The Christian Leader

Rest and Psalm 3

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 01:10:00 +0000

    O LORD, how many are my foes!
        Many are rising against me;
    many are saying of my soul,
        there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
    But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
        my glory, and the lifter of my head.
    I cried aloud to the LORD,
        and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
    I lay down and slept;
        I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
    I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
        who have set themselves against me all around.
    Arise, O LORD!
        Save me, O my God!
    For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
        you break the teeth of the wicked.
    Salvation belongs to the LORD;
        your blessing be on your people! Selah
(Psalm 3 ESV)

I read this during my quiet times the other day and there were a couple things that struck me. David says he cried aloud to the Lord and then it says that [the Lord] answered me. What was the answer?

David's response to this answer is to sleep. The Lord sustains him through the night. Not only is David protected, but he is given the nourishment and restoration that only sleep provides. This is what the peace of the Lord looks like.

Next, we read David describe his (current) enemies as many thousands of people and that they are set all around. David slept with many thousands of enemies set all around him.

How often do you look for the peace of the Lord in changed circumstances? Do you sleep in the midst of your enemies? Do you think peace is only when there are no enemies left? Will you have the faith to sleep when it appears you are doomed?

Ultimately, Salvation belongs to the Lord, and we see that in the cross and resurrection of Jesus. The enemy of sin was struck on the cheek and his teeth were broken. Death's sting has been destroyed, and he will ultimately be vanquished. You will only have the peace of David if you have faith in the sufficient work of the True David. This peace let's you sleep and be nourished by the Lord in the midst of great trial, because he's already won it all.

A Bible Reading Plan Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:56:00 +0000

This started as an email to my small group, but I thought it might be helpful for some others as well. Instead of coming reading to discuss on Sunday, leave a comment!

Check out the two articles linked to below. The first one explains the why and the second the what of Bible-reading plans.

Some thoughts:

Pick something manageable. Don't try to be super-Christian, just find something you can do.
Consider your family--how will your wife or children be included in this plan? (writing to husbands, wives, how will you help your husband make this "stick"?)
To use biblical language: Gird up your loins! Make the plan work for January, after that the habit will be set.

Bible Reading for 2012 and why...

Bible Reading Plans for 2012

Specific Plan Suggestions

The Grant Horner plan is burly--10 chapters a day. You end up reading through sections of the bible many times (Prov. and Acts 12x!!) and the whole bible 1.5x in a year. This is a great plan if your goal is to be discouraged early on. If this plan is going to work, you really have to plan ahead. The how question is just as important as the what question. If you do nothing else with this plan, download it and read his story. His story is what we are after, but we can do that with different plans.
The ESV Study Bible Plan (ESV study bible not required!). I really like this plan. It has the benefits of the Horner plan without the massive investment. You will typically read 4-5 chapters a day instead of 10. My suggestion is to download the four bookmarks and use them instead of the giant list. Bookmarks are really nice
The M'Cheyne plan. This is ye ole' standby for bible reading. What I like about how they re-wrote it is that it has two chapters for private study, and two for family reading. This has the family element built right in. You can read your two chapters (a commitment of what, 8min?) in the morning before work and then spend 10min after dinner with the family going through the other two chapters. D. A. Carson's blog has commentary for each reading...could be helpful for the family time!
James Gray's plan is really cool. I've been blessed by this one as well. It has you read through one book of the bible multiple times until you "own" it. Far from boring, this plan opens up books of the bible like you wouldn't believe. It's great.

Thoughts from a Bible-Plan Flunkie

I like bookmarks because the day-specific plans can be really disheartening when it's July and you're still in Exodus. You'll have to take a week of vacation just to catch up, either that or every morning when you flip to your bible-reading-plan-calendar you can hear it silently mock your lack of discipline. This isn't planning for failure, this is focusing on what's important. I've become so depressed at how behind I was that I gave up a bible reading plan--and I don't think I'm the only one. The goal is to be regularly in God's Word, not to stick to some sort of calendar. Bookmarks don't mock you like a calendar does.
Don't over-think the family time. You aren't going to preach a sermon every night, or necessarily present a brilliant exposition of the two chapters that M'Cheyne suggested you read after Mac'n'Cheese. But you can read two chapters with your family and ask them what they were interested in. You can ask what they thought the point of the passage was. You can ask what they learned about God or Man or God's plan of salvation. You can ask what they struggled with, either by not understanding or because it went against something they believed the Bible said about God or man. If all of this lasts 15min with a time of prayer at the end, praise God! If you have really little kids, consider doing what Clint Archer suggests here (Pt. 1 and Pt. 2)

The Challenge!

What plan are you using and how will you incorporate your family into it? It doesn't have to be one from the list, it can be whatever you like, but take a few minutes this week and decide. I promise it'll be worth it. Come ready to share on Sunday.

--
Zachary Skrip
The Christian Leader
Stranded Scholar
@zackskrip

No Neutrality

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

The guys and I went through John 3:16-21 the other day. In that passage you get this beautiful metaphor to describe all that Jesus is saying:

[19] And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. [20] For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. [21] But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
(John 3:19-21 ESV)

There is no neutral ground here. It's not that people there were then given a choice to like darkness or light, no they hated the light because they loved the darkness. The reasons they hated the light are, as Dr. Cason relates in his commentary, are fundamentally moral. Their deeds reinforce the hardness of their heart, for they love the darkness because their deeds are evil.

Whoever we witness to, they will always be in the situation presented below. Those deeds will come up while we share the gospel, if they don't, then they'll come up right after. Here's the issue: Guy-A lives with his girlfriend - who you're also friends with, when we witness to him, do we realize that not only will he go from death to life, but will also need to find a new place to live? The life that we live apart from God is not clean, and it is not all stuff we can just instantly slough off like a porn collection that we can just dump in the garbage. No, sin is entangling. There is a certain amount of courage we need when witnessing. We also need a very similar form of hospitality, like a bed for this guy to sleep on when he goes from death to life. We need to remember that Jesus was the provision for the world. No one is beyond His reach, and no one is beyond His ability to sanctify.

