Home Improvement Blinders

I like to think I’m a handy man. I enjoy trying to fix things around the house – sometimes with success, sometimes with utter failure. When I do commit to a home improvement project it consumes me, it’s all I can think about. I don’t want to stop until I’m finished, and do it yourself projects always take longer to finish then expected. The “home improvement blinders” I wear drive my wife crazy. I’ll be in the middle of a project and she’ll come up wanting a hug or a kiss on the cheek and stand there waiting for me to stop my work – an annoying distraction. I know, you think I’m a horrible husband, but in my mind, I’m willing to spend all the cuddle time she can stand - once I finish my project! But often the project goes longer and cuddle time goes shorter.

The prophet Haggai talks about similar “home improvement blinders” the Israelites faced. Having returned from exile they were so focused on their own homes they didn’t do anything for God’s house. I’m sure they were using the same rational I do – We’ll fix the Temple once we get our homes squared away. But they were finding – as I often do – projects take longer, time is fleeting, and their supplies are never enough. God tells them through Haggai, “You expected much, but see it turned out to be little. What you brought home I blew away. Why? declares the Lord Almighty. Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.” Haggai reminds the Israelites that God is their first priority, not themselves. But he doesn’t just say God, he says God’s house is their first priority. In the Old Testament God’s house was the temple. In the New Testament it is within his people that God dwells. The house may be different but the calling is still the same…we shouldn’t be so focused with ourselves that we ignore God’s people.

This idea goes against our culture of individualism and material success. Life in America has become private and individualistic. Take houses for instance. A lot of older houses have large front porches facing the street. Newer homes have small front porches, but large back yard patios and decks surrounded by a privacy fence – private and individual. But just like the Israelites of Haggai’s time would plant much but gain little, I wonder how many of our modern private lives are toiling for meaning but come up shallow and missing the depth of real relationship and community. Real fullness and purpose in life comes when we lay ourselves down and tend to God’s house. So next time my wife walks up to me, I think I might lay down my hammer and give her the hug she deserves.

The Dirt on the Nativity

A small rustic shed housing serene ceramic figures. Mary and Joseph, with their hands clasp together, stare down lovingly at a peaceful infant Jesus lying in a manger. Shepherds stand by leaning forward to get a glimpse of the beautiful infant. Their sheep are calmly lying around the stable chewing their cud. Three Wise Men are on bended knee holding their gifts in the air for the child to see. Above an angel dressed in white hovers over the beautiful scene arms spread open with an angelic smile.

This is what I remember of the Nativity at my Grandma’s house. Every Christmas season it would be set up, and every Christmas season when she wasn’t looking I would grab the peaceful figurines and recruit them as army men to help fight my imaginary wars. Once I accidentally chipped the tail end of one of the Wise Men’s robes. Imaginary wars are brutal like that.

Many homes in the U.S. and around the world have similar Nativity scenes displayed. All depict a peaceful and serene moment when divine became flesh. Most, when thinking of the birth of Jesus Christ, imagine those angelic Nativity scenes. But, I imagine the real Nativity was far from peaceful imagery we have in mind.

Think about it…first, an engaged girl becomes pregnant, and her fiancé knowing it wasn’t by him has enough concern for her to quietly break the engagement (by law he could have had her stoned to death). After angelic intervention declaring the child would be the Messiah, the fiancé takes her back. I can’t imagine the wild thoughts racing through the couple’s heads at the prospect of raising the Savior of the Jewish people. The couple probably had a myriad of emotions; fear, nervous anticipation, confusion, doubt, excitement. The man and his pregnant fiancé travel to Bethlehem, surely not an easy task. Then the man frantically tries to find lodging for the soon to give birth woman. A stable is the only available shelter. (Now, I used to raise livestock, and a barn is not a desirable place to give birth.) Itchy straw, manure, and pungent smells are the commodities for Joseph and Mary. Then comes the pain and confusion of this young woman’s first labor. Her screams and moans no doubt kept the animals at bay. Finally, after much struggle, the infant is born. His screams from being thrust into the harsh cold new environment fill the stable. The baby is cleaned, nurses, and wrapped up to lay in the only available crib – a feed trough. Joseph no doubt cleaned it the best he could, but grain crumbs are still lodged between the rough boards. A group of dirty shepherds arrive from the fields to see this amazing infant the angels sang about. In the back of everyone’s mind they are wondering if this helpless infant is really who the angels promised him to be. And the wise men? They are no where to be found. They are just beginning their journey towards the peculiar star in the sky.

