About a week and a half ago I began reading through the Bible. The idea is to start at Genesis and read through to Revelation. In a very real way, I felt God calling me to do this. While I have read most of the Bible, I cannot say that I have read every verse in the Bible, especially from beginning to end. As of this morning, I have made it through the book of Ruth, and I have to say that I have no idea why I did not do this before now.
I have already learned so much from this exercise. Again and again I am able to see God's sovereign hand over the course of every event from the provision of Adam to the establishment of Ruth in the line of David. I have acquired a fresh appreciation for the covenants of God and the character of God. I have been able to see myself in the people of Israel who, despite having seen the wonders of God, take every opportunity to turn from Him or take His word for granted. I have been empowered by the stories of faith and the stories of deliverance. I have been challenged by the holiness of God that is presented so clearly in Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
Reading the Bible in this way has also allowed me to have fuller appreciation for the stories that I felt that I knew so well. For so many of us who grew up in church, we never think that there is a need to dig deeper into passages about Noah or Moses or about the tabernacle. The truth is that there is so much more to these stories that we need understand. Just because we know the events, we seldom know the entire context or the theology that these events represent. For me the key has been to read with questions, asking why this or that happened. I also try to appreciate what the passages mean for me spiritually. On a practical level, I have found that it helps if you underline key verses or passages. It helps me to focus on the reading.
My hope is that every Christian can come to the point that they have a desire to do this. I know that there are passages that intimidate or seem burdensome to read, but even these passages are present for a reason. The intricate details of the tabernacle's construction help us to understand the perfection that God required in order to dwell among the people. The genealogies demonstrate the course of God's plan and how the nations of the world came to be. My prayer is that God will put a desire in your heart to read the Bible, God's word and the story of our salvation, so that you will come to a greater knowledge of Him who has given you life.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Religion
Sometimes I like to say that things are particular to our generation simply to explain away something that I like or do or think. This is perhaps one of those times, but my experience suggests otherwise. In my circles of relationships, I am surrounded by a number of people who have grown up in Christian homes. Some of the homes have been nominally Christian, while others have been one step past devout. What is so common, however, is that while growing up, many of these friends of mine came to view Christianity as a burden or as irrelevant to their lives. I have to admit that there have certainly been times when I would definitely fall into this camp.
The image that comes to mind is the pink offering envelope. I don't know what color yours was, but maybe it still invokes the feeling of works righteousness in you as it does me. This envelope had a place for "read Bible everyday" or "prayed everyday," and it asked how many times we witnessed. I am sure that this envelope was meant for good, but for me it was serious hindrance to my faith. I came to see church as a set of motions and rules. Do this and this and do not do this and you will find favor with God. This could not be anything further from the truth.
The truth is that God is full of grace and mercy, and no matter how many times we go to church in a week, we will not be able to earn it. Not understanding this led me to have some difficult views of God. It also effected how I worshiped, how I prayed, and how I approached the Bible. It also, unfortunately, made me suspicious and loathing of really religious people. My response was to avoid, not to rebel, but to avoid. If only reading the Bible or praying on a semi-daily basis was not good enough, what was the point?
Though I have come to understand the grace and mercy of God, the spiritual habits that developed in my past have caused me great difficulty in how I have come to practice better habits. Part of me hoped that seminary would repair these practices, but there I read the Bible differently. I had to read, and I had to read so that I could pass a test. It was not often worshipful or spiritual. Sometimes it was, but in the end I would be more upset for forgetting the outline of Romans on a test than for praising God for the message that is presented in that outline.
It got better though. It got better once I left the world of seminary and the Christian university. It got better when I was not surrounded by praying and reading and worshiping. I realized how much I missed it, how much I needed it. I have prayed for some time that God instill in me the desire to read his word and to speak with him. Gradually it became stronger and stronger. Quite honestly, it took one of the lowest points of my life where I had to sit in the moment and decide if I truly believed in God's love and grace or if I would turn away. I am thankful for the fact that I could not leave God, and He has drawn near to me in a way that to understand it, you would have to experience it yourself. He has given me a desire to talk to him all day long. He has made my heart yearn for the Bible and its teachings. I honestly cannot wait to get a chance to read more of his word. I praise God that this is my experience and my joy. These tests of faith are painful, but they also contain so much healing and renewal for our souls. They make us realize that our faith is not about rules but about grace and love. I thank God for answering my prayer to give me these desires, not for my righteousness but for my joy.
