Its summertime everyone! For many people summertime means camps, vacations, and a nice tan. I have always loved camp. Camp meant new friends, lots of swimming, fun times, and the ever present chapel or "bible time". Not that I minded the spiritual side of camp. In fact in some ways that was my favorite part. Spiritually, camp meant a time that I was nearly constantly directed to God. Every time I turned around there was some spiritual lesson or illustration. As result I felt close to God, alive and oh so wonderfully spiritual.
Most North American Christian kids get the awesome opportunity to spend a week or more of time at a camp that teaches them about Christ. Statistics show that the majority of those kids at some time or other have made a "camp decision". Just by their label these decisions are shown to be assumed to fail. After all, check up a few months after camp and where did all that resolve go anyway? Why is this?
Imagine this: Your friend takes a vacation in the Bahamas and is gone for three weeks. Meanwhile, you are still working in the office forty hours a week. When your friend returns, he has a really nice tan from all his time spent in the sun, but as the weeks pass and he is stuck in the office again his tan gradually fades. Now how silly would it be for you and your co-workers to tease him about his "vacation tan"? After all, his tan is directly as result of time spent in the sun, so it is expected that it will fade.
In the same way, the bright atmosphere of camp, where much time is spent focused on the Son, kids get a sort of "spiritual tan". As they are constantly surrounded by the Word of God, they cannot help but be changed by it. But when they return home, more often than not the exposure to God's word and the atmosphere of godliness is barely a fraction of what they received at camp. Is it any wonder than that their "spiritual tan" fades? A more appropriate response to camp decisions then may be to help the child to re-order their life to retain at least a small portion of that "time in the Son" so that the influence of His glory may not be lost but rather His light cultivated in them!
The reality of the christian life is that your life shows how much time you spend "in the Son". It may not be as obvious as darker skin, or it may be even more obvious with what comes out of your mouth. But the point is, how committed are you to being changed by His glory? A committed tanner will use the level of change to determine how long he spends tanning. He doesn't watch the clock, he watches his skin. When you spend time "in the Son" do you look at the clock, or do you measure your life against Christ's? If you truly desire to be changed, it can only happen through time spent with the Person of Jesus Christ, being changed by the glory of His light shining on your life.
How much time are you going to spend in the Son, this summer?
(The above illustration is not endorsing tanning or any physical health issues that come with it. Also tanning lotions, etc. are ignored for the sake of the illustration.)
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Blue like Sad...
When I was growing up Mom read lots of good books to us, and
taught us to love reading good books. Mom always read the books first
though, black sharpie in hand to mark out bad words or whatever she
thought was inappropriate for us to read as children. When reading
Blue like Jazz I want to use a sharpie, or some scissors (don't judge
me I am just being honest) as I read and "clean up" poor
Donald Miller some. Of course, I can black out lines in his book but
that doesn't remove those thoughts, feelings or events from his life
or person. If I did "edit" Blue like Jazz, it would leave a
very nice Christian sounding book that maybe focuses a little to much
on a misunderstanding of God's love. Everyone would see Miller not as he is, but as I think
he ought to be. This would destroy his book. Granted I still wanted
to do it, but it doesn't need doing.
I wanted to do it because I didn't want Miller to be someone like me. I didn't want him to be ugly and beautiful at the same time. I've gotten to used to reading people's beautiful side and this makes me forget sometimes that people have an ugly side. Even Christians. That's the compelling thing about Miller's testimony, his transparency. I decided I would be transparent in this post to reflect that quality of the book. So I may say some pretty nice things, but I also may say some supremely offensive things. (Suck it up and bear with me.)
When (if) you organize your books, don't put Donald Miller up there with Ryrie, Spurgon, Edwards or Piper. Don't even put him with Rob Bell. Put his book in the category "testimonies". That's exactly what Blue like Jazz is. Donald Millers Testimony. If you read it like a theology book it will make you mad. If you read it like a novel it will make you sad. Instead read it how I believe Miller intended it to be read, like a journal. A testimony.(Just a warning though, if you read it like a journal and testimony it still might make you mad and sad just for different reasons.)
Please don't get me wrong here. Miller isn't someone I would say I agree with theologically, but that isn't the point. It isn't the point of his book, and it isn't the point of any relationship period. I think Miller would agree with me that if you try to make agreement the point or your goal, you aren't really caring about the person.
