So, I came across an article whilst browsing the most reliable, (cough, cough), source of information in the universe...the WWW.
The article was a run-down of recently and not-so-recently deceased stars of music, movies and television and what their estate's net worth was over the last calendar year. It was quite eye-opening to see that some of the names on the list were actually more monetarily successful in death than in life.
Also, it seems you can make a tidy living for your surviving family members from the great beyond, if you have certain marketable characteristics... copyright for music or books as well as the rights to market your name or image.
Anyway, it was morbidly fascinating and got me thinking...
I've made the joke with my wife over the years, that I'm worth more dead than alive...life insurance etc...
But I never thought about it from a spiritual perspective.
Stick with me, this might be a bit of a stretch.
When we commit our lives to follow Christ, scripture tells us we are dead to sin and the old way of life. In a sense we die to ourselves or as Paul puts it; "the old has gone, the new has come."
So in the spiritual sense, we are made alive through Christ when we put our old lives to death. So, when you look at the life you lived pre-Christ, you are worth more dead than alive, because of the total re-birthing that takes place when you commit your life to Christ.
Committing your life to follow Christ might just be the greatest leap your personal net worth has ever taken!
Anyway, just a silly observation...but it begs the question, what is the life your living worth from an eternal perspective?
thoughts to ponder...
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
What If?
So, I was standing in an upstairs room in our church building the other morning looking out from a large picture window.
The panoramic view was truly breathtaking.
Fall had arrived in all of its splendor, setting fire to the hillsides as leaves took on the brilliance of their grave clothes.
The vivid color splashed across the scene in front of me got me thinking about how the seasons are a metaphor for our lives.
I know this is not an original observation, but nonetheless, I was struck by its veracity once again.
We, like the trees, experience the seasons of life with similarly visible effects.
We don the green of spring as the buds on the branches let loose their feathery captives...life is fresh, hopeful and fraught with possibility. As time passes we find ourselves, like the leaves, painted with the broad strokes of time and circumstance.
Though we would wish it away if we could, the inevitability of growing brittle and frail becomes a consistent reminder that we too will and must fall.
With every dip in temperature and hint of breeze, we quake, anticipating the gentle release that sends us twirling toward the earth.
Now, this could be a really depressing little tome that I've crafted here, but, let's look at it from a different slant...
What if we view the seasons of life from a more, shall we say, spiritual and perhaps positive perspective?
What if we then, are the tree and not the leaf?
What if we chose to see the leaves as indicators of spiritual growth in our lives and the seasons as opportunities to promote the same?
Because, we all have seasons in which our lives are rife with foliage and full and fresh and alive and we revel in it! But, conversely, we have those seasons in which things get a little, shall we say, dry, and possibly even barren, much like the tree in winter. But what then, if we chose to take those moments, knowing they, like the seasons, come 'round regularly and made provision in our lives when we are without "fruit", to build up a storage of (spiritual) nutrients, not unlike the measures an arborist takes to insure the health of trees and prepared ourselves for the eventuality of Spring!
What if, knowing that those times do come when we have more exposed branch and less leaf, we utilized those moments to drive our roots deep and shore up our foundation?
What if, instead of complaining about those seasons in which the drizzle and cold temper our fire and enthusiasm, we chose to build a fire of our own, using the prunings of wayward limbs that served no purpose but to distract from the shape we were designed to take?
What if then, when Spring came, we were ready to explode with growth that came from intentional, focused preparation instead of our usual and at times reactionary repose?
What if?
The panoramic view was truly breathtaking.
Fall had arrived in all of its splendor, setting fire to the hillsides as leaves took on the brilliance of their grave clothes.
The vivid color splashed across the scene in front of me got me thinking about how the seasons are a metaphor for our lives.
I know this is not an original observation, but nonetheless, I was struck by its veracity once again.
We, like the trees, experience the seasons of life with similarly visible effects.
We don the green of spring as the buds on the branches let loose their feathery captives...life is fresh, hopeful and fraught with possibility. As time passes we find ourselves, like the leaves, painted with the broad strokes of time and circumstance.
