Do you ever think about how many things you do over the course of a day that just sort of happen?
Like, when I drive to work...it's not completely involuntary, but it often seems like I just point the car and it goes...
Eventually, coming to a stop at my office...scary, I know.
But the scarier thing yet, is when I get in the car to intentionally go somewhere and find myself heading home or to the office, when I intended to go to a completely different location.
Now, I know there might be some logical explanations for how this happens...fatigue, distraction...me simply being naturally a little scatterbrained...
However, it is interesting, given the little anecdote you read a moment ago, that we do so many things semi-intentionally, but don't really give much thought to what we're doing or where we are going. Or, we get distracted from what we intended to do, because we've done something similar so many times, we kind of just go autopilot in the middle of it and just mail it in, so to speak.
Now, I could go a lot of different directions with this little post... leadership, pastoral ministry, business, relationships... you might even write a more thought provoking and poignant post after reading what I've written. But, let's take this thought in the direction of love.
How often do we love on purpose? We say we love people or things often without much thought. We do things out of love, like taking out the trash, or lifting the toilet seat, or emptying the dishwasher and on and on...
But how often do we do those things with the intent of showing love.
Choosing to ignore the attitude that says, "if I didn't love you I wouldn't do_____."
Instead, let's take the attitude that says, "because I love you, I do this..."
You know, that reminds me of a guy named Jesus, who, many centuries ago, said something not unlike that.
"Because God loved the world so much, he gave his only son to die. So, that we, (the world) could know God and if we believe in him and have relationship with him, have eternal life."
It wasn't a haphazard, involuntary or thoughtless rambling that motivated God to do that for us, it was love.
Intentional, on purpose love.
If we took that attitude that says, because I love you I do... How would that color the action itself? It might mean we really think about what we're doing and for whom we do it. We might actually, on purpose, love more deeply and beautifully than we ever thought possible.
Our love might actually take on a life of its own and begin to do just what Jesus intended when he said, "by this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Let's love each other today. On purpose...
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Common
So, I'm back after a several month hiatus from the blogosphere...again...determined to do this at least once each week.
Not so much for your benefit as the reader, but for me to get in the habit/discipline of journalling.
I was reading a few days ago in the Old Testament book of Leviticus. I know, right? Leviticus...
Seriously though, there are some tasty little morsels tucked in to the laws and rules and regulations and animal sacrifice carnage.
In chapter 10 of Leviticus, two of Aaron's sons, (Aaron is the brother of Moses, and is the "father" of the line of priests who serve in the temple of God),
Nadab and Abihu, go in to the holy place of the tent where the presence of God dwells and they offer "unauthorized" fire before the LORD.
I don't quite understand what made it unauthorized, so I need to do a little more study in to that, but none the less, it was unsanctioned and God sent fire from His presence and consumes these two dudes. Burns them to a crisp.
After this rather grisly display of the Lord's holiness, as you continue to read in chapter 10, you see the Lord is speaking to Aaron, telling him;
"you must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and unclean...and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses."
I'm grateful that God has moved on from this, I've got to make an example out of these punks mentality, into grace. I'm sure I would have been smoked a long time ago.
There are several directions my mind wants to go as I think about this passage of scripture...one being how we tastelessly obscure what is holy or to be revered with things that are irreverent or common place.
I'm not saying we need to be strictly Levitical and legalistic, but there is much to be said for the attitude with which we serve both as vocational ministers or as volunteers in a ministry in the local church. Words like humility, excellence, and loyalty come to mind.
I think the big idea is this:
As we consider Nadab and Abihu, we must be careful how we go about God's business. We can't just go charging in and do whatever we like whenever we like... Remember, we exist for Him and not vice versa.
Not so much for your benefit as the reader, but for me to get in the habit/discipline of journalling.
I was reading a few days ago in the Old Testament book of Leviticus. I know, right? Leviticus...
Seriously though, there are some tasty little morsels tucked in to the laws and rules and regulations and animal sacrifice carnage.
