Parenting is one of those things that is really hard to grasp until you find yourself in the middle of it. A few people have told me lately that they are not ready to have kids. This has made me wonder what being ready for kids would look like. If you say that you are ready for kids, you are saying that you are ready for the following:
1. Pretty much give up control of your schedule for about twenty years.
2. Become more concerned about money than ever before.
3. Completely revolve your life around someone else.
4. Be prepared to care for a person's every little need.
I am sure there is a lot more, but these are just a few things to be ready for. So here is the deal--who in the world can be ready for that kind of change? People do not become great parents overnight, but great parents are those people who accept the changes and celebrate them. There are realistically some people who are not ready to become parents, but most people are more ready than they think. It is not a coincidence that you get about nine months to wrap your head around the fact that soon there will be another human being in your house.
And, while parenting can be a challenge, there are some great things about being a mom or dad:
1. You discover that you can love someone more than you ever thought you could.
2. You can't wait to get home to spend time with your child. You cannot wait for Saturdays to spend time with him or her.
3. You learn more about yourself than you thought possible.
4. You learn more about your spouse and your marriage than you ever thought possible.
5. You learn that joy is having your little girl squeal in delight because you came home from work--everyday.
Parenting is hard work. It absolutely changes your social life, your sleep habits, your time management, and your marriage, but it is so worth all of that.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Teenage Poetry
In my junior and senior year of high school I went through what could only be described as my teenage angst phase. During this phase, I joined a literary magazine club with a bunch of other artsy students who would basically fit the mold of angst filled teenagers who are disaffected with the world. I don't think that I was all that disaffected, but I did think that my poetry was particularly thoughtful. I doubt that I have any samples left of my early literary prowess, but I can tell you that it fits most characteristics of cheesy teenage poetry.
Guess what my favorite book of the Bible was during these years? Ecclesiastes, of course. Talk about angst. The writer of Ecclesiastes is definitely a model for all of those disaffected youths. Anyone who declares everything about life meaningless would have fit right in at our literary magazine meetings.
The truth is that all of us have been kindred spirits with the writer of Ecclesiastes. When life hits the wall, there is not much that seems meaningful. Even when life has not hit a wall, there are times when our souls ask what is the point of all of this. Why am I working so hard just to have more money to by more stuff? Why is it so important that I go to this school or follow this career path? Why do worry so much about what I wear or what I drive? The truth--all of it is pretty meaningless.
So if all of that is meaningless, what is the point of anything? Well, the writer of Ecclesiastes explains it well when he says that the end of all of this is to fear God and keep His commandments. So what does that look like? It means that the things that we should ascribe meaning to are those things that enable us or empower us to serve God. This means that if making more money will help you to serve God, then, by all means, make the money. But, if focusing on making more money does not honor God or enable you to better serve Him, reevaluate things. The same goes for everything else.
My teenage poetry days are over, but the wisdom of the book of Ecclesiastes still impacts my worldview. It can be a great reminder that this world is not our home. What we see will pass away, but what we believe impacts forever.
Guess what my favorite book of the Bible was during these years? Ecclesiastes, of course. Talk about angst. The writer of Ecclesiastes is definitely a model for all of those disaffected youths. Anyone who declares everything about life meaningless would have fit right in at our literary magazine meetings.
The truth is that all of us have been kindred spirits with the writer of Ecclesiastes. When life hits the wall, there is not much that seems meaningful. Even when life has not hit a wall, there are times when our souls ask what is the point of all of this. Why am I working so hard just to have more money to by more stuff? Why is it so important that I go to this school or follow this career path? Why do worry so much about what I wear or what I drive? The truth--all of it is pretty meaningless.
So if all of that is meaningless, what is the point of anything? Well, the writer of Ecclesiastes explains it well when he says that the end of all of this is to fear God and keep His commandments. So what does that look like? It means that the things that we should ascribe meaning to are those things that enable us or empower us to serve God. This means that if making more money will help you to serve God, then, by all means, make the money. But, if focusing on making more money does not honor God or enable you to better serve Him, reevaluate things. The same goes for everything else.
My teenage poetry days are over, but the wisdom of the book of Ecclesiastes still impacts my worldview. It can be a great reminder that this world is not our home. What we see will pass away, but what we believe impacts forever.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Preaching
This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at FBC Alabaster. Every now and then someone asks me what it is like to preach, so I thought that this would be an appropriate time to reflect on the act of preaching.
Standing in a pulpit speaking as a messenger for God is certainly a humbling experience, but it is also a very rewarding experience. For me it is not the talking in front of people that is intimidating, it is the fact that you are engaging in some very serious business. You are acting as a mouthpiece for God. In pulpit your words are weighed much more than when you are speaking to a colleague or even giving a speech. Your words shape people's ideas about God and about the Bible. It is a realistic possibility that it you misspeak on a passage or concept, people can honestly get the wrong impression of God and His word.
