Every Square Inch

White Lies / Black Sin

2012-02-10T14:19:00.001-06:00

I read a recent article about a study that found a strikingly large number of health care providers are not completely honest with their patients when it comes to mistakes. The study also found doctors frequently tell white lies when it comes to full disclosure of test findings and diagnoses. You can read the article here.

I have a somewhat applicable perspective of being both a health care provider and a patient, so I was interested in the dynamics of the study. It appears that over 55% of doctors have been more positive about a prognosis than tests warranted and over 10% have told patients something that simply isn’t true. Over 30% believe it is acceptable to withhold medical mistakes from patients and a comparable number believe it is OK to abstain from revealing financial ties to drug companies or medical device companies.

I was quite surprised by the numbers and would expect they are even higher than reported as most folks aren’t even completely honest in anonymous surveys! However, I would like to dissect the findings from two different perspectives and try to bring those two perspectives together into a clear example of the power of sin in our lives and in our relationships.

First, I think it is important to consider that most doctors become doctors to help people. Most doctors are also very smart. But, wanting to help people and being smart doesn’t make one a good communicator. The article does a good job of contextualizing the circumstances where white lies seem reasonable. I see this in my office everyday. Obviously, as an optometrist, I don’t have to tell people bad news all the time. That is one reason I chose optometry over medicine. However, on occasion, I do have to tell folks that they are going to go blind. Blindness, like many conditions, doesn’t typically happen overnight. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a doctor to perform various tests over time to allow a condition to declare itself before completely revealing the condition to the patient.

Most medical ethicists consider this approach to be practical medicine. It is equivalent to simply “wanting to be sure” instead of perpetually worrying the patient if the tests actually reveal the findings to be normal after all. The only thing more unsettling than being told you are going blind is being told that you are going blind and then sometime in the future being told that you are now, in fact, not going blind! It is absolutely amazing how many of my patients are on anti-anxiety medications and we as providers must be cognizant of how our communication affects the whole person in context.

The article does broach the topic of financial interests in products and treatments. It is common practice for a healthcare provider or researcher to reveal any financial interests when presenting case reports or research. Therefore, I consider it reasonable to also reveal those interests to patients. I believe that to be an ethical and moral responsibility. I believe it is also an ethical and moral responsibility to reveal medical mistakes to a patient. The article states the most common reason for not revealing mistakes is fear of litigation.

If we look at these two issues in a biblical context, we begin to see the common thread of fear weaving back and forth within the patient - doctor relationship. The type of fear that leads to anxiety is the same kind of fear that leads to white lies. Anxiety is the fear of losing control. Lies are considered necessary to maintain control. Both are sin.

In this commonality of fear, I believe we can see another clear example of how our view of the gospel truly affects our daily decisions. Consider an anxious patient who filter’s unexpected news through the truth of the gospel. No one wants to hear bad news, but those who are willing to lose their life to gain it simply are not as upset to find they may actually lose it. Consider a physician that has come to terms that only the Great Physician can truly heal eternally. That physician knows full well the fear of failure and the pursuit of control leads to misrepresentation and a breach of trust. Now, place those two individuals in a room together working together to come to an understanding of a condition and you can see a picture of how things are supposed to be.

Steve Jobs and Abortion

2012-02-08T17:19:00.008-06:00

Last month I finished reading a book that is now easily on my short list of one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. It’s Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs.”

But in this post I just want to make one observation from Jobs’ story, specifically as it relates to the issue of abortion.

Early in the book, in the first chapter, Isaacson is giving us a brief biography of Steve’s biological parents—a 23-year old U. of Wisconsin college student named Joanne Schieble, and a Syrian grad student named Abdulfattah Jandali. They were unmarried, and their relationship was also somewhat unstable at the time Joanne became pregnant with Steve.

I cite this paragraph from the chapter:

In the summer of 1954, Joanne went with Abdulfattah to Syria. They spent two months in Homs, where she learned from his family to cook Syrian dishes. When they returned to Wisconsin she discovered that she was pregnant. They were both twenty-three, but they decided not to get married. Her father was dying at the time, and he had threatened to disown her if she wed Abdulfattah. Nor was abortion an easy option in a small Catholic community. So in early 1955, Joanne traveled to San Francisco, where she was taken into the care of a kindly doctor who sheltered unwed mothers, delivered their babies, and quietly arranged closed adoptions.

Steve was later adopted by a childless couple in San Francisco named Paul and Clara Jobs. They were the parents who raised him. And the world would soon be very different because of it.

Later, in 1986, now a multimillionaire celebrity, Steve Jobs tracked down his biological mother, who by then was named Joanne Simpson by another marriage and living in Los Angeles.

In chapter 20, we read this:

So one day Jobs called Joanne Simpson, said who he was, and arranged to come down to Los Angeles to meet her. He later claimed it was mainlyout of curiosity. “I believe in environment more than heredity in determining your traits, but still you have to wonder a little about your biological roots,” he said. He also wanted to reassure Joanne that what she had done was all right. “I wanted to meet my biological mother mostly to see if she was okay and to thank her, because I’m glad I didn’t end up as an abortion. She was twenty-three and she went through a lot to have me.”

This chapter tells one of the most fascinating stories of the book, where Steve re-connects with his biological mother and meets an until-then unknown sister. But what interests me here is how grateful Steve Jobs was that his mother did not have an abortion. She gave birth, and Steve Jobs was given his life. And history was changed.

That's not an overstatement. Think of a world with no Steve Jobs. But also think of the world now without millions of people who were not given their lives but aborted. Thankfully, when Joanne was pregnant, she lived in a small Catholic community in Wisconsin where abortion was not an easy option. That’s changed now, of course, all across our nation. And so has history because of it. And we’ll never know just how. We’ll never know our loss.

But this gets to one of the biggest insanities of abortion—and that's its blind arrogance! We think we know best whether or not a human life is worth living. We think that at any single moment we can assess the value of an entire life. And that worth and value is determined at a relatively brief moment based upon immediate convenience.

Certainly there are times when a pregnancy should not necessitate motherhood. There are so many reasons why a woman may make the wiser choice not to be a mother, but rather, to give the baby to be adopted by another who so badly wants to be the parent of an unwanted baby. And in those cases, as with Paul and Clara Jobs, that unwanted birth becomes a life-changing, world-changing gift.

Astonishing Tales

2012-02-07T16:23:00.001-06:00

Having been a comic book fan all my life, I sometimes look back with a bit of nostalgia at the conventions of the genre around the time that I was growing up. Marvel Comics, for example, could publish a book with the title Astonishing Tales, and all the accompanying melodrama that came with it (note the numerous exclamation marks on the cover of the first issue). If the tales weren’t exactly astonishing, the creators not doubt hoped they’d be entertaining enough to get by.

Likewise, I ran across a few different items this week that, if not rising to the level of astonishing, are still capable of raising eyebrows for a variety of reasons.

1. How much is homemaking worth?

It looks like quite a bit. A recent study conducted by Investopedia put the total value of annual homemaking duties—including things like cooking, cleaning, childcare, laundry services, and transportation—as worth $96,291 in the marketplace.

The Gospel Coalition’s Matt Smethurst comments:

Proverbs 14:1 states: "The wise woman builds her house." While the monetary value and practical feasibility of full-time homemaking may vary from home to home, what remains constant is the irreplaceable significance of a homemaker's contributions. The Investopedia article concludes, "The daily work of a homemaker can sometimes be taken for granted....However, these services could earn a homemaker a considerable wage if he or she took those skills to the marketplace. Homemakers, in general, contribute a lot more to the home in addition to these tasks and no amount of money can fill those needs."

Indeed, no study could ever fully quantify the service of a mother who "looks well to the ways of her household" (Prov. 31:27). At the very least, this research should prompt us to express fresh appreciation to those stay-at-home moms whom we love and who, though receiving little recognition in the eyes of the world, are faithful and treasured in the eyes of their King.

2. A Chorus of Outrage?

A number of people have written admirably about the recent controversy surrounding the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation’s decision to discontinue funding Planned Parenthood and subsequent backtrack a few days later. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat was in typically good form. Two excerpts:

Conservative complaints about media bias are sometimes overdrawn. But on the abortion issue, the press’s prejudices are often absolute, its biases blatant and its blinders impenetrable. In many newsrooms and television studios across the country, Planned Parenthood is regarded as the equivalent of, well, the Komen foundation: an apolitical, high-minded and humanitarian institution whose work no rational person—and certainly no self-respecting woman—could possibly question or oppose.

But of course millions of Americans — including, yes, millions of American women — do oppose Planned Parenthood. They oppose the 300,000-plus abortions it performs every year (making it the largest abortion provider in the country), and they oppose its tireless opposition to even modest limits on abortion.
………

Even if some forms of partiality are inevitable, journalists betray their calling when they simply ignore self-evident truths about a story.

Three truths, in particular, should be obvious to everyone reporting on the Komen-Planned Parenthood controversy. First, that the fight against breast cancer is unifying and completely uncontroversial, while the provision of abortion may be the most polarizing issue in the United States today. Second, that it’s no more “political” to disassociate oneself from the nation’s largest abortion provider than it is to associate with it in the first place. Third, that for every American who greeted Komen’s shift with “anger and outrage” (as Andrea Mitchell put it), there was probably an American who was relieved and gratified.

I highly recommend reading the whole thing.

3. A Deafening Silence?

Meanwhile, Get Religion’s Mollie Hemmingway (another writer worth following consistently) noted the media’s contrasting tepid response to another issue important to people of faith. In a Feb. 3rd post she wrote:

We recently learned of the significant ruling from the Obama administration that Catholic charities (including educational institutions and hospitals that serve the most needy) would be forced under threat of massive fines to offer health insurance benefits that deeply violate church teachings, including contraception, sterilization and abortifacients. The news was covered, a bit. But none of the networks covered the news when it broke, and, according to one media watchdog, still haven’t! In general, the coverage has been surprisingly restrained, even though 142 bishops (some 80% of dioceses) have vociferously condemned this action.

In a post the previous day, she drew the explicit contrast:

It’s just so interesting to me that when millions of Catholics were read letters from their bishops about the HHS mandate targeting Catholic groups, it took days for a few stories to trickle out. When Susan G. Komen announces that roughly $700,000 in grants will be targeted to groups other than Planned Parenthood next year, it couldn’t be bigger news. There are thousands of stories already written. It says something about what the media prioritizes as well as what it considers sacred. There’s an almost religious fervor at play here.

[Emphasis mine]

4. A Storm of Persecution

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia and later immigrated to the Netherlands, where she was a member of the Dutch parliament from 2003 to 2006. Her autobiography, Infidel, was a 2007 New York Times bestseller. The fact that she is an acknowledged atheist only makes her cover story in the current Newsweek more interesting. An excerpt:

But a fair-minded assessment of recent events and trends leads to the conclusion that the scale and severity of Islamophobia pales in comparison with the bloody Christophobia currently coursing through Muslim-majority nations from one end of the globe to the other. The conspiracy of silence surrounding this violent expression of religious intolerance has to stop. Nothing less than the fate of Christianity—and ultimately of all religious minorities—in the Islamic world is at stake.

The bulk of the article details numerous examples of persecution against Christians in the Muslim world.

5. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

What happens when, unbeknownst to their parents in the next room, two imaginative kids (ages 5 and 3) decide to break into the bundle of paper towels just purchased at Sam’s? Oh, to laugh or cry....

It's only about four rolls.

Checked Your Sandals Lately?

2012-02-06T07:28:00.006-06:00

As a punk kid growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, I carried around a huge chip on my shoulder...and that's something of a polite understatement. The truth is that I was furious at the world and furious with God for the many "hardships" that I felt I was regularly forced to endure. Things were "never quite right" at school, or at home, or even in the church. There were good times as well as bad, certainly, but even the good times had, for me, something of an "anxious aftertaste" to them. Why, I wondered, had I been "singled out" for such a messed-up life? "Oh, poor me!" You know, that kind of thing.

In hindsight, of course, I can see very plainly how appalling and offensive my complaints were, how utterly lacking in gratitude was my heart, and how petty my unmet wants were when stacked up against the wants and needs of so many other people I regularly came into contact with. There were plenty of people living south of Eight Mile who would have jumped at the chance to trade places with me. In fact, there were probably a ton of people living on both sides of that societal-class dividing line who would have taken that deal. Nice house in the suburbs, new clothes every fall when school started, a vacation home on one of Northern Michigan's crystal-clear lakes...many people, given the chance, might well have asked, "What exactly is your problem, kid?"

The problem, as it turns out, was an advanced case of blindness.

Just like me and every other parent on the planet, my parents - may they both rest at home with the Lord - made some mistakes. Caught up in a cultural zeitgeist that included reevaluation, rebellion, riots and Roe vs. Wade, my parents pretty much let the three Mayer children run wild. Perhaps my older sisters stretched the boundaries ahead of me, but by the time I hit my teen years, just about anything went and, as a result, pretty much everything did go...and then some. I don't remember either of my parents spending much time trying to reason with me or draw a line from my behavior to my fearful status before the living God, but one impromptu theology lesson that actually stuck with me came from my father who - no doubt tired of my near-constant bellyaching - responded with one seemingly-simple question:

"Have you ever noticed that you have not gone hungry, not even one day of your life?"

Coming from my father, as it did, this was an unexpected tactic that even I could not take lightly. In the moment, I doubtless shot back with some horrid, petty, uncaring riposte, but even with all the surface-level teenage sturm und drang, this simple remark stuck to my heart like flypaper. I couldn't shake it, even though I very much would have liked to.

My father, you see, had spent his teenage years putting up with all kinds of unjust treatment at the hands of the Nazis, one of whom nearly shot him for losing control of the family's horse-drawn cart, relenting only in the face of my grandfather's impassioned pleas not to "waste a bullet" on their "stupid, careless son." After that, my father and his entire family had to flee eastward as the Soviets marched across Eastern Europe. (Like many European families in that tragic time period, my father's family feared the Russians even more than they had feared the Germans.)

All that to say that I knew full well that my father, in addition to many, many sufferings that he did not even wish to speak of, had endured actual, legitimate hunger. Not the kind of hunger one puts oneself through during times of fasting and prayer, and certainly not the kind of hunger that Americans will try to endure in the name of losing weight. No, this type of hunger was "the real deal," the kind of hunger that comes upon a person when they have no money and, even if they did, there's nothing left to buy, anyway.

What was most effective about my father's remark was that he did not revisit in gory detail any of his childhood suffering by telling me about it; he merely pointed to the fact that I had never once gone without food. While there may well have been many other things that were arguably wrong about the way I was being raised, his point was powerfully made: "Even in your rebellion, you have always been clothed and fed."

Sadly, my life as a teenager compares quite favorably to the murmurings of the Israelites after God liberated them with a mighty hand and outstretched arm (Deuteronomy 4:34-35). Honestly, I sometimes get annoyed whenever my wife and I go through the book of Exodus together; it can really tick me off how frequently the people of God grumble and complain (Exodus 15:24; 16:2-3; 17:2-3; Numbers 11:1-2; 11:4-6; 12:1-2; 14:1-3; 14:41-42; 16:3-4; 16:41-45; 20:2-3; 21:4-5). If I am honest about it, though, what really ticks me off about the blindness of the Israelites is that it puts a finger squarely on my own shortcomings, reminds me yet again how blessed my life has been, and yet how quick I am to lose sight of God's blessings. Truly, how appalling it is to live in one of the most privileged cultures known to human history and yet shake a finger at God, demanding that He make right all of the broken relationships, financial strains and other petty concerns prior to my giving Him my whole heart, as if my withholding my affection for God hurts anyone other than me.

There is a verse in Deuteronomy 8 that never fails to remind me of my father's deceptively-simple observation. Deuteronomy 8:4 calls the attention of the grumbling Israelites to a very obvious sign, one that they had perhaps neglected to notice among all of the time spent lodging complaints against Moses, Aaron and the great I AM they were serving: "Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years." (ESV) True, you've been wandering in a desert absolutely devoid of shopping malls and yet, as it turns out, the stuff you left Egypt with held together for forty (40) years. Forty years! You would think that someone, somewhere along the way, would have noticed that their clothing had so far outlasted the manufacturer's warranty. Nope...apparently not.

My life is just like yours, or anyone else's. As you read this, there are plenty of things going sideways, no shortage of things that are not turning out the way that I had planned. My strongest temptation, then, is to focus in on those areas where it would seem to me as though "God is letting me down," and determine for myself that God can't really be God as long as Problem A and Relationship B are not entirely mended to my satisfaction. Taking this thinking to its logical conclusion, then, there would be no God available to worship unless and until all of my problems had been fixed such that I could relax and unwind in my own personal heaven, right here and now.

Rather than give in to that particular type of stupidity, then, I think it's probably better to ask God to give me vision to see how faithful He has been to me, even in the midst of conflict, heartbreak, anxiety and disappointment. Yes, there are plenty of things to worry about each and every day, but whenever I am tempted to despair, I remind myself of the grumbling heart and how it acts like an aggressive, lethal cancer on a life of faith. If we have been given eyes to see, it is no stretch whatsoever to find evidence of God's faithfulness to us, even as we have been murmuring against Him. I can't recall my earthly father ever once withholding food as a punishment, even though I know I well deserved to be brought up short somehow.

For anyone reading this who has found themselves in my shoes - eyes firmly fixed on what's wrong with their life and wondering why God won't make it go away - I would encourage them to ask God to open their eyes, breathe life into their rebellious hearts, and calmly point to the sandals that have been covering their feet all along.

Deuteronomy 8:1-10
The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.

Songs and Scenes from Sunday, February 5, 2012

2012-02-05T17:30:00.002-06:00

This week's Songs and Scenes review features photos provided by Gerik Parmele. You'll find links in the song titles that will allow you to purchase recorded versions of the songs where available.

We began our service with prayer (adapted from the Worship Sourcebook) asking God open our eyes to see Jesus for who he is.

Open our eyes, Lord, to see Your glory.
Open our ears, to hear Your wisdom.
Open our mouths, to sing Your praise.
Open our hearts, to receive Your love.

Here I Am to Worship by Tim Hughes

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness,
opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore You,
hope of a life spent with You.
Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down,
here I am to say that You're my God.

The Christ, Our Light by Martin Reardon

When all was dark and without dawn
You gave us Light, you sent your Son.
The Christ, the Christ, He shines, He shines
to take our sins away, away.

We confessed our sins by praying Psalm 130 together.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
O Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
that you may be feared.

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
my soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
And he will redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.

Since I Am So Sick by Don Chafer

Unto You, oh Lord, I lift up my soul.
In Your loving-kindness I believe.
Surely those who wait on You
will never be ashamed.
All of those who call on You
will know the faithfulness of Your name.

The Gospel Song by Drew Jones and Bob Kauflin

Holy God, in love, became
perfect Man to bear my blame.
On the cross He took my sin.
By His death I live again.

The apostle Paul's assurance from 2 Corinthians 5:21 (adapted) was a reminder of our forgiveness and hope because of Jesus Christ's once for all sacrifice on the cross.

For our sake God made Jesus Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Christ we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash

He became sin, who knew no sin;
that we might become His righteousness;
He humbled Himself, and carried the cross.
Love so amazing, love so amazing.

Jesus, Messiah, Name above all names,
Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel.
The Rescue for sinners. The Ransom from heaven.
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all.

Holy (Jesus, You Are) by Jason Ingram, Matt Redman, Jonas Myrin

Your name alone has power to raise us.
Your light will shine when else fades.
Our eyes will look on Your glorious face,
shining like the sun? Who is like you God?

You are holy, holy, holy
God most high and God most worthy.
You are holy, holy, holy
Jesus, You are. Jesus, You are.

Music and Tech Team for February 5, 2012:

Taylor Bonderer - violin
Andrew Camp - vocals, acoustic guitar
Kristen Camp - vocals
David Cover - electric guitars
Nick Havens - bass
Scott Johnson - piano, organ, vocals
Andrew Luley - drums
Shane Murphy - cello

Kameron Bong - tech assistant
Addison Hawkins - sound
Ken Kroll - lights
Michael Novak - sermon media
Jake Wandel - stage and tech coordinator

Fighting "The Man" that Jesus Died For

2012-02-03T14:18:00.007-06:00

A lot has already been written about Jefferson Blethke and his poetic attempt to express his devotion to Christ even while he denies the church, an attempt that went viral on YouTube (see here). Even others on ESI have written very intelligently about this video, and I feel completely inadequate (and largely unmotivated) to the task of adding anything of value to the theological discussions swirling around it.

However, New York Times op-ed columnist David Brooks had a really interesting write-up yesterday about Blethke and his recent capitulation in response to the dissenters of his message. Brooks has an interesting perspective on the whole debate, but my thoughts went in a different direction. (Probably not nearly as intelligent or maybe even original – but I'll share them, nonetheless.)

I would encourage you to read his entire piece, "How to Fight The Man," but here's a relevant portion:

Bethke watched a panel discussion in which some theologians lamented young people's disdain of organized religion. "Right when I heard that," he (Blethke) told The Christian Post, "it just convicted me, and God used it as one of those Spirit moments where it's just, 'Man, he's right.' I realized a lot of my views and treatments of the church were not Scripture-based; they were very experience based."

Bethke's passionate polemic and subsequent retreat are symptomatic of a lot of the protest cries we hear these days. This seems to be a moment when many people - in religion, economics and politics - are disgusted by current institutions, but then they are vague about what sorts of institutions should replace them.

We can all theorize why the intense desire for change has so far produced relatively few coherent recipes for change. Maybe people today are simply too deferential. Raised to get college recommendations, maybe they lack the oppositional mentality necessary for revolt. Maybe people are too distracted.

My own theory revolves around a single bad idea. For generations people have been told: Think for yourself; come up with your own independent worldview. Unless your name is Nietzsche, that's probably a bad idea. Very few people have the genius or time to come up with a comprehensive and rigorous worldview.

I think the overarching point of Brooks' theory - that if you want to be a rebel and oppose "the man," you might put more than your own experience and five minutes of thought into your rebellion - is a valid one, but as I read his editorial, I thought his question has a fairly obvious answer...at least, from a Christian worldview, it does.

The question is, "Why does an intense desire for change produce so few coherent recipes for change?" My answer, though potentially simplistic, would be that any other "recipes for change" would be equally flawed, just in different ways, because we live in a broken world. Institutions, policies, governments, organizations and people - especially people - are flawed.

Is the church messy, hypocritical, complicated and hopelessly imperfect? Yeah. Of course. "The church" is made up of sinners, every one of us. "The church" in its purest form - which I will very loosely define as faithful believers of Christ who believe in his sinless life, atoning death and resurrection, and who are seeking to genuinely live out life together in the pursuit of serving Him for His glory - is still going to make mistakes.

From the very beginning, the followers of Christ have lived in community (Acts 2:42-46). I don't think it's because within community there aren't failures and mistakes. However, I do believe that living outside of community is dangerous. Outside of community - and that is what the church is, a community - we are left on our own to perceive accurately, judge rightly and respond confidently based on our own perceptions.

Dave Cover had a great illustration in his sermon a few months ago that makes the point. He showed a video clip done by National Public Radio that compiled the result of several studies showing what happens when a person is blindfolded and then asked to simply walk (or drive, or swim) in a straight line. Without the ability to fix themselves on an end point, the result, time and time again, is that the blindfolded person will start out going straight, but will inexplicably begin to turn and will eventually go in circles. The most interesting point of the studies, to me, is that the blindfolded person, while turning in circles, is convinced in and of themselves that they are still going straight.

Dave asked the congregation, "What does it say about our own sense of guidance, direction and intuition? Well, I think it says it's for sure wrong." I completely agree.

Dave, this study, and God's word (Jeremiah 17:9) are all pointing to the same truth - on our own, we can't possibly judge what's right and wrong, because we are hopelessly trapped in our own logic, bound by our own experiences, held back by our own finiteness, blind to our own blindness. We need outside wisdom. We need each other's help more than we even know.

Like Blethke, you might have problems with the way in which organized religion has failed humanity historically in various ways and at various times. You might criticize one particular denomination for beliefs you don't think are biblical, or churches whose priorities may not seem in line with what Christ is calling us to.

Brooks posed the question as to why the anemic protests of individuals create so few relevant "new options." That's not what I would ask in response to Jefferson Blethke and anyone else standing outside "the church" and throwing rocks it. What I might say is, "So you see some problems inside the Body of Christ? Great! When are you going to walk through the door and invest your heart, soul, mind and strength, to the glory of God, to work alongside your brothers and sisters in Christ to solve them?"

Get involved and join the flawed, sinful folks in that church in serving their community. Seek the greater good of the Body of Christ by becoming a part of it, as best a flawed, sinful person such as yourself can.

Hebrews 10:19-24 (note the many uses of us, we and our in this passage)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

One Smart Ex-Slave

2012-02-02T20:07:00.003-06:00

I first came across this letter in a Yale class on the Civil War that I listened to through iTunes U. I recently saw it again on the Letters of Note blog and thought it was too good to not to pass on to you. It's a must read.

What Your Heaven Looks Like and Why It Matters

2012-01-31T15:19:00.003-06:00

Quick, what’s heaven look like in your mind? Your first impression likely speaks volumes about your theology, so to speak, of God’s coming kingdom.