Though we would wish it away if we could, the inevitability of growing brittle and frail becomes a consistent reminder that we too will and must fall.
With every dip in temperature and hint of breeze, we quake, anticipating the gentle release that sends us twirling toward the earth.
Now, this could be a really depressing little tome that I've crafted here, but, let's look at it from a different slant...
What if we view the seasons of life from a more, shall we say, spiritual and perhaps positive perspective?
What if we then, are the tree and not the leaf?
What if we chose to see the leaves as indicators of spiritual growth in our lives and the seasons as opportunities to promote the same?
Because, we all have seasons in which our lives are rife with foliage and full and fresh and alive and we revel in it! But, conversely, we have those seasons in which things get a little, shall we say, dry, and possibly even barren, much like the tree in winter. But what then, if we chose to take those moments, knowing they, like the seasons, come 'round regularly and made provision in our lives when we are without "fruit", to build up a storage of (spiritual) nutrients, not unlike the measures an arborist takes to insure the health of trees and prepared ourselves for the eventuality of Spring!
What if, knowing that those times do come when we have more exposed branch and less leaf, we utilized those moments to drive our roots deep and shore up our foundation?
What if, instead of complaining about those seasons in which the drizzle and cold temper our fire and enthusiasm, we chose to build a fire of our own, using the prunings of wayward limbs that served no purpose but to distract from the shape we were designed to take?
What if then, when Spring came, we were ready to explode with growth that came from intentional, focused preparation instead of our usual and at times reactionary repose?
What if?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Step up your game!
Hi, my name is Troy and I'm a recovering American Christian.
I've been an American Christian pretty much my whole life.
Oh, I've had measurable periods in my life where I was less dedicated to Christ than others...but I've never really not been a Christian.
Growing up in church kind of has a strange effect on a person...especially in America.
We have this really odd perspective on what it means to be a Christian.
In America we tend to think that the church is for us, that the church exists to serve our "needs", cater to our whims and always make sure we are comfortable.
I'm not proud to say it, but, I bought in to that perspective for a while...a long while. Oh, I served in the local church,"did ministry" and paid my tithe...but it wasn't until 1997, when I had my first opportunity to step across the borders of America and see Christians, real Christians, thriving in conditions I found abhorrent, that my perspective began to change.
Since that time I've had the privilege of visiting some other countries and inter-acting with Christians in places like Eastern Europe, Central America, The Caribbean, Southeast Asia and been able to see what Christian life outside the American matrix is like.
Did you know that people actually have to walk to get to church? (uphill both ways) And once they get there, they don't have cushy chairs or pews on which to rest their weary legs...they might even have to sit on the floor...
Wayne Cordeiro, in his book The Divine Mentor, tells a story about visiting China and speaking to a group of pastors and church leaders who rode a train 13 hours to get to where he was speaking. Once they got there, they sat on a wooden floor with no air conditioning for 3 days and listened intently to Wayne speak. Only a few of these Chinese church leaders actually had a Bible, so they would share scraps of paper on which they had written portions of scripture that they had memorized. Out of the 20 leaders Wayne met with, 18 of them had spent time in prison because they were Christians. (gathering in a non-government sanctioned church in China carries with it a mandatory 3 year prison sentence.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, what have we become? Over-indulged? Yes. Self-righteous? Yes. Self-indulgent? Check. Entitled? Absolutely. We are most certainly, lazy, pathetic excuses for what Christians are called to be...and I am one.
At the end of his visit with the Chinese church leaders, Wayne asked if he could pray for them. The most amazing thing occurred in that moment...They wanted Wayne to ask God to help them become like him. What they meant was, that they would be able to enjoy the freedom of religion that we have here in America. But Wayne, in a moment of great wisdom, said; "No, i will not pray that you become like us. But I will pray...that we become like you."
As a recovering American Christian, my prayer for myself and for the American church is that we do grow to become more and more like our Christian brothers and sisters around the globe who live like what the Apostle Paul described in his letter to the church in the city of Philippi: "but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes through the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead."
My name is Troy and I'm a recovering American Christian.
