The Veil -God Coming Out

I was thinking this morning about the veil that was torn in two at Jesus’ death. Matthew records it like this:

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.”

Certainly there is a lot of truth that can be gleaned from Matthew’s description (Mark and Luke describe a similar occurrence) of this event. The truths are all important truths. Truths like our access into God and his presence is now available to all through Christ’s finished work.

The writer of Hebrews does a great job describing some of the benefits made available to us:

And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,  "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM," He then says,  "AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE." Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:15-22.

The point of Hebrews and most writers (and rightly so) is our access into the Holy of Holies. God has made a way into his presence through Christ.

But as I was thinking about this, and it struck me that maybe there was something else at work. Just as much as God was making a way for us to ENTER IN, he was also signaling that he was COMING OUT. That the veil and temple worship that kept God in the temple, in Jerusalem, in a localized way, was coming out. He was not just the God of the temple worship, or the God of Israel, but the God of the whole world. God was on the move (Aslan!), redeeming his world.

I think we get a glimpse of this (God moving out into His world) in Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus in John 3. Keep in mind that John 3:16, (We all remember this famous passage. I think we remember it so much we forget the context of Jesus’ words, as they were directed to Nicodemus) “For God so loved the world……” is Jesus responding to Nicodemus questions.

Think about Nicodemus’ conversation with Jesus.

Nicodemus meets Jesus late in the evening and pays him a compliment:

"Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."

Jesus as he always does, answers a question that Nicodemus is not asking, but should be,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Many evangelicals go for the salvation jugular around “born again” and “seeing the kingdom of God”. The interpretation is: Get saved (born again) and you are going to heaven (see the Kingdom of God). I am not sure this was what Jesus was saying. And I don’t believe this is what Nicodemus was hearing.

I think we need to look at this in nationalistic terms. We also have to see it in light of the covenant that Nicodemus was living under. Nicodemus was not concerned about getting to heaven. He was not concerned about his salvation. But he certainly understood that being “born again” meant a different citizenship than what he currently was living under. For him, the kingdom of God, Messiah, the temple, Jerusalem, and Israel were all tied together. In one sense you couldn't talk about one without talking about the other.

What Jesus was saying and what he was trying to get Nicodemus to hear and see, was that God’s kingdom and his work was no longer localized to just Israel, or the temple or Jerusalem. If he wanted to “see” the kingdom of God he was going to need a different citizenship. He had to be born of “water and spirit”. That which is born of the flesh is flesh (nationalistic Israel), that which is born of the spirit is spirit (God’s Kingdom people). Jesus was trying to help Nicodemus understand that if he was going to really see Him as Messiah, if he was going to see God’s kingdom at work, he (Nicodemus) would need a new pair of eyes. And the only way to get those new pair of eyes was to be born again. He had to shed the confidence he had in his genealogy. That fact that he was a Hebrew under the covenant would not be enough. It would only limit his sight. It would limit his view. He would misinterpret God’s work and he was going to misinterpret Jesus.  What I hear Jesus saying is,  "God is coming out!"

For the sake of time and space, keeping in mind what I just said, let’s look at John 3:16 (and verse 17) again. Let’s look at it through Nicodemus’s eyes, through his ears. Let’s look at it from what Jesus was trying to help Nicodemus see. What Nicodemus is about to hear, is ground breaking news that would disorientate him, knocking him out of what he thought was a secure place for him. Listen to these words through Nicodemus’s ears:

"For God so loved the world (not just Israel or Jerusalem, or your idea of what it meant.... yes, God loves all those Gentiles or Romans, his creation), that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

God was coming out! The temple, Jerusalem, or Israel (which had long ago stopped representing him well) could not hold onto him any longer. He was God of the whole world! The veil had been ripped in two (from top to bottom, meaning God did it, not man). The idea that God loved his world, would not have sat well with a good Jew/Pharisee like Nicodemus. Being born again to not only see, but enter into the Kingdom of God was a hard pill to swallow. But swallow he would need to, if he was going to see God coming out in Jesus, God loving his world, God at work in His world. 

I am not diminishing all that is meant by our ability to enter into God’s presence through Jesus’ shed blood. But at times, as we have emphasized one aspect, we have become like Nicodemus stuck in seeing the Kingdom of God at work in only one way. It is usually localized and parochial in nature. We too, like Nicodemus “must be born again” if we are going to see God at work in his world. God is breaking out. The early church left Jerusalem (with a little help from Stephen and a lot of help from Paul) and by the end of Acts ended up in Rome.  In AD 70 Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. God was on the move. He was redeeming His world. He was not going back! He was moving forward.

Of course these are just my thoughts. 

Stewardship III - Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge

This post has been sitting in "draft mode" for over three years. I thought I would finish and post. 

Part three of understanding stewardship is the importance of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in stewarding the sphere that God has given us. These three words are seen together often, particularly in Proverbs.

Pro 24:3 By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

This three words, Wisdom, Understanding, and knowledge have been at the center of my thinking for many years. Without them we cannot build successfully. Without them we cannot build something that will last into eternity. We need wisdom, understanding, and knowledge if we are going to be good stewards of all that God has given us. Just because I am writing about these three words and their impact on stewardship doesn't mean I understand them fully or even partially. What I do know is that if I want to build anything with a sense of permanency, have it be established, have it stand the test of time and become a place of resource and life for others I need the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge that comes from God.

The Source

Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge all have their source in God. 

Proverbs 2:6 states, "For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding." 

As wise stewards any attempt at faithfulness, growth, or increase in our sphere must start with a focus on the Lord and begin to know His ways.

To often we find ourselves focusing on patterns of living, thought processes, and ideas which have as their source in our culture's way of conducting business. Whether it is in our relationships, work ethic, marriage, finances, or our personal life we take our lead from what is popular or practical by our cultures standards and not by what God says is wise.

The book of Proverbs is a great book to begin reading to inform our mind. The writer of Proverbs challenges its readers, to Listen, to Hear (as in Hear my son); Wisdom is crying out (in the noisy street) asking us to pay attention to God's words and his ways. If God is the source of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge then it is important that we turn our ear and hearts in His direction.