Admittedly, though, I’ve already prejudiced your answer with the way I’ve asked the question. While it’s true that most Christians think reflexively of “heaven” as the place where God will spend eternity with his people, “the new heavens and the new earth” is more biblically accurate. As it turns out, the stock scene of fluffy white clouds, golden haloes, and chubby little angels has almost nothing to do with the reality of what will be. No, the Bible allows us glimpses of a renewed physical world that we inhabit, not as ethereal ghosts, but as gloriously embodied creatures (see, e.g., Rev. 21-22, 1 Cor. 15, Rom. 8:18-25). That is the Christian’s destiny.

Fortunately, according to Eric O. Jacobsen, more and more evangelicals are coming to understand this point, and that has some important ramifications:

This eschatological* paradigm shift helps to combat some of the Gnostic tendencies inherent in evangelical theology. Evangelicals have been tempted to believe that to be spiritual is to deny or ignore the parts of our lives that have to do with our physical existence. But when we think of eternity in the context of a real physical place, we tend to take the physicality of our lives more seriously in the here and now.

*“Eschatology” refers to the theology or study of “last things,” i.e., Christ’s return, the consummation of his kingdom, the eternal state of believers and unbelievers, etc.

This is a tremendous gain. Forgetting that it was God himself who fashioned man with a physical body and called it “very good,” the church has often failed to reflect properly on any number of good and necessary ramifications of our bodily existence. For example, things like art and sex, inherently good gifts when used properly, have sometimes been neglected or misunderstood. Likewise, there lurks a continuing danger to view vocations with obvious links to the physical world as somehow inferior to others, which in turn fosters dissatisfaction and/or guilt in those pursuing them.

But even if we’ve made progress in this regard, Jacobsen says we’re still liable to make a further error:

Evangelicals have also been tempted to think of their eternal reward as a return to the simplicity of Eden, more than a journey to the New Jerusalem. We have longed for pristine naturalistic settings of fields and forests and the simplicity of the organic nuclear family as the context of our eternal existence.

We have pictured heaven in these terms, rather than making room in our imagination for good (read: God-honoring) cultural developments and the beautiful complexities (read: shalom) of life in the society of others as the context of our future existence.

He continues a bit later:

I call this tendency an "over-ruralized eschatology," because it ignores the urban images of the eschaton that we find in the Bible (Revelation 21:10 and Zechariah 8:4, for instance) in favor of the rural and domestic images that many find more comforting. While I don't want to deny the possibility of rural beauty and even domestic bliss in the eschaton, the problem I have with ignoring the urban in our eschatology is simply that it isn't very biblical. No matter our aesthetic tastes, the story of our salvation goes from a garden to a city, not from a garden to a backyard.

As Jacobsen suggests, at least one possible result of holding to an “over-ruralized eschatology” (there’s your five dollar theological phrase for the day) is a prejudice, even if subtle, against that which is man-made. This includes what we normally think of as technology and its fruits, everything from computers and the buildings we use them in to cars and the roads we drive them on.

In answer to this, Jacobsen is right to point to the trajectory of the biblical story. What begins in a garden (apparently uncultivated to some degree) does indeed end with a city, into which we will bring “the glory and honor of the nations” (Rev. 21:26). But we should note something further. The end is the natural and appropriate result of God’s activity at the beginning. God, supremely creative himself, created mankind in his own image. Not only so, but he commanded is to both fill and “subdue” the earth. The sense of this latter point is one of discovering and rightly cultivating the potential God has placed within the world. In short, we were made (designed) to discover, invent, create, construct, and the like.

So while we at times rightly seek to preserve aspects of our natural world that reflect the glory and goodness of our creator, we may also ultimately reflect this same glory and goodness by not leaving the world the way we found it. In this way, both apples and architecture carry divine fingerprints. We shouldn’t be surprised if we enjoy both in eternity.

Does Anyone Ever Really Change?

2012-01-30T12:54:00.004-06:00

As someone working primarily in marital and/or substance abuse ministries at The Crossing, almost all of the people that I spend time with are very much genuinely interested in change. They already are, by and large, committed to the idea that "something has got to give." Perhaps the change they believe is needed is someone else's, and they are not all that interested in change for themselves, personally. Whatever the scenario, the question that seems to weigh heavily on everyone's mind is, "Is personal change and renewal really even a possibility?"

When the situation has involved years of pain, abuse, betrayal and/or sorrow as a result of sin, this question is particularly poignant. Particularly whenever people ask this question - in whatever form - what they are really asking is whether or not a person's heart-level motivations can be redeemed and renewed, or (as many fear) are we instead forever enslaved to the personal-evil treadmill that we find ourselves walking on?

Of course, it can readily be demonstrated that it is possible to change what's going on at a surface level, and it is even possible to enforce change in someone else's life as well. Initiating a divorce, for example, forces severe, negative life changes on several people - not just the two spouses. Or, if someone has been convicted of a crime, removing them from society with a long prison sentence can also effectively enforce a surface-level change. In both cases, however, it is all too possible to endure surface-level changes - desirable or otherwise - and be left absolutely the same as we were before.

When asking about the possibility of change, then, what most people are really after is a straight, no-nonsense answer to the question of whether or not anyone's root-level desires and proclivities can "really" be reached with the truth of the gospel. "This guy's been like this forever...why should I think he'll ever be any different?"

Now add to this the deep confusion caused by conversion experiences that, after a few months, seem to "wear off," or the perception that a true conversion is "a bit too conveniently timed." I like to use an analogy - borrowed from the DivorceCare curriculum – that compares insincere faith to whitewashing a rotting barn; from the highway, the barn looks pretty good! But when you get up close and start scratching at the wood with your fingers, the inner rot causes it to immediately give way under a more-careful inspection.

As we attempt to determine the authenticity of heart- and soul-level change in another person, I really think it's worth bearing a few things in mind. It's also important that we immediately make a distinction between 1) gospel truths and, 2) the individuals who claim them.

The Truths of Scripture are unshakeable, "true truth," not subject to doubt or second-guessing. The individuals who assert these truths for themselves are in an entirely different category of reliability. Someone who claims Jesus but continues to betray their marriage vows by committing adultery, for example, doesn't invalidate the gospel truth, but rather the sincerity of their faith. After all, Judas Iscariot walked with Christ for three years, served as treasurer for the disciples, and witnessed all of the same miracles that Peter did.

So, with that, four quick thoughts:

Denying the possibility of authentic, soul-level change is nothing short of a denial of Scripture. Again, it is important to distinguish between what the Bible says and how different people in our lives are applying those truths...or perhaps further blaspheming the Lord by attributing His work to a self-applied sugar-coating glossed over the manipulations of our own hearts. If you deny the possibility of soul-level change, then you have to tear all the letters of Paul, Peter, and John out of your New Testament. (And get rid of Acts 9 while you're at it.)
Authentic soul-level changes will stand the test of time. In simple terms, if I have genuinely been reborn in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), then my conversion experience is permanent. Even if all of the outer trappings of my life should all fall apart, even if everyone I love should desert me and/or become an enemy, my life in Christ will remain (Colossians 3:3-4). I will be kept by Christ, period (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Soul-level change is not contingent on the response of others. The person who has been given a new heart will certainly be concerned to maintain and/or repair relationships, but the restoration of those relationships will not be ultimate. In other words, the renewed heart actively seeks to redeem and restore, but does not hang the legitimacy of its faith on a desired outcome. Whenever you find a place in your heart that essentially says, "I can't believe that Jesus is my Lord if such-and-such happens," then you have effectively made "such-and-such" your functional Savior; Jesus has been demoted to "supporting player" in your personal plan of redemption. (See Tim Keller's Counterfeit Gods for an in-depth study of this all-too-common phenomenon.)
Authentic change stands up to scrutiny. The truly-transformed person does not fear inspection (Psalm 139:23), exhortation and/or rebuke (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Proverbs 15:31-32). The man or woman who has been truly transformed is an open book (Matthew 5:33-37) and regularly submits to examination to ensure that they have not strayed from Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5; Proverbs 11:14). In fact, the authentic believer welcomes examination, and sees it as a potential opportunity to grow closer to the Lord. Of course, none of this comes as an overnight change, but more and more a heart captured by Christ will seek to more often live in the light, work to speak truth and live openly, etc.

Obviously, this list is not exhaustive. These four simple principles are written from the perspective of someone who works in ministries that regularly bring me into contact with people who typically have a fairly serious interest in "obfuscating the truth," or at least diverting my attention away from their sins and onto the sins of someone else. As a result, I tend to place a fairly high value on the idea that real, Christ-driven change will bear fruit over time. This longer-term view can sometimes be frustrating when temporal realities are pressing for decisions to be made. ("Do we get back together...or divorce?")

So, does anyone ever really change? I mean, really change?

Yes, of course they do. The radically-transformed life has been, throughout the ages, one of the most powerful apologetics for the Truth of Christ and the reality of the work of His Holy Spirit in the hearts of humankind. When we allow ourselves to believe that Christ is not powerful enough to change our hearts, or at least the heart of this particular person, we have an awful lot of faithful Christians to explain away. Chances are strong that you personally know someone whose life has been dramatically changed, whose trajectory toward death and destruction was inexplicably altered toward faith in Christ and service to others. That certainly is John Newton's story, and many, many others.

Jesus calls us to be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). I have to think that there were a ton of frightened Christians who labored mightily to believe that Saul, the same guy who had been imprisoning and killing off early Christians, had been miraculously transformed into the Apostle Paul. It was probably only after Paul gladly endured suffering for the sake of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:21-33; Colossians 1:24-29) that the authenticity of his faith was assured in the minds of many. While we are called to give those around us the benefit of the doubt when they claim a renewed heart in Christ, it just seems wise to let time (and troubles!) flesh out the truth. As believers, then, we can gladly welcome all who come to faith...we just might be wise not to "hand over the car keys" for a bit.

Matthew 10:26-27 (ESV)
"So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops."

Songs and Scenes from Sunday, January 29, 2012

2012-01-29T17:27:00.000-06:00

This week's Songs and Scenes review features photos graciously provided by Scott Myers. You'll find links in the song titles that will allow you to purchase recorded versions of the songs where available.

All Creatures of Our God and King - Words by Francis of Assisi (circa 1225), Arrangement by David Crowder

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam!
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

I Sing the Mighty Power of God - Words: Isaac Watts (1715), Music and Additional Chorus: Scott Johnson, Keith Scherer, Andrew Camp, Steve Hendershot and Andrew Luley

I sing the mighty power of God,
that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad,
and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command,
and all the stars obey.

With Melting Heart and Weeping Eyes - Words by John Fawcett (1740-1817), Music by Clint Wells

Does not Thy sacred word proclaim,
salvation free in Jesus' name?
To Him I look and humbly cry,
"Lord, save a wretch condemned to die.
Lord, save this wretch condemned to die."

Christ is Risen by Matt Maher and Mia Fieldes

Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!

Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light!
Our God is not dead, he's alive! he's alive!

Jesus Messiah by Chris Tomlin, Daniel Carson, Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash

His body the bread, his blood the wine,
broken and poured out all for love.
The whole earth trembled, and the veil was torn.
Love so amazing, love so amazing.

Jesus, Messiah, Name above all names,
Blessed Redeemer, Emmanuel.
The Rescue for sinners. The Ransom from heaven.
Jesus Messiah, Lord of all.

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross - Words by Isaac Watts (1749), Music by Lowell Mason (1824)

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

In Christ Alone by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

Music Team for Sunday, January 29, 2012:

Zak Burmaster - bass
Lacey Burrell - vocals
David Cover - electric guitar
Scott Johnson - keyboard, vocals
Andrew Luley - drums
Alison Tatum - violin
Brynne Whittaker - vocals

Get Your Kids a Nook

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

If you have children, I am pretty sure you have struggled with how to balance the mass onslaught of technological noise vying for your child’s attention. Xbox, Nintendo, Playstation, Ipod, Ipad, etc. A recent study found that children between the ages of 8 to 18 spend 53 hours a week on electronic media. Technology is a way of life for the children of this age. It can be an amazing conduit for innovation and imagination, but it can also encourage isolation and social ineptitude.

My wife and I enjoy the modern conveniences technology affords. We have also come to realize the humbling fact that children become who they are primarily through genetics and environment... and we as parents provide both! Sure, it is natural for our children to gravitate towards cool electronic toys like their dad! However, I want to be sure their time is spent wisely and the use of technology is respected as a privilege and not a right. For example, we strive to make TV watching an event for the whole family. The TV simply doesn’t stay on all the time. We don’t need more distraction...trust me.

We enjoy watching shows like Planet Earth on Discovery and my daughter enjoys watching House Hunters with my wife. We try to catch the MU games together and we get a kick out of watching American Idol as a group as well. And, just because we simply can’t get enough of watching our own kids laugh, we will put up with America’s Funniest Home Videos.

What we try to avoid is our kids disappearing into a room with a laptop or Ipod. The computer is in a room out in the open where everyone in the house congregates. My son has a laptop in his room, but it has a kids specific web browser and will not allow him to log in after 9:00 pm. Your computer probably has similar settings. Take a look and you will be surprised how easy it is to set parental controls on most computers.

One of our recent successes in the tech parenting department was getting our 11 and 8 year old a Nook simple touch reader. At $99 bucks it is a steal and most of the books are under 10 bucks. My 11 year old has read over 20 full length books since he received the Nook for his birthday in September. My daughter devours Junie B books by the dozen. Here is the kicker; with the simple touch reader, there are no options other than reading. Sure, there are better E-readers out there like the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet, but you will never know if your kid is reading or playing Angry Birds. When our kids have the simple touch reader in hand, we know they are either reading, sleeping, or daydreaming (and we are OK with any of those).

No deep theological discussions here today, just plain ole’ common sense. I know my best days are typically filled with both. Know you are not alone as you struggle to make the right decision for your kids. It is completely reasonable, and is in fact imperative, for you to set boundaries. Our lives as adults are defined by boundaries and we do our kids a disservice if we don’t adequately prepare them in self assessment of how they balance their own time.

John Wesley: Man of Contradictions

2012-01-26T10:06:00.003-06:00

This morning I finished a biography on John Wesley (the founder of Methodism) by Stephen Tomkin. It's a relatively short book that's very well written and manages to paint a picture of both Wesley's strengths and weaknesses. If your paradigm for Christian leaders (or anyone for that matter) is that they are either "good" or "bad," this book will challenge your categories.

Wesley was a man of great faith with a relentless drive to spread the gospel and yet had significant sins and shortcomings. In that sense he is a perfect example of all of us. One of my church history professors at Trinity told my class that one of the benefits of studying the past is that it helps us understand that the best men are sinners and the worst sinners are still men made in the image of God.

Wesley's passion to spread the gospel in England drove him to ride on horseback over 250,000 miles, give away 30,000 British Pounds, and preach more than 40,000 sermons. He preached generosity to the poor and adopted that as his own lifestyle. Although he eventually made quite a bit of money off of his theological writings, he died almost penniless not because he had squandered the money but because he quickly gave it all away lest it corrupt him.

He was a man of great courage refusing to stop preaching Christ even in the face of death threats. On more than one occasion he preached while rocks were being hurled at him. To really appreciate Wesley you have to understand that the official state Anglican church had in many ways succumbed to dead orthodoxy. Through Wesley's ministry and influence people were introduced to "religion of the heart" which is nothing more than a real personal faith in the gospel. By the time of his death there were 72,000 Methodists in England and another 60,000 in America.

And yet Wesley's weaknesses were as great as his strengths. His marriage to a widow named Molly with four kids was nothing short of a disaster as he abandoned her for long stretches and always kept relationships with other women that made her jealous and uncomfortable. His stubbornness put him at odds with his brother Charles and they spent many years hardly communicating. Theologically he embraced the dangerous and unbiblical doctrine of perfectionism. In relationships with other pastors he was not trustworthy attacking his one time ally George Whitfield over the issue of predestination.

What do you do with John Wesley? I think that you learn that he's not that much different than anyone you know including yourself. Every person, every Christian leader is a mixed bag. Knowing this keeps us from idolizing any human being and reserving our worship for Jesus alone.

Read Tomkin's biography to learn much more about John Wesley.

Praying With The Psalms - Psalm 111

2012-01-25T17:30:00.003-06:00

I often will turn to a Psalm in the Bible to help my prayer time with God in the morning. Like anyone, I find some Psalms more applicable to my life at the moment than others. For example, some Psalms are rather intense pleas for God’s deliverance from and judgment of the psalmist’s “enemies” (see Psalm 35). Most modern Americans find it hard to relate to these Psalms at this point in our lives, primarily because we are not so burdened in our souls because we’re being pursued by those who want to destroy us. But that’s because we are looking merely at our visible enemies.

Yet the Bible repeatedly warns us that our spiritual enemies are always at war with us, trying to destroy us (Eph 6:10-18; 1 Pet 5:8). When we forget our real enemy, the Deliverance Psalms seem to lose their applicability to us. We ignore such enemies in our prayers to our own peril.

Then there are those Psalms that simply praise God because of his Gospel promises to us as his people. They are powerful Psalms to pray and meditate through. One such Psalm I’ve enjoyed this week is Psalm 111.

Psalms 111 (English Standard Version)
1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy;
8 they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

When we read these Old Testament Psalms through the lens of the New Testament—looking at the Psalms through the realities of Jesus Christ and his covenant promises to his people—we begin to see their full richness. For example, “he remembers his covenant forever” (v. 5), “in giving them the inheritance of the nations” (v. 6), is a promise to all of God’s people that’s guaranteed and fulfilled by and in Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:28). We will inherit the earth in the Kingdom of Christ. Read through this Psalm in prayer in light of our great New Testament promises to us in Christ. It is ultimately these promises that this Psalm, and all the Old Testament, point to (Luke 24:44-45).

The first verse actually calls out to us to willfully begin to “Praise the LORD.” Often I must begin my personal time of prayer by simply starting to worship God. “I praise you, O Lord. You are my God. You are my Creator. You are the Giver of Life. You are my Redeemer. My Restorer. My Good Shepherd.” It’s a kind of switch I hit inside my heart and mind to just start doing it. Just starting is half the battle.

That’s how this psalmist starts his prayer time. “Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.”

One last thought: beyond our own personal prayer time, this verse is also calling us to be regular, active participants in community/church worship. Which means that we need to get ourselves to church in order to worship, and it means we need to activate our hearts and minds to engage in worship when we’re there rather than letting ourselves be merely observers. Moving from being merely an observer to an active participant in worship is a kind of switch we hit inside ourselves when we get to church. I may or may not love the particular song or the style in which it is played today, but I must still engage my heart and mind in worship with the rest of the congregation. I’m not going to let myself merely observe. Here’s a key principle: observers always eventually become critics. We always evaluate what we just watch. In worship we are not merely watchers and observers of other people's worship. We must move our own hearts, minds and souls to be participants, and be blessed personally when we do.

A Fusion of Art and Faith: Makoto Fujimura

2012-01-24T15:20:00.001-06:00

Golden Fire

If I asked you to consider the facets of our society in which Christians are a significant redemptive influence, my hope is that you would be able to think of several possibilities. I doubt, however, that many of us would include the world of contemporary art at the top of the list.

Before I go any further, I should offer an important disclaimer: If one could describe proper understanding and appreciation of contemporary art in terms of “fluency,” I’ve got a long way to go to achieve even “passable communication.”

Still, I’ve recently tried to take a few small steps toward that end. And in doing so, I’ve been intrigued and encouraged by Makoto Fujimura. Born in the United States, the New York based Fujimura graduated from Bucknell University before pursuing graduate studies in Japan at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He is a practitioner of Nihonga, a form of traditional Japanese painting. His life and word offers an excellent picture of how at least one man pursues a creative calling in the context of following Christ. A few quick but noteworthy points in support of that claim:

1. Artistic excellence.

Fujimura was awarded the top thesis prize in his MFA program at Tokyo National University in Fine Arts and Music, and he was the first non-native to be admitted into the school’s post MFA doctoral level program in Nihonga. He was also the youngest artist ever to have a work acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. His work has been displayed in numerous contexts in Japan, Hong Kong, and America, and he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the National Council of the Arts. In the words of Greg Wolfe, editor of Image Journal, “Mako is one of America’s leading visual artists."

2. A Connected Faith.

Artists are often associated with an individualistic spirituality, but Fujimura is no “church of one.” He served as an elder at Tim Keller’s Redeemer Church before helping to plant The Village Church in Greenwich Village.

3. A Mature Perspective.

Speaking to Christianity Today in 2008, he offered, “Artists are leaders simply because we are in the ‘enterprise of persuasion.’ With that [comes] great responsibility…to use that persuasive influence to create the ‘world that ought to be.’”

Matthew–Consider the Lilies

But this doesn’t mean each of his pieces is necessarily overtly religious. Rather, Fujimura creates art that commands credibility in his field because of its excellence, and yet, because of who he is, is inevitably infused with and informed by his faith, often in suggestive and complex ways. The result leads to reactions like the one of curator Sara Tecchia: “He is a profound believer and I am totally secular. But he is like a professor to me. Fujimura’s paintings allow for skeptics such as myself to the one thing that secularism has labeled as a sign of weakness: to hope.”

"I am a Christian,” Fujimura told the Associated Press in 2007. “I am also an artist and creative, and what I do is driven by my faith experience. But I am also a human being living in the 21st century, struggling with a lot of brokenness—my own, as well as the world’s. I don’t want to use the term ‘Christian’ to shield me away form the suffering of evil that I see, or to escape in some nice ghetto where everyone thinks the same.” This leads to my final point.

4. Bridging worlds.

Fujimura is the founder and creative director of the faith-based International Arts Movement. Its mission? “IAM gathers artists and creative catalysts to wrestle with the deep questions of art, faith, and humanity in order to inspire the creative community to engage the culture that is and create the world that ‘ought to be.’"

In the CT article mentioned above, Fujimura noted, “I advocate for art in the church, and in the art world I’m advocating for the gospel.” To do this most effectively, one has to be credible in both worlds. Fujimura is.

………

You can find out a little bit more about Fujimura and view more of his work here.

Lunch Special: 40 Lashes and a Pot of Meat

2012-01-23T12:05:00.005-06:00

What is it about the human heart that so often causes us to prefer personal destruction to redemption and renewal?

I've been wrestling with that question for most of my adult life, but never more so than in the past few years as I have begun helping facilitate various recovery ministries at The Crossing. I had the issue pressed upon my heart yet again this past week as I finished reading Mike Wilkerson's truly excellent book, Redemption: Freed by Jesus from the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry.

Yeah...why is it that so many people willingly choose to embark upon a path that they know full well will lead to their demise?

Having spent approximately 20 years of my adult life enslaved to alcohol and other drugs, I have come to understand that we addicts will regularly return to the things that are destroying us for three simple reasons:

the enslaving behavior - at some point - provided a sense of comfort where none other was to be had;
we mistakenly believe that we control the besetting sin; and
in a world filled with relational brokenness and loneliness, the darkness of addiction is at least "familiar" and "known."

Never mind that it is slowly killing us...a bottle of Wild Turkey is a known quantity, whereas in a relationship with another human being, anything might happen!

If you spend enough time with someone who simply cannot stop drinking, smoking, shooting up, downloading porn, and so on, you will discover that this person's back-story almost always includes a painful lesson; at some point, most addicts have "learned" - in a traumatic way - that human relationships are dangerous, not at all what they should be. Often, someone very close to that person - father, mother, sibling or relative - enacted some sort of hellish scenario that left that person "hollowed out" whereas, had everyone been attentive and seeking to live out God's good plan for family and friendship, there might otherwise have been a solid core of assurance and security. Clear examples include physical and/or sexual abuse as a child or teen, abandonment by parents, and/or ongoing emotional abuse. To compensate for this heightened feeling of emptiness, the addict learns to "medicate" themselves with whatever previously brought escape and/or comfort.

For those who live with and/or love an addict, I think it's important to understand that ongoing, habitual behavior is almost always nothing more than a misguided attempt to relieve pain of one type or another. The addict in question is not capable of clearly thinking their way through the destructive behavior; oftentimes they really cannot see that the "cure" they have self-selected is very often worse than the original pain. All they want, particularly in the moment, is to make their pain go away as quickly as possible.

Wilkerson very obviously gets all of this, and his book effectively uses the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt as a classic example of how distorted the human perspective can become in the face of harsh realities.

Seeking to closely tie 21st-century recovery efforts to the pages of Scripture, Wilkerson interweaves the Exodus narrative with modern-day stories of tragedy, wandering, lostness and redemption. While this approach is by no means unique, it does carry with it the advantage of being a storyline with which most people are at least somewhat familiar. If your attempts at earnest Bible study start and stop with taking your kid to see The Prince of Egypt, then you already know enough of your Bible to follow as Wilkerson takes up the subject of "voluntary slavery."

You may recall that in Chapter 1 of the book of Exodus, Pharoah is afflicting the Israelites with heavy burdens, instituting the genocide of all male children and tossing helpless Jewish babies into the Nile. The oppression and systematic brutality inflicted upon God's people could hardly have been worse, and the Jews cried out for roughly 400 years to be delivered from their enslavement. To bring them out of Egypt, the Lord in turn afflicted all of Egypt with various plagues, culminating in the death of Egypt's firstborn. Clouds of smoke and fire, the parting of the Red Sea and the subsequent drowning of Pharoah's army...God "pulled out all the stops" to bring Israel up out of the house of slavery.