On a really practical level, preaching can also be intimidating. Like I said, it is not the speaking in front of people. I have always been comfortable talking in front of people, as long as I have some idea what I am going to say. But, when you preach, you enter into an interaction with the congregation that leaves you vulnerable an very aware of everything around you. When I speak in front of the crowd, I see everything. I see who is interested and who is distracted. I see the response to each word, whether it is confusion, apathy, or exhilaration. It is a weird existence between two consciousnesses: the one speaking and the one observing.
And here is something that I feel that I expect lot of preachers do as well: I never feel great about my sermons. Some people hate to listen back to their sermons just as people don't like to read over a paper for school or eat leftovers. The thing is, the sermon exists in a moment that cannot be recreated. It truly is a conversation between the people and the preacher. One speaks with eyes and gestures, one with words. I have never preached a sermon that went exactly according to script. When the improvisation works, it is God speaking. When the improv makes no sense, it is my being all over the place. I cannot tell you how many times I have listened back to a sermon (I said I hated to do it, not that I didn't do it), I always encounter a part of the sermon that surprises even me.
And that is where the intimidation ends, because I know that God is faithful to speak through me. I know that I must be faithful to prepare for the sermon, and I love the preparation. I love trying to figure out the one idea that I want to get across. I enjoy trying to find the format that fits with the message. I like reading books and synthesizing the information. But, in the end, it is God who works through me to teach the people about His word. I know that this is the case because after some sermons, two people will have gotten two completely different lessons from one sermon. My guess is that I could stand up at the pulpit and talk about popes in the 12th century, and God would still use that to teach someone.
Preaching is an honor and a privilege, and I love the exhilaration and anticipation that occurs right before a sermon.
Standing in a pulpit speaking as a messenger for God is certainly a humbling experience, but it is also a very rewarding experience. For me it is not the talking in front of people that is intimidating, it is the fact that you are engaging in some very serious business. You are acting as a mouthpiece for God. In pulpit your words are weighed much more than when you are speaking to a colleague or even giving a speech. Your words shape people's ideas about God and about the Bible. It is a realistic possibility that it you misspeak on a passage or concept, people can honestly get the wrong impression of God and His word.
On a really practical level, preaching can also be intimidating. Like I said, it is not the speaking in front of people. I have always been comfortable talking in front of people, as long as I have some idea what I am going to say. But, when you preach, you enter into an interaction with the congregation that leaves you vulnerable an very aware of everything around you. When I speak in front of the crowd, I see everything. I see who is interested and who is distracted. I see the response to each word, whether it is confusion, apathy, or exhilaration. It is a weird existence between two consciousnesses: the one speaking and the one observing.
And here is something that I feel that I expect lot of preachers do as well: I never feel great about my sermons. Some people hate to listen back to their sermons just as people don't like to read over a paper for school or eat leftovers. The thing is, the sermon exists in a moment that cannot be recreated. It truly is a conversation between the people and the preacher. One speaks with eyes and gestures, one with words. I have never preached a sermon that went exactly according to script. When the improvisation works, it is God speaking. When the improv makes no sense, it is my being all over the place. I cannot tell you how many times I have listened back to a sermon (I said I hated to do it, not that I didn't do it), I always encounter a part of the sermon that surprises even me.
And that is where the intimidation ends, because I know that God is faithful to speak through me. I know that I must be faithful to prepare for the sermon, and I love the preparation. I love trying to figure out the one idea that I want to get across. I enjoy trying to find the format that fits with the message. I like reading books and synthesizing the information. But, in the end, it is God who works through me to teach the people about His word. I know that this is the case because after some sermons, two people will have gotten two completely different lessons from one sermon. My guess is that I could stand up at the pulpit and talk about popes in the 12th century, and God would still use that to teach someone.
Preaching is an honor and a privilege, and I love the exhilaration and anticipation that occurs right before a sermon.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Time
There are a lot of things that people take for granted, but time has to be one of the things on the top of the list. I never thought about time very much until I began working. I became even more enamored with the concept after Isabel was born. When I was in school, time did not matter because there was so much of it. I could spend eight hours a day just goofing off, and I would still get all of my work done. I felt as if I had all the time in the world to do whatever it is I wanted to do at that time. My activities were only limited by my lack of creative uses for the time.
Today, my activities are limited by a lot more than that. My typical weekday schedule consists of getting ready for work, traveling to work, being at work, driving home from work, having dinner, playing with Isabel, two hours of "free time," and then it is bed time. That does not leave much room for creativity. Most days I don't mind the fact that my days have become so scheduled, but sometimes it can be frustrating. When those times come, it is always fun to mix up the routine by going out to eat or meeting Isabel and Jenn for lunch.