To do this we have to put ourselves in a position to where we are listening. The thrust of Proverbs 2:6 is that the Lord is GIVING wisdom. The Lord is not holding back. There is not hesitancy or unwillingness to give wisdom, understanding or knowledge to those asking. Instead Proverbs challenge is that we not only listen, but not forget, but instead keep what God has given to us. Proverbs 3:1 says, "My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments." The Lord is the source of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. We have to listen if we are going to receive what the Lord is giving.

Skillfull Workers

When God was looking for craftsmen to work on Aaron's garments and to build the ark he gave Moses the names of specific men (it could have been women as well) whose skill sets included Wisdom, Knowledge, and Understanding....

Exo 28:3  "You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me. 

Exo 31:1-5  Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 

Paul's Prayer

Paul in his letter to the Colossians is that they would have spiritual wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of his will. Our walk, our ability to please the Father and our fruitfulness are dependent on us obtaining these three qualities. 

Col 1:9-12  For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. 

Where Do We Start?

Pray

Let's start by praying for these three qualities to be present in our lives. Use Colossians 1;9-12 as the basis of your prayer. 

Read

Spend time reading God's word. Also read good books that will challenge your thinking. I enjoy reading the Old Testament stories. They are filled with faith, courage, hope, failure and the grace of God. 

Renewed Your Mind

Our purpose is that we will be transformed through a renewed mind. So that we can approve God's will in a broken world. A will that is Good, Acceptable and Perfect. 

Daniel our Example

Daniel and his friends succeeded in a pagan land because God endowed them with Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. They didn't bow to the pressures of the country they lived and neither were they hampered by previous rituals which could no longer be fulfilled. They were light and salt in Babylon, filled with Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. They stood out and proved that God's will was Good, Acceptable and Perfect. 

How Long?

One of the hardest things for me to do is wait. I don't know about you, but I don't like to wait. It is not that I am overly action orientated, it is just that when I think something is over, I want to move on. To be honest with you, I don't like waiting for others. I tend to give myself all the time that I need, but when it comes to giving others the same courtesy, I seem to come up short. Grace for me, from me; and hurry up for you, from me. Sounds great, until of course we get to God. 

Waiting on God and for God is hard. You can't manipulate him or control him. You have to wait for him. You can't adjust the timing to fit your schedule. It seems liking planning works up to a point, then you find yourself waiting and wondering. 

One of the questions you read often from the OT writers is How Long?. Read David's words from Psalm 13:1-6; 

 "How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, And my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken. But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me."

This is just one example. You could find more. Below is just a sample from the Psalms

•  Psa_35:17  Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only life from the lions. 
• Psa_62:3  How long will you assail a man, That you may murder him, all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 
• Psa_74:9  We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet, Nor is there any among us who knows how long. 
• Psa_74:10  How long, O God, will the adversary revile, And the enemy spurn Your name forever? 
• Psa_79:5  How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? 
• Psa_80:4  O LORD God of hosts, How long will You be angry with the prayer of Your people? 
• Psa_82:2  How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. 
• Psa_89:46  How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath burn like fire? 
• Psa_90:13  Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. 
• Psa_94:3  How long shall the wicked, O LORD, How long shall the wicked exult? 

I think you get the idea. I like what one author said about the Psalms. God has provided us with his words that we can say back to him. How Long was part of the Psalmist prayers. It was part of the great prophets prayers. It was God giving us words to talk back to him with.

Waiting is hard work. Maintaining our hope and confidence while we wait is hard work. David at the end of Psalm 25: 20-21 says: 

"Guard my soul and deliver me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You."

David asked that integrity and uprightness, while he was waiting. would preserve him. Isn't that part of the test during waiting? Isn't the temptation during waiting to take matters into our own hands? To circumvent integrity and uprightness for expediency? The OT is full of stories of those who instead of waiting, instead of letting integrity and uprightness preserve them (maybe this was Jesus idea of the narrow way) found a short cut, one that cost them integrity or uprightness. 

Of course, most of these Psalms start out by asking how long and end up in thankfulness around the goodness God. That is how Psalm 13 ends. The word "But" at the beginning of verse 5 transitions away from David's concerns to who God is. 

Even though it seems appropriate to ask How Long, it also seems appropriate not to stay there, but to move on like most, if not all of the Psalms do, to the goodness and faithfulness of a trustworthy God.

Of course, these are Just My Thoughts.....

Integrity - The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality. - Chapter 1

I am currently reading Dr. Henry Cloud's book, Integrity, the courage to meet the demands of reality. I thought I would review each chapter. I liked the title and approach of this book. It reminds me of Charles Simpsons message on Internal Integrity and External Integration. Follow along or by the book.

Dr. Henry Cloud’s Book – Integrity, the courage to meet the demands of reality.

Chapter 1

Dr. Cloud starts off in his book by sharing his journey into why he was writing this book. He wants to make it clear that when talking about integrity, people typically move into a conversation about moral issues such as honesty or ethics. But when he is talking about integrity he is going beyond just morals or ethics into character. He wants to make it clear that having integrity or character is not developed so that you “don’t get into trouble” but that, “who a person is” will ultimately determine if their brains, talents, competencies, energy, effort, deal-making abilities and opportunities will succeed. It is character and integrity that make you productive and successful.

DC states that to be successful you need three ingredients:

1.     You have to have some set of competencies in your field

2.     You have to have the ability to build alliances with others that is mutually beneficial.

3.     The have to have the character so that they do not screw up.

DC’s focus is on Character.

He asks the question:

“How many of you have had a situation in your work experience where someone was very bright, talented, competent, and good working deals, but there was something about who he or she was as a person that somehow got in the way of all of that ability?”

“How many of you can also relate to there being some way in which you feel like if you were different in some way, that you could go further than you have or reach the full potential that your brains, talents, and competencies would allow?”

DC is trying to differentiate between a person with good character, morals, ethics, honesty, trustworthiness (he doesn’t minimize this) and what he calls their “personhood” - Who they are as a whole person. I think this is an important distinction. It is the difference between a character that keeps you out of trouble versus one that when others are working with you and for you, you are able to be productive and meet your goals.