To the modern reader, then, it seems nothing short of insane that by Chapter 16 the Israelites are in revolt against Moses, and longing for "the good old days" when they sat around eating pots of meat, having their fill of the culinary delights offered to them by their harsh taskmasters (Exodus 16:1-3). "Sure, I'm still carrying multiple scars on my back from being whipped all the time, and yeah, it upset me when they tried to wipe out an entire generation of our boys, but you know, those bowls of Egyptian chili sure beat the heck out of this bread that God has been raining down on us every day."

Wilkerson uses several case studies to demonstrate how deeply traumatic events resonate in the soul and result in destructive behavior patterns that can last for years, sometimes lifetimes. Even after the devastating consequences finally break through to the awareness of the addict, it is oftentimes too late to work one's way out of the darkness by sheer will power, corrective theology and/or 12-step programs. Without a dramatic intervention from God, countless souls are inexplicably "satisfied" to consume their particular "pot of meat" even as the lash is being applied to their already scarred, disfigured flesh.

I have read quite a few books on the topic of addiction, all from the vantage point of a former addict redeemed by the grace, mercy and power of Jesus. The truth I've come to understand is both sobering and hopeful. Deeply broken human beings, left to their own devices, will continue to destroy themselves in an attempt to escape their particular pain. However, God can and does continue to bring people out of slavery. Not only do I hold myself up as an example, giving God all the glory, but I know of several other men who are now living lives as a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Chances are very good that you know someone suffering from some form of repetitive, destructive behavior. Depending on how emotionally invested you are with that person, you may have preached yourself silly trying to get that person to change, perhaps to little effect. Ongoing anger, threats and shouting typically yield little in the way of real, lasting change. Our most potent weapons are sometimes the ones we leave for last: prayer, patience, and getting our hands on anything that will assist us in understanding the mindset of someone who will gladly endure outrageous amounts of suffering in the service of their particular "pot of meat."

For whatever this is worth, I just added Wilkerson to my list of top reads on this subject. I've listed a few more below. May God give all of us wisdom, insight, and compassion as we pray for those in our midst who just can't stop themselves from yielding their backs to the whip.

Book Recommendations for Addiction Recovery

Redemption by Mike Wilkerson
Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Ed Welch
Death by Love by Mark Driscoll
Not the Way It's Supposed to Be by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.

Exodus 1:15-22
Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, "When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live." But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this, and let the male children live?" The midwives said to Pharaoh, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them." So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live."

Exodus 16:1-3
They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

So who exactly is this Mike Wilkerson guy? Well, according to the back cover of the book: "Mike Wilkerson, a pastor at Seattle's Mars Hill Church since 2004, is passionate about restoring gospel-based counseling to the local church and leads Mars Hill's Redemption Group ministry." If interested, you can find additional resources at Mike Wilkerson's Resurgence.com page.

Songs and Scenes from Sunday, January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T16:49:00.005-06:00

This week's Songs and Scenes review features photos graciously provided by Scott Myers. You'll find links in the song titles that will allow you to purchase recorded versions of the songs where available.

Worthy, You Are Worthy by Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin

Glory, I give glory
to the One who saved my soul.
You found me and You freed me
from the shame that was my own.
And I cannot begin to tell
how merciful You've been.
Oh Lord, my ears have heard of You,
now my eyes have seen.

Keith led us in a meditation based on Psalm 20:7, The Crossing's scripture memory verse for the week.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

O Help My Unbelief Words: Isaac Watts, Music: Justin Smith

How sad our state by nature is!
our sin, how deep it stains!
and Satan binds our captive minds
Fast in his slavish chains.
But there's a voice of sov'reign grace,
sounds from the sacred word:
"O, ye despairing sinners come,
and trust upon the Lord."

A Place For You by Christine Cover, Jake Wandel, Chris Binkley, Molly Cover and David A. Cover

Let your heart not be troubled,
trust in God and also in me.
Do not fear, My child,
I’ll come back for you, to take you home.
In My father’s house I’ve made a place for you
so that where I am you will be too.

We viewed Dale Wilcox's faith story. A video produced by Gerik Parmele, The Crossing's Media Director.

How Long to Save by Patrick K. Miller and David A. Cover

This original song (based on Psalm 18) gave voice to our prayers of humble dependence on God's mercy, strength and Sovereign hand in all things.

You are my Rock, my firm foundation;
apart from You I will fall.
You are my strength. my sure salvation!
I love You, Lord

Music Team for January 22, 2012:

David Cover - acoustic guitar, vocals
Sadie Currey - violin
Ashley Gross - vocals
Nick Havens - bass
Rhett Johnson - electric guitars
Scott Johnson - keyboards, vocals
Andrew Luley - drums

A Dead Guy's Lesson on Obedience

2012-01-21T21:06:00.000-06:00

This is the brief story of an old dude named Polycarp, a bishop in the second century, who most likely knew the Apostle John who wrote Revelation.

Persecution of Christians has broken out in the Roman empire somewhere around 150-160 AD. Believers are being dragged out of their homes and places of work before governors and pro-consuls and told that if they swear allegiance to Caesar and denounce Christ they'll be saved, if they will not they will be executed. Forms of execution include burning at stake, pulled apart by wild beasts, tortured on racks, etc, and they are done in public, sometimes in arenas. Many brave souls happily face their God appointed fate of martyrdom, but some play the coward and deny Christ to save their earthly lives. Polycarp is over 85 years of age at this point, so his followers convince him to hide outside of the city so that he won't have to be killed. They proceed to move him from farm to farm evading the authorities until a servant under severe torture reveals his whereabouts. So the Romans drag Polycarp before the pro-consul.

The pro-consul hasn't previously met Polycarp and is astonished and saddened by the obvious elderly nature of the bishop. Therefore he treats him more kindly and gently than he has the others, begging him to denounce his faith to save his life. This goes on for some time until Polycarp emphatically pronounces: "For 86 years I have been his servant, and he has never wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me? Bring forth what thou will." In response, the crowd demands that a lion be let loose on the aged Polycarp, but due to a legal quirk this was not allowed at that time, so burning at the stake was the chosen method. They bound and burned him, and Polycarp died.

The Bible makes a big deal out of obedience. I tend to not talk a ton about it because I neither want to give the impression that Christianity is about dos and don'ts nor that sheer will-power is the key to spiritual maturity. But it's not as if obedience can be ignored, we often have to do what we don't want to do in the moment simply because we know it's right.

We would all like to say that we'd be able to obey like Polycarp if faced with the same situation. But how can we know what our response would be? How strong is our foundation that would allow us to obey in the face of such persecution?

You don't wake up on a Friday and decide to run a marathon the next day. No, you train for months, starting with one mile, then two, then three, then six, then twelve, etc. You see, your ability to run 26.2 miles is predicated upon your ability to discipline yourself in the smaller increments, the smaller moments. You must build up, your must be prepared, you must be trained.

If you want to be willing to do what Polycarp did, to obey so dramatically then you must obey in the smaller increments and moments on a consistent basis. You have to obey God and not fudge a little bit on your tax returns, you have to obey God and pull out your bible when you're tired and have other things you'd rather do, you have to obey God and hold your tongue when a biting or inappropriate comment comes to mind, you have to obey when you're tempted to covet or be envious of someone's car, purse, computer, clothes, situation, success. For it's in these small moments that we train ourselves to obey in the final sense.

If I won't obey today in the small things how can I ever expect to obey in the big ones?

Trusting God in the Unexpected

2012-01-20T11:28:00.006-06:00

My five-year-old son discovered last night that he has a loose tooth.

It's not a big deal, I suppose. As Eli is my fourth child, it’s not even a unique event for me. But this mundane little happening is one of several that are working together to foreshadow a change that I’m not ready for: this year, Eli will enter kindergarten and I will enter a new season in my life, one in which I no longer spend my days, as his Dad says, “thick as thieves” with my little man.

And five years goes just like that.

I can so clearly remember when I first knew without a doubt that I was going to have another baby. A fourth. Unexpectedly. At forty years old. To say it was a bit of a surprise is a grand understatement.

I remember the shock of realizing this unplanned addition was going to re-orient my life completely. I had stayed home with my three older children prior to my divorce from their father, but as a single mother I had re-entered the workforce years earlier, and I had no plans to change that. But with a new baby on the way, I knew I would want to stay home again. That would mean giving up life as I’d come to know it, again.

So, for the last five years, my life has looked markedly different from what I would have planned for my 40’s. I’ve been home with Eli and also watching a few other little ones out of our home to help make ends meet. I've never worked harder in my life; I’ve wiped more noses and changed more toxic diapers than I care to count.

A lot of other things changed too.

For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to take a women’s Bible study during the day, and through those studies God began to really grow my knowledge of His Word and a hunger to know Jesus. This season, while certainly busy, also gave me the flexibility wherein I could agree to help start a new divorce ministry at The Crossing three plus years ago, alongside my husband. And being at home – albeit encumbered with lots of little people – gave me the freedom to spend a significant amount of time developing and deepening friendships with other women who were also pursuing God.

This unexpected, unasked-for, unscheduled change of plans which took me by such surprise six years ago made my life much harder, and redirected me in ways I never would have chosen. However, looking back, I can now see it was also the catalyst God used to really change me and deepen my relationship with Him. Looking back, it seems evident to me that through this change in trajectory, God was working to create a fundamentally different version of me than I would have been had Eli not come along, and I had continued to work outside the home.

Maybe you’ve had a major change in the trajectory of your life lately, too. Maybe, like me, you’re reeling at the unexpectedness of your life being turned upside down. Or maybe you’ve actually chosen to take steps that are going to spark major changes, but you don’t really know what life is going to look like for you and are as full of questions as I was years ago. How is this all going to turn out? Fear of the unknown has you wondering what on earth God is going to do in your life.

I can easily think of someone else who must have felt the same way. When Joseph woke up one morning after a particularly cool dream, I have to think he had no idea that sharing his dream with his brothers (Genesis 37:5-8) would be the straw that broke the camel’s back, provoking such jealousy that his own siblings would want him dead (Genesis 37:18-20). Finding himself in the hands of slave traders, he must have looked at this abrupt change in his life and wondered the same thing; “God, what are you doing?!” (Genesis 37:28)

Given that Joseph was raised as a clearly-favored child, and apparently felt no reluctance in telling his brothers that he was having dreams that he would rule over them, I imagine that Joseph must have struggled with pride and arrogance as a young man. We know he was a bit of a tattletale, and doted on by his father, beyond what his brothers received (Genesis 37:2-4). There was work to be done in him.

And of course, over the years, being treated with such humiliation over and over – abandoned by family, sold into slavery, unjustly accused of sexual assault and then imprisoned and forgotten (Genesis 39:7-20, 40:23) – Joseph’s future must have looked hopeless to him at times. While we know that ultimately his faith in God strengthened him to persevere, these trials were also undoubtedly used to change who Joseph might otherwise have been, had he lived out his life in relative ease and comfort as the favored among all of Jacob’s sons.

Looking forward, young Joseph must have been filled with fear and anxiety and maybe even anger, wondering what his life was going to look like. Looking back over the years, however, we know that he was able to see God’s hand in all of the unexpected events of his life, and His great plan not just for Joseph, but for many others (Genesis 50:19-21).

God’s Word assures us that as believers, we can trust Him to work in our lives today just as he did in Joseph’s thousands of years ago. His plans for us are always for our ultimate good (Jeremiah 29:11), even if temporally speaking things are about to get rough. Joseph’s story attests to this truth. That ultimate good is slowly revealed as God uses all things in our lives – the unexpected, life-altering blessings, the ominous dark clouds of trial, and everything in between – to slowly transform us more into the likeness of our Lord and Savior, His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29). Will we trust Him to work His perfect plan in our lives through all of it?

I’m not sure how well I trusted God five years ago when we were faced with making serious changes to our lives to welcome another child into our blended family. I know that at the outset, I worried too much about our family’s finances and how this new little one would be accepted by our five older children, among other things. Looking back, though, I can see how richly God has blessed me through all those changes, even the hard things, drawing me to Him in ways that might not otherwise have happened.

Blessedly, the next season for me is not completely unexpected. I’ve been given fair warning that Eli’s wiggly tooth will fall out one day fairly soon, and that is a little reminder that kindergarten is around the corner. Will I also trust God with whatever other unexpected changes might come along?

By God's grace, and by reminding myself that His steadfast faithfulness in the past can give me confidence in His future grace, not just to me but to all His children…I think I will.

Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Psalm 91:1-4
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

Genesis 3 And The Lie Of Satan

2012-01-19T07:56:00.004-06:00

Genesis 3 is, in my opinion, one of the most insightful and helpful passages in all of Scripture. Personally, I am often drawn back to its life changing truths so it's no surprise that it came up in a conversation at our dinner table on Tuesday night. Christine and I have been encouraging our kids to join us in The Crossing's Bible Reading Plan with the idea that it would foster good family discussions.

You might already know that Genesis 3 records the first sin by any human being but more than that it lays out a paradigm for how Satan, sin, and temptation work to conspire against every person.

Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

A Few Observations:
1. Satan is crafty (v. 1). His attacks against us are not by physical force but deception. 2 Corinthians 11:3: "But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."

2. Satan attacks God's character: "Did God really say..." (v. 1). You can hear the feigned disbelief in Satan's voice. Did God really say that sex is only within marriage? How antiquated. Did God really say to love your enemies? How naive. Did God really say that the last shall be first? If so, he doesn't know what the real world is like.

3. Satan contradicts God's word: "You will not certainly die" (v. 4). Now the choice for Eve (and the rest of us) is whether we will believe God's word or Satan's? Of course we don't "hear" Satan's voice nor does he ever present himself in such obvious ways. Remember he is crafty and came to Eve in the form of a serpent. Satan's accusations and suggestions usually come to us in the form of our own thoughts or a friend's voice or something we heard on the radio or read on the internet.

4. Satan uses cynicism to fuel distrust: "For God knows that when you eat of it..." (v. 5). Satan is suggesting that God's motives are cynical. He tells Eve (and Adam) that God has forbidden this fruit not because he wants to protect them but because he wants to protect himself. He doesn't want them to be like Him. Satan seductively says that he is taking Adam and Eve in behind the scenes to show them what God is really up to.

5. Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit because she thought that sin was better for her. She didn't sin out of duty ("I don't really want this but I guess I should eat it."). She sinned out of delight ("This fruit looks good and it promises to make me wise and happy.").

So the battle is set. Will I believe God or Satan? Does God love me and want the best for me or is he keeping me from the "good" life. Will sin bring real and lasting satisfaction and joy or do those things come from obeying God?

May God give us grace to read, understand, and apply his inspired word.

Hating Religion but Loving Jesus?

2012-01-17T17:36:00.003-06:00

Never before has it been so easy for one person to communicate to so many. Thanks to the full range of social media, ideas and images are now limited only by the downloading speed of millions of digital devices. And like many of the developments of this highly technological age, it is a glorious and frightful power, capable of both great good and great ill, along with everything in between.

Which brings us to one of the latest videos to merit the moniker “Youtube sensation,” spoken word poet Jefferson Bethke’s “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus”:

As of this writing, the video has received over 13 million hits, certainly no small feat. But what to make of it?

If you’re a fan of the The Princess Bride, you might recall Inigo Montoya saying, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Along the same lines, Justin Garrett reminded me that one the professors we both had in seminary would say something like, “I know what I mean when I say ________, but I’m not sure what you mean when you say ________.” Both quotes point to the fact that definitions matter a great deal, particularly when we’re dealing with words that lend themselves to a wide range of possible meanings. Think for a minute about terms such as “evangelical,” “postmodern,” “liberal,” “conservative,” “evolution,” “intelligent design,” or even “love” or “God.” All of these are likely to be defined differently by different people, meaning that we may need to do a bit of work to understand what is meant by each in a given context.

All that said, I think one’s basic reaction to this video likely hinges a great deal on one’s definition of the word “religion.”

After viewing it three times and reading the explanatory blurb the author posted underneath the video, I think it’s fairly clear that Bethke is using the term to denote what could be otherwise described as self-righteousness, i.e., the various attempts human beings make to obtain God’s acceptance, approval, and love through their own efforts and merit. This often bears the fruit of empty, formalistic practices and a moralism that manifests itself in personal pride or despair (depending on how one is “measuring up”) and the condemnation of others for their failures, whether real or imagined. Biblically speaking, this is a borderline universal and doggedly persistent human tendency and one that we do well to fight against with all the resources of grace at our disposal.

But is this definition of religion demanded by the Scriptures? Not at all. Consider James 1:26-7: “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 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.” According to this passage, there is such a thing as positive religion: one characterized by (and doubtless not limited to) a controlled tongue, care for the particularly vulnerable, and genuine holiness. To set Jesus in opposition to this religion would be to pit him against his own word. Again, I don’t at all believe this is Bethke’s intention, but it does illustrate one of the potential issues in framing his video in the way that he has.

I suspect the problem more likely problem to result from this piece has to do with those who would claim some kind of affinity to Jesus—or at least a certain perception of Jesus—but are quick to distance themselves from and even denounce “the church.” Again, definitions are important here, but these people usually say something like, “Churches are full of hypocrisy and a bunch of hoops to jump through. What really matters is my relationship with Jesus. I just want to follow Jesus and worship him in my own way.”

Given the past experiences some have had with the church, this sentiment can be understandable. It can even be well intentioned. Unfortunately, it’s just not biblical. This is probably worth a post in itself, but here it might suffice to say that there are too many “one another” passages, too many metaphors that picture the church as an interconnected body, too many places where the genuine community of the church and its activities are understood to be a primary means to foster our relationship with Jesus for this to be a considered a legitimate Christian mindset.

I suspect any encouragement Bethke’s video provides toward this way of thinking is largely unintentional. But we all tend to hear what we want to hear, and the danger is particularly acute in the absence of information that can provide greater clarity and nuance. And while no one can say everything that potentially needs to be said all the time, that’s certainly something to consider for anyone creating a piece like this one.

All in all, I think there’s much to commend in the final product. My first exposure to the video came from critical responses to it. But after watching the thing itself, I came away more sympathetic than I thought I’d be. Despite my reservations (both those listed above and others), the idea that salvation is the result of grace alone comes through clearly, and that is no small thing.

For those wishing to read a more comprehensive analysis of the video, check out Kevin DeYoung’s thoughts here. In a nice turn of events, Bethke actually ended up reading DeYoung’s analysis, prompting a very commendable exchange between the two which you can find linked in the latter’s initial post. All in all, it’s a great example in both giving and receiving constructive criticism. And that's no small thing either.

Christ's Authority to Confound and Perplex

2012-01-16T08:59:00.008-06:00

As I write this week's blog, I am very decidedly living outside of my normal routine. In fact, I am approximately 37,000 feet in the air, headed to a series of seminars and discussions on the topic of "Faith, Vocation and Culture," hosted by Steven Garber of The Washington Institute. It's been about eight months since I last laid eyes on Steven, when we first met as part of a D.Min. Cohort at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis. In the interim, however, I was able to successfully pester him into a two-part interview for ESI back in August ("Seek the Flourishing of the University," Part 1 and Part 2).

So as I wing my way eastward in a shiny metal tube filled with jet fuel and fellow image-bearers (Genesis 1:26), I can't help but think that we live in very interesting times indeed. More often than I care to admit, I am struck by what a historically-poor job the Church of Christ has done - generally speaking – in contributing to the thriving of human beings who live their lives apart from Christianity, and/or responding articulately to the culture in which we live (Jeremiah 29:4-7). On the other hand, it cheers me up greatly to consider that at no point in human history have we ever had so many outlets for gospel truth, along with such a wide array of means with which to intersect with those we care about, whether down the hall or on the other side of the planet. The possibilities seem endless for spreading the word of Christ in ways I could scarcely have imagined just 20 years ago.

All this works together to create within me a deep sense of gratitude that I am part of a local church that actively seeks to engage our culture "where it lives."

I haven’t always felt that way.

In fact, there was a time when I used all kinds of excuses to hold Christ at arm’s length, and many of those excuses had to do with the way I saw Christians evangelizing and reaching out to unbelievers. Because it didn’t reach me, because it offended many, I also scorned these efforts. And then, in July of 2001, I walked into the Rock Bridge High School auditorium and heard the Word of God faithfully preached.

Just like every other church under the sun, The Crossing is not meant to appeal to everyone. If, for example, you want to "come to Jesus" so that the Lord will bless you with health, wealth and prosperity, The Crossing is probably not the church for you. On the other hand, if you are genuinely interested in learning more about the Person and work of Jesus Christ as it took place within human history, and what the work of Christ 2,000 years ago could possibly have to do with your unique set of problems in the 21st century, then I would strongly suggest you lend the pastors your ear for three to four weeks, either in person or via podcast.

But it's important to understand that my wife and I give of our time, talent and treasure to The Crossing with our eyes wide open, which is a nice way of saying that we see our church for what it truly is, namely an imperfect reflection of what life will be like when all of us - friend or enemy - are living under the Lordship of Christ's eternal kingdom. Do church leaders make mistakes? Of course they do! They're flawed human beings living in a fallen world, just like you and me. What caught my attention back in 2001 - and what is still true today - is that, by and large, we at The Crossing are mightily blessed with leadership that is quick to admit mistakes, confess foolishness, and repent of poor decision-making. That sort of humility goes a long way with me, particularly as we all seek to faithfully build God’s kingdom in today’s environment by engaging the culture in new ways.

Which brings me back to the reason that I am flying to D.C. to meet up with Steven, Donald Guthrie, and roughly a dozen other Covenant grad students. The assumed truth in all of our meetings, seminars and discussions is that everything - absolutely everything - exists under the all-powerful hand of a loving God, and that Christians are best matched to the task of spreading the faith when they allow themselves to break out of conventional ways of thinking and allow others to speak into time-honored traditions and customs. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that all things can be received with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:4-5) and that we as faithful believers are called to honor our leaders (1 Peter 2:13-15) and suspend judgment (Matthew 7:1-5).

Reaching a new generation of believers with the Person of Christ will require that we be creative. Simultaneously, it will require us to graciously offer our leaders the freedom and grace they need to explore new avenues of reaching and redeeming the culture. Sure, there are bound to be bumps and hiccups along the way...that's why grace is needed!

To put it succinctly, I am excited to be part of a church that is willing to experiment with music CDs ("Forever Home" and "The Shore"), multimedia presentations during Sunday services and on the Internet, participating in secular festivals (True/False), and so on. While some of these efforts may not speak directly to my own heart or do a thing to deepen my personal faith, I am more than willing to support these gospel-fueled efforts. How boring, indeed, it would be to contribute to the ongoing ministries of a church in which everything conformed perfectly to my own particular taste! It hasn’t always been true, but I am coming to trust that new endeavors with which I am not immediately comfortable are, in fact, reaching other people for Christ and advancing His kingdom purposes.

So here I am, approaching my landing, ready to be challenged once again to consider ministry efforts that don't fit neatly into my personal mold, the box into which I have previously been content to confine my Lord and Savior. As Steven, Donald and others confront me with the work of faithful believers that lives outside of my own enshrined paradigm, I expect to come away from this week exceedingly grateful for a stern rebuke to my selfish tendency to restrict the work of Christ, the Lord of all creation, who is able to speak across time, artistic styles, languages, dreams, musical traditions, technologies, and anything else He cares to use to reach His people.

If there is anything of value in this, it's only been in the last few years that I have been able to assign a label to my own tendency to be annoyed whenever something - you name it - runs counter to my expectations during a church service, in ministry efforts or my own discipleship. Whenever I become aware of that sensation, I instantly draw a mental picture of the disciples’ astonishment at finding Jesus conversing with a Samaritan woman at the well of Sychar (John 4). Within that one conversation Jesus stepped over multiple "sacred" boundaries drawn within the culture at that time – those of Jews speaking to Samaritans, men conversing with women, a rabbi speaking with a "loose woman," to point out just the obvious ones; I can only imagine the rebukes and "corrections" that were floating through the disciples' hearts and minds as Jesus tried "something new and different" as part of His ministry work.

And yet, through His reaching out to this one woman, many in her village became believers (John 4:39-41). Thank God that He regularly chooses to ignore our boundaries and confound our expectations. May He be pleased to continue that limitless work, outside of our box, and may we all embrace His plan for the redemption of mankind, even if it does not fit neatly into the box that we have created for ourselves.

1 Timothy 4:4-5
For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

The Lord's Prayer Devotional

2012-01-15T16:55:00.057-06:00

The following is transcript of the devotional based on the Lord's Prayer Dave read in the sermon, Drawing Near Through Prayer. You can also download a live audio excerpt which can be used as a resource for guided prayer.

The Lord's Prayer

(Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4)

When we don’t pray, we allow our hearts to harden toward God and our thoughts and desires fall out of tune with God. And in so doing, we rob ourselves of being more and more in harmony with the God and Creator of the universe!

When we do draw near to God in prayer (especially prayer led by Scripture—like the Lord's Prayer, Psalms, etc.), something happens in our hearts, and to our faith.

As human beings, we desperately need to worship and believe and be in tune with God—and remind ourselves that he is our greatest need—on a daily basis. In other words, praying the Lord's Prayer is our need, not God’s.