In chapter 10 of Leviticus, two of Aaron's sons, (Aaron is the brother of Moses, and is the "father" of the line of priests who serve in the temple of God),
Nadab and Abihu, go in to the holy place of the tent where the presence of God dwells and they offer "unauthorized" fire before the LORD.
I don't quite understand what made it unauthorized, so I need to do a little more study in to that, but none the less, it was unsanctioned and God sent fire from His presence and consumes these two dudes. Burns them to a crisp.
After this rather grisly display of the Lord's holiness, as you continue to read in chapter 10, you see the Lord is speaking to Aaron, telling him;
"you must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and unclean...and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses."
I'm grateful that God has moved on from this, I've got to make an example out of these punks mentality, into grace. I'm sure I would have been smoked a long time ago.
There are several directions my mind wants to go as I think about this passage of scripture...one being how we tastelessly obscure what is holy or to be revered with things that are irreverent or common place.
I'm not saying we need to be strictly Levitical and legalistic, but there is much to be said for the attitude with which we serve both as vocational ministers or as volunteers in a ministry in the local church. Words like humility, excellence, and loyalty come to mind.
I think the big idea is this:
As we consider Nadab and Abihu, we must be careful how we go about God's business. We can't just go charging in and do whatever we like whenever we like... Remember, we exist for Him and not vice versa.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Death by Desk
If you work in an office, you probably spend an un-godly amount of time behind a desk. I'm not one of those people, (thank God). Fortunately, my job keeps me moving... most of the time.
However, on those rare occasions, like today, when I find myself behind my desk for an inordinate amount of time, I feel like doing something particularly dangerous to break-up the monotony.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in a hard days work and productivity, giving your best, etc...
But there comes a point, after staring at a computer screen or some printed material for hours, that you just feel like jumping out of a window.
Well, or maybe something equally horrifying, but not necessarily as potentially life threatening.
For instance, go in to a co-workers office and ask a random, completely off the wall, unrelated question...just to see how they respond. Or, walk past open doors while singing a familiar classic rock song and see how many people you can get humming, singing or whistling the tune.
It's the simple things in life that keep us sane...or at least reasonably sane.
Or drag as many people into the depths of your psychosis with you...either way, it will keep you from wilting away behind your desk.
Happy working!
However, on those rare occasions, like today, when I find myself behind my desk for an inordinate amount of time, I feel like doing something particularly dangerous to break-up the monotony.
Don't get me wrong, I believe in a hard days work and productivity, giving your best, etc...
But there comes a point, after staring at a computer screen or some printed material for hours, that you just feel like jumping out of a window.
Well, or maybe something equally horrifying, but not necessarily as potentially life threatening.
For instance, go in to a co-workers office and ask a random, completely off the wall, unrelated question...just to see how they respond. Or, walk past open doors while singing a familiar classic rock song and see how many people you can get humming, singing or whistling the tune.
It's the simple things in life that keep us sane...or at least reasonably sane.
Or drag as many people into the depths of your psychosis with you...either way, it will keep you from wilting away behind your desk.
Happy working!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Questions...
So, I'm reading this book... "You Lost Me", by David Kinnaman and he explores the reasons so many young adults are leaving the church and in many cases, leaving their faith behind as they enter adulthood.
When I read, it causes me to mull these questions over in my mind and look at the possible similarities in my own community.
So, I pose the question in this forum to see what those of you who read my little posts think about this issue...
- For what reasons do so many spiritually active teenagers put their faith - or at least their connection to a church- on the shelf as they reach adulthood?
You can respond by commenting on this post...
Thanks!
When I read, it causes me to mull these questions over in my mind and look at the possible similarities in my own community.
So, I pose the question in this forum to see what those of you who read my little posts think about this issue...
- For what reasons do so many spiritually active teenagers put their faith - or at least their connection to a church- on the shelf as they reach adulthood?
You can respond by commenting on this post...
Thanks!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Christmas Ramble...
Through the course of life we will be asked the question; Who are you?
For most of us, the cursory response is our name or the name of our parents.