One of the concepts that I understand a lot better now is that of redeeming the time. I have been told since I was a teenager that it is important to use time properly. Redeeming the time that God has given to us is an important concept, and it is one that makes more sense the older you get. When you have two hours to do whatever you want instead of twelve, time becomes more precious, and in a real sense, more fleeting.
Our use of time is an investment into the things that we have deemed important to us. When we spend time with our children, we are investing that time in them, acknowledging and hoping that there will be a return. When we spend time with our spouse, again, we make an investment. We are saying that this relationship is important to me and is worth this investment of a precious resource. The same applies to our relationship with God. Keep in mind that this also applies to the television, golf, Wii, football, exercise, sleep, and work. How we spend our time is a great indicator of our values and priorities.
Sometimes we don't have a choice. I don't have the option to let my boss know that I do not prioritize work very high so I will only be spending twelve hours a week at the office. Though, if I did, I would find myself with a whole lot of time to invest. It is that "free time" that comes to mind when we talk about priorities. While it is important to take some time to unwind or to play, these cannot monopolize or relationships will suffer. Time is a valuable resource, and I would love to have more of it, but the reality is that every day truly is a gift from God. How we use that gift is up to us.
Today, my activities are limited by a lot more than that. My typical weekday schedule consists of getting ready for work, traveling to work, being at work, driving home from work, having dinner, playing with Isabel, two hours of "free time," and then it is bed time. That does not leave much room for creativity. Most days I don't mind the fact that my days have become so scheduled, but sometimes it can be frustrating. When those times come, it is always fun to mix up the routine by going out to eat or meeting Isabel and Jenn for lunch.
One of the concepts that I understand a lot better now is that of redeeming the time. I have been told since I was a teenager that it is important to use time properly. Redeeming the time that God has given to us is an important concept, and it is one that makes more sense the older you get. When you have two hours to do whatever you want instead of twelve, time becomes more precious, and in a real sense, more fleeting.
Our use of time is an investment into the things that we have deemed important to us. When we spend time with our children, we are investing that time in them, acknowledging and hoping that there will be a return. When we spend time with our spouse, again, we make an investment. We are saying that this relationship is important to me and is worth this investment of a precious resource. The same applies to our relationship with God. Keep in mind that this also applies to the television, golf, Wii, football, exercise, sleep, and work. How we spend our time is a great indicator of our values and priorities.
Sometimes we don't have a choice. I don't have the option to let my boss know that I do not prioritize work very high so I will only be spending twelve hours a week at the office. Though, if I did, I would find myself with a whole lot of time to invest. It is that "free time" that comes to mind when we talk about priorities. While it is important to take some time to unwind or to play, these cannot monopolize or relationships will suffer. Time is a valuable resource, and I would love to have more of it, but the reality is that every day truly is a gift from God. How we use that gift is up to us.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Dear Search Committee
The following is pure self-promotion and entirely different from what I typically post here. However, I have given the address of this blog to people whom I am talking to about jobs so I thought that a post giving them some information would be relevant. If you are such a person, welcome to my blog. I think maybe a FAQ format would be good, so here it goes.
What experience do you have in ministry?
Well, other than serving as a Centrifuge counselor and a Crosspoint camp pastor, I have not been paid for any of my ministry experience. I was paid to speak at churches with the Samford Sunday program while I was an undergraduate, but I am not sure that counts.
The other experiences that I do have have been voluntary. Because I was not limited to paid positions, I have been able to strategically position myself in programs where I could learn. I worked with a thriving college ministry at the Church at Brook Hills. There I learned a lot about college ministry, creating and hosting small groups, working with career age young adults, and speaking/teaching. I currently work with FBC Alabaster where I developed a successful Sunday School class for young married families which I still lead. I have also gone on hospital and home visits and preached a number of times. Leading that class is very much like running a program because it is more that showing up on Sundays. There is pastoral care, programming, and setting up small group meetings.
My hope is always that people will understand that simply because I was not paid, I still acquired experiences as if I had been. I also hope that people understand that I know what church work is all about. With a father who has been a pastor since I was born, I am very aware of how churches and ministry works. I have been mentored all my life for a life in ministry.
You work at the Red Cross right now. How does that prepare you to do ministry?
Excellent question. I work at the Red Cross because after seminary I did not want to leave FBC Alabaster just as we got started, and Alabaster could not pay me. I was also toying with the idea of getting my PhD, so I did not feel that it would be appropriate to be on a church staff for a year and then leave. Having decided not to get my PhD, I began looking for a position with a church, and thus, here we are.
The Red Cross has had its benefits. For one, I get benefits, and I get paid. It has also allowed me to learn a ton about administration, volunteer development, supervision of staff, and just good organizational skills. On top of that, I get to help people who are often in the midst of the very lowest point of their lives. God has allowed me to develop in some real and tangible ways.
What is something that you want us to know?
