remind me again who You are

Remind me again
who You are and have been

Give me a glimpse
of the Cross yet again
Speak to my needs
and my thoughts and my scars
Remind me again who You are

Whisper Your name
so I'll know it by heart
when the chaos of life
tries to pull me apart
I'll call out and know
that You're never that far
Remind me again who You are

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  (John 14:26)

christmas is about presents

There is a reason.

• It’s why people smile while wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, as if they don’t know they’re wearing an ugly Christmas sweater (even though we know they absolutely do).
• It’s why someone feels the permission to smooch you under a certain configuration of dried leaves hanging on the ceiling.
• It’s why families drive around neighborhoods, aimlessly looking at how someone else arranged the same lights they arranged on their own home in a lesser quantity.
• It’s why an old guy with a white beard can earn some extra money by dressing up in a specific red suit this season.
• It’s why you do your best Michael Bublé impression as he does his best Frank Sinatra impression, while singing Christmas songs you only know half the words to.

Some would say it’s the reason for the season… Jesus Christ. 

Let’s be honest, though. The holiday of Christmas is more about presents.

(Yes, I just said that. It’s about time you did, too.)

Christmas is about presents. Stuff. More of what we want. Our traditions, favorite songs, special treats and preferred circumstances.

Even if we’re “open minded” and muse, “People celebrate differently during this time of year, and I’m fine with that,” we get a little wound up when we’re not able to spend this time as we think we’re entitled to.

If you can agree with me on this for a moment (even if it offends you), then perhaps we can talk about the power of a gift.

I recently took my ten-year old son on a trip to Chicago. Our stops included heading to the top of the Willis Tower, also known as the Sears Tower. (You can still call it the Sears Tower if you want, but most Chicagoans will use it as the chance to say, “What you talkin’ bout, Willis?”)

I’ve never been in the building before.

Keep in mind, I grew up and lived in Chicago for twenty years. Nonetheless, I’d never entered it nor rode the elevator up to see the city from a top floor in one of the world’s tallest buildings. I shared that first-time experience with my son.

What caught me off guard was how caught off guard he was about hearing that. He asked, “You mean… you saved that experience for me?”

I paused, then replied, “I suppose I did.”

He paused, then replied, “Well… that makes me feel special.”

Talk about a Hallmark commercial moment. I never felt like I’d done something so right, yet so unintentional.

Later at dinner, we had another conversation about other experiences we should save in life, like certain things that are intended for the woman he might marry one day. 

The Willis Tower offered something else amazing we took part in together. The building has four completely-clear glass viewing decks that come out of the building four feet so you can look straight down while standing 1,353 feet high, as if you’re dangling in mid-air.

My son was a trooper on this. He walked right out, even laying down and relaxing on the platform.

And why not? He’s full of the kind of faith many of us have forgotten about or don’t even know exists. He trusted in his father to look out for him and introduce him into situations that he couldn’t handle on his own, but could with me by his side.

I believe that’s why Christmas has become about presents. Underneath all the wrapping paper is a desire to give something to someone else that’s meaningful to us and them.

• Sometimes you give the perfect gift on accident: You offer someone something you thought would be received at one level but is enjoyed at another.
• Sometimes you give the perfect gift out of relationship: You give the gift of genuine trust to another person where there is mutual love and respect.
• Sometimes you give an imperfect gift that you thought was the perfect gift: The person who gets it will have to decide if they’ll receive it in grace or reject it as unwanted.

During the Christmas season, people give tangible things that create an intangible reaction. If you think about it, that’s exactly who the Baby in the Manger is – God in-the-flesh so you can know Him in-the-soul.  

Yes, Christmas is really about the Present of Jesus Christ. What I’m proposing is we can use the natural thing this holiday has decayed into as a step of faith to the supernatural thing it is under the surface.

James 1:17 clarifies, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (NIV) There is a reason.

• It’s the reason you’ll be generous with what you can see by donating something to “the poor” you’ll never see.
• It’s the reason you’ll join into tactile traditions today that remind you of emotional experiences from the past.
• It’s the reason you’ll be physically sitting in church service to spiritually connect with your Heavenly Father.
• It’s the reason you’ll even give up some of that in order to enjoy some extra time with others who need to sense God is there through your life… especially when you actually put on that imperfect, ugly Christmas sweater they give you.

Step out in faith on the ledge of what Christmas happens to be today... then look down.

You just might see something underneath you that is deeper than you think.

a few words for something I have no words for

God... you surprised me yet again.

Thanks for being much bigger than any human brain can comprehend...

for the times You say no,

the times You yes,

and the times You say, "I'm about to blow you away with something amazing."

I love You... thanks for loving me in tangible ways.

Help me to squint to see even more of them.

haiti, faith, and a whole lot of questions - pt 5

Please tell me you saw this - a Haitian teen was found alive in the rubble of her home 15 days after the quake.

That's just over two days of darkness.  Can you imagine how horrible that would be?  Nothing but being stuck without relief for days on end.

And then suddenly... light, and people, and care, and nourishment.  Your entire world changes in the blink of an eye.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:1-3)

I was watching video footage from a pastor the other day in Haiti, and he shared how just moments before a boy was shot on the streets.  Not even an hour before the pastor had bought all the boy's ice cream - 200+ bars - and given them away to local kids.  The boy went away and then came back with more, but was shot on the street and left dead while people walked around.  Then the camera panned over and showed the scene... a boy in the street, with blood around him.

I didn't know how to respond.

My 8-year-old son did, though.  Granted, I didn't show him the footage I saw that afternoon... but later that night we got on the topic of how hard things have gotten for the community of Haiti as they're trying to survive.  I said, "One of the reasons we only drank water last week was to remind us of what is happening over there and that we're responsible to love our neighbor... to think of a way to take care of those who are hurting."  He asked a bit about that, and assumed all would be fine since "We've sent help over."

I said, "Well, that is good, but it's not enough to only help one time.  For example, today I learned about a boy who had been shot on the street because someone wanted the ice cream he had."

My son began to cry... really, really, cry.  I didn't expect that, but it was absolutely appropriate.  He asked through his tears, "Is he alright?"

I knew my answer was about to change him.  "Actually, no. He... well, he ended up dying."  My son's tears began to pour out, and my wife and I tried to comfort him without losing the sobriety of this learning curve.  "Joshua, you're absolutely right for crying over that," I said, moving closer.  "There's a reason why you feel that way, and it's because God feels the same way about tragedy like this."