Here is the center of what DC is trying to convey. People who are blind to the shortcomings of their “personhood” will not see the need to develop their skills and abilities. Thus they will not be able to do the following:

1.     Gain the complete trust of the people they were leading, and capture their full hearts and following.

2.     See all of the realities that are right in front of them. They had blind spots regarding themselves, others, or even the markets, customers, projects opportunities, or other external realities that kept them from reaching their goals.

3.     Work in a way that actually produced the outcomes that they should have produced, given their abilities and resources.

4.     Deal with problem people, negative situations, obstacles, failures, setbacks, and losses.

5.     Create growth in their organization, their people, themselves, their profits, or their industry.

6.     Transcend their own interests and give themselves to larger purposes, thus becoming part of a larger mission.

From this DC states that the issues he outlines above have nothing to do with a person’s IQ, talents, brains, education…. Instead they have to do with aspects of a person’s character that is given too little attention and never seen as important enough to develop.

DC states, “The most important tool ultimately is the person and his or her makeup, and yet it seems to get the least amount of attention and work.”

DC is making the argument that it is a person’s character or personal make-up that has more to do with someone’s ultimate ability than we have been recognized.

He believes when we focus on the person as a whole the following three pitfalls can be avoided:

1.     Hitting a performance ceiling that is much lower than one’s aptitude.

2.     Hitting an obstacle or situation that derails you

3.     Reaching great success only to self-destruct and lose it all.

I Wonder

I wonder why the gospel message doesn’t “up end” our world like it should. What are we missing? Why doesn’t the radical message of a new and different order, an order that Jesus announced, lived, died for and was resurrected, doesn’t impact us in a deeply personal way?

I wonder if we have so compartmentalized our Christianity that we end up seeing Jesus' teachings through the lenses of our current Christian life and church experience. Instead of challenging that life style we end up reducing the message to something that sees it justification in our current religious activities. Or even worse, we have decided to legalize and ritualize his words to the point that they lose their life and meaning. The light and life become darkness and death, a burden to bear. We then find ourselves having a hard time agreeing with John that God’s commandments are not burdensome. The yoke we bear is a mixture (which is never good) of our current religious life and an attempt to follow the commands. One is holding us back, the other calling us forward into life, real life.

The call to biblical Christianity, to live in and serve the king and his kingdom, will have a hard time finding its fulfillment in our current structures. They are too tight, to constricting. They lack creativity and life. It is like doing the same thing only with a different look. Is it lipstick on a pig? I don’t know. But there is a risk when we decide to communicate and release God’s people to move beyond, to embrace the gospel message of the kingdom of God. If you sow the seeds of life, you have to expect they are going to sprout up in ways that you don’t expect. But, if the Holy Spirit is at work in the Word given, if his breath is breathing on those listening, than we have to expect growth, change, and above all Life. Jesus made it clear to Nicodemus the unpredictability of the Holy Spirit’s work. He said you don’t know where it came from or where it is going, but you will see evidence in the wind blowing through the trees. The evidence of the Holy Spirit at work is seen in the world, God’s creation. How it happened and where it is going from there, only God knows. Is the church willing to lose its life, or will it attempt to save it?

I wonder if when we read the scripture that we find ourselves reading it through the lenses of those who considered themselves “IN”, not “OUT”. By “IN” I mean those who thought they had figured it out, who had in some sense arrived, who considered themselves the protectors and communicators of God’s ways and laws. They could recite the 10 commandments, knew all of the rules, could recite clearly all of the current doctrines and ensure all of those in the synagogue, at least outwardly, conformed to them. They had all of the words and terminology down pat. Their subtle and at times deceptive self-justification rested on the fact that they were the defenders of the faith. The “IN” didn’t like there service disrupted, their conventional wisdom challenged, and the security of their lifestyle, taught and imposed, challenged. Their way of living was clear cut. Very little faith and a lot of conform. Those who were considered “IN” were clearly seen and those who were “OUT” were also clearly seen. A nice arrangement which kept the leaders in control and those both “IN” and “OUT” in their defined roles.

The back drop of much of Jesus teaching is to reach those who were not “IN” but “OUT”. He challenged the “IN” in their way of thinking, to see that their world view was clashing with God’s ways. That in reality they were “OUT”. To those who were “OUT” Luke writes this about Jesus,

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

The “OUT” were clearly on Jesus’ mind. His identification with the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed were on His Father’s mind. I am not sure this was on the minds of those who were in the synagogue.
Those who were “OUT” certainly saw this as good news. Those who were “IN” would see this message as disruptive to their world view and they would do whatever was needed to preserve that order. Even to the point of killing Jesus. Think of it: Healings on the Sabbath! Healings in the synagogue! Parties with sinners! Forgiveness and Grace versus condemnation and isolation! Certainly disruptive!

Why am I saying this? I want us to grasp the reality of Jesus message. To see the Gospels in a fresh way. To quit placing Jesus words in the context of a self-justifying religious belief that sanitizes and moralizes the words of Jesus to the point of obscurity. To get us to see that in many ways we are the “IN” that are really “OUT” and that the “OUT” are really the “IN”.

I probably could have said all of this a lot better. I don’t know. Hopefully you will get the heart of it and not just the words. I am challenged to follow the Christ of this kingdom. I don’t want to be “OUT” because the “OUT” is the new “IN”. I want, like Paul, to say, “That I might know Him”. And where ever that leads me well…I wonder!

But Who Do You Say That I Am, Part 2

Patterns (blue prints) are important. They serve as the basis for building. They also serve as the means through which the owner can communicate his vision or heart for the project or building with the intent of it being replicated and in many cases repeated. From a biblical perspective, God’s patterns are reality. They reflect how he not only sees the world, but how he created it, how he intended it to be, and how it works best. The more closely we live in and build according to that pattern, the more our results will reflect the life he intends for us and his world. Patterns that are alive and active in heaven, God desires to see repeated/built on earth. His prayer, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, is his intent to take the patterns, the reality of heaven and release it, loosen it on earth.

