Family Reunion

My family and I just got back from our Family Reunion. We had a great time!

Now, my schedule should be returning to "normal" (whatever that is) and I plan to resume more regular postings. Thanks for hanging in there with me through these past couple of months!

/D

Long Class

Hello All,

Thanks for hanging in there while I was taking my last class. It really was much tougher than all of my previous classes. I finish up this week and hope to be back on schedule.

Two more weeks

I have two more weeks of my current class. This one has really taken a lot of time so my blogging has been nonexistent.

I will blog as much as possible in the next couple of weeks, and will certainly return to my two per week schedule at the conclusion of this class.

Thanks for hanging on!

/D

Synthesis

I apologize for not posting last week. My current seminar class’ workload is higher than usual, but something I read yesterday struck me and I thought I’d share it with you.

There’s a church joke that says, “Don’t make me go Old Testament on you!” The implication is that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath. In contrast to this we read in the New Testament that God is a God of love.

In fact, I believe we can replace the word “of” in my above description with the word “is” – God is wrath; God is love. Does that statement cause tension for you?

Here’s how William Yount describes this truth – “God is love and God is wrath. How can He be both? The answer is found in synthesis. The fire that warms is also the fire that burns. The difference is in our relationship to it. Those who are rightly related to God are warmed by His love. Those who refuse His love, who reject His offer of grace, are left to be burned by His wrath. He is not love or wrath. He is love-wrath, which exists like a two-sided coin.”

If this messes with your head a little, it should – synthesis is level 5 thinking (there are 6 levels, but those details aren’t really my point). My point is that there are many things about God that I struggle to understand, but that does not make them untrue.

This morning, I just learned about the death of Steven Curtis Chapman’s five year old daughter. Anytime something like this happens it creates a tension in my soul. I know God is Sovereign, but I cannot help but struggle with the “why questions.” God why would you allow this to happen?

Here’s where I land with this right now (and I’d love to hear your thoughts), God wants to have a relationship with us, He does truly love us, AND there are things (and circumstances) I simply cannot fully understand. Am I talking about blind faith? No, blind faith would require no basis whatsoever. I’m talking about faith that is able to understand enough to accept it all.

What about you – what do you struggle to understand and how do you choose to deal with your confusion?

/D

Seminary

Hello all!

Just a quick note - I have a massive amount to do for seminary this week, so I may not get a new post up.

Thanks for your patience!

/D

If Only...

I was watching an incredible talk by Louie Giglio. Click here if you want to watch it, too.

Louie is one of my favorite speakers and the message he gives is powerful and moving. I can be a bit emotional and I found my eyes watering as I listened to him. (Okay, I’ll admit it, I was outright crying by the end). But, as I listened, another thought struck me…

…if only I could communicate like he does…

As I captured this thought I was reminded that God has gifted him in this way. More importantly, God has gifted you and I in incredible ways, as well. In fact, I believe that if we are able to discover just how incredibly gifted we are, the things we could do using those gifts would be just as powerful and as moving as a message by Louie. If we have surrendered our hearts and lives to Christ to follow Him, we have the same power within us. The key is finding this incredible gift (or gifts) God has given you and using it how He desires for you to use it.

The obvious next question is – How, how do I do this?

If you have a relationship with God through Christ the power to discover your gift is already within you. You simply need to ask God to reveal it to you. Here’s what I think. I think many of us already know what God has given us and even how He wants us to use it, but we’re too scared to trust Him and go for it! So, we keep walking around like we’re clueless. Maybe I’m wrong, you can write a comment and tell me what you think, but I know for me there are things I believe God has gifted me to do and I know what He wants me to do – but it’s scary. It requires me to lean into my faith in Him full tilt.

How about you?

By the way, if you haven’t listened to Louie’s clip yet, go back to the top and click the link – you’ll be glad you did.

/D

Questions Jesus Asked – Fear (6)

Our next question is found in verse 26 of Mathew chapter eight. Jesus asks, “Why are you afraid?” I believe this question gets to the heart of a true relationship with God. If we truly trust God, we really shouldn’t fear anything.

