Under the Weeping Willows

Under the weeping willow trees
I come to rest
To stop
To die

Under the weeping willow trees
I find my path
my purpose
my life

Weeping willows surrounded a small creek that ran down one side of campus.  It was the remote part of the campus, the part where people were few and rare.  It was a special place for me.

The willows hid the world from me; and me from it.  I didn't venture there often, but I always went on purpose.  I went with desperation and conviction and a need to be hidden underneath the low hanging branches.  I went needing to hear, to know, to cry or to think.

Some of my biggest life decisions were decided under the branches of those trees.  During one summer I sat under those trees and made the decision to pursue a life with my now wife and to abandon the thought of traveling to India.  I decided ministry was the route for my life instead of radio broadcasting--even though I certainly have the face for the latter.

More often though, it was under those cool shade giving branches that I paused life.  When life got hectic and nerves were short I went under the willows.  It was hear that I would meet with Jesus just to be with him.  No plan or purpose or request, just dwelling.

It has been five years now since I graduated and left the hills of Tennessee for the arctic tundra gentle plains of Indiana.  I have served in ministry these five years, witnessed the miracle of birth, watched the passing of life, laughed, cried, and everything in between.  It has been a good five years, and I look forward to continuing for many more years on this journey with my church family.

But I still miss the willows.  I have yet to find a place--the place--that my soul will just stop and rest and be.  I have yet to find a place where I palpably feel God's presence.  Town living is different than country living or campus living.  I don't know the tricks of finding quiet places for my soul to relax and dwell.  I still have the important times of soul dying and resurrection in my church life--the communion of our Lord.  I still have heartfelt worship and genuine prayer.

But I am still looking for that place to just be with God.

Where do you look?  Where do you dwell?  Where is your secret spot or special spot that you and God just hang out together?  What place has become holy for you?

Reflecting on the Unimaginable

I have a hard time writing about tragedies.  In fact, I have a hard time processing tragedies all together.  I am a dweller.  I sit with a tragedy for days and weeks and just keep thinking that maybe, just maybe there was a way to prevent it.  Maybe if we would have just changed one circumstance, this never would have happened.

I find myself dwelling days later on the Connecticut shooting.  The weekend was full of opportunities for me to try to blame one circumstance or another, hoping that in placing the blame there it would somehow make things better--perhaps change future situations like this.

I wanted to blame the guns.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of the 2nd amendment.  And when guns are used to kill, it reinforces my desire to blame them.  I desperately wanted to write a post on Saturday about the need for gun reform.

I wanted to blame mental illness.  I wanted to say that he just couldn't help it, that he had no control over his actions.  It would be unsettling, even if it were true, but it would still give me some sense of closure.  We could call for more money invested in money for those suffering from mental illness, and we could move on.

I even wanted to blame the society itself.  The video games, the violent movies.  These things numb us more than we realize.  Perhaps this was the time to call for change in how Hollywood makes money, and how we entertain ourselves.

I wanted to blame all those things, but ultimately I couldn't do it.  I couldn't do it because deep down I know a truth that cuts the legs under the blame game:

Just because we have a reason does not mean we have an excuse.

Just because we have dangerous guns available to us does not mean that it is an excuse for anyone to pull the trigger at another human being.

Just because someone has a mental illness does not mean that they have an excuse to act violently toward another.  (In fact, to suggest that this is an excuse is to insult the many mentally ill who live happy, peaceful lives).

Just because we have a culture captivated with violence does not mean that any of us have an excuse to absorb this violence and allow it to desensitize us to the precious nature of live.

We want to make excuses, but in reality we have just one thing:  sinfulness.

My preacher said it very well this Sunday:  Sin is simple.  To take life, just like having an affair or lying, comes down to a choice.  A choice to do wrong.  We see tragedies like this because we live in a sinful world, and this world is very sinful itself.

And the truth is that no amount of gun regulations will stop violence.

The truth is that no amount of money being pumped in to the study and treatment of mental illness will stop violence

The truth is that no change by Hollywood wills stop the violent acts of others.

