching the lure in the rocks (and my back), which worked most of the time. As I pulled on the rod to cast again I couldn't get the line out of the water. I thought, "Oh great, I've caught another bunch of leaves," but out of what water jumped a little trout. It was a beautiful little fish with an orange strip by its head. We let it go and I worked a few more pools -- glad for the quiet and the steady motion of the rod more than anything else.

As we started to pack up, an ominous cloud crested the western ridge. We could try to get out the way we came in (which was not particularly appealing), or we could try to head upstream until we got to a place where the trail comes back down close to the river. We opted for the latter and made our way up the river. We waded through the slick waters and traversed rocks lining the river and then it started raining. At this point I started to get a little nervous -- the rock was already slick, we're committed to this path and we're making slow progress over this strenuous terrain. Kyle as always kept his cool and led the way until we got to an impasse. There was an eight foot gap and the water was over our heads so Kyle tried to climb around. When he couldn't find a hand hold he fell back into the water, completely soaked. Thankfully he didn't have anything but a book that got wet, but I had a phone and camera in my bag. So I got in the water and handed my bag over my head to Kyle who had swam to the other side.

Not too much further we found some shelter from the rain under a large overhand, refueled and made our way to a large bend in the river. Checking our map we figured we had gone far enough, plowed through the underbrush and popped out onto the trail about 20 yards from the river.

The rain stopped and cooled down the air, leaving a light fog as we hiked out, the rock gorge behind us.

Driving out of the mountains toward Walhalla we stopped at a country store and picked up two sodas in glass bottles and a cup full of boiled peanuts. With the salty taste of the south in our mouths and our legs scratched and tired, we made our way home, reminded of the peaceful stillness and the formidable power of the river -- glad for the friendship in between.

Prayer Notebook - iPhone app to organize your prayers

2012-06-16T13:40:00.000-04:00

For a long time I've wanted to be more diligent in prayer -- particularly for other people. How often have I said "I'll pray for you," really mean it at the time, and then not follow through? Unfortunately, way too many times.

Sometimes I say those words because that's what we're supposed to say, but hopefully, deep down, I know that the best thing, the most powerful thing I can really offer is prayer. Prayer is not second best when we can't do something tangible, prayer takes courage to relinquish control and call on God to move, to act, to come through.

The guys I work with at ICN Ventures feel the same way and so as we began to think about building an iPhone app, one that centered on prayer was the obvious choice -- so Prayer Notebook was born.

Prayer Notebook lets you keep up with your prayers, schedule them for different days of the week, and set reminders so you don't forget to pray. You can group your prayers into categories and turn the phone sideways to flip through your prayers fullscreen.

We're really excited about the app and how people can use it to be more consistent and fervent in prayer.

My good friend Trey Boden made this awesome video to show off the app, so check it out:

You can purchase the app for your iPhone at $1.99 or try it out for free with Prayer Notebook Lite. If you enjoy the app you can follow us on twitter @PrayerNotebook and please tell your friends about it!

A Return to Beauty

2012-03-18T15:22:00.000-04:00

Photo by Carl Wycoff

I feel like I haven't had the time, or taken the time lately to ponder beauty or find creative space. Our family got hit with a bug a few weeks back that wiped us out for a week and a half -- sometimes it just feels like we're in survival mode.

My wife gave me one of the best gifts I could have received at Christmas: a weekend out camping and climbing with my friend Kyle. Though we had to battle a few popup thunderstorms, we got an unusually warm weekend for this time in March. As I drove to meet Kyle, I rolled down the windows and felt a slight chill with the coolness of the breeze and a warmth from the sun that swelled in my chest like a good wine going down.

As Kyle and I entered Tennessee, the hills were littered with poplars, bursting with brilliant greens and the purples of redbuds -- as if they had been brushed onto the canvas of the mountains. The world was coming alive with spring as my heart was coming alive to beauty. Driving down the highway I realized how my mind needs space to wander, space to find God and find beauty in the common graces, in the intricate mysteries of his world.

Kyle and I enjoyed some climbing and some hiking, but the real joy of the weekend came around flank steak sizzling on the camp stove and the conversations by the fire, looking up through the trees at the stars.

Our short trip couldn't have ended on a better note as we ate delicious food at The Terminal in Chattanooga. As I perused the menu, I just had to laugh as I came to the philosopher's burger description:

Ground lamb seasoned with cinnamon, oregano, shallots and sea salt served with feta aioli and candied red onions. “After one taste of this burger everyone becomes a poet”

You couldn't make a burger that sounded better to me than that. The meal was delicious, but more than that it was just a reminder of God calling me to be myself, praise him for simple graces, and to open my heart to be fully alive.

Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone

2012-02-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

I again got the privilege this morning to teach at our church. We looked at Deuteronomy 8:3 that says, "man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." God has been using this passage in my own life to remind me that only he can satisfy me. For 40 years the Israelites woke up every morning and had to trust that God would send them bread from heaven -- every day I want to wake up expecting God to act, to supply for my needs, to give me eternal bread that will last.

Feel free to listen online or download and listen in the car (or at the gym or while you climb or while you bake, anywhere really).

Please Judge Me

2012-01-13T21:49:00.000-05:00

Image by cookbookman17

I started reading through the Bible a few months ago and landed in 1 Corinthians 5 this morning. I'm amazed at how many aspects of life the Bible speaks to, how clear it often draws the line. Often it challenges my theology, reminds me how vast and deep the mind of God is -- other times I find it challenges the Christian tradition so engrained in the church, especially here in the South.

Paul speaks a counter-cultral message to both today's church and today's society. He says

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.

So much of the church seems to be known for what they're against, who they're against. I see so many people inside the church put so much energy into keeping their kids "safe," which generally means putting them in private schools so they don't get exposed to ideas antithetical to the Bible or make bad friends. Even if we don't shun the sinner, we certainly don't befriend them, we hide nicely behind our church walls. We don't invite our co-worker who is having an affair over for dinner or our neighbor who worships sports to play golf. Paul isn't telling us to avoid those people, in fact those are the very people we're to reach out to. Until we leave this world, we'll be rubbing shoulders with unbelievers.

On the flip side, society treats judging others as the cardinal sin. "Doesn't the Bible say not to judge others?" Well, yes. Paul again asks, "What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church," he leaves that up to God. At the same time, we're actually neglecting our responsibility if we aren't judging those inside the church. Now, that doesn't mean playing the high and mighty got it all together card, we should be the first to admit we are all equally in desperate need of the grace of God. But, that very grace is what shapes those inside the church to look different than those outside. Very few people in the church are willing to rebuke a brother or sister about unrepentant sin. We end up judging those outside the church for their sin (when without Christ shouldn't we expect sinners to sin?) and neglecting to judge those inside the church (at the risk of hurting feelings or losing a friend) to call them to repentance.

There are many nuances not captured here, but I want to look at people outside the faith like Jesus who said "it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick" and love my brothers and sisters enough to call out sin, to say we can live a better way, to say grace offers you a deeper life and your sin is a cheap substitute for God. The message is really the same to both people, the first just doesn't yet know there is a better way, and the second needs a reminder they're trading filet mignon for a Big Mac.

A Hard Year

2012-01-01T14:54:00.001-05:00

Lauren and I celebrated 6 years of marriage yesterday. We try to make an effort each year to go on a vacation together to get away, spend time just the two of us, but this year was a little more low key. With a few month old baby and a busy end to 2011, we just decided to go out for dinner on our anniversary.

Some of our best conversations end up happening around the table of a good restaurant (lately we found a home at Union Hill Grill just a few miles from our house). We reflected last night on the last year, talked about our hopes for the one coming. We both agreed 2011 was a hard year.

Our pastor and good friend Jamie started the year with terrible health problems. For almost two months he wasn't able to think clearly, lost all his energy and the doctors had no answers. Thankfully he recovered, but never figured out what caused it.

My best friend lost his daughter to SMA just before her second birthday. The weight and sorrow I've felt for them has been like a mill stone hung around my heart.

Another couple that are close friends miscarried.

One of the elders at our church and his family watched their house burn to the ground. I got there in the middle of the night to see it smoldering and give them hugs and just listen.

Our second child was diagnosed with an encephalocele half way through my wife's pregnancy and was scheduled to have brain surgery after he was born. We went to appointment after appointment, just watching and waiting.

My dad took me to lunch one day this fall and just asked if I was doing okay, he was concerned about me. I told him I just felt heavy. Burdened by death, burdened by hurt, burdened by exhaustion.

My dear friend Winn tweeted during this advent, "The goodness of the actual year came amid the pressing. That's the way it is, isn't it?" That is the way it is. This year also came with much goodness, much to praise God for, but most of it was amid the pressing, amid the gut wrenching parts of life. Lauren and I prayed like we haven't ever prayed before. We held our son in our arms after his surgery, healthy and whole with a completely new appreciation. We walked down hard roads and deepened friendships.

I was very grateful for Christmas this year. I needed a God who was not far off, a God that comes through, a God that does the unthinkable -- a God with us. I'm hopeful for the year to come, knowing there will be tough times, knowing God is always present, and even at work.

The prayer I found myself praying most in 2011 may be the same in 2012, Come Lord Jesus.

False Humility

2011-11-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

A good friend commented on my last post and called me out on some false humility, or maybe misdirected humility. His words were very profound:

I think this post is deserving of a quick edit: humbled you probably should be, but not because your work is of any less talent than the 14 other folks featured. We shouldn't knock our gifts, especially when we know where they come from. I think true humility comes from the never-ending sources of inspiration around us, our simple desire to respond to that and to be expressive, and the talents given to us to be able to to do so. That that's an integral part of our lives is humbling to me.