Matthew in writing about this interaction with Peter, Jesus, and Jesus disciples reveals the pattern of the owner. A blue print, that when it is revealed and unpacked allows us to see more clearly God’s intention. Follow the pattern and we will see the world turned upside right. Now back to the main point.It is important to realize that Jesus didn’t give Peter a pat on the back for his revelation. It is also important to see that Jesus didn’t say or do what we have believed to be the result of this type of confession, which is usually something like, “good answer you are on your way to heaven”. Instead Jesus leads the disciples to two important themes which serve as the foundation for the future of those who see Jesus as the “Messiah” the son of the living God.

When reading Matthew’s account of Jesus interaction with Peter which resulted in Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, we don’t see Jesus congratulating him and stating “good answer, you are on your way to heaven”. Yet if you would look today at how Christ is presented in many of our teachings, you would get the strong impression that heaven is the natural/primary outcome of the confession of faith. Hell and all of its negative implications has been avoided, and heaven with all of its positive implications has been obtained. Unfortunately what has been lost in the middle of all of this is our remaining life on earth (Paul called it “the life I now live…). Yet this is the place that Jesus focuses the attention of the disciples to and something which I believe is missed. Jesus uses two words to move us in that direction, church and Kingdom.
Both church and kingdom become the focal point of Jesus remaining comments to His disciples. They are large subjects and I am know expert, but if we can discern a pattern and understand the Father’s heart we can see that what Jesus is wanting to reveal to us is that Peter’s revelation (flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven) leads us toward something. It opens our eyes to seeing something that we would not have seen. And Jesus wants us to see.

Jesus first response based on Peter’s confession is, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Peter’s confession serves as the foundation on which Christ will be build his church. This church doesn’t sound like the church we are used to. First it is a church that Christ is intentionally building, “I will..”. Secondly it is a church owned by Christ, “my church”. Thirdly it is located in places that don’t seem to be desirable or safe, “the gates of hell”. And finally it is a church that “prevails” because the “gates of hell will not prevail against it”.

In another sense Jesus statement of building His church probably ran counter to what the disciples had been taught and understood about the covenantal called out. They saw themselves as members of Moses church. They were his congregation. In a sense they were part of the house that Moses built. Jesus was not only stating I am a church builder, but it is my church not Moses. It took, Paul, to move them and us more completely away from Moses church and all it stood for, and bring us more fully into the new covenant of Christ’s church and all it would mean.

Jesus second response to Peter’s confession is to talk about the kingdom of heaven. He said to Peter, “I will give you the Keys to the kingdom, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever is loosed on earth, will be loosed in heaven”. Jesus was making it clear to Peter that his confession had allowed him to become an important key carrier, a key carrier that opens up the door into the kingdom heaven. To understand this more fully let’s contrast this statement with what Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees (ministers if you will of the church of Moses),

Luke 11:52 "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering." And Matthew 23:13 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 

Moses church had become the church that would not and could not let people into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told Peter, I am giving you keys that will unlock doors that will allow those I am calling to not only see the kingdom of heaven, but enter into the kingdom of heaven, read John 3 with Nicodemus.

Jesus wasn’t offering just a kingdom in the distant future. It was something for them right now. Notice the focus of what the loosening and binding. It was earth. “What you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, what is loosed on earth, will be loosed in heaven.” Jesus is letting Peter know that the more you conform to the pattern I have laid out, the more you will be loosening and binding the way I see it. If you go to the book of Acts you will find that it took some prodding and pushing by the Holy Spirit to loosen Peter (Read Acts 10) to go to Cornelius’s house and unlock the kingdom of heaven for them.

If we could read the book of Acts and the rest of the NT through the lens of Jesus response to Peter’s confession we would see Christ building his church through a pattern of loosening and binding, with men and women entering the kingdom and the gates of hell not prevailing, but receding against the church. May God help us to not be known any longer as the church in the wilderness, but the church that has entered into His rest.

Before I go any further I want to say that I believe this interaction (Peter’s confession, Jesus’ response and subsequent teaching) is foundational and should serve as the lens through which we can see much of the NT teaching and life. Not everything in Jesus’s response or teaching is fully unpacked, but if we can begin to grasp the foundational truths and build on them, you will find yourself headed in the right direction. Move away from these foundational truths in your thinking or practice and you will find yourself missing much of what God has intended for us.

But Who Do you Say that I Am?

But Who Do you Say that I Am?

Matthew 16:13-17
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." He *said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Jesus in his questioning of the disciples starts by asking them “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Why did Jesus ask the disciples this question? What was he trying to get at?

I like the Message translation: It says the Jesus “pressed them further”, Who do you say that I am?” By pressing them he was forcing the point home personally with each disciple.

It wasn’t enough to believe what everyone one else believed, or to follow the herd, or general consensus of the people, religious or otherwise. By pressing the disciples, he was forcing them to think and interact with him, to review in a sense all that they had experienced together but even more than that, to go beyond what they observed to what was being deposited in their hearts.

Notice the narrowing effect of Jesus’s questions: From - What do people say? To - What do you say? Somewhere along in our journey with Christ, we have to come to place where we have to stop believing because others believe a certain way, somewhere along the way in our journey into Christ we have to decide, who he is.

This is important especially for those who have grown up in and around a strong family and church tradition. In that tradition it is easy to begin to accept and believe in your parent’s faith or your church’s faith. There is nothing wrong with this, but somewhere along the way, Jesus will ask you, “Who do you say that I am?” At that point you will be faced with having to come to grips with the reality of this man who has said he is the Son of God. And to be clear, Jesus would have it no other way.

A quick review of the life Isaac and Jacob, you will see that God met each one of them individually, to review the covenant that He had made with their father and grandfather, Abraham. It was not enough for them to have what Abraham had, passed down to them, important as that was, it was just as important that God sealed what was handed down to them by their own personal encounter with the living God.

This was just as important for the disciples as it was for Isaac and Jacob. Each of the disciples had to come to the same place that Peter came to: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Notice that the revelation was not based on some sort of earthly assessment or resource. Jesus told Peter, “My Father in heaven has revealed this to you.” Study is important, reading is important, listening to sermons that point us toward Christ and the cross is important, but once all of that is done, somewhere along the way we need God by his Holy Spirit to combine, the Word with the Spirit and move us beyond just facts to a truth, or better yet the Living Truth, that speaks to our hearts and brings us eternal life.