The truth, when it comes down to it, is that only heart transformation through the Spirit of God will bring an end to violence.  Only when the world realizes the true nature of Jesus the Messiah and places their complete and total life in his hands will we see an end to tragedies like this.

It is in the Messiah that we see the promise that people will turn their swords into plowshares.  That in Christ people willingly lay down their weapons of violence and choose a life of peace.

It is in the Messiah that those of all all mental capacities find healing and love and community.  Jesus healed, loved, and communed with those that society rejected and marginalized.

It is in the Messiah that we lose our appetite for violence, as we become desperate for the peace and hope and unity that is found in His church alone.


I am slow to remember these truths when tragedy hits.  But once I remember, it leaves me wanting to simply call Christians into action.  Be the loving, peaceful, hope for the hopeless, light to the darkness,  good news bearers of Jesus.

Rescuers

I live in the Midwest.  I live in a small town in the Midwest.

I live in a town where the sky is big, the hills are small, and the problems of the world are just not that concerning to us.

I sit this morning and read Galatians again, seeking again for the Spirit to shape in me the heart of Christ.  The Spirit strikes quickly:

"Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age."

Jesus was a rescuer.  He rescued from the evilness of the world in which he lived (and in which we still live.

But I live in a town where the sky is big, the hills are small, and the problems of the world are just not that concerning to us.


I think often of my friends and brothers around the world.  For those fighting to bring hope to those lost in the hopelessness of homelessness.  I think of those sharing good news to those bogged down by the legalism of Islam.  I think of the wonderful young man Abhijeet, sharing faith in his homeland India; sharing even though his best friend's wife was killed, his friend brutally beaten.  I think of those freeing slaves, ending sex trafficking, and bringing clean water...

...and I feel disconnected.

I can send money (and do).  I can help out with a note of encouragement or prayer (and I do).  I can cheer them on and encourage involvement and raise funds...

...but ultimately I live in a town where the sky is big, the hills are small, and the problems of the world are just not that concerning to us.

------------

The big lights of the conventions were burnt out of her eyes.  The excitement gone.  The only reality left was that she knew she was changed, but was already ready to go back.  It was easier in the present evil age, even if more damaging.  It was easier to live without hope than to taste hope and fight for it.

And the text says she is ready to give up.

And I pray with her.

-----------

He is strong, strong like abused dog that lashes out because it is better to bite than to get beaten.  The walls around his heart seemed like steel.  He didn't need anyone, he doesn't need anybody.  He doesn't always start the fights, but he sure finishes them.

He comes to church, but refuses to share his life with ours.

Until he comes from school broken.  Hot tears breaking down his face like acid eroding the steel around his heart.  He yells and cusses because he wants to be loved.  He wants to be accepted.

-----------

No, I cannot be actively involved in beating the slavery in Africa, or the oppression of Islam in the Middle East.

But here in the Midwest the sky isn't so big and the hills are not so small that they are insignificant.  The problems are real.  The evil is real.  The pain and hurt and hopelessness all lead us to one major need:

Rescue.

And this I can do.  This I will do.

Anticipation

Dear God,

As I gather with your church, within your sacred walls of flesh community.

I do not see you.

I am too busy.  I have to look for you afterword.  I am too busy doing, thinking, looking, sharing, caring, shaking, smiling, hugging, hand raising, singing, teaching....


And I forget that you are in it all.

The old ones, Paul and Peter and countless others, they anticipated

You.

They looked for you, sought you, worshiped you, praised your grace, waited for you.

And you were there.

And you sent them.

And they saw, they noticed.




...So let it be with me.

How I Killed Christmas

The liberals have not killed Christmas.

Nope, it wasn't the atheists either.


It was me.

Maybe it was you too.

I killed Christmas.

Christmas, a time for joyful celebration of God's provision, his purpose, and his power.  Christmas, a time for quiet reflection on Jesus' humble human birth, Mary's service to God, Joseph's patience, Shepherds worship, kings submission.  Christmas--the time that calls us to anticipate Jesus presence in our lives afresh.

Dead at the very hands of those who call it sacred.

I lived in denial for years.  I wouldn't do this.  I am a Christian, I want to keep the Christ in Christmas.  It was certainly someone else's agenda.  Not me.  No.