First, I'm so grateful for friends who speak life into me by affirming my gifts and encouraging me to pursue my art and passions. Kyle continually calls me to live as my true self, alive to my talents and honest in my words -- that takes a friend who knows your heart, knows your guts.

I think the reality is that oftentimes because of our insecurities, we portray a false sense of humility in order to draw out approval. If I make myself sound less capable then I forgo the risk of failing, the risk of not meeting up to my own expectations. The profound truth Kyle hits on is that I not only do myself a disservice, but ultimately I profane the one who gave me the gifts and talents in the first place. As if to say to God that he may have crafted me a poet or an artist or a musician, but he didn't get it quite right. God doesn't do mediocre.

Unfortunately, particularly in Christian circles, you're expected to debase and devalue yourself under the guise of humility. One of my students recently said, "humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." God, who created us in his own image, places unfathomable value on us by purchasing our lives by giving us his only son. God killed God and raised him from the dead to show us how much we're worth. Jesus showed perfect humility and perfect strength, "he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death -- even death on a cross."

So, it takes greater courage to have true humility, to take ownership of our gifts and our failures. I hope to put off pretense, not hide behind false modesty, and live in true humility recognizing the gifts God has placed all around me.

5x15 with Trinity Artists

2011-10-18T21:51:00.001-04:00

Trinity Artists hosts an event for artists every few months called 5x15 -- 15 artists share their work for 5 minutes each. I've had the privilege to go twice now and it is a beautiful, rich experience. I've gotten to see interpretive dance, hear moving poems, and even learned about letterpress printing at Hatch Show Print. The talent and diversity represented each time is astounding.

The next 5x15 is this Friday night, October 21st at Trinity Anglican Mission. Trinity has had a special place in my heart ever since my friend Kyle invited me to my first 5x15. It is a simple place with warm, genuine people that are seeking the intersection of faith and art.

I have graciously been invited to read some of my poems and I'm both excited and humbled to be sharing alongside much more talented artists. It has been a dry spell of writing for me after leaving the supportive community of writers in Clemson (it is a small community, but a talented and constructive one), but I look forward to sharing some old works and a few new ones as well. It is always a gift for one's work to have a voice, and that voice to be heard.

Bunk Beds

2011-09-22T20:34:00.000-04:00

Technically it isn't bunk beds, it is a bunk bed right now -- but the first one is done! I've been building bunk beds for my son Sean (and eventually his brother Joshua). It has been a lot of work, but working with my hands is part of how I Sabbath and rest my mind.

This project has been particularly drawn out because I started with raw wood, generously given to me by a friend at church's father-in-law. He had the poplar trees sawn up on his own property. Every board had to be planed, joined, and cut to size, but it was amazing to see the beauty of the grain come out. Poplar is a fairly clear wood, but has beautiful streaks of green and even deep purple.

As usual, I found a design and then modified it to try out some of my new hand tools my father-in-law gave me. I did mortise and tenon joints for the headboard and slats and got a lot of use out of my new chisels and hand plane. The top bunk will be a similar design but will be a twin and will be shorter.

Here are some pictures of putting it together, I think Sean likes it already.

Here is the bed dry-fitted before it was stained.

Here is a view of the footboard

The bed with just the slats on it

I made my own plugs and I think this mortise and tenon joint turned out nice

I glued and screwed a 2x2 cleat to the side rails to hold the slats

Sean wanted to help every step of the way (of course by dancing)

He is very excited

The whole family was excited!

The finished product

Now to finish the top bunk...

A Poem for Skylar

2011-09-15T06:48:00.000-04:00

Almost a month ago, my dear friends lost their little girl Skylar. My heart has been so heavy for them. I went to the memorial they held for her at Trinity, and their pastor Chris spoke such powerful words of affirmation to them, the reality of our redemptive hope, and a warning to us not to cheapen or shy away from mourning.

He talked about the story of Lazarus (a story that won't let go of me) and how Jesus asked Mary where her deepest hurt was, and he walked into it with her. He says "Where have you laid him?" and Mary says "Come and see." Jesus, who is about to raise him from the dead, doesn't try to comfort her, but simply walks with her to his grave and weeps. I'm so glad we have a God who is not far off from our deepest hurt and our most acute suffering.

As I've been working through my own mourning and mourning for my friends, these words began to form. There are no words, we don't have the language, for this sort of pain, but I believe God has given us words to help us name some of our mourning.

Orchid

for Skylar

With porthole eyes
she gazed onto the world:
a constellation of balloons, Pixar movies,
and a dog named Reese.

Her hummingbird heart
was fuller than most –
thrumming to a quiet melody,
soaking in the notes of life.