The disciples were afraid they were going to die, and if I’m honest, there are lots of things about death that still scare me

- The death of another one of my children or my wife
- The wellbeing of my family if I were to die
- I’m somewhat prepared for losing my parents some day (that’s the order of life), but I still don’t want that to ever happen

I’m afraid of all of these things happening - and many more. What about you?

So, is it fair for Jesus to ask us why were afraid? Do I hear a resounding “Duh”?

I think there are many things we could be scared about, but Jesus’ point is not that there are scary things that can happen to us, but that there is an antidote to this poison called fear. We learn in Jesus' next words that the antidote is faith.

Faith is a funny thing – it’s intangible, yet very real. It’s hard to describe, but incredible to experience. The writer of Hebrews tells us faith “is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” How cool is that!?

Where does this confident assurance come from? It comes from a relationship that is based on trusting God. And we learned from the last set of questions that God will provide everything we truly need [read Questions Jesus Asked – Prayer (5)].

So, what are you afraid of? Will you learn to trust God with that fear? It probably won’t happen over night – no real relationships are formed that way. But let me encourage you to take another step closer to trusting God each time you feel scared – that’s what I’m doing and it gets a little easier with every step I take. [Great, now I hear a Police song playing in my head].


/D

Speaking My Opinion in Semi-Love

I often quote the verse in Ephesians four that says we are to “speak the truth in love.” I quote it because I have a tendency to avoid doing this in one of two ways.

One way is I avoid a potential conflict altogether. This usually is not healthy because I don’t grow through avoidance and the issues rarely resolve themselves (they just become more difficult to deal with).

My second (and equally bad) way of dealing with issues is to attempt to sneak in through the side door – better known as passive-aggressive.

The reality is conflict is a necessary part of life. If we always agreed about everything there wouldn’t be challenges, learning and growth. We just need to handle conflict in healthy ways – which is why the Bible tells us to speak the truth in love.

But, here’s what I realized last week – I often speak my opinion in semi-love, under the guise of speaking the truth in love. What’s the difference? Well, there are many, but here are two:

1. My opinion really doesn’t matter unless it lines up with the truth;

2. I used the term “semi-love” because there’s usually something in it for me (selfishness).

If I am to speak the truth, I first must know the truth. As a Christ-follower, I believe the Bible is the basis for truth. So, unless what I am saying is in line with what the Bible teaches, it’s not truth.

The “in love” means my primary reason for speaking is to build the other person up. If I’m attempting to get my way or build myself up, then I’m not truly speaking in love.

So, how about you? Do you speak the truth in love? How do you think we can all get better at truly building others up?

/D

To The Old Man I Know

Today, my buddy Brian turns

45

I had to write that big so he could read it!

Post him a Happy Birthday wish in the comments -- he'll read it!

/D

Questions Jesus Asked – Prayer (5)

This next set of questions is intriguing to me. It’s Matthew 7:9-10 when Jesus asks, “You parents – if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Of if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake?”

A quick reminder: in Jesus’ day these were primary staples of food. So, the question really is, if your kids ask for basic necessities, would you give them something worthless (a stone) or harmful (a snake)?

Jesus gives us the obvious answer at the end of verse 10 – “Of course not!” And then He makes the connection for us. Just before this Jesus is encouraging the people to be persistent in prayer – keep asking, keep looking, keep knocking. The connection is when we ask God for things we need, He’s not going to give us worthless or harmful things. Verse 11 confirms this – “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

Now, there are a number of ways, in my opinion, to abuse this teaching. We get fussy when God doesn’t show up and give us everything we think we need right away. I don’t think that’s what Jesus is teaching here (that God is just a fast food clerk waiting to fill our every order) – I believe he’s telling us to recognize that God is the One who provides everything we need, and what He provides is always good for us.

There have certainly been times when I’ve begged God for something and it has not happened. At those times I can either assume God doesn’t love me and doesn’t care, or I can remember that God takes care of me better than I take care of my own kids.