We don't typically wrestle with the deep philosophical question of who am I, until we get toward our teen years and beyond... but it is an interesting question, none the less.
I grew up in a family with a rich heritage that was founded in our faith in Jesus Christ. There was never any question that what we believed was synonymous with who we were.
As I got older and began to really delve in to what it meant to have faith in Christ and the tension of making that faith my own, I discovered the aforementioned assertion to be even more certain than in my tender youth.
This, however, was not always the case... who I was or am, was not always synonymous with what I believed.
As one begins to grapple with issues of faith and in particular, having a personal relationship with Jesus, it is easy to find inconsistencies tucked in to the fabric of liturgy and life in the every day.
I have written and spoken about this on many occasions, but I'm going to ramble on about it again anyway...
When we focus on people and the hypocrisy between what they say and what they do, it's easy for our "faith" to unravel.
And the unfortunate consequence of this reality is, this is where many people get derailed in their faith. As children or young adults, we observe failures in people to whom we look up and the disappointment and disillusionment this brings, serves to chip away at our faith in God.
As the old saying goes, (there are many variations on this) "what you do is more important than what you say."
With that in mind, we have to, as adults, be vigilant in our behavior, publicly and privately, so that we give no one cause to question their own faith in God.
Now comes the conundrum, or the contradictory statement; what we do does not define who we are.
Our identity cannot be derived from or achieved by what we do, though many try.
This can be especially difficult to swallow, when there are many in our society who put a premium on personal performance and achievement as a means for acquiring distinction or glory.
And while you might be able to find some semblance of notoriety through achievement, from a humanistic perspective, when one realizes that we are so temporary in nature, that what we do barely serves to make a ripple in the grand expanse of time and history and that we are not the center of the universe, it is possible to obtain a little clearer perspective as to what, or rather, who it is that actually defines us.
Once we grab on to that framework, it aids us in building an understanding of who we are through the lens of Christ Jesus. Because, out of our relationship with God, flows the life we falsely think we can achieve through our own efforts or merit.
Again, it is easy to get focussed on the doing, because we are a production oriented society, but we really must lose our fascination with doing and try to find some success in just being...
What the heck? So, are we supposed to assume the lotus position and meditate on our navel until we reach some form of enlightenment?
Not exactly.
Being is not meant to sound like some pharmaceutically induced state of nothingness. I'm talking about an actual state of being...like being in relationship with another person. "I'm in a relationship", denotes a state of being present, being with, being about, philosophically, emotionally, physically, spiritually engaged in a place of connection. And this connectivity has little to do with what you've done to get there. It's like you just knew and you said yes...
All of that to say, that at this time of year, Christmas time, this belief holds most true for me.
I know it sounds absurd to think, write, even say such a thing but then,
it is so highly imperceptible to think that out of such humble beginnings could come such wonder and mystery, glory and truth. An unwed teenage mother, a baby, a barn, lowly shepherds, a middle-aged carpenter, a strange celestial anomaly, 3 noblemen from some far eastern land traveling so many months to get to their destination by following said celestial anomaly, angelic hosts...
See, we didn't do anything to make that miraculous event come about. It happened as a result of God's sovereign will.
And this state of being that I'm talking about, happens in much the same way.
God has opened an opportunity to us, to step in to the reality of being with him...each of us, to know Him.
What we've done or what we can do, doesn't interfere with or help us obtain this reality. We simply have to believe and to ask...
It's like we just know and we say yes...
And out of this most unorthodox, unbelievable circumstance comes the hope of the entire world...the very Son of God, through whom we have life, significance and identity...not because of what we or anyone else has done or can do, but because of who He is and who we now are through Him.
Grace and Peace
For most of us, the cursory response is our name or the name of our parents.
We don't typically wrestle with the deep philosophical question of who am I, until we get toward our teen years and beyond... but it is an interesting question, none the less.
I grew up in a family with a rich heritage that was founded in our faith in Jesus Christ. There was never any question that what we believed was synonymous with who we were.
As I got older and began to really delve in to what it meant to have faith in Christ and the tension of making that faith my own, I discovered the aforementioned assertion to be even more certain than in my tender youth.