Jesus intended to put words in our mouth by giving us the Lord's Prayer. Praying the Lord's Prayer—out loud or meditatively in our hearts—is a way that Jesus gives us to “tune” our hearts to be in harmony more and more with who God really is and what our need really is.

These are the kinds of prayers God wants us to pray and that he wants to answer.

So instead of singing a song, where going to prayer together through a kind of expanded version of the Lord's Prayer, where each line provides a heading in order to guide our prayers.

The goal is not just trying to get through this as if it’s a ritual. The purpose is to let it guide our prayer—to let these prayers soak a while in our minds and hearts so it can comfort us—challenge us—and change us!

Our Father in heaven

You are my Father in Heaven (which means I’m a child of Heaven)
You are my Creator—my Maker
You intimately knit me together in my mother’s womb (Ps 139:13)
I exist because you created me and intended for me to exist (Ps 139:16; Rev 4:11)—
I exist by you and for you (Rom 11:36)
You are intimately acquainted with every detail of my life (Ps 139:3; Matt 10:29-31; Lk 12:7)
You are my Father who is always present with me (Ps 23:4; Ps 118:6-7; Ps 139:7)
You are “our Father”—so all your people are my brothers and sisters precious in your sight

Hallowed be Your name

May your name be glorified and honored—I glory in your glory
May your name be high and lifted up (Isaiah 57:15)—in my heart and mind and soul and…
May your name be treasured and loved and cherished above all else
May my life bring glory to your name in my words, my relationships, my work, my…

May your kingdom come

Your kingdom is the Shalom my heart longs for
I want to live for the coming of Shalom—your kingdom—as my greatest hope and desire (Matt 13:44-45)
I long for your kingdom to come—Come Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20)
May your kingdom come more and more in my heart and my desires and…

May your will be done (on earth as it is in heaven)

I exist by and for your will (Rev 4:11; Rom 11:36)
Only in your will is true life, true joy and satisfaction forever found
Your will is the only will that is my good and my glory forever
Only in your will can I be truly happy and free
Not my will, but your will be done! (As Jesus prayed in Lk 22:42)

Give us this day our daily bread

Provide for me today everything I need for today—
And for tomorrow everything I need for tomorrow
I trust you that everything you provide is everything I need
Fill me with the Bread of Heaven to satisfy my hungry soul

Forgive us our sins…

(Jesus assumes our need for forgiveness every time we pray. And giving us this prayer request means that God answers the prayers of sinners! Sometimes we can become paralyzed in our praying and afraid to approach God because of guilt. But we are always sinners completely saved by grace through Jesus Christ. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners when we pray like this.)

Forgive me for all the ways I have turned away from you and your will—
The ways I have not trusted you—
The ways I have offended and grieved you—
The ways I have rejected your wisdom, your love, your goodness, and your glory for my life

As we forgive those who have sinned against us

I forgive those who have offended me and sinned against me, because you have forgiven me of such a greater debt of offenses and sins I’ve committed against you
I forgive those who have hurt me—those who have acted against me
I forgive them and release to you my bitterness, resentment, and anger toward them
I will let go of my unforgiveness and let you deal with them

Lead us not into temptation

Keep me from being deceived by temptation’s false promises
And help me overcome every temptation by believing your promises of true Life in Christ—
By believing your promises are always far more satisfying and rewarding than the false promises of sin
By believing your will for me is always my only true good forever

Deliver us from evil

Deliver me from the evil one—
Who is seeking and desiring only to destroy me—
To rob and destroy your good for my life

Because yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Songs and Scenes from Sunday, January 15, 2012

2012-01-15T15:15:00.003-06:00

The Crossing is going through sermon series called, Feeding Your Soul, in which the pastors are encouraging us to go deeper in our relationship with God through consistent prayer and bible study. This morning we journeyed through the very prayer that Jesus Christ gave us in Matthew 6 (with supplemental prayers by Martin Luther) to help us draw near to God as a congregation.

(Photos are courtesy of Lana Eklund. You'll find links in the song titles that will allow you to purchase recorded versions of the songs where available.)

Gathering Song: I Sing the Mighty Power of God - Words: Isaac Watts (1715), Chorus: Scott Johnson and Keith Scherer, Music: Scott Johnson, Keith Scherer, Andrew Camp, Steve Hendershot and Andrew Luley

All praise to You, Eternal God
You made the heavens and earth.
Giving life and breath to everyone,
sustaining all things by Your Word.

The Lord's Prayer: Hallowed be Your Name

Father in heaven, all hearts are open to you, you know all our desires, and there are no secrets hid from your sight: We pray you would cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Holy, Holy, Holy - Words by Reginald Heber (1783-1826)

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!

The Lord's Prayer: Your Kingdom Come

Father in heaven, we bring before you the names of those we commend to your kingdom work care. Our friends, co-workers, and family members. Give them your Holy Spirit, so that by your grace they may believe your holy Word and lead godly lives in this present hour and in eternity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Lord's Prayer: Forgive our sins

Rock of Ages - Words: Augustus M. Toplady (1776), Additional chorus: Page CXVI

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to thy Cross I cling;
Naked, come to thee for dress;
Helpless, look to thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die.

Assurance of Forgiveness based on 1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

This is God’s gospel promise: to forgive our sins and give us eternal life by grace alone because of Christ’s one sacrifice finished on the cross.

Nothing But the Blood - Words and Music by Robert Lowry, Arrangement by Page CXVI

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
How precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The Lord's Prayer: Deliver us from Evil

Father in heaven, You tempt no one. We pray that you would guard and keep us so that Satan, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive or seduce us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked everyday by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Revelation Song by Jennie Lee Riddle

Filled with wonder, awestruck wonder
at the mention of Your Name.
Jesus, Your Name is Power,
breath, and Living Water
such a marvelous mystery.

The Lord's Prayer: Based on Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

A live recording (with music) of the prayer meditation Dave used in his message is available here as a resource for guided prayer. The transcript is also available on The Crossing's iphone/droid app (available in the App Store).

Music and Tech Team for January 15, 2012:

Taylor Bonderer - violin
Kristen Camp - vocals
Sadie Currey - violin
Ashley Gross - vocals
Rhett Johnson - electric guitar
Nick Havens - bass
Scott Johnson - vocals, piano, keyboard
Andrew Luley - drums

Kameron Bong - tech assistant
Michael Novak - sermon media
Jake Wandel - stage and tech coordinator
Tim Worstell - sound

Sin and Selfishness

2012-01-13T16:38:00.004-06:00

A reasonable assessment of our own selfishness is a healthy practice for each of us every now and then. I am quite sure God placed children in our lives with the primary goal of reminding us that we are not actually the most important thing in our lives after all.

As I arrive home from work, I can assure you one of the last things on my “to do” list is to go downstairs and dance with my 2 year old to the tune of Dora the Explorer’s greatest hits. However, I also know that soon enough Dora will fade into some new boy band muffled behind closed doors. Similarly, the desire to dance with dad will also fade. So I slip off the shoes and dance. At this point, I still make the cut with my 8 year old daughter as indicated on the picture below. I know soon enough that sign will say only boys...except my dad! Meanwhile, I am reminded how 99% of my decisions during the day are based in some form or fashion on my own selfishness.

Even a decision such as choosing to dance with your two year old over Sportscenter is selfish in wanting to hold onto something you know won’t last. One may be more overtly counterproductive than the other, but the reality is we tend to do what is best for ourselves in the long run.

I’ve often thought the two best barometers of our faith should be selfishness and selfrighteousness. If you are struggling in those two areas then you are likely in need of a healthy dose of a better understanding of the gospel. I know my heart seems to wander into selfishness time and time again and the ultimate result is far less fulfilling than that provided by an ounce of unselfishness.

I’ve included a few verses encouraging the kind of gospel believing unselfishness we are called to exhibit in our lives as we reflect the light of Christ to those who are seeking a better way.

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”
-Philippians 2:4

“Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor”
-1 Corinthians 10:24

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
-Galatians 6:2

“You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house”
-Haggai 1:9

“But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?"
-1 John 3:17

The One Thing

2012-01-12T08:49:00.002-06:00

Last Sunday we looked at Luke 10:38-42 and asked whether we, like Martha, were letting the many things distract us from the one thing. Or as I asked myself this morning, "Am I letting good things keep me from the best thing--Jesus? In one sense it really is a matter of priorities. I stand by the statement: "You always have time to do what is most important to you."

But the discipline of making and keeping the right priorities only gets you so far. It will get you started but it won't get you to the finish line. Just ask all the people at the gym right now. The first week of January it is packed, but by February there will be plenty of equipment open. The discipline of prioritizing health got them going to the gym but discipline alone can't keep them going.

I think that it's the same with reading our Bible. Discipline is often needed to get started but our hope, prayer, and expectation is that the discipline will soon be replaced by delight. It's fine to start reading your Bible because you know you should, but I think that you will soon want to read your Bible because you're sitting at Jesus feet learning from him. It's fine to start reading your Bible because others at The Crossing are doing it with you, but our hope is that you will keep reading your Bible because you find it revives your soul, gives you God's wisdom, and brings lasting joy (Psalm 19).

A quick reminder that you can pick up the Bible reading plan at the bookstore or it is available on The Crossing's App for smart phones.

Are Naturalism and Evolution Incompatible?

2012-01-10T20:14:00.003-06:00

Alvin Plantinga, emeritus John A. O’Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, is often described as one of the world’s preeminent philosophers. In the course of his long and decorated career, he has consistently sought to commend Christian belief and address challenges to the same.

One of his most recent efforts along these lines is the just published book Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism. I’ve not yet read the book, but a recent interview indicates that one of Plantinga’s concerns is to “argue that there's no real conflict between evolutionary theory—that is, the scientific theory of evolution apart from any naturalistic spin—and what C. S. Lewis called ‘mere Christianity.’”

No doubt making this case involves carefully defining terms, a thorough consideration of the biblical and scientific data, and a good deal of nuanced discussion. And even then, Christians who consider the Bible to be authoritative and reliable may come to different conclusions.

What really got my attention in the interview, however, was a brief mention of something I’ve seen Plantinga argue before: that the idea of unguided evolution is actually incompatible with a naturalistic worldview, i.e., one that that leaves no room for God to be involved in the workings of the universe, including the origin and development of life. Here’s interviewer Doug Wilson’s question, followed by Plantinga’s response:

In the last, much briefer section of the book, you discuss whether there is a fundamental incompatibility between naturalism and the theory of evolution.

I think that's an extremely interesting and important point, though to argue for it properly is quite complicated; it's hard to do in a brief compass. The basic idea, which is far from being original, is that if you are a naturalist and think that we have come to be by [unguided] evolutionary processes, then you will think that the main purpose of our cognitive processes, our mental faculties, is survival and reproductive fitness, not the production of true belief. Evolution doesn't give a rip about whether your beliefs are true. It only cares whether or not your actions are adaptive, whether they contribute to your fitness [for survival]. From the point of view of evolution together with naturalism, you wouldn't expect that our faculties would be really adjusted to truth or aimed at truth. They would just be aimed at fitness.

But if this is true, if our minds are aimed at mere survival, not at truth, then it's not probable that our minds should be reliable—that is, produce an appropriate preponderance of true over false beliefs; and if that is so, then one who believes both naturalism and evolution should reject the thought that our minds are reliable. But that's a crippling position to be in. Nietzsche is among the people who have suggested this problem. Some contemporary philosophers—Thomas Nagel, for example—have voiced the same worry, and so did Darwin himself.

To sum up, if our minds have primarily developed to adapt and survive and not to apprehend truth, then we have reason to doubt all of our beliefs, including naturalism. This is the way Plantinga put it a few years ago in a response to Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion:

The naturalist has a defeater for the natural assumption that his cognitive faculties are reliable—a reason for rejecting that belief, for no longer holding it. …And if he has a defeater for that belief, he also has a defeater for any belief that is a product of his cognitive faculties. But of course that would be all of his beliefs—including naturalism itself. So the naturalist has a defeater for naturalism; naturalism, therefore, is self-defeating and cannot be rationally believed.

The real problem here, obviously, is Dawkins' naturalism, his belief that there is no such person as God or anyone like God. That is because naturalism implies that evolution is unguided. So a broader conclusion is that one can't rationally accept both naturalism and evolution; naturalism, therefore, is in conflict with a premier doctrine of contemporary science. People like Dawkins hold that there is a conflict between science and religion because they think there is a conflict between evolution and theism; the truth of the matter, however, is that the conflict is between science and naturalism, not between science and belief in God.

Readers who are interested in pursuing this further can find a longer treatment of the argument by Plantinga here (though I believe a subscription is required). Additionally, C. S. Lewis makes a similar point in the essay “Is Theology Poetry,” which can be found in his The Weight of Glory.

A Dramatic Conversion Story...Sort Of

2012-01-09T07:50:00.005-06:00

These days, generally speaking, one of two things happens to me every single weekday upon my arrival home from work: 1) I am scared nearly to death as my son jumps out from his favorite "hiding place" and roars loudly at me, or 2) I am severely beaten after he charges headlong into my stomach and - again with menacing roars - begins pounding on whatever parts of me he can reach. Sometimes I get both.

Assuming that my middle-aged body holds out, I look forward to at least a few more years of this type of foolishness, but raising five other children has made it pretty clear that - eventually - these physical attacks on each other as a mean of exchanging greetings will likely give way to an increasingly-verbal relationship, one in which he and I might share the details of our days, analyzing the people, places and events involved like civilized human beings. For now, though, it seems as though we are both perfectly content to behave like cavemen.

Similarly, whereas one day we might be drawn into conversations about our day and discuss these things in light of God's Word, helping each other draw conclusions for how we might live more faithfully as sojourners in a world devastated by sin and rebellion, right now we have a far more simplistic approach. These days we draw many of our precepts about right and wrong from repeat viewings of Megamind.

If you have yet to see this particular film and think that you might like to, you should probably stop reading now as there certainly will be some "spoilers." Suffice to say that I have seen Megamind at least a handful of times and would be glad to watch it over and over with my son - in stark contrast to the latest Alvin and the Chipmunks film, whereby one viewing was more than sufficient.

One of the many great privileges of having younger children around the house is the ability stay connected to the things that make up their world of innocence and naivete. Just like the father who invests heavily in scale-model trains "for the sake of the kids" but spends a disproportionate amount of his free time playing with them, a preschooler running loose in the house frees me up to watch Megamind over and over again with the convenient excuse that I am merely bonding with my five-year-old son. The truth, though, is that I really enjoy this movie and will continue to stay glued to the set long after my son has moved on to putting on his Captain America costume and jumping from sofa to sofa.

If you've been attending The Crossing for any length of time, you may recall that Dave Cover will often say that human beings just can't stop telling the story of God's redemption of humanity over and over and over again. The theme shows up time and again in movies, music, art and theater. As Dave says, "We just can't help it." For those of us who have been given eyes to see, the biblical meta-narrative of a world gone horribly wrong, along with helpless people who desperately need the redemption that only a powerful savior can offer...well, it's absolutely plastered all over everything, everywhere. Yes, even in Megamind.

The plotline for the film is a nice postmodern riff on the superhero theme. Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt) eventually becomes bored with being a superhero and the repetitive, by-the-numbers city-wide battles with Metro City's evil supervillain, Megamind (Will Ferrell). Faking his own death, Metro Man leaves Metro City in the pitiless hands of Megamind so that he can selfishly pursue a new career in music, a vocation for which he has zero talent. Megamind, bored to tears by his unchallenged, totalitarian grip on the city, devises a scheme to create another superhero, thus restoring "glorious rivalry" to an otherwise mundane existence. Of course, his plan goes horribly wrong, and Megamind is ultimately forced to confront his reasons for wanting to be a supervillain in the first place.

I know, I know, I should probably be teaching my kids all they need to know about God, truth and faithful living through family Bible studies, prayer and devotions. And of course those things are all excellent ways to bring up our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). Still, I have found that some of my deeper discussions about good and evil "just happen to take place" when my child is able to shrink the all-encompassing ideas of good and evil down to digestible, bite-sized chunks, i.e. cartoon characters such as Megamind, Metro Man, and Titan. Some of my very-best opportunities to speak into the life of my son have come hard on the heels of a penetrating question such as, "How become Metro Man wanted to pretend that he was dead?" or "Why is Titan being so mean to Roxanne Ritchie?"

Movies almost always take their viewers deep into situations where they are called to make some decisions about good and evil, right and wrong. Most of the time, the screenwriters and director have already fed a pre-determined conclusion into the script, "freeing us" from the necessity of thinking for ourselves. What I find so interesting about this particular film is that in seeking to deconstruct our ideas of "what heros should do" and "what villains always do," the filmmakers have created an environment that is ripe for exploring these questions, not to mention an overarching theme which essentially retells the gospel story of redemption from evil. Looked at the film through this lens, Megamind's life might as well be compared to the dramatic conversion story of Saul of Tarsus. Where Megamind is drawn reluctantly into goodness by his love for Roxanne, Saul was hijacked along the road to Damascus by Jesus (Acts 9) and dragged into the kingdom of light kicking and screaming. In both cases, interestingly, the conversion experience was precipitated by a change in relationship.

There's enough superhero mayhem in this film to keep me from recommending it for all ages - downtown buildings blowing up, destructive battles as citizens run screaming through the streets, mildly rude humor - but my five-year-old seems to thoroughly enjoy it, and I do, too. What I find even more interesting is my child's ability to process many of the bigger themes without much effort. He gets it; some people really are bad, and we need to be protected from them even as we try to offer them a chance to clean up their act.

I wonder if the production team put a great deal of thought into how many questions this might raise in the hearts and minds of younger viewers. Perhaps these themes were woven in purposefully, or merely an unintended side-effect of good screenwriting. In any case, this movie does a great job of mixing things up and taking the story in directions that reveal the universal longing for peace and justice, as well as the need we all have to live in relationship with one another. Whatever the intent, the filmmakers certainly succeeded in putting one of Steven Garber's themes into play: "The first rule of engagement is to be excellent at whatever it is you are doing." In my opinion - and my son's - this they did in spades.

As Christian believers, it's oftentimes tempting to "hide" from the culture and more or less pretend that it doesn't exist. True, there are no "overtly Christian" messages buried in an animated film that is primarily just trying to have fun with various superhero traditions and archetypes. But we should never rule out opportunities to speak to our kids about God, especially when those moments spring up from an unexpected source.

My tendency, sadly, is to take myself far too seriously. Every now and then, though, I find it helps immensely to put down the Westminster Confession of Faith when trying to reach my kids for Christ and engage with them at that "fun" level, one they can both appreciate and comprehend. This is as true while watching episodes of The Office with my teenage daughters as it is while putting the Megamind DVD into our player for the umpteenth time.

We are constantly being exposed to other people's ideas about truth, right and wrong, and ultimate value. Exposure itself is not the problem; failing to process the things we are exposed to in light of God's Truth and His plan for humanity is.

One of the strongest, most-persuasive arguments for an authentic life of Christian faith is the complete absence of fear, coupled with the total certainty that the message of Jesus Christ is more than able to give an answer to any and all competing truth claims. Where I might be tempted to cram truth into the soul of my son by using the means that I deem most effective, I think it is far more powerful to observe those things that have already taken hold of his heart and respond to them redemptively. For what it's worth, this is one silly film that opened up a window on his soul and allowed me to peek in.

That, plus we now have a whole new grab-bag of memorable quotes with which to further torment each other.

2 Corinthians 10:3-7
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.

Songs and Scenes from Sunday, January 8, 2012

2012-01-08T15:34:00.001-06:00

This week's worship service was planned and led by guest worship leader Zach Burmaster. Photos are courtesy of Scott Patrick Myers. You'll find links in the song titles that will allow you to purchase recorded versions of the songs where available.

Medley: How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves and Ed Cash, Arranged by The Crossing Music

The splendor of the King,
clothed in majesty;
Let all the earth rejoice,
all the earth rejoice.
He wraps Himself in light,
and darkness tries to hide,
and trembles at His voice,
and trembles at His voice.

Medley: How Great Thou Art by Stuart K. Hine, Arranged by The Crossing Music

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to thee:
How great thou art! How great thou art!

Zach read from Psalm 119:103-107.

How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it,  
that I will follow your righteous laws.
I have suffered much;  
preserve my life, LORD, according to your word.

Breathe by Marie Barnett

This is the air I breathe;
This is the air I breathe;
Your holy presence living in me.

This is my daily bread;
This is my daily bread;
Your very word spoken to me.

We read a prayer from The Valley Vision (which reminded of our desperate need for Christ) followed by a time of silent confession.

This Breaks My Heart of Stone - Words by Charles Wesley (1707-1788) with new music by Benji Pocta.

Look as when thy pit'ing eye,
was closed that we might live;
"Father," at the point to die,
my Savior cried, "Forgive".
Surely with that dying word,
He turns and looks and cries, "Tis done!"
O my loving, bleeding Lord,
this breaks my heart of stone.

Gloria by King's Kaliedoscope

O taste and see that the Lord is good;
all you people, all you saints
all you children of the king.
Gloria!, Gloria!, Gloria!, Gloria!

Psalm 62 (My Soul Finds Rest) by Stuart Townend and Aaron Keyes

My soul find rest in God alone,
my Rock and my salvation,
a fortress strong against my foes,
and I will not be shaken.
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse,
and lies like arrows pierce me,
I'll fix my heart on righteousness,
I'll look to Him who hears me.

Here is Love - Words by William Rees (19th century); Music by Robert Lowry (1876); Additional chorus by Matt Redman

In Your truth You will direct me
by Your Spirit through Your Word;
And Your grace my need is meeting,
as I trust in You, my Lord.

Music and Tech Team for January 8, 2012:

Zach Burmaster - guest worship leader, acoustic guitar
Lacey Burrell - vocals
David Cover - electric guitars
Christine Cover - vocals
Nick Havens - bass
Scott Johnson - vocals, keyboards, harmonium
Andrew Luley - drums

The Crossing Music's latest album, The Shore is now available for purchase at The Crossing's bookstore and for download at crossingsongs.com. The video below is an acoustic peformance of one of the album's tracks. We hope you enjoy it.

How Will You Respond When - Not If - Suffering Comes?

2012-01-06T15:59:00.004-06:00

A few weeks ago, I finished reading a book that will end up knocking something off of my Top 10 List of most influential books in my life, as this one surely deserves a place at the top.

The title is Be Still, My Soul: Embracing God's Purpose & Provision in Suffering. Edited by Nancy Guthrie, the book is a compilation of the writings of dozens of authors, all writing on the problem of pain and suffering that is a reality of life this side of heaven.

Sounds like a heavy read, does it not? Maybe not something you'd be at all interested in reading unless you were, indeed, going through some pretty intense suffering. But the truth is that all of us, sooner or later, will experience loss, tragedy, hardships, painful circumstances and distressing seasons. Choose your adjective, suffering will come. The question is not whether you will end up having to go through a rough season in life, but how you will respond when it comes.

One thing I've found to be true is that it's in the midst of suffering that your faith will be most intensely tested.

Certainly that's what one of the authors, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, believed. One of the excerpts was written by Lloyd-Jones and titled "The Test of a Crisis." In that chapter, he writes:

When we go through a crisis, it shows exactly and precisely what kind of person we really are. In times when life is pursuing the ordinary tenor of its way, we all succeed in making a fair show. It is so easy to live out an artificial and a superficial life and to persuade ourselves that we really are what we would like to be. But in a time of trial and of crisis, the natural, the real, and true come into view.

A time of crisis and of difficulty also tests and demonstrates very clearly what we really believe, and the nature of our religious faith.

As I read this excerpt several weeks ago, I couldn't help but shrink back a little as I remembered how poorly I have responded to painful situations and difficult trials when they began to come my way as a relatively new believer.

If you are not a Christian, it is at least consistent that you might respond poorly, rage against the fates (so to speak) and focus on self-preservation during dark days. But as a believer, our responses should be significantly different from those around us, especially those who put their hope in their possessions, their money or themselves. After all, we believe in a Sovereign God who has rescued us from all that and offered us an eternity with Him...right? That's what we say during times of plenty, anyway.

And yet, we do often respond so poorly. I know I have. I've been whiny, I've kicked at the goads and I've raged, angry simply at the way things were turning out.

My favorite form of unbelief was probably the "What if?" game I would play with myself. I would spend far too much time being anxious as to potential outcomes spun out nowhere other than in my imagination - outcomes that hadn't even happened yet! On the pretense, I suppose, of combating those fears, I would try to play out the various scenarios likely to occur in the trial that had beset my life. While my logic was not nearly this clear-headed, I think I must have believed that if I could just identify all the various "What if's?", I could also then have the most appropriate - i.e., minimally destructive to my life - response to said scenario. My mental striving and groaning, I wrongly reasoned, would somehow give me the upper hand at some point in the future.

All of this is simply a confession that when trials have come my way, there are plenty of examples to show that I wasn't trusting in the God I said I trusted. I've confessed several times before on ESI that I wrestle with wanting to control things in my life - circumstances, relationships, whatever - and this is one more example of how a lack of control spotlighted for me my lack of trust in God.