The Truth, Jesus, has to become to us a living revelation that penetrates our minds and heart; challenges our thinking, bringing us to the place that we see Jesus as the Messiah, the anointed one, our savior, the Son of the Living God. If you are going to withstand the tests of our time, the philosophies of this world that creep into our thinking and all of the challenges that you will confront, this must be settled.

When Jesus was reviewing his stewardship of the disciples training with his Father, in John 17 he said,
"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. "Now they have come to know that everything You have given Me is from You; for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

I have bolded several words that are pivotal in Jesus’ review of his stewardship in these verses. They are:
• Your Name (the Father’s character, his way, his life as seen and lived by His Son)
• Your Word, Jesus the Word speaks to us with words, words that penetrate us and bring revelation.
• Now is the pivotal word, it moves us from Your Name, Your Word, to the last statement,
• “And they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You”. This was the point of Peter’s revelation. You are the Christ, the son of the living God.

The same way Jesus worked with the disciples is the same way he will work with you. He will manifest the Father’s name and the Father’s word. Jesus provides an outline of how you can move from believing and confessing what others believe and confess to having the revelation that did not come by flesh and blood, but by my Father who is in heaven. Are you willing to join Him in this journey?

Surprised by Hope - Love

Quote from page 288 of N.T. Wright's Surprised by Hope, Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

The point of 1 Corinthians 13 is that love is not our duty; it is our destiny. It is the language Jesus spoke, and we are called to speak it so that we can converse with him. It is the food they eat in the God's new world, and we must acquire the taste for it here and now. It is the music God has written for all his creatures to sing, and we are called to learn it and practice it now so as to be ready when the conductor brings down his baton. It is the resurrection life, and the resurrected Jesus call us to begin living it with him and for him right now Love is at the very heart of the surprise of hope: people who truly hope as the resurrection encourages us to hope will be people enabled to love in a new way. Conversely, people who are living this rule of love will be people who are learning more deeply how to hope.

Surprised by Hope - Christ's Ascension

I have summarized some of N.T. Wright's comments on Christ's Ascension from his book, Suprised by Hope, Rethinking Heaven, the Ressurection, and the Mission of the Church. I thought his comments were insightful and got me thinking about the importance of Christ's ascension.

Comments from chapter 7 Jesus, Heaven, and New Creation on The Ascension.

We can’t only believe that Jesus was raised from the dead but closely linked to this is his ascension into heaven. You can’t confuse one with the other or assume they are the same thing. They are linked but they are different.

Luke is the only gospel writer that tells the story of Christ’s ascension. And he mentions is twice, once at the end of Luke and then again at the beginning of Acts. As if to say (and this is me, not Wright) that Christ’s ascension serves as the end of one era and the beginning of another.

Recent writings have revealed that when the church has ignored or misunderstood the ascension a lot of other teachings and practices go wrong. There are two directions that the church has gone in its understanding of the ascension. One is flat literalism; the other modernistic skepticism.

How should we think about the ascension?
• It is that the ascension demands that we think differently about how the whole cosmos is, so to speak, put together and that we also think differently about the church and about salvation.
• Heaven and earth are not different locations within the same continuum of space and matter. They are to different dimensions of God’s good creation. Heaven relates to earth tangentially so that one who is in heaven can be present simultaneously anywhere and everywhere on earth: the ascension means that Jesus is available and accessible, without people having travel to a particular spot on earth to find him. Second, heaven is, as it were the control room of earth. Jesus said, “All authority has been given me to me, in heaven and on earth.”
• Jesus is in heaven in a human (resurrected) body. Some people believe that Jesus was divine, stopped being divine (his earthly mission) and became divine again (his ascension). It is because we have a Platonic view of heaven as a “spiritual” no material place so that the idea of a solid body being not only present but also thoroughly at home there seems like a category mistake.
• Jesus is in charge not only in heaven but on earth. Not just in the future, but now. The church’s message is that we announce that there is a new sheriff in town. And things will start to be different.
• There is a danger that when the church ignores or downplays the ascension that it (the church) fills the vacuum. Jesus more or less becomes indentified with the church instead of being in heaven ruling over and above the church, sometimes against the church, and speaking to the church. The church instead of presenting Jesus as Lord and itself as the world’s servant sees itself linked directly with the presence of Jesus. So that its structures, practices, leadership, buildings and liturgy become identified with Him. What do you get when this happens?
1. Insolence of office on the one hand
2. The despair of late middle ages on the other as people realize that it doesn’t work.

Quoting N.T. Wright : “Only when we grasp firmly that the church is not Jesus and Jesus is not the church – when we grasp, in other words, the truth of the ascension, that the one who is indeed present with us by the Spirit is also the Lord over against us, the one who tells Mary Magdalene not to cling to him – only then are we rescued form both hollow triumphalism and shallow despair.
Conversely, only when we grasp and celebrate the fact that Jesus has gone on ahead of us into God’s space, God’s new world, and is both already ruling the rebellious present world as its rightful Lord and also interceding for us at the Father’s right hand – when we grasp and celebrate, in other words, what the ascension tells us about Jesus’ continuing human work in the present – are we rescued from a wrong view of world history and equipped for the task of justice in the present.”

With the resurrected Jesus in heaven we begin to see the trinity in a new light. The resurrected Jesus is still distinct from while indentified with God the Father on one hand and the Spirit on the other hand.

This is me: Once we understand the ascension and the work of Christ, and our work in connection to his, once we see that we are not Jesus, but that we are to declare his rule, then will appreciate and understand better the return that was promised in Acts 1:11. We will not see it as our goal to leave this earth and make heaven our home, but with pray with fervency, the kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Then the Spirit and the bride in unison will say come.

Stewardship II - Sphere of Responsibility

2 Corinthians 10:13 - But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

Ephesians 4:7 - But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Luke 16:10-11 - One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you true riches.

One aspect of understanding stewardship is the recognition of the area, or sphere of responsibility, that has been given to us, learning how to be faithful in that area, and then wait for God to increase that sphere.