I've been an American Christian pretty much my whole life.
Oh, I've had measurable periods in my life where I was less dedicated to Christ than others...but I've never really not been a Christian.
Growing up in church kind of has a strange effect on a person...especially in America.
We have this really odd perspective on what it means to be a Christian.
In America we tend to think that the church is for us, that the church exists to serve our "needs", cater to our whims and always make sure we are comfortable.
I'm not proud to say it, but, I bought in to that perspective for a while...a long while. Oh, I served in the local church,"did ministry" and paid my tithe...but it wasn't until 1997, when I had my first opportunity to step across the borders of America and see Christians, real Christians, thriving in conditions I found abhorrent, that my perspective began to change.
Since that time I've had the privilege of visiting some other countries and inter-acting with Christians in places like Eastern Europe, Central America, The Caribbean, Southeast Asia and been able to see what Christian life outside the American matrix is like.
Did you know that people actually have to walk to get to church? (uphill both ways) And once they get there, they don't have cushy chairs or pews on which to rest their weary legs...they might even have to sit on the floor...
Wayne Cordeiro, in his book The Divine Mentor, tells a story about visiting China and speaking to a group of pastors and church leaders who rode a train 13 hours to get to where he was speaking. Once they got there, they sat on a wooden floor with no air conditioning for 3 days and listened intently to Wayne speak. Only a few of these Chinese church leaders actually had a Bible, so they would share scraps of paper on which they had written portions of scripture that they had memorized. Out of the 20 leaders Wayne met with, 18 of them had spent time in prison because they were Christians. (gathering in a non-government sanctioned church in China carries with it a mandatory 3 year prison sentence.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, what have we become? Over-indulged? Yes. Self-righteous? Yes. Self-indulgent? Check. Entitled? Absolutely. We are most certainly, lazy, pathetic excuses for what Christians are called to be...and I am one.
At the end of his visit with the Chinese church leaders, Wayne asked if he could pray for them. The most amazing thing occurred in that moment...They wanted Wayne to ask God to help them become like him. What they meant was, that they would be able to enjoy the freedom of religion that we have here in America. But Wayne, in a moment of great wisdom, said; "No, i will not pray that you become like us. But I will pray...that we become like you."
As a recovering American Christian, my prayer for myself and for the American church is that we do grow to become more and more like our Christian brothers and sisters around the globe who live like what the Apostle Paul described in his letter to the church in the city of Philippi: "but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes through the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain the resurrection from the dead."
My name is Troy and I'm a recovering American Christian.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
God - or vending machine?
I've had some conversations lately that have caused me to really think about what I think about...I know, that's a rough beginning to this post, but, bear with me.
We, as human beings, have this startling capacity for self-deception.
We can talk ourselves in to believing just about anything, as long as we agree with ourselves... I've taught the last couple of weeks in our Wednesday night youth gathering about this subject. And last night, I camped on the point that we have to be careful, because we can give in to the tendency to use the Bible to support our facades or errant opinions, because they help us create the "reality" we desire instead of the one of which we are actually a part.
So, without getting too deep into the proper interpretation of scripture and the need for context when doing so, here is the best way I know to avoid our subtle tendency to twist God's promises into our plans or false reflections of what they really are.
That tendency is held at bay if we commit ourselves to seek God. Seeking God isn't always going provide instant solutions to life's problems. However, it will cause us to realize that there is much more going on around us than the silo of ourselves. We are involved in a much bigger story! A story in which God resolves the disappointments of life in ways that far exceed our shortened line of sight.
God's ways are not like our ways, His plans, though always for our good, often don't match our consumer - get it now, mentality.
Our difficulty is that our sight is just limited enough that we can't see past the end of our own nose.
"We will seek Him, and we will find Him, when we seek for Him with all our heart."
(a couple of thoughts for this post were borrowed from an article in Relevant magazine; The Most Misused verse in the Bible, by Chris Blumhofer.)
We, as human beings, have this startling capacity for self-deception.
