Maybe They Were onto Something

At Lafayette First Church of the Nazarene, we care deeply for the spiritual formation of entire families. We're formulating our goals in ministry to bring whole families into the life of Jesus Christ. As part of our discussion, my pastor shared with our church staff an article by Alan and Debra Hirsch entitled "Refocusing on the Family" from a chapter of Untamed as featured in Neue Magazine. In this article the Hirsch's claim the development of the nuclear family has been cultivated in a climate of aggressive consumerism and capitalism, and the model of the nuclear family is not congruent with that of Scripture. I was particularly struck by this comment:

Under such enormous cultural pressure and stress, families have become highly protective. They have become a fortress from the outside world--a defensive unit designed to keep the the cultural onslaughts at bay.

Because families have fortressed themselves in order to protect our cars, valuables, and things sentimental, Hirsch argues we miss out out on the chance to live out our missional mandate to be hospitable at all times. And I think he's right.

Though I don't have much, the little I do have is sentimental. The Stan Musial signed Spalding National League Baseball that my mom got when she was a kid when the St. Louis Cardinals were in Spring Training. The Ryne Sandberg Jersey and baseball he autographed for me last year. The guitar that sits in my office. Heck, even the books on my shelf. Though there's some tidiness to what I have, I'm still a hoarder.

I remember when I first learned about how the Monastics lived when I was in college. I read about their radical lifestyles; how they took vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty. Though chastity and obedience present unique challenges in themselves, I was always struck particularly by the radical nature of the vow of poverty. I had a college professor who told a story about an experience he had while completing his Ph.D. He was doing his doctoral work at a Jesuit University and his professor at the time had taken monastic orders. At one point my professor had borrowed a book from the Jesuit priest and when he took it back to give it to him he simply responded, "No, you keep it. It's your's now." He just gave it away.

Maybe its my cultural conditioning to think that when I lend something, I need it back in due time. Maybe I get worried that the things that are sentimental in my life might be taken away if I were to open up my life to being hospitable. When I think about that monk who has no face in my mind, I wonder how much easier it is for him to be hospitable when he's not really attached to anything material at all. Maybe they were onto something.

I've seen this Kingdom Hospitality in my life; Well, at least the fruit of it. When my lovely wife was growing up, her home was open to any who needed a place to be. One young lady who had it tough at home ended up spending countless weekends and entire summer's in Nicole's home. The line between "friend" and "sister" almost doesn't exist. Nicole talks to her like she's an older sister (she's 7 years older), fought with her like she's an older sister, and probably annoyed her like she's an older sister. But, the openness of Nicole's family has paid dividends beyond belief in the life of this young lady. Her life is oriented to the Kingdom.

As my family continues to develop and expand (Britton will be here any minute!), my prayer is that we'd be open to sharing God's hospitality in our home. It won't be easy--it will be a radical change of lifestyle.

A Better Proclamation

For Christmas, Nicole and I traveled to Iowa to see her parents. We spent a lot of time in the car with her folks, and car rides with the Maberry's means that K Love is on the radio. Positive. Encouraging. All those things.

The thing about K Love is that they tend play the same five songs over and over again. And, they've had a tendency to play the same five songs for I can only imagine how long (Pun intended, kids).

One song they've continued to play on every fifth play is Indescribable by Chris Tomlin. While on vacation, I probably heard this song ten to fifteen times. Chris Tomlin is really likes natural theology. He likes to look at the stars, mountains, lightning bolts, and sing about how great God is. This is commendable. These things in a sense do reflect God's creative work. No doubt.

In my time at Lafayette First Church of the Nazarene, I've learned a new song (at least new to me) that I think speaks a better proclamation. A few years ago, my pastor blogged about this song, and the words are simply terrific. As an added bonus, I believe the worship leaders at our church do this song better justice than the original!

These are the words we sang to this song during advent:

Verse 1
Who is this child asleep in the manger?
Tender and mild, this intimate Stranger?
Recklessly, wildly loving a dangerous world
Who is this light invading our darkness?
Glorious might, the sun rising for us.
Conquering night, He captures the hardest of hearts
We sing:

Chorus 1
This is our God, living and breathing
Call Him courageous, relentless, and brave
This is our God, loving and reaching,
Scandalous mercy and mighty to save.
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Sing praise.

Verse 2
Who is this One who will not condemn us?
Why would He come to shoulder our sentence?
Nothing we've done will keep Him from giving us grace.
Who is this One we watch and we're speechless?
God's only Son embracing our weakness.
He overcomes all death and he frees us to live
And we sing:

Chorus 2
This is our God, suffering and dying.
Call Him the Hero redeeming the lost.
This is our God, love sacrificing,
All that is holy, accepting our cross.
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Sing praise.