Definitions
The word sphere in the Bible means rule, standard, by implication a boundary. It is not just a boundary but it is an area given to us to steward. Everything within (or fills or will fill) that sphere God has asked us to steward, everything outside of it, belongs to someone else.

The word measure means a limited portion or to portion out. The idea is like different cup sizes. you have 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, or 1 cup. Contents might be the same but the measure is different.

Both words, sphere and measure, have a similar focus. God has measured out a sphere and has asked us to be faithful within that sphere. Growth (internally & externally) will bring an expansion of that sphere and increased measure to meet those challenges.

Our Natural Growth
We can understand this concept better if we look at what takes place in our natural lives. From birth up to a certain age our sphere of responsibility will be limited. It might include picking up toys to keeping our room clean. As we get older our responsibilities should grow to include maybe mowing the lawn, doing dishes, cleaning the house, holding a part-time job. The older we get, the more mature we become (hopefully), we should see an increase in our internal and external capacities. Schooling, jobs, and family add to the increased responsibilities and expansion and growth in our sphere of influence. By contrast, we wouldn't expect a newborn to clean their room, nor would we expect a teenager to keep a fulltime job running a segment of large company.

This insight should help us when we look at how 1) God works in our lives and 2) how we should focus our training and teaching of our children.

Here are some key points:

1. God has given each of us a sphere of responsibility (personal, family, job, church...). Can you define this? Do you pray for it? Have you defined it for your children?
2. He has given us grace to steward what is within that sphere. I believe God will give us insight and wisdom to respond to and handle all of the challenges associated with stewarding what He has given us. By implication, he has not given us grace to handle what is outside our sphere. That would be the busy body. Or sometimes someone wants to give us a responsibility that God is not giving us. This mostly happens in the form of communication and the pressure we might feel to respond. This can be the work of the enemy to distract us from what is important. Remember Nehemiah.
3. There is an expectation of growth that should take place. Increase, fruitfulness is the expectation. It is based on what was given, not compared to what others have. Remember the parable of the talents.
4. Faithfulness (sticking to it, not giving up) in the small things brings increase. There are two tracks that faithfulness rides on: 1) is character developement (growing in the image of Christ) and 2) Competency (meaning an increase in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding). We will discuss these three at another time. Do not underestimate the value of not giving up!
5. God expects us to act with confidence, grace, and humility within the sphere that he has given us. Shrinking back is what the man with the one talent did. He didn't act, but instead he buried or hid what God gave him. Taking the initiative within our sphere is key to being a faithful steward.
6. We are called to guard and protect what God has given us to steward. The enemy wants to rob, kill, and destroy. We are called to, with God's help, give life to our sphere.
7. Finally, to the degree we are connected to and stay in fellowship with the owner of all things, is the degree to which we see increase and know how to tend to our sphere of responsibility. Remember: We are not the owners, just stewards and the owner, not us, knows best.

The next time we will look more closely at wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

Stewardship

The idea of stewardship and its implications on how we live has always been at the center of my thinking and, to the best of my abilities, lifestyle and action. It is a word and an idea that has lost its meaning and place within our society and families.
Stewardship is an old word. You don't hear it used often and if someone were to define it, they would struggle to understand its meaning and/or application.

What is stewardship?
The dictionary describes it as:

• A person who manages another's property or financial affairs. one who administers anything as the agent of another or others.
• A person who has charge of the household of another, buying or obtaining food, directing the servants, etc.
• An employee who has charge of the table, wine, servants, etc., in a club, restaurant, or the like.

The Bible's use of the word has a similar meaning. The greek word "oikonomos" is used in the new testament. The word is actually two words, household (oikos) and distributor of law, food etc (nomos).

A steward is given charge of another's possessions and manages those possessions. If it is in the context of the household, they distribute those possessions to other members of the extended family based on the wishes and direction of the owner.

The Bible through several parables and stories expands on the idea of stewardship by providing qualifications for stewardship and how to determine if a steward is succeeding.

It is not Just About Money

Most often when the church has approached the subject of stewardship it usually has been around the giving of money or the raising of funds for a specific project, like a new building. Once those funds were raised they would be distributed to fund the project or activity.

There is, in my view, a broader application and understanding of stewardship that goes beyond the use of, or raising of, money for projects. That broader view encompasses all of life, starting with our own lives (maybe we start with how we keep our bedrooms or how we handle our physical bodies), and growing to include all that has been added to us (children, homes, cars, vocation, finances, spiritual truths) as we get older and mature.

Ownership versus Stewardship
Before I go to far in developing the concept of stewardship I want to mention something that is close to my thinking, that is the idea of ownership versus stewardship. In my thinking the idea of ownership and its implications on how I handle all that has been given me runs contrary to the idea of stewardship.

Let me state at the beginning that I am not opposed to purchasing things (cars, homes, etc.) and owning them. Even though we could make a strong case that when we purchase on credit, we don't really own anything. What I am trying to work through is the underlying thinking behind how an owner thinks about what they have been given versus how a steward thinks.

A steward by definition is working with another's resources, not their own. The center of gravity is not their wishes or desires, but those of the owner. For the owner they are the center. What ever they wish or desire (regardless of the basis from which the desires emerge) become the command.

The steward sees that they are working for someone else not for themselves. So they treat all that has been given them from the perspective of the owner. The owner, works for themselves.

The problem comes when the steward begins to deceive themselves into thinking that they are the owner of all that they have. They see that everything they have is theirs to do with as they please. The center of gravity is now them. It is there wishes and their desires regardless of the basis from which those desires emerge, that serve as the basis for their decisions and actions. Consulting someone else, especially the owner, is not needed. The deceived steward becomes a resource for themselves. It is an inward consultation, not an outward or upward consultation.

I believe, much that has been ruined or harmed in our society and in our own personal lives is the result of taking the position of ownership versus stewardship. Think through this with me for a minute. What is the basis for abortion? Child rearing? Management styles? Leadership qualities? Marriage? Men & Women's roles? Relationships? Money? Homosexuality? Church?

Who determines how we should handle these issues? Us? Society? Experts? God? I could go on and on. When we believe we are the owners, we see ourselves as creators and consequently the tweekers of all that we were meant to steward. Self-gratification and instant gratification rule, the owners ways are to old fashion, out of date, not in keeping with our modern society. In the end we ruin what we were meant to steward.