Yet I stand guilty.

Every moment my heart beat green with greed...

Every gift I gave with personal gain in mind...

Every time I uttered "Merry Christmas" while acting just like the Christless masses.

Death, by destroying the true purpose of Christmas.



Dear Christians, please listen to my plea.  This Christmas, let's not blame anyone for taking Christmas or destroying it.  Let's bring it back.  Join me.  Not by bemoaning our loss.

Not by yelling louder or posting about Christmas on Facebook, Twitter, or even Google+.

I suggest doing what Jesus did--loving to the point that you come into someone's life, and make it better.  Bring hope, mercy, forgiveness, and love.

Don't just read the Christmas story to your kids this year, put it into practice in your life.

"The Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us"

Is War Just?

If the issue of gender is a touchy subject (see my last post here), then this one is absolutely aggrevating! The issue of war, and whether or not it is just is a difficult question, and one that is wrapped up with all sorts of other issues. I think it is important for us to remember two things before we get started:

First, we must remember the context of this blog post. We have a tendency to put God in our box by asking "Would God really?" Would God really say its ok to kill for your country? Would God really ask you to lay down arms and not defend yourself, your family, or your country? Remember, we are not trying to find out what we think, but simply what does the Bible say. We must examine it faithfully, then allow ourselves to be changed by it.

Second, please remember that I am not writing this to judge our current wars (although that is always a by-product of writing on this topic). I do not write this from a political opinion, nor do I do so because I am anti-American. I love this country. I only write to try to look honestly at what God teaches. Can we agree to leave the current political situation alone for now?

With those two prerequisites, let us begin to examine this difficult issue.

The Nature of God has never changed.

We know from careful study of Scripture that God is always the same--he has not changed who he is. The New Testament is not God 2.0. He is the same and is just in what he desires and what he does. So we cannot conclude that God's stance on war has changed from the Old to the New Testament.

We know that God used war in the Bible to accomplish his will. In fact, the best example of this is found in the New Testament, as we see God warn the people of Israel that Rome was coming to destroy the temple during the generation following Jesus (Matthew 24 and Revelation are full of these warnings). The God of the universe uses war to accomplish his purposes in the world.

But God uses all things to accomplish his plan.

Romans 8:28 teaches us an important lesson: God allowing or even using an event does not make that event just. God works all things together for the good of those who love Him. God can use sinful decisions, barbaric actions, and destructiveness to accomplish his will in the world. This should lead us to the realization that everything done by the Romans, though it would accomplish God's purpose, was not of God. It was not good, even if it worked for good. We have enough common sense to know that war is not good, bloodshed is a sign of something wrong in the world. The cross of Christ was a terrible thing, but it was a terrible thing that God used to accomplish his most extraordinary work of making good out of bad!

Can it be sin when God decrees it?

So we head back to the Old Testament. God's people are commanded by God to kill every man, woman, child, and livestock living in the promised land. Genocide. God commanded genocide. Uncomfortable? So am I. (Now is a good time to remember that God is God, trusting him sometimes means trusting what we don't understand).

If God commanded this, it could not be sin for the Israelites to follow through. God does not command sin, his decrees are just. We must, therefore, realize that there is at least some moments that war are just. However, we must also realize that this was a very particular situation that God specifically, and orally, commanded! This does not give us the right to make war in the name of God! Has he verbally told us to fight, kill, etc?

The nations are given the sword to govern.

We also see, in the Old and New Testament, the truth that God has given the sword to the nations (the governments I believe is the context) to wield for justice sake. This tells us that there are just wars! There can be a war fought to end injustice, there can be justice found in the shedding of blood. I would like to point out, however, that we do not see the sword bringing peace in Scripture. The idea of wars to end war is not a biblically founded concept, and I would argue that it is also illogical.

The nations have the sword, but what about His holy nation?

We now come to the crux of the issue: What about Christians? Can Christians fight? Should Christians fight? I want to consider three aspects that come into play as we talk about the Christian role in war: the nation of Christ, the peacemakers, and the martyrs.