This account isn’t exactly how it happened either, but I imagine its a little closer to reality than the images of modern day Nativities. Why do we imagine Christ’s birth as peaceful and perfect? Even though Jesus was fully God he was also fully human, and humanity can be messy, dirty, and uncertain. Jesus cried as a baby, dirtied his undergarments, and spit up after he nursed his mother.

Christ’s birth was as unglamorous and any person’s birth, perhaps even more so given the surrounding and circumstances of it. What an amazingly peculiar way for God to physically enter our world. The nativity models perfectly the humility of Jesus Christ. It shows how from the incarnation all the way through to his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ lowered himself and laid himself down for us. Christ was willing to leave heaven to come to earth as a man. Not just a man – a baby. Not just any baby – one born in the humblest of circumstances.

Jesus’ willingness to enter our imperfect world gives me assurance that he is willing to enter my imperfect life. What a Savior.

Change your Perspective

Check out my friend Michael's blog entry about "Interesting Human Ratios." It might just change how you see the world. Who knew the rest of the world isn't like Kokomo, IN?

http://michaeldubbels.typepad.com/weblog/

They don’t get you cause they don’t got God.

They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world and the world listens to them. We are from God and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. 1 John 4:5-6


Does it ever seem that when it comes to the media and current culture Christians can’t win? (Partly because some of the most outspoken media driven Christians are horrible poster children and give us a bad name) I think John was pretty close to the point when he simply stated, “hey, they don't get you cause they don’t got God.” In other words one’s world view drastically shapes all he does. So it makes all sense that Jesus makes little sense to those who don’t believe. Then why do Christians get all bent out of shape about a little bad press? Shouldn’t they be expecting it?

The New Testament is after all filled with examples of persecution and pressure form those who don’t “get it.” Jesus faced it (to the point of death), his disciples faced it (again almost all to the point of death) and every Christian truly living for God has and will face it. But this persecution in no way points to a losing battle. In actuality, it’s often in times of persecution that the church grows the most. (Look at Chinese church in the midst of Communism.)

So breathe a little easier next time Lowe’s advertises a “holiday tree”, or you see the ditzy Christian girl on ER, or hear Studio 60 take another whack at Christianity, or see another History channel special on the “Real Jesus.” When we feel like getting our fists in the air to fight, maybe we should instead get on our knees to pray.

Here are a few thoughts I jotted down about this topic Concerning evangelism:

Since…
People in the world won’t readily hear our viewpoint.
People in the world won’t readily understand our viewpoint.

Therefore…
We have to rely on the Holy Spirit to change people’s hearts, not simply our own rhetoric or words.
When someone accepts Christ it has nothing to do with us, and all to do with God.

Simplistic Complexity or Complex Simplicity?

Why is it a tendency of human nature to make simple things difficult? Our lives mirror the complex machines in the Rube Goldberg contests. For example, I have a tendency to spend hours wandering the isles of Menard’s looking for a specific tool, when all I needed to do was ask a store attendant and within 5 minutes I’d be heading home. Or why do women have a tendency to make things more complex by saying everything but what they really mean in the hopes of coercing some sort of indirect communication out of men? Humans love to confound the simple with the complex.

Our faith is no less at risk to this phenomenon. Human tendency is to take the beautifully simplistic message of Jesus Christ and tack on doctrines, rules, implied behaviors, dress codes, etc to create a confusing complexity of Christianity.

(Two things: 1. I hope the preceding alliteration impressed you. 2. I do think doctrines, rules, etc have an important place in the church and are needed. They can however, distract us from Christ instead of pointing us to him.)