Well, at least I'm not alone in finding out that my faith was weak and untenable. Lloyd-Jones continues:

The classic example of this is John Wesley prior to his conversion. He, in a sense, knew all about religion, but while crossing the Atlantic, and in a terrible storm, which seemed to be leading to certain death, he felt that he had nothing. He was afraid to die and afraid of everything. And what struck him was the contrast presented by the Moravian Brethren who were on the same ship. They were, in comparison with Wesley, ignorant men, but their religion meant something real and vital to them. It held them in the storm, and gave them peace and calmness, and indeed joy, even face to face with death. Wesley's religion appeared to be excellent. He gave all his goods to the poor, he preached in prisons, and he had crossed that Atlantic to preach to pagans in Georgia. He was a man of immense knowledge of things religious. And yet the trial revealed to him and to others the nature of his religion, and showed it to be worthless.

Attaching the word "worthless" to the faith of someone such as John Wesley really ought to garner our attention, don't you think? Lloyd-Jones' excellent excerpt, and many others like it in this book, has served to bolster my desire to be a woman of genuine faith, whose responses to trial and adversity only prove that genuineness. While I have failed miserably in the past, and will almost certainly fail again somewhere further on up the road, I don't want to continue to consistently respond to suffering in God-dishonoring ways.

How about you? Do you lean wholly on God through suffering? Do you cling to your faith as if it's a lifeboat when the waves of tragedy are threatening to destroy your life? Or, like me, have you found that a season of suffering only highlighted how weak your faith really is? Or, do you even know yet how you will fare when suffering comes your way?

At the end of this month my husband Warren and I - along with fellow Crossing member Dale Wilcox - will facilitate yet another 12-week session of DivorceCare, and once again the room will be filled with people who are suffering, whose lives right now are hard. For them, their season of suffering is upon them. It's "their turn at the wheel," so to speak.

One thing is certain, for these folks, for myself, and for you - the true test of whether God's Word really is the ultimate source of hope in our lives is how you respond to it when life really is hard.

I've come to understand a hard truth: Suffering is God's mercy in the lives of believers. I would never expect anyone to embrace that truth in the midst of suffering, but as you look back on it, it's God's mercy if you can see that through it all, He was with you. Through it all, He was strengthening and encouraging you.

It's through the trials I have endured that I first recognized the flimsiness of my faith, and sought Him to strengthen me. And it's through continued injustice and pain that my dependence upon Him has been solidified. I can barely control my own tongue (James 3:3-8), let alone the myriad of circumstances that impact my life. But increasingly so, I trust God, the Creator of all things, to control those circumstances, to His glory. I trust Him imperfectly, to be sure, but increasingly so, by His grace. It is because of His mercy that I am slowly seeing what I need most of all – Himself.

Lloyd-Jones, in "The Test of a Crisis," speaks directly to Christian sufferers just like me, my husband, and - some day sooner than we would wish - all of us:

You may not understand what is happening to you; it may seem, to you, all wrong. Trust yourself to him. Believe when you cannot prove. Hold on to his constancy, his justice, his eternal purposes for you in Christ. Regard those as absolutes, which can never be shaken, built our case logically upon them, remain steadfast and unshaken, confident that ultimately all will be made plain and all will be well.

Romans 8:32 (ESV)
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Resolving to Run Hard After Romans 12:18

2012-01-02T10:39:00.011-06:00

As Christians seeking to live in faithful community, one of the greatest gifts we can offer each other is to help "open up" the truths of the Bible, to strengthen and encourage one another as we seek to transcend the differences in time, language, culture and geography that separate us from the original authors of both the Old and the New Testaments.

Of course, the ability to offer this service to our loved ones presupposes that we have actually read - and properly understood - the Bible ourselves.

Along these same lines, I find that I am always deeply indebted to learned biblical scholars - faith-filled folks who have been studying God's Word far longer than I have - whenever they are able to plant within me a "memorable hook" of sorts such that I am forever changed by their work. Within the last couple of years, for example, pastor and author John MacArthur helpfully changed my outlook on the subject of forgiveness with two simple sentences: "You are never more like Christ than when you forgive an undeserving person. Conversely, you are never less like Christ than when you choose not to forgive."

The cost of being conformed to the image of Christ can oftentimes feel like more than we can reasonably be expected to bear. Speaking for myself, I can think of no more difficult task than forgiving those who have inflicted pain on me and/or my loved ones. But I am nevertheless certain that MacArthur is right: Regardless of how much we pray, read the Bible or practice any other Christian discipline, one's faithfulness to Christ can be measured based largely on how well we forgive others.

In those moments when we are tempted to hold on to unforgiveness, then, we must lean hard into the promise God has given us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 and trust that we will receive the strength we need to forgive others even when we might well prefer to stay locked into hatred and bitterness. I am also greatly comforted by the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:21-35 wherein He makes it very clear that forgiveness is costly, that a decision to forgive someone who "owes us" entails absorbing a very real loss; in modern terms, "100 denarii" would be roughly equivalent to three months wages!

The point Jesus makes with this parable could not possibly have been lost on His original audience. True forgiveness does not come "on the cheap," though perhaps our modern American culture might easily lead you to believe otherwise.

Back in October, for example, Nathan Tiemeyer posted a short piece here on ESI ("Robert Downey Jr. Urges Forgiveness for Mel Gibson") that included pointers to a video of Robert Downey Jr. asking the filmmaking industry to grant forgiveness to Mel Gibson, an actor whose public drunkenness, anti-Semitic slurs and out-of-control sexual exploits (accompanied by violent outbursts of anger) had reduced his credibility to ashes.

While I believe Nathan was right to point out that there is much in Downey's speech to be applauded and emulated, I nevertheless came away from the Downey video with a nagging sense that "something was not quite right." I wondered how Downey's speech and warm embrace of Gibson played out in the minds of Robyn Denise Moore, Gibson's soon-to-be ex-wife of 31 years, and Oksana Grigorieva, the Russian pianist, Gibson's former mistress and mother of their illegitimate daughter. One has to wonder if their presence on the stage at the American Cinematheque Awards that evening would have "spoiled" the warm moment for all involved.

The idea of a room full of well-dressed Hollywood types responding favorably to Downey's appeal is...well, appealing, I suppose. However, a true pursuit of the kind of forgiveness that Christ expects of us is messy, difficult work, painfully awkward at times, and must involve all affected parties whenever possible.

For my part, I can think of no better primer on the subject of true, deep forgiveness than Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds by Chris Brauns. This easy-to-read volume should, in my estimation, be required reading for anyone who struggles with unforgiveness and/or has been deeply hurt by another, i.e. all of us. Brauns has so clearly been at this business of applying the truths of the Bible to the topic of forgiveness that the words appear to flow effortlessly from his pen.

What I so greatly appreciated about this book is that Brauns has packed a ton of truth into his copy. Consider, for example, this excerpt from his chapter entitled "How Can I Stop Thinking About It?" As you read these sentences, you'll no doubt note that while Brauns has given us several citations, he has by no means cited all of the thoroughly-biblical thinking in this section:

Burn into your mind what the Bible teaches about forgiveness. If you have stuck with this book, you should understand an outline of what the Bible teaches about forgiveness. Make it a goal for these truths and principles to be burned into your mind.
The most basic forgiveness principle is that Christians should forgive others as God forgave them. (See Matthew 6:12; 7:2; Ephesians 4:32.)
Christians should have an attitude or disposition of grace toward all people even as God offers forgiveness to all who receive it. God does not forgive all people, but he does offer grace and forgiveness to all. (See John 1:12; 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9.)
Therefore, Christians must be willing to forgive all who ask for forgiveness. (See Luke 17:3-4.) Remember: whatever anyone has done to offend you will always pale in comparison to what you have done to offend God.
Christians can conquer bitterness by trusting in the justice and providence of God. God is just. Vengeance belongs to him. He will repay. God providentially works all things together for good for those who know him. This includes the acts of people who intend to harm us. You are not ultimately a victim. (See Romans 12:19; 8:28; Genesis 45:5-7.)
Never excuse bitterness or an unwillingness to forgive. Those unable or unwilling to forgive should question their salvation. Read this sentence aloud: Saying "I cannot or will not forgive" is another way of saying "I am thinking about going to hell." (See Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-25.)

See what I mean? On my first pass through Brauns' book, I did not even bother to highlight or make notes as I could tell right from the start that I would be reading and re-reading this book several times over.

There is much in my life that requires the deep cleansing that only Christ can provide, and I am convinced that there is no more revealing window into our relationship with Jesus than to consider the names and faces of people who have wronged us, or those whom we have wronged. If the entrance of certain people into a room causes us to immediately feel uncomfortable, this is the clearest-possible signal that we have not yet applied the truth of Romans 12:18 to that relationship: "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

The dawn of a new year is traditionally a time when we pause, if only for a while, to consider ways in which we can and should change the way we are living our lives. For me, I do not think it is any coincidence that I finally got around to reading this book this past month. Forget about losing weight, watching my spending and/or scaling back on various indulgences of one kind or another. Sure, those are all commendable goals, but as Christians, I can think of no better resolution than to honestly pursue the deep, difficult and - quite frankly - frustrating work of pursuing forgiveness with others.

Jesus stepped down from eternal glory and came into the world to offer us the riches of Heaven, and yet we find ourselves relentlessly fighting each other over the lesser-glories of our earthly lives. Living out a lifestyle of unforgiveness can quite reasonably be compared to a couple of ignorant children fighting over a moldy crust of bread, all the while standing at the entrance to a never-ending banquet of the richest, most satisfying foods.

What I so deeply appreciate about Romans 12:18 is that Paul is acknowledging that it will not always be possible to be reconciled with others, but he nonetheless makes it clear that this in no way relieves us of the pursuit.

Matthew 18:21-35 (ESV)
Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

Songs and Scenes from Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T15:50:00.010-06:00

This week's music set-list review features photos by Nate Herndon. You'll find links in the song titles that will allow you to purchase recorded versions of the songs where available.

One Redeemer by David A. Cover, Christine Cover and Patrick K. Miller (recording featured on The Crossing Music's latest album The Shore.)

From start to end,
You are the "Amen!"
to Your promises,
Jesus, my soul's Savior,
the great story's One Redeemer.

O Help My Unbelief (words by Isaac Watts, music by Justin Smith).

How sad our state by nature is!
our sin, how deep it stains!
and Satan binds our captive minds
Fast in his slavish chains.
But there's a voice of sov'reign grace,
sounds from the sacred word:
"O, ye despairing sinners come,
and trust upon the Lord."

Prayer of the Lowly by Andrew Camp, Christine Cover and David A. Cover

Break my pride to pieces and scatter it to the wind.
And put in me humility to rest in Your ways.
For You, help live to You, help say,
"Holy, holy is the Lord, God Almighty;
Worthy, worthy is the King who died for me!”

We read Psalm 8: 1, 3-6, 9.

LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.

When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?[a]

You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet.

I Sing the Mighty Power of God - Words: Isaac Watts (1715), Music and Additional Chorus: Scott Johnson, Keith Scherer, Andrew Camp, Steve Hendershot and Andrew Luley

I sing the mighty power of God,
that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad,
and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command,
and all the stars obey.

The Gospel Song by Bob Kauflin and Drew Jones

Holy God, in love, became
perfect Man to bear my blame.
On the cross He took my sin.
By His death I live again.

Christ is Risen by Matt Maher and Mia Fieldes

Let no one caught in sin remain
inside the lie of inward shame,
but fix our eyes upon the cross,
and run to Him who showed great love
and bled for us, freely You've bled for us.

Christ is risen from the dead
trampling over death by death,
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Music Team for January 1, 2012:

David Cover (bass, vocals)
Christine Cover (vocals)
Sadie Currey (violin)
Ashley Gross (vocals)
Rhett Johnson (electric guitar)
Andrew Luley (drums)
Ethan Vizitei (vibes, organ)

Christmas at The Crossing: December 24 & 25, 2011

2011-12-25T14:37:00.006-06:00

"The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was going to come into the world." - John 1:9

Joyous Light - Words by unknown author, late 3rd -early century 4th century; translated by John Keble, 1834, alt. Arrangement and additional chorus by Chris Tomlin, David Crowder and Louie Giglio.

Hail Gladdening Light, sun so bright
Jesus Christ, end of night, alleluia.
Hail Gladdening Light, such joyous Light
O Brilliant Star, forever shine, alleluia.

Christmas Invocation from The Worship Sourcebook

Good and gracious God,
on this holy night you gave us your Son,
the Lord of the universe, wrapped in swaddling clothes,
the Savior of all, lying in a manger.

On this holy night
draw us into the mystery of your love.
Join our voices with the heavenly host,
that we may sing your glory on high.

Give us a place among the shepherds,
that we may find the one for whom we have waited,
Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit
in the splendor of eternal light.
God forever and ever. Amen.

O Come, All Ye Faithful - Words and Tune: attr. John Francis Wade (1742), tr. Frederick Oakeley (1841), Music: Irregular (Adeste Fiedeles) Arrangement by Chris Tomlin

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Lesson 1: Isaiah 7:13-14, 9:2, 6-7

O Come, O Come Emmanuel - LM 88 88 (Veni Emmanuel), Words: Latin, 12th Cent; tr. composite Tune: "Processionale:, 15th cent. ; adpt. Thomas Helmore (1854), Adapted from an arrangement by Phil Wickham

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Lesson 2: Isaiah 11:1-9

Hail to the Lord's Anointed - Words: James Montgomery (1821), Music and Arrangement: Vito Aiuto (2008)

Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
great David’s greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
to set the captive free;
To take away transgression
and rule in equity.

Lesson 3: Luke 1:26-38

Savior of the Nations, Come - Words: Ambrose (4th Century), Martin Luther (1523), Traditional: Calvin Seerveld (1984), Music: Enchiridia, Erfurt (1524), Arr. Bruce Benedict (2009)

Savior of the nations, come,
Show yourself, the virgin’s son.
Marvel heaven, wonder earth,
That our God chose such a birth.

Lesson 4: Luke 2:1-7, Matthew 1:22-23

Once in Royal David's City - Words: Cecil Alexander (1848), Music: Henry J. Gauntlett (1849), Adapted from an arrangement by Sufjan Stevens

Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

Lesson 5: Luke 2:8-20

Angels We Have Heard On High - Words: Traditional French carol, Music: Traditional French melody. Adapted from an arrangement by Hillsongs and Vineyard Music

Come to Bethlehem and see
Christ Whose birth the angels sing;
Come, adore on bended knee,
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Lesson 6: John 1:1-14

Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy) - Words: Isaac Watts (1719) (based on Psalm 98), Music: ANTIOCH C.M.rep. George Frederick Handel (1742), Arr. Lowell Mason (1836), Arr. and Additional Chorus by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Matt Gilder.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Instrumental: The First Noel - Words & Music: Traditional English carol, possibly dating from as early as the 13th Century, Adapted from an Arrangement by Linford Detweiler

Instrumental: O Little Town of Bethlehem - Rector Phillips Brooks (1835-1903), Music: Lewis Redner (1831-1908), Adapted from an Arrangement by Linford Detweiler

What Child is This - Words: William Dix (1865), Music: 16th Century English melody, Arrangement: The Crossing Music

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

The Passing of the Flame

Silent Night - Words: Josef Mohr (circa 1816-1818), Music: Franz X. Gruber (circa 1820), Based on an arrangement by Red Mountain Church

Still the night, holy the night
God's dear Son, bringing light,
Saving us all from sin's dark thrall
Giving life and love to all,
Christ the Light of the World,
Christ the Light of the World.

Music and Tech Team for The Crossing's Christmas Services:

Christine Cover - vocals
David Cover - electric guitars, six-string banjo
Sadie Currey - violin
Ashley Gross - vocals, percussion
Nick Havens - bass, percussion
Scott Johnson - vocals, keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, harmonium
Andrew Luley - drums, percussion
Jeff Myers - vocals
Ethan Vizitei - keyboards, celeste, glockenspiel

Michael Porter - liturgist
Charvel Vizitei - liturgist

Josh Burrell - Technical Director
Addison Hawkins - sound
Michael Novak - service media
Ken Kroll - Lights, service media
Ken Surdin - lights
Jake Wandel - Production Manager/Elation Board Operator
Tim Worstell - sound

Photos courtesy of Gerik Parmele.

Christmas Eve Links

2011-12-24T08:55:00.000-06:00

Here are a spattering of links from the web the past few weeks that caught my attention. Enjoy them, but more importantly, enjoy your Christmas Eve and loved ones.

To Santa or Not to Santa - An ongoing discussion amongst Christian parents exists over how we should talk about and celebrate Santa Claus with our young children. My son is 2, so I have another year before he knows what's going on. If I had to decide now I'd forego the "Santa brought presents" storyline with him (not for the reasons he mentions in this article), but either way this is a good read and something worth considering.

Young Adults and the Church - A discussion of the Barna Group's recent survey on young adults leaving the church. I never trust statistics blindly, and I have some questions on the methodology...but it's not as if these conclusions are patently false. They may be over-exaggerated, but they are certainly true of some people and we would be foolish to not consider and adjust if needed. This applies directly to Student Ministry at The Crossing. But it also applies to how parents represent Christianity to their teens.

Sleep or Surf - This study says that around 25% of people spend more time on the internet than in bed. I'm sure this has implications for other people who may do such things. Just thought I'd give all of you a heads up.

The Boston Globe's Year in Pictures - Parts 1, 2, and 3. I love this website and particularly these end of year features. Some are beautiful, some are depressing, but all are moving.

Grandma's No-Bakes

2011-12-23T09:27:00.007-06:00

This week, I have what I hope will turn out to be a "Christmas gift" of sorts for devoted ESI readers. I'd like to share an old family recipe, along with an associated story.

When I was a little girl, I would often visit my Grandma, who lived not-quite-in-the-country, but in a small town with a town square, bricked streets and just one four-way stop. One of the many things I loved about going to Grandma's was that, more likely than not, she would mix up a batch of her No-Bake Cookies:

Grandma's No-Bake Cookies
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa
½ cup milk
1 stick Oleo (butter)

Boil above ingredients to soft ball stage. Then add 3 cups quick-cooking oats, ½ cup peanut butter and 1 tsp. vanilla. Mix well and drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheet to cool.

Grandma's no-bakes were a highly-anticipated treat for everyone. While I'm sure she had other things she made that other family members would call her specialty, for me it was her no-bakes that were "her thing." She always took a big batch of these cookies to our annual family reunions, and they were always gone well before the homemade pies and cakes that her sisters brought.

So it was that whenever my little brother and I would go for a visit to her house, this was the treat I'd want her to whip up. In my memory, they were "just for me," a special way in which she expressed her love to me. At the end of our visits, she would often say to me, "Now, you come back-a see me soon, and I'll make some more no-bakes."

No-bake cookies are really more like candy; you bring the sugar, butter, milk and cocoa to a boil, and stir it until it thickens to a certain point - called "the soft ball stage" - where you can add the remaining ingredients, and then let spoonfuls cool to the point that they resemble cookies. Boil it too little, and you end up with muddy little piles of chocolate goo. Boil it too long, and you get crumbly rock-like cookies. But there's a small window of time in the middle there where the outcome is a peanut-buttery-and-chocolatey pile of warm, delightful, waist-expanding calories. Aaaaaaah!

As I became a teenager, Grandma taught me how to make the cookies myself. I didn't try too hard to recreate what she did until after she died. And then, stricken at the idea that one of her many gifts might be forever lost, I made batch after batch until I felt confident I had them "just right." Interestingly, I find that I still have to make them fairly often, so I don't lose the ability to recognize that all-important soft ball stage.

In the years since my grandmother died, I have been told over and over that "no one makes Grandma's no-bakes like she did," except maybe for me. Aunts, uncles and cousins have taken the exact same recipe, following the directions just so, and the outcome is simply different. I'm not sure why this is, as it's the same recipe in all of our hands. We're adding in the same ingredients and following the same directions. But the outcome is often different, even if "just a little bit."

It occurs to me that my family's experience with this recipe is similar to the impact of God's Word in the lives of different people as they read it. Scripture is described as the living, active Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). Two people can read the same verses and it can impact them in entirely different ways. There is something intangibly different about each person's experience as they take in God's Word, just as so many of my family members have had different experiences in the kitchen recreating Grandma's special no-bakes.

Just as the soft ball stage in this cookie recipe lies between the two ditches of a baking disaster, there are also "ditches" to avoid when trying to live out a faithful Christian lifestyle. For example, most people are familiar with the equally-dangerous ditches of "Legalism" on the one hand and "Worldliness" on the other. If you focus too intently on "following the rules" as the essential ingredient to your salvation, you can become a legalist and run the risk of “forgetting” that salvation is a free gift from the Lord, something that we could never earn, not in a million years. If, on the other hand, you focus too little on living a life measured by those “rules,” it can become increasingly difficult to see any difference between your life and someone who denies Him; you indulge yourself in the temporal every bit as much as those around you, and your witness can lack credibility.

Both of these “ditches” lead to the equivalent of a baking disaster, rather than a life truly pleasing to the Lord.

No one has ever asked me why my No-Bake Cookies "just happen to be" closest to those prepared all those years ago by my Grandma. There are probably many reasons why this is so, but I would say part of the reason is that I invested a lot of time in that relationship, and can recall many, many afternoons spent playing in her kitchen and watching her work at something she loved to do for others. I believe the effort that flows into my work at the mixing bowl today is directly tied to my desire to sit at her feet, so to speak, and watch the process unfold time and time again. Anyone can toss the ingredients listed above into a bowl; not everyone can be emotionally linked to the experience.

It is the same thing with the Word of God. For example, I can read Romans 7 and get much out of it. My husband, however, reads it with an outpouring of his own heart, and brings to that reading his experience of having spent 20 years of his life enslaved to alcohol, absolutely hating that bondage...and yet holding it close at the same time. I cannot begin to grasp the depth of meaning in that passage, at least not today, in the way that he does.

In the same way, Warren can read John 14-16 and hear Jesus speaking to His disciples just prior to His crucifixion, and certainly find the wisdom in the passages. A few years ago, though, going through some deeply painful trials, I fell into those passages while reading the gospels and the words came to life for me. I felt Jesus very near, almost imploring me to receive the comfort He was offering when He said He was going to prepare a place for me (me – Michele Renee) (John 14:1-3) and that until then, life could get hard (John 15:18-20) but to stay close to Him (John 15:1-5) and to trust Him – because though life may have temporal seasons of difficulty, He’s already taken care of all of it in the ultimate sense (John 16:33).

Whenever I pull out the tattered, faded old recipe card for No-Bakes, there is a sense in which I am "just" making cookies for my family, but there is also an accompanying sense in which I am reconnecting with a piece of my life that is long gone, yet imprinted deep into my soul. As the years have gone by, I have noticed the same thing happening as I read the Word of God. There is often a sense in which I am "just" reading the Bible, but I find that more and more, I am also learning to connect with Christ at a soul level.

It has taken time, much “practice in the kitchen” if you will, but His Word increasingly connects my day-to-day life with eternal Truth, as I seek to know Him more deeply in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

If you’re not already reading God’s Word regularly, seeking to more deeply understand Him and know Him and apply His Truth to your life, I would encourage you to join The Crossing’s Bible reading plan for 2012 or to somehow make a practice of spending time with Christ, learning at His feet.

And if you try making Grandma's no-bake cookies, let me know how they turn out.

Hebrews 4:11-12
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

John 15:4-5
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Does God Care Who WIns? (And Other Thoughts Sparked by Tim Tebow)

2011-12-20T17:11:00.007-06:00

I was waiting for it. Last week, published stories originating from a website suggested a Denver area pastor was maintaining that God intervenes in Denver Broncos football games and actually aids quarterback Tim Tebow because of his Christian faith. The brief story involves Wayne Hanson, pastor of Summit Church in Castle Rock, CO, and includes this widely quoted excerpt:

Hanson tells us, "It's not luck. Luck isn't winning 6 games in a row. It's favor. God's favor."

Pastor Hanson adds, "God has blessed his hard work."

We asked Hanson if Tebow would be winning games if he wasn't such a strong believer -- and the pastor replied, "No, of course not."

Being an ardent sports fan as well as a chaplain for a college football team, this kind of thing usually peaks my interest. And so I was all set to write a post about how this way of thinking didn’t necessarily match up with a biblical perspective when the story got a bit more interesting. A follow-up article from the Denver Post reported that Hanson maintains the article distorted what he actually said in the original interview. He explained:

I don't think God cares about who wins a football game," he said. "I do think he cares about people and people care about football. I think Tim has favor from God in his life, but that is there win or lose.

Regardless of whether the original quotations were accurate or not, I think a lot of Christian observers would consider these latter comments to be a significant improvement. And that may be true to a point. But for what its worth and with all due respect to a fellow pastor, my take would still be a bit different.

As an aside, I feel compelled to lay a few cards on the table regarding the whole Tim Tebow phenomenon in general. I’m a Chiefs fan, so I have almost a hardwired negative response to all things Denver Bronco. Still, I’ve appreciated much of how Tebow has handled himself both on and off the field. Would I communicate about my faith a bit differently if I were in his shoes? Probably. But I find the vitriol that some level at him to be mystifying. In a society that expends a great deal of effort in drawing attention to the shortcomings and negative influence of professional athletes, one wonders why anyone wants to tear down a guy who, by almost every account, works hard and remains humble. After all, the last thing we’d want is our kids to grow up and do the same. Tebow is a lightning rod, but I don’t think he’s much to blame for the storm. Now, who knows whether his throwing motion is too long to have long-term success in the NFL, but that’s a different conversation…. Now back to our regular programming.