Blue like Jazz addresses nearly all the issues of life, at the very least touching on the major ones. But the subject that comes up most is: love. Not just anything about love though, Miller is constantly looking at situations where people (whether believers or unbelievers) show love and in light of that evaluating the church on how its doing its job of loving people. His first mistake his is very definition of love. When he writes about the church lacking love, he is looking at an example in the world, comparing it to the church and then pointing a finger at the church saying "they aren't loving."
Fundamentally, (he isn't crazy about fundamentalists by the way:) love could be defined as God, or Jesus Christ himself. So, rightly, it scares me that Miller looks to the world to define who Jesus Christ is. Most of his decisions as recorded in his book are based on his feelings, and so he decides his spiritual position many times. I don't want to give the impression that he ignores the Bible, but (this is going to sound supremely fundamentalist) he doesn't give it near the position of authority it intrinsically has in defining who God is. Also he attacks the church quite a bit in a way that I do not believe is respectful of the position it has in God's working on earth or beneficial to other believers. Those are the things I have the most issue with in his book.
In summery, the positive: Donald Miller is right to question, anytime Christians see each other not lining up with Jesus teachings it is our responsibility to question with the love and word of God as our driving force. To question our actions that is, not the Bible, which is something Miller is not very careful about. Miller is right, that who Jesus Christ is (even if he may have slightly humanitarianistic view of Jesus), is what needs to be communicated regardless of centuries of followers misrepresenting Him. Miller is right that openness, and honesty need to define Christians instead of facades.
But in all honesty, Blue Like Jazz makes me incredibly blue. Blue like sad. Sad that Miller never has experienced the rock a Christian father's love can be, and sad for all the times he searched for God's love in all the wrong places. Sad that He doesn't know Jesus as he could.Sad the closest thing he's seen to what he calls the love of Jesus, is the love in a godless hippie community. Sad that so many lost people are being completely ignored by the Christian community. Sad that I have to admit some of his harsh attacks on the fundamentalists (thought from a slightly warped perspective) are well deserved. Sad for all the people who will read his book and still not have the slightest clue who Jesus really is.
I didn't intend this post to make you blue too. Instead, when you look at the fields white with harvest, allow the Holy Spirit to move you with compassion to pray the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers.So if you need to be sad, be sad, as long as it drives you to act on your beliefs. The best place to start is always on your knees.
(Your knees is a good place to be when evaluating a book like Blue Like Jazz also. So if you read it, do so with much prayer for discernment.)
I wanted to do it because I didn't want Miller to be someone like me. I didn't want him to be ugly and beautiful at the same time. I've gotten to used to reading people's beautiful side and this makes me forget sometimes that people have an ugly side. Even Christians. That's the compelling thing about Miller's testimony, his transparency. I decided I would be transparent in this post to reflect that quality of the book. So I may say some pretty nice things, but I also may say some supremely offensive things. (Suck it up and bear with me.)
When (if) you organize your books, don't put Donald Miller up there with Ryrie, Spurgon, Edwards or Piper. Don't even put him with Rob Bell. Put his book in the category "testimonies". That's exactly what Blue like Jazz is. Donald Millers Testimony. If you read it like a theology book it will make you mad. If you read it like a novel it will make you sad. Instead read it how I believe Miller intended it to be read, like a journal. A testimony.(Just a warning though, if you read it like a journal and testimony it still might make you mad and sad just for different reasons.)
Please don't get me wrong here. Miller isn't someone I would say I agree with theologically, but that isn't the point. It isn't the point of his book, and it isn't the point of any relationship period. I think Miller would agree with me that if you try to make agreement the point or your goal, you aren't really caring about the person.
Blue like Jazz addresses nearly all the issues of life, at the very least touching on the major ones. But the subject that comes up most is: love. Not just anything about love though, Miller is constantly looking at situations where people (whether believers or unbelievers) show love and in light of that evaluating the church on how its doing its job of loving people. His first mistake his is very definition of love. When he writes about the church lacking love, he is looking at an example in the world, comparing it to the church and then pointing a finger at the church saying "they aren't loving."