This, however, was not always the case... who I was or am, was not always synonymous with what I believed.
As one begins to grapple with issues of faith and in particular, having a personal relationship with Jesus, it is easy to find inconsistencies tucked in to the fabric of liturgy and life in the every day.
I have written and spoken about this on many occasions, but I'm going to ramble on about it again anyway...
When we focus on people and the hypocrisy between what they say and what they do, it's easy for our "faith" to unravel.
And the unfortunate consequence of this reality is, this is where many people get derailed in their faith. As children or young adults, we observe failures in people to whom we look up and the disappointment and disillusionment this brings, serves to chip away at our faith in God.
As the old saying goes, (there are many variations on this) "what you do is more important than what you say."
With that in mind, we have to, as adults, be vigilant in our behavior, publicly and privately, so that we give no one cause to question their own faith in God.
Now comes the conundrum, or the contradictory statement; what we do does not define who we are.
Our identity cannot be derived from or achieved by what we do, though many try.
This can be especially difficult to swallow, when there are many in our society who put a premium on personal performance and achievement as a means for acquiring distinction or glory.
And while you might be able to find some semblance of notoriety through achievement, from a humanistic perspective, when one realizes that we are so temporary in nature, that what we do barely serves to make a ripple in the grand expanse of time and history and that we are not the center of the universe, it is possible to obtain a little clearer perspective as to what, or rather, who it is that actually defines us.
Once we grab on to that framework, it aids us in building an understanding of who we are through the lens of Christ Jesus. Because, out of our relationship with God, flows the life we falsely think we can achieve through our own efforts or merit.
Again, it is easy to get focussed on the doing, because we are a production oriented society, but we really must lose our fascination with doing and try to find some success in just being...
What the heck? So, are we supposed to assume the lotus position and meditate on our navel until we reach some form of enlightenment?
Not exactly.
Being is not meant to sound like some pharmaceutically induced state of nothingness. I'm talking about an actual state of being...like being in relationship with another person. "I'm in a relationship", denotes a state of being present, being with, being about, philosophically, emotionally, physically, spiritually engaged in a place of connection. And this connectivity has little to do with what you've done to get there. It's like you just knew and you said yes...
All of that to say, that at this time of year, Christmas time, this belief holds most true for me.
I know it sounds absurd to think, write, even say such a thing but then,
it is so highly imperceptible to think that out of such humble beginnings could come such wonder and mystery, glory and truth. An unwed teenage mother, a baby, a barn, lowly shepherds, a middle-aged carpenter, a strange celestial anomaly, 3 noblemen from some far eastern land traveling so many months to get to their destination by following said celestial anomaly, angelic hosts...
See, we didn't do anything to make that miraculous event come about. It happened as a result of God's sovereign will.
And this state of being that I'm talking about, happens in much the same way.
God has opened an opportunity to us, to step in to the reality of being with him...each of us, to know Him.
What we've done or what we can do, doesn't interfere with or help us obtain this reality. We simply have to believe and to ask...
It's like we just know and we say yes...
And out of this most unorthodox, unbelievable circumstance comes the hope of the entire world...the very Son of God, through whom we have life, significance and identity...not because of what we or anyone else has done or can do, but because of who He is and who we now are through Him.
Grace and Peace
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Seeing is Believing
O.k., so I had this revelation this morning...well, maybe "revelation" is a little bit strong... But, anyway, I was listening to one of our pastors give a brief discourse from a story out of the Bible found in the historical account of the various Judges that lead the nation of Israel before the ancient monarchy was established.
The story he was referencing was about a guy named Sampson. Maybe you've heard of him? He was dedicated to God by his parents and they were told that if he followed a certain way of living, (fulfilling a vow called the Nazarite Vow), where he was given particular instructions about everything from what he could eat and drink to his appearance, that God would use him to save Israel from their oppressors.
In this instance, as a result of Sampson keeping this vow, God gave Sampson supernatural strength. Long story short, Sampson had a bit of difficulty fulfilling his vow. And so, he lost the strength God had given him and he was taken captive by the enemies of Israel.