First, please know that I have a serious passion for ministry that is birthed out of a call from God. This desire to minister and shepherd people is woven throughout my heart, mind, and soul. There are parts of me that have always pointed to ministry. God has given me special measures of compassion and patience. He has also given me a teaching heart that helps me lead people to Him.
Second, please know that I am a hard worker and a smart worker. I have had success in every job I have ever taken. I was good bookstore manager (promoted to manager after a few months). I am a good Red Cross worker (promoted after about three months). In just two years I have become one of the most highly trained Red Cross employees in Alabama, and keep in mind that this is not a job that I plan on doing very long. I don't know that these things make me a great minister, but I do know that they cannot hurt. The point is that I work hard, and my work ethic combined with my passion for ministry is something that I know God can use for His glory.
I know that God will place me where He desires. But, I do want to use every format available to express the fact that I have a true passion for ministry, and I have been preparing for this career for a long, long time. I pray as I have always prayed, that God will use me for His glory.
What experience do you have in ministry?
Well, other than serving as a Centrifuge counselor and a Crosspoint camp pastor, I have not been paid for any of my ministry experience. I was paid to speak at churches with the Samford Sunday program while I was an undergraduate, but I am not sure that counts.
The other experiences that I do have have been voluntary. Because I was not limited to paid positions, I have been able to strategically position myself in programs where I could learn. I worked with a thriving college ministry at the Church at Brook Hills. There I learned a lot about college ministry, creating and hosting small groups, working with career age young adults, and speaking/teaching. I currently work with FBC Alabaster where I developed a successful Sunday School class for young married families which I still lead. I have also gone on hospital and home visits and preached a number of times. Leading that class is very much like running a program because it is more that showing up on Sundays. There is pastoral care, programming, and setting up small group meetings.
My hope is always that people will understand that simply because I was not paid, I still acquired experiences as if I had been. I also hope that people understand that I know what church work is all about. With a father who has been a pastor since I was born, I am very aware of how churches and ministry works. I have been mentored all my life for a life in ministry.
You work at the Red Cross right now. How does that prepare you to do ministry?
Excellent question. I work at the Red Cross because after seminary I did not want to leave FBC Alabaster just as we got started, and Alabaster could not pay me. I was also toying with the idea of getting my PhD, so I did not feel that it would be appropriate to be on a church staff for a year and then leave. Having decided not to get my PhD, I began looking for a position with a church, and thus, here we are.
The Red Cross has had its benefits. For one, I get benefits, and I get paid. It has also allowed me to learn a ton about administration, volunteer development, supervision of staff, and just good organizational skills. On top of that, I get to help people who are often in the midst of the very lowest point of their lives. God has allowed me to develop in some real and tangible ways.
What is something that you want us to know?
First, please know that I have a serious passion for ministry that is birthed out of a call from God. This desire to minister and shepherd people is woven throughout my heart, mind, and soul. There are parts of me that have always pointed to ministry. God has given me special measures of compassion and patience. He has also given me a teaching heart that helps me lead people to Him.
Second, please know that I am a hard worker and a smart worker. I have had success in every job I have ever taken. I was good bookstore manager (promoted to manager after a few months). I am a good Red Cross worker (promoted after about three months). In just two years I have become one of the most highly trained Red Cross employees in Alabama, and keep in mind that this is not a job that I plan on doing very long. I don't know that these things make me a great minister, but I do know that they cannot hurt. The point is that I work hard, and my work ethic combined with my passion for ministry is something that I know God can use for His glory.
I know that God will place me where He desires. But, I do want to use every format available to express the fact that I have a true passion for ministry, and I have been preparing for this career for a long, long time. I pray as I have always prayed, that God will use me for His glory.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Disappointment
Even the most cursory look at the books of Exodus and Numbers leaves you scratching your head as to how the Israelites lost faith in God's provision so frequently and with such intensity. Numerous times the people turned on God and on Moses. They begged to go back to their life of slavery and abuse because traveling for what would have been a month or two was too much to ask.
Consider the incident with the fiery serpents. The people turned their backs on God. They complained about just having manna to eat and the fact that everything was taking too long. When they were forced to make a more circuitous route to arrive at the Promised Land, they grumble with such intensity that God sent fiery serpents among them. Then, like most people when confronted with judgement, they returned to God who graciously provided a means for their healing.
It is really easy to look at the Israelites and wonder what their problem was. These were the same people who had seen God do miraculous things. They are the people who could visibly see God leading them as the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. Yet they gave evidence of their unfaithfulness at the first hint of trial. The thing is, before we condemn them, we need to consider our response to disappointment and our faithfulness. We need to keep in mind that we are not always the most thankful people.
I hate disappointment which makes sense because that is what disappointment involves. I have not suffered from a tremendous amount of disappointment, but the experiences that I have had still produce pain to this day. When I was not offered admission to the PhD program at Baylor or when I did not receive a job that I had hoped for, my first thought was not to just be thankful for what I did have. I lamented the loss of something that I could have had. Similarly, while my mouth said that God will provide something even better, my heart was producing scenarios where I would end up unsuccessful and unfulfilled for the rest of my life.