Air, so abundant and elusive
to her lungs.
reminding us to cherish every
inhale exhale.

She reserved her smiles
for mom and dad,
and the occasional handsome man –
a special place for Thomas Clay.

She touched the world,
fascinated by every texture –
a tickle of hair awaking
the smiles of her eyes.

Like an orchid she grows,
slender and graceful toward heaven,
skipping into the arms of God,
blossoming in an array of colors.

UnNaming Fasting

2011-09-03T22:12:00.000-04:00

Photo by Jeremy Keith

Over the last several weeks our church has been joining together in a corporate fast. We're praying for God to give us the land that is for sale next to the property we currently use and in the process God has been doing remarkable things. In his subversive, ever-present way he has been transforming my heart, revealing my sin, and loosing my grip on earthly things.

Fasting is often overlooked in the church, probably for many reasons. Sometimes I think it is because we don't understand it and don't see many people doing it. But, I also think it might be because we are addicted to our appetites. Not just food, but entertainment, comfort, caffeine, work... we stuff our face and our minds and our lives with things that in the end don't satisfy us (or satisfy us for a short while and then leave us hungrier than before). Fasting then becomes a way for us to say no to ourselves, and yes to God. It allows us to cut our dependence on our stomach and trust solely in God's provision for us. Jesus after fasting for 40 days said, "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." He quotes Deuteronomy where God tells the Israelites that the manna that he provided for 40 years every day was to remind them that their entire hope, all of their sustenance was dependent on God. They needed God more than they needed bread.

As part of Jesus' sermon on the mount, he talks in Matthew 6 about three disciplines: giving, prayer, and fasting. Putting fasting into this context helped me to better understand why to fast. In giving we loosen our grip on our money, in prayer (among other things) we admit we're not in control, and in fasting we recognize that our deepest need is God. Our pastor Jamie tied all three of these to Galatians 5 where Paul says "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh." So prayer, giving, and fasting become three disciplines, three tools to crucify our flesh -- to turn our heart to God and be more like him.

The Bible is so poetic, because at the height of Jesus' ministry when the people are looking for another sign and point to the manna provided in the wilderness, Jesus says "I am the bread of life." Of course, like us most of the time, they didn't get it. They thought the point was the bread, when the point had always been God. If we feast on Jesus we are deeply and wholly satisfied.

As I was fasting this week, this prayer formed:

Oh God,

Give me a distaste for food,
and an affection for your Word.

Give me a distaste for things that go stale,
and a taste for things that last.

Give me a distaste for earthly things,
and give me a desire for heavenly things.

Give me a distaste for what leaves me hungry,
and fill me with what always satisfies.

Oh God, would I taste the honey of your Word, hear the whisper of your voice, touch your daily mercies, smell the aroma of your grace, and see your glory as my reward.

If you've never fasted before, ask God what that might look like for you. I probably wouldn't start with a 40 day fast, but try 36 or 48 hours. There are numerous fasts in the Bible from Daniel's fast (that was a diet of fruits, vegetables, and nuts) to Ezekiel's fast (with bread and oats), to a juice fast. It's amazing how many promises you'll find in the scriptures that are tied to fasting. Isaiah 58 talks directly about fasting and has been pouring over my soul this week. God says after fasting in a way that honors him, "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."

To Dream Again

2011-08-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

Photo by peggyhr

I haven't dreamed in quite some time. I've been so handcuffed to the mundane of life (and lately the heartache) that I've forgotten that I was meant to wonder and dream. I was recently reminded of a message Nathan so eloquently spoke as he meditated on the psalmist:

When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;

The psalms have been a steady reminder lately that dreaming is not what we put aside when we become more theologically astute, but what we embrace to keep the vision of God's kingdom alive inside of us. My pastor and friend, Jamie, recently shared this prayer by Sir Francis Drake:

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

As Jamie said, "we just don't pray that way anymore." I can't get past the words, "we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim."

I hope we learn to dream again.

Reflecting God's Glory

2011-07-18T06:52:00.000-04:00

Can I just be honest for a minute and admit that I look goofy when I preach? I'm sure part of it is looking at yourself on video, but I'll just clear the air for everyone and say I look goofy. I can't bring myself to watch the whole video, but I notice enough of my quirks (rubbing my arm when I'm nervous and strange faces) that I figured I would apologize ahead of time.

Enough self debasement -- I was honored again this week to teach at our church. I spoke last week about desiring God's presence above His promises and craving to see him reveal His glory. This week was about how when we spend time in the presence of God we can't help but reflect His glory. As glorious as Moses' encounter with God was, the glory we receive through the Holy Spirit is even more glorious Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3.

Here is the video from yesterday's message, goofy guy and all.

Reflecting God's Glory from Austin Grigg on Vimeo.

