The words:

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles on things I don’t know
This weakness I feel I must finally show

Lend me your hand and we’ll conquer them all
But lend me your heart and I’ll just let you fall
Lend me your eyes I can change what you see
But your soul you must keep, totally free
Har har, har har, har har, har har

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life

Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your Maker
Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul
You were made to meet your Maker
You were made to meet your Maker

“True devotion does not consist in the performance of certain religious duties at set times, but in the Spirit in which the ordinary duties of common life are performed.”
—William Law, section title of first chapter in A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life

“The new birth is a deep inward, radical change, brought about by the Holy Spirit in our human personality by which we receive a new heart and a new life and become a new creation.”

—John Stott, The Radical Disciple: Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling, p. 86.

“Elsewhere in Scripture Paul describes more clearly, if briefly, the elements which make up a well-ordered life. ‘The grace of God,’ he writes,

has appeared for the salvation of all men, teaching us to cast away all ungodliness and worldly desires, and thus to live sober, righteous and holy lives in this world, as we await the blessed hope and revelation of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself to redeem us from all iniquity and to make us his hereditary people, purified for him and devoted to good works (Titus 2:11-14).

Having thus encouraged us by recalling us to God’s grace, and wishing to open for us the path which leads to God’s service, the apostle removes two obstacles which could greatly hinder us.

The first obstacle is ungodliness, to which we are all too prone by nature; the second is worldly appetites which extend even more widely. The term ‘ungodliness’ signifies not just superstition; it also includes whatever is opposed to the true fear of God. Worldly appetites are equivalent to the desires of the flesh. That is why Paul bids us give up our natural reluctance to observe the two tables of the law, and to have done with all that our reasons and will suggest to us.

For the rest, Paul reduces all our actions to three elements or categories: sobriety, righteousness and godliness. Sobriety doubtless designates chastity and moderation, and a pure and disciplined use of God’s gifts, together with patience in time of poverty. Righteousness includes the idea of equity, which determines how we live alongside our neighbours, so that we render to all what is rightly theirs. Godliness, which the apostle places third, cleanses us from the world’s defilement, and unites us to God in holiness. When all three virtues are inseparably joined together, they constitute complete perfection.

Nothing, however, is harder for us than to abandon reason, master our appetites and indeed totally renounce them, in order to devote ourselves to God and our brethren, and to contemplate, while mired in earth’s slime, the life of the angels. Paul therefore seeks to free our souls from all their bonds by reminding us of the hope of blessed immortality. He declares that we do not fight in vain, because Jesus Christ, having appeared as our Redeemer once and for all, will an his final coming display the fruit of the salvation he has won for us. In this way the apostle weans us from all the seductions which habitually dazzle us, and which prevent us longing as we should for the glory of heaven. In the meantime, he urges us to walk as pilgrims in this world, so that the inheritance above is not lost to us.”

—Johannes Calvinus (aka John Calvin), translated by Robert White from book 3 of the 1560 French edition of Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 3, Avoiding Ungodliness and Worldly Desires, under “Denying Self: The Key to Christian Living,” in A Guide to Christian Living (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2009), 24-28. This exposition of Titus 2:11-14 appeared for the first time in the 1559 Institutes. It is the most substantial addition made by Calvin to his 1539/1541 text, ‘On the Christian Life.’

Three good books on the subject are:

• Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will (Or, How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, etc., by Kevin DeYoung
• Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View, by Garry Friesen. It is a bit complicated but still good, and may at times to be ‘unsupernatural,’ yet let’s keep in mind that following Christ is at many times (most times?) unspectacular and mysterious, while at the same time being spectacular (we get God!) and relational (in Jesus we get God!). That is, it is deeper and better than getting a fortune cookie and having all of one’s dreams come true.
• A Journey Worth Taking: Finding Your Purpose in This World, by Charles D. Drew

In Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung (a pastor) starts first by deconstructing the common notion of how we think of the will of God, which is often thought of this way:

• God has a secret plan for your life
• We need to work it out through special guidance
• If we miss that plan, we end up living a second rate life

[Listen to a message by DeYoung to the next generation, "Just Do Something."]

Love what Martin Luther had to say:

“I know not the way God leads me, but well do I know my Guide.”

Let’s quit focusing on the plans first, and fix our attention on the Guide, the Plan Maker, our Father.

• Pick up a copy of The Slow Fade: Why You Matter in the Story of Twentysomethings, by Chuck Bomar, Reggie Joiner, Abbie Smith

The book is written to older Christians on why you matter in the lives of college-aged people, and how to foster deep and lasting relationships. (Plus, this was Jesus’ method of making forever-lasting disciples.) Pick up a copy, be challenged and changed, and see your place in the story of Twentysomethings. I would not be a pastor or probably even a Christian today without the influence of godly, older men and women patiently walking with me and modeling what it means to know, love and follow Jesus. By God’s grace I was able to see what a faithful husband and loving father looks like, long before I became either.

[If you know of a Twentysomething in the south Portland area, we'd love to meet them.]

… being a follower of Christ requires much more than having a personal and transformational relationship with Christ.  It involves a public and transforming relationship with the world.

I totally agree. Do you?

“Why do you think it is that women do Bible study, but men don’t?”

She leads the women’s ministry in our church, helping ladies of all ages grow in Christ. A key goal in all they do is to foster life-transformation (that is, change.) There will be social happenings, yet the Gospel of Jesus Christ permeating our whole lives is the core emphasis, and learning opportunities abound (like a weekly intensive Bible study as a group). I gave her a 30-second ‘answer’ off the top of my head. Here’s a slightly more thoughtful reflection.