The thing that caught my attention this morning was, that the Nazarite vow that Sampson took, stipulated that he was never to cut his hair, and from the Biblical account, it's really easy to make the correlation between his hair and his strength...that one was dependent upon the other.
Now, in my opinion, his strength was not totally dependent upon his hair, it was just symbolic of his devotion to God and of the gift God had given him...
The reason Sampson lost his strength was because his heart wasn't in the right place. He made a mockery of the gift God had given him and so the symbol of his strength was the means God chose to remove his strength from him. ANYWAY, so much for trying to make a long story short...
So as a result of his arrogance, his head was shaved, he was taken captive and his eyes were put out. The main point I'm getting to, eventually, is that once his eyes were put out, his hair began to grow...
You can reference this in the Bible in the section called Judges; chapters 13-16)
The lesson in this is: with humility, comes the strength to do what God has designed/called us to do.
If we are not careful, we become blinded by our perceptions of reality and we think we can see so much and in our arrogance we perceive little. What we must do is allow God to give us the eyes to see what it is he is doing and allow Him to accomplish in and through us his desired outcome.
So in order to really see, we must in a sense, become blind...humbling ourselves in light of the fact that God is God and we are not...lest we lose the ability to perceive who He is and what He has for us to do.
The story he was referencing was about a guy named Sampson. Maybe you've heard of him? He was dedicated to God by his parents and they were told that if he followed a certain way of living, (fulfilling a vow called the Nazarite Vow), where he was given particular instructions about everything from what he could eat and drink to his appearance, that God would use him to save Israel from their oppressors.
In this instance, as a result of Sampson keeping this vow, God gave Sampson supernatural strength. Long story short, Sampson had a bit of difficulty fulfilling his vow. And so, he lost the strength God had given him and he was taken captive by the enemies of Israel.
The thing that caught my attention this morning was, that the Nazarite vow that Sampson took, stipulated that he was never to cut his hair, and from the Biblical account, it's really easy to make the correlation between his hair and his strength...that one was dependent upon the other.
Now, in my opinion, his strength was not totally dependent upon his hair, it was just symbolic of his devotion to God and of the gift God had given him...
The reason Sampson lost his strength was because his heart wasn't in the right place. He made a mockery of the gift God had given him and so the symbol of his strength was the means God chose to remove his strength from him. ANYWAY, so much for trying to make a long story short...
So as a result of his arrogance, his head was shaved, he was taken captive and his eyes were put out. The main point I'm getting to, eventually, is that once his eyes were put out, his hair began to grow...
You can reference this in the Bible in the section called Judges; chapters 13-16)
The lesson in this is: with humility, comes the strength to do what God has designed/called us to do.
If we are not careful, we become blinded by our perceptions of reality and we think we can see so much and in our arrogance we perceive little. What we must do is allow God to give us the eyes to see what it is he is doing and allow Him to accomplish in and through us his desired outcome.
So in order to really see, we must in a sense, become blind...humbling ourselves in light of the fact that God is God and we are not...lest we lose the ability to perceive who He is and what He has for us to do.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Heart Issues
I've been doing a lot of study and teaching about the contrasting lives of Saul and David from Biblical history.
Saul, we see rise from obscurity to the monarchy in ancient Israel as a result of God's sovereign choice. (the institution of a monarchy was to satisfy the whining of the general populous...this was not God's idea. He relented and gave the people what they wanted. You can see how well that worked out for them...)
Anyway, I digress.
Saul is a case study in someone who has an inferiority complex and uses their position and power to compensate for it. His errors in judgment and subsequent poor leadership decisions serve to be his ultimate undoing.
What do I mean...well in the interest of time, and blog space, I'll sum it up this way; when God gives specific instructions, it is apparent that He wants those instructions to be carried out to the letter. Saul repeatedly failed to do that.
Why? Well, I'm not qualified to dig in to the psychology of the decision making process of Saul, so, I'll summarize it my thoughts as to why, in a moment.