In the gospel of John, after Jesus fed the 5,000 and walked to the other side of the lake, crowds continued to follow him. Someone asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus replies with this simple yet profound instruction. “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Ah, this is where the complex simplicity (or is it simplistic complexity) of faith begins. What does it really mean to believe in Jesus?

Do you have to read you Bible? Do you have to pray everyday? Do you have to understand what atonement, propitiation, justification, and sanctification all mean? Do you have to be baptized to believe in Jesus? Do you have to say a special prayer? Do you have to understand the Four Spiritual Laws and walk down the Roman’s Road? Do you have to dress modestly to believe in Jesus? Do you have to quit cussing, drinking, and smoking? Do you have to break up with your same-sex partner to believe in Jesus? Do you have to go to Church? Do you have to think abortion is wrong? Do you have to…?

What must we do to do the works God requires?

Personally, I have a tendency to have a Rube Goldberg kind of faith. When I get caught up in the complexities of doing things, not out of belief in Jesus Christ, but trying to earn his approval, I spin my wheels in futility.

What must we do to do the works God requires?

Can it be that simple?

Confessions...

As I sit here at a desk piled high with papers, a calendar filled with to do lists, and a watch ticking away…I have to confess something.

I get an “F” in time management. No…wait…I think time management is baloney. It is a leadership principle the Devil made up to make us feel guilty about ourselves. Ok…perhaps I’m a little harsh, but track with me here. There always seems like there are too many things to do and too little time to do them. And just when I think I have a grasp on my schedule, something comes up and throws it all out of whack. I hate it that I have to choose one thing over another. Spending my time on this means not spending it on that. It’s a never ending process!

Its times like this that I’m reminded I’m created for eternity. I truly am an alien to this world (1Pt 2:11). This temporal world was not meant for me. Everyday we say things like, “time sure flew by” or “I need more time” or “there’s not enough hours in the day.” Time is a constraint to us because we were created for eternity – for all time. Breaking time into 24 hour increments is foreign to who and what we were created to be.

So next time you miss a deadline tell your boss, “It’s not my fault, I was created for eternity!”

Sure Pinocchio, you’re a Real Boy.

I hate to shop. Ask my wife - if I spend too much time perusing the isles of any department store, mall, or supermarket I get a headache. I have a real physical repulsion to shopping. But the real problem is that while I hate shopping I love buying new things. Oh what fun it is to consume! Now that I have a steady income I have become quite the purchaser. It’s like having Christmas any day you want! Bring home the shiny cellophane wrapped bundle of joy and rip it open as fast as you can; bask in the glory of your new toy! I tend to find excuses to buy new things, like “oh look, there is a little dent in the screen of my speaker. I should buy a new stereo system.” I confess, I like to buy new things. But I wonder, where does my desire to purchase the bigger, better, newest item come from? Is it an innate need to always find something new, or is it a cultural force pushing me to get the next best thing?

Lately I’ve been thinking about the power of the media in our culture. American consumers will buy what products the commercials tell us, listen to the music MTV plays, and wear whatever clothing a celebrity does.

The influence of the media is everywhere, and no one is immune. Tucan Sam told me to follow my nose, and I did by forcing my Mom to buy Fruit Loops at the Grocery Store. If Ashton Kutcher wears a trucker hat, so will I. The commercials for the RAZR cell phone are so cool…I have to have one!

Our materialistic consumer society is playing along with a never ending cycle of marketing schemes. Ron Sider in his book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger writes about such ploys. “The director of research labs of General Motors, Charles Kettering, decided that business needed to create a “dissatisfied customer.” Annual model changes-planned obsolescence-was his solution. Success, according to advertising historian Roland Marchard, came to depend on the virtue of qualities like wastefulness, self-indulgence, and artificial obsolescence.” Or think about this…the largest 100 corporations in the U.S. pay for 75% of all commercial television. Because of this, producers and writers develop what those advertisers will support. These corporations may be telling us we’re “real boys” by giving us the impression of consumer choice, but we’re really just puppets and they can pull our strings anyway they want to.