Desperate for His Presence

2011-07-10T21:03:00.001-04:00

I had the opportunity again to preach at our church this morning. Our pastor, Jamie, asked me to share the lessons that I taught over the mission trip we took last week.

I've been captivated by the story in Exodus 33 where Moses intercedes for the people of God. God tells Moses He is going to send them to the promise land, but declares that He will not go with them -- Moses, realizing that what the people of God most need is God, pleads with God not send them without His presence. So often, I become satisfied with the promises of God over the presence of God and end up missing God altogether. I strike out on my own in the name of God, when all God wanted was for me to wait for Him to move or speak.

God agrees to go with Moses and the Israelites to the promise land, then Moses says the strangest thing, "Now, show me your glory." Those words are beginning to take shape in my heart and as I began to make that my prayer, God has been showing me His glory. He moved in ways and orchestrated conversations over the mission trip that helped me to see just a glimpse of what He wants to do in my life and life of my students. I hope I continue to expect more of God and not less.

Here is the recording of my sermon this morning if you are so inclined. Part 2 is next week.

Desperate for God's Presence from Austin Grigg on Vimeo.

June Rain (Poem #2)

2011-06-26T15:35:00.000-04:00

I've been very thankful for the rain we've received lately and so has our garden. I thought I'd share another poem (funny how I hadn't noticed many of my poems involve rain). This was the first poem that I had published. I hope you too will feel the refreshing breath after a good summer downpour.

June Rain

Image by luisillusion

Droplets cascade in
ratter-tat rhythm,
kaleidoscoping my window
haphazardly.
Sky half-hazy rather
than seamless black –
June rain has a way
of trapping heat
(greenhouse-like) –
air so drenched
you wish for
gills.
The drumming hum
has a peace
about it. A needed
break from
ceaseless rays.
It’s not quite
a spring rain –
cool with
vibrant zest –
It’s more like
the earth rushing
upward
gasping for air.

Originally published in The Alembic, April 2007.

Poem #1

2011-06-01T06:00:00.025-04:00

Photo by Vince Alongi

I would call myself a poet, but I haven't written any poetry in quite some time. As poets know, poetry is hard work. For a while I was submitting my work to literary journals, and I got a few poems published, but there were many more that were rejected. Journals like to be the first to publish a work, so up until now I hadn't posted any of my poems on the blog. But, I've decided that I'd much rather my work be read and heard and enjoyed than sitting in a file cabinet (yes, I actually have a file cabinet for my poems -- they eventually make their way to the computer, but it always begins on paper).

This first poem seemed appropriate with all the storms we've received in the last few months. This poem is for Kyle.

It Always Rains North of Us

or South of us --
the cool hand of God
brushing the clouds aside
as they crest the western horizon.

Like contentment,
the periphery of happiness –
taught to us by children
and autostereograms.

Like the memory of a friend
touching you on the shoulder –
gone when you turn around,
leaving only a swell of warmth.

Like a new song
or an old one you thought you forgot,
or maybe one you always knew –
the words still being written.

And in the heavy gray dawn,
the ground saturated through,
a gilded light bleeds through the clouds,
more real than any light you've ever known.

Theistic Evolution

2011-05-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

This is the second in a series of posts looking at tough theological questions. If you missed the intro, check it out here.

The vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator. I find it as difficult to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advances of science.

Werner von Braun, the father of space science¹

Theistic evolution is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution.²

I'll put all my cards on the table early: I don't believe that the two are compatible; however, I want to be very clear that this is an open-handed issue (we can absolutely disagree and still have a foundation of faith in Jesus). My hope is that by more deeply understanding the beginning we can more clearly view the Gospel.

I've written before about my understanding of evolution growing up and how that has shifted ofter the past few years. The reason it seems worth addressing again is that I'm seeing more and more that evolutionary theory is becoming a real stumbling block (or at the least a convenient excuse) from believing in God. If evolution explains the origins of the universe and that we are a result of natural selection, then there is no need of a God to speak everything into existence. Now, theistic evolution holds to the idea that there is a creator and that He used evolution as the creation process. We'll look at some of the evidence around that, but my concern is that if we teach evolution as truth, people will take or leave God because they don't see Him as necessary.

The Scientific Evidence

I genuinely believe that the Bible and science are not at odds. God created all things and put the scientific laws into motion -- which means it shouldn't surprise us when He does things outside of those laws. Here are a few scientific examples that undermine evolution and give evidence for what we see in the Bible.

Polystrate Fossils - Polystrate fossils³ are trees that have been fossilized upright in layers of sediment. Evolutionists claim that these fossils were created over millions of years as sediment slowly covered the tree. The problem with that theory is wouldn't the tree have rotted? Another scientific explanation is that the tree was covered very quickly by sediment by a cataclysmic flood. These trees are all over the globe and are a well-recognized phenomenon.