I will stop here for now, let you think about this. Hopefully I can pick up this thought again in the next couple of weeks.

Meet Me in St. Louis

Its on. May 23 and 24th, 2009. Baseball and fun in St. Louis, MO

We are staying at the Hilton across from the ballpark

Baseball game on Saturday

Swimming at the Hilton

Separation of Facts & Faith

A quick update to the blog I just posted below. Here are the two opening paragraphs from an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "Faith, Proof and Relics". It was in the Saturday/Sunday, April 11-12, 2009 edition.
See if you don't notice how the author frames this article about the Shroud of Turin. This is the accepted unchallenged mindset. Whether you believe in the Shroud or not, is not the issue. It is faith which is opposed to reason. The italics are mine.

It really isn't much to look at. Just a stretch of tattered fabric 14 feet long and a little under 4 feet wide, it is yellowed by time, scarred by fire, stained like a tablecloth not worth keeping. Only on closer inspection does there seem to be an image between the burn holes and creases: a man, naked, prepared for the grave.

The Shroud of Turin underscores an essential aspect of religion. Believers suspend their rational processes and undertake an act of faith. Yet the power of holy relics is that they offer the tantalizing possibility of concrete proof of that belief, setting up a battle between reason and devotion.

Below is a link to this article.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123940218130209621.html#mod=todays_us_nonsub_weekendjournal

Enjoy

Secularization

Secular - of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.

Secularism - Religious skepticism or indifference. The view that religious considerations should be excluded from civil affairs or public education.

Secularization - to make secular; separate from religious or spiritual connection or influences; make worldly or unspiritual; imbue with secularism.

The three definitions above are similar in their fundamental meaning. Secular is an adjective that describes something or some one's view of religion, the sacred or what is spiritual; secularism is a way of thinking that does not include religious thinking in determining truth or in making decisions; and finally secularization is the process of separating (pushing out) the religious from worldly, the spiritual from the unspiritual (some would say practical), your personal belief (your values) from public facts (science).

Our western modern culture is working very hard, and in many ways has succeeded, in pushing our view of God, His word, and His ways to the private and personal and out of the public arena of debate and discussion. Under the guise of pluralism and intolerance it is no longer acceptable to view God as a fact, personally involved in His creation, and redeeming mankind to bring it under His lordship and care.

Many times we have bought into this subtle secularization by thinking that God is concerned about me personally (my salvation & getting to heaven) but He really has little to say in how I work, how I handle my relationships (in the church or out of the church), my money (not just giving to the church), spend my time (not just church activities)... the stuff of life and living. The strategies and tactics we employ to handle the issues of this life many times exclude God and call on our own resources to resolve.

One of the tactics of secularization is to redefine words so that their meaning is untethered from biblical reality and shifts it to the ever changing sway of the public opinion/arena. Some examples include freedom, sin, marriage, Jesus, God, origins of life and creation, and family just to name a few.

Another tactic behind secularization is to see limits as negative and inhibiting. Limitlessness is the (no limits) byword of secularization. Secularization creates an expectation of unlimited freedoms, choices, resources, and opportunities. Anyone or anything that restricts, or holds back or teaches self-restraint or self-discipline is seen as intolerant and keeping you from being all that you can be. Thus institutions like church (with its teachings on sin, the call to a cross carrying lifestyle, and subordination to Jesus as Lord) and family/marriage (with its commitment to covenantal monogamous relationships and subordination of all members within that household) are challenged and redefined. Marketing as a whole creates this discontentment

• Limitlessness when preached within the context of finding happiness, creates an uneasy discontentment and a subtle fear. Both feeding on the idea that had we made a different choice or experienced more we could be happier than we are today.
• Limitlessness when preached does not see God as sovereign, but transfers that sovereignty to us.
• Limitless is a marketing tactic within commercialism. You don't like this product, you don't like how you look, don't like your relationship.... we have something new for you!
• Limitlessness when preached sounds exactly like Satan in the garden (Gen 3:5-6) enticing Adam and Eve with the fact that the limits God had imposed (don't eat from the tree) are really keeping you from being like God. Satan redefined and in the process undermined God's word spoken to Adam and Eve. Satan marketed his product by showing how enticing the fruit was to eat. Listen to these words in Genesis 3:6 "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate."

Even as I write it is difficult to see how God designed limitations actually bring a peace and contentment when all that surrounds us is pulling us in a different direction. One wonders how many illnesses are born out of striving for these unrealistic expectations.

My attempt in writing is to not create a rule, but to challenge a thinking, and create a backdrop for discernment within our own culture. Nor am I attempting to create an excuse for not pursuing excellence in life.

Finally I am not casting stones, as I am convicted by the progress of secularization in my own thinking and actions. If anyone needs God's help I am at the front of the line!

My Dad

Today is my Dad's birthday. I want to take the time to celebrate him on my blog. I do this not just for my sake, but for my boys. You have a good heritage in your grandfather.

My last conversations with my dad prior to his unexpected death, were challenging for me and our family. But after his death he came to my in my dreams, (you don't have to believe this if you don't want to, I know it was real) and told me everything was OK. That was a gift from God to me.

I miss my dad and love him. Here is what I wrote......

Dave Tomko

How do you begin to describe a man who has done so many things over the course of his life? People say that we are defined by who we are and not by what we do. Yet much of my Dad’s life is defined by activity. My dad was always active. He didn’t sit still. Movement to him meant progress.

My dad was a starter. He was a visionary person. In many ways he was a pioneer. He saw things that could be done, and worked at making them happen. He never hesitated to act. When the scripture was clear that he should respond in a certain way, he was willing to be called a renegade and rebel to accomplish God’s will. My Dad defined sitting still as sin. Whether it was a church building, a business activity, insight on how the church should live or an orphanage, it didn’t matter. It was full steam ahead; join him or stay out of the way.