The question is…What does God have to say about this? Is it his desire for us to be caught up in a system of deception and indulgence? Do I serve him better by having that new cell phone playing MP3’s of the newest American Idol? Perhaps God wants us to re-evaluate our consumer priorities. Is he not the Lord of our finances, our desires, our media?

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the media and our consumerist culture is the Devil - but to too many it is a god.

A step closer to seeing God as he intended

I was thinking the other day…have you ever noticed how God seems to be continually showing more and more of himself through greater revelation. Its kind of a progressive revelation. God will always meet us where we are, as a culture and as individuals. Then it seems as time goes on and cultures change, God reveals a little more about himself. God lowers himself to our ignorance and prejudices, grabs our hearts, then slowly moves us a little bit closer to where he really intended us to be. As history moves on, God moves man further and further down the revelation scale.

For example:

God revealed to the Israelites that they were a chosen nation and his hand was upon them. Then later, God reveals in a vision to Peter that any believer, Greek or Jew, was part of God’s chosen people.

Did God change his mind, or did he just reveal a little more of his original intent to Peter?

People used to discern God’s will by casting lots. Even the disciples did it after Jesus’ ascension to determine who God wanted to take Judas’ place. Now we consider that practice crude and pretty much wrong. Today God reveals his will through scripture, and promptings from the Holy Spirit.

Did God change the way he shows us what he wants, or did we begin to understand there are better ways God wants to show us his will.

In the Bible God never once said Slavery was a sin. In fact Paul encourages slaves to be the best slaves they can in order to show their owners how Christ can change a person’s life. But, today almost every Christian would agree that owning another human being is detestable to God.

Did God change his mind about slavery, or did our culture change enough that we finally understood God a little more clearly on this subject?

We see this pattern with ceremonial laws, divorce, Women rights, etc.

So my whole point is this…If Jesus doesn’t return for some time, in 500 years when people look back at us what things will they say, “I can’t believe they thought that about God.” or, “Those people back then actually believed that God wanted them to live that way.”

So what are the areas where God is meeting us in our ignorance and desires to move us closer to a more complete understanding of his will? I would venture to say areas like the aids epidemic, seeing the church globally, social justice, and environmentalism. What do you think? What areas are we missing God’s ideal?

I'm glad I'm not Rich.

Have you ever noticed how many shows on television deal with rich people? MTV’s Cribs, My Sweet Sixteen, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, 90210, Dynasty, The Nanny, Beverly Hillbilly’s, Who wants to marry a Millionaire, Ducktales, on and on and on. For some reason we are drawn to the rich. Perhaps it’s a bit of envy that keeps our attention. We dream, hope, or wish to be like them someday.

But truth be told, I’m glad I’m not rich. The Bible has some pretty hard things to say about rich people…especially rich people who profit from the poor and rich who do nothing for the poor. For these reasons I’m glad I’m not rich…I’m sure it’s a lot of pressure to carry around. That whole “to whom much is given, much is required” thing has to be tough to live with. I’m glad I’m not rich, because God might expect me to do something with what I have.

Take for example that only 8% of the world’s population owns a car. I’m glad I’m not rich. Or that half of the world’s population lives on less than two dollars a day…less than the price of a gallon of gas. Or that 1.3 Billion people have no access to clean drinking water. I’m glad I’m not rich, when I see that the amount of money Americans spend on ice cream a year could feed all the world’s starving children, or that 20% of the population in the developed nations consume 86% of the world’s goods.

You see, I’m glad I’m not rich…other wise God might want me to use my money on something other than myself.

I've been reading through Judges lately. It amazes me the kind of people God uses to accomplish his will. People like Samson who was a selfish, short tempered, unforgiving liar and murderer. The Bible is full of these kind of characters. Sinners, murderers, adulterers, liars, and these are the prophets we honor like Moses and David! These guys should be spending their lives in jail. I don't get how God's holiness and pure love can fuse with such a base and dirty human being to accomplish something great. I don't understand it. I guess that's why I'm not God.