Darwin's Evidence - This article⁴ was very eye opening to how many of the evidences that Darwin rested his theory of evolution have been disproven by more recent scientific research. A few of the examples that stuck out:

Faked Embryos - "Darwin thought 'by far the strongest single class of facts in favor of his theory came from embryology.'" German biologist Ernst Haeckel produced drawings of various vertebrates to show that at early stages they were almost identical; however the embryos in reality do not look as close as Haeckel drew them (in some cases he used the same wood cut for difference species). Haeckel also drew embryos at later stages, not early on when Darwin said they should be most similar.

Life in a Bottle - Scientists Stanley Miller and Harold Urey did an experiment in 1953 to try to simulate the earth's early atmosphere. They created a hydrogen rich environment and sent a spark through a test tube which created amino acids. The two problems with this experiment are that scientists have not made much progress getting past amino acids and scientists now are in consensus that the Earth's early atmosphere had volcanic gasses which is very different from the environment Miller and Urey created.

Piltdown Man - In 1912, Charles Dawson found a partial human skull that he claimed to have ape-like lower jaw and teeth. It was later discovered that the whole thing was a hoax and and that the jaw had been chemically treated and the teeth filed down to make them look more human.

Biochemistry - The sheer complexity of life and the human body point toward an intelligent designer and the impossibility of us randomly coming about. Darwin said, "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down." Biochemist Michael Behe has found multiple examples of complex molecular contraptions, such as cilia and bacterial flagella, that are extremely unlikely to have been build piece-by piece, because they have to be fully present in order to function at all.⁵ The more the human body is studied, the more unique and well-designed scientists are discovering it is.

The Theological Evidence

I believe that the scientific evidence against evolution and for Biblical creation is compelling, but I also think there are vast Biblical evidences against evolution.

God Spoke the World into Being - Genesis 1:1 says that "God created the heavens and the earth." and that he spoke it into being (Genesis 1:3 "God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light.")

God Created Everything in 7 Days - There is much debate around whether God created the world in a literal 7 days or metaphorical. The Bible is fully of history, poetry, biography, genealogy, and personal letters. Jesus speaks much of the time in parables that are not supposed to be historical events, but stories that reveal truth. The key is always context and Genesis 1-2 reads like history to me. It doesn't begin with a story or a comparison, it just begins to tell how God made the heavens and the earth. Very matter-of-fact it describes the process of creation and says "and there was evening and there was morning, the first day" (Genesis 1:5) Why include the detail of evening and morning if it is just a metaphorical day?

Fall of Man - This is one of the most compelling theological arguments to me against evolution. Genesis 3 makes very clear that sin and death entered the world when Adam and Eve ate from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This idea of the fall (that we were created in communion with God and separated by sin in the Garden of Eden) is not just in Genesis, but foundational throughout the whole Bible. Romans 5:12 says "Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."

So, if evolution is true, then humans were the result of the evolutionary process which took millions of years and during those millions of years things were living, dying, and evolving until humans came into existence The problem is, if we believe that sin and death entered the world at the fall when Adam and Eve rebelled against God, then there is a major problem with evolution because its premise is that there was death from the beginning.

Character of God - This was one of the things that originally made me take a second look at what I believed in regard to creation. The understanding I have of God from the Bible is that He is intimately involved. He proved in Jesus that He is a God who is not far off, but one who is willing to get His hands dirty and sweat and strive with us. I just don't see that same God spinning up the world through an evolutionary process and then standing back to let it takes its course. The picture we find in Genesis is God taking the earth, like a potter, and getting His hands covered in mud as he artfully crafted us and every living thing. That image is much more in line with the God I know from the rest of the Bible.

At the end of the day, can you believe in evolution and be a Christian? Absolutely yes. Can you believe in Biblical creation and still pursue truth and scientific evidence? Yes. I want to study, and learn, and search for the truth, but in the end I've found the Bible to more reliable than any scientific theory.

Notes:

Quoted in Case for a Creator, pg 273. Originally from "Gone Bananas," World (September 7, 2002)
Definition taken from this Wikipedia article
More information about polystrate fossils can be found at answersingenesis.org
From the article Survival of the Fakest.
Lee Strobel, Case for a Creator, pg 281.

Not Forgetting the Point {A Brief Interlude}

2011-05-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

I wanted to take a brief break in my series on some controversial theological issues, to make sure I don't miss the point. I took a few of my students last weekend to a night of worship at The Warehouse and received a very timely reminder from pastor Roman Barabolkin that the point is Jesus. And not just the idea of Jesus, not the theological implications of Jesus, not knowing about Jesus, but deeply knowing, loving, and being transformed by the God of the universe in Jesus.

It is so easy to get caught up in so many other things -- many of them good, but none of them the point. The point always has to be meeting and resting in Jesus, because He is the one that we most deeply need. Wrestling with tuff questions and teaching good theology are a vital part of what we do, but they are lifeless without the one whom is the author and finisher of our faith. When I become more concerned with my Biblical stance on theistic evolution than I am about communing with the creator of my soul, I am far from the life of the Gospel.