What's the Point?

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:53:00 +0000

Al Mohler, the President of the SBC Southern Seminary, wrote a very clear and important article on the new lines being drawn for Biblical Inerrancy. The scholars of the BioLogos ilk are arguing that the Biblical writers made clear errors. This, in and of itself is nothing new. I'm even ok with it. What I'm not ok with is the pie-in-the-sky (or head-up-their.... well, you get the idea) view that this in no way impacts the life of the church. They, like Bultmann, believe that we can go on, just like normal, if what we once believed to be the one standard for life and faith is now no more true than Romeo and Juliet. Here is what you get, though, you get churches that look so much like the world that no one has any desire to go. You get a gospel that is not revealed and is not exclusive. You get a form of hinduism/universalism. If our one rule for faith and life is just as full of human error as any other book, then why bother? What is the point? They might be able to entertain themselves with participation in an event where they create their own meaning, when church is no longer the participation of the Gospel among the people of God, but it is rather an enactment of the human story. They might keep themselves entertained, but I would want nothing to do with it.

Wasting time on what “Should” have been

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:39:00 +0000

We’re all laughing. The table is filled with good food and surrounded by good friends. I just cracked a joke on Tina, my friend’s wife, who glowers at me and then laughter interrupts her Texas drawl. I look over and see my wife smiling while she holds my son. The little guy is sleeping even with all this noise. I knew he would take after me. But as you know, he isn’t really there.

Sometimes, usually when I am most happy, I see how my life “should” have been. I’ll remember my loss and my joy instantly turns to anger. Laughter turns to ashes in my mouth.

Anger. It runs deep. Often times I’m not even aware of it. I try to mitigate its outward expression through joy in friends and trips, but it follows me even there. If you don’t take care of anger the right way it will never leave.

I’m not angry at anyone in particular. I’m not angry at God, and I’m not angry at my wife. I just miss him so dearly. My joy is gone.

John Piper has a quote that I am going to butcher because I don’t have the book in front of me. He (basically) states: Sin is what you do when you no longer find your joy in Christ. Finding your joy in Christ requires giving up foolish notions of what your life “should” have been like.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)

In the midst of my pain I am continually tempted to find joy in the world. I know it would not last, but it would at least numb the pain for a while. I am always tempted to find earthly pleasures to distract me from the life I am supposed to live. But why not take some time to be selfish? Have some “me-time,” and live the way I want? It’s not like anyone would condemn me for it.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct… 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

1 Peter 1:14,18-19 (ESV)

And that’s when I remember at how great a cost I was bought. There is no room for pity, and certainly no time to be spent living in license. I was called to do the work of Christ by the blood of Christ and that is what I must do.

Link: This is worth your time

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:22:00 +0000

I read this post a few minutes ago. It is written by a man with a severely disabled son. You can't help but hear his pain, but yet you also see his faith and joy. He does not deal with easy questions, and he does not come to any quick or shallow answers. He rests on the revelation of God's grace and his character. This is worth you time.

How to Really Screw Things Up at Work

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 18:40:00 +0000

Phil: I believe all religions contain truth, and therefore any religion followed well is good.
Jim: I believe salvation can be found through Christ alone.
Phil: Isn't it just great that we believe things?!
Jim:... err.. I, uh,
Phil: Well, I gotta get back to work!

A friend of mine had a conversation very similar to this. When words like belief and truth have been taken from their original Christian meanings we are often at a loss when trying to communicate the truth of the gospel. How can Phil believe "A" and Jim, "not-A" and everything be hunky-dory? Yet, so often we come across people who don't understand that belief and truth is not something soft you can put on like a sweater, but rather it is a rock that you will either build upon or be crushed against.

A Quick Primer on Truth

The Medievals said that truth was the extent to which a description matched its objective reality. So, when I say that I am typing on a black laptop, anyone who could see me now would see that this description matches the objective reality of my body actually sitting and typing on the black laptop. This is true. If I said I was typing on a purple laptop there is no way in which we could make this mesh with the physical reality. This would be untrue.

No one, not even Phil, would disagree with the above paragraph. They can hold on to this description of truth and yet simultaneously hold that anything personal does not require a physical reality. Restated: 'The laptop is black' and 'the buddha is good' are believed by many to be two different kinds of truth. The first one requires a corresponding physical reality and the second does not. In fact, the second statement only requires a feeling or an internal disposition to validate it.

Christianity requires a corresponding objective reality to all truth-claims.

To prove this rather outrageous claim (according the the world at large) I will cite the following passages: Gen. 1, and John 1:1-5.

Genesis states that creation was spoken into existense. God spoke "let there be light." and there was. John says that there was the pre-existent Word of God that created all things. This Word is then shown to be Jesus. Later, Jesus says that those that have seen him have seen the Father, and again he is the Truth. Not that he speaks truthfully, although he does, but he is the embodiement of truth.

Our definition of truth is God. Our definition of Beauty is God. Our definition of Perfect is God. All of these abstracts that the post-modern likes to base in his or her own subjective opinion (those "truths" that lack an objective reality) are intended to be placed in the objective person and character of God.

When we speak of belief and truth we need to ensure that we define our terms. I find it is easier to do this with an actual text of scripture sitting there on the table. When your coworker says "all roads lead to heaven," you can point him to the passage where Jesus says "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but by me." Unlike sharing your "beliefs," which is so typical of the squishy share-athon that is our modern public discourse, texts are difficult to push around.

So live your day in the light of the objective truth of Jesus Christ. Remember you are not free to base your reality in your subjective personally experience. Our reality, our truth rests in the objective person of Jesus and his disclosure of the Father.