This is getting a bit long, but there’s one more thing I want to mention here. The effects of sin continue to corrupt our world and those of us living in it. It’s not hard to find many examples of really bad parents. The news loves to exploit all of the abuses they find (and these days abuse is not hard to find). But I think there’s another way to look at this teaching. Instead of thinking about the worst case scenario, think about the best ones you know. Think about those parents who truly love their kids; those who have solid healthy relationships with their children. Then reconsider this teaching from that perspective – God loves us even more, and will treat us even better than the best parents we know!

/D

The Reluctant "Pastor"

I remember going to a “Christian leader’s conference” shortly after I resigned from a paid position as a Youth Pastor. I resigned because I felt God was calling me to plant a church and I was at this conference to be “inspired”. I was with a friend who was also part of the new church plant. He knew one of the key guys at this conference and we ran into him in the common area between sessions.

My friend introduced us and we talked a little about what was going on with the new church. I remember the conference guy clearly asking me, “So, you’re the pastor of the new church?” I hesitated in my answer and he gave me a strange look, as if to say, you’re not a very fired up pastor.

The hesitation took me by surprise, but I knew why. I do believe God has gifted me to be a leader, I also believe He has called me to be a pastor. But not the typical pastor I’ve always experienced in my life, but more like the Ephesians 4 pastor. I want to equip people, not just talk at them. I want to share life with people; not just counsel them.

But there was another reason for my hesitation – I battle pride just about every day of my life. And too often the role of pastor is seen as the “power-seat” in the church. I just don’t agree with that. I look at Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. I think about His instruction to them not to “Lord over” people. Then I look in the mirror and I know I am capable of doing it all wrong. I can move a crowd by creating an emotional environment, picking my words well, and know just when to pause and when to get loud. But none of that is what pastor-ing is really all about. It’s not a show; it’s a position of service.

That encounter at the conference was about two years ago and my feelings have grown stronger and stronger. The body of Christ already as it’s Head – that’s Jesus position. My role as a pastor is simply to do life with people, to learn from them and to share what I’ve learned. But more important than the learning is the loving. Jesus boiled it down for all of us – love God with everything you are, and love the people around you as much as you love yourself.

At times, people will call me “Pastor Dave”, and while understand this is normal within church world, I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable with it. So, am I a pastor? Yes, but that’s not my title, it’s my role within the Body. You, too, have a role within the Body. And It would be weird if your role was caring for orphans and I always referred to you as Orphan Helper so-and-so. I think when we label some (i.e., pastors) and not others, we create a division or hierarchy that I don’t see in the Bible.

My role is to help you find your role and give you ways to express it for the benefit of the Body (and in the world); and to help you understand that every role (including yours) is critical. So, you can just call me "Dave", and I’ll call you by your name and we’ll all work towards loving God and loving people – together!

/D

Questions Jesus Asked - Judging Others (4)

Here’s one for you – “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

One thing you can say about Jesus, he didn’t sugarcoat it. We find this question in Matthew 7, verse 3. I’m not sure this one needs a lot of explanation. Jesus is pointing out how hypocritical we can be when we go around pointing out everyone else’s faults. He’s holding up a mirror and asking us to take a look – what do you see?

One misconception of this teaching would be to say that we should never point out other people’s problems to them. That’s not what Jesus says. In verse 5, He tells us to first remove the plank from our own eye, and then we will be able to see clearly enough to help our friend remove the speck from their eye. You’ve heard the saying, “It takes one to know one.” When it comes to seeing other people’s issues, the reason we can so quickly recognize them is because we live with the same issues in our own lives every day. So, Jesus simple tells us to remember we’re probably worse off than our friends, so we need to deal with our stuff and then help others.

I think the process of dealing with our own junk also provides the humility we need to truly help someone else. If we truly recognize the plank in our own eye, then we can help our friends remove the speck. Knowing we’re really in no position to judge them – we can simply help them.