And just when I get to the point of questioning God for using people like this I'm forced to look at myself...Then I want to get on my face and thank God for his grace. I don't know if there are many things more beautiful than grace.

Avix/XM Commercial

This commercial cracks me up every time I see it. (Probably because that's how I look when I bust out my ghetto side.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbgA7Lwk9mo&search=XM%20commercial

A Psalm of Self Delusion

Praise Brent
Praise, all you people who know him,
Praise the name of Brent

Let the name of Brent be praised,
Both now and forever more.

He is fun, and creative, and smart.
Everyone who knows him should
Praise Brent.

Don’t let what he has done go unnoticed.
His deeds are unmatched by any others.

All you people,
Praise Brent.



I can read all the Psalms I want, but in reality, this is the one I come back to over and over again. This is the Psalm I live my life to. Why is it so hard to lay myself aside to serve Jesus Christ?

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

The Lord who remains faithful forever

Psalm 146

Praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.
I will praise the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes,

in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,
the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them—

the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,

the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the alien

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The LORD reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD.

This pslam is a glimpse into God’s heart. He is the “LORD who remains faithful forever.” Who does he remain faithful to? The oppressed, the hungry, the imprisoned, the blind, the humble, the righteous, the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Are we faithful to the same people? Or do we only stay committed to those who can pay us back or give us something in return?

Questions of a Subculture

Christians are called to be the salt and light of the world – to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. We are to live in the world to bring the hope and peace that comes with salvation through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

But, in an attempt to reach the world have we created a subculture that has really alienated us and made us unable to reach others?

Let me explain…

In sociology, a subculture is a culture or set of people with distinct behavior and beliefs within a larger culture. The essence of a subculture, that distinguishes it from other social groupings, is awareness of style and differences in style, in clothing, music, jargon or other interests. (reference.com)

When I look at American Christianity (particularly in the Midwest), I see a large group of believers who look quite similar. They listen to Christian radio, read Christian books, wear Christian t-shirts, have little fish on their SUV’s, speak a unique lingo on Sunday mornings, vote Republican, and speak out against abortion and homosexual marriages. They have their own dating services, rent out entire theaters to support Christian themed movies, and are targeted by marketers in order to harness their purchasing power. (not that any of these things are bad, but collectively speaking, what kind of subculture do they create?)

So, my question is…what should the church look like? Should we have a defined subculture, or should there be Christians at every level and facet in society being salt and light?

Are we sending the message (knowingly or unknowingly) that converts to Christianity really need to be converts to our subculture?

Are we drawing people to Jesus Christ or just drawing them into the subculture of the church?

As modern day missionaries are we making the same mistakes of missionaries past who inextricably connected their culture with the gospel message and forced other cultures to accept it as the gospel?

Has belonging to this subculture become more important than being all things to all people?

Have we created a subculture that the larger culture can tolerate, but never experience?

Have we lost our relevance?

Or, is this subculture a good thing?

Christians have similar values, so wouldn’t they look similar and share a culture?

What do you think?

You never know how others really see you until...
they draw a picture of you on a palm pilot.
My Michelangello-esq friend, Brad Conner, painstakingly sketched this portait of me in about 5 minutes. Notice his eye for detail and his delicate brush strokes. I am particularly fond of how accurately he drew my pectoral muscles despite my wearing a shirt! The stylus of a palm pilot is truly a tool of artistic beauty in the hands of Brad Conner.

God is trying to teach me...