It’s always problematic when someone suggests that a team or player is enjoying a given blessing (winning a game, playing well, getting a big contract, etc.) due to faith and the favor of God. Not that it’s untrue out of hand. There are any number of biblical passages that suggest God does give blessings to people who trust in him and live in a manner consistent with his will (see, e.g., Prov. 3:1-4, Mark 10:29-31, Gal. 6:7-10). But it’s also true that God’s definition of blessing isn’t always the same as ours. For example, he routinely uses what we view as hardship and suffering to bring about a greater good in our lives (Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17, 12:7-10). If God’s favor inevitably means success and a life free of difficulty and setbacks, what are we to make of people like David (recall Saul’s attempts to kill him), Job (the proverbial paradigm of suffering while enjoying God’s favor), Paul (see the impressive list in 2 Cor. 11:23-29) and perhaps most importantly, Jesus! On top of all this, the Bible is also clear that unbelievers often enjoy an abundance of temporal blessings (see Psa. 73).

No, even this brief discussion illustrates that we presume too much by blithely explaining success on a playing field in terms of God’s favor. Many God-pleasing men and women have failed badly in their sports. Many who have turned their backs on him have reached the pinnacle of athletic success. A failure to realize this runs the risk of embracing a version of the prosperity gospel and the crushing weight it can lay on those who aren’t on the positive side of the scoreboard.

But even if we can’t neatly explain athletic successes or setbacks by faith or the lack thereof, neither do I think we can say that God doesn’t care about who wins football games and the like. If God is the sovereign Lord of all creation, if a sparrow doesn’t fall to the ground outside of his will, then I’m guessing he cares about the outcome of everything from your pickup basketball exploits and ten-year-old daughter’s softball game to the Super Bowl and the World Cup.

Of course, he may not care about them in the same way you and I do. And for this, we should be thankful. For example, it’s safe to say that he’s not reduced to inconsolable disgust at the outcome of a particularly crucial moment in your team’s big game. He will not “just die” if your team wins the national championship. He doesn’t spew invective on internet message boards after your team loses to its archrival.

But does he weave each one of those wins and loses (and every moment leading up to them) into the lives of everyone involved—players, coaches, fans, anti-fans, etc.? And does he do it in such a way as to further his own good purposes, even if they’re often mysterious? Absolutely. Divine wisdom will call for some to experience the thrill of victory and others the agony of defeat. And depending on the person, the outcome of a game might be a bigger or smaller means to achieving countless different purposes. But at the end of the day (age?), those purposes are doubtless bent to a goal much bigger than championships, be they for little or major leagues.

All this is to say that God is involved with sports at all levels in the same way he’s involved in every other area of life: sovereignly, and resulting in both his people’s ultimate good and his everlasting glory.

And that should give us joy and comfort in the face of both victory and defeat.

Christmas, "The Sufferer's Holiday"

2011-12-19T07:46:00.005-06:00

The day set aside for celebrating the birth of Jesus is close at hand, and we all know what that means. The malls will be packed with people feverishly pursuing that "perfect Christmas experience" with whatever the stores happen to be selling.

As Christian believers, we understand that our hearts were created by God to long for that great day when all suffering will end (Revelation 21:1-7). That being true, however, I'd like to gently suggest that at no other time of year is it more apparent that we prefer to "short-circuit" this divine imprint by choosing to mostly ignore God's Eternity Project while trying as feverishly as we can to construct a functional Heaven right now, right here on earth.

And this phenomena is not confined to the storefronts at our local mall. Open any magazine - on any topic - and the evidence will be right there in front of you. Lose weight, find that perfect relationship, improve your wardrobe and become a new, decidedly-more-interesting person. Whatever the topic, the idea is that the pursuit of "better for me" in the here and now will ultimately make us happy.

Which is why every time our lives take a southward trajectory through suffering of one kind or another, we do not tend to respond very well, so focused are we on the construction of our earthly heaven. Put another way, we very typically do not respond to suffering by asking, "God, what are You teaching me through this experience?" Instead, we skip right by the clear instruction we have received in James 1:2-4. We certainly do not tend to call our trials "pure joy."

Even though the arguably-insane construction of our very own Earthbound Heaven is necessarily a limited-timespan project - perhaps 70, 80, or 90 years at most - we Americans like to imagine that we are oh-so-close to perfecting the art of battling back against any form of suffering that dares to interfere in our lives at all. Operating on auto-pilot, most of us prefer to bypass or completely ignore pain and suffering around us. To me, the clearest example of this is that we are so easily embarrassed when people do not return our friendly "Hi, how are you?" with the customary/expected "I'm fine; how are you?" I am certainly as guilty of this as anyone else; I am never prepared with a less-than-completely awkward response if someone actually takes the time to tell me that life isn't treating them very well at all. We really just want to hear that "all is well" and move on. The obvious truth is that 1) we don't like to suffer, and 2) we don't much like it when people we know suffer, either.

When pain and suffering come into our lives such that we can no longer overlook it, it seems as though our gut reaction is to grumble against it. It is humbling to consider how little it now takes for many of us to grumble against God's good plan for our lives.

Just a couple of nights ago, in fact, my wife and one of our best friends were confessing to each other how horribly they had responded when asked to endure 48 hours of "suffering" in the form of losing their home access to the Internet. Of course, we all laughed at how sinful and foolish we had all been during our time of exile into "the information wastelands," but the underlying point had been made. Forget about "real" pain and suffering - declining health, joblessness, difficult relationships, sinfulness and death. We have somehow arrived at a point where our hearts tell us that instantaneous access to information had become a right, not a privilege, and our Internet service providers had better not mess with us.

My point is that modern mankind - and Americans in particular - have not been very well-trained to embrace suffering when it arrives at our doorstep, and yet the truth is that we still live in a very dark and broken world; pain and suffering are all around us. As you read this blog, there are people walking through the foyer of The Crossing every Sunday morning who are teetering on the edge of financial ruin, living with the painful knowledge that their long-loved spouse has taken up with someone else, mourning the loss of a child, and/or staring imminent physical death in the eyes. You don't have to look very far or dig very deep to uncover suffering.

When I meditate on the sobering truth that Christ had Golgotha in full view before He ever arrived in Bethlehem, it provides for me a more clearly-balanced appreciation for how we should rightly celebrate the arrival of Jesus on Christmas morning. It reminds me that the arrival of Jesus signals God's dramatic intervention in our lives of sorrow, pain and brokenness. It assures me yet again that God is not content to leave me stranded in a world of pain and darkness. Or, as Paul David Tripp says so memorably in Surviving the Holidays:

"This pain isn't a sign that He's turned His back on me. This pain is a sign that I still live in a broken world...but God's with me. And all of that just says to me that I wasn't hard-wired to live this life by myself. I was created for dependency, primarily dependency upon God. And so, I think this is real comforting: The person in pain and the person who's presently not in pain, are not different people. They're exactly the same. They're equally dependent on God for their life. It's just that one is more aware of it now than the other is."

Celebrities, advertising, Hollywood films, and Norman Rockwell have all conspired (more or less) to lead us to the false conclusion that Christmas should be filled with nothing other than cheer, good will and celebration. And of course it is good and right to celebrate the arrival of Jesus, the only One who makes it possible for us to have a relationship with God.

At the same time, though, a fair amount of humility, awe and prayerful meditation on God's ultimate sacrifice as part of His plan of redemption reminds us that the good news of Bethlehem is completely bound up in the unspeakable atrocities committed against the Son of God on Good Friday. Tripp continues:

"If there weren't pain, suffering, sin, destruction, discouragement, and death, there would be no need for Christmas. This holiday is about suffering. This holiday is about pain. Now, what we've done - and it's right to do that - we've made this a holiday of celebration, because we celebrate the coming of the Messiah. But in so doing, we forget why He came. He came to end suffering. He came to end death. He came to end sin, end brokenness, end pain, and destruction, and discouragement. And, so, this is the sufferer's holiday. Rather than the holiday to be avoided, I ought to run toward Christmas! Because what Christmas tells me is, 'There's hope for people like me.' Christmas guarantees that God has, will, and will continue to address what I'm going through."

If your Christmas - like mine - doesn't look like it's going to pan out in all the ways you'd like, take heart! Those of us who have given our lives over to Christ can be assured that He has not allowed pain and suffering to remain in our lives for no good reason (Romans 8:28-29), or as a means of "punishing us" for past failures. The greatest reason to celebrate Christmas, as far as I can tell, is to recall that our God remembers what we are made of (Psalm 103:14), has walked the earth in human flesh (John 1:14), and chosen to bring about the end of all suffering in the only way He could, by suffering (Isaiah 53:5-11). What remains is for us to embrace this humble Savior and learn to accept that our own suffering will soon follow (John 15:20).

Luke 2:25-35 (ESV)

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

The Fourth Sunday of Advent: December 18, 2011

2011-12-18T16:39:00.002-06:00

December 18 marked the fourth Sunday of Advent 2011. Advent (which means "coming" or "arrival") gives us an opportunity to reflect both on the story surrounding Christ's birth as well as his promised return.

During Advent we remember Israel's wait. “How long,” they asked, “until our promised Messiah comes to deliver his people?”

We, too, expect Christ's arrival. The Messiah left heaven to be born a poor infant, die our death and rise again. He promises to return in glory.

During Advent we yearn. We join the church’s ancient song, “How long until you come again to make all things new?”

We also prepare. In the midst of crowded days, we make room for our Redeemer, Restorer, Savior.

Wait. Expect. Yearn. Prepare. Jesus Christ "breaks into the darkness of our lives, bringing newness, life and hope."

Day of Christ by Andrew Camp, Christine Cover, David A. Cover, & Andrew Luley

"Day of Christ" is a song from The Crossing Music's new album The Shore. Several songs on the album highlight the saints' anticipation of Jesus Christ's second advent.

Wading through the darkened tide,
waiting for this curse to die;
Day of Christ, arise on us,
illuminate Your promise.

We wait, we watch, we long for Your kingdom!
We wait, we watch, we long for You, Jesus.

This is The Christ - Words: Martin Luther (1535), Translation: Catherine Winkworth (1855), Music: Sandra McCracken

All hail, thou noble guest this morn
whose love did not the sinner scorn.
In my distress thou come’st to me
what thanks shall i return to thee?

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself our Saviour be,
From all our sins to set us free.

Hail to the Lord's Anointed - Words: James Montgomery (1821), Music: Vito Aiuto (2008)

Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
great David’s greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
to set the captive free;
To take away transgression
and rule in equity.

O Come Let Us Adore Him - Music: Irregular (Adeste Fiedeles), Arrangement: Matt Redman

O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him.
O come, let us adore Him,
Chirst, the Lord!

Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy) - Words: Isaac Watts (1719) (based on Psalm 98), Music: ANTIOCH C.M.rep. George Frederick Handel (1742), Arr. Lowell Mason (1836), Arr. and Additional Chorus by Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash and Matt Gilder.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Music and Tech Team for December 18, 2011:

Lacey Burrell - vocals
Andrew Camp - bass, vocals
David Cover - electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Rhett Johnson - electric and acoustic guitars, six-string banjo
Scott Johnson - rhodes, keyboard, vocals
Jeff Myers - vocals
Andrew Luley - drums
Brynne Whittaker - vocals, glockenspiel

Kameron Bong - stagehand
Josh Burrell - light and media coordinator
Addison Hawkins - sound
Ken Kroll - lights

Photos courtesy of Scott Patrick Myers.

The Crossing Music's latest album, The Shore is now available for purchase at The Crossing's bookstore and as a download at crossingsongs.com.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

2011-12-16T18:58:00.002-06:00

Tis the season for waiting. I enjoyed Keith Simon’s sermon from a few weeks ago describing our tendency during this time of year to ignore celebrating advent. I know our family is certainly guilty of getting lost in the hours of preparation, decorating, shopping, etc. that inevitably happens the month before Christmas.

I specifically remember as a kid making those red and green paper chains with 25 loops ready to count down the days before Christmas. Oh how long December seemed to carry on! I’m sure you have similar memories. As a father, I am always thinking and praying about making the most of daily opportunities to mold and shape the character of my kids. I really can’t think of a better gift than teaching my kids the benefits of delayed gratification.

I am providing my kids an incredible tool if I can effectively transfer an understanding of the discipline of delayed gratification. Not only will it develop maturity, but when the Christian life is broken down to the nuts and bolts, it really is all about trading the benefits of our present world for those in the world to come. It is about waiting for something better.

The most unhappy people I know are those who are unwilling to say no to themselves. I would even go as far to say that those who will not wait for what is better are essentially incapable of understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ. In “Surprised by Joy” C.S. Lewis captures the character of a mature Christian when he describes the following; “All Joy...emphasizes our pilgrim status; always reminds, beckons, awakens desire. Our best havings are wantings.” Lewis is touching on many levels of truth in that very short statement. Primarily he is reminding us that true joy on this earth isn’t satisfied in “having” something. Instead the longing and desire for something better than what is available in this life gives us a very distant view of what joy lies ahead of us in eternity.

So, the practical question is this; how do I transfer an appreciation for waiting on eternity to an 11 year old? I asked my oldest son for his Christmas wish list about 2 weeks ago. I still haven’t received it. I think the reason lies somewhere between forgetfulness and knowing there really isn’t a Santa Claus. I wish it was because he knew that whatever he thinks he needs more than anything in the world really won’t make him happy...yeah right. So, here is what I’ve told him. I will take your very delinquent wish list only if you can tell me what you received last year for Christmas. He struggled to come up with even a few items.

I reminded him how much he just had to have those things last year and how now he simply can’t remember what they were. Meanwhile, weeks before he even began thinking about Christmas, the advent season was calling to him to wait on the only gift that really satisfies. Now, I know I’m reaching in thinking any of that got past the middle ear. However, I know that he will relearn that lesson over and over for the rest of his life. I know full well that I’ve had to.

Books and Culture's 2011 Book of the Year: God is Red

2011-12-15T11:33:00.005-06:00

I'm a sucker for book lists so this time of the year is both hard and fun. The fun part is surveying everyone's 2011 list of best books. The hard part is paying for all the ones that I want to read.

Book and Culture's best book of 2011 is God is Red by Liao Yiwu and I'm almost half way through it. The author who isn't a Christian tells the stories of Christians in the largest country in the world. Several chapters take the form of interviews with men and women who have the chance to tell their own stories of what it looks like to follow Christ in a country where the government favors atheism.

One such man is named Sun, a doctor who became a Christian through reading a Bible given him by some foreign students. His new faith put Dr. Sun in direct conflict with the authorities.

Here is part of the interview that I found challenging...

Liao: Could you be both a Christian and a government official?
Sun: I felt I had to make a choice, but that choice was largely made for me. One of the students at my first private prayer session ratted on me. In 1997, my boss came to me with an application form for membership in the Communist Party. He told me that by joining the Party, I would be able to dispel the "rumors" about my association with the Christian moment, that I had been in the system for many years and had established myself in the medical field, and that it was a minor concession that would open a lot of doors for me.

I told him I could not fill out the application form. I said, "What you heard are not rumors. It is true." My boss was shocked and pretended not to have heard what I said. "I believe in Jesus Christ," I said. "I have already made my choice, and this is the only choice."

He was tremendously upset. "You are a Communist official. You enjoy the salary and benefits of a Communist official, yet you believe in Jesus Christ. What can you do with Jesus? Can he provide you with food and clothing?"

I looked at him in the eye and said, quite deliberately: "I am quitting now. I need to save my soul."

Dr. Sun lost his job and left the city. He now is an itinerant doctor and ambassador for Christ spending his life in rural villages bringing healing to the body and soul. God is Red tells the rest of Dr. Sun's story along with many other Chinese Christians and their stories of living for Christ in one of the world's most challenging cultures.

Why Is Grumbling So Evil To God?

2011-12-14T17:06:00.004-06:00

The other day I was reading through Psalm 105 and Psalm 106. Using poetry sung in worship, they are the story of God’s redemptive work in choosing a people through whom he would save the world forever. This is the story of the Old Testament. And it all points to the coming of the ultimate Seed of Blessing through whom people of all nations of the earth will be redeemed and restored into a restored people on a restored earth (Gen 3:15; 12:1-3). Every Christian is living their lives within this ultimate story.

Psalms 105-106 chronicle both the fallen human side of this story—our unfaithfulness—AND God’s response in this story—“his steadfast love endures forever.”

Some key phrases that stuck out to me:

“They did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled…” (Psalms 106:7 ESV).

“Then they believed his promises and sang his praise. But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his plan to unfold” (Psalms 106:12–13 TNIV).

“They exchanged their glorious God for an image…” (Psalms 106:20 TNIV).

“They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things…” (Psalms 106:21 ESV).

Then I read verses 24-26, and was struck by what I read:

“Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise. They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD. So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the wilderness.”

They grumbled. When you read of God’s response—“So he swore to them with uplifted hand that he would make them fall in the wilderness”—you would have expected their sin to be something much worse (at least to us). But grumbling?

Why is grumbling so evil to God?

To help us see how God sees our grumbling, we should go back further into the Old Testament, when Israel was being led out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land that God promised their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Over and over again we read of a people who were persistently grumbling against their leaders Moses and Aaron. They always seemed to find something new to grumble about. They always thought they knew better how things should be.

It seems like ever since there has been a gathering of God’s people (i.e., “the church”), there has also been grumbling against their leaders and their circumstances.

For example—

“And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness” (Exodus 16:2 ESV).

But Moses was keen enough to know that their grumbling against him and Aaron was in reality a heart issue toward God—they were actually grumbling against God in their hearts even if not directly with their mouths.

“Moses said, ‘…the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD’” (Exodus 16:8 ESV).

Another example—

“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1 TNIV).

Wait a minute! Here we see the same kind of severe response from God about which we read in Psalm 106:26. God’s “anger was aroused” because every time his people experienced hardship of some kind they responded by grumbling and complaining.

So I ask again—Why is grumbling so evil to God?

Another example—

“And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ‘How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, “As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell”’” (Numbers 14:26–30 ESV).

And here again we see God’s most severe response resulting from the “wicked” grumbling of his people. Why? Because God sees all our grumbling as grumbling AGAINST HIM. We think we deserve better from him. We think we know better than him.

Whenever we grumble against those leading us in ministry or against our unwanted circumstances, we’re always coming from a place of having a prideful, hardened heart toward God’s sovereignty and will for our lives. Instead of appreciating the good things in our church and in our lives by God’s grace, we grumble that things are not perfect and we deserve better or know better how things should be. And in so doing, we’re actually telling God that WE know better than HE does how things should be. And he owes us more. We deserve more.

And that kind of thinking is the very opposite of the Gospel. Grumbling is the opposite of gratefulness. It’s the fruit of a hardened, proud heart toward God that has forgotten what grace really is and what we really deserve apart from his grace. And those who grumble most are those usually doing nothing, but remain on the outside as observers while others work hard to serve them. And observers always eventually become critics. Every church has these kinds of self-righteous critics, but every church would always be better without them. I’m thankful that The Crossing seems to have very few of them.

And when we read the New Testament, we are told that all the above verses should serve as a warning for us regarding our own temptation to grumble.

Speaking of the people of God in the verses above, the apostle Paul writes—

“And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us.”

Wow! “Examples written down as warnings for us.” A grumbling heart is a sign for us to repent of our self-righteous pride and believe the gospel and be grateful and start serving rather than just observing.

So Paul writes to every Christian in Philippians 2:14 (TNIV)—
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”

Yes, I Have an Agenda

2011-12-13T17:07:00.001-06:00

Every so often, I run across something like the following sentiment: “Sure, I want people to come to believe the gospel, but I want to love them without an agenda. I want to respect and serve others and promote the common good. I want to do these things because they’re the right things to do. I don’t want to tie everything people accepting what I believe.”

After a fair amount of reflection on this kind of perspective, I’m growing in my conviction that such thinking, while commendable in many ways and often well intentioned, isn’t quite right. Now, I admit that I’m in process on this. And one reason for writing about interesting questions is to help sharpen one’s thinking on the matter. So here goes.

First the positive aspects of what we might call the “no agenda/pro common good” perspective:

1. It rightly affirms the value of each person we come across, regardless of his or her beliefs. Biblically speaking, this arises from the fact that each human being bears the image of God and is to be valued and respected as such.

2. Flowing from the first point, it rightly directs us to treat all people in a manner consistent with their God given value. That is, we should love our neighbors and, yes, our enemies…even when they don’t believe what we believe or show any sign of coming to believe it. So, for example, before we sympathize with someone having difficulty at work or expressing concern over a child’s health, we needn’t first ask her whether the people involved are secular humanists or Christians. (Seems like I remember reading about someone making much the same point somewhere.)

3. It rightly seeks distance from a mentality that treats expressions and deeds of kindness, respect, etc., as those things that must be endured so we can “get on with the important stuff.” We should have a healthy desire to avoid things that smack of a “bait and switch” character, or emulating a telemarketer who dutifully reads a script of pleasantries before asking us to consider their product.

4. It rightly understands that (a) there is often good deal of broader cultural agreement over many things that benefit our society at large, and (b) when we as Christians promote and participate in these things, we do genuine good, regardless of whether people become Christians or not as a result. We should look to help the poor, to make our communities safer and more beautiful, to promote proper business practices, to encourage the stability of the family, etc. In so doing, we increasingly reflect in the present the character of God’s consummated kingdom, where all of creation will one day be gloriously renewed.

5. Very often, this perspective is accompanied by the salutary belief that Christians aren’t the only people with good things to offer others. The fact that God pours out various gifts on those outside of the people of God (what theologians refer to as “common grace”) is affirmed repeatedly in the Bible. Likewise, it takes only a moment’s thought to realize it’s affirmed repeatedly by our experience as well.

Still, even with all this—and the above points aren’t meant to be exhaustive—I think the perspective in question is at least incomplete in certain respects. Namely:

1. It runs the risk of de-emphasizing or forgetting that the greatest good anyone can experience is knowing Christ. It’s common these days to hear talk of promoting human flourishing, and rightly so. But if that truly is our goal, we would do well to remember that giving people access to a quality education, clean water, or a safe place to play with their kids—as good as these things are—pales in comparison to the indescribable joy and satisfaction of eternal life with God (see, e.g., 1 Cor. 2:9).

2. Given the previous point, it’s a good thing to desire that everyone we meet come to know the gospel. Not only so, but we’re perfectly justified in actively seeking to bring about that very thing through our various relationships and interactions. If eternal life with God is indeed our highest good (the very thing we’ve been created for!) and the means of receiving this life is through Christ and what he’s accomplished, shouldn’t we look for appropriate opportunities to commend the gospel? True, this is an agenda. But when accompanied by (a) respect and care for the person that isn’t dependent upon their response and (b) a desire to discern the doors God is genuinely opening rather than forcing the issue, it’s an agenda that is both loving and thoroughly biblical.

3. Finally, as I noted above, genuinely pursuing the common good does result in a greater reflection of God’s coming kingdom. But the character of that kingdom is what it is because of the King. That means our admittedly incomplete and halting efforts to act redemptively in our world are often integral to people being attracted to and glorifying God (see Mat. 5:14-16). Work done for the common good at present is not less noble if it also encourages people in some way to consider and trust in Christ. The efforts are worth it even if such fruit doesn’t result, but so much the better if it does.

Unmasking a Fear-Based Scooby-Doo Theology

2011-12-12T07:33:00.009-06:00

In the last couple of years, my five-year-old son has become something of a connoisseur of animated fare. He and I will occasionally kick back and bond over an afternoon or evening given over to movies and/or cartoons. Our collective tastes range anywhere from SpongeBob SquarePants (on the lowbrow end) to theatrical releases such as Toy Story and Despicable Me on what I would classify as the higher end of the scale.

Trying as best he can to somehow connect the fanciful world of animation to what you and I would call "our real lives," I have noticed that his observations - utterly lacking in guile - are becoming more and more insightful as the days and weeks go by. Sometimes, as the late Art Linkletter famously observed, "kids say the darndest things." Other times, the things they say are the things that we should be saying to ourselves...and believing.

One of several fictional worlds that my son has chosen to study at close range is the baffling world (and brain-dead storylines) featuring Freddie, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and their talking dog, Scooby-Doo. If you were born prior to 1970, or spend any time at all watching The Cartoon Network or Boomerang, chances are that these savvy, go-getter junior crimefighters need no introduction whatsoever. Just one of several animated series produced by the legendary production team of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? not only asks us to suspend our disbelief that a bunch of teenagers would quickly solve crimes that have baffled local law enforcement for years, but that these successful sleuths would always wear the exact same clothes wherever they go. Then, of course, there's the small matter of the title character being, as noted above, a large talking dog (and one who competes with Shaggy for pizzas, milk shakes and Scooby Snacks, at that).