We can talk ourselves in to believing just about anything, as long as we agree with ourselves... I've taught the last couple of weeks in our Wednesday night youth gathering about this subject. And last night, I camped on the point that we have to be careful, because we can give in to the tendency to use the Bible to support our facades or errant opinions, because they help us create the "reality" we desire instead of the one of which we are actually a part.
So, without getting too deep into the proper interpretation of scripture and the need for context when doing so, here is the best way I know to avoid our subtle tendency to twist God's promises into our plans or false reflections of what they really are.
That tendency is held at bay if we commit ourselves to seek God. Seeking God isn't always going provide instant solutions to life's problems. However, it will cause us to realize that there is much more going on around us than the silo of ourselves. We are involved in a much bigger story! A story in which God resolves the disappointments of life in ways that far exceed our shortened line of sight.
God's ways are not like our ways, His plans, though always for our good, often don't match our consumer - get it now, mentality.
Our difficulty is that our sight is just limited enough that we can't see past the end of our own nose.
"We will seek Him, and we will find Him, when we seek for Him with all our heart."
(a couple of thoughts for this post were borrowed from an article in Relevant magazine; The Most Misused verse in the Bible, by Chris Blumhofer.)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Holy Cow!
Father forgive me. It has been nearly two months since my last blog post...
o.k. So, I'm renewing my commitment to do this blog thing. I hereby, place a block of time in my ideal week to complete a weekly blog post. I will not use twitter as an excuse not to blog and I refuse to allow facebook to be the only forum through which to engage in meaningful exchanges of thought and opinion.
I have had an amazing week. You really need,every once in awhile, to get away and allow yourself to hear from other people who are effectively engaging in the same field of work you are. (or one related to your chosen field) It is so refreshing to hear that other people are wresting with the same issues you are and to be challenged by their successes. I don't know about you, but I draw energy from those kind of first hand experiences and exchanges. Yeah, yeah, i know, you can read books, bring in an "expert" with whom your team can consult, watch a dvd...blah, blah, blah.
Every once in awhile, annually at least... Take a few days, get away, attend a conference, (maybe one that isn't sponsored by your denomination, organization or other directly associated or affiliated groups) and just soak it up. Let yourself be taught, perhaps by people you don't necessarily agree with...just listen. And be amazed by what you will take away. If your profession doesn't offer, require or encourage such things. Then just hop in your car, keep driving until it's warmer than where you came from, head west until you reach the beach and then just camp out for a couple of days. Get some sun, let the sand trickle between your toes...and maybe get a few waves. No, definitely get a few waves and then, just breathe. Ever allow yourself to do that? Breathe. In and out...pretty amazing. Anyway, enough rambling...starting to sound a little mushy. Have a great week. I'll be back.
o.k. So, I'm renewing my commitment to do this blog thing. I hereby, place a block of time in my ideal week to complete a weekly blog post. I will not use twitter as an excuse not to blog and I refuse to allow facebook to be the only forum through which to engage in meaningful exchanges of thought and opinion.
I have had an amazing week. You really need,every once in awhile, to get away and allow yourself to hear from other people who are effectively engaging in the same field of work you are. (or one related to your chosen field) It is so refreshing to hear that other people are wresting with the same issues you are and to be challenged by their successes. I don't know about you, but I draw energy from those kind of first hand experiences and exchanges. Yeah, yeah, i know, you can read books, bring in an "expert" with whom your team can consult, watch a dvd...blah, blah, blah.
Every once in awhile, annually at least... Take a few days, get away, attend a conference, (maybe one that isn't sponsored by your denomination, organization or other directly associated or affiliated groups) and just soak it up. Let yourself be taught, perhaps by people you don't necessarily agree with...just listen. And be amazed by what you will take away. If your profession doesn't offer, require or encourage such things. Then just hop in your car, keep driving until it's warmer than where you came from, head west until you reach the beach and then just camp out for a couple of days. Get some sun, let the sand trickle between your toes...and maybe get a few waves. No, definitely get a few waves and then, just breathe. Ever allow yourself to do that? Breathe. In and out...pretty amazing. Anyway, enough rambling...starting to sound a little mushy. Have a great week. I'll be back.