In our small groups and CE classes we’ll take time to go around the room and share what God has been teaching us. I believe God always has something he wants to teach us. Sometimes his lessons hit us like bricks in the face. But most of the time they are gentle stirrings inside us putting us “back on course.” Too often we don’t take time to recognize these stirrings, and they get drowned out by the noise of life.
So…welcome to my small group. This is what God is teaching me:


Patience

I confess, sometimes I’m not very patient. So God has to constantly remind me to be patient. My struggle is impatience with progress. I want to see things and people changed right now. When working with students I so desperately want to see them grow closer to Christ, I can get frustrated when I don’t notice change immediately. I often forget that this process takes time. One of the maxims of our student ministry is “ministry happens through relationship, and relationship happens through time.” The same is true for our relationship with Christ. It takes time to develop. So when I see a student commit his life to Christ, God reminds me that it will take time for him to “grow up” to where I think he should be. I forget about the year or so it took me to really take hold of my relationship with Christ after my conversion. Even the Apostle Paul went off to Arabia after his conversion to “sort things out.” It’s hard to quantify the internal transformation one experiences after accepting Jesus Christ as the leader of their life. I need to be patient and let the Holy Spirit work through me and other people to help affect change in a student’s life.


Prayer

Real men fight from their knees. Life is short, Pray hard. God answers Knee Mail. You’ve got to pray just to make it today (M.C. Hammer). Insert Cliche here.
There’s a lot of clever statements you can slap on a bumper sticker to express the importance of prayer. And I’d agree with most of them.
But the reality is – Prayer is hard.
I constantly have to be reminded to pray. God is always teaching and re-teaching this to me…but it seems I never truly get it - so he’ll probably be teaching this to me again in the near future. Bottom line: If I want to see God move in my life and ministry, I have to pray.


People

People are the centerpiece of ministry. God’s heart is for people. Saving people so they can be in relationship with their creator is the whole reason for Christ’s atoning sacrifice. But, people can be buttheads. And people are complicated. Sometimes it’s easier to sit behind my computer and avoid people all together. When I do this, God tugs at my heart and lets me know I need to be impacting people for him. I need to be in real relationships bringing the power of God in direct contact with people’s needs. This cannot be done through email, on IM, or on a blog. I have to have face to face relationships with people.

That they may be one as we are one

John 17:13,21-23

John 17 is the longest recorded prayer of Jesus in the Bible. In it Jesus prays for himself, that he might bring glory to God through his death on the cross. He prays for his disciples, that they would be protected as they are set apart to spread God’s truth in this world. Then Jesus prays for future believers. The vast majority of Jesus’ prayer deals with unity of believers. “That they may be one as we are one.” “May they be brought to complete unity.” It’s interesting that of all the things he could have prayed for concerning us, he chose unity. Perhaps he had a little bit of insight.

Why Unity?
Why did Jesus pray for unity among future believers? Why not pray that his message would be heard by people all over the world? Or pray against all the other gods that would distract us from the truth? Jesus entrusted his precious message of truth and eternal life in the hands of his followers. He knew that the best way for this message to be spread was through a unified body of followers, thus his focus on unity in his prayer. “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (vs 23). There is power in a unified body of believers. As the world sees followers of Christ living unified and loving lives, they will see Jesus through our community.

What does unity look like?
Love. Unity is more about how we love than whether or not we agree on minor issues. Jesus prays that “they may be one as we are one.” Our unity as a body of Christ is modeled in the unity between the Father and the Son. That unity is a unity characterized by love. “Because you loved me before the creation of the world” (vs 24). Love is the basis for unity.

Can you be unified and disagree on certain doctrines? Yes. Can you be unified if you are from different denominations? Yes. Even if that denomination ordains homosexuals? Yes. Can you be unified with a liberal? Yes. Can you be unified with someone you hate? No.

Perhaps as Christians we need to follow Jesus’ example and begin earnestly praying for unity among believers, instead of praying against all the things we disagree with. Follow the wisdom of the modern lyrical prophets the Black Eyed Peas and ask, “Where is the love?”

OK...I'll step off my soapbox now.

Balancing Ministry and Family

My friend Kevin, who is studying at Duke Seminary, wrote this thought provoking post (entitled "we are family") concerning the balance of ministry and family. It has produced some interesting discussion. Check it out: http://justplainwright.blogspot.com/

This is a topic I've been putting a lot of thought into since I'm getting married in almost a month. Which, by the way, I am extremely excited about. (Hallelujah Chorus erupts in background)

Constant Change

Psalm 103:25-28

In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away. But you are always the same; your years never end. The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.