Why Learn?

For men, it seems — again, only from the perspective of one man here, but I’m taking notes on the men around me — we see Bible study and similar learning opportunities as knowledge acquisition. If we perceive the knowledge as useful — and needful — we’ll seek it out. Like how to fix one’s own car, or install a sprinkler system, or other DIY projects. (That’s Do-It-Yourself, which is a core mantra to being a ‘man’ in our culture. We like to be able to say we do it by ourselves, which is something my son instinctively says weekly.) We want there to be a clear benefit from what we’re doing, not an invisible one.

Maybe that’s why I’ve heard dozens of young men on the college campus say confident-sound things like, “I know all that stuff. I know all about the Bible, God and Jesus.” Really? But I can only remember one instance where a college girl insisted she know “all that stuff” (and then proved she did not).

(Again, just going on personal experience here, which is anecdotal not scientific.) Are these women just not as learned as these men? Highly doubtful. By personal experience I can say that if we have begun to understand the Bible, we will thirst for more. If we’ve tasted of who Jesus really is, we will not turn away (Psalm 34). We may not get that experience with the ‘church’ we grew up in or the supposed Christians around us, but the real thing compels us to want to want more.

Confidence: Am I weak?

Some men think of Bible study and other ‘religious’ exercises as showing weakness. I love how dozens of men in our church family and city are bucking this trend and seeking our wiser, godly men to learn from and grow. They are opening the Bible and realizing they need to grow. Still, when I teach a class in July simply called “How to Study the Bible,” the room will likely have more women than men, and it will be the wife or girlfriend who signs both up for it.

The goal of the course is to help everyone gain confidence that when they are reading the Bible they can understand God’s words. Men lack confidence in knowing the Bible, but rather than seek out a learning opportunity, on the whole we would rather bury that insecurity and invest time on something else where we do feel confident. (I am not running to take guitar lessons, as I have zero rhythm and think I’d fail at learning that skill. Instead, let’s talk about ’80s baseball trivia. If we’re not the best at something we’d rather not try and make a fool of ourselves.

Community & learning

I may be over-generalizing here (okay, I surely am), when I say that men tend to like connecting face-to-face rather than sitting in rows or even in circles. By rows I mean sitting in a lecture or class. We are doers, and ‘nothing gets done’ just by sitting there. Circles are groups where we experience the give-and-take of listening to one another and giving space for exploration. (Men think they don’t have time for this.) That’s why a popular church book said that church sermons should be about ten minutes so men can follow along. Are we stupid? Apparently. More than that, I think we’re simply lacking a key ingredient necessary for life-change…

We would like to forge our own path and not have too many inputs telling us truth or what to do. The joke is that men hate asking for directions, avoiding it like the plague.

Constructive hobbies?

Take a look at the difference in hobbies for men and women. Women take up hobbies that are constructive. That is, they tend to build into the family dynamic and benefit others. (Not all women, but guys if you are seeking out a woman notice what she likes to do in her free-time.) On the other hand men gravitate towards hobbies that take-away from the family structure. Like playing video games, poker, going fishing, doing things with ‘the guys.’ Historically that was not the case. (Hunting used to be as a means to provide for the family; now it is more a ‘sport.’) Men love gadgets. Totally understand that us men need a break, but before we say we ‘deserve’ one, consider your wife who toils day and night and orders her hobbies around serving you.

What common thread emerges in these differences?

Humility.

We men like to ‘earn’ our way, and don’t immediately see the value of other people giving input into our lives. Certainly there are mature men who do value other’s presence and perspective, even seek it out. (I have a handful of men whom I bribe with things like sub sandwiches just so that I can sit and learn from them.)

If we’re curious, we’ll buy a book on a subject or ask an expert, but really only in a safe environment where we don’t appear weak. (Not likely in front of a whole group, and not when women are present. We’d rather appear like we know something than actually learn. They say ignorance is bliss.) Plus, we are more likely ask advice of seek life guidane from someone we perceive as clearly more qualified than we are. Why is this? Perhaps our dads modeled it that way.

Taking risks

Along those lines, it’s odd that many men are afraid of taking risks. Guys, our wives notice when we’re apathetic, and they really take notice (in a good way) when we try to lead. You may not do it well, but at least try. Let’s be humble, seek out learning experiences, and love our families by getting past ourselves. (Don’t have a wife or family yet? Get ahead of the curve and form new habits of learning and growing.) We’re seeking life-change here, not just collecting knowledge.

Where do we go from here?

Look around: do you have the resources to grow and change as a man?  Are there wise people around us, are we taking risks, and are we submitting to the ultimate authority — the only true God — in humility and dependence?

Brother, your wife needs it, your kids need it (even future ones), and so do you. Me too. Let’s learn together.

—

Agree? Disagree? Have a viewpoint?

Feels like wearing my favorite t-shirt (old, musty, holey, sweat-stained), and some and those 10-year-old running shoes I somehow keep around.

(Oh, and by the way, your computer screen may look dirty … maybe it is … or, maybe it is the texture overlaying the words on this site. Sorry for that.

I think we’ve exhausted the letter “i”. It’s time to move on to “j”.