For me my manna is my fantastic wife, my beautiful daughter, plenty of money, a good education, great family, two newish cars, and not to mention eternal life and a relationship with God. God has definitely provided, but here I am trying to be unfulfilled and miserable. When you forget all of these provisions, God does begin to feel distant. Your mind begins to wonder whether you have failed some kind of test and now God can't work with you anymore.
But, here is the truth: God has provided everything you need and more. The more would be anything that you can see around you. The "provided everything you need" is a bit harder to see, but it is just as real and more powerful than what you can see. When God allowed us to be in a relationship with Him, we received more than we should have ever had the guts to ask for. He not only knows us, but speaks promises to us such as nothing can separate us from His love and that one day we will dwell with Him in the new creation.
When I read the books of Exodus and Numbers I am not so quick to judge the Israelites now. I am sure that I would have been right there with them, complaining because my feet hurt. The truth is that we all would have, but thankfully the story continued and Israel became a mighty nation in the land that God gave them. Even when they continued to forsake Him, God still stayed true to His promises just as He will do for us.
Consider the incident with the fiery serpents. The people turned their backs on God. They complained about just having manna to eat and the fact that everything was taking too long. When they were forced to make a more circuitous route to arrive at the Promised Land, they grumble with such intensity that God sent fiery serpents among them. Then, like most people when confronted with judgement, they returned to God who graciously provided a means for their healing.
It is really easy to look at the Israelites and wonder what their problem was. These were the same people who had seen God do miraculous things. They are the people who could visibly see God leading them as the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. Yet they gave evidence of their unfaithfulness at the first hint of trial. The thing is, before we condemn them, we need to consider our response to disappointment and our faithfulness. We need to keep in mind that we are not always the most thankful people.
I hate disappointment which makes sense because that is what disappointment involves. I have not suffered from a tremendous amount of disappointment, but the experiences that I have had still produce pain to this day. When I was not offered admission to the PhD program at Baylor or when I did not receive a job that I had hoped for, my first thought was not to just be thankful for what I did have. I lamented the loss of something that I could have had. Similarly, while my mouth said that God will provide something even better, my heart was producing scenarios where I would end up unsuccessful and unfulfilled for the rest of my life.
For me my manna is my fantastic wife, my beautiful daughter, plenty of money, a good education, great family, two newish cars, and not to mention eternal life and a relationship with God. God has definitely provided, but here I am trying to be unfulfilled and miserable. When you forget all of these provisions, God does begin to feel distant. Your mind begins to wonder whether you have failed some kind of test and now God can't work with you anymore.
But, here is the truth: God has provided everything you need and more. The more would be anything that you can see around you. The "provided everything you need" is a bit harder to see, but it is just as real and more powerful than what you can see. When God allowed us to be in a relationship with Him, we received more than we should have ever had the guts to ask for. He not only knows us, but speaks promises to us such as nothing can separate us from His love and that one day we will dwell with Him in the new creation.
When I read the books of Exodus and Numbers I am not so quick to judge the Israelites now. I am sure that I would have been right there with them, complaining because my feet hurt. The truth is that we all would have, but thankfully the story continued and Israel became a mighty nation in the land that God gave them. Even when they continued to forsake Him, God still stayed true to His promises just as He will do for us.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Gardens
Yesterday I had the day off so I went with Jenn and Isabel to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. With the seasons changing and the weather becoming hot it was a perfect time to go and wander around. The gardens are really an attraction here in town that is often taken for granted. I have been there a few times, most notably our wedding reception, but this was one of the first times I came there to just walk around and enjoy the surrounding nature.
One thing about the gardens is that along a major portion of their border is a fairly busy road that sits just beyond a fence. When walking near this border you can hear cars and construction, not the sounds that you are looking for when trying to dwell in God's creation. But, it allowed me think about things in a spiritual light as well. In some ways, this situation was the situation of Eden. Here is a perfect place where everything is beautiful and convenient. Just outside the garden, however, is a chaotic world where peacefulness and provision are pipe dreams. Isn't this exactly what Adam and Eve discovered?
Here is another way to look at it. There are times in our lives where we are sitting in the presence of God, experiencing the thin places, when all of a sudden a metaphorical dump truck is laying metaphorical asphalt which is loud and distracting even in a metaphor. It breaks our concentration because it call attention to the outside world. Many of us try to dwell in God, but the truth is that our beautiful relationship with God is bordered by a lot of other relationships that do tend to be chaotic and distracting. Maybe it is our relationship with a person, or with a job, or with money. Maybe it is our relationship with relationships. Dwelling in God is not easy with all of the chaos that pulls us in other directions, but the goal is to keep in mind that the chaos is temporary. And one day we will be walking in a garden just like Eden with the same God who walks with us now.