Addy and I were in Best Buy the other day shopping for a battery charger she had lost for her digital camera. While waiting for someone to come help us, we wasted time by looking at new digital cameras. I was infatuated with all the new technology- more magapixels and more memory in smaller packages. Then I started thinking about Addy’s camera. Last Christmas she bought a 3.2 mega pixel digital camera. Now they don’t even stock 3.2 mega pixel cameras. Today, she could get a 5 mega pixel camera for the same price she paid for hers last year. It hit me - we live in a world that is always changing. From technology, to gas prices, to celebrity marriages everything around us is constantly changing. You could say the only constant is change.

Living in this ever transforming world, do we grasp what David was saying in this Psalm? God is “other”, he is beyond this world, beyond time. For all eternity he is the same. He never stops loving us. He never goes back on his promises. He always keeps his commitments. We can always find him because he is always there. While all we know is the ticking of time, God can see all time because he created it. He is as present 2000 years ago as he is today, and he is as present today as he is in the future. What a mind boggling concept.

But what about me? If an ever-steady God is present in my life through the Holy Spirit, why do I change so much in my commitment to him? It seems I’m constantly vacillating in how I live out my faith. I don’t always keep my promises. I often go back on my commitments. I’m not always there when God calls on me. Since I serve a constant unchanging God, how should my life reflect Him?

Sacrificing Sacrifice

A Widow’s Offering – Mark 12:41-44

America. Land of the Free. A place where thousands of people flock to in the hopes of making a better life. A country where prosperity is so abundant “the streets are paved with cheese” as Fifel would say. We are blessed to live in such a wonderful nation. As I look back on my blessed life I realize I have never been in need. I mean there were times I “needed” those Reebok Pumps, or “needed” a new stereo system for my ’89 Ford Escort Wagon. But there has never been a time when I went without something I truly needed. I have always had food, running water, a bed, medicine, and clothes. I am extremely grateful for the blessings God has given me in my life. But I wonder if living in the United States has a cost. Has living in such prosperity and abundance caused me to sacrifice sacrifice?

As I read Jesus’ account of the widow’s offering a couple things stand out to me. First the phrase, everyone else gave what they didn’t need (CEV). That phrase haunts me. It haunts me because that is exactly what I do. Sure I give to God. I give offerings of money, time, and other resources. But when I really look at it, I often give out of my abundance and have rarely given what I needed. Very few times have I forced myself to make a decision between giving to God and truly needing something. What’s worse is I give out of my abundance and then pat myself on the back like I did a great thing! “Oh Brent, you are so sacrificial. You put $5 in the offering instead of going to Taco Bell after Church. Good Job faithful servant!” How twisted is that?

In this account the widow sacrificed all that she had in order to give to God. She gave the money she needed in order to live. Her ability for survival is now in the hands of God. That is sacrifice. I realize that perhaps I don’t really know what true sacrifice is. I could explain it to you and even come close to a dictionary definition, but I don’t know sacrifice. Very few times in my life have I experienced it, or even seen it. I recently asked some of my students to give me examples of true sacrifice. About the only good example they could come up with was a soldier giving his life for his country. A good example, but I’m afraid that is the only one Americans know, and very few have ever experienced it. Has living in this country of prosperity made us oblivious to sacrifice? I once heard someone say that America is the only country where our poor are fat! I think American Christians (me included) are missing an integral piece of our faith. Sacrifice is really what the gospel message is built upon. What are we missing when we sacrifice sacrifice?

Better late than never

I've finally stepped into the blogging abyss. After reading people's blogs for a couple years, I've finally started my own. I guess my hesitancy stemmed from thinking no one cares about what I have to say...which is true. But I realized I needed some place where I could think and write. I believe it to be a good discipline, and since I'm not in college any more I don't have nearly as many opportunities to do so. So, here is my blog which will soon be spilling over with my thoughts and spiritual lessons God is pounding into me. Write on...