Yet, that is not all that Dave Tomko was. He was generous. Giving was the single most important thing to him. His time, money, energy, and home were at your disposal. When he saw a need it was nothing for him to offer money, his home, his appliances, what ever it would take. For him to live with less so that others could live with a little more was fine. I seldom remember times when we didn’t have someone living in our home. We all made room so that Dad could express his generosity. I know if he could - and some times he couldn’t and did it anyway - he would have given the shirt off of his back to anyone who was in need. Many individuals and couples were blessed by his generosity.

Who else was Dave Tomko? My dad had a passion to serve God. There was nothing he would not do to serve and follow Christ. Could you put “saint” next to his name for everything he did? I am not sure. Yet he never flinched in his devotion to follow Christ. Everything he acted on was done out of a desire to obey and please his Father in heaven. To him the pearl in the field was worth having. He was willing to sell everything he had to get it. The spiritual heritage that he passed on to us will be hard to measure. He prayed daily that all his children would have the same passionate desire. I believe God will answer his prayer. Where would many of us be without his input and direction? The example of following Christ will leave a permanent imprint on all of us.

Who else was Dave Tomko? My dad was a salesman. He could sell ice cubes to Eskimos. But his greatest passion was offering those who didn’t know Christ an opportunity to follow Him. My dad loved to see those who didn’t know Christ come in to a relationship with him. He was an evangelist. To him the Good News was everything. He would befriend anyone with the knowledge that some day he would be able to see them become Christ followers. Many of us benefited by his passion. Maybe you rode on the school bus he drove. Maybe you met him while serving him coffee or breakfast. Maybe you rode the train in Japan or met him around a business lunch. Maybe you met him while working with him or while he was pastoring a church. To win men and women to Christ you have to be a salesman. In my dad’s case he was offering something that would affect others for eternity. His passion to see individuals become Christ followers caused him to do anything to accomplish that end. He was relentless, he didn't give up, and it did not matter how other’s perceived him. He was willing to look foolish. Where ever my Dad went people came to Christ. If you are a salesman offering the greatest gift, what else could you do?

But that is not the complete story. Sometimes the image of Christ was blurred by the image of who my Dad was. That image would get mixed up, we didn’t know at times when Christ ended and my Dad began. For some this was difficult to understand and/or accept. We would begin to question Christianity in the light of how it might have been practiced. I wonder if it was hard for my Dad too. Following Christ was so much at the center and periphery of who he was that the practical got lost. But that happens at times to visionaries. They are so far out there, that they forget that dotting the “I’s” and crossing the “T’s” are just as important as getting there. Many times my Dad forgot to dot the “I” and cross the “T” and when he forgot, he would hurt people or leave them hanging. Even those close to him. For my part I forgive him. The spiritual heritage of following Christ and serving him with a passionate devotion far out weighs some “I’s” and “T’s” that might not have been dealt with. Many others have experienced the “I’s” and “T’s” not being addressed when you worked with my Dad. Hopefully you will be able reconcile them before the Lord, that my dad served, and you serve.

Human beings are complex individuals. My dad was no different. His love for God, his desire to see those who didn’t know Christ follow him were important. My dad only did big things. He didn’t serve a small God. When He did things he did them in a big way. If it was following Christ he did it in a big way, when He failed, he did it in a big way. If he was going to have fun, there was only one way to do it, in a big way. I suppose if you wanted to define him at all, nothing my Dad did was done in a small way. The word small was not in his vocabulary.

But I wonder, if he was here now, what he would say to all of us. Wouldn’t he say, Follow Christ! Wouldn’t he say, Give yourself completely to knowing him and then act on what you know; Wouldn’t he say, you serve a big God, who only does big things don’t sell him or yourself short.

For myself, I love my Dad. I expect to see him again. I am grateful for the spiritual heritage he has passed on to me. I am not all of the things my dad was. But I know this; the same passionate devotion to follow Christ is at work in me just as it was at work in him. And if laying up treasure in heaven is real, my dad is enjoying some of that treasure today.

Written October 12, 2003

He Who Has an Ear to Hear

John 18:10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)

I read this passage in my quiet time a couple of days ago. I remember hearing and reading about this story in Sunday School when I was younger. Peter is probably glad he wasn't good at using a sword. When Luke tells this story he also mentions that Jesus healed this man's ear. As I was thinking about this passage this thought struck me:

When the church uses the sword to communicate its message or further its agenda it ends up deafening those who were meant to hear its message.

Just my thoughts.

Wisdom

Here is a great quote and a link to good article on wisdom entitled, Wisdom, The Interval Between the Notes.

To understand reality is not the same as to know about outward events. It is to perceive the essential nature of things. The best-informed man is not necessarily the wisest. Indeed there is a danger that precisely in the multiplicity of his knowledge he will lose sight of what is essential. But on the other hand, knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depth of things. And so the wise man will seek to acquire the best possible knowledge about events, but always without becoming dependent upon this knowledge. To recognize the significant in the factual is wisdom.
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer

http://foundationsmag.com/wisdom2.html

Why this Blog?

I started this blog primarily for my sons, their families, and of course my grandchildren (notice this in the plural!). I thought this would be another way to share my thoughts on what is important to me. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to be a father and have a family. When I met my wife, Gail, the first thing that I remember in our conversations (it was a cold blizzardy night at the big house with our church's youth group, I know she remembers) was that she loved kids and family. She grew up in a great & large catholic family so she understood family life. To be honest with you, it was at this point that I knew I was probably going to marry her.

The older I have gotten (and you can't help but get older) the more that I see that family is at the heart of who God is. His self-revelation to us is Father & Son - Eternal descriptions of who they are and the nature of their relationship. That revelation is the DNA was woven into us in creation and reestablished afresh in the new birth. Unfortunately sin and Satan have distorted the nature and purpose of family and we have allowed our definition of family to be determined from the bottom up (our experiences and what how this world has and is redefining family) instead of from the revelation of the Father & Son found in God's word. We need God's help to not only navigate against this current, but actually swim in a different current all together.

I have thee boys, Rob, Stephen, Eric. A father could not ask for better sons. One thing I pray for them regularly is that they would be seekers of Christ.
Paul said in Philippians 3:10, "that I may know Him.....",
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, "seek first the kingdom of God....."
Hopefully this will be the focus of their lives, that they may know Him and seek first His kingdom.