Fundamentally, (he isn't crazy about fundamentalists by the way:) love could be defined as God, or Jesus Christ himself. So, rightly, it scares me that Miller looks to the world to define who Jesus Christ is. Most of his decisions as recorded in his book are based on his feelings, and so he decides his spiritual position many times. I don't want to give the impression that he ignores the Bible, but (this is going to sound supremely fundamentalist) he doesn't give it near the position of authority it intrinsically has in defining who God is. Also he attacks the church quite a bit in a way that I do not believe is respectful of the position it has in God's working on earth or beneficial to other believers. Those are the things I have the most issue with in his book.
In summery, the positive: Donald Miller is right to question, anytime Christians see each other not lining up with Jesus teachings it is our responsibility to question with the love and word of God as our driving force. To question our actions that is, not the Bible, which is something Miller is not very careful about. Miller is right, that who Jesus Christ is (even if he may have slightly humanitarianistic view of Jesus), is what needs to be communicated regardless of centuries of followers misrepresenting Him. Miller is right that openness, and honesty need to define Christians instead of facades.
But in all honesty, Blue Like Jazz makes me incredibly blue. Blue like sad. Sad that Miller never has experienced the rock a Christian father's love can be, and sad for all the times he searched for God's love in all the wrong places. Sad that He doesn't know Jesus as he could.Sad the closest thing he's seen to what he calls the love of Jesus, is the love in a godless hippie community. Sad that so many lost people are being completely ignored by the Christian community. Sad that I have to admit some of his harsh attacks on the fundamentalists (thought from a slightly warped perspective) are well deserved. Sad for all the people who will read his book and still not have the slightest clue who Jesus really is.
I didn't intend this post to make you blue too. Instead, when you look at the fields white with harvest, allow the Holy Spirit to move you with compassion to pray the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers.So if you need to be sad, be sad, as long as it drives you to act on your beliefs. The best place to start is always on your knees.
(Your knees is a good place to be when evaluating a book like Blue Like Jazz also. So if you read it, do so with much prayer for discernment.)
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Rain
As I stared out the screen door at the torrent washing down our street, a song by Sara Groves started playing in my head. Called "Rain" it has been one of my favorites by her for a long time. I always thought is was kind of cheating to post song lyrics as a blog post, but I am going to do it anyway!
Rain
By Sara Groves |
||
| Call it what you will I call it rain When troubles come and pat against my soul Go in if you like, I will remain And let the washing waters make me whole Just when I’m sure that I can't bear the rain A tiny leaf starts pushing through the ground In a place where the ground was too dry to sustain it A new tiny flower can be found Once I was stuck I thought things would never change As I watched a cloud pass through the sky Right before my eyes it took a different shape And I knew, so were the clouds in my own life I see Him in the rain I feel Him wash away What I do not understand So new life can spring up once again The flowers come to show that All that rain was helping me to grow. By the way, I love rain, and all that comes with it.The clouds, thunder, lighting, puddles, and especially.....dancing in it! Enjoy the rain. | ||
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
If life were the way I imagined...
Growing up I was known for daydreaming the most outlandish things possible. I imagined all sorts of adventures in Narnia, and other made up lands, or simply in adventurous places other than where I was. These escapades were sure to include at least one handsome prince, daring sword (or wet noodle) fights, sporadic romantic martyrdom, and endless beautiful scenery. Daydreaming or reading were my escapes from whatever I happened to be facing at that time (from chores to leaving the only home I ever knew). Nowadays I don't daydream as much as I used to. My imaginings are much more earthbound at least. But, if my life were how I imagined, needless to say it would be incredibly different.
First of all, I would desperately want to do my quiet time every morning early instead of that desire hitting sometime later in the afternoon when I really can't concentrate. Unfortunately, a consistent quiet time only exists in my imagination. But, through that God is teaching me how to seek Him in every second not just when I sit down for a quiet time. And it just makes each quiet time that much more special.
Man, I don't know if I can even list all that would be different if I just lived like I do in my imagination!
I would be extremely graceful, nothing sarcastic would come out of my mouth, and I would always wear long flowing skirts!
I would eat smoothies, and beans and rice every day.
I would have time to stop and talk and pray with people all the time, and I would be so diligent in my homework that I wouldn't dream of working on a blog post before all of it was done. (Ha!)
I would adopt little boys and girls from every corner of the world, and have no trouble trusting God to provide for me.
I would find out that I am perfectly fitted for ministry and I would spend the rest of my life making a difference daily even in the little things.