Did you know that?

In the second to last chapter of the Bible, we read this description of what the end of things as they currently are will be like before they begin to become something entirely better:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."” (Revelation 21:4)

The things that cause us suffering now - death, pain, mourning - will one day...

be gone.

On what basis is this claim made? 

The resurrection of Jesus Christ Himself from the dead.

Out of all the things we call "evil" in the world - poverty, war, abuse, relational pain, disease, and ultimately death itself - only one of them is unique... death is the only one that can never be avoided.

• Some are born into poverty, but they can be brought out of it.
• Wars occur when one force attempts to overtake another, but they can be ended.
• Abuses happen when one individual belittles the value of another, but they can be halted.
• Relational pain takes place when one life creates wounds to another life in proximity to it, but they can be held off and reconciled.
• Disease will often ravage a person or a people group, but they can be fought with medicine and hygiene.
  

But death... death is unavoidable, so while it in itself may seem neutral, it remains the strongest expression of evil that there is. Nothing and no one has ever ultimately defeated it - that is, except Jesus.

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." (Revelation 21:5)

When a rescue happens in Haiti, people cheer... for we have taken part in the miracle of "defeating death."  Truly, though, only Jesus has done this completely in that as God He not only suffered and died on our behalf, He also came to life again and defeated death itself. Which means if He can defeat the strongest of evils, then He can defeat all the rest.

Why does He not do so sooner?  Or in a way that minimizes suffering?  Or as we would do it if we had His power? The Bible doesn’t say.

Doesn't that suck sometimes?

So since we don't know the answer to this, does this mean there isn't one?

Philosopher William Alston gets at it this way:

Suppose that some of the very best scientists in the world come up with a new theory about quantum physics. Suppose I, as a non-physicist, look at their theory and say, “Because I cannot figure it out, they must be wrong.” It’s possible they might be wrong, but I have no real basis for knowing.

Alston’s point is simply that we are not in a position to assume that if an infinite God has reasons for allowing evil, then we as finite and fallible beings should be able to figure them out. And because we cannot assume this, any argument which does—such as the approach identified above—has not proved anything at all.

What we are certain about, though, is an end of the story that is not rooted in wishful thinking.  Rather, it is rooted in a cosmic battle that has already taken place, a battle in which Jesus has defeated the worst of all evils... death itself.  He not only comforts us in our present suffering, but who will one day come again and defeat suffering in all its forms. How amazing is that?

This - and nothing less - is the assurance that belongs to those who embrace His embrace, making Jesus their Lord and Savior.

So I'll end all of this discussion on another tragedy of sorts... one that involved the family of singer Steven Curtis Chapman.  They've been in the news over the past couple of years specifically regarding the tragic loss of their 5-year-old daughter Maria, their youngest adopted daughter, who had been accidentally struck in the family's driveway by one of her brothers returning home in his truck.

Chapmans new album, entitled "Beauty Will Rise," became his personal testament to Maria's life and the overwhelming assurance that they will be together again one day.  It must be nothing short of a miracle to attempt to find and somehow discover redemptive words for such pain. I ache for his ache... and am humbly silent at his praise. 

Life... 

found underneath the rubble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9JTwJ_1lzE

He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:7-8)

haiti, faith, and a whole lot of questions - pt 4

If you were to give God a grade for how He's doing these days, what grade would you give Him?

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.  (John 11:1-6)

Dangerous question, right?  We can answer it so emotionally, one way or the other.

Most people opt for a "Pass/Fail" system.  Either He's doing the job we all expect of Him, or He isn't.  Others might grade on the typical "A, B, C, D, F" system.  Someone clever might even throw in the "E" to indicate they feel He's turned in incomplete work.

Or at least, we think He has.

So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him."(John 11:14-15)

We need blind sass to even consider such things, don't we?  For it's our bent to look at a question like this through our own sense of history alone.  We say, "I'd give God an 'A' for sunsets and summers, but when someone I loved died for no reason whatsoever I decided He deserves nothing more than an 'F' in my book."

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (John 11:17-21)

There is nothing a person can say in response to that kind of declaration.  At least, nothing adequate.  That person is making an emotional statement, and so they feel "right" in the tremendous loss they are experiencing... because a tremendous loss should create a tremendous reaction.

It's why Jesus wept at the tomb of His friend Lazarus before He raised Him up from the grave.

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked.
 

"Come and see, Lord," they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" (John 11:33-36)

Because death is tragic...

but it isn't the end of the Story.

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said.

"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:38-40)

Take a look at the account of Lazarus or the cross of Jesus and you will realize that suffering can have a purpose, even when it doesn't make sense.  The Lord isn't indifferent or detached from our condition.  Rather, a fuller view of things is not death but resurrection – not a cartoon heaven with harps and clouds but a true restoration of all the brokenness in this world and our hearts... all through a new relationship with God through Christ.

This isn't just some religious idea or something we chew on to feel better.  This means that literally every horrible thing that has ever happened will one day become a part of a greater perspective... like when you've been unemployed for a while and suddenly get a job, making you appreciate that blessing all the more.  In some way the experience of heaven will become even more joyful because of the way the pain and darkness has been finally outmatched by the healing and the Light that is Jesus.

This is the ultimate defeat of evil and suffering, and it can begin our hearts when we begin to unleash the truth of it in our lives.  Such a reference point for hope can offer perspective to the questions our hearts raise.  That's why the Bible says "by faith" we see ahead with our soul what our eyes haven't yet taken in.

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." (John 11:41-42)

Sometimes when you get down the road of a tragedy and you look back, you realize that something was accomplished in tragedy.  I say this with trembling and caution, though, for I'm not attempting to water down the very real pain that we experience when it happens.  The world is broken by sin, so there are all kinds of things that God did not originally design the world to contain. His blueprints did not have hunger, earthquakes, rape, disease, or human death. Even from the perspective of eternity, we will look back and realize that much of the suffering that's occurred in our lives and in the world could have been avoided by human decision.

But we are intended to look back from a new vantage point... one that doesn't give God a grade based on the moment but on the curve of His Story.