Speaking of the iPhone — or jPhone — numero 4 drops tomorrow, and while I was able to hold one for a brief time today I will be among the masses that don’t fall for it. This snazzy iPod Touch over here does wonders, and who wants to use their phone for everything? I know, I know, you do. Have fun with that. I’ll instead by saving up for my kids’ college funds.

You have to admit, the iPhone does bring a lot of diverse people together:

[Thanks to Chris for pointing out the venn diagram]

Michael Emlet’s book CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet is a great read [more from the publisher].

The author’s purpose is to aid the reader of Scripture to grasp God’s words, so he or she can adequately counsel others. It is certainly not a selfish premise, and connecting our broken stories to the whole Story is key for any lasting transformation to take root. Here’s a helpful section early in the book:

“The Bible proclaims one comprehensive true story of God’s relationship with people. It moves form Creation to the Fall of humanity into sin, suffering, and death, to Redemption — ultimately accomplished through Jesus — and finally, to a vision of God’s Kingdom, complete at Jesus’ second coming.

It is the story of God creating a people to rule the world on His behalf, for their good and His glory. It is a story of their rebellion against God’s wise design. But it is also a tale of God rescuing His people from their sin and misery, and the climax of that narrative comes in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah.

Everything in the Old Testament looks forward to this climax and everything in the New Testament looks back to it and/or works out its implications for the lives of God’s people. Of course, the New Testament also looks forward to Jesus’ second coming. This is what the gospel is all about: the good news that God entered history as the Man Jesus to bring about the redemption of a people and a world bound in sin and suffering.” (pp. 6-7)

[See a related post, "A Visual Primer on the Story of God."]

The author summarizes why this matters for real-life application:

“Understanding both the Story of God and the stories of the people we serve is necessary to help others embrace the transformation the Bible envisions for God’s people.”

Emlet then invests the rest of the book to aid the curious and devoted reading of Scripture to bring God’s text to bear on human problems. Along the way he helps us see our various identities, as:

• saints
• sufferers
• sinners

Perhaps I can give a quick, albeit incomplete, summary of how these fit together: We have all rebelled against God (preferring to find our satisfaction, worth and significance apart from our good Father — as sinners), live as fellow sufferers of the human condition in a fallen creation (this is not how it was meant to be), and “in Christ” — and in Him alone — can we be rightly called saints. That is, our position before and relationship with God is as chosen people, declared by God our Father as righteous and holy (synonymous with ‘saint,’ Greek hagios).

In Jesus a reconciliation takes place that can happen no other way: we are made right with God, have opportunity to be reconciled with others, the creation, and ourselves. (Fourfold: God, others, creation, self.)

That’s why people’s stories matter. Their dirt, denial, fears, hopes, failures and successes. Mine too. We’re in this together.

“Your struggle to be the best father to your kids is great. I do not see you defining yourself as a pastor at the expense of your children. Well done.”

Now I get to go be with my wife and see our kids. Our daughter started walking yesterday!

Here are the questions from Luke 1-4 and my response/answers. A goal is to walk through how we think about the text as we venture towards conclusions, and hopefully not just give my own:

1. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan did others that were there that day see the heavens torn open and hear the Spirit of the Lord?

It seems that everyone present saw the heavens open up (3:21), and the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus like a dove, and heard the voice of God the Father saying, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (3:22). Why did this event happen? It is helpful to ask: what scenes in God’s Story (the big, overarching narrative of Scripture and the whole world) are being retold here?

Here is my take: the baptism scene is like a retelling of the Creation story, where the Triune God created because He simply wanted to, and not out of any need or lack in the Godhead. (God is a community of persons who enjoy and satisfy one another completely [that link added only here]).

The Father spoke the world into existence (Genesis 1), just as He spoke here at the Son’s baptism. We learn that Jesus the Son is the One who created all things (Colossians 1:15-17), and everything exists by Him and for Him (Col. 1:18+). That is, He’s the Hero of the Story. Here He was shown to the Hero, and the foretold Rescuer. Everyone who would be baptized after that point would then identity with Him — He’s the reason we are immersed, and in Him we gain our identity. The Spirit was present and hovering over the original creation (Genesis 1:2), and here He is the visible sign that God is re-creating the world and retaking the role of Creator and King and Ruler of all.

2. Jesus is God, he has divine control over everything, why did he go into the desert to be tempted by Satan if he has control over Satan?

Many have set forth Jesus’ temptation in Luke 4 (and Matthew 4) as an example for how are to respond personally in our individual temptations. Jesus shows us that hiding God’s Word in our hearts. I think all of that is true, but let’s remember that every Gospel writer is making an argument about Jesus. Here’s how I reason through a Scripture passage: I begin with the What (what does the text say? what was the intended meaning to the original hearers/readers?), Why (why is the author saying it this way? What is the key biblical theme that links the Old Covenant and the New Covenant?), and So What? (What was God’s response for the original audience? What is ours?)

Back to the arguments of all the Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John): They are saying He is the greatest one (Hero) ever, and showing Who He is, Why He came, and what it means to follow Him.

So, Jesus goes out into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days, which seems quite reminiscent to the very real and literal 40 years that the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness (Numbers 14:34), and even the 40-day fasts of great prophet leaders like Moses (Ex. 34:28; Deut. 9:9), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8). For Jesus to achieve salvation and rescue us, He has to go through the tests we as humanity have failed; and those tests of faithfulness and holiness that Israel as God’s ‘son’ failed. He is greater than the greatest prophet ever (Moses), and more miraculous than the great miracle worker Elijah. He had to do what they could not, which involves defeating the Evil One (decisively, publicly, eternally; Col. 2:15).