So, take a peak in the mirror – what planks are you struggling to see around? Why not let others help you with those issues and in turn you’ll be able to help others – in humility and love.

/D

Greek or Hebrew Thinking?

Okay, so this book I’m reading for seminary has some really interesting stuff (and I’ve only read the first two chapters).

Here’s something I’ve thought about before, but never seen it explained this clearly – I hope I can do it justice in a relatively few words. The overall concept is how we view life. There is the Greek Mind-set (compartmental thinking) and the Hebrew Mind-set (whole living).

Our North American mindset is derived from the Greek mind-set which essentially puts things into “boxes” (compartments). We have our “home life”, “work/school life”, “recreational life”, “church life”, etc. We tend to keep these compartments separated. The problem is life doesn’t fit well into “boxes” and this creates conflict. As an example, if we are asked to work over time, our compartmental thinking immediately gets defensive because if our “work box” takes more time, that gives us less time for all of our other boxes. The more we try to keep everything in a box the more frustrated and stressed out we become. This also explains how an evangelist can get up and preach about immorality and then go hire a prostitute (it’s two separate boxes).

If we are going to grow spiritually, we must tear the sides of our boxes out and move toward the Hebrew mind-set which emphasizes a whole life centered on Christ. All of the areas of our lives (work, home, church, etc.) all flow from a desire to put Christ first. Interestingly, all of the men God used to write the Bible were Hebrews (except for Luke). So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find that the Bible is all about applying principles to our lives – our whole lives, not just certain parts (or “boxes”).

Here’s how William Yount describes the difference:
The compartmentalization of the Greek mind-set leads to personal anarchy. Each compartment takes on a life of its own. Various compartments compete for attention; compete for the limited amount of available energy. Live this way very long, and you begin to experience burnout and depression. This is not how God intended for life to be.

The Hebrew mind-set provides a basis whereby the components of our lives exist in harmony, centered in a whole personality, guided by the Lord. This “united kingdom” produces emotional and psychological health, energy for facing life’s problems, and a positive direction for living.

/D

Questions Jesus Asked – Worry & Faith (3)

This next set of questions (found in Matthew 6) that Jesus asked are some of the most difficult for me. I know what He’s saying, but “doing” what He’s teaching is pretty tough. See for yourself…

Jesus asks a couple of questions about why do we worry about food and clothes, but the main question is verse 27 - Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

I don’t know about you, but I understand that worrying is like a rocking chair – it gives me something to do, but it doesn’t get me anywhere. I know that. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to stop worrying – it just comes to us so naturally… and I’m pretty good at it!

The reality is worry really doesn’t help anything. In fact, most of us would admit worry has a pretty negative affect on our lives. So, how do we stop worrying?

You may not like this answer, but I’ve found it’s the only one that works. The answer can be found in Jesus’ last question of chapter 6 – Why do you have so little faith?

See, even if you are a spiritual person – this question has a little sting to it. I mean if I do believe in God and the Bible and all that…well…I should be able to rely on my faith instead of worrying. But if you’re not a spiritual person – then – I guess you’re kinda stuck with your worry – I don’t have a “next best answer” for you.

But I do have some good news – you can become a spiritual person – and it really does help you move from worry to faith. Not all at once, and sometimes you’ll still get blindsided. But one thing I’m learning about my faith is that it’s still there when I get myself calmed back down - because my faith is not based on my efforts, but on the Person of Jesus (the guy asking all the tough questions here). You see, even when I “lose” faith, He remains faithful. If you want to more info. on how you can begin to find faith you can e-mail me at Dave@RedoingLife.com.

Well, let me wrap this up – how do I lean more on my faith and decrease my worry? I hop over several short books to the right in my Bible to Philippians 4:6-7 which says –

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but when I want to worry about something what I’m really looking for is peace. And there’s no better peace than the peace God is able to give to us. Our worries come from our hearts and our minds, so when we take these worries to God, that is what He promises to guard – our hearts and minds.

I wish I could tell you that I do this perfectly every time. I don’t! But when I do…well…I guess you’ll have to experience it for yourself – because the Bible’s right – I can’t really explain it – you just have to live it.