The image that comes to mind is the pink offering envelope. I don't know what color yours was, but maybe it still invokes the feeling of works righteousness in you as it does me. This envelope had a place for "read Bible everyday" or "prayed everyday," and it asked how many times we witnessed. I am sure that this envelope was meant for good, but for me it was serious hindrance to my faith. I came to see church as a set of motions and rules. Do this and this and do not do this and you will find favor with God. This could not be anything further from the truth.
The truth is that God is full of grace and mercy, and no matter how many times we go to church in a week, we will not be able to earn it. Not understanding this led me to have some difficult views of God. It also effected how I worshiped, how I prayed, and how I approached the Bible. It also, unfortunately, made me suspicious and loathing of really religious people. My response was to avoid, not to rebel, but to avoid. If only reading the Bible or praying on a semi-daily basis was not good enough, what was the point?
Though I have come to understand the grace and mercy of God, the spiritual habits that developed in my past have caused me great difficulty in how I have come to practice better habits. Part of me hoped that seminary would repair these practices, but there I read the Bible differently. I had to read, and I had to read so that I could pass a test. It was not often worshipful or spiritual. Sometimes it was, but in the end I would be more upset for forgetting the outline of Romans on a test than for praising God for the message that is presented in that outline.
It got better though. It got better once I left the world of seminary and the Christian university. It got better when I was not surrounded by praying and reading and worshiping. I realized how much I missed it, how much I needed it. I have prayed for some time that God instill in me the desire to read his word and to speak with him. Gradually it became stronger and stronger. Quite honestly, it took one of the lowest points of my life where I had to sit in the moment and decide if I truly believed in God's love and grace or if I would turn away. I am thankful for the fact that I could not leave God, and He has drawn near to me in a way that to understand it, you would have to experience it yourself. He has given me a desire to talk to him all day long. He has made my heart yearn for the Bible and its teachings. I honestly cannot wait to get a chance to read more of his word. I praise God that this is my experience and my joy. These tests of faith are painful, but they also contain so much healing and renewal for our souls. They make us realize that our faith is not about rules but about grace and love. I thank God for answering my prayer to give me these desires, not for my righteousness but for my joy.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Ministry Lifestyle
Have you ever wondered why we put so much emphasis on a person's call to ministry? Why don't we ever talk about a call to be a teacher or a lawyer? After all, it is the same God who calls chefs that calls ministers. As someone who has been called to ministry, I have a few theories about this.
One reason is that the Bible is full of instances where God has specifically called out a person to the lead the people or to serve Him. We see this in the examples of Abraham, Moses, Aaron, David, Samuel, Isaiah, Noah, Nehemiah, the disciples, Paul, etc. These people are specifically called by God to do His work. The understanding is that by His grace, God gives these people special abilities or performs miracles while they lead. In some ways we continue this tradition by hoping to identify the person who has been called of the Lord with the expectation that He will give them the ability to lead and to shepherd His people.
Another reason for emphasizing a call to ministry is that a minister/pastor/preacher has a special relationship to the holy and the eternal. From the beginning of the priesthood in Exodus, God calls the priests to be set apart from the people. They avoid unclean things in a special way so as to have the ability to continue their work for the Lord. Even the New Testament makes special mention of the fact that ministers will be held to higher standards. On a very common sense level, ministers need to hold higher standards as examples of righteousness and Godly wisdom. Who would listen to an abusive pastor speak about God's unfailing love for humanity?
A third reason, and one I offer only partially in jest, is that to be a minister requires one to endure some fairly painful experiences. Ministering to people is a great privilege, but it is a privilege that welcomes criticism and interpersonal hardship. The responsibility of shepherding people who often go astray can be burdensome and draining. Ministry is not a job field, it truly is a lifestyle, one that has no real work hours or job description. A minister is a speaker, a counselor, an executive, a planner, a bookkeeper, a student, a supervisor, a janitor, a development officer, and much more. He or she must have a clear calling if they are to participate in this lifestyle. While I am honored and so thankful for my ministerial calling, all I need to do is to look to my pastor father who works 60 to 80 hours a week to see that my path will not be an easy one. Without a calling from God who enables us to understand and appreciate our calling, it would be easy to turn aside and follow a different path.