An Interview with Ted Kluck and Zach Bartels - Two REAL-LIFE Authors!

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:10:00 +0000

This has been a weird week for posting. Yesterday was the MP3 giveaway (which goes till the end of the week) and today I interview two real-life authors, who've actually... written books. Crazy huh? I guess I am starting to hob-nob with the cultural elite or something!

Without further ado, I'm just going to jump in and let them talk about who they are and what they're doing.

Zack Skrip: In a few sentences, tell me what your book is about and why you felt you needed to write it.

Zach Bartels: Kinda Christianity is about how to become emergent in all of its glorious, befauxhawked fullness. It actually came from a facebook status update I wrote one day: "Zachary Bartels has decided to become emergent. Any advice?" People were throwing out the usual tongue-in-cheek critiques, but my good buddy Ted kept firing pure satirical gold. And at one point, I just said, "Ted, you need to stop giving away the funny for free. You write the book; I'll do the illustrations." He decided this would be a good sort of test-run for Gut Check Press. It grew from there and we wrote it during a couple of sessions in the soon-to-be famous Pastor Zach's Basement..

Ted Kluck: Our book is a blatant, mean-spirited, heavy-handed, uncharitable, judgmental satire of Brian McLaren's "A New Kind of Christianity." Personally, I felt like I needed to write it because a.) McLaren's book was so bad and b.) I was completely bored/jaded with publishing and wanted to start my own company and design t-shirts. Mission accomplished.

How would you describe emergent theology, and what is its most distinguishing feature?

TK: I'll let Zach handle the nuts and bolts of the theology stuff, as he is our Company Chaplain...but personally I think it's most distinguishing feature is its unspeakable smugness. We wanted to parody it one more time before it completely became a parody of itself.

ZB: As we say in the book, emergent theology is a bit of a misnomer, since Kinda Christianity (like the old liberalism) is far more concerned with what I do than with what God has done (e.g. sent His only Son into the world to save us from our sins and all that boring stuff). But insofar as the emergent crowd is forced to "do theology," I'd sum it up in the words of Christopher Walken: "improvisation and crazy make-em-ups." And making stuff up is easy for emergent types, because they've pretty much downgraded all Scriptural propositional truth statements to sub-inspired status (especially the writings of that misogynistic Paul character), and instead build all their (non-)doctrine around narrative.

From that point of view, then, what does God have to say about…ummm, let's say, adultery? Your first instinct (flipping to Exodus 20) is dead wrong. Instead, look to the story of the woman caught in adultery. Throw in a term like "the relationally other," and you can double-talk your way out of a blanket prohibition on adultery with ease. Before you're done, Jesus is basically pro-adultery, as long as it's "loving," "tolerant," and "respectful." Or better yet, look to the story of Mary and Martha, make up a fun back story, wherein both were caught in adultery before coming to faith, and then build your theology off of that. It's all about twisting the story. If you get stuck, remember to emphatically accuse your opponents of reading the text through a Western, Platonic lens. Tell them that you reject this approach and then read the text though a Postmodern, hipster, yellow submarine, anything-goes type lens. If that fails, you need to buy our book. In fact, it might be safer to buy several copies. Do it now.

Who are you guys? What makes you uniquely qualified to author this book? How long have you been studying 'Kinda Christians?'

TK: Who are we? I am on the fringes of the Young Reformed Hotshot movement because I authored a couple of books with Kevin DeYoung, who is a bona fide Young Reformed Hotshot. One of the books was called "Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be." It was way more serious than Kinda Christianity. It was also longer. I am also the only Young Reformed Hotshot who has also written books about Mike Tyson and Arena Football.

ZB: Well, Ted's a famous author who has written two massively popular, award-winning books on the emergent church. I'm a pastor whose work is featured every single month in a distinguished church newsletter. Seriously, though, I've been studying this movement as long as it's been around. In its early days, I was drawn to www.vinatagefaith.com and found the stuff Dan Kimball was writing to be quite compelling. Of course, back then, no one could have predicted that, in 2010, a book like An Emergent Manifesto of Hope or A New Kind of Christianity would be par for the emergent course. It was just about reclaiming mystery and returning to "ancient/future" worship and that kind of thing.
Having researched two books on the topic, Ted can probably be called an expert. I wouldn't call myself an expert on the subject, but I'm informed enough that Michael Wittmer sent me each chapter of Don't Stop Believing as he wrote it, for my feedback—even listed me first in the acknowledgments (take that, Gary Meadors!). Ultimately, I'd point back to a corny old sermon illustration…bank tellers are trained to spot counterfeit money, not by handling a lot of fakes, but by becoming so overly familiar with the real thing that the counterfeits jump right out at them. I'm just a guy who has loved the Gospel of Jesus Christ and obsessed over it to the point where the fakes are easy to spot and expose. And I hate seeing my brothers and sisters falling for funny money.

How does this book help the overall conversation? - Will this help people move forward and see McLaren/Bell/Miller for what they are?

TK: It won't help the overall conversation at all. In fact, it will probably either make people mad at us or make them laugh. Or both. But hopefully just make them laugh. That's the only goal for this particular book.

ZB: We're actually hoping to contribute zilch to the conversation (and we say as much in the preface). Well, maybe a few laughs. Every conversation needs laughs, right? Really, we don't expect that many people will have their minds changed by anything at this point, much less a little comedic book like ours. The emergent/orthodox split has reached the point where both sides just fall in line, load their talking points into their muskets, and fire. If someone really wants to read a thoughtful piece that "contributes to the conversation," though, they need to get a hold of Ted's books Why We're Not Emergent and Why We Love the Church (co-written with friend of the K-D Empire and ever-rising YRR star, Kevin DeYoung). Our book is just for yucks. Our hope is that emergent Christians will find it funny too. After all, the ability to laugh at ourselves is what separates us from the lower primates. Seriously, gorillas have, like, zero sense of humor.