Peace!

What Does The Bible Mean? (Discussion)

I was going to make a new post here, but the conversation I'm enjoying through the "Comments" of the original "What Does The Bible Mean?" post is really worth pointing you all towards.

So, go back to that post and check out the Comments - and feel free to jump in!

/D

What does the Bible mean?

I’m starting a new seminary class in a couple of weeks, and because I’m a slow reader, I often get my books early and begin reading them before the class starts. My book for this class made a point that really struck me and I want to share it with you. Here’s what the author wrote:

Is there a difference between what the Bible says and what the Bible means? Or do you believe that “the Bible says what it means, and means what it says!”? There is a difference between “words” and “concepts.” Knowing words and understanding concepts are two different things. Let’s take “Love your enemies” as an example. Anyone who has been in Sunday school or church for even a short time knows that Jesus said “Love your enemies.” But how many understand what He meant when He said this?

What do I do when I love enemies? And who are my enemies? Must I like my enemies? How will “loving enemies” change the way I live day by day? Jesus define His own words in the passage as He said, “Love your enemies, bless then that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44, KJV). Agape [the word translated “love”] means blessing and doing good and praying for. Nothing here about how I feel about them. “My enemy” means those who curse me, and hate me, and use and hurt me. My enemy can be my best friend, my colleague, my wife, or a fellow church member. When people close to me hurt me, I do not feel like loving them. But I am commanded to love. Not to feel, but to act.

It is far easier to know the words “Love your enemies” than it is to understand their meaning. But until learners clearly understand what Jesus meant, they will not be able to “love their enemies” in the way He intended. Unless Bible teaching can move learners from isolated words to biblical concepts, we will see little spiritual growth in our learners. Without clear biblical understanding, learners tend to read their own meanings into Bible words.

Source: Created to Learn by William R. Yount

/D

Questions Jesus Asked – Love & Kindness (2)

We find Jesus’ next questions at the end of Matthew 5 in verses 46 and 47:

If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?
If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?

Okay, Jesus is going right to the “heart” of the matter here. One of the things that bothers me is the reputation the church has as being full of hypocrites. I think it bothers me because I know I’m part of the church – and I know I can be hypocritical – so I know they’re right.

I’ve often used the reply – but there are hypocrites everywhere. But, I think this is the response that Jesus knew we “Christians” would have and He points out that we are supposed to be DIFFERENT!

Sure, I know that most Christians admit that we know we’re not perfect and we don’t attempt to take on the perfection label. But is that it? Does that make our hypocrisy okay?

Another typical Christian response is – well not all of the people in the church are really Christians. I agree, but I’ve also spent enough time in churches to know that those I would strongly suspect are Christians are just as bad as the others. In fact, why do non-Christians at church continue to act like they have always acted? Because the “Christians” in the church continue to act like they’ve always acted.

Before I move into a full-on rant, let me express to all of you who maybe have the “been-there-done-that-don’t-need-that-anymore” view of the church, I would like to say (and encourage you to consider) that churches are also filled with people who DO “get it” and who do truly care about others – not just their friends, but everyone with whom they come in contact. And, the truth is, the closer any one of us is willing to come to Christ the more we learn how to see others differently. To love and be kind to all people, not just our friends.

Do we do this perfectly? No, far from it, and we need to be willing to throw our hand up in their air and admit when we blow it. But if all of us would consider Jesus’ questions here at the end of Matthew, I think we would find a challenge worth taking. How do we learn to care about those we don’t click with? How do we find ourselves looking to put other’s needs before our own?

Well, it does not come easily. In fact, unless we are first willing to surrender our agendas over to Christ, I’m not sure this is really possible at all. But as we learn that we do not naturally care about others who are not close to us (and sometimes even those who are close to us), we can also discover that we have been created for relationships and that while it’s true there’s risk involved with loving – the alternative is to be love-less – and that’s just a miserable existence, not the life we were created to live!