Just this past week, after a couple of episodes had been screened, our son wondered aloud as to why Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are seemingly always terrified, constantly afraid of what might happen next, in stark contrast to the bravery exhibited by Freddie and the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang. Eli turned to his college-aged sister, hoping she could help him understand: "Why are Shaggy and Scooby-Doo always scared? Don't they know that God is always with them?" As a parent or older sibling, the typical response is to attempt to answer a child's simple questions quickly and rationally, even when the question is completely illogical: "Why is this crime-solving talking dog always so scared?" On this particular occasion, his sister offered the plausible explanation that maybe Shaggy and Scooby didn't know about God, and this is why they are always afraid, to which Eli promptly ratcheted his concern/indignation up a notch: "WHAT?! How can anyone not know God?"

As adults, we are endlessly amused by stories such as this, the aw-shucks cuteness of a small child's as-yet-untested faith in an all-powerful, all-loving and all-good God, a God Who wisely ordered the physical creation and Who sits enthroned above the heavens, completely in control over all that occurs within His universe. Secure in the knowledge that God is good, and that everything that happens to us is ordered and controlled by Him for our best interest (Romans 8:28), a simple childlike faith in the goodness of God - and the idea that surely everyone knows this God - is something that is able to stop the most hardened adult in his or her tracks and cause us to reconsider.

Most of our problems, I am convinced, stem from a hard-heartedness that refuses to allow the most basic truths about God to penetrate our inmost beings. In my life, this shows itself to be true simply by the number of times that fellow believers have interceded in my latest episode of craziness and drawn me back to the well of the most simple, Gospel 101 truths about Who God is, who we are, and how He loves us and gives Himself up for us as an atoning sacrifice. "God is good." (Exodus 34:6-7) "God is sovereign over all creation." (Isaiah 46:9-11) "God knows the plans He has for your life." (Jeremiah 29:11) "God loves you deeply." (John 3:16)

While the storylines, dialogue, music, and animation technique behind most of the Hanna-Barbera ouvre is decidedly cut-rate, and several notches below what modern audiences have come to expect, I suppose I should be grateful to Shaggy and Scooby for provoking this question out of my five-year-old and casting a harsh light on my own heart of unbelief. When our daughter told my wife and I about this recent exchange, my first response was to smile. My second response was to wonder what our son might say to me if I were ever to articulate to him the various fears and uncertainties that dominate my own thought life. "Dad, you are acting just like Shaggy and Scooby. Don't you know that God is always with you?"

Yes, I do, son. I do believe. Still, I must forever look to Jesus to help me with my unbelief (Mark 9:24). And thank you, by the way, for the helpful/flattering comparison to Scooby-Doo at his most cowardly; it really does serve to help me set my own fears in the proper perspective.

Matthew 8:26
And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Matthew 14:28-33
And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Matthew 16:5-9
When the disciples reached the other side, they had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, "We brought no bread." But Jesus, aware of this, said, "O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?"

Matthew 17:14-20
And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

Mark 4:35-40
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"

John 14:8-9
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"

The Third Sunday of Advent: December 11, 2011

2011-12-11T17:01:00.020-06:00

December 11 marked the third Sunday of Advent 2011. Advent (which means "coming" or "arrival") gives us an opportunity to reflect both on the story surrounding Christ's birth as well as his promised return.

During Advent we remember Israel's wait. “How long,” they asked, “until our promised Messiah comes to deliver his people?”

We, too, expect Christ's arrival. The Messiah left heaven to be born a poor infant, die our death and rise again. He promises to return in glory.

During Advent we yearn. We join the church’s ancient song, “How long until you come again to make all things new?”

We also prepare. In the midst of crowded days, we make room for our Redeemer, Restorer, Savior.

Wait. Expect. Yearn. Prepare. Jesus Christ "breaks into the darkness of our lives, bringing newness, life and hope."

Our call to worship (SCC) included a reading based on Psalm 130:5-7 (WS).

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his Word I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning.

There is no darkness with you, O Lord.

O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plenteous redemption.

There is no darkness with you, O Lord.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

There is no darkness with you, O Lord.

The Christ, Our Light by Martin Reardon

When all was dark and without dawn
You gave us Light, you sent your Son.
The Christ, the Christ, He shines, He shines
and drives all dark away, away.

Savior of the Nations, Come - Words: Ambrose (4th Century), Martin Luther (1523), Traditional: Calvin Seerveld (1984), Music: Enchiridia, Erfurt (1524), Arr. Bruce Benedict (2009)
The link above is to a free download of this song.

Savior of the nations, come;
Show yourself the virgin's son.
Marvel heaven, wonder earth
that the Lord chose such a birth.

Praise to you, O Lord, we sing.
Praise to Christ, our newborn King!
With the Father, Spirit, one,
let your lasting kingdom come.

We prayed a prayer of lament (OS, WS, SCC) acknowledging the brokenness of this world and our soul's deep longing for Christ to come again and make all things new.

All Things New - Words: Horatius Bonar (1846), Music: Clint Wells

This hymn from Red Mountain Music put music to our prayer with an aching melody expressing the Bride's (the church's) yearning for her Bridegroom's (Jesus') arrival.

Come, for Thy saints still wait:
Daily ascends their sigh;
The Spirit and the Bride say,
"Come!" Does Thou not hear the cry?

O Come and make all things new.
Come and make all things new.
O come and make all things new.
Build up this ruined Earth,
come and make all things new.

We heard the assurance of restoration (WS) God has promised when Christ returns.

We are a people of hope waiting for the return of our Lord. God will renew the world through Jesus, who will put all unrighteousness out, purify the works of human hands, and perfect our fellowship in divine love.

Christ will wipe away every tear; death shall be no more. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, and all creation will be filled with God’s glory.

It’s time that we prepare for His coming.

Let the earth ring with song.
Let the light break forth. 
Let us all rejoice in His miracle of love. 
Let Christ come into the fullness  of our time.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus

Hail to the Lord's Anointed - Words: James Montgomery (1821), Music: Vito Aiuto (2008)

"Hail to the Lord's Anointed" is based on Isaiah 61 and lyrically anticipates the second advent of Christ, the anointed Savior of world as well as the justice and peace He will usher in with his Kingdom.

Hail to the Lord’s anointed,
great David’s greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
to set the captive free;
To take away transgression
and rule in equity.

This is The Christ - Words: Martin Luther (1535), Translation: Catherine Winkworth (1855), Music: Sandra McCracken

Good news from heaven the angels bring
glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is giv'n,
to crown us with the joy of heav'n.

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself our Saviour be,
and from our sins will set us free.

We expressed our joy filled thanksgiving for all God us done for us in Jesus Christ with the following prayer (WS).

God of salvation, in Christ you have done great things for us!

And our hearts are filled with joy.

You have turned our weeping into singing...

...and our tears into songs of joy!

Work in us the Message that prepares the way...

...so that with uprightness of heart and holy joy we may eagerly await
the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

This morning's call to worship, readings and prayers were adapted resources from The Open Sourcebook (OS), The Worship Sourcebook (WS) and Sojourn Community Church (SCC).

Music and Tech Team for December 11, 2011:

Taylor Bonderer - violin
Zach Burmaster - acoustic/electric guitars, glockenspiel, percussion, vocals
Lacey Burrell - vocals
Kristen Camp - vocals
David Cover - electric guitar, six-string banjo, percussion, vocals
Sadie Currey - violin
Nick Havens - bass guitar, percussion
Scott Johnson - rhodes, piano, keyboard, vocals
Andrew Luley - drums, percussion

Kameron Bong - stagehand
Mike Contant - sermon media
Chris Halsey - lights
Michael Novak - music media
Jake Wandel - stage design, light and media coordinator
Tim Worstell - sound

Photography courtesy of Lana Eklund.

The Crossing Music's latest album, The Shore is now available for purchase at The Crossing's bookstore and as a download at crossingsongs.com. The video below is an acoustic peformance of one of the album's tracks.

Fasting at Christmas

2011-12-09T09:10:00.003-06:00

Christmas is near, and many of us are probably planning to do a lot of things. Whether you are hosting a Christmas or New Year's Eve party, preparing a holiday meal for friends, or buying Christmas gifts for the family...the list of things you could plan to do with your time is probably not short. I know there's no lack of ways in which I could plan to spend my time.

As the holiday approaches, though, have you considered planning to fast? This isn't typically on the top of my list, either.

"Why fast?" Well, Jesus offers up some suggestions for when we fast (Matthew 6:16-18) not if - which seems to indicate to me that we should all be participating in this spiritual discipline at some level.

But why the suggestion to fast during the weeks leading up to Christmas? Consider a few of John Piper's thoughts on fasting, out of his book, A Hunger for God, and maybe you'll follow my logic for making this recommendation:

"Desires for other things" - there's the enemy. And the only weapon that will triumph is a deeper hunger for God. The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavory, but because we keep ourselves stuffed with "other things." Perhaps, then, the denial of our stomach's appetite for food might express, or even increase our soul's appetite for God.

Perhaps more than any other discipline, going without food quickly reveals the things (food and otherwise) that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside of us with food and other things.

It's just my opinion, but it seems to me that Christmas time might be a perfect time to consider denying ourselves the very thing we tend to indulge in at this time of year. At Christmas, I think, we stuff ourselves with "other things" perhaps even more purposefully than any other time of year. We stuff ourselves with food, to be sure - Christmas cookies, holiday hams and party appetizers - but also with plenty of other "stuff." The advertisers are on their game, constantly reminding us of all the things we don't have that are sure to boost our happiness...if only we owned them. A time of fasting in the midst of the hype can be an intentional step we take to combat Christmas avarice and remind ourselves that Christmas is really a time to focus on Jesus and celebrate what He did for us.

Also, as we move toward the end of the year, fasting can be a way to direct our hearts to focus on the changes we might consider making in the coming year, when we are all naturally drawn to reflect on our lives and make certain "improvements." I'm not talking about that last 10 pounds we want to lose, or the closets that need to be cleared out and organized...but those spiritual deficits and hidden sins we've been reluctant to confess and let go of, perhaps because our relationship with our Lord and Savior has been too lukewarm to ignite the motivation to change in these ways.

Below are some very practical and helpful tips for preparing yourself for a time of fasting. These were written by Lynn Roush, biblical counselor at The Crossing. I found these immensely helpful, and wanted to share them with you.

How to Prepare for a Time of Prayer and Fasting

Preparing Your Heart:

The purpose of fasting must always be centered on God. Make a plan to set aside time during your fast to read God's word and to engage in an extended time of worshipful prayer.
Spend time in the days leading up to your fast asking God to reveal sin in your heart. Examine your heart before God as He brings sin to mind and humble your heart in a spirit of repentance regarding anything brought to your attention. Anticipate this being a time of personal renewal in your love and desire for God above everything else in your life.
The spiritual benefit of fasting is that it can reveal what controls our hearts. By depriving our bodies of physical comfort and nourishment, we have an opportunity to examine the thoughts, emotions and desires that surface during this time. Pay attention to those things and approach God in prayer about them.
Write down concerns, requests and intercessory needs prior to your time of prayer so that you can bring these things before the Lord.
Prepare your heart by meditating on Scripture that focuses your mind upon God. Seek Him out during this time using the truth of Scripture to guide you.

Preparing Your Body:

Decide ahead of time what type of fast you will be doing. This could range from missing one meal to fasting an entire day or several days in a row. Commit to what kind of fast you will be doing and plan on it. If you have never fasted before, it is wise to start slowly. (Seek the advice of a physician if you have a medical condition that requires regular food intake or you have been diagnosed with an eating disorder.)
You are fasting from solid food, but should still plan to drink plenty of liquids. Some drink only water, but you can drink juice as well.
Eat smaller meals leading up to your fast.
Do not draw attention to the fact that you are fasting unless you are seeking prayer support or partnering with others to fast and pray with you.
As you experience the pangs of hunger throughout the day you are fasting, let them remind you of your spiritual hunger and your need for God. Those can be moments where you stop what you are doing and focus on God.
You may be tempted to break your fast early because you think that you cannot follow through. Use this opportunity to seek God earnestly and ask Him for the strength to continue your fast, relying and depending on God's strength during this time.
You may not have a "mountain top" experience during your fast. Do not be discouraged, as the benefits of fasting are often not seen immediately. In the days and weeks following your fast, look for ways that God has used that focused time of prayer in your heart and life. Make a plan to fast again.

Fasting, among other things, can help us draw nearer to God, and to not only see in our own lives those areas where God may be calling us to repentance, but to ignite our hearts for Him. This Christmas, may we all recognize that our deepest desires really are fulfilled only in Him.

Revelation 3:15-17
"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."

John 15:5
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing."

John 17:26
"I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

John 4:14
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become to him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

Why The Shore?

2011-12-07T18:24:00.038-06:00

In many, many places the Bible tells us always to be in the effort of writing a "new song" for God’s people to sing in praise and thanksgiving to him. Search your Bible for how many times the words “new song” appear. Pretty amazing.

For example, Psalm 33:2-3 tells us—

“Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.” (English Standard Version)

The Bible, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is telling us that an important part of our lives should be filled with listening to “skillfully” played instruments and skillfully sung lyrics of praise and thanksgiving. “Make melody to him” with instruments (and instrumentals—in other words, words are not always necessary for worship) and with singing. “Play skillfully on the strings” a “new song.” A melody doesn’t always have to have lyrics in order to be praise and thanksgiving.

So the church is never finished with the call to write, play, and sing a “new song” to the Lord that’s enjoyed by the people of God. And sometimes we’re even called just to listen to the song and enjoy its life-giving effect on our heart and mind and soul (see Psalm 40:3).

See also:
Psalm 98:1
Psalm 100:1-2
Psalm 144:9
Psalm 149:1
Isaiah 42:10

There are not any instruments necessarily more “sacred” or spiritual than others (although it’s fair to say some people will be more spiritually affected by different instruments from others). The Bible tells us to use a wide variety of instruments in playing these new songs and melodies.

For example, Psalm 150:3–5 tells us—

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
Praise him with the harp and lyre,
Praise him with timbrel and dancing,
Praise him with the strings and pipe,
Praise him with the clash of cymbals,
Praise him with resounding cymbals.
(Today’s New International Version)

See also Psalm 98:4-6. The harp and lyre were kind of ancient guitars. The idea is to use a wide variety of instruments (strings, wind, percussion, etc.) to skillfully play new songs and melodies for the church. Use all kinds.

Of course, skillful musicians and singers and songwriters don’t just pop into existence. So to fulfill this calling, a church needs to take seriously whatever role it can have in constantly developing new musicians and vocalists and songwriters.

Accordingly, we at The Crossing have released our second recorded album with 10 (technically 12) new songs (and melodies) written, played, and sung by our worship team. And since its release last month, I’ve heard so many people of all ages tell me how much they love it and are being blessed by it. Just yesterday a man in his 50’s told me he was “absolutely mesmerized by it.”

You can look into it further for yourself right here. It’s also for sale at The Crossing each Sunday. (Update: You can also find in on iTunes here.)

Let me discuss a couple of my favorite songs in detail lyrically.

Song #1— His Loving-Kindness

Awake, my soul, in joyful praise, sing of my great Redeemer’s ways:
He justly claims a song from me, “His loving-kindness set me free!”

Often I feel my sinful heart prone from my Savior to depart;
but though I have Him oft’ forgot, His loving-kindness changes not!

How precious is Your steadfast love, Eternal Lord of all;
in You is life, is true delight; I choose to rest in love.

Soon shall I pass the gloomy vale, soon my mortal flesh must fail;
O may my last expiring breath, His loving-kindness sing in death!

Then let me mount and soar away to the bright world of endless day,
and see my Savior’s shining face, His loving-kindness, His embrace!

Let pride not turn my heart from You and Your promises,
I will abide in You alone!

What I like about this song is that it reminds my soul, mind, and heart that when I really understand the infinite scope and intensity of Christ’s love for me—a love that is eternal in past, present, and future—a love that necessitated the cross and resurrection for me—I know I can rest from worry and fear and guilt. And when I ignore that Love and disobey God in some way, I’m letting my pride harden my heart to Christ’s perfect, eternal, infinite love for me.

Another one of my favorite songs on this album is Song #9—Day of Christ

Wading through the darkened tide, waiting for this curse to die;
Day of Christ, arise on us, illuminate Your promise.

When will You rise upon the sea?
How long till we dwell with Thee in the breakers of Your love;
gaze on glory from above. From these shores we call out praise, call out praise!

We wait, we watch, we long for Your kingdom!
We wait, we watch, we long for You, Jesus…

This is a song written during our sermon series through Revelation. There the symbolism of the Sea as this age of evil and darkness and death is eternally and utterly overcome by Christ’s return. There, on “the shore,” all believers will forever dwell with Jesus, sharing in his glory, glorying in his love, without the evils of death, disease, sin, and separation (See Rev. 21:1-7). All believers long for this day—and call out for this day—in Revelation. And through this song, so do we.

I hope you’ll buy a copy for yourself (and for your family) and I hope you’re blessed by it as well. Give yourself a few listens because it IS different—truly a “new song.”

Here is a version of the last song on the album that was video recorded live.

A Light Shining in the Darkness: An Advent Devotional

2011-12-06T16:53:00.003-06:00

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him’” (John 9:1-3).

So begins John’s account of Jesus healing a blind born blind. Notice at the outset that Jesus says something revealing. In contrast to what was likely a common belief that such a serious setback could be immediately attributed to sin, Jesus explains that the man’s blindness was intended to provide an opportunity for the “works of God” to be displayed.

And they certainly are. Jesus, in rather mysterious fashion, uses mud made from his own saliva to anoint the man’s eyes and instructs him to wash in the pool of Siloam. When the man returns, he can see for the first time in his life.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Jesus’ miracles are never done simply to impress or entertain. Rather, they invariably point to something true about Jesus and his mission. This case is no exception and, as usual, the immediate context provides a clue to what Jesus is communicating through the miraculous. Just prior to healing the man, Jesus makes this bold claim: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

This is not the first time Jesus says something like this. A chapter earlier, in the midst of an exchange with the Pharisees, Jesus makes a very similar statement: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” And John, at nearly the very beginning of the same gospel, writes the following:

1:4 In him [i.e. Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

But neither John nor Jesus, it turns out, is communicating in a vacuum. Hundreds of years before, the prophet Isaiah penned these words:

9:1 In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shined.

Then, a few verses later, we find these familiar words:

6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

And many chapters later, speaking of the “servant of the Lord,” Isaiah says this:

6 “I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand and keep you;
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
a light for the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness (42:6-7).

With all these passages in mind, we’re in much better position to grasp that Jesus is doing more than giving physical sight to a blind man, as gracious and significant that might be. Rather, the physical healing points to a larger, spiritual reality. Long before, God had promised a light that dispels darkness and sets captives free. This light would give genuine life, bringing with it a glorious kingdom that would never end. In healing a man blind from birth, God-incarnate was signaling that this promise was no mere fairy tale. That long awaited light had come.

It is telling that the beneficiary of this grace was a blind beggar, while those confident in their righteousness and claiming to see clearly failed to do so (see the rest of ch. 9). Particularly during this season, in which we celebrate the light coming to shine in the darkness, we might ask ourselves whom we identify with more.

Diagnosing and Confessing "Sabbath Dread"

2011-12-05T07:41:00.006-06:00

This past Friday, my wife and I took some time off from "our normal lives" and drove down to St. Louis to attend a Christmas dinner hosted by Covenant Seminary. Sitting at our table was a bright, friendly young man who is in the fourth year of his M.Div program, just a few credits shy of obtaining a degree that will qualify him to pastor a church, were he so inclined.

As it turns out, he is not so inclined. As we talked and got to know each other a bit, it became readily apparent that he and I had both been suffering through a chronic case of "Sabbath Dread." To put it another way, he and I were both able to confess that we had been spending far too much time studying Jesus and not nearly enough time being in relationship with Jesus.

In an undated article published on the99percent.com, author Scott Belsky contributes his voice to a rising chorus of thoughtful individuals who have become increasingly alarmed at our culture's growing unwillingness to "unplug" from any and all sources of information and take part in times of silent, thoughtful meditation. Belsky's article, "What Happened to Downtime? The Extinction of Deep Thinking," contains several memorable quotes and much of what he says - though clearly not intended to be a biblically-grounded argument - easily could be preached from the pulpit of most Bible-believing churches with just a bit of polish and perhaps a few verses cited. For instance, while he does not "thread the needle" by citing Exodus and/or the New Testament book of Mark, he nevertheless puts his finger squarely on the idea that humankind has been running from the commanded Sabbath rest throughout recorded history:

Why do we crave distraction over downtime? Why do we give up our sacred space so easily? Because space is scary. During these temporary voids of distraction, our minds return to the uncertainty and fears that plague all of us. To escape this chasm of self-doubt and unanswered questions, you tune into all of the activity and data for reassurance. But this desperate need for constant connection and stimulation is not a modern problem. I would argue that we have always sought a state of constant connection from the dawn of time, it's just never been possible until now.

Belsky ends his article with a five-point list of things that we readers can do to become more intentional about unplugging from outside information sources and allowing our minds to wander. He also suggests that we make a commitment to being "intentional about creating non-intentional space," i.e. that we do not destroy our created sacred spaces by attaching specific intents to those times. Put simply, it may not be enough to turn off the radio while driving to pick up the dry cleaning if you then plan to use that mental space to organize the rest of your day's activities in your head.

Personally, I find it fascinating that so much "modern" truth is merely a recapitulation of something that God told us long ago in His Word. Of course, the modern prophet of wisdom is more or less obliged to cut his or her words free of their root in Scripture, effectively asking us to rely on the credibility and intelligence of the human author rather than on divine revelation, so it doesn't surprise me that, in this example, Belsky does not ask us to turn to the book of Exodus (20:9-11) to discover why God ordained Sabbath rest for His created image-bearers. One of Belsky's more revealing sentences, "Perhaps those in biblical times knew what was in store for us when they created the Sabbath," wrongly credits our ancestors - not an all-powerful Creator God - for the establishment of Sabbath rest.

Perhaps, like me, you know plenty of people who struggle to take any sort of mental break throughout the course of their day. Perhaps you yourself are one of those people. The telltale signs are not hard to spot. The TV is always on. The computer is constantly humming and the Internet is forever bringing new pings, beeps, and dings of updated news and urgent information. The cell phone/smart phone is always at hand, either for incoming calls or (more commonly now) for text messages from our own personal army of friends, loved ones and even casual acquaintances. The individual with a serious case of Sabbath Dread cannot even bear to think about the possibility of briefly traveling through areas of the state that offer spotty - let alone nonexistent - cell phone service.

When confronted with a clear, unmistakable reluctance to unplug and follow the Lord's commandment (not advice) that we take our rest, the question we should be asking ourselves is probably something along the lines of, "Why does silence and alone time feel so very threatening?"

Now let's go back to me and my bright young friend getting to know each other at the Covenant Christmas dinner on Friday evening. As I have moved deeper into Christian ministry and met more and more people who serve the Lord vocationally or are on their way toward doing so, I have discovered that a failure to make time for silence and prayerful meditation is actually quite common among God's devoted servants. One of my best friends summed it up nicely with the seemingly-contradictory statement, "I've been so busy reading about Jesus and serving Jesus by ministering to others that I hardly have any time to talk to Him anymore."

Could it be that our collective fear of quiet time is a tacit admission that we all instinctively know Who the Lord of the Sabbath is, and that we are all, to varying degrees, running as hard and fast away from the Lord as our pathetic little legs can carry us? Does silence terrify us not so much because we are afraid of a silent, uncaring universe, but because we know full well Who is waiting to receive us, should we ever acquiesce to give Him time and space in our busy, frenetic lives? I can think of no better time of year than Advent for all of us to self-diagnose our tendency to fill up every waking moment of our lives, repent of crowding Christ out of our schedules, and give ourselves over to the very thing we secretly fear, getting to know Christ Jesus...and then resting and abiding in Him (Matthew 11:28-30, John 15:5).

Mark 2:23-28 (ESV)
"Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath"

One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples (1) began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, (2) why are they doing (3) what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" And he said to them, (4) "Have you never read (5) what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of (6) Abiathar the high priest, and ate (7) the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" And he said to them, (8) "The Sabbath was made for man, (9) not man for the Sabbath. So (10) the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."

1. Deuteronomy 23:25
2. Matthew 9:11
3. Exodus 20:9-11
4. Matthew 21:16
5. 1 Samuel 21:1-6
6. 1 Chronicles 24:6; 1 Samuel 21:1; 2 Samuel 8:17
7. Exodus 25:30; Leviticus 24:5-9
8. Exodus 23:12; Deuteronomy 5:14
9. Colossians 2:16
10. Mark 2:10

The Second Sunday of Advent: December 4, 2011

2011-12-04T16:00:00.042-06:00

December 4 marked the second Sunday of Advent 2011. Advent (which means "coming" or "arrival") gives us an opportunity to reflect both on the story surrounding Christ's birth as well as his promised return.

During Advent we remember Israel's wait. “How long,” they asked, “until our promised Messiah comes to deliver his people?”

We, too, expect Christ's arrival. The Messiah left heaven to be born a poor infant, die our death and rise again. He promises to return in glory.

During Advent we yearn. We join the church’s ancient song, “How long until you come again to make all things new?”

We also prepare. In the midst of crowded days, we make room for our Redeemer, Restorer, Savior.

Wait. Expect. Yearn. Prepare. Jesus Christ "breaks into the darkness of our lives, bringing newness, life and hope."

