#1 thing I will NOT miss when I move to NC.....the state of New Jersey. I imagine that my stress level will drop significantly once I move because I won't have to sit in traffic on route 295 or route 42 any longer. And I won't be paying absurd property taxes to NJ to pay for the dumb things that politicians have done in the past in the name of "reform." (or nepotism...depending on how you look at it). Don't get me wrong...this has been my home for 10 years and I will reflect someday on all the fond memories I have...
But I digress...
I was pondering my next blog post on my way to work this morning and all that I could think about was a few of the things I will miss when we move. I'm not talking about people, because inevitably the one person I forget to mention will read this post and get offended and then there's probably someone who thinks I will miss them but I won't and that will just be messy...so I'll stick to the "things" that can't send me nasty emails or won't be bothered as to why I left it off the list. Some things that came to mind seemed so trivial and others gave me pause to consider if something I'd miss could end up being a "deal-breaker." Would I back out of this move because of a "thing"?
Baseball - I already have issues being outside of the Boston area when baseball season rolls around. Being near Philadelphia helps things somewhat because they're playing well and they are definitely my "second" team. Most nights of the week I can find a Phillies game and an occassional Red Sox game on one channel or another. I get to talk with people at work who are avid baseball fans and I am invited to games from time to time. 3 days every season the Red Sox come to Philly and I try to see as much of that series as I can. But in North Carolina, this will all come to an end. When spring training is going full force and teams are prepping for opening day, all I will hear on the radio or watch on the sports update at night will be about college basketball. Regional baseball coverage? Forgetaboutit...The nearest ML stadium is in Atlanta (5 Hour drive) and the next is Cincinnatti (6 hours). Seriously, how am I going to handle this?
The City - I don't work in The City. I don't even spend much time in The City. But knowing it's there any time I want is quite comforting. The City is full of good restaurants and there's always an orchestra or musical or concert going on at various venues. And have I mentioned baseball? The City has baseball and basketball and football and now even...soccer. I will miss The City when I move and will have to find new forms of entertainment and things to do with the family on any given Saturday. I am reminded of a scene from the movie Tommy Boy where Rob Lowe asks Chris Farley (aka Tommy) what kinds of things there are to do for excitement in Sandusky, Ohio. The top things on the list include late night pitch & putt, cruising the livestock auction for 4H babes, and the event of choice...cow tipping. ("Hey Chucko...that doesn't smell like mud!") Is this what is to become of me? Will I drag my friends to tractor pulls or rodeos when they come to visit? Will a date with my wife include a fine dining experience at the Waffle House and a trip to the local zoo (fenced in area with deer and squirrels)? I'm sure there are plenty of fun things to do in and around Boone, NC - but it's just not the same as a short trip to The City to be serenaded by budding opera singers at dinner and a little Gilbert and Sullivan at the theatre down the street.
Boardwalk Fries - I'm not much of a "shore" person. I've always preferred the cool mountain air and the quiet solitude of a cabin on a lake to a hot, sweaty, crowded and sandy day at the beach. The saving grace for me here in NJ is the boardwalk, specifically the one we frequent in Ocean City. I could spend the whole day walking back and forth along the length of the boardwalk. There are places for shade to sit and watch people and of course I have to consider the benefits of all that walking. Well, at least until I buy a huge bucket o' boardwalk fries. Stroll on the beach? Nah. Building sandcastles? Not really. Taking a swim in the ocean? No thanks. Huge bucket of fries that'll most likely clog an artery or two at some point in the future? Yes please!!
I'm not picking on North Carolina...we love it down there. As with any move like this, things are going to change...but that doesn't mean I can't "miss" those things. Perhaps my next post will be about all the great things about the mountains of North Carolina...I better get caught up on my college basketball and learn to like (swallowing hard)...country music...
...but I'm not sure how to beat watching a baseball game in The City while eating a big bucket of boardwalk fries!
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Showing posts with label General. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
What Can We Learn From Egyptian Christians?
Thank you to Carlos Whittaker for posting this picture and allowing people to comment on it's meaning.