My good friend Justin Scott also prodded me in this direction with his comments on my last post. I hope my intention is clear that the root and heart of our faith is Jesus, and while there are essential truths that we hold in common as believers, we have much freedom to discuss and disagree on many non-essential issues. We can disagree on theistic evolution and still be fervent brothers and sisters in Christ: we share one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

So, I hope this frames our conversation as we do the good work of wresting with the scriptures and how they often speak in sharp contrast to our current culture, undergirded with the belief that [we] count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.

The Emergent Church

2011-05-03T20:37:00.001-04:00

This is the first in a series of posts looking at tough theological questions. If you missed the intro, check it out here.

The first theological topic is the emergent church. The word “emergent” is used so loosely and applied to so many different movements in the church today. I think is it so difficult to understand because it is not well defined and used in a very nebulous way. Mark Driscoll wrote an article that outlines the different “lanes” of the emergent church and was very helpful to me in clarifying the issue and helping to wade through the jargon. Here is the synopsis taken from that article, “Navigating The Emerging Church Highway”:

Wading through the entire emerging church milieu is incredibly complicated. In this article I seek to provide a simple but accurate means of navigating the emerging church highway by focusing on its four lanes and their leaders. For the purposes of this article I will define them as Emerging Evangelicals, House Church Evangelicals, Emerging Reformers, and Emergent Liberals. What the first three lanes have in common is theological orthodoxy. Churches in these lanes are not interested in reconsidering major Christian doctrines such as those that view the Bible as God’s Word, God as triune, Jesus as God and the only means of salvation, humanity as sinful, all sex outside of heterosexual marriage (including homosexuality) as sin, and heaven and hell as literal, conscious, and eternal. In the fourth lane are the Emergent Liberals, who are most controversial and are not theologically evangelical. The three main leaders of this lane are Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, and Rob Bell. The Emergent Liberal lane of the emerging church has drifted away from a discussion about how to contextualize timeless Christian truth in timely cultural ways and has instead come to focus on creating a new Christianity. ¹

As Mark Driscoll points out, many groups and churches are being labeled as emergent, but the "Emergent Liberals", as he refers to them, are not merely interested in understanding how to best express the church and the Christian faith in our current culture, but are redefining what it means to be Christian (of course none of their claims are new, that's why the apostles wrote to the churches about them 2000 years ago). If that seems extreme, here is a quote from a book I've been reading by Marcus Borg who emphatically writes that the emerging church is doing exactly that: making a new Christianity.

The differences between the earlier and emerging ways of seeing Christianity and being Christian involve specific conflicts as well as more foundational issues. These include how we see the Bible, God, Jesus, faith, and the Christian life. To begin with, examples of specific issues that divide the contemporary church...²

He goes on to mention ordination of women, gay and lesbian marriage and ordination as clergy, and christian exclusivism, arguing that this emerging Christianity is re-evaluating and redefining these issues. He sums up this introduction with:

Beneath the specific differences is conflict about more foundational matters, including especially how we see the Bible and its authority. For the earlier way of being Christian, the Bible is seen as the revealed will of God, as "God's truth," and thus as absolute and unchangeable. The changes listed above challenge passages in the Bible that (1) teach the subordination of women and forbid them to have authority over men, (2) declare homosexual behavior to be sinful, and (3) proclaim Jesus as the only way to salvation. To regard these passages as not expressing God's will for all time implies a very different understanding of the Bible's authority and interpretation.³

Borg gets one thing right: the foundation is our understanding of the scriptures. If we don't have a basis for our theology and our convictions, we can make up whatever we believe to be true and right. What's interesting is how he values the scriptures, but sees them more as a personal experience rather than a revelation from God. There are many evidences for the authenticity and infallibility of the Bible (including its coherence as a book written over 2000 years by more than 40 authors, the consistency of it's message, its accuracy in predicting future events), but the most compelling to me is from the Bible itself. The authors of the Bible repeatedly declare the scriptures to be God's word and even refer to the other apostle's teachings in the New Testament to be scripture.

2 Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,"

Matthew 5:17
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."

John 3:34
"For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure."

Revelation 22:18-19
"I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book."

It is also important to recognize that there are issues/beliefs that are essential to the Christian faith, and then there are doctrinal issues that are secondary. Another name for this is open hand and closed hand issues. Open hand issues are those things which are negotiable and are a matter of style, preference and wisdom. Closed hand issues are those things which are not negotiable and are issues of biblical authority.⁴ Mark Driscoll puts it this way:

Open-handed issues are those issues which Bible-believing Christians can debate over, disagree over, even discuss over, but not divide over. The closed-handed issues are those issues we really have to remain committed to, to remain Christian. ⁵

I say all that to emphasize that yes, we should hold deeply and protect the close-handed issues, but be open and generous around the open-handed issues. The open-handed issues should not divide us. Our worship style and position on infant baptism should not keep us from working together as the Church, across denominations, cultures, and time.