3. When Jesus returned why did he preach the same message as John the Baptist? Why didn’t he just begin his mission?

Jesus is the fulfillment (telos is the Greek word) of all the Old Testament promises (2 Cor. 1:22). Promises had been made, and in Him they are being kept. Think of fulfillment like completion: Jesus is connecting all the dots of history and weaving together God’s Story. He does this by entering the story, and becoming the Hero. On the way He validates what is true in God’s Kingdom and show how what God inaugurated what back when is coming true right before their eyes. This involves allowing the OT history to come to it’s completion. Covenants were made, and promises must be kept. So, Jesus comes to speak of an “already, but not yet” Kingdom breaking in, using the history and messages from the Old Covenant as He establishes Himself as the Prophet, Priest, and King they’ve all be waiting for. There is more alignment with the messages of God’s prophets (like John), even as Jesus wraps up the whole message and leads them on a new and deeper path filled with even better promises. I think that’s why Jesus didn’t just begin His mission as we think of it; aligning with the prophet John, and living under God’s Law (civil, ceremonial, moral) was part of His mission. It was necessary to be the God-Man who came to rescue us from the curse (Gal. 1:4).

[On a related note is the Adams Complexity Threshold (article by Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert). The Adams Complexity Threshold is the point at which something is so complicated it no longer works. A key quote:

“The financial meltdown, health care, defense spending, our tax code, problems in the Middle East – you name it. They have all become unsolvable because of their complexity. We want to blame individuals for being stubborn or corrupt or even stupid. But the real enemy is complexity.

Complexity is often a natural outgrowth of success. Man-made complexity is simply a combination of things that we figured out how to do right, one layered on top of the other, until failure is achieved.”

If you work in a team, between departments, tell me you don’t relate to today’s Dilbert comic:

That is a timeless answer by Luke Hendrix. Part of it:

“Worship is a fully-integrated life … that [we] would recognize God in all things.”

The biggest sin in the world is self-love.

—
[HT: Ken Wytsma & Antioch Church Redux]

I sure wish I could have been there last night as one of our leaders, Aaron enjoyed preaching on Creation. We were created by God (in the triune God’s image), and for God (for His glory, to worship Him at all times, in everything). We looked at Genesis 1-2, in this first ‘chapter’ of the Big Story. Here’s a little summary of what we put on a bookmark for the students:

CREATION | The story does not begin with a God in hiding. God initiates the story by creating all that exists, including His prized creation – human beings – whom He pursued in relationship. What God created in the beginning was not just good, but perfect, whole, complete, lacking in nothing. He designed the Earth as an ideal environment for His creation to flourish.

We use these summaries on a site for students (and others) devoted to engaging with God daily through reading the Bible. We call it The ROAD.

The Story of God: Creation, Fall, Rebellion, Redemption, Glory

(The idea for the website was inspired by and adapted from a venture by The Journey Church.)

“Faith and hope and love
and and love comes over the clouds
and over your heart
and the nails hold Jesus to the cross.
And Jesus is the Lord.
And God protects.
And lazy hands make a man poor.”

Pretty good theology!

(This proves he is listening, and he talks about what we talk about in our home.)

We’ve looked at Preference and Perfection. Now it’s time for a dominant purpose here in the comfy West: Protection — safety at all costs.

Does Protection drive you?

Let’s look at how this plays out in life.

Situation … response:

• When all is well in my life … I feel secure (and probably pray less).
  
• When trials enter my life … I pray more, for safety, for life to steady (to control my surroundings).
• When I am criticized, I … Get defensive or run away to a safe place, avoiding the pain.
• My relationship with God … Helps me find shelter from the battles of daily life.
• Motivation: Insecurity and fear.
  
• When I sin … I don’t want anyone else to know and guard my reputation tightly.  (I may be prone to shift blame to others who threaten my peace of mind.)
• I trust … in people who can keep me safe from any stress or harm. Who will protect me?
  
• My greatest strengths/ weaknesses are … my strength is that I see dangers others neglect; my weakness is that I live a boring life.
  
• My identity is found in … being safe and comfortable, in having a good reputation.
  

What’s the antidote?

The Gospel shows a God who is willing to forsake His own comfort, and endure pain and shame on our behalf (Hebrews 12:1-3). Why? Because it is worth it; God the Father and the reward at the other end is of far greater value. For that reason when we come to God through Jesus we can be assured that everything we forsake will be of less value than Him.

While our desire for protection is good, it simply cannot be ultimate. Otherwise our trusting in Christ would be the end and not the beginning of an amazing adventure, full of risk and reward, with dangers on every side (2 Cor. 4-6, esp. 4:7-12) and joy in risking everything for our Savior. In the day to day pressures of life, turning over our worries (our cares and anxiousness) helps us flee the idol of comfort and find security behind the walls of His power and love (Philippians 4:6-7).

Paul states it decisively:

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Are you willing to forgo your protection to find refuge in Him?

לֶחֶם (leḥem) food, bread, grain.

(Strong’s Hebrew #3899)

This noun occurs 296 times in the OT. But “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the lord” (Deut 8:3). Man is not what he eats!