Take a look at this picture from the recent conflicts in Egypt. What does this image say to you? Comments, please:
Read more about this here : Christians Protect Muslims during Prayer
Take a look at this picture from the recent conflicts in Egypt. What does this image say to you? Comments, please:
Read more about this here : Christians Protect Muslims during Prayer
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Demystifying Mysticism & Contemplative Prayer
"Mysticism is the pursuit of communion with, identity with, or conscious awareness of an ultimate reality, divinity, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight. Mysticism usually centers on a practice or practices intended to nurture those experiences or awareness. " (Thanks to Wikipedia for that definition)
In beginning this journey I have been very skeptical and have had a rather closed mind about mysticism, but it now seems logical to me that there needs to be a significant spiritual aspect to our faith. We are in fact spiritual beings who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. When we think of mysticism we tend to think about eastern religions and having out-of-body experiences and the sort. We thinks about chanting and meditation and burning incense and well, it all seems a little too "new age." But the fact is that mysticism means communing with God and that is something that every Christian should be interested in. I think I get caught up the terminology and the “how-to’s” rather than the purpose and meaning.
The Holy Spirit is most often the member of the Trinity that is forgotten, probably because we have a hard time understanding and relating to this "spirit." For me, having been raised in New England and having worshiped at a Baptist church for a number of years, the Holy Spirit wasn't really emphasized as part of our worship life. We left that to those Pentecostals down the street and dismissed much of it because of the likes of Benny Hinn and the fake healings and claims to be able to raise the dead. I also had a bad experience when I was younger in that some friends who attended a more charistmatic church asserted that my family members were not true believers because we didn't speak in tongues (a 'sign' that we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit). Perhaps you can now understand some of my skepticism.
I mentioned in a recent post that I am not one for deep theological studies on any particular subject, but I have been reading quite a bit to check this out for myself and gain some understanding. After reading a numbers of passages in Acts and a few commentaries on whether or not the Spiritual gifts such as tongues are active today, it was recommended that I read a couple of books that really helped me. "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster and "Into the Depths of God" by Calvin Miller. Both of these books discuss the importance of meditation and contemplative prayer in order to get more in touch with God through the Holy Spirit. Rather than go through all of their explanation, I will recommend you do a bit of reading. Here's my take on it: we need to spend more time listening to God - letting Him speak into our hearts. This is how we gain a deeper knowledge of Him and gain an understanding of His will for our lives. This is accomplished through contemplative prayer and meditation.
Most people don’t spend one hour a week in prayer, let alone setting aside an hour a day to ‘listen’ to God. Too often we fill our prayer time with a list of the wants and needs that we have. God knows them already…but do we spend time to listen to Him? or do we just expect God to do all the listening and answer our prayers? Good relationships are a two-way street. Communication must be flowing both ways. I have recently tried to set myself apart from my routine and pray – and just be still. I have closed the door to my home office, turned off all the lights and music and with just a flashlight I read some scripture and then doing anything possible to block out noise, I just prayed and then sat quietly. It was so refreshing to think of nothing but God through contemplative prayer.
I think people hear instruction on this practice of contemplative prayer and see that one should repeat a word or phrase over and over. Why do this? Well I like to think practically – it helps block out other thoughts and distractions. It keeps us focused on the task and that is to sit and focus on God, to be in His presence. Technology has wired our brains to be active constantly – it’s no wonder there are so many sleep clinics – so this repetition is a way to de-program ourselves and allow our brains to take some rest. It is in this quiet stillness that we can feel God’s presence. I believe God’s presence is always there, but we don’t recognize it or feel it because of everything else we have chosen to “feel.”
We cannot simply put our hands or eyes on every answer that is to be had. Hugging the Bible does not make us closer to God any more than holding a glass of water quenches our thirst. We need to ‘take it in’ – let it become a part of who we are. Does this mean meditation? Yeah. Does this mean contemplative prayer? That’s probably part of it. Is contemplative prayer and meditation some form of eastern mysticism? I now do not believe so.
I have decided that I need a more purposeful quiet time with God and I hope that you too will do some reading on the subject and find that there really is a very good reason to "...be still and know that I am God!" Do you want to love God more and deepen your relationship with Him? Spend more time listening and understand that the Holy Spirit is alive within us.
In beginning this journey I have been very skeptical and have had a rather closed mind about mysticism, but it now seems logical to me that there needs to be a significant spiritual aspect to our faith. We are in fact spiritual beings who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. When we think of mysticism we tend to think about eastern religions and having out-of-body experiences and the sort. We thinks about chanting and meditation and burning incense and well, it all seems a little too "new age." But the fact is that mysticism means communing with God and that is something that every Christian should be interested in. I think I get caught up the terminology and the “how-to’s” rather than the purpose and meaning.
The Holy Spirit is most often the member of the Trinity that is forgotten, probably because we have a hard time understanding and relating to this "spirit." For me, having been raised in New England and having worshiped at a Baptist church for a number of years, the Holy Spirit wasn't really emphasized as part of our worship life. We left that to those Pentecostals down the street and dismissed much of it because of the likes of Benny Hinn and the fake healings and claims to be able to raise the dead. I also had a bad experience when I was younger in that some friends who attended a more charistmatic church asserted that my family members were not true believers because we didn't speak in tongues (a 'sign' that we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit). Perhaps you can now understand some of my skepticism.