O Come, O Come Emmanuel - LM 88 88 (Veni Emmanuel), Words: Latin (12th century), Tune: "Processionale" (15th century), Adaptation: Thomas Helmore (1854), Adapted from an arrangement by Phil Wickham

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

David read from John 1:1-5.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Christ, Our Light by Martin Reardon

Throughout the Bible we see that God uses the metaphor of light to describe his character, particularly in regards to His Son, the Light of the World. With "The Christ, Our Light" we remember the darkness of our hearts apart from Christ.

When all was dark and without dawn
You gave us Light, you sent your Son.
The Christ, the Christ, He shines, He shines
and drives all dark away, away.

I Fear the Lord by David A. Cover, Patrick K. Miller and Christine Cover

heard the sound of Wisdom's voice,
call me from my darkened path:
"Turn your heart at my reproof,
to the light of my word's truth."

You are my God!
Help me walk in your wisdom's way.
You are my God!
Father, teach my heart to obey.

This is The Christ - Words: Martin Luther (1535), Translation: Catherine Winkworth (1855), Music: Sandra McCracken

Good news from heav'n the angels bring
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is giv'n,
To crown us with the joy of heav'n.

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself our Saviour be,
From all our sins to set us free.

The Gospel Song by Drew Jones and Bob Kauflin

Holy God, in love, became
perfect Man to bear my blame.
On the cross He took my sin.
By His death I live again.

O Come, Let Us Adore Him - Words: John Francis Wade (c. 1743), Translation: C. Frederick Oakeley (1841), Music: Adeste Fideles

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

Day of Christ by Andrew Camp, Christine Cover, David A. Cover, & Andrew Luley

"Day of Christ" was the second of two songs we sang from The Crossing Music's new album The Shore. Several songs on the album highlight the saints' anticipation of Jesus Christ's promised return which is also a central theme in Advent.

Wading through the darkened tide,
waiting for this curse to die;
Day of Christ, arise on us,
illuminate Your promise.

We wait, we watch,
we long for Your kingdom!
We wait, we watch,
we long for You, Jesus.

Music and Tech Team for December 4, 2011:

Zach Burmaster - acoustic guitar, bass, vocals
Lacey Burrell - vocals
David Cover - electric guitar, bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
Ashley Gross - vocals
Mike Hill - horn
Rhett Johnson - electric and acoustic guitars
Scott Johnson - rhodes, keyboard, vocals
Andrew Luley - drums

Kameron Bong - stagehand
Jake Wandel - stage, light and media coordinator
Tim Worstell - sound
Gerik Parmele - photographer

A House Built on the Sand

2011-12-02T23:21:00.005-06:00

Matthew 7:24-27

Much has been said already about the terrible situation unfolding at Penn State. Most of us are just short of speechless when we consider the atrocities reportedly inflicted upon those in our society we consider to be the most vulnerable and susceptible to manipulation.

L. Jon Wertheim and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated have written a revealing piece about a climate which fostered a “self righteous” and “insulated” environment where image trumped ethics. The result was endless justification without accountability. As you read the SI article, you begin to see what happens when we humans are elevated to a position of total control. The results inevitably turn ugly.

To me it is almost harder to come to terms with the failed response of an entire network of coaches, administrators, law enforcement and parents than it is to recognize the heinous crimes of Sandusky himself. From our perspective, it is almost easier to accept the reality of one man being a monster than a legion of respected agents of the public excusing themselves of the responsibility of stopping him.

The warning thread between the lines of the SI article is how quietly and subtly traditions and moral codes morph into lies and deception, even with the best intentions. Once again, we observe the human tendency of discerning right and wrong on our own terms.

It is not popular to say in our culture, but the reality is our natural tendency is to sin. We are not inherently good. We don’t gravitate toward righteousness. The bible clearly indicates such and I am consistently surprised at how our culture continues to expect “this” time will be different.

Frustration and anger is likely a reasonable response to the terrible acts committed by Jerry Sandusky. However, as we seek to understand what went wrong in the culture at Penn State to allow such crimes to be committed over such a long period of time, possibly we can use an ounce of humility and come to terms with the reality of our inability to do good on our own.

A house built by human hands is susceptible to human error. As Alexander Pope so eloquently put; “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” As the Penn State tragedy unfolds before us, we are provided a glimpse into how simply unbelievable God’s grace is in that He continually forgives our endless cycle of sin. He is not surprised by our failures, even when we are.

My Favorite Verse in the Bible

2011-12-01T16:27:00.004-06:00

Since becoming a Christian in college, I've been continually drawn back to one verse more than any other. Romans 8:32 has oriented me around God's love, encouraged me to trust God, comforted me when things haven't looked promising, freed me from fear and worry, challenged me to think more of others and less of myself, and so much more. Maybe more than anything it has explained the gospel to me in a way that has reached both my head and my heart.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

There are so blessings in my life that are signs of God's love for me. But the Bible says that the clearest expression of his love is the cross. Circumstances change, material blessings come and go, health is fragile, and relationships unstable, so it is wise to anchor my soul on something fixed and solid and unmovable like the cross. That's why I love this verse. It draws me back to the very heart of the gospel.

The Father "did not spare his own Son..."
I once read a story of a German family's struggle to live through a great famine. When they reached their darkest hour and the hunger was the greatest they were offered a significant sum of money for their oldest son. After much anguished discussion the whole family agreed that they should sell him so that the rest could live.

But after taking the money and watching their son walk off into the distance with a stranger, they couldn't do it. They ran after the man and gave his money back. They would rather die than part with their son.

But God gave not his oldest son but his only Son. He gave the thing that no parent can imagine parting with. The Son wasn't stolen or lost or ripped away from an unwilling Father. No this Father GAVE him up.

He "delivered Him over for us all...."
This means that he gave his Son over to die. But that's not quite right. He gave his Son over to be crucified. He gave his Son over to be tortured, flogged, shamed, spat upon, and nailed to a cross. He gave his Son over to bear all his wrath against sin.

"...for us..."
He gave his Son over "for us" sinners. Not for nice people or noble people or good people. He gave him over for sinners. Who would give his son over to die for a friend? No one. Who would give his Son over to die for his enemy? God.

"...freely..."
God didn't have to do this. He wasn't under any kind of obligation. No one forced him to do it. He did it freely.

"...how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"
This means that you and I and every Christian can trust that God will give us all things that are good for us.

The logic of the verse goes something like this: If God gave us his Son, then why would he possibly withhold anything from us? He's given us the most precious thing in his life. When you were his enemy God gave his Son over to a cruel death to redeem your life. Now that through Christ you are his son or daughter, why would he possibly keep something good from you? He won't.

So trust him to deliver you from sin. Trust him to satisfy you. Trust him to protect you. Trust him to provide for you. Trust him o my soul.

FIve Good Reads

2011-11-29T15:51:00.003-06:00

A well-known critic of the Bible has to grapple with a few challenges himself. Intelligent Design proponents have some surprising new allies. How the Muppets reflect a Christian worldview. Three questions to ask every time you read the Bible. How to restore a culture in one step. All this in these worthwhile samplings from around the web:

1. Daniel Wallace debates well-known Bible critic Bart Ehrman.

Ehrman, professor of relgious studies at North Carolina and author of the bestselling Misquoting Jesus, is one of the most popularly read proponents of the idea that our current Bibles don’t really contain that which the original authors wrote. Daniel Wallace, professor of New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary, is a staunch defender of reliability of the biblical text. The two men held a debate at Southern Methodist University last month. Ed Komoszewski, via Justin Taylor, summarizes the main lines of Wallace’s argument.

2. Atheists to the Rescue?

As it turns out, proponents of Intelligent Design aren’t the only ones questioning neo-Darwinist notions of evolution, etc. Howard Kainz notes two recent books by philosophers of science—who also happen to be atheists—that both question neo-Darwinist orthodoxy and, in one way or another, bolster the case for Intelligent Design.

3. Three good questions.

After a lifetime of faithful and learned reflection on the Bible, virtually anything that J. I. Packer has to say, especially regarding biblical or theological topics, is worth listening to. In this case, he offers three questions that are always worth asking while reading any passage of Scripture. (Note: this is a short excerpt from the ESV Study Bible article "Reading the Bible Theologically.")

4. The gospel according to...the Muppets?

If you’re jazzed about the new Muppet Movie or ever hoped for a revival of The Muppet Show on TV, David Zahl’s recent reflections in Christianity Today on the classic humor of Jim Henson’s creations is well worth the read. He finds much to commend.

5. Restoring culture in one (easy?) step.

Restoring, redeeming, and/or otherwise changing culture has been a hot topic in Christian circles for years. And what is undoubtedly a complex conversation has perhaps matured a great deal even recently. Still, First Things web editor Joe Carter argues that a great deal can be accomplished with one simple step: increasing biblical literacy. (I might add, however, that what is simple is not always easy!)

Trusting Christ's Mercy, Justice and Timing

2011-11-28T07:42:00.007-06:00

As someone who helps to facilitate both men's recovery and separation/divorce ministries at The Crossing, I spend a fair amount of time talking with people who have been seriously ill-used, typically by someone who - at one point in time, anyway - offered up a "lifelong" declaration of love and commitment. If you have yet to experience this type of betrayal, please trust me when I say that nothing in this life provides a more accurate sense of how Jesus surely must have felt as He hung on the cross than the lies, manipulation, and abandonment suffered at the hands of someone who previously professed deep love and concern for us.

Not surprisingly, then, two of the most common stumbling blocks to living out steadfast Christian faith that I see in the lives of many folks I meet seem to hover around the intertwined concepts of justice and reward.

Initially, we may find it difficult to continue following Jesus when our lives start to get hard because we "aren't quite sure" that it really will be "worth it." Will our sufferings in this life on His behalf really be rewarded as richly as Paul says they will in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 and 2 Corinthians 4:16-17? How can we be certain? I want to say that whenever we do finally cross that bridge of faith where we learn to trust in our future reward in Christ, we are empowered to set aside the pursuit of earthly riches, power, fame, comfort or whatever other temporal goals we previously had.

What I have discovered in the past several years, however, is a great number of Christian believers - myself included - successfully get past the desire to pursue earthly treasures only to trip and fall flat on their faces when it comes to trusting Jesus with settling various issues of injustice suffered at the hands of people who, by all earthly standards, are "getting away with it." Right away, of course, anyone can see how self-contradicting it is to trust Jesus to reward the faithful but not trust Him to punish the guilty. It really makes no logical sense to live out of this contradiction, and yet the human heart is very often unwilling to be persuaded by appeals to reason (1 Corinthians 1:18-25).

While I still struggle to maintain a firm foothold on the perfect justice of Christ, I am very much aware that, 1) I personally would not want Jesus to give me the reward that I so richly deserve, and 2) I am very clearly called to show grace to offenders in much the same way that I myself have been shown grace (Matthew 18:21-35). Knowing these things (head knowledge) and living them out consistently (heart response) are two very different things. Can I really trust God to settle all accounts on that Great Day when He consummates all of human history? Well, you know, I want to...

As always, I run to the Word of God for help. In this case, the issue of not taking God's law into our own hands is most clearly demonstrated to me by a breathtaking passage in 1 Samuel 24 in which David refuses to violate God's law by taking Saul's life.

I have often heard the question that runs something like this: "How can God call David 'a man after my own heart' when David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite?" To answer that question, one might first be tempted to point to Psalm 51, written after David finally repents and acknowledges his sins before God - hey, I know plenty of dudes who do not even blink when their sins are pointed out to them - but I would instead point to 1 Samuel 24 to "prove" that David really did know God and (more importantly) sought to live his life in accord with God's revealed will.

If you do not know the story of King Saul and David, suffice to say that Saul had sinned greatly against the nation of Israel as a whole and David in particular. All of these sins, of course, were ultimately against God. So, after Saul has perpetrated injustice after injustice against David, he decides to take his troops out into the field to hunt David down and kill him. Stepping into a cave "to relieve himself," Saul unwittingly puts himself right into the hands of David and his mighty men. David's companions see the hand of God in this turn of events and urge David to slay Saul and walk away with a clean conscience. David, however, demonstrates that he better knows the heart of God by allowing Saul to leave the cave unharmed. Following Saul out of the cave, David demonstrates his trust in God's justice with the famous phrase, "May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you." (1 Samuel 24:12)

By following God's law, not the "wisdom" of men, David is betting everything he has - after all, Saul's men could have struck him down right then and there - that God will set accounts right at some point in the future; David himself does not need to lift his hand against Saul. It is almost unbelievable that David refuses to "bend" God's will to his own benefit, as we all tend to do, and that he very deliberately ignores the voices of others goading him to strike down Saul, a committed enemy who has, after all, been so clearly engaged in several acts of unrighteous behavior toward David and his men. I mean, come on...here is one guy that very obviously deserves any misfortune that comes his way, even if that includes being run through with a spear while "doing his business" in a cave.

Having failed to live up to David's standard of righteousness countless times, I am being completely honest when I say that one of the most difficult challenges facing any believer is to "stay their hand" when divine providence affords us an opportunity to exact justice on a committed adversary. It's somewhat easy, I think, to track with David through the first two phrases of his declaration of God's righteousness ("May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you..."), but the moment of truth really comes when we get to live out the "my hand shall not be against you" part.

I can recall countless conversations wherein someone who has behaved horribly - adultery, theft, lying, sometimes all three - appears to be getting away with their depraved acts of disobedience, and the victims (quite understandably!) wring their hands and wonder if God is really keeping score, or if He has somehow missed out on what is being perpetrated on one of His faithful followers. Granted that none of us is without sin, and that none of us can stand up to the White Throne judgments of God without Jesus as our intermediary, still...we feel as though we are sitting by helplessly as God is being mocked, laws are being broken, and faithful individuals are scorned, abused and crushed.

What I have learned over the course of several years, through repeated lessons, is that refusing to lift our hand against an enemy "gets us out of the middle" so God can, in fact, deal with that other person. As long as we insist on executing our own (fallen) version of what justice "should" look like, we effectively deny the gospel message by insisting that "our own will be done" since it doesn't seem as though God's will is timely enough to suit our preferences. Jesus very clearly says that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied (Matthew 5:6), so there really is no confusion about what God has said. The only thing that is left unclear is whether or not we will believe Him.

1 Samuel 24:11-15 (ESV)
See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! May the LORD therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand."

The First Sunday of Advent: November 27, 2011

2011-11-27T17:58:00.006-06:00

November 27 marked the first Sunday of Advent 2011. Advent (which means "coming" or "arrival") gives us an opportunity to reflect both on the story surrounding Christ's birth as well as his promised return.

During Advent we remember Israel's wait. “How long,” they asked, “until our promised Messiah comes to deliver his people?”

We, too, expect Christ's arrival. The Messiah left heaven to be born a poor infant, die our death and rise again. He promises to return in glory.

During Advent we yearn. We join the church’s ancient song, “How long until you come again to make all things new?”

We also prepare. In the midst of crowded days, we make room for our Redeemer, Restorer, Savior.

Wait. Expect. Yearn. Prepare. Jesus Christ "breaks into the darkness of our lives, bringing newness, life and hope."

Joyous Light - Words by unknown author, late 3rd -early century 4th century; translated by John Keble, 1834, alt. Arrangement and additional chorus by Chris Tomlin, David Crowder and Louie Giglio.

Our gathering song, Joyous Light is an adaptation of the Phos Hilaron, one of the earliest known hymns of the church.

Hail Gladdening Light, sun so bright
Jesus Christ, end of night, alleluia.
Hail Gladdening Light, such joyous Light
O Brilliant Star, forever shine, alleluia.

O Come, O Come Emmanuel - LM 88 88 (Veni Emmanuel), Words: Latin (12th century), Tune: "Processionale" (15th century), Adaptation: Thomas Helmore (1854), Adapted from an arrangement by Phil Wickham

When we sing O Come, O Come Emmanuel we remember the prophecy of Isaiah 7 and how God's promise to deliver his people from bondage and sin was fulfilled in Christ. We also sing longing for Christ's return where he will "redeem all of creation and rule with power and authority."

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

We read from Isaiah 9:2,6 and 7:14.

The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

Savior of the Nations, Come - Words: Ambrose (4th Century), Martin Luther (1523), Traditional: Calvin Seerveld (1984), Music: Enchiridia, Erfurt (1524), Arr. Bruce Benedict (2009)

Bruce Benedict who adapted "Savior of the Nations, Come" shared some thoughts on the hymn in his blog, Cardiphonia, giving insight into its history and meaning.

"Savior of the Nations, Come" is a fairly obscure but ancient hymn that beautifully reflects the themes of advent as well as reinforcing the tenants of the Apostles Creed, the humility of Christ (Phil 2), His Intercession, and the gloried anticipation of his expected return.

Savior of the nations, come;
Virgin’s Son, here make Thy home!
Marvel now, O heaven and earth,
That the Lord chose such a birth.

We continued with a prayer based on Isaiah 60:1-3 (from the Worship Sourcebook) which helped us to confess areas where we have failed to see and acknowledge Christ in our lives.

This is The Christ - Words: Martin Luther (1535), Translation: Catherine Winkworth (1855), Music: Sandra McCracken

This new hymn adaptation served as our assurance of forgiveness.

Good news from heav'n the angels bring
Glad tidings to the earth they sing:
To us this day a child is giv'n,
To crown us with the joy of heav'n.

This is the Christ, our God and Lord,
Who in all need shall aid afford;
He will Himself our Saviour be,
From all our sins to set us free.

Come, Lord Jesus (An Advent Song) by Diane Thiel

In Christ's death and resurrection, death has been swallowed up in victory and we live with the hope of His second Advent.

You will flood our souls with light,
Bring the broken world to rights,
as You swallow death with life,
we will be singing,
Come Lord Jesus, come redeem us
we will wait for You.

All Things New - Words: Horatius Bonar (1846), Music: Clint Wells

Come, for love waxes cold,
Its steps are faint and slow;
Faith now is lost in unbelief,
Hope's lamp burns dim and low.

O Come and make all things new.
Come and make all things new.
O come and make all things new.
Build up this ruined Earth,
come and make all things new.

Music Team for November 27, 2010:

Kristen Camp - vocals
Sadie Currey - violin
Ashley Gross - vocals
Nick Havens - bass guitar
Rhett Johnson - electric and acoustic guitars
Scott Johnson - acoustic guitar, rhodes, vocals
Andrew Luley - drums

Kameron Bong - stagehand
Chris Halsey - lights
Darren Nichols - music media
Jake Wandel - stage design, light and media coordinator
Tim Worstell - sound

The Crossing Music's latest album, The Shore is now available for purchase at The Crossing's bookstore and for download at crossingsongs.com. The video below (which we used to close last week's service) is an acoustic peformance of one of the album's tracks. We hope you enjoy it.

Crawling to the Mailbox

2011-11-25T21:52:00.003-06:00

Oh, no...here I go again. If you're a longtime reader of this particular blog, you might remember a post published last year when I went on a rant about television programs, reality shows and what we have come to call "entertainment" these days. I may have used "Jersey Shore" as an example.

Today I am looking at a four-color publication that recently came in the mail, delivered right to my doorstep. Page after page of teenage girls, scantily clad in adorably matching underwear and bras. Here's a flirty-looking girl with a scarf and hat on. You might think she's going to go play outside in the snow. But no, it seems she started dressing and got distracted, failed to finish up; she's standing outside, amongst the trees, in nothing but her skivvies. In most homes, this girl would have been scolded for coming out of her bedroom dressed like that, let alone trying to leave the house for a toboggan ride.

No, it’s not Playboy, or any of the other "girlie magazines" that I knew existed when I was little, but rarely saw. Were it the 1970's, though, I can guarantee you that some of these photos could easily have been published in Hefner's magazine.

This publication was not mailed to my husband, either. (Lucky for him.) Instead, it is a run-of-the-mill advertisement for one of the stores in the Columbia mall, and it was addressed to my teenage daughter.

Like most Americans, I'd guess, I'm almost completely numb to the methods used to sell a lot of clothing these days. But even as someone steeped in what our culture wants us to see as "acceptable" amounts of bare skin, I was genuinely taken back by the brazen photos within this ad.

I learned a few years ago that the porn industry has a campaign they have initiated, and their shorthand for this campaign is known as "Crawl. Walk. Run." The idea is to slowly get the public so accustomed to seeing skin that - over time - it no longer bothers anybody. The phase "Crawl" could be defined as the increasingly-provocative photos used in advertisements and magazine covers. As I took in the advertisement that waltzed right into my house, I remember having the thought, "Well, it looks like we're up to 'walking' now."

The fact that I was bothered even surprised me; believe me, I feel like I'm the least qualified person I know to draw attention to something like this. Ten years ago I was influenced by similar advertising strategies. The change in how I see these kinds of things comes not from age, but new eyes (2 Corinthians 5:17).

So, given eyes to see things - at least some things - through a more biblical lens, I have two big problems.

The first is that I have a teenage daughter still at home. A girl creeping up on being old enough to date, and I'm trying to teach her how to be a woman of character, someone who treasures her sexuality as something to be guarded, treasured, held for marriage.

The second is that I also have a five-year-old son who has recently taken the next step in becoming "a big boy." He will, with my permission, run out to the mailbox and retrieve whatever has been delivered. Now, of course, I find myself rethinking this particular piece of his early-childhood development.

I am assuming that you can see my problem here. I really don’t want my daughter’s view of her body to be influenced by the increasingly-sexualized way in which our culture tries to sell something as basic and necessary as underwear. Neither do I want my son exposed at age five to what is arguably "soft-core porn" conveniently delivered to my doorstep.

So at this point, you might be thinking, "What's the big deal? You don't like it, throw it away, but don't bring me into your increasingly-prudish way of looking at life." Take a step back, though, and consider what "the long view" might be in both circumstances.

Girls who are constantly encouraged to look at themselves as sexual beings will begin to make bigger choices (with bigger consequences) about their bodies based on that identity. Ask any girl who doesn't look like one of those waifish underwear models what she thinks of her body, and it's a good bet she's going to tell you that she thinks she's overweight. Or her thighs are too big. Or her chest is too small. Girls are given impossible (and airbrushed) standards to live up to, and then we wonder why they struggle with self-esteem.

Later, those same girls end up in relationships with men who have also been exposed to those same kinds of advertisements, and they have been impacted by them as well, in different ways. One way might be that having been given such a rich view of what a perfect female body looks like, the "real" women in their midst consistently "fall short of the mark."

You may be tempted to think I'm over-reacting, but having worked in divorce ministry just a few shorts years, my husband and I have seen many instances where an unrealistically-high value is placed on sexuality, and spouses begin making relationship-ending choices based largely on their sexuality. For instance, husbands might become disillusioned with the way their wives look and begin looking elsewhere for "something better" - based not a woman's character so much as her figure. Wives might get in shape and then slowly turn to the attention of other men to validate them. Everywhere we look, marriages are being hurt by a need for sexual validation and a high value placed on one's sexuality as the ultimate source of happiness.

And what about that little boy who is regularly exposed to intentionally-provocative underwear catalogues as if "it's no big deal?" You have only to read my husband's reaction when he saw this one arrive in the mail: "Do we really not understand why so many guys grow up addicted to porn?" Generally speaking, men don't go from being sexually innocent to turning immediately to what we would all label as porn. Over time, they've been drawn in, in subtle ways, by all kinds of things that pique their interest in the female body. Things like, well...underwear catalogues.

Crawl…walk…run. Remember?

So what's my point? No, I'm not suggesting we build our own little "holy bunkers" and hide from the world until Christ's second coming. Jesus Himself says that while we are "in the world," we are not "of this world" (John 15:19-20; John 17:14-19). Like fish who are surrounded by water but don't realize that they are wet, I think we too are sometimes so enveloped by the culture's standards that we don't easily recognize that those standards are becoming increasingly hostile to the values that we, as Christians, may want to hold.

And I am 100% certain that anyone might be able to come into my house and point out several things I've unwittingly exposed my kids to, without recognizing how antithetical it is to the standards of my faith I’m trying to live out, so I don’t for a minute want to sound as if I’ve got this all figured out. What I am suggesting, perhaps, is that when we do find ourselves taken aback by something we're watching on TV, something we hear on the radio, or something that shows up in the mail, maybe that's a good opportunity to point it out to our kids for what it is - and to humbly discourage them, and ourselves - from passively accepting what the world is trying to serve us.

I think it's also an opportunity to thank God that He has given you eyes to see the dangers that really do exist in our culture today, and to live among these dangers as both wise and innocent (Matthew 10:16).

Will I forbid my daughter from ever shopping at this particular store? No, probably not. The advertising strategies for many other stores are following right along, competing with each other for our business. If I don't let her shop at any store using over-sexualized advertising, we'll end up having to take a sewing class and make our own undergarments and jean jumpers.

What I did do is point out to my daughter that the ad is selling not only some pretty cute undies, but also a highly-sexualized attitude about how teenage girls should think about their bodies and what their undergarments say about their femininity. I want her to understand that's not how God defines beauty - that what is precious in His sight is a humble, gentle spirit (1 Peter 3:3-6).

Thankfully, I'll never need to remind her to put on her hat and scarf and make sure she has not forgotten her pants and shirt. That's just plain stupid.

James 1:13-15
Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.