Monday, February 8, 2010
WOW!...or MOM spelled upside down...
O.K., so i haven't been very faithful to my blog lately, but i definitely need to throw this one out there into the blogosphere!
If you read my last post this will make much more sense to you, but anyway, my mother has been in the hospital for 2 months and three days, most of it in ICU, and I haven't actually spoken to her since just after Thanksgiving...but today, I got to hear her voice through the telephone!
So Troy, what's the big deal? you ask...(even if you didn't, I'm giving it to you.)
The sound of another human being's voice - especially one you have a particularly deep connection with, is an amazing thing.
It's like hearing from an old friend you haven't talked with in years...just the sound of their voice elicits a torrential rush of emotions that connects with specific memories and occasions in your mind like spring rain as it splatters on the sidewalk.
This particular voice has a deep connection in my psyche. It is the very first voice I ever heard.
Hearing her voice, gives me that sense that everything is going to be o.k.
Like the time I was trying to learn to ride a bicycle and went careening off the road and landed deep in a tangle of blackberry vines...
Everything is going to be o.k.
Some of you are wondering when I'm going to turn this in a spiritual direction, so lest I disappoint you...
As much as I draw comfort from the sound of my mother's voice - there is another voice that I long to hear even more desperately than hers.
Even more desperately than the sound of my wife's voice, or my children...
The voice I want to hear more than anything, the voice that has been more consistent that the spring rain, or constant in it's delivery of comfort, is the voice of my God.
You see, the voice of my mother is just confirmation of what God has been saying all along. "it's going to be o.k."
I hope you have people in your life from whom you can draw comfort and care.
However, I have much greater hope that the voice that stills the palpitations of your heart when cataclysmic events touch your life is the voice of God.
Because truly, His voice is the first one we ever hear...and the only one that can guarantee, everything is going to be o.k.
If you read my last post this will make much more sense to you, but anyway, my mother has been in the hospital for 2 months and three days, most of it in ICU, and I haven't actually spoken to her since just after Thanksgiving...but today, I got to hear her voice through the telephone!
So Troy, what's the big deal? you ask...(even if you didn't, I'm giving it to you.)
The sound of another human being's voice - especially one you have a particularly deep connection with, is an amazing thing.
It's like hearing from an old friend you haven't talked with in years...just the sound of their voice elicits a torrential rush of emotions that connects with specific memories and occasions in your mind like spring rain as it splatters on the sidewalk.
This particular voice has a deep connection in my psyche. It is the very first voice I ever heard.
Hearing her voice, gives me that sense that everything is going to be o.k.
Like the time I was trying to learn to ride a bicycle and went careening off the road and landed deep in a tangle of blackberry vines...
Everything is going to be o.k.
Some of you are wondering when I'm going to turn this in a spiritual direction, so lest I disappoint you...
As much as I draw comfort from the sound of my mother's voice - there is another voice that I long to hear even more desperately than hers.
Even more desperately than the sound of my wife's voice, or my children...
The voice I want to hear more than anything, the voice that has been more consistent that the spring rain, or constant in it's delivery of comfort, is the voice of my God.
You see, the voice of my mother is just confirmation of what God has been saying all along. "it's going to be o.k."
I hope you have people in your life from whom you can draw comfort and care.
However, I have much greater hope that the voice that stills the palpitations of your heart when cataclysmic events touch your life is the voice of God.
Because truly, His voice is the first one we ever hear...and the only one that can guarantee, everything is going to be o.k.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
stuff
...Been awhile since my last post...much has transpired over the last couple of months.
My mother has been in the hospital for nearly two months, literally fighting for her life after an undetected tumor ruptured in her abdomen, perforating her lower intestine and causing sepsis to flow into the recesses of that once sterile environment. She is currently stable and taking her first steps on the long road to recovery.
trying to take all of this in and make sense of it has and still is taking some doing.
We as a family are grateful to God that mom is still with us, but wonder where this is all going to end.