Here's why I like this song: It is incredibly personal. While songs like Indescribable wonder about the intangible wonders of God, this song proclaims the vulnerability and reckless love of God to a broken world. We're reminded in this song that God came to live as we are; meek, humble, helpless. We're reminded that God lives, God breathes. We're reminded that God's love isn't safe; it's scandalous. Most of all, this song reminds us that we are not left in amazement because of a bolt of lightning, or that the sun shines, or that God knows the names of the stars in the sky; we are left in amazement and awe because of the suffering and dying that the holy one takes on our behalf. And that we are made free to live. These are the songs I like to sing, because its reminds me that God isn't far off. We serve a personal God who loves us.

This is our God.

Sing Praise.

What a day of rejoicing that will be!

Today has been a sad day. Nicole and I said goodbye to our dear friends, Levi and Katie Holland, who are moving to Syracuse, NY to minister to the youth of upstate New York. While we're thrilled that God is moving them to this new place in their journey, its difficult to say goodbye knowing that our paths may not cross again in the near future. Levi was my college roommate all four years, we traveled together in a PR group, went through our degree programs together, and have been through seminary together. I befriended Katie within the first month or so at Olivet, and I introduced the two. Nicole and Katie have become quite good friends too.

We've all said goodbye before--when we went away from school for summers, when we graduated, and at our weddings. But this time is different. New York and the midwest are far away from each other.

And yet this time is the same. One thing the great relationships in my life have taught me is that the finest moments we share with each other are the treasures we store up in heaven with Christ. I am thankful for my friends and what they mean to me and Nicole. Lots of people have some pipe dream of heaven where they can indulge themselves till they are blue in the face and then keep going. I anticipate the peace of the lamb who was slain filling the new heaven and new earth, where we selflessly serve and enjoy each other's presence. It will be a day of rejoicing when we all see Jesus, because it is He who unites us, makes us capable of love (both giving and receiving), and who saves us. Though today I am sad, I know joy is ahead both in this life and the life to come. Amen!

Sweet Hour of Prayer

A good hymn:

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
“Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!”

I have great interest in these words in this season of life. I some ways it is hard for me to agree with this hymn writer. I haven't always thought of an hour of prayer as "sweet." More appropriate ways of describing an hour of prayer for me has been frustrating, trying, boring, and wandering. Rewarding? Sometimes. Hard? Every time.

When I was in junior high/high school I was a part of a praying youth group. The two youth pastor I had always had in pray for extended periods of time on retreats and mission trips. I remember these times more than the games/activities we participated in. These were hard times were from an early age we were challenged to be disciplined to pray.

It's still hard. I struggle with the getting into a good prayer routine; finding a voice to praise, confess, and bring petition before God.

This semester I enrolled in a course were we have to pray for a whole hour a day six days of the week! My peers and I have just completed our first week of this discipline and there are many things I have learned through the course of the week. First, setting aside a whole hour to be in prayer and scripture changes the priorities of your day. Everyday I have to think about how I am going to spent 1/24th of it in prayer, and how I have to plan the rest of my day around it. Hopefully these things will eventually become habit. The second thing I have learned is that the time spent with God at the beginning of the day reminds me of his presence throughout the entire day. It is incredibly convicting. Already I have had to submit to a spirit of confession as I see my sinfulness in light of the Lord as He is with me through the day.

So, while I might not have always thought of an hour of prayer as sweet, I am trying to put myself in place where I will "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8). I suppose we would be at fault to separate our prayer life from the other aspects of the Via Salutis. Part the struggle of figuring out how to pray is a means by which God sanctifies us. The sweetness is the joy of the journey.

The Living Word, Written and Spoken

I believe in God's word.

I believe it is living and active. Sharper than a double edge sword. The author of Hebrews could not have described better how the word pierces the convictions of the heart.

I'm thinking lately...what is God's word? Pretty simple, right? The scriptures. Easy answer, but what makes the scriptures God's word? Is God's word solely the scriptures?

As I have thought about this over the last year of studying I cannot but help to conclude that when we read the scriptures what makes them authoritative is not by virtue of its tradition, but by the unique way that God continues to unravel salvation history through them. The history of the Israelites, the Jews, and early Christians has become my history. God still speaks through the scriptures not because an oracle simply wrote down ancient Hebrew and Greek words thousands of years ago, but because God still reveals his purposes through his scriptures today. I now find a literal interpretation of the text problematic because of the tendency to place more trust in the scriptures themselves than the Lord who speaks through the scriptures. Our reading of the scriptures must be regarded as sacramental.