In other words, just because you can't think of a good reason why God hasn't stopped the pain in this world yet doesn't mean there cannot be any. First you have to acknowledge that the meaninglessness you feel in the face of suffering is part of the fact that we are not created for these things and now we are facing them. Then we have to acknowledge that our vantage point is not everything.

Which makes what God *has* done all the more powerful.

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." (John 11:43-44)

The Lord entered the suffering world as its Savior, living the best life possible and yet being punished in the worst way conceivable. The cross shows that He loves us, because if He didn't love us He wouldn't have gotten involved... He is not indifferent to us by any means. As Jesus, God has suffered, and we can rest assured that that He shares our pain and knows our sufferings. God put into motion a proactive chain of events through the cross and the raising of Jesus from the dead... a chain of events that points to our ultimate hope of final restoration when we are finally united with God for eternity.

Still want to give God an 'F' based on your vantage point?  Maybe you feel that's what He deserves.

I won't argue with your vantage point... because that is what it is and I'll give you the space to have it.

Perhaps tomorrow, though, your vantage point will increase.  That's why I've written this post... to remind you that the way you see life today should grow tomorrow... not shrink or merely stay the same.

And it's possible to place your faith today in what you will place your faith in tomorrow.

Tune in tomorrow for the final word.

haiti, faith, and a whole lot of questions - pt 3

What was the last thing you tried to fix that was broken?  For me it was a broken door on our entertainment center, and before that it was a garbage disposal.

Yeah... that's right... I fixed the garbage disposal.  Take that, average 4th grader.

When something is broken and you're attempting to fix it, you need a point a reference.  Specifically, you have to envision or find a picture/blueprint of what the cracked or "out of order" thing once looked like.  Only with this reference point can you begin to see the flawed object as originally intended, giving context to that which is currently broken and how you need to go about restoring it.

That's one reason why the first two chapters of the Bible are such a gift - they remind us that humanity and this world didn't start out flawed, but rather were whole and interconnected.  There was a time when our relationship with God wasn't cloudy, our relationship with others wasn't strained, and our relationship with nature wasn't adversarial.

Oh, and another gift we were given?  Free will.

And we exercised that in the worst way possible.

I mention this because the reason we all sort of "know" what has happened in Haiti is "wrong" is because buried within us is a sort of Divine "Original Idea" blueprint for the way things are supposed to be. The once-atheist-turned-Christian C.S. Lewis once put it this way:

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of 'just' and 'unjust?'… What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?… Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if I did that, then my argument against God collapsed too – for the argument depended on saying that the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my private fancies…Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple."

Lewis was on to something here, for he came to realize that suffering provided a better argument for God’s existence than one against it.  In order to recognize something wasn't right, you unconsciously have to admit there is a "right."  So whether someone realizes it or not, they have gone back to the Original Idea of the Creator set in motion when they cry out against the way things currently are.

This is one way that God can use destruction to bring about a recognition and process of healing.

Think about it - what we learn from the Blueprint of Genesis 1-2 is that the Lord desired us to be in a mutually caring relationship with one another.  Jesus underscored this when He commanded us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  We've certainly had the opportunity to do so with Haiti for many years, and yet we've let them goe by with the average Haitian trying to get by and live on less than $2 a day.

I wonder... why didn't we TXT a pledge to help Haiti with that before the past week?  How come efforts to raise funds didn't make headlines until just recently?  Why has the effort to adopt Haitian orphans only just increased... in the past week and a half?

Oh yeah...

because we really didn't care about Haiti.

But then suddenly - a tragedy occurred - and we started caring.

Did you notice that?

It's why the current President and the previous two Presidents began hanging out. These men who have wasted so much of their energy trying to destroy each other's credibility in order to make their own shinier... put their arms around one another.  Folks, that's not a political statement... that's a spiritual one.

For we've done the same, haven't we?

It happened during 9/11.  It happened during Hurricane Katrina.  And it's happened in previous generations as well... from World Wars to Great Depressions.  People who never spoke to one another started having sober conversations; friends and family members began to reconcile; a grassroots effort began to bring hope and healing to those who had been hurt.

As if the Original Idea of caring for one another kicked in, even after years of suppressing it beneath our own agendas for life.  Something was broken, and so we all reached back to an unconscious understanding of our responsibility to care for one another and begin restoring the devastation of creation back into its original image.

It's as if God tries to get our attention in the best way possible, but we put our headphones on to listen to our favorite music instead.  So He shouts a bit - and for a split second we tune out the music and try to hear Him, because it momentarily rattled us.  Then He taps us on the shoulder - and again we pause, but then go back to our own beat.  Finally He shakes us, and we complain, "Hey!  Why did You have to shake me like that?"

Listen to these words spoken by singer Keith Green at a concert in 1979, addressing the theme of how God speaks to His people when they are hard-hearted (again - keep in mind this was shared 31 years ago and look at the timeliness of these eternal thoughts):

"When God wants to talk to (stubborn) people He talks to them in three ways. First, He touches them where it hurts - in their economy.  If that doesn't get their attention, then He touches their ecology... the rains, the locusts, the famine, the earthquakes, and so on.  And if that doesn't work, He raises up a nation to come and invade them.  I think we have struck out in two of those areas.


I'm not a prophet of doom... I'm a prophet of love. But love will bid a warning doom to those children that play on the freeway.  And I tell you this - we need to wake up, for Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said, 'Bid that the Father, the Lord of the Harvest, send laborers into the Harvest."

Maybe sometimes God has to allow the worst to happen to us in order to bring out the best in us.

Perhaps the Lord isn't as inactive as we think He is.

"It takes no faith to trust God when He is obviously moving. Real faith is holding on and believing when God SEEMS absent." - Rick Warren

And yet... perhaps the emotional question still remains.  "Why this way?"

Again, first think about how you even "know" to ask that question.

And then... I'll spend some time addressing that question tomorrow.

haiti, faith, and a whole lot of questions - pt 2

I am not sure that anyone can be argued into placing their faith in God.  It would seem that a lot of Christians invest their time into debating, and I've definitely spent my share doing so in the past.  While I've found that I could dismantle many arguments thrown my way, it often boiled down to if the person was willing to change what he/she believed about God... and in most cases the person wasn't willing.