So, why not take a look in the mirror. How do these questions from Jesus hit you? Can you find ways to see people differently? Can you learn to love… everyone?

I’ve got the paddle next to you in the same boat – but I always love a challenge :-).

/D

Poll Results - How often do you read the Bible?

My last poll asked: How often do you read the Bible?

Here's what you said:

Daily - 50%
Once a week - 16%
A couple of times a month - 34%
Once a month - 0%
Rarely - 0%
Never - 0%

Interesting. So, it would appear that we have "spiritual" people (in some form or fashion) who read this blog (or at least the ones who answer the poll).

In a previous poll I asked who you would turn to for help - 0% said you would turn to a church leader. I'm curious how many of you attend church. I know the definition of church may differ. So, the new poll question is up (How often do you attend church?), but I'd also like to hear how you define church, so you can respond to this post with your thoughts on that.

/D

Questions Jesus Asked - Salt (1)

[Note: I want to pick up on a series I began in January 2007 called Questions Jesus Asked. I only made four posts back then, so, to get going again, I'm going to repost those posts and then continue the series /D]

As I begin this series of questions Jesus asked, I want to be clear that this does not make up the full teachings of Christ. However, I do think we can learn a lot from His questions & I’m really curious to see where this takes us.

I just started in Matthew – and the first questions Jesus asks is recorded in Matthew 5:13 where He asks – “What good is salt if it has lost its saltiness? Can you make it salty again?”

Okay, I could totally understand a, “Yeah, that’s helpful – what in the world is He talking about” thought to this question. And while I don’t want to make this a book – I think a little background would be real helpful.

A good starting point is to remember the culture and time frame in which Jesus was teaching – they did not have freezers and microwaves. They had not figured out how to stuff food with so many preservatives that their shelf life is longer than our average life span. So, one use for salt was to preserve foods. Part of what we can learn from this question is Jesus was talking to His followers saying, I want you to do good things and preserve goodness. I want you to be a positive influence on those around you.

Another use for salt was for cleaning. Have you ever rubbed salt in a wound? I don’t recommend it – but the truth is it will clean out a wound. So, another potential teaching here is – bring healing to those you come in contact with. While sometimes the truth stings a little, the cleansing is worth it and will bring healing – and that’s a good thing.

I’m sure there are more analogies we could make, but I’ll make just one more. Have you ever heard, “That guy or girl is worth their salt”? It’s kind of an old saying, but it came from the fact that soldiers use to be paid in salt. So, someone who was doing well was, “worth their salt.” Today, our society has changed, so a similar statement we may hear is, “That girl is worth her weight in gold.” Same idea. So, what could we learn from this aspect of being “salt”? I think its fair to say that Jesus would want His followers to make a positive difference. To have relationships that others say, “I’m glad you’re my friend. We don’t always see eye to eye, but your friendship is worth it.”

So, a couple of things from this first question that we can learn – Jesus wants us to be a positive influence, a healer, and be someone worth having a relationship with. Cool stuff! But if we really look at the way He asked the question – He’s saying if were not all of these things – what good are we?

I think I need to look at how I interact with those around me and make sure I’m “worth my salt.” How about you?

/D

Easter Reflection

What a great day! It’s Monday, the day after Easter, and I’ve been thinking about the time I got to spend with the church that gathered at our house yesterday. Many friends we don’t get to worship with every week were able to join us for Easter dinner, and we had a great time just sharing life together.

Dinner was awesome, followed by the Lord’s Supper, and then many of us stayed for a couple more hours just talking and catching up.

To me, this is an element of worship we often miss when we just come together in a large group for “Easter Service”. We miss the “church family” element. The personal time together, catching up on the things that really matter to the people we gather with for worship.

Shifting gears a bit, there’s a song I’ve heard often, but when I heard it on the radio Easter morning it really struck me. You can listen to it at this link. It’s Fee’s “It’s All Because of Jesus”. The resurrection of Jesus (His returning to life) is what has truly given me life! I hope you also have this “real life”!

/D