I think that part of the reason that it is so hard to be hired by a church is that ministry is serious business. After all, we are talking about people's souls and their faith. Interviewing and pursuing church jobs has been a difficult experience for me, basically because I never anticipated how complicated it can be. One of the pitfalls has been the experience factor or the we would hire you, but you have not logged enough paid ministry hours factor. There is also the factor of the perfect match. When interviewing for a church job, many of the people have an ideal candidate in mind; sometimes one committee can have three different people who each have a diametrically opposed ideal candidate. Then there is the fact that ministry skills are hard to define. You need to be a great speaker, a good counselor, understand budgets, be the right age, have the right theology and training, have the right passion, and be willing to work for what the church is offering. At times it would seem that if God did not ordain people to have these jobs, most would go unfilled.
I look forward to the time when my ministerial lifestyle will begin its next stage. It is reassuring that God has a place prepared for me, and that He has called me to His service.
One reason is that the Bible is full of instances where God has specifically called out a person to the lead the people or to serve Him. We see this in the examples of Abraham, Moses, Aaron, David, Samuel, Isaiah, Noah, Nehemiah, the disciples, Paul, etc. These people are specifically called by God to do His work. The understanding is that by His grace, God gives these people special abilities or performs miracles while they lead. In some ways we continue this tradition by hoping to identify the person who has been called of the Lord with the expectation that He will give them the ability to lead and to shepherd His people.
Another reason for emphasizing a call to ministry is that a minister/pastor/preacher has a special relationship to the holy and the eternal. From the beginning of the priesthood in Exodus, God calls the priests to be set apart from the people. They avoid unclean things in a special way so as to have the ability to continue their work for the Lord. Even the New Testament makes special mention of the fact that ministers will be held to higher standards. On a very common sense level, ministers need to hold higher standards as examples of righteousness and Godly wisdom. Who would listen to an abusive pastor speak about God's unfailing love for humanity?
A third reason, and one I offer only partially in jest, is that to be a minister requires one to endure some fairly painful experiences. Ministering to people is a great privilege, but it is a privilege that welcomes criticism and interpersonal hardship. The responsibility of shepherding people who often go astray can be burdensome and draining. Ministry is not a job field, it truly is a lifestyle, one that has no real work hours or job description. A minister is a speaker, a counselor, an executive, a planner, a bookkeeper, a student, a supervisor, a janitor, a development officer, and much more. He or she must have a clear calling if they are to participate in this lifestyle. While I am honored and so thankful for my ministerial calling, all I need to do is to look to my pastor father who works 60 to 80 hours a week to see that my path will not be an easy one. Without a calling from God who enables us to understand and appreciate our calling, it would be easy to turn aside and follow a different path.
I think that part of the reason that it is so hard to be hired by a church is that ministry is serious business. After all, we are talking about people's souls and their faith. Interviewing and pursuing church jobs has been a difficult experience for me, basically because I never anticipated how complicated it can be. One of the pitfalls has been the experience factor or the we would hire you, but you have not logged enough paid ministry hours factor. There is also the factor of the perfect match. When interviewing for a church job, many of the people have an ideal candidate in mind; sometimes one committee can have three different people who each have a diametrically opposed ideal candidate. Then there is the fact that ministry skills are hard to define. You need to be a great speaker, a good counselor, understand budgets, be the right age, have the right theology and training, have the right passion, and be willing to work for what the church is offering. At times it would seem that if God did not ordain people to have these jobs, most would go unfilled.
I look forward to the time when my ministerial lifestyle will begin its next stage. It is reassuring that God has a place prepared for me, and that He has called me to His service.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Waiting
Most Christians, even the most devout, will enter a time of tested faith. Typically this testing is the result of a traumatic experience or a significant disappointment. Perhaps it is the death of a loved one or a major financial event. I have lately found myself in a period of testing, but it did not spring out of a major drama or disaster. Instead it has come from waiting. Just waiting.
Waiting is much more painful than I ever imagined. Dramatic and traumatic events at least have a process where they end and then you begin recovery, however slow, but waiting is waiting. It is undefined and indeterminately long. There are several kinds of waiting. For me, it has been waiting on my vocation to take shape. Understand, it is more than waiting for a job or even a better job; it is about vocation.
I know that I am called to a career in ministry, but God's answer to me for over a year now has been to keep waiting. I have been close to several opportunities, final two candidates and all of that, but here I am still waiting. In some ways it has been a good experience. It has strengthened my resolve to work with a church. When I begin thinking about a different path, my heart calls me back to the place where I am meant to be.