All that energy... blocked by a shield of hard-heartedness. And yet most Christians pursue others as if they were trying to get them to purchase a movie ticket when they'd rather go bowling.  "Fine, you've convinced me," the believer hopes the unbeliever might say. "I'll choose Jesus. Does He come with a bucket of popcorn?" 

So I'm not expecting this series of thoughts on "Haiti, faith, and a whole lot of questions" to convert anyone.  Rather, you need to come to God because you realize that there is something quite beautiful and indescribably majestic about who He is... or perhaps the other way around, in that you recognize you are hypocritical and full of sin, in desperate need of a Savior who can free you from it all. 

For you to see any of that - truly, for you to even glimpse at that - you need to understand how much of your life is already "faith-based," for there are plenty of things you place your faith in each day that involve trust in something you don't fully understand.  You hop in a car in faith that the company who made it knows what they're doing; you turn on the water in faith that the water company got your payment and hasn't shut off your service; you make an appointment with a friend and have faith they will show up on time; you have children in faith that they will add to your life and you will add to theirs.  Recognizing these small examples can help you navigate what to do with the hurdles you have yet to reconcile.  Which gets into the first thought I'd like to explore in this issue of pain, destruction, God, and what it all means. 

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, He answered “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength," adding that the second was to "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Mark 12:30-31) Often when we attempt to go one-on-one with God we only use  1-3 of those approaches, inadvertently sacrificing a 4th in the process.  For instance, someone may have never really learned to love God with their mind because they grew up in a Christian home and have never felt the urge to question their faith... even though they should.  On the other hand, someone else may have come to God through some thorough Q&A through history and archeology, and yet their faith is so cerebral that they've never truly worshipped Jesus from the depths of their soul... even though they should.

This is important to recognize because there will be times when it's hard to "wrap our minds around" something like Haiti.  We may not ever be able to for that matter.  We are desperately trying to understand something we don't understand, and since we can't seem to do so we conclude that there isn't an adequate answer, hence, "God doesn't exist."  After all, if God is good He would certainly never allow bad things to happen, right?

There is a major flaw in this reasoning, for buried beneath the assertion that the world is filled with pointless evil is a hidden premise.  Specifically, the person claiming it believes, "If evil appears pointless to me, then it must be pointless."

Several years back I was on a road trip and helped some students set their tents up for the night.  Before I could set mine up it started raining, and so I ended up sleeping in a van for the night.  By morning I had a pinched nerve in my neck that ended up staying with me for almost six months.  Keep in mind, that's six months of pain... all the time.  A few weeks in I decided to see a chiropractor, and then in turn he suggested I see a doctor so I could take part in physical therapy.  All of this angered me for it seemed to be purely pointless pain... for while I had been doing a very good thing - "the Lord's work" - by taking these kids on the trip, there wasn't any need for me to experience what I did.  "What kind of God would let me suffer like that?"

And yet...

The chiropractor and I struck up a friendship, and eventually I ended up getting to know him and his girlfriend, which in turn led me to marry them and help that marriage get an amazing start.  And the doctor I saw for physical therapy?  Before he sent me off he ran some blood work on me... and noticed something that otherwise would have gone undetected, eventually becoming life-threatening.  I was able to put new habits in my life that helped reverse what had happened (versus something more severe and fatal).

Huh.

So maybe the pain wasn't so pointless after all.  Though I would have really liked to have traded the active pain of those six months, I would not trade the insights I gained from it.

There are times that God doesn't make sense to the mind, which is where the soul comes into play... the mind sees the here-and-now, but the soul through faith sees a bigger picture.  Sort of like comparing watching a train as it passes car-by-car versus seeing the birds-eye view of the whole thing at once... we sit and wait at the flashing stop lights for the thing to be over, while the Creator sees and knows its context from above.

So... could it be possible that while God intended for this world to be without pain or disease, and we broke it, that He can use even our bent toward destruction to bring about healing?   Just because we can't see it just yet, does it mean there isn't a proactive reason we shouldn't consider?  One that can't been seen with the mind alone, but only when the mind works in tandem with the heart, the soul, and the strength of a person/community?  Or perhaps one that can't be seen at all on this side of heaven?

Again - we seem to care more about Haiti and its people after the earthquake than we did before the earthquake... for before the earthquake hit they were barely surviving as a people while we paid our $20 to see Avatar in 3-D with $12 worth of snacks on our lap.

Huh.

I'll write more on that tomorrow.

haiti, faith, and a whole lot of questions - pt 1

Okay... it's time to ask the question and attempt to wrestle with it.

You know the question, don't you?

I saw it this past week when I received a text message from someone in our church who said, "(My husband and I have been) praying... trying to get our heads around over 100,000 people confirmed dead and more to be expected. A whole school of children! How do you get your brain/heart around that? Oh God!"

And then there was another this morning from someone who said via Facebook, "My heart is breaking for the Haitian people....ANOTHER earthquack/aftershock??? This seems SO not fair! I'm having a little trouble reconciling a God of Mercy right now.....:("

Personally, I think these moments of tension are powerful.  I know I'm not supposed to, because these are supposed to be thoughts that atheists do a little dance about when Christians become speechless at the tragedy in this world.  They hurl insults like, "Look at this mess. Where is your God now?  See, I told you!  He isn't there, is He?"

Ah... what a great opportunity.  I don't by any means in saying that mean to lighten the heaviness of what has happened, but rather to point out the pure growth that can happen now that we are asking those questions.

Because the atheists have a point - the deity that we've been worshipping doesn't exist, and in these moments we learn that.   But that doesn't mean God doesn't exist - read what I just wrote... "the deity that we've been worshipping doesn't exist."

Let me be clearer - many well meaning people worship a God that is more of a math problem than a Lord over the universe.  He's the "God who always makes sense" and "doesn't give you more than you can handle" - the one that says if you're good and vote Republican/Democrat, good things will happen to you and you'll have a prosperous life.  He's the "safety-net-God," the "it's-okay-to-look-down-your-nose-at-other-people-who-are-living-apart-from-so-you-can-feel-good-that-you-aren't-like-them-God," and "go-to-church-every-Sunday-and-life-will-make-sense-God."

That God doesn't exist.

You may need to read that last sentence again.

And so the atheists have it right when they point it out to us.

Now, I don't believe that the people who wrote the comments I quoted earlier believe in this lesser-god, but rather are trying to make sense out of the real God.  And I totally applaud that and believe this is the time to do what they are attempting to do.  We must figure out what it means to reconcile the destruction in our world with who God is... and isn't.