McLaren states everyone who doesn't agree with him is living in fear of reprisals from the monolithic conservative evangelical movement. Are evangelicals so terrifying that you felt compelled to write this book in order to protect your families?

ZB: Yes.

TK: Evangelicals are sometimes terrifying, but not because of this. Thinking in particular of most of their t-shirts, music, and the Left Behind/Facing The Giants type-movies. That said, I'm a monolithic conservative evangelical myself.

Why didn't you name your book Adversus Ermergentus I think it has a way-cooler ring to it....but that's just me.

ZB: Are you implying that there is a more clever term/title than "Kinda Christianity?" If so, you're just embarrassing yourself. I actually came up with it while working on the "coffee shop illustration" (you can see it here) and knew at once that I had gold on my hands… It was even more epic than when I coined the term The Calvinati.

TK: Your title sucks (just kidding, sort of:) No seriously, we went with Kinda Christianity because it was so similar to McLaren's title, and we think it captures the emergent theological perspective perfectly.

Once again, I learn that an Irenaeus joke, no matter how witty and well-placed, will always fall flat! Moving on... To many, the emergent church is merely a movement that is seeking to meet unbelievers where they are at, use smells and bells without being sacramental, and be relevant to the greater culture. Are these bad things?

ZB: Yeah, for the most part, I think they are, but these are comparatively venial sins. Contrary to some in "our camp," I don't have a big problem with relevance for the sake of grabbing attention, as long as we then use that attention to preach the Gospel. If someone wants to light some candles, fire up some U2 Videos, and "do church" on sofas, I'm sure the heck not going to break fellowship or even try and correct them—as long as the preaching of the Word and the sacraments are ultimately at the center of what they do..

Is this all they (the emergents) are doing?

ZB: Not anymore. I've got friends who pastor über-hip-slash-relevant churches and preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins. I think they have stopped short in following the emergent movement to its current manifestation. At this point, rejecting the substitutionary atonement, questioning the reliability of Scripture, and engaging in outright New Age mysticism is not uncommon at many of these churches (I mean "gatherings.").

What should be the Christian response?

ZB: They should all buy our book.

Ha. Ok, sounds good. Ted, do you have anything to add?

TK: The smells and bells have gotten pretty ridiculous. For an example, click here: http://peterrollins.net/insurrection.html This parodies emergent better than we ever could, except that it's serious.

How long until we can expect Kinda Christians: for Women/Children/Singles/etc?

ZB: Do we look like complete sellouts to you? I mean, honestly, I'm a bit offended. (read: next fall).

TK: Up Next: The Five Love Languages of Kinda Christianity. Kinda Christianity Action Figures. Kinda Christianity: The Movie.

-----------

Well thank you guys for doing this little interview! I had a lot of fun with it and I hope this has been helpful to my readers, many of whom have likely never really looked at what the Emergent Church really is or what it leads to. If any of you readers have further questions feel free to ask them in the comments, and maybe I can persuade these guys to check back here a couple of times and provide a little follow-up.

*UPDATE* Check out Frank Turk's Forward here.

10 Reasons Why you should Download this FREE MUSIC!!

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:57:00 +0000

1.    Because PageCXVI is really really good!
2.    It's free. No, no, I mean, like you don't have to pay any money for it and they don't send you junk mail, kinda free.
3.    They make the old hymns come alive; it's worship that you connect with musically as well as lyrically.
4.    It's free and you can't go wrong with free, that is unless you are looking at heart surgery. I try to stay away from anyone offering free heart surgery.
5.    Their rendition of In Christ Alone is what I had going through my head when I chose that song to be played at my son's funeral.
6.    It only costs $0.99 and I'll even through in a $0.99 coupon (FREE)!
7.    Solid Christian artists need to be supported. One way you can do that is to download their first album (did I mention it was free??) and tell everyone you know how much you like it. Then, they'll want to download the album too (for, like, NO money!).
8.    They have a new album coming out at the end of the week and they need to free up server space!
9.    If you download their new album you can listen to it while you follow them on Twitter @PageCXVI
10. Because we need to worship God rightly, and I believe these songs properly present a sovereign God and our dependence on him. Sadly, the old hymns have fallen out of use. When bands go through and re-charge them a little bit the church is given a precious gift: Excellent music with doctrinal clarity.

Please use the email function below and pass this post on to your Pastors, Sunday School Teachers, Church Gardner, and religious Mother In-Law so that they can take advantage of this too. PageCXVI are really good people who give away so much of their music, so let's take a second and support them by downloading their first album.

What Vince Vaughn has to say About Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:00:00 +0000

I just watched Couples Retreat. At the outset, I will say that there were plenty of very funny (if not appropriate) spots in the film, but overall, the movie fell flat. The intention of a movie is not to periodically entertain, but to bring you along as it weaves a story. This is like those people who say "Yeah, Dumb and Dumber made me laugh, but overall I didn't like it" (yes, there really are people like this, and I pray for them). So, while I will agree that there are areas where Vince Vaughn's story struck the comedic chord he was aiming for, I can still say it left me totally cold at the end.

Four couples make the trip to an island paradise called Eden. It is in Eden, where they will re-create their marriage. Of course, it is lost on no-one that it was precisely in Eden where the first marriage was created.

The island is made up of two parts, East and West. Eden West is where the married couples go to rejuvenate their relationships through the aid of a demanding schedule requiring them to learn "couples skills" amidst decidedly unhelpful yoga sessions and swimming lessons.

The stress of their itinerary takes its toll, and all of the couples start fighting with their respective.... partner (have to be inclusive here). One of the partners goes missing, and... it must be... they went to Eden East!