Publicly we hold on to hope and trust in the sovereignty of God, knowing that He has this entire situation in His hands. Privately, however, we wonder why? We look at our mother and question what God is doing through all of this...what purpose will this serve?
Currently it is serving to strengthen our faith and teach us that there definitely are more important things in life than the "pursuit of happiness." i can't think of another time when my immediately family has been closer and our faith in God stronger.
The Holiday's typically bring people together around the themes of peace, love, joy, enabling us to set aside the smallness of our pride and petty differences that tend to divide and disrupt the unity of our homes.
Although our family spent Christmas celebrating in a hospital room, we were together and we were united in hope and love.
It seems like more than a couple weeks have past since the turning of the new year, but time has become an invisible enemy with whom we battle desperately. Time is powerful. Especially when allied with discouragement. These two foes war for our last vestiges of hope and determination, but we will not be taken down so easily.
Our hope is in our savior's love, who gave all for us. So we join in the anthem of creation to Christ our King and rejoice in Him whose love is constant and ever faithful to those who put their trust in Him...
No one is prepared when tragedy strikes. We watch other people go through difficult times and wonder silently, how would I handle that situation if it were to happen to me?
My dad and I have pondered that question in some conversations we've had over the last several weeks. As pastors, we typically have some words of encouragement and a scripture verse or two to offer people when they are going through a crisis, but when the shoe is on the other foot, those words can seem hollow and a bit trite...if we let them.
Those words, those powerful words, like hope, love, and peace, when coupled with the anointing of the Spirit of God, truly are transformational.
There is nothing more helpful, nothing more hopeful, than those simple words. When we try and conjure them up in and of ourselves they are hollow, trite and overused. But when they are breathed through the life giving spirit of God into our consciousness...there is nothing that compares, nothing that can offer what God offers through those realities. Peace, Hope, Love...
I hope those are realities in your life today and everyday.
My mother has been in the hospital for nearly two months, literally fighting for her life after an undetected tumor ruptured in her abdomen, perforating her lower intestine and causing sepsis to flow into the recesses of that once sterile environment. She is currently stable and taking her first steps on the long road to recovery.
trying to take all of this in and make sense of it has and still is taking some doing.
We as a family are grateful to God that mom is still with us, but wonder where this is all going to end.
Publicly we hold on to hope and trust in the sovereignty of God, knowing that He has this entire situation in His hands. Privately, however, we wonder why? We look at our mother and question what God is doing through all of this...what purpose will this serve?
Currently it is serving to strengthen our faith and teach us that there definitely are more important things in life than the "pursuit of happiness." i can't think of another time when my immediately family has been closer and our faith in God stronger.
The Holiday's typically bring people together around the themes of peace, love, joy, enabling us to set aside the smallness of our pride and petty differences that tend to divide and disrupt the unity of our homes.
Although our family spent Christmas celebrating in a hospital room, we were together and we were united in hope and love.
It seems like more than a couple weeks have past since the turning of the new year, but time has become an invisible enemy with whom we battle desperately. Time is powerful. Especially when allied with discouragement. These two foes war for our last vestiges of hope and determination, but we will not be taken down so easily.
Our hope is in our savior's love, who gave all for us. So we join in the anthem of creation to Christ our King and rejoice in Him whose love is constant and ever faithful to those who put their trust in Him...
No one is prepared when tragedy strikes. We watch other people go through difficult times and wonder silently, how would I handle that situation if it were to happen to me?
My dad and I have pondered that question in some conversations we've had over the last several weeks. As pastors, we typically have some words of encouragement and a scripture verse or two to offer people when they are going through a crisis, but when the shoe is on the other foot, those words can seem hollow and a bit trite...if we let them.
Those words, those powerful words, like hope, love, and peace, when coupled with the anointing of the Spirit of God, truly are transformational.
There is nothing more helpful, nothing more hopeful, than those simple words. When we try and conjure them up in and of ourselves they are hollow, trite and overused. But when they are breathed through the life giving spirit of God into our consciousness...there is nothing that compares, nothing that can offer what God offers through those realities. Peace, Hope, Love...
I hope those are realities in your life today and everyday.
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