Because the God that the atheists have formed that they will not believe in (yes, that is ironic) doesn't exist either.  The popular statement is that “A God who is good and all-powerful cannot allow evil to exist, but evil does exist, therefore there is no good and all-powerful God.”  Without realizing it, they have also made a statement of faith in forming their anti-faith.

I know... this is heavy and confusing stuff.

So maybe the greater question about all of this has to do with why we land where we land as we circle all the chaos in life.

• Why is it that on the same night as a major news special on the tragedy in Haiti the Golden Globes aired? Why do we allow that to happen?  Which did you tune into?
  
  
  
• Why is it that on a USA Today page that shows pictures of the devastation there are headlines just below like "Nicole Richie fashions a clothing line" and "Brad Pitt's beard turns heads?"  Why do we allow that to happen?  Which headline did you click on?
  

I'm going to write a bit on this each day for the next few days, and I hope in doing so your understanding of God - the real One, that is - grows.

That is, if you're willing to take part in this journey... which means holding your current understanding of God (or anti-God) a little looser so you might better understand what you do - or don't - believe in.

I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"(Daniel 12:8)

a few words on why religion stinks

Consider this - One of the things that gets in the way of us having a true connection with God is the way we define that connection.

Like I said, consider that for a moment.

The way we define a connection with God is called "religion," and religion on its own simply stinks.

Out of my own life, when I was growing up, I was a "Catholic." I don't mean to put the quotes around that word to hint at any negativity, but rather because when I say "Catholic" I mean it was how I defined Catholic. For me that meant I'd pop into a church service at Easter and Christmas with my parents, vaguely pay attention if we attended other times of the year, and make the "Sign of the Cross" whenever I prayed. I believed "about" God, and occasionally I believed "in" God.

But that was it. It was my religion... it was how I chose to define my search for God (even though it was usually more of a shield I raised to feel like I could "checklist" off that part of my life and go on to do other things).

• Disclaimer: I know other people define their Catholic faith or upbringing more deeply than that. I have family members, for instance, who have found that to be true. But for me... that's not what it was. Maybe you know what I mean.
  

If you would've pressed me on it, I would have argued with you that I was a "Christian." Again - notice the quotes... a "Christian" as I defined it, and not as the Bible does. After all, I had a version of a Christian religion that I felt mechanically good with. It blended in well with how and where I was raised, for in the greater Chicagoland area I had opted for a popular choice. Among my peers, being a Catholic was usually a family tradition that at times was possibly religious. Only in very, very rare instances did I see it become authentically spiritual in a friend or two.

By the way... this post isn't about Catholicism. We don't need to debate about what it is or isn't, but I needed to share that so we can turn to what this post is really about.

One of the things that gets in the way of us having a true connection with God is the way we define that connection.

Because everything I just described is not just true of Catholicism. It's true of any church, including the one I serve in and enjoy growing in my relationship with God.

And it's true of even people who feel they have the closest connection to Him. Sometimes those who seem the most passionate about a certain way of pursuing God have forgotten that it's not the way we worship that matters... it's the object of our worship.

Let me give you a little glimpse of the punchline of what I'm talking about. In the book of Nehemiah, the Israelites have just come out of a time of slavery and are finally back in their own land. After much hard work at restoring many of their holy places, they enter in a time of worship. Those in spiritual authority cried out to the people:

"Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise." (Nehemiah 9:5-6)

If you read that passage quickly, you may miss the whammy of a thought hidden right there at the end... that who God is matters more than any blessing or praise.

Think about what that means... maybe it still hasn't hit you yet.

There is no form of blessing or praise - spoken, sung, enacted - that is more important than God Himself.

And yet...

One of the things that gets in the way of us having a true connection with God is the way we define that connection.

In other words, when we begin to worship "worship" more than the Lord Himself, we've created something inauthentic and tried to make it feel authentic.

• Perhaps you have grown comfortable in a routine that feels religious on your terms. And yet it is robbing you of a true relationship with God on His terms.
  
  
• Maybe there is an aspect of how you seek the Lord out that is your favorite way to do so. What happens when that itch isn't being scratched in the way you like it? Do you elevate that form of praise higher than you elevate the God the praise is intended for?
  
  
• Who or what gets to define if you are really on track with what it is you say you believe?
  
  
• Is the purpose of a church community to meet your needs? Or is the purpose of a church community a gathering of Christ-followers who decide to meet the needs God says matter?
  

Has the punchline hit you yet?

I have found that when I can put God in my pocket, He has ceased to be God.

• No bumper sticker is big enough to define Him.
• No style of worship is encompassing enough to praise Him.
• No denomination is true enough to exist without Him.
• No discovery is shiny enough to steal the spotlight from Him.
• No science is smart enough void of Him.
• No person is dirty enough that they don't matter to Him..
  

Perhaps you read this as a skeptic. Thanks for popping in... and I dare you to stop rejecting God as much as you're rejecting your idea of God. Please think about that for a moment.

Maybe you're processing through this as a religious person... again, thank you for your time. But don't let your self-defined pace of considering God keep your from recognizing the fiercely-tender, redemptively-holy One who is so much larger than you believe He is... so much more relevant to your life than you allow... so much more intimate with you than you are with Him.

Or it could be that you are taking all of this in as one who has chosen to step over the line and embrace the fire hydrant drink of Jesus Christ's love and His purpose for you here on planet earth. Again, even with you there will be a temptation to look for God-things to scratch itches only God is supposed to itch.

Even today, I wrestle with wanting to define my faith versus allowing it to be defined and refined by my God. I tell Him, "This is how we're going to best connect," and He says, "I'm actually trying to talk to you from over here. Peek-a-boo!"

There is a difference between playing your own music and asking God to dance to it, versus tuning into the soundtrack the Creator has set into motion and letting your life sway in new ways because of it... because of Him.

But as you dance, don't worship the dance or the music. Rather, enjoy and express your heart out to the One behind it all.

Religion? It stinks.

But God pursuing you isn't religion. 

He is an amazing Daddy who loves His kids.

And that... is a relationship worth letting Him define so you can more fully embrace it.