Eden East is the hedonistic singles side, where all they do is drink, dance, and have sex. As the whole troupe voyages over to the forbidden side of the island, they, like Odysseus, are all tempted by the nymphs of Eden East (be they male or female).

Of course, this is where the "redemption" occurs. Most of the spouses are tempted by the writhing flesh of Eden East, but once confronted by all of the free-fruit (and maybe taking a few quick bites), they realize what they really want: someone to go to Applebees with (translation: a partner to share even the most mundane parts of their life).

The proverb of the whole film was summed up when one of the characters' "inner animal" is revealed to be a Honey Bee, who "eats the sweet nectar of many different flowers, but always comes home." Wow. That's gotta make a spouse proud: Oh Gee, that's great, he always comes home.

Couples Retreat and the many other recent films dealing with marriage can only deal with what they believe to be the highest calling for marriage: compatibility. In order for the many couples to realize that the spouse they had was the one they really wanted was to sample the goods and spend some time on "Singles Island."

The Bible tells us that our marriage is about so much more than compatibility. Our marriage is an image of the relationship between Christ and the Church. We learn how to live in genuine community through the trials and difficulties of marriage. There is a leader and there is someone who needs to submit to that leader. In the case of my marriage, my wife's role is to submit to me, but in the case of the church, I am to submit to the elders. I am to give myself to my wife like Jesus did to the church -- even giving up his own life.

Marriage is an act of sacrifice and submission, not of playing the field until you find the partner with whom you work best. Marriage is one of the hardest things we do in this life, but it is also one of the most beautiful, for in it we enact the beauty of a loving God who condescended to us, sacrificed himself, and saved us.

P.S. if you insist on watching it, know that my favorite part is when Vince Vaughn is chasing Jason Bateman with the handgun. I almost died.

What Calvin said About Suffering

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:22:00 +0000

I wrote about the use of our suffering yesterday, and then I went home and listened to Sam Storms' message from the 2009 Desiring God conference where he described Calvin's take on it. Calvin said it much better than I did.

On August 5, 1563 Calvin wrote a letter to the wife of one of the Reformation leaders in France. She was experiencing physical illness and he wrote to her, "They [our physical afflictions] should serve us as medicine to purge us from worldly affections and remove what is superfluous in us. And since they are to us the messengers of death, we ought to learn to have one foot raised to take our departure when it shall please God."
I read that a few weeks ago and I began to ask myself, "Do I live with one foot raised in expectation of seeing my Savior face to face?"

-- Sam Storms. Read more.

Being the Spectacle

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 01:50:00 +0000

After you read this, check out my follow-up post here.

We hide our weaknesses. If someone sees our pain, our doubt, our fear they may think poorly of us. We hide our weaknesses because we can't stand the fact that we are still weak. Our arrogance commands that we keep up the facade of our digital persona. Everything revolves around us.

Paul was fighting off the false apostles in Corinth with some old school, down-and-dirty sarcasm. They fashioned themselves as religious philosophers, who baited their lessons with all the sweet and delicious trappings of men. 'Look how well we speak. Our membership numbers speak of our great wisdom and to the truthfulness of our words.' Paul turns what it means to be an apostle on its head. He says that he is being made into a spectacle of death.

The super apostles marketed their business well. They had everything a good speaker would want: Street cred through letters of introduction, a host of followers, excellent speaking skills. Paul was starving, in prison, getting beat up, shipwrecked.

All this to say, Paul didn't hide his lowly position. He didn't hide the fact that, to the world, he looked like the most unlucky man alive. Paul got it. It wasn't about him. Trials taught Paul that it was when he was most unattractive that Christ was made most attractive in him.

Let your pain and suffering strip away your arrogance and self-centeredness. If this life really is temporary, then live your faith like you mean it. Fight the desire to hide from people. Build those uncomfortable relationships. Share the heartache and pain of real life. But most importantly, show the world that in spite of all this, there is a hope that they cannot fathom because the faith you have is real. Isn't it?

Anyone want to share how Christ was seen more clearly in their lives because of their weakness?

Don't be a Cupcake

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:45:00 +0000

This is the passage I read for my quiet time this morning. It is from 1 Peter 1:

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

Our response to such a salvation as ours is to prepare [our] minds for action. We prepare when we are sober-minded, which is opposite of being tossed to-and-fro amidst the waves of distraction and the swells of lust that permeate our culture. Peter continues his request by stating you are not to be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance. The world is a cupcake tin and you are dough. The most natural thing is to come out of the oven a cupcake. We are called to live lives that do not reflect the world, but rather the holiness of God.

I'll stop here for a minute, because everything preceding is leading up to this incredible point. It is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." The World will form and change you. Movies are not a passive experience. The mall is not a passive experience. They shape the way you look and think. The change is imperceptible at first, but small changes add up.

We are so easily conformed because we are not used to holding ourselves to the standards of a Holy God, rather it is easier to be "just a bit better than that guy." Your standard is perfect. The holiness that you are called to is wholly pure.

Of course it is easy to say "Well Zack, you aren't perfect and never will be, how does this matter?" Our perfection will not be met on this side of eternity (Phil 3), but we strive on, not out of an attempt to keep a rule, but out of the overflow of our thankfulness and love for all that has been done for us. We conform ourselves not to this world, but out of love for our savior and redeemer, we run the race of holiness. It is a race run out of love.

Finally we come to the question, how is all of this "holiness keeping" joy? Peter tells us to set our hope on this. This seems more like drudgery than hope.

Imagine you are standing before the most holy God. He is so Holy, so Just, and so Righteous. How does your life match up? We stand without excuse. We are utterly condemned, but for His Son, who was crushed on our behalf. You are standing before the judge who should condemn you with death, but he spares you, and condemns his Son instead. It is joy because you can be in the presence of God! It is hope because you have the ability to be in relationship with the only Person who will ever fulfill. You are given the opportunity to serve the King of Kings!