One thing about the gardens is that along a major portion of their border is a fairly busy road that sits just beyond a fence. When walking near this border you can hear cars and construction, not the sounds that you are looking for when trying to dwell in God's creation. But, it allowed me think about things in a spiritual light as well. In some ways, this situation was the situation of Eden. Here is a perfect place where everything is beautiful and convenient. Just outside the garden, however, is a chaotic world where peacefulness and provision are pipe dreams. Isn't this exactly what Adam and Eve discovered?
Here is another way to look at it. There are times in our lives where we are sitting in the presence of God, experiencing the thin places, when all of a sudden a metaphorical dump truck is laying metaphorical asphalt which is loud and distracting even in a metaphor. It breaks our concentration because it call attention to the outside world. Many of us try to dwell in God, but the truth is that our beautiful relationship with God is bordered by a lot of other relationships that do tend to be chaotic and distracting. Maybe it is our relationship with a person, or with a job, or with money. Maybe it is our relationship with relationships. Dwelling in God is not easy with all of the chaos that pulls us in other directions, but the goal is to keep in mind that the chaos is temporary. And one day we will be walking in a garden just like Eden with the same God who walks with us now.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Honesty
Do you ever wonder what happened to honesty? I do all of the time. I have to admit that trying to wade through the lies and misleading information that I encounter everyday simply wears me out. For whatever reason, honesty has lost its foothold. It is hard to know how many times we are lied to each day, whether it is by a TV commercial or a coworker. Truth telling is simply not a value that our culture promotes.
I am sure that it has always been a problem. Consider Adam and Eve. From the beginning people were trying to spin their situation to avoid consequences with "the serpent made me do it" or the woman gave it to me so I thought well who am I to say no. It just seems that the quantity of lies must have gone up. Maybe it is because it is the information age and with information comes misinformation.
I understand that people or companies have agendas and will often do what promotes that agenda. It is simply sad that we have to walk through life always asking if what we read or hear is true. Will this cereal really help me be healthy or has the FDA simply not started monitoring the use of this word. Or, is this car dealer really going to lose money if he sells this car at the price on the paper or am I getting ripped off (you are getting ripped off). It is like walking in a mine field of dishonesty.
Another thing that is sad is that we can so easily be drawn into and see no implications for our faith. Christians sell bad products or cheat people and the excuse is that well this is just the job. Question: should our standard of behavior really be the world around us? Isn't there a pretty good amount of material in the Bible about not conforming to the world around us? You know who wished that they hadn't followed the customs of the surrounding people? The Israelites as God led them into exile after they refused to stop worshipping the gods of the other nations.
Why did God tell people not to bear false witness? It's because it simply demolishes relationships. If you cannot trust someone, why be around them? Lying completely destroys a relationship because it says to the person lied to that he or she is not valuable or respected. Lying impacts people significantly, making them unable or unwilling to trust other people.
Truth-telling has become counter-cultural, but, honestly, isn't that what Christians are called to be?
I am sure that it has always been a problem. Consider Adam and Eve. From the beginning people were trying to spin their situation to avoid consequences with "the serpent made me do it" or the woman gave it to me so I thought well who am I to say no. It just seems that the quantity of lies must have gone up. Maybe it is because it is the information age and with information comes misinformation.
I understand that people or companies have agendas and will often do what promotes that agenda. It is simply sad that we have to walk through life always asking if what we read or hear is true. Will this cereal really help me be healthy or has the FDA simply not started monitoring the use of this word. Or, is this car dealer really going to lose money if he sells this car at the price on the paper or am I getting ripped off (you are getting ripped off). It is like walking in a mine field of dishonesty.
Another thing that is sad is that we can so easily be drawn into and see no implications for our faith. Christians sell bad products or cheat people and the excuse is that well this is just the job. Question: should our standard of behavior really be the world around us? Isn't there a pretty good amount of material in the Bible about not conforming to the world around us? You know who wished that they hadn't followed the customs of the surrounding people? The Israelites as God led them into exile after they refused to stop worshipping the gods of the other nations.
Why did God tell people not to bear false witness? It's because it simply demolishes relationships. If you cannot trust someone, why be around them? Lying completely destroys a relationship because it says to the person lied to that he or she is not valuable or respected. Lying impacts people significantly, making them unable or unwilling to trust other people.
Truth-telling has become counter-cultural, but, honestly, isn't that what Christians are called to be?
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Questions
I admit that I find myself questioning things more often than just accepting them right away. It is not that I am cynical, I just like to understand and investigate things before subscribing to them. I think that a lot of people in my generation are the exact same way. Here's the thing, with the amount of information available to us in this present age, we often discover that there is more to the story that what we have been told.