I would never struggle with self image, in fact I would have no trouble forgetting myself and just letting Jesus shine through.
On a slightly sillier note, my life would have music playing like my own life sound track and I would walk through each day singing (I sorta do this minus the soundtrack).
Everyday, would have those Anne of Green Gables moments, and some sweet Gilbert would be my friend and offer me his heart. And of course, since I never would say anything wrong, our relationship would be more perfect than the movies even.
I would have piles of books of every sort and even more time to read them.
I would have lots of unbelieving friends that I shared Jesus with and never ever had trouble relating to.
I would- in short -be perfect. How boring. I mean honestly, just listing all this out I realize that the struggles I constantly have are what make me who I am. I wouldn't trade any one of the daily "I am so stupid" moments because they constantly draw me closer to Him. Some of the above things will never happen,maybe all of them. But the thing I have absolutely no doubt will happen, I cant begin to picture. I can only imagine.
First of all, I would desperately want to do my quiet time every morning early instead of that desire hitting sometime later in the afternoon when I really can't concentrate. Unfortunately, a consistent quiet time only exists in my imagination. But, through that God is teaching me how to seek Him in every second not just when I sit down for a quiet time. And it just makes each quiet time that much more special.
Man, I don't know if I can even list all that would be different if I just lived like I do in my imagination!
I would be extremely graceful, nothing sarcastic would come out of my mouth, and I would always wear long flowing skirts!
I would eat smoothies, and beans and rice every day.
I would have time to stop and talk and pray with people all the time, and I would be so diligent in my homework that I wouldn't dream of working on a blog post before all of it was done. (Ha!)
I would adopt little boys and girls from every corner of the world, and have no trouble trusting God to provide for me.
I would find out that I am perfectly fitted for ministry and I would spend the rest of my life making a difference daily even in the little things.
I would never struggle with self image, in fact I would have no trouble forgetting myself and just letting Jesus shine through.
On a slightly sillier note, my life would have music playing like my own life sound track and I would walk through each day singing (I sorta do this minus the soundtrack).
Everyday, would have those Anne of Green Gables moments, and some sweet Gilbert would be my friend and offer me his heart. And of course, since I never would say anything wrong, our relationship would be more perfect than the movies even.
I would have piles of books of every sort and even more time to read them.
I would have lots of unbelieving friends that I shared Jesus with and never ever had trouble relating to.
I would- in short -be perfect. How boring. I mean honestly, just listing all this out I realize that the struggles I constantly have are what make me who I am. I wouldn't trade any one of the daily "I am so stupid" moments because they constantly draw me closer to Him. Some of the above things will never happen,maybe all of them. But the thing I have absolutely no doubt will happen, I cant begin to picture. I can only imagine.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Love...
I am supposed to be working on a paper. But right now thoughts are whirling in my brain about a subject that the world thinks it knows all about: Love. I've been reading C.S. Lewis' "The Four Loves", John Piper "Desiring God", I've been studying John (what my paper is supposed to be about) "the disciple whom Jesus loved" plus attending an Eric and Leslie Ludy event, with banquet two weeks away, and I just cant seem to get it off my mind.
There are different kinds of love, different words for it, even different ways of expressing it. The love the world knows though, could hardly be described as love. I was standing in the check-out line at Wally World (Wal-Mart) and magazines scream at me from every side about the "love" this or that person has or suddenly hasn't. Two weeks of engagement and one fight ruins everything, is this love? I think not! As C.S. Lewis says "Love, having become a god, becomes a demon."(C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1960, 82) (Ahhh! Turabian haunts me!) Not to be to quick to judge though, how often does my love for God fluctuate far more quickly than that!? In fact, human love in and of itself is never adequate alone.