The HOLY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE has crushed his Son with your sinfulness so that He can have a relationship with you. How blessed are you? What will your response be?

Biblical Leadership in the Home: Patience for a Change

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:42:00 +0000

This post is short, but it took me over two years to learn it.

There is a book for small business owners called Ready, Fire, Aim! I have not personally read the book, but reviews have informed me that it encourages small businesses to emphasize action. Do something! it screams. If it works, great. Keep doing it. If not, well, fire again and then we'll adjust our aim.

Unintentionally, I tried to apply this principle to my family, to my small group, to my church. I wanted to encourage my wife to read her bible more, so I started leaving little encouraging "assignments." Read 1 Peter 1 it would say, and then we would talk about it later. My wonderful wife would read the passage and be more than happy to talk to me about it, but if the assignments stopped there was a good chance she would not keep methodically going through 1 Peter.

My initial thought was, "Well, that didn't take." I would then search the internet and try something else. Maybe it would be family devotions after dinner. No, that was kind of awkward. Study guide? Nah.

Of course, this could be about something completely different. Maybe your family is struggling with sticking to the budget or watching too much TV (is there such a thing?!). As I try to lead at home I just hope and pray that whatever change I need to lead through will just happen. I want change/leadership to be convenient.

This is why the Ready, Fire, Aim! approach is so natural. If I fire and it doesn't work, I must need to re-aim. This equates effective leadership with instant results.

I have since learned that consistency is far more important than instant results. Your wife is not a marketplace. Your home cannot be trended by market-analysis. Biblical Leadership does not mind being slightly awkward because it is not trying to be comfortable. Instead it is trying to be faithful. Sure, family devotions may be a little bit strange the first few times, and the kids may even roll their eyes, but you are responsible to love them and shepherd them like Christ loves and leads the church. Do not undermine your leadership by consistently changing your approach as you seek quick feedback. Your faithfulness and consistency will pay off, because what is important to you will become important for your family.

Biblical leadership in the home recognizes that it is God that causes change (Eph 3:16-17), not your methods or techniques. Prayerfully determine what is necessary and then be faithful in your application. Stick to it. Sanctification is never easy and does not happen over night.

The Storybook Outside

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The weather here was eccentric. It was raining, then snowing, then beautiful sun was everywhere, then over-cast, then downright cold. This all happened in a matter of a couple hours.

My wife wrote a beautiful journal entry today calling the quickly changing weather pages of a storybook. This story was punctuated by the presence of a red-breasted Robin. She smiled and thought about showing our son all of the different seasons through our large window—all at once! But of course as soon as the thought occurred, it died.

I read the entry and I wanted to cry. I so want to see my son. I so want to watch my wife play with him. As we mull over questions regarding what-to-do-now, I can’t help but struggle with the way things should have been.

Should. That presumes so much.

1 Peter 4:19 states: Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. What phrase is God’s will attached to? Is it God’s will to entrust our souls? Is it God’s will to do good? Yes, on both counts, but that is not the meaning. It is God’s will for us to go through suffering.

In Wayne Grudem’s commentary, he responds to our natural revulsion by stating: “While this may at first seem harsh (for it implies that at times it is God’s will that we suffer), upon reflection no better comfort in suffering can be found than this: it is God’s good and perfect will. For therein lies the knowledge that there is a limit to the suffering, both in its intensity and in its duration, a limit set and maintained by the God who is our creator, our saviour, our sustainer, our Father (1 Peter: Tyndale, 191f, emphasis mine).

What God can I go to if something this tragic happened out of His purview? Who is my God if my suffering is a mere accident? He’s not a Father then, merely a stronger older brother. Not a Father with a plan and a purpose, just a slightly more powerful and experienced guardian.

It hurts. I long to hold my son. There are moments of desperation where I want to stand before God and question his judgment. But here is the second rub: we are to entrust our souls to a faithful Creator. The souls tell us that this physical life will be marked by problems that the spiritual future will gladly miss. Our faithful Creator reminds us that not only is he worthy of our trust, but he is our beginning and our end. It was his power that brought us here, He opens and closes the womb. He gave us our little Athan, and He continues to hold him now.

In the midst of distraction, depression, and just the plain, old, and ordinary, my focus must be on doing good. Moral purity in the midst of trials is what the Christian is called to. For in fact, suffering is limited. There is an end to your story, and it is in the presence of your faithful Creator.

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A Prayer: Against Distractions

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Father, as I am distracted by all of the trivalities I am told are so important, I ask that you help keep at the one thing that is truly so: walking in a way that brings glory to you.

Spiritual Leadership in the Home

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:30:00 +0000

I just had a fantastic conversation with a brother about spiritual leadership in the home. Now, some of you may think my focus on spiritual leadership may be a bit over-zealous, or possibly even trite, but let me share with you why I think it is so important.

I started this Blog because I was a horrible husband. At least that’s how I saw it. The book Reforming Marriage teaches that the husband/father is the leader, whether he leads or not. His leadership is either marked by discipline or abdication, but it is impossible for the man to not be the leader. It would be like saying it was possible for the CEO to not be the CEO. He is the CEO even if he is out playing golf all day while the company sits in ruins. Our culture associates leadership with activities and not with an office. While there is clearly truth that many people who do not have the office of “leader” often display leadership characteristics, this does not remove the importance of the office of leader. As a husband, my office is that of leader. As Christ is the head (which means ‘responsible leader’) of the church so I am to be the head of my wife/family (Eph 5:23).

So anyway, I started this blog because my stupid, youthful, notion of ‘egalitarian leadership’ was falling apart around me. Turns out, my wife didn’t want me to throw decisions back in her lap, she didn’t want to live in a democracy, she wanted a husband! Well, duh. God providentially placed some men in my life who began showing me what scripture says about leadership in the home as well as some practical applications. They taught me that I was going to be held accountable before God for how I led my family.