And this is half of the story

More than anything lately I have begun to pay careful attention to the messages that I've heard on sunday mornings. I have realized something very important: the difference between preaching and teaching. Perry Downs is right. One of the things that I learned from Dr. Franklin at Olivet is that the Kerygma really is one of the unofficial sacraments of the post-reformation church. So now I regard preaching as important as the reading of the word, because God speaks through preaching. Whereas teaching may be instructive and useful, preaching is different because it calls for change, sacrifice, comfort, and repentance. Understanding this simple distinction now will be very foundational for me as someday I'll have to preach God's word. I think Brian Kay really hits it on the head when he question, "did Jesus Christ have to die on the Cross in order for this message to be preached?"

Praise be to God for all the ways he still reveals his purposes!

School's out

School is over, and it never felt so good.

This was one of the most difficult semesters I have had throughout my scholastic career. Even at Olivet, the graduate level is significantly more strenuous than the undergraduate. Multiple factors play in: getting married, three jobs, paying bills, and making time for people around me. Not to mention I didn't hardly exercise or eat right, this semester took a toll on my "gauges" as Prof. Wine would say.

Regardless of how difficult it may have been, I learned a whole heck of a lot.

1. The Bible (specifically the New Testament, even more specifically Paul, and even more than that the letters that we actually know without question that Paul wrote) greatly utilizes the various inventions of rhetoric. I had a class with Troy Martin, who I am convinced knows just about everything there is to know about Paul and his letters, on the uses of rhetoric in Paul's letters. By seeing his different usages of rhetorical proofs (logos, ethos, pathos) and other various rhetorical devices in Paul's letters, I will never read them the same again. Also, I am now aware of the variegated rhetorical situations we face daily. People are very good at using rhetoric, and they can also be very manipulative.

2. I am not an open theist. It seemed appealing at first, but the evidence I've found leads me to believe that open theism's nature is reactionary to a specific strand of the Christian faith, and I just don't know that I need to "go there" in order to have a proper understanding of God. I do not, however, think that it is necessarily outside of the trajectory of faith. It is based more off a philosophical presupposition (God's relation to time and the created order) than a theological assertion (God has to be x in order to do y). This does not mean that I am closed to learning more about or investigating more fully the concept of open theism--just right now I am content with being a good old fashion Arminian.

3. Studying ethics is interesting. I still am unsure of how I would even define ethics; where they come from and how they derive I still have no conclusion. It was interesting this semester, however, to see the changes and different forms of ethics throughout the 20th century. What I have found to be the defining era of the 20th century was WW2. I'm sure few would disagree with that. How the incredibly diverse aspects of that war play into the different views of ethics is astounding. Even still, the best metaphor to describe the ethics throughout the 20th century would be a pendulum. It is easy to see how one ethicist reacted against another ethicist, and then back again, and so forth. Really interesting.

This is just a tip of the iceberg of things I learned. I hope the process continues where I am able to continue to build on the different things I know.

Now I just might watch some TV for a while.

Cavity

Today I got my first cavity filling. Dagum. 22 years strong without one. Now that day has come and gone. Though it is probably common knowledge that I don't take care of my teeth that well, they have always been strong and haven't let me down when I go to the doctor. This time was not the case. I gave the 'ole "yeah, yeah, I know" when they told me to floss more, but to my surprise they said, "uh oh, we gotta fill this one in the back".

Cavities are quite the remarkable little phenomenon. I heard a long time ago that the teeth are the strongest bones in the body. Well, all that sugar, bacteria, and rotting food that just sits in our teeth and wears through the enamel and then all the way to the root. You're really sorry out of luck if your nerve gets exposed. Ouch! I'd rather get the shot of novacain. Amazing that food can do that. It just makes me wonder what kind of dental problems Jesus had. They didn't have any fluoride in the water and had few means of taking care of their teeth. He probably had a tooth ache or two. Simple things like this remind me of his humanity even though he is the fullness of God.

Anyway, novocain is an interesting thing. It pinches when they shoot you with it. Then slowly my face felt fatter, and fatter, and fatter. You have to kill time while it takes effect. While it was settling in I got to tell the doctor how the Nazarene Church came out of the Methodist movement, and that it follows the theology of John Wesley. He just basically wanted to know what I am in school for. After I ran it down for him, I realized the whole left side of my face was gone. Couldn't move it if you paid me. He then started drilling.

The whole thing wasn't that bad of a process. I used to fear the doctor with all of my being. Now, I say, "bring it on doc!" Let's see if that hold up if I get a kidney stone next...

Maybe I'll start flossing more.