I mentioned in a recent post that I am not one for deep theological studies on any particular subject, but I have been reading quite a bit to check this out for myself and gain some understanding. After reading a numbers of passages in Acts and a few commentaries on whether or not the Spiritual gifts such as tongues are active today, it was recommended that I read a couple of books that really helped me. "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster and "Into the Depths of God" by Calvin Miller. Both of these books discuss the importance of meditation and contemplative prayer in order to get more in touch with God through the Holy Spirit. Rather than go through all of their explanation, I will recommend you do a bit of reading. Here's my take on it: we need to spend more time listening to God - letting Him speak into our hearts. This is how we gain a deeper knowledge of Him and gain an understanding of His will for our lives. This is accomplished through contemplative prayer and meditation.
Most people don’t spend one hour a week in prayer, let alone setting aside an hour a day to ‘listen’ to God. Too often we fill our prayer time with a list of the wants and needs that we have. God knows them already…but do we spend time to listen to Him? or do we just expect God to do all the listening and answer our prayers? Good relationships are a two-way street. Communication must be flowing both ways. I have recently tried to set myself apart from my routine and pray – and just be still. I have closed the door to my home office, turned off all the lights and music and with just a flashlight I read some scripture and then doing anything possible to block out noise, I just prayed and then sat quietly. It was so refreshing to think of nothing but God through contemplative prayer.
I think people hear instruction on this practice of contemplative prayer and see that one should repeat a word or phrase over and over. Why do this? Well I like to think practically – it helps block out other thoughts and distractions. It keeps us focused on the task and that is to sit and focus on God, to be in His presence. Technology has wired our brains to be active constantly – it’s no wonder there are so many sleep clinics – so this repetition is a way to de-program ourselves and allow our brains to take some rest. It is in this quiet stillness that we can feel God’s presence. I believe God’s presence is always there, but we don’t recognize it or feel it because of everything else we have chosen to “feel.”
We cannot simply put our hands or eyes on every answer that is to be had. Hugging the Bible does not make us closer to God any more than holding a glass of water quenches our thirst. We need to ‘take it in’ – let it become a part of who we are. Does this mean meditation? Yeah. Does this mean contemplative prayer? That’s probably part of it. Is contemplative prayer and meditation some form of eastern mysticism? I now do not believe so.
I have decided that I need a more purposeful quiet time with God and I hope that you too will do some reading on the subject and find that there really is a very good reason to "...be still and know that I am God!" Do you want to love God more and deepen your relationship with Him? Spend more time listening and understand that the Holy Spirit is alive within us.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Does it Really Matter?
Those of you who have read any portion of my blog know that I am not a theologian, and I don’t believe it is in my future either. In fact, I find reading books written by theologians to be incredibly ...what’s the word?...Oh yeah….dull. I know that there’s an important role to be played by Biblical scholars, but it’s not for me. My preference is to let them do their ‘thing’ and I will do my best to fulfill God’s purpose in my life. I’m just not built that way. The problem I see with over-analyzing the Bible and biblical history is that too much attention gets paid to the details and the big picture is missed.
I’ve recently seen some interesting details of Jesus’ birth circulating on Facebook. It seems that someone took the time and certainly some effort to explain that Jesus was not actually born in a stable. It’s a compelling argument to understand the culture of the day and also to understand that some things are lost in translation. What amazes me though is that some 2,000 years after the birth of Christ, someone figured out it wasn’t a stable he was born in. Was this some big secret that was meant only for people in the 21st century? Why is it that God granted some special wisdom to somebody in recent times, but chose not to reveal that part of the story earlier? I choose to believe that if God’s son had been born in a spare room in someone’s house, then we would have figured it out much sooner. But here’s the bigger question – WHY DOES IT MATTER?
We Christians do ourselves a disservice to argue over some minor details. Born in a stable…born in a back room…born in a field – it doesn’t matter. Born of God and the virgin Mary, raised as the son of a carpenter…those are the things we know for sure and the rest of it just isn’t important. Did Mary ride a donkey or a horse? Does it change God either way? I admit that I do not think deeply about spiritual matters. I don’t feel the need to delve into a big theological study every time I am confronted with something I don’t quite understand. Will I read and pray and seek advice? Sure, but I am convinced that God’s intention was for us