Maybe this is simply a result of getting older. As we get older, things make more sense to us and our worldview expands. We start to question media reports or commercial claims. We begin to seek out the background to the historical narratives that we are all familiar with. With all of the information and lines of communication out there, it is nearly impossible to be naive unless you really want to. And if you choose naivety, then you are choosing to live in a fabricated world that you can design with your own preconceived notions and predispositions.
Our approach to our faith works the same way. Many people would tell you that it is not safe to question parts of your faith. To some degree they are correct. If you cannot agree with the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed, then it is hard to see how you could be considered a Christian. Don't question those kinds of things. Don't question your faith, but ask questions about your faith. It is good to ask questions about the elements of our faith and about the Bible. Our faith is rich, deep, and complex, and it deserves that attention.
Maybe your question deals with doctrine or church practices. For example, maybe you ask why people attend church rather than worship by themselves. Well, first ask yourself if your concern is not just sleeping in on Sunday. Then, go to the sources and read the Bible. Read about how the people of God have always been a community. Read about the gatherings in Acts or the temple worship in Leviticus. Then consider the benefits of attending a church and belonging to a community where you edify others and others edify you. Consider the benefit of learning about God in the midst of other people, sharing what you learned and listening to them. Remember also to ask God if attending church is what He wants or not. It is not wrong to ask the question, but it is wrong to not to seek and be open to the answer.
It is also not wrong to ask questions about the Bible. The Bible is not something that anyone ever completely understands. Passages in the Bible are often complex and have important contexts. Consider the story of Noah. Growing up the story is all about animals, rain, and a big boat. Upon further review it is a story of the judgment of God, the faithfulness of God to his promises to Adam, and to God's mercy and provision. Sadly, it is also a story of man's moral failings despite having seen God's mercy and power. The Bible that God gave to us to read requires investigation and attention. If we do not ask questions and seek answers, we have made ourselves interpreters who cannot speak the language that we are trying to interpret.
Here's the thing, our faith is something that takes humility, work, and petition. This is why people of my generation appreciate people who are not afraid to speak and write about the complexities of our faith. People appreciate people like Donald Miller or Margaret Feinberg because they come across as real people working through their faith like the rest of us. They don't try to act as if they are all-knowing or all-holy. They struggle, think, and live. The truth is that everyone appreciates the truth. If a passage in the Bible is complicated, tell me about it anyway. Don't try to gloss over difficulties or ascribe some roundabout explanation for a verse that has a few different interpretations. In the same way, don't just tell me one possibility is the answer as if there are other possibilities that are just as reasonable.
It is always more comfortable to live in a faith that we can construct. I am always wary of anyone who acts as if they have everything figured out. People who have no more questions about God are people who may not know the God that I worship. People who think that they completely understand the entire Bible must have some kind of child friendly Bible that has removed the details and the intricacies. My hope is that I am never satisfied with my knowledge of God and His word. I hope that I never take for granted the fact that God wants me to grow in my knowledge of Him.
Maybe this is simply a result of getting older. As we get older, things make more sense to us and our worldview expands. We start to question media reports or commercial claims. We begin to seek out the background to the historical narratives that we are all familiar with. With all of the information and lines of communication out there, it is nearly impossible to be naive unless you really want to. And if you choose naivety, then you are choosing to live in a fabricated world that you can design with your own preconceived notions and predispositions.
Our approach to our faith works the same way. Many people would tell you that it is not safe to question parts of your faith. To some degree they are correct. If you cannot agree with the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed, then it is hard to see how you could be considered a Christian. Don't question those kinds of things. Don't question your faith, but ask questions about your faith. It is good to ask questions about the elements of our faith and about the Bible. Our faith is rich, deep, and complex, and it deserves that attention.
Maybe your question deals with doctrine or church practices. For example, maybe you ask why people attend church rather than worship by themselves. Well, first ask yourself if your concern is not just sleeping in on Sunday. Then, go to the sources and read the Bible. Read about how the people of God have always been a community. Read about the gatherings in Acts or the temple worship in Leviticus. Then consider the benefits of attending a church and belonging to a community where you edify others and others edify you. Consider the benefit of learning about God in the midst of other people, sharing what you learned and listening to them. Remember also to ask God if attending church is what He wants or not. It is not wrong to ask the question, but it is wrong to not to seek and be open to the answer.
It is also not wrong to ask questions about the Bible. The Bible is not something that anyone ever completely understands. Passages in the Bible are often complex and have important contexts. Consider the story of Noah. Growing up the story is all about animals, rain, and a big boat. Upon further review it is a story of the judgment of God, the faithfulness of God to his promises to Adam, and to God's mercy and provision. Sadly, it is also a story of man's moral failings despite having seen God's mercy and power. The Bible that God gave to us to read requires investigation and attention. If we do not ask questions and seek answers, we have made ourselves interpreters who cannot speak the language that we are trying to interpret.