The nation of Christ

Isaiah 2 presents a picture of beautiful hope. The hope is that when the Messiah is established on his throne, the nations will beat their swords into agricultural equipment. In other words, as the nation of Christ grows, and his reign is established, warfare will lose its appeal and need. This is a great picture of hope that often gets pushed into the very end of history.

However, Jesus tells us that all authority on heaven and on earth has already been given to him! His reign is already started! Though his reign will find consummation in the end of this age and the ushering in of the eternal age and kingdom, there should be visible signs of his reign now! His church is that visible kingdom on earth--we are the ones who have abandoned the earthly hopes to hold on to his hope. We are those who have begun beating our swords into something else!

The peacemakers

Matthew 5 tells us that peacemakers are sons of God. We have really done this verse injustice. We remove its power by spending all of our time talking about inner peace. NO! Peacemakers are people who do just that: make peace where none exists! This can be inner peace, but it can also be inner-city peace, peace in the midst of a civil war, or a war between countries. Peace in families, communities, and nations. Is this not why we love Mandela and Tutu? We know that they had the right idea! Christians are called to be peacemakers, because we are called sons of God. This is a bold step away from the "for God and country" approach that has carried over from Medieval Europe.

The martyrs

We now turn to those who have died for their faith in Christ. Tortured, beaten, and in the midst of it offering forgiveness and peace to those around them. When we read their stories, we feel a yearning to connect with them. We know they have found the better way, the way of Christ. Sometimes ushering in Christ's reign means pointing back to the cross.

Laying down of my rights, and my life, to show you Christ (and how he laid down his rights, life!).

Perhaps we do have the right to fight back, but let me finish by asking this:

How do you best display your Lord, through the sword or sacrifice?

Grace and Peace.

Would God Really?

The title of this post is in my opinion the most dangerous question we can ask.

Would God really?

Would God really condemn homosexuality?

Would God really send people to hell?

Would God really create man and woman with different roles?

Would he?

I have a major issue with this type of language. Let me explain the danger of this little phrase.

First, this phrase expresses a secret atheism. I believe that among many modern Christians a moderated atheism has become an acceptable norm. This strand of atheism expresses itself by creating for oneself a form of godliness that fits the cultural norms that we have established for ourselves. In other words, we suggest that if our God doesn't believe exactly as we do, he must not be much of a God. This is the crux of secret atheism. We don't really believe in a God that is beyond our scope, our mind, our capability. We only want the religious experience and the peace it brings. In other words, we desire the peace found in the gospel without the God who brings the gospel.

Second, when we pose the question "Would God really?" we are suffering from cultural elitism. Think about this for a second. The Middle Ages (and much of the religious right) struggle with the question of whether God would really call us to a life of peace. When we assume that God couldn't condemn certain lifestyles, certain supposed victimless crimes, what we really assume is that our current culture understands the ultimate direction required for societal perfection. This is the same elitist mindset that declared the earth was flat. We cannot trust ourselves as the ultimate standard of the universe, of God's creation, or of God's design for human life.

Third, what we are really saying when we say "would God really" is something more like this: This is so far removed from my understanding that I refuse to acknowledge God if he works this way. In other words, we again want to place God in a box we can understand.

If God really created everything (think about that for a minute: everything!), can't we expect him to have a little different viewpoint on the world than we do? Can't we expect that God says things, does things, teaches things, and commands things that just plain don't make sense to us?

This week, I will look at several issues where God says things that go against our cultural senses. I am going to try to be fair with biblical texts, even when they make me squirm (and some issues that come up in the Bible really do make me uncomfortable). I ask you to join me, challenge yourself to take God's word seriously.

Perhaps he will make you uncomfortable. It may scare you. But transformation is always difficult, it always hurts. If we are truly Christian, if we are truly followers of God, than we must allow Him to transform us through His word. Imagine if a caterpillar never became a butterfly because if feared the transformation within the chrysalis. The beauty God intended for it would be missed altogether. Join me, and perhaps we can transform ourselves into something better entirely: Faithful People.

Topics:
Wednesday: Gender Roles
Thursday: Peacefulness
Friday: Unity
Monday: Homosexuality
Tuesday: Eternal Judgment
Wednesday: Redemption

I look forward to some good conversations!