Take a look at that picture at the top of Adam and God again. Who of the two is stretching, and who of the two is barely lifting a finger to connect?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-lY8VQpSTY

a comment I wanted to share

Recently I addressed the topic of having a friend who is gay in one of our church gatherings. I spent several months researching and preparing for it, especially since it is the controversial topic many established and emerging theologians are wrestling with.

Today on Andrew Marin's blog, I read a conversation taking place regarding how different denominations are making policies on this matter. Below is a comment I made and wanted to share here as well.

To be sure that fly by comments don't take place, I've turned off the comment portion of this post. And if you're reading this on Facebook or another feeder, I'd ask that you not reply to where it appears. Rather, if you wish to connect and have a real conversation about it, email me at tonymyles@hotmail.com

---

This is simply not an emotional issue... it is a spiritual issue.

Jesus said to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. In the next breath - or perhaps the same - He said to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.

So much of this issue and the "gay" topic is often through the emotional lens only... as if we are trying to reason out a theology based on loving God with our heart, and our heart alone.

Yet Jesus said love the Lord your God with all of your heart... and your soul, mind and strength.

To be fair, others argue the issue with their "heart" and "mind" as well - trying to understand the context of this culture and that culture, research genetics, and so on.

Yet Jesus said love the Lord your God with all of your mind... and your heart, soul, and strength.

Then there are the "strength" theologians - if they are theologians. The louder they can make their argument, the better... they think.

Yet Jesus said love the Lord your God with all of your strength... and your heart, soul, and mind.

What about the soul, though? Why does that often get the short end of the stick in this conversation?

The soul.

Maybe because it's the part that is the most supernatural, and since we think we're talking about trying to understand if someone who identifies themselves as gay is making a "natural" or an "unnatural" distinction... we forget to factor in the supernatural.

The soul... that piece of us that occasionally has an Isaiah 6 moment where we stand before a Holy God and cry out, "WOE IS ME! I AM RUINED! FOR I AM A MAN OF UNCLEAN LIPS, AND I LIVE AMONG A PEOPLE OF UNCLEAN LIPS, AND MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE KING, THE LORD ALMIGHTY!"

You know those moments?

How often do we enter those moments *before* we have a conversation on this topic?

Perhaps the problem is we feel so deeply on one side or the other that we forget the heart isn't the only way we need to approach this topic.

Or we think so well and have so much study underneath our belt that we have become builders of our own Babel... I mean, babble.

Maybe we are so strong vocally and have enough James Brown-esque back-up singers behind us saying, "YEAH!" and "YEAH!" and "YEAH!" that we think we're right, whatever we're saying.

I am not saying approaching God through our soul is ever at the expense of those three, but I am saying the other three are never at the expense of standing before a holy God, feeling small, and attempting to understand something so awesome and amazing as who He is and who we are because of who He is.

Never... never... the other way around.

Yes, feelers... I know that you feel so strongly about it that "God must have put it in you." Don't miss the point.

Yes, thinkers... I know that some Greeks and the Jews viewed the "soul" through a certain lens that is different than we do today... don't miss the point.

Yes, strengtheners... I know that there are "righteous things" to fight for and fight about. Don't miss the point.

May we never, though, create theology of of only these three (or blindly accept what our denominations have decided without the willingness to have a "lover's quarrel" about it).

May we instead always seek to *discover* theology... on this matter and others... which is only possible when we allow the soul to engage as it is designed.

Because if we do... I get the sense "loving our neighbor as we love ourselves" will be the very next breath... or perhaps the same.

His name is I AM

I've known the fear. Maybe you have, too.

The one that wakes you up some days and makes you feel like "I'll bet you today will be the day that the bottom just drops out."

Life can mess you up sometimes. It can make you nearsighted.

All the stress, and trials, and hardships that come along… it can be rough and overbearing and cause us to only see the problems in front of us.

And not the perspective beyond us.

"My family is a mess."

"Work takes everything out of me."

"My ex keeps causing problems for me."

"My kids don’t listen."

"My parents are burdening me with all their problems."

"I can't get out of reach of everyone else and all of their desires for my life."

You ever have a run like that? I know I have. Same fears, different dialogue.

Sometimes all we can see in this life is our own problems.

But think of this.

On those days when all you can perceive is the chaos - when life seems too much to take - what if there is more? What if there is a perspective beyond what you can see?

Our God is a great and powerful God who knows what you’re going through, is able to meet that need, and is right there with you.

His name is "I AM."

Just look at the vastness of His creation. When your problems get too big to take, just consider how intricate and intelligent everything is.

• How certain bugs exist to eat other bugs which exist to eat certain things that keep us healthy.
  
  
• Or how our bodies are able to take what we eat and turn the good parts into human tissue and get rid of the bad parts.
  
  
• Or how life can appear when science says it can't, doctors say there is no hope, and hope says all is lost.
  
  
• Or how the position of the earth and moon and sun are so precise that even the slightest percentage of difference would cause crazy ripples, and yet somehow they are held together.
  
  
• And right now – as you consider all of this and decide if you want to receive it or debate it – you have a complex brain that is working in ways you can't even fathom... where did that brain come from? Who created it so unique and complex?

His name is "I AM."

He knows every star and every planet and every constellation… and He knows you by name.
Can you imagine? In comparison to the size of this universe we know of, we are less than insignificant... we are seen and known and understood and loved.

Loved by Him.

His name is "I AM."

We are not even as bright as the sun or as large as a galaxy, and yet the Great God of the universe knows us… cares for us… loves us.

Do you get that?

So why do we doubt? Why do we fear? Why don’t we trust that God can provide for us as He always has for His people?

A man named Louie Giglio once put it this way - "I am not, but I know I AM." That's a great line... because when we are feeling like we're "not," we know the One who is.

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exodus 3:13-14)

A poet named Helen Mallicoat described it in her own words this way:

I was regretting the past
and fearing the future.

Suddenly, my Lord
was speaking.
He paused.
I waited.
He continued:

"When you
live in the past,
with its mistakes and regrets,
it is hard.
I am
not there.
My name is not - I WAS.

When you live in the future,
with its problems and fears,
it is hard.
I am not there.
My name
is not - I WILL BE.

When you live in this moment,
It is not hard.
I am here.
My name is I AM."

Whatever happens, He's got our back... and our front... because He has our "now."

It may not feel that way. You may be angry with God. Again, I know this one, too. Same anger, different dialogue.