Here's the thing, our faith is something that takes humility, work, and petition. This is why people of my generation appreciate people who are not afraid to speak and write about the complexities of our faith. People appreciate people like Donald Miller or Margaret Feinberg because they come across as real people working through their faith like the rest of us. They don't try to act as if they are all-knowing or all-holy. They struggle, think, and live. The truth is that everyone appreciates the truth. If a passage in the Bible is complicated, tell me about it anyway. Don't try to gloss over difficulties or ascribe some roundabout explanation for a verse that has a few different interpretations. In the same way, don't just tell me one possibility is the answer as if there are other possibilities that are just as reasonable.
It is always more comfortable to live in a faith that we can construct. I am always wary of anyone who acts as if they have everything figured out. People who have no more questions about God are people who may not know the God that I worship. People who think that they completely understand the entire Bible must have some kind of child friendly Bible that has removed the details and the intricacies. My hope is that I am never satisfied with my knowledge of God and His word. I hope that I never take for granted the fact that God wants me to grow in my knowledge of Him.
Place
Something that I think we take for granted sometimes is the power of place. There are places that we have been in our lives that are full of meaning and memories. I can think of several places from my past that evoke not just fond memories but powerful emotions of identity and formation. Glorieta, New Mexico is one such place. I love Glorieta. I spent many summer weeks at a conference center there. Some of my favorite life experiences occurred there when I was a teenager. For me it is a spiritual place, the kind that I hope to someday take a pilgrimage to. The conference center at Ridgecrest, North Carolina is another such place. Again, the place is so loaded with meaning for me that just thinking about the place makes me wonder what I need to do to go there as soon as possible.
Places evoke remembrances that take us back and enable us to relive our past. Events occur in places whether it at a college or a high school or a backyard. We think of these places to revisit a different time in our lives. Most of the time, and for good reason, we tend to revisit places that give us positive emotions, choosing to remember the good over the bad. Good for us.
Tonight I am sitting in a hotel Nashville. I am here on business, taking a class that will enable me to serve as a director for larger disaster relief operations. I come back home to Nashville every now and then, mostly for Titans games. Now that mom and dad live in Birmingham there is nothing that draws me here regularly. But every time I make the drive up here, my heart starts to beat faster and for some reason I long to drive past my old house and high school. It is not that I absolutely loved every minute in Nashville. It's just home. It is where I grew up and where I started my journey into becoming a grown up. I learned a lot of life lessons here. I feel comfortable here. All the while I realize that if I moved back here, I doubt it would feel the same as before.
Reading the stories of the Israelites in the Old Testament also speaks to me about the power of place. Think about the way they named places (Bethel: "the house of God" or Peniel "face of God"). Places for the Israelites were supposed to bring memories and emotions. The places became reminders of times when God saved them, provided for them, or judged them. Sometimes the place would continually be a site for events in Israel's history. Jerusalem is a place for Abraham where he is blessed by Melchizedek and a place for David where he will build the city that will house the temple of the Lord. Hebron is another important place that the Israelites could look upon and recall the history of their people from Abraham to that present day.
The power of place is something that we can all draw from. These places help us to understand how we came to be who we are and who we were. I wonder what the Hebrew is for "the place where I met my future wife" or "here I first saw my daughter."
Places evoke remembrances that take us back and enable us to relive our past. Events occur in places whether it at a college or a high school or a backyard. We think of these places to revisit a different time in our lives. Most of the time, and for good reason, we tend to revisit places that give us positive emotions, choosing to remember the good over the bad. Good for us.
Tonight I am sitting in a hotel Nashville. I am here on business, taking a class that will enable me to serve as a director for larger disaster relief operations. I come back home to Nashville every now and then, mostly for Titans games. Now that mom and dad live in Birmingham there is nothing that draws me here regularly. But every time I make the drive up here, my heart starts to beat faster and for some reason I long to drive past my old house and high school. It is not that I absolutely loved every minute in Nashville. It's just home. It is where I grew up and where I started my journey into becoming a grown up. I learned a lot of life lessons here. I feel comfortable here. All the while I realize that if I moved back here, I doubt it would feel the same as before.
Reading the stories of the Israelites in the Old Testament also speaks to me about the power of place. Think about the way they named places (Bethel: "the house of God" or Peniel "face of God"). Places for the Israelites were supposed to bring memories and emotions. The places became reminders of times when God saved them, provided for them, or judged them. Sometimes the place would continually be a site for events in Israel's history. Jerusalem is a place for Abraham where he is blessed by Melchizedek and a place for David where he will build the city that will house the temple of the Lord. Hebron is another important place that the Israelites could look upon and recall the history of their people from Abraham to that present day.
The power of place is something that we can all draw from. These places help us to understand how we came to be who we are and who we were. I wonder what the Hebrew is for "the place where I met my future wife" or "here I first saw my daughter."
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