It also makes me thankful that it has given me another experience that I can use to relate with other people. A lot of people are waiting on a lot of things. Some are waiting on children. Some are waiting for a husband or wife. Others are waiting on test results or for healing. And still others are just waiting to be happy. We all wait for something, but that does not make it much easier. The good news is that God is waiting with us. Eventually what we are waiting for may arrive. We also might just start waiting for something different, or we may realize that we already have what we thought we were waiting for. I don't know, but I do know that there is a reason that faith and hope are usually mentioned with love. Because God loves us, we can know that he will provide and he will be there while we wait.
Waiting is much more painful than I ever imagined. Dramatic and traumatic events at least have a process where they end and then you begin recovery, however slow, but waiting is waiting. It is undefined and indeterminately long. There are several kinds of waiting. For me, it has been waiting on my vocation to take shape. Understand, it is more than waiting for a job or even a better job; it is about vocation.
I know that I am called to a career in ministry, but God's answer to me for over a year now has been to keep waiting. I have been close to several opportunities, final two candidates and all of that, but here I am still waiting. In some ways it has been a good experience. It has strengthened my resolve to work with a church. When I begin thinking about a different path, my heart calls me back to the place where I am meant to be.
It also makes me thankful that it has given me another experience that I can use to relate with other people. A lot of people are waiting on a lot of things. Some are waiting on children. Some are waiting for a husband or wife. Others are waiting on test results or for healing. And still others are just waiting to be happy. We all wait for something, but that does not make it much easier. The good news is that God is waiting with us. Eventually what we are waiting for may arrive. We also might just start waiting for something different, or we may realize that we already have what we thought we were waiting for. I don't know, but I do know that there is a reason that faith and hope are usually mentioned with love. Because God loves us, we can know that he will provide and he will be there while we wait.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Titles
The concept of thin places has always been a powerful one for me. I first heard about the idea from an Irish monk who was lecturing at Beeson while I was there. He explained that thin places were places in nature that the Irish believed the spiritual world and our world to be especially linked. The concept actually arose out of pre-Christian Irish culture, but the Christians easily adapted the idea as a way to talk about feeling the presence of God and the eternal.
I think that this concept holds special significance for me because I believe that if we strive to develop an awareness for the holy and the spiritual, we will actually find thin places everywhere. Maybe sometimes we find them in nature, but they can also be found while listening to a song or viewing a piece of art. I also think that these "places" can be events like a sharing a meal with good friends or watching your daughter play. If we seek these things and appreciate them, it is then that we feel God nearer than we ever thought possible.
One more example of this thin places concept can be found in the experience of thousands of teenagers and mission trip participants. We always talk about the fact that while were on a mission trip or at church camp we felt God presence so strongly. I think that it is because for us these were our thin places. The picture that serves as the background for this blog's title comes from one such place for me--the top of a mountain in Guatemala. Jenn and I were there spending a week working with an orphanage called Eagle's Nest. A former presidential resort, the orphanage overlooked Lake Atitlan and its majectic volcanoes. In this place the beauty of mercy and love intersected with the beauty of creation and wonder. It is no wonder that God felt very near that week. My hope is that we will all find these thin places in our lives everyday.
I think that this concept holds special significance for me because I believe that if we strive to develop an awareness for the holy and the spiritual, we will actually find thin places everywhere. Maybe sometimes we find them in nature, but they can also be found while listening to a song or viewing a piece of art. I also think that these "places" can be events like a sharing a meal with good friends or watching your daughter play. If we seek these things and appreciate them, it is then that we feel God nearer than we ever thought possible.
One more example of this thin places concept can be found in the experience of thousands of teenagers and mission trip participants. We always talk about the fact that while were on a mission trip or at church camp we felt God presence so strongly. I think that it is because for us these were our thin places. The picture that serves as the background for this blog's title comes from one such place for me--the top of a mountain in Guatemala. Jenn and I were there spending a week working with an orphanage called Eagle's Nest. A former presidential resort, the orphanage overlooked Lake Atitlan and its majectic volcanoes. In this place the beauty of mercy and love intersected with the beauty of creation and wonder. It is no wonder that God felt very near that week. My hope is that we will all find these thin places in our lives everyday.
Beginnings
Welcome to my blog. My hope is that this will be a place where I can ponder life and communicate my thoughts. I used to love writing and thinking and being creative so perhaps my hope is that this exercise will rekindle that love. I also hope that it will be a recentering activity that allows me to step outside of the busy and the complicated and just breathe a little. Who knows what I will write about or how often, but you are welcome to come along on the journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)