This is a deep and broad topic, but I hope I've demystified the emergent/emerging church a little. At the end of the day, I believe the Bible to be true, to be the very words of God -- if they are not, I don't know what is left to stand on. To be clear, the Bible is made up of poetry, history, genealogy, letters, prophesy -- we would be silly to not read it contextually and dwell intently on its implication for our culture, but I think we would make a far greater error to believe it is simply metaphorical and assume we have a corner on what it means for us today.

¹ Taken from Navigating The Emerging Church Highway

² The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg (Page 3)

³ The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg (Page 4)

⁴ Taken from What Do You Do When You Disagree With Your Church Leaders?

⁵ Taken from Mark Driscoll Says Just Grow Up

5 Controversial Theological Questions

2011-04-24T22:06:00.002-04:00

A parent of one of my students at the Church, raised some concerns recently about some theological trends he was finding cropping up across the country. He was concerned about the drift away from Biblical foundations and how many pastors, books, and denominations were falling away from basic Christian principals and making a "new way", an "emergent church" (I know that term is used broadly and loosely, we'll come back to it). Naturally, he wanted to get my stance on some of these issues since I was teaching his children. While slightly nervous, I was incredibly appreciative of his concern and initiative for his children's spiritual growth.

I spent a few weeks investigating the issues he brought up, studying the scriptures looking for answers and truth, and wrote up some responses before we sat down for lunch to talk through them. When the time came to share a meal and walk through these spiritual questions, we had a very healthy and hearty conversation. I believe we both came away encouraged and on the same page.

Even after that conversation, I feel like these topics continue to come up -- in conversation, on twitter and facebook, and in books (you might have heard of a little book by Rob Bell called Love Wins). So, I thought I'd take the five topics and explore them here. I'm going to write a post responding to each of the five issues. They are dense, they are controversial, they are deeply important. I hope I can respond to them with humility (because there is so much I don't know), but with confidence because the Bible has some very clear things to say about them. Without further adue, here are the five topics:

The "emergent" or "emerging" church movement (as best represented in the work and words of Brian McClaren)
Theistic evolution (as represented by the organization Biologos, and the teachings of it's founder, Dr. Francis Collins)
Feminism in the church, the undermining of manhood and male leadership, ordination of women.
Acceptance of homosexuality, practicing homosexuals in the church body as well as in the clergy and church leadership
Universal reconciliation. i.e. there is no hell, no consequence for unrepentant sin, everyone eventually goes to heaven

Look forward to the conversation (even if heated) that follows.

10k for Skylar

2011-04-17T22:55:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned the Jones family here before, but I wanted to promote a fundraiser we're doing for their daughter Skylar and for SMA research. Skylar was diagnosed with type 1 SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) in early 2010. SMA is a genetic disorder that is not very well known, but is the number 1 genetic killer of children under 2. Skylar has beat the odds and is fighting strong. She is such a beautiful and expressive little girl.

We've decided to run the generacetion 10k on May 21st to support Skylar and raise money for the Jones family and SMA research. We'd love to have you join us to run or make a donation for the Jones family. Donations can be made through the Jones' church and are tax deductible. We setup a website for the run and there you'll find more information about Skylar and about how to give or sign up to run. Check out the site at http://10kforskylar.com.

Please spread the word and help raise awareness for SMA and encourage the Jones family. I know this is kind of crazy, but not only are we running a 10k, but I think it would be incredible if we could raise 10k for Skylar and SMA. I don't know what will happen, but I want to pour love on the Jones and pray that God will continue to move in ways we can't imagine.

Beautiful Things

2011-04-05T06:26:00.001-04:00

These lyrics have been haunting me all week:

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

It seems particularly appropriate in this season of Lent that we remember God is about making beautiful things, making all things new, with the earth and with us. I heard this song for the first time last weekend at our Disciple Now event for the students at our church -- it framed the hope of the weekend and what I believe God was hoping to do. Check out the YouTube video below for the song Beautiful Things, by Gungor.

Call Me a Preacher Man

2011-01-30T13:00:00.001-05:00

Actually, please don't.

I got the opportunity to preach for the first time this last Sunday at our church. If you had asked me a few years ago if I ever thought I'd delivering a sermon on Sunday morning, I would probably have said no. But, God tends to move in ways that we don't comprehend or anticipate. I don't believe I have the gift of teaching, but I do love the Word of God and little by little I'm seeing the famine of my own life and the famine all around me, and a God who is offering a feast.

One of the guys at the church was kind enough to record the sermon for me, so without further adieu.