Its a funny thing. I would have chosen Peter, as the one to call "the disciple whom Jesus loved." As I read the Gospels for Life of Christ, I see Peter loudly proclaiming his love for Christ, promising to die for Him, and even drawing his sword to defend Jesus, but then he denies Jesus when it comes down to the wire. John on the other hand is just always there, and instead of the focus being on his love for Christ, the focus is all on Christ's love for him. Maybe John had it right. Its hard to tell since we don't know a ton about John, and I don't like to make an argument from silence, but wasn't John the one who wrote "We love because He first loved us.."(1 John 4:19)
John tells us that love is sacrifice. God loved us, and sent His son as the ultimate expression of that love. Now I realize there are many different kinds of love: the love of parents, a friend, a spouse, but all the loves in the world require the unselfishness of some sort of sacrifice. Parents sacrifice time, money, and all sorts of things for their children, but they don't mind because its part of how they show their deep love for their children. "A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17 tells us, that requires sacrifice, adjustment and lots of time. And the most beautiful love, that of a mate, created for the very purpose of reflecting Christ's love, is built around sacrifice. With love comes sacrifice, there are no two ways about it.
As humans we tend to want to avoid pain, or uncomfortable things, especially if we have to give something up. In fact sacrifice is that last thing we want to do. Ever. We don't want to sacrifice the big things, and we don't think of the little things. In really simple everyday things love means sacrifice. For example, (all you girls) loving your brothers means sacrificing wearing something you think is really cute, so they can be pure men of God. Loving your family may mean choosing to give up some activity, to call them or spend time with them. And here is a really simple little one, loving everyone might mean smiling, biting your tongue, and blessing someone when you are feeling bad and would rather just walk on by. Really little things, I know, but fill in whatever God is convicting you about. Love is a choice, to do something, or to give up something, no matter what relationship we're talking about. Choose love.
I may have just freaked you out a bit, I mean talking about love usually makes people smile and say pretty things. But when I think of love, I think of a man so torn He is barely recognizable, hanging on rough boards, with spikes in His hands and feet, bleeding love for the world. And because He loved me like that, I love Him, and everyone whom He loves, I love.
There are different kinds of love, different words for it, even different ways of expressing it. The love the world knows though, could hardly be described as love. I was standing in the check-out line at Wally World (Wal-Mart) and magazines scream at me from every side about the "love" this or that person has or suddenly hasn't. Two weeks of engagement and one fight ruins everything, is this love? I think not! As C.S. Lewis says "Love, having become a god, becomes a demon."(C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1960, 82) (Ahhh! Turabian haunts me!) Not to be to quick to judge though, how often does my love for God fluctuate far more quickly than that!? In fact, human love in and of itself is never adequate alone.
Its a funny thing. I would have chosen Peter, as the one to call "the disciple whom Jesus loved." As I read the Gospels for Life of Christ, I see Peter loudly proclaiming his love for Christ, promising to die for Him, and even drawing his sword to defend Jesus, but then he denies Jesus when it comes down to the wire. John on the other hand is just always there, and instead of the focus being on his love for Christ, the focus is all on Christ's love for him. Maybe John had it right. Its hard to tell since we don't know a ton about John, and I don't like to make an argument from silence, but wasn't John the one who wrote "We love because He first loved us.."(1 John 4:19)
John tells us that love is sacrifice. God loved us, and sent His son as the ultimate expression of that love. Now I realize there are many different kinds of love: the love of parents, a friend, a spouse, but all the loves in the world require the unselfishness of some sort of sacrifice. Parents sacrifice time, money, and all sorts of things for their children, but they don't mind because its part of how they show their deep love for their children. "A friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17 tells us, that requires sacrifice, adjustment and lots of time. And the most beautiful love, that of a mate, created for the very purpose of reflecting Christ's love, is built around sacrifice. With love comes sacrifice, there are no two ways about it.
As humans we tend to want to avoid pain, or uncomfortable things, especially if we have to give something up. In fact sacrifice is that last thing we want to do. Ever. We don't want to sacrifice the big things, and we don't think of the little things. In really simple everyday things love means sacrifice. For example, (all you girls) loving your brothers means sacrificing wearing something you think is really cute, so they can be pure men of God. Loving your family may mean choosing to give up some activity, to call them or spend time with them. And here is a really simple little one, loving everyone might mean smiling, biting your tongue, and blessing someone when you are feeling bad and would rather just walk on by. Really little things, I know, but fill in whatever God is convicting you about. Love is a choice, to do something, or to give up something, no matter what relationship we're talking about. Choose love.
I may have just freaked you out a bit, I mean talking about love usually makes people smile and say pretty things. But when I think of love, I think of a man so torn He is barely recognizable, hanging on rough boards, with spikes in His hands and feet, bleeding love for the world. And because He loved me like that, I love Him, and everyone whom He loves, I love.
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