Yet all food is the gift of God. He planted the garden of Eden and caused all the trees to grow which were good for food (maʾăkāl, Gen 2:9). Likewise the Psalmist asserts that God “caused the grass to grow for the cattle and vegetables for the service of man: that he may bring food from the ground … and bread which strengthens man’s heart” (Ps 104:14–15). Yes, he “gives food to all flesh” (Ps 136:25); to the hungry (Ps 146:7) and to the beasts and young ravens (Ps 147:9). God himself even instructs man the artand principles of agriculture: how to prepare the ground, how to sow the seed in rows or to broadcast others, and how to harvest each after patiently waiting the appointed number of days (Isa 28:24–29, note grain in v. 28).

Man must never presume that this “staff” on which he leans will always be available, regardless of how he acts. God can and did “break the whole staff of bread” (Ps 105:16; Isa 3:1; Ezk 4:16; 5:16; 14:13; Amos 4:6). This was the principle announced by Moses in Lev 26:26: God would send increasingly severe judgments on any nation that refused to walk in righteousness before he brought the ultimate calamity. Even worse than a famine of bread was famine of the Word of God (Amos 8:11) both of which resulted from the same cause: compounded sin.

Sadly enough, even though God was richly supplying Israel with her grain, fine flour, oil, and honey (Ezk 16:19), she, like the adulterous Gomer, insisted on running after her lovers, not realizing that God had been the source of those gifts (Hos 2:5, 7–8 [H 7, 9–10]).
What could the few righteous like Habakkuk do when they saw their nation headed for such disaster as a result of hardened and entrenched sinfulness? He would “rejoice in the Lord” and “joy in the God of [his] salvation” even though outwardly he was shaking with fear and the fields yielded no food (ʾōkel), (Hab 3:17–18).

There is another kind of bread, wine. and milk that can be bought without money or labor. Men may have it if they repent and seek the Lord (Isa 55:1–7). Jesus later calls himself the true bread from heaven just as the manna in the wilderness was “bread from heaven” (Ex 16:4ff.). Even Elijah was fed food by God’s ravens when there was none to be had (I Kgs 17:6). At other times, God provided grain by sending visions and leadership in Joseph (Gen 41:54, 55; 43:25, 31, 32; 45:23; 47:12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20). Both spiritual and physical bread come from the Father of all good gifts.

The dough which the Israelites took with them from Egypt was unleavened, because they had to leave in haste (Ex 12:34, 39). Note, however, Lev 23:17. The Pentecost wave loaves were to be baked with leaven! So leaven cannot always be a principle of evil. The “bread of wickedness” (Prov 4:17) or the “bread of deceit” (Prov 20:17) is always obtained by wrong and results in bitterness of life. No better is the “bread of adversity” (Isa 30:20), which spells times of persecution, or the “bread eaten in secret” (Prov 9:17) with the seductress, for the act of adultery will poison a man’s whole life.

If you’re cause-oriented, you get affinity. All the people who agree with you come together. If you’re Christ-oriented, people who disagree on a whole lot of things, they come together. That’s actual community. What passes for community in our day is pretty much affinity. Everybody like me hangs out and does what I like. Community is people totally unlike me, who don’t have much in common with me, come together with me, because we’re Christ-centered. It’s all about Jesus, and as we’re all walking closer to Jesus as followers of Jesus, we happen to get closer together and become a team. That’s what’s cool about Christianity. You guys know this, in your community groups, your social networks, you’re like, “Man, my Christian friends, I would never pick these people. I don’t have anything in common with them—bipedal, upright—other than those two factors, we got nothing in common. But you know what? They love Jesus, I love Jesus, I love them, and together we make each other more sanctified, and together when we serve Jesus, it goes better, so praise God for a weird, diverse, collective team of different kind of people.” So on our team, there are artists, there are accountants, people who are good with pictures, people who are good with numbers, all important, very vital. Weird teams are the best teams. You see that with Jesus. It’s kind of a weird team. He’s not picking the guys you’d expect, he’s picking a bunch of no-names and nobodies. [emphasis added; read the whole article: Weird Teams Are the Best Teams]

If we only hang around other people that we like (and are like), we aren’t actually in community — we’re in a clique.

What is that something else? What drives us? What motives lie beneath the surface? Catch up by reading the first one — Preference — and some thoughts on how these factors play out in pastoral counseling.

So, what drives us?

I am a ‘recovering perfectionist,’ meaning when asked what drives me, I am more apt to make decisions based on getting things right and seek perfection than on other motives (like preference). Perhaps I never want to be seen as lazy, or perhaps there is an inner drive for excellence. It can be both a strength and a weakness. When a drive for perfection becomes ultimate, it supplants the Perfect Creator as my source of significance. (The only remedy is to repent and believe the Gospel: we no longer have to work for significance in Christ; rather we work from significance in Christ, according to the Gospel.) There are a couple on this list that that I tend towards, and perfection-driven is one of them.

In short, if perfection drives me: I am my own worse critic, and like to have control

Let’s look at how this plays out in life.

Situation … response:

• When all is well in my life … Hey, look at me! But I sometimes wonder why it’s not always like this.
• When trials enter my life … I don’t want others to know that I don’t have my life all together. (So I don’t talk openly about my weaknesses.)
• When I am criticized, I … Get defensive because no one realizes I’m probably superior to them.
• My relationship with God is … Makes me feel better (or worse) depending on if I’m meeting my own standards & goals.
• Motivation: Being right, jealousy.
• When I sin … I think I should know and do better and beat myself up (failure). Vow to make it up.
• I trust … in myself and those who share my high standards.
• My greatest strengths/ weaknesses are … my strength is my high standards & wisdom; my weakness is that I can beat myself and others up emotionally
• My identity is found in … my own abilities to control life and others.