So we have Saul, the not-so-great king of Israel. Enter the scene; David, humble shepherd boy from the town of Bethlehem in Judea.
Why is David significant in this contrast of characters? Well, he is the hero to Saul's villain, if we must put it in that context.
David, was the antithesis of Saul.
- Great faith in God
- Hunger and passion for God
- David wanted to please God rather than appear great in the eyes of the people.
- David was unshakeable in his confidence in God's faithfulness and purpose for his life.
- He was humble in the midst of great success.
- He was persistent in his pursuit of God.
- He was a man of character, courage and loyalty.
- Humble...recognized that God was the true King and that he was just God's chosen representative.
That's quite a list. Though not an exhaustive list it serves to help us compare these two characters and see that Saul is essentially the opposite of each of the characteristics that David possessed.
Now, this certainly doesn't mean that David was perfect by any stretch of the imagination. He certainly had his faults and failings... He committed murder so he could be with another man's wife, disobeyed God's instructions and was an enormous failure as a father to his sons.
However, in spite of his humanity, here's the biggest difference in my mind, between Saul and David;
David was humble and teachable and accepted God's judgment and correction in his life.
Saul's arrogance and presumption that he was in complete control, led him not only to make foolish decisions; it blinded him to the reality that it was his character flaws that caused him to fail.
Saul was too quick to put his trust in himself rather than in God.
So if David was indeed a man after God's own heart and the "hero" in this comparison, what does that mean for us?
Well, if I can sum it up, in a probably too simplistic manner, all God is looking for is someone who will trust Him and act upon that trust, whose heart is completely devoted to God.
More to come from the lives of these two men...
Saul, we see rise from obscurity to the monarchy in ancient Israel as a result of God's sovereign choice. (the institution of a monarchy was to satisfy the whining of the general populous...this was not God's idea. He relented and gave the people what they wanted. You can see how well that worked out for them...)
Anyway, I digress.
Saul is a case study in someone who has an inferiority complex and uses their position and power to compensate for it. His errors in judgment and subsequent poor leadership decisions serve to be his ultimate undoing.
What do I mean...well in the interest of time, and blog space, I'll sum it up this way; when God gives specific instructions, it is apparent that He wants those instructions to be carried out to the letter. Saul repeatedly failed to do that.
Why? Well, I'm not qualified to dig in to the psychology of the decision making process of Saul, so, I'll summarize it my thoughts as to why, in a moment.
So we have Saul, the not-so-great king of Israel. Enter the scene; David, humble shepherd boy from the town of Bethlehem in Judea.
Why is David significant in this contrast of characters? Well, he is the hero to Saul's villain, if we must put it in that context.
David, was the antithesis of Saul.
- Great faith in God
- Hunger and passion for God
- David wanted to please God rather than appear great in the eyes of the people.
- David was unshakeable in his confidence in God's faithfulness and purpose for his life.
- He was humble in the midst of great success.
- He was persistent in his pursuit of God.
- He was a man of character, courage and loyalty.
- Humble...recognized that God was the true King and that he was just God's chosen representative.
That's quite a list. Though not an exhaustive list it serves to help us compare these two characters and see that Saul is essentially the opposite of each of the characteristics that David possessed.
Now, this certainly doesn't mean that David was perfect by any stretch of the imagination. He certainly had his faults and failings... He committed murder so he could be with another man's wife, disobeyed God's instructions and was an enormous failure as a father to his sons.
However, in spite of his humanity, here's the biggest difference in my mind, between Saul and David;
David was humble and teachable and accepted God's judgment and correction in his life.
Saul's arrogance and presumption that he was in complete control, led him not only to make foolish decisions; it blinded him to the reality that it was his character flaws that caused him to fail.
Saul was too quick to put his trust in himself rather than in God.
So if David was indeed a man after God's own heart and the "hero" in this comparison, what does that mean for us?
Well, if I can sum it up, in a probably too simplistic manner, all God is looking for is someone who will trust Him and act upon that trust, whose heart is completely devoted to God.
More to come from the lives of these two men...
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