Over the next few days I’ll go over various things I have learned, but here’s one to start us off.

You, husband, are responsible for the spiritual shepherding of your wife and family. Just as a pastor will be held accountable for how he taught and led his church, so the husband is required to pastor his family (see the connection between the pastor and the husband made here: 1 Tim 3:3-4). This does not mean you have to prepare a bible study for your family every night (which would not be bad), but you do have to be involved. Do you know if your wife is reading her bible? If so, do you know what part she is reading? What does she think about it? How is she being challenged to grow by it? Same goes for your kids. Do you follow up? If they aren’t reading, how are you going to get them to read?

Of course none of the above is worth anything if you aren’t leading by example. You can’t teach if you haven’t been taught. Your spiritual walk is the most important thing for your family. If you are drowning in sin, there is a good chance they will follow right behind you. It is more important than your workout. It is more important than your “guy-time.” Your example is the one your children will emulate.

If you are trying to help your family with their bible reading, consider a few tips. 1) Start small. All you have to do at first is to get them to read a bit. Go over a few verses at night and pray about them. It’s even better if they are the same verses you did for your quiet time that morning. You can share how God has used those verses in your day. 2) When it comes to your wife, just ask. She wants to talk about what she is thinking and reading. She loves it when you ask. Make sure you know where she is at. 3) stay consistent. It is way better to spend 7min each night reading and praying together than to spend 30min for a week and then stop because the time is too long or it is too difficult to prepare.

Spiritual leadership in the home isn’t important because it creates a “successful marriage and family.” It’s important because God said it’s important. This is not a levels-of-success discussion, this is an obedience discussion. We will all fail time and again, but it is important to continue to work towards obedience. Remember: Obedience is your part, growing spiritual fruit is God’s.

Hunger and the Christian Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

The Gospels are full of references to food and hunger. Many times Christ is compared to food and drink, for instance, bread of life (John 6:48), living water (John 4:10), etc. The Samaritan lady at the well wanted the living water so she would never thirst again. After being fed by Jesus, the 5,000 followed him across the sea. They weren’t after him because of the miracle they had seen, rather they wanted another meal (John 6:26)! Jesus said that they were going through a lot of work for bread that wouldn’t satisfy when they should be striving for the bread of life (John 6:27). These trite examples show us that the Bible uses food and hunger to describe our relationship to God. So why use food?

Hunger is universal. This is something every man, woman, and child understands. Not in the true hunger, like I haven’t eaten in a week kind of way, but we all have experienced times of feeling hungry.
Food is incomplete. There is never a meal that will satisfy you forever. There was this greasy spoon breakfast joint called Diamond Jim’s in Bellingham, Wa. that would satisfy you for a day, maybe a day and a half if you didn’t get too sick, but in the end, you always need more.
Food is what we work for. The primary function of working and earning a paycheck is to provide food for yourself and your family.

The first thing I would like to say is that our need for food is no more of an accident than that our basic family structure is a man and woman united in marriage. A marriage is representative of Christ’s relationship to the church (Eph 5:22-24). This means that our marriages are an image of Christ and the Church, not the other way around. Therefore our need for food is a shadow, a mere representation, of our ultimate need for God. So how does food help us understand our relationship to God in a deeper way?

The living bread is really what you need. We don’t need another social program. We don’t need another piece of technology. We don’t even need that new car. What we really need is a reconciled relationship with the God of all provision. All other needs, wants and desires pale in comparison.
When the Israelites were out wandering in the desert, God promised them a land “flowing with milk and honey.” The land was literally prosperous, but it doesn’t stop there. God was also promising them a loving and ultimately fulfilling relationship with Him. No longer do you have to look for a different well when yours runs dry. When we look to be ultimately fulfilled in things that aren’t God, we destroy whatever that thing is. If you look for your wife to fulfill you, you place her in the position that God is supposed to fill. This leads to deciding you have the wrong wife when you aren’t fulfilled. God ultimately fulfills.
You need to work at your relationship with God. Jesus tells his disciples to abide in His word, and to keep his commandments (John 15). While the power and strength of our faith comes from the indwelling of Christ (Eph 3:16-17), we are called to act on that power. This is where our energy is to be spent, on the food that satisfies, on the work that matters.

When you sit down and eat dinner tonight, remember that our food is a pale and finite representation of God’s providence. Our hunger for food that spoils, food that fails to keep us from experiencing future hunger, is an example of the finitude of this world, and our hope is in the joy that that will follow.

Finally, consider fasting. Fasting is an outward expression of our true dependence on God to meet all of our needs. While fasting has fallen out of practice in most protestant circles, it is a spiritual practice that is prescribed in Scripture. It is not a way of “punishing” the body, as some have characterized it, rather we are acting out what is ultimately true: without God we have nothing.

St. Peter’s In Rome

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:40:00 +0000

Phil Johnson over from TeamPyro is in Rome right now and took this picture of St. Peter’s with the sunrise behind it. Not too shabby for an iPhone pic.

I know being "Missional" is all the rage...

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:19:00 +0000

...but I just think this might be a step backwards. Effective does not equal correct or proper.

The Christian Bookstore or Why I Take Prozac

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 15:00:00 +0000

What do pewter "pocket trinkets," the ESV study bible, and lawn ornaments have in common? That's right! They can all be found at your local Christian Bookstore! Not only that, but you can also find a dizzying array of conflicting theology all on the same shelf (for those in the know, I saw Rob Bell, Kevin Deyoung, and Mark Driscoll all next to each other. My brilliant wife pointed out they were probably in alphabetical order. I thought Deyoung and Driscoll would kick Bell's tail if they had been present in bodily instead of book-ily form). What is up with commercial Christianity that such a place can exist?