Christianity: The only religion where man is saved when he stops trying to save himself.

By God’s grace we can experience change,
through continually realizing that Jesus is my Perfection,
because He is God’s only way of acceptance.

(Context: family at weekend church service; observation of their religious life.)

“The adult members of society adverted to the Bible unreasonably often. Why did they spread this scandalous document before our eyes? If they had read it, I thought, they would have hid it.  They didn’t recognize the vivid danger that we would, through repeated exposure, catch a case of its wild opposition to their world.  Instead they bade us study great chunks of it, and think about those chunks, and commit them to memory, and ignore them.”
—Annie Dillard, An American Childhood, p. 134

If we believe Scripture we will embrace all of it. Our whole lives to the whole message. It won’t be easy, or make us comfortable. Otherwise, we treat it like fiction: a touching story that doesn’t actually move us.

After Aaron preached on Ruth 2:14-23 gave space to reflect on these questions, seeking to get at our true motives. (Borrowed and shared below.)

Questions for the WOMEN:

• What do you do just so guys will notice you physically? How much of the way you dress / your behavior is motivated by this?
• What kind of guy do you think you’ll attract by just attracting in a physical way?
• How would you dress / act to impress / attract / honor Jesus?
• Why is it hard to act / live this way?
• What did Ruth do, specifically, in this story, that you can imitate in your own life?

Questions for the MEN:

• What attracts you to a woman? (be honest!)
• Physical attraction is fine / wonderful / God-given. It’s a part of who we are. But it, by itself, is not lasting.
• Have you ever been physically attracted to a girl, and then once you found out about her / got to know her, been less attracted to her?
• Why do you think this is?
• Can any of you honestly say that all you want in a wife is that she’s hot?
• What are some qualities that are lastingly attractive in a woman? What kind of woman do you really want to spend your life with?’
• (The point: be aware of this! Don’t just obsess over hot girls.)
• We can learn from Boaz. Boaz was attracted to Ruth. What was his reaction? Did he “go after her”? What did he do to show that he was attracted to her?

Question for EVERYONE:
The entirety of the Bible points to Jesus. Where do we see the Gospel (the good news about Jesus) in this story?

“The gospel will offend some; but this should be because of its nature, not because of how we share it.” —Eric Mason

“The church should be a preview of eternity.” —Darren Whitehead

You should have a close friend ministering in another context. What you have in common is probably those issues that matter most. (Like a suburban megachurch pastor with an urban organic church pastor friend.) — Darren Whitehead & Jon Tyson (best friends, and a true example of this)

“Spiritual growth is hand-crafted, not mass produced.” —John Ortberg

“My greatest disappointments in life come from when I ask anything else but Christ to be my savior.” —Jon Acuff

“Creativity x Organization = Impact.” —Scott Belsky

“If we care about compassion we have to be able to articulate the Gospel message.” —Dan Kimball

“As the church, everything we do in culture either adds to the peace of culture or detracts from it.” —Jim Belcher

“I think postmodernism is dead.” —Jim Belcher (in response to a question about where postmodernism will lead us)

“Some of us don’t care enough about people to share the whole gospel—or what Jesus did for us.” —Dan Kimball

“Get out of your comfort zone and become a friend of flexibility & rejection.” —Justin Mayo

“Rich or poor — people need to be inspired by beauty.” —Jim Belcher (on creative endeavors to benefit the poor in beautiful ways)

“Listening to your community is the most active role the church can start doing in a community.” —Eugene Cho

“If we love Jesus—we must love the Church despite our messiness.” —Dan Kimball

“We should care about culture.” —Jim Belcher

While we cannot build a life on sound-bytes, nor form a ministry philosophy on them, these quotes were especially helpful as they were framed in a broader thematic discussion. As I mentioned before my favorite lab was “In the City. In the Suburbs.” with Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson; have reflected on that lab much since then. It was for me the most impacting hour of the whole conference.

One idea is to read some Psalms [perhaps starting with Psalm 42 on a personal level, or Psalm 51], intentionally pause and remember your Creator, coming to Him through the one place He’s made communication possible: His Son, Jesus.

Pray. With all the emotion we channel towards our favor activities, people and things. Gather with others and hear the longings of their hearts.

And think about ways to the “me” to Him and others. (To “we,” or more grammatically, to “us.”)

I’m going to ask for things far greater than my little life. Maybe the world will change, more than just my world.

Looks like the words come from U2′s Rattle & Hum (a great album).

[HT: human 3rror]

Could you sing if one of those was your car?

—
[source: prodigaljohn]

Today was the first day of Catalyst West Coast. Actually, the conference begins bright and early tomorrow, and today was the “Labs.” Not sure what my expectations were coming in, but I’m hopeful, and especially because our leadership team is here together.

Participants choose a track — whether Mission, Engage, Perspective, Leadership, Origins, etc. — but can hop between labs if desired. Each teacher/presenter has around 45 minutes to present, and then field questions for discussion to wrap up a full hour. As with all opportunities like this, there’s a mixed bag. Thankful that my Labs today were engaging, challenging, deeply reflective on Scripture, and the first two were led by veteran pastors who serve faithfully in the local church and seek the good of the city and world around us.

I noticed a friend tweeted this quote, fairly appropriate to the impetus of Catalyst Labs:

“To teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practiced.”
—Parker Palmer

(Great quote, Jake. Though Jake is not at Catalyst, I did ask Jim Belcher one of his questions. More on that later.)