I've learned, though, that it is possible to use the struggles in life to look for God in ways that the joys distract us from. I've also found that when you do, the joys take on a much deeper meaning.

Jesus is our Savior, and He continued this“I AM” dialogye when He made declarative statements about His identity. Which of these do you most need to claim right now?

• "I am the bread of life." (Do you feel hungry for a satisfying life?)
  


• "I am the light of the world." (Do you feel like you're in the dark?)
  


• "I am the door for the sheep." (Do you wonder which way you should go?)
  


• "I am the good shepherd." (Do you wonder who will guide you?)
  


• "I am the resurrection and the life." (Do you need a touch of the supernatural to bring your deadness into a fully-alive existence?)
  


• "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (Do you tire of opinions ruling the world in lieu of something greater?)
  


• "I am the true vine." (Do you yearn for a constant supply of healthy nourishment that will cause you to actually bear fruit?)

Wondering where to find all of this?

His name is I AM.

a message from joshua for you

Joshua would like to remind you that "No matter where you are, you are in connection with God."

the irony of the mountain

So many of us right now are on different spots of the same mountain.

Some are on top. Others are in the valley.

Same mountain, though.

The top of the mountain top is a high place of achievement. From here, we see so much and the borders of the horizon never seem to end. It's a place where you drive a stake into the ground and shout out a barbaric YAWP that attempts to echo into all of history. It's where you have foresight and can comfortably sum things up from a bird's eye perspective.

And yet all high peaks are risky (often slippery) places where we can easily fall backward. The force of gravity works against us, pulling us down the very same angle we just climbed and feel entitled to enjoy. All it takes is one mistake in our step and we begin the tumble, desperately grasping for anything solid to grab on the way down. Knowing that mistake might come causes many to play it safe, creating makeshift camps that we call castles.

This is the irony of the mountain top... we all enjoy it, yet secretly fear enjoying it for we fear losing it.


On the other hand, the valley of a mountain is often viewed as a low place of humility. It's dark... and scary... and barren... and without esteem... and its only expected echoes are ones of loneliness. Anyone in it expects to be viewed as a failure, for no one makes it a priority to end up in it.

And yet the valley is consistently consistent. It is here where our steps can become stronger, meatier, and thicker. In this instance, the weight of gravity works in our favor for one cannot slip someplace lower... unless they give up entirely. If embraced as a blessing, the valley can offer a sense of security the mountain top cannot. When we get into such a questionable place where our very survival is endangered, we are forced to grapple with an unpredictable God and our own unexpected outbursts. And likewise, we begin to ask better questions about if we really trust Him, really understand who we are, and really want to be in a relationship with Him where He doesn't always tell us everything.

This is the irony of the mountain valley... we all dread it, yet in hindsight can retaliate against such short-sightedness with the wisdom of enlightenment.

The true irony, though?

Amazingly... God is in both.

So whether you're camped out on the mountain top or tip-toeing through the mountain valley, what are you learning about your faith?

When life is easy, what does and doesn't come out of you?

And likewise, when all of a sudden life is no longer easy and you really have to figure it out with the benefit of foresight, what emerges then?

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there." (Psalm 139:7-8)

2 out of 3 still ain't 3

One of the things I have always been intrigued by is how often we don't spend time trying to understand who the Holy Spirit is. As the third member of the Trinity, one might think that He gets as much stage time in our prayers... only He seems to show up as a "grip" in the credits of our faith.

Maybe that's because the Holy Spirit freaks most people out.

Honestly, don't many of us assume we can't relate to Him? After all, we can mentally process "God the Father" as a father figure and "God the Son" as a son/savior figure. But what is our reference point for a "Spirit" figure - the latest special effects movie?

And yet if I am burdened for a complete and overflowing experience of God, then I shouldn't trim out my study of a vital part of who He is. One of the chief ways He chooses to operate in every person's life in the present tense is via the Holy Spirit. Perhaps there are miracles just waiting for us to experience if we would only realize the miracle of the Spirit's presence. If we don't explore who He is (yes, "He" versus "It") we will miss out on some powerful components to our faith:

Jesus affirmed Him and the role He would play in guiding us into all truth.

• John 16:26 - (Jesus speaking) "When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."

Yet there was still confusion in the early church between those who'd placed their faith in Christ and received the Spirit versus those who had only gone half-way by repenting through John the Baptist.

• Matthew 3:11 - (John speaking) "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."



• Matthew 10:20 - "for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."



• John 7:38-39 - (Jesus speaking) "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

It's because of this latter issue that you see a lot of talk about "being filled with the Spirit" because many people had settled for a faith about Jesus instead of placing their faith in Jesus. It's like agreeing that a parachute will work versus strapping it on and placing your faith fully in the Lord.

• Matthew 28:19 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
  


• Acts 8:14-17: When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
  It's one of the reasons the disciples had to wait for the Holy Spirit to be poured out.
  
  
• Acts 1:9 - "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
  
  
• Romans 8:15 - For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

And once He was poured out, He was available to all believers. This is also why when Luke writes about certain people in the early church or Paul writes to Christ followers who had truly placed their faith in Christ it's a non-issue.

• Acts 7:55 - But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God;
  
  
• Romans 5:5 - And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
  
  
• Romans 8:11 - And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 2:12 - We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
  
  
• 1 Corinthians 3:16 0 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
  
  
• 2 Corinthians 5:5 - Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
  
  
• Ephesians 1:13 - And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

Sometimes He is revealed through a laying of hands (especially in cases of ordination into a ministerial office/position), and other times He is just poured out on all those who place faith in Christ:

• Acts 2:38 - Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
  
  
• Acts 9:17 - So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "(Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
  


• Acts 10:45 - All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

We have to remember, though, to not resist the reality of the Holy Spirit's presence as the Pharisees did:

• Acts 7:51 - "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
  
  
• 1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Do not put out the Spirit's fire

Instead, we are to embrace His role in changing the world as He changes us.

• 1 Corinthians 12:7 - Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
  
  
• Acts 8:29 - Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
  


• Romans 8:5 - Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
  
  
• Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

And as a bit of encouragement, we are told that in the last days the Holy Spirit will be at work all over the place...on all people as well as God's servants.

• Acts 2:17-18 - "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."
  