My cynicism-ometer was rising. I started to unravel one of the decorative --"Painter-of-Light"-- rugs so I could go all John 2:15 on the owners but my wife saw what was up and pushed me into the bible aisle. Regaining a semblance of composure, my search for an economical ESV "giveaway" New Testament began. All was well until my darling decided to show me the T.D. Jakes aisle, someone who does not hold to the trinity... you know.... like Jehovah's Witnesses.

Disparate or heretical theology aside, what really disappointed me were the lawn ornaments. and the pewter pocket trinkets. the ones inscribed with Love or Jesus. Pocket rocks are cool and all, but these were advertised to promote "Good Thoughts." Since when were we trying to promote good thoughts?

Why are we so susceptible to trinkets and trash? My guess, we look for little physical manipulatives to feel religious because the gospel has lost its reality. Too few Christians really know what the Gospel is or how it relates to their everyday life.

As long as there is pathetic preaching from the pulpits, where the sheep are not shown the reality of the Gospel, we will continue to drown in commercial crap as we strive to fill the ever-growing hole in our souls.

In closing, if your pastor preaches the bible faithfully, week in and week out, I want you to thank him. Today. Right now. Send him an email, give him a call, or go all old-school and write a note. These men work hard so that we can see the Glory of God on display. Their sermons are not to be overlooked. They are not the stop-gap between the singing and the donuts. They are exhorting you from the word of God. Love these men. They love you.

The Problem with Sin in the Social Gospel

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:24:00 +0000

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:26-27

A friend and I discussed the different perspectives of sin this weekend. Is all sin against God or does sin come from the effects it has on those around us? The latter view, I pointed out, brings us closer to the social gospel, which is more concerned with social redemption and social justice than divine redemption and justice. This is not to say that God doesn't care what happens down here, but we need to keep our priorities straight. James shows us that our responsibility as Christians is three-fold:

Taming the tongue = taming the heart. As Jesus had argued earlier, James shows us that the tongue just spews forth what is already in your heart (Jas 3:6-12). In order to tame the tongue we need to pursue righteousness. An illustration of this is any time I speak without thinking. Very rarely is this thoughtless speech edifying. My heart is wicked and what comes out of my mouth reflects this. My first thought was not to bless but to curse (both uses of the word fit!). James (and therefore the Holy Spirit that inspired him) is interested in your heart and how you express yourself. It really matters to God and therefore it should really matter to us.
Love those that are afflicted. Widows and orphans didn't have any welfare support back then. They either starved to death or someone else took care of them. There were no safety nets to keep them in food and shelter. It was the call of the Christian to care for those that couldn't care for themselves. It was a living picture of the Gospel. We could not be reconciled to God, there was nothing we could do on our own. Therefore God decided to fulfill both parts of the bargain, he would reconcile us to himself. He would pay our price at the cost of his Son. Our response to the magnitude of this gift is to live lives marked by generosity.
Unstained by the world. The word-picture James uses shows us that our lives are to be like a pure lamb, a perfect sacrifice. Exodus 12:5 says that the lamb for the sin offering was to be without spot or blemish. God required this because it was a reflection on his perfect holiness. This final responsibility wraps up the other two. I cannot be a perfect sacrifice if I have worldliness in my heart and it is expressed to all those around me through the poison of my tongue. I cannot be a perfect sacrifice if I am not loving as God has--by loving those that can't do anything to reciprocate. Our goal is to be unstained, not wrapped up in evil pursuits nor only loving those that can "get me something."

The social gospel, and the emergent spin-offs, define sin by not loving and taking care of the people around them. They miss the point because Scripture shows us that we need to define all of our actions according to our relationship to God. We don't love others because that is an end in itself, we love others because we were first loved by God. We don't need to tame the tongue because it might offend someone, we need to tame the tongue because we are to pursue holiness as our God is holy. Sin that rests on other people for definition takes an ultimately holy God out of the picture.

Jesus Grieved at Death Too

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:56:00 +0000

I've always found it interesting that Jesus, who was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, still wept at his death (John 11:33-38) and at the sight of his grieving sisters. The King of Kings who is the resurrection and the life wept at death.

Death is not natural. This goes against everything we see around us, but it really isn't natural. We were made to be in eternal relationship with God and each other. When sin entered into the world we lost one of our fundamental purposes. This is why something so "natural" as death hurts so badly.

When Jesus came to conquer death, he wasn't just providing us a way to live eternally. He was providing the reconciliation that allows us to live in a completely satisfying, completely glorious relationship with God primarily and with each other secondarily. This is the Joy that we have to look forward to. Not just life eternal, but life eternal in Glorious Relationship.

Wow. What is 'the Fear of the Lord'?

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Ray Ortland shows himself to be a clear and incredibly insightful thinker in this short post. Check it out. It's totally worth your time.

Torch your Safety Net

noreply@blogger.com (Zack Skrip) — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:49:00 +0000

How long will you trust God to be working on a tough spouse? How long will you pray for a lost friend until you give up and decide it is hopeless? Or maybe you are the tough case. What if you can only see growth in a troublesome area if you take it in 10yr increments? How long will you trust that God is working in your own life, even when you see little or no change?

We use our senses to verify what we believe to be true. We trust that God is working only as long as we can see him working. We move hesitantly, hoping there is a visible reaction for each of our actions. To us, God becomes not a divine mover, but rather a force like gravity that has to react to our actions.

Scripture tells us if we ask anything in the name of Jesus--and it glorifies the Father--that he will surely do it for us. So we ask. And we wait. Our hesitancy increases. We do not move forward because we are still waiting for him to complete the last request. We expect him to move the way we envision it, and that is rarely the case.

Christian, torch your safety net. Destroy that hesitancy. The king of the universe wants you to call him "Father." How much more do you want?

Learn your Bible. Read what God promises to do and then trust him for it. He will change the life of your wife, your husband. He promises that he will complete every good work in the life of the believer. How great is our God!