That resonates with the idea of Catalyst — to create space to think deeply on Scripture, ecclesiology, and the mission of God in the local church, towards a “better tomorrow.” Not just to think, but both think AND feel with God, so we are changed and become worshipers who live out His truth. May the Spirit be the catalyst for all new movement.

The rooms are full of devoted leaders who not only want to make a big impact in this world for the Kingdom of God. We also want see life transformation (change) in our people. Of course, there’s not totally agreement, and often remarks of the speakers will be a little paradoxical (they after all likely cannot listen to one another, traveling in for a brief time, and not sitting in the room to hear the other speakers per se).

Labs 1 & 2 were the sweet spot of the day. The second one was with Jim Belcher, author of Deep Church. He offers a “third way” between Emergent and Traditional forms of church. Or, to put another way, there are two false choices of how we engage culture, either total assimilation (and thus little distinction and opportunity to influence change) or tribalism. That is, we extract from the world, and do not live in the sphere of where the world is, in our ideas, practices, and certainly not creativity. The first desires to create culture, but mostly in copycat fashion, while the other majors of critiquing (and escaping) culture. Neither is effective, and both are simply too easy. When we assimilate we just go with the flow, while when we extract ourselves we stay out of the flow of life. Instead, as we actively seek the peace of the city (based on Jeremiah 29:1-7), we live as “resident aliens.” These ideas deeply resonate with me, and early this morning I listened again to chapters 9-10 in the audiobook of Deep Church (Deep Ecclesiology & Deep Culture). We pray for the seek its peace (shalom), even giving ourselves for the city of building a great city that will benefit others and not just my tribe and family. Did not Jesus do this, leaving an example of loving our enemies, and living such distinct lives among the pagans that they see our good works and glorify God? If our piety and practices are so private and aimed out getting “out” of the surrounding world, then how can expect to influence others. We need to be in their world, listening, loving, and moving towards them.

DEEP CULTURE.

A great highlight was the Q&A where Belcher talked about post-modernism being dead (in response to my question), and that there is a huge gap in the thinking and worldview of our surrounding culture of secularism, and as we think, speak and compellingly argue with people while doing good we influence them for the Kingdom of God. He left us with a charge: to speak to our people, to listen to them, and to get in their world for the purpose of knowing what they do in their jobs, and emphasizing that you and God value their role. Seriously, this is a core staple of what I try to do in discipling people to see themselves as “missionaries” in God’s mission everywhere they are. Or, as Jesus used the picture of being salt and light. For this we need by the institutional church (structures and systems and corporate worship where we retell the Gospel Story as worth celebrating), and an organic nature, to allow people to be “secret agents” released in the culture to assess the needs and be all there to meet them by God’s Spirit, for His good pleasure, and the good of the greater community.

IN THE CITY. IN THE SUBURBS.

My first lab was with Darren Whitehead and Jon Tyson — long-time friends and Aussies pastoring here in the U.S. They serve in vastly different contexts: Whitehead as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek in suburban South Barrington outside Chicago; Tyson is a church planter and lead pastor in Manhattan, seeking an incarnation and “parish” approach in church ministry. Love how Tyson said they have a “100 year plan” for their city, not just looking at a handful of years or thinking change will happen in total just overnight. This lab may have been worth the trip by itself, and my friend and co-worker Aaron concurs that we need another day just to chew on the core truths discussed here. This is practical theology, but not pragmatics. Not technique, but deeply discussing the WHY and HOW along with the WHAT of pastoral ministry. This first hour lab was a highlight of the day.

A few quick hits:

• Our society tells a Story. It’s essentially the American dream (or the Disney story) where “life is gain” and “to die is Christ” if people are believers. Essentially that’s the opposite of what Paul writes in Philippians 1:21. Seriously, our message is that Jesus gets us ready to die. How about we help people live? The Gospel is far more than preparation for Heaven.
• The Story is reinforced in all our Institutions. Our schools, jobs, advertising, government and even family structures perpetuate the dominant story narrative (essentially that life is meant to be comfortable and it all about us). So when suffering hits we are worse than ill-prepared; it devastates us.
• We are what we continually do: Practices. Marketing essentially works at “choice architecture.” For example, if we put dessert first in the cafeterias in our schools … well, all our kids would be [more] obese. People often just subconsciously accept and participate in what they are presented.
• All of this shapes our Values. Ask the question, “My life is primarily formed by __________.” We could say God, but why do the lives of God’s people in the church look so similar to the world? Because we’ve bought into the false Stories around us, or just add Jesus to our American Dream. And we support institutions that perpetuate it and our practices.
• The result: Lifestyle. It all adds up to a life. Our narrative is shaped by the institutions of our day, and practices arise that lead to values. And we value what we do. We even sacrifice for what we value. Even the seemingly noble campaign to “live a great story” has at its root a selfish (self-hero) endeavor, where we are the star, and God plays a supporting role, though at times significant. How many people present the Gospel as, “do you want to play an insignificant role in God’s Story? Do you want to be an extra? You’re invited!” That’s more in keeping with the Gospel, while [they didn't say this, but I'll riff here] the best story the church seems to tell is “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” I prefer to emphasize something more like: God has an amazing story, and He invites you to participate with Him. Do you want to be written into His Story? Through Jesus He welcomes you.