• Revelation 2:29 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
  And so the Holy Spirit is bigger than we know and yet personal enough to dwell within those who trust their lives to Christ. Together they play a role with the Father in guiding us toward a time when we will all be who we really are in the presence of the Triune God.

In fact. it is through the Holy Spirit that we learn how to overcome our old ways.

• Romans 8:13 - "If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live."

So maybe it's time to pony up on our Trinity as a 3-in-1 instead of a 2-in-1. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force that God uses... the Holy Spirit is God.

I know, we don't get it because our human brains can't wrap around this idea that God is bigger than our understanding. (Which is ironic, because by definition wouldn't God have to be bigger than us?)

People resisted the idea of God as Father, and yet one day they saw that the God who led them by day through a cloud was the same One who led them by night with fire. And then there was the incarnation of Christ - that God would come to earth as One of us so that we might become more like Him - we've spent time resisting that, too. Finally, this concept of the Spirit is our last mental hurdle to jump - and yet there He is, working in our lives.

Imagine what would happen if we recognized how special it is to have the God of the Universe fully indwell a person. Why God spends time leading us into Truth is beyond me, and yet He does... and still manages to keep the universe running just as well. He is the one who helps us see the birth pains the world is going through to spring forth Life out of its current decay.

"The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." (Revelation 22:17)

your questions about the Question

Often I find myself in conversation with folks who have questions about God like I have over the years. They're good questions - and many times it has to do with a single issue... finding God and authentically connecting with Him.

Yet while these questions are often similar, they are especially unique on at least one level. Every one of us has a specific matter we'd like to take up with our Creator, and on any given day it may seem to change. Beneath it all, though, is a unique Question among the questions - a driving force that is more powerful than the thing we seem to come to the Lord with.

And that is where the real connection with God can happen.

In Mark 10, Jesus encounters a variety of people with a variety of "questions" - but see if you can tell what their main Question is.

Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?"

"What did Moses command you?" he replied.

They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away."

"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. (Mark 10:1-5)

Here is a group of Pharisees - a dominant group of religious thinkers among the the First Century Jews. These guys were believed to be religious experts (in a nutshell) and they came to Jesus with a question that seemed to be about divorce. But was it really?

Again, this was a group of rule makers/enforcers who enjoyed feeling like they had God's company credit card. If they said something and agreed upon it, then it was "so" among the people. One historian named Josephus cited how the common Jewish people allowed this group authority over them, and the Pharisees seemed to enjoy that.

One issue that many men in this era dealt with - including the Pharisees - was the quick dismissal of their wives into a divorce. It's a long issue in itself, but the bottom line is that if they handed their wife a certificate of divorce then "that was that" - and many abused that option.

Along comes Jesus, telling them that marriage is a bigger deal than when you get tired of someone and to treat it as such is to instigate the potential for adultery.

Again, though - was this matter simply questions about divorce? Or was there a deeper Question?

Just the other day I was trying to get one of my sons to obey something I'd asked of him. He asked back, "What happens if I don't?" I had to hold back the laughter - I mean, how many times have you and I done this as adults with God?

If we truly want to "find Jesus," perhaps we need to first let go of our desire to keep living life on our terms.

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. (Mark 10:13-16)

Amazing, isn't it? In such pure form a group of parents burst forward trying to have Jesus touch their kids. In some small way they're hoping that such a simple action will make a difference in their children forever. Only this time it's Jesus' disciples who get in the way - and Christ gives them a wake-up call about it.

A few days ago the question came up in our van (again from one of my boys) how we know if the Bible is true. Later on that evening, another question was raised about why there are so many different types of people in the world. These are questions that have answers, but because many people feel unequipped to answer them we usually tell kids, "Because the Bible says so."

That's a fair shot at faith, but does that at times... I wonder... get in the way of kids coming to Jesus?

Sometimes other people's "questions" raise a "Question" in us that we aren't comfortable with, and rather than pursue it into the deep end we cast it aside and settle back into the wading pool.

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"

"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. (Mark 10:17-22)

Yet again, someone comes to Jesus wanting to get an answer to a question... but the real Question is if all the good things he's done are what count. When he finds out that good deeds don't save you, the young man walks away sad. I've always wondered what became of him.

Because He doesn't set his agenda down to follow Jesus. He simply walks away.

So apparently he wasn't interested in finding eternal life... he just wanted to know if the way he'd been living his life on his own terms made the cut.

For God to be "God," He must be God.

That means that at the end of the day it is up to God to define who He is and how we have a relationship with Him. To insist upon your own way and hope it allows you to limbo under some bar of good deeds is to miss out on what it means to live a powerful life of trust.

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first." (Mark 10:24-31)

The disciples are starting to get worried after the rich man leaves - they want to know if their sacrifices to follow Jesus matter. So they ask, "Who then can be saved?"

Have you ever wondered that? Maybe you're someone who puts a lot of time into helping others find God and you want to know if what you're doing matters.

It does. It so significantly does. And the reward from God will one day blow us away.

Someone today reminded me of how tempting it is to do nothing because we're afraid of our weaknesses and imperfections spoiling something of God. And yet He invites us anyway to pitch in, for if we don't the Church (and ultimately the world in need) will never know our strengths.

They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."

"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?" (Mark 10:32-38)

Two brothers... gotta love this sibling dynamic. they're planning out the scope of their life and eternity here because they believe that one day Jesus will have everything set up and He'll need some muscle to run His kingdom. (Unfortunately for them, Jesus has a much different idea of being a King that involves serving like a peasant)

Their question seems to be about who gets to sit where, but it would seem as though their deeper Question is all about security and identity. I wonder how many of our questions track back to that...

for only the artist gets to give an identity to his painting, and only the chef gets to give a lasting name to his created meal, and only a Creator gets to tell all of creation who and what it really is... even if that very creation insists differently.

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he
heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 10:46-52)

Finally, something clear. Jesus asks, "What do you want?" The blind man says, "I want to see."

And Jesus gives the man sight.

Hmm.

Perhaps today it can be that clear for you and I.

Perhaps today you and I will avoid all of the little questions and ask the big Question.

For if you do, perhaps you and I will find ourselves surprised with an Answer from Jesus.

Just don't confuse your questions with the Question.

Because what you think you want to know may actually be a distraction to what you really want to know.

So... Jesus stands before you and asks...

"What do you want?"