A final thought hit me hard as a father. It came from Tyson who pointed out that our society is the first in the history of the world where young males are not taught five essential truths of mascilinity. (He also pointed out that girls should be taught much of the same as we teach boys.) The five core truths are expanded up in Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation by Richard Rohr:

1. Life is hard.
2. You are not important.
3. Your life is not about you.
4. You’re not in control.
5. You’re going to die.

Think about it: does our culture get people ready to suffer? When life “gets hard,” what is our response? (We ask “Where’s God?” We think our trials mean God is against us, when in reality it likely points to the reality that He is for us and with us.) We celebrate individuality, the importance of self, and life here in the affluent West revolves around “me” almost by default and our design. So Jesus becomes a support character in our story. He’s meant to be the Hero. We can get so comfortable with this life that we forget to think about point beyond ourselves and living to leave a legacy.

I was most excited to create space so the people I pastor can live in these truths. As my wife graciously encourages me, as pastor, as pastor-dad and pastor-husband. (What if we raised our sons to see themselves as part of the Story much greater than themselves?) Those are the spaces where I will find room to obey.

He asked me for help towards forming a lesson to remember the day True Love died. As a former baseball player (by far my best sport, I think), and now a has-been with an achy and nagging rotator cuff injury, I was happy to help. This request actually helped me make some connections I hadn’t yet seen. Here’s part of the reflection/meditation I sent him:

Great questions. There are so many connections between sports (and baseball in particular) and I just now … [paused] … to pray for you and _____ and _____ as you lead, coach and mentor. Baseball is grueling, long, takes hard work, and sometimes if feels like you’re all alone (as I felt on the mount way too many times).

You don’t want to let down your teammates, and yet when you think less about all that and envision cracking the bat on the ball and passionately following the best practices/fundamentals, odds are you’ll do well. (Okay, enough of the pastor-coach wannabe here.)

—-
Personally I think walking through some of the narratives and Exploring —> Explaining them is most helpful. We like to Exhort (yes, esp. in sports: “do this, do that … now! Go, go! Hurry up!”), but Good Friday is not a time for go-and-do; it is to sit-and-be, and see and think about what God did to make the world right again.

You see, our identity in Jesus is found not in our past and present — we have struck out, thrown a bean ball, been picked off, didn’t run out a pop up, left ducks on the pond, were caught stealing, overthrew the cut-off man, brushed off coach’s signs — think of every “error” we make in baseball and what that teaches us about life. (Sure there are more.)

That is, God accepts us not because we’ve hit the ball, but rather because Jesus hit it perfectly. He never struck out, went 4-for-4, 12 RBIs, all home runs, ran out every ball, threw a perfect game, and picked up His teammates. (Guess He may not have stolen any bases He’s a total gamer, and no coach, dad or fan could say He didn’t give it His all. While we want to be like Him, Good Friday is about how we cannot. How we did not. Jesus lived the life we should have lived — but didn’t and haven’t — and died the death we should have died.

In short: The determining factor in my fellowship with God is not my past or my present, but Christ’s past and His present.

To illustrate the lesson: if you want to serve them and show them you are in this with them, I would remember John 12-13, which is the Last Supper (aka Communion), and Jesus washing their feet. May be most appropriate to wash their hands, as that’s more of what we do in our culture. Plus, baseball is a sport where we use our hands — and in life our hands get dirty and unclean by what we touch and click on and do (see Psalm 24 on the need for clean hands to approach God). Jesus washed their feet as a symbol of what He does, washing us from the inside-out. Again, Jesus mostly did and said significant truth to explore and explain, and His main exhortation was to love one another (His new command, John 13:34-35). To put in baseball terms, Jesus is not asking us to go up to bat and think through all the ways our elbow should be cocked, or our head level, or to run out the play. He is asking us to remember how He did all of that and more, and filled the scoreboard for us. We trust in Him when we continually depend upon Him as the source of all of our acceptance, significance and worth. In kid terms: Jesus impressed His Dad (the Coach) for us so we don’t have to.

As for the rest of the Passion scenes:

Can walk through His final prayers (John 17), and then his betrayal and trials (John 18), finally condemned to die (John 19). At the end He exclaims “it is finished!” (which means “paid it full” — salvation is accomplished, all has been done to satisfy God’s justice and die in our place). Truly, having the players read passages aloud would be a meaningful moment.

My main point tonight will be that there is one character in the story that is their in our place. Barabbas as set free (though he was totally guilty, like a lazy, poor teammate who didn’t get it), and Jesus died in his place. Amazing how Barabbas’ name means “son of the father” (bar-Abbas) and he’s set free, while the true and only Son of the Father dies in his place. Ironic, sad, and would be a meaningful picture to the first hearers of this story.

Then, or sometime, can read Isaiah 52:10-53:12, which is God’s viewpoint of what happened on the Cross. We sometimes want so badly to get to the Resurrection — the good part of the story where Jesus is Hero and Champion. Yet, the climax is right there when Jesus finished His life well, was betrayed — on purpose.

No one took Jesus’ life — He died on purpose — John 10:17-18:

17 “… For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Can lead towards joy and anticipation as the story was “to be continued.” Yet there is a place for having some meaningful time to consider the events and significance of what Jesus did for us.

—
Maybe some of these thoughts are helpful. No need to rush through it. Think 10/11-year-olds can handle the real significance and follow along the whole time. So awesome what you are doing! (Feel free to borrow, steal, edit, etc.) And give my best to ___ and ____!

Enjoy your time away!

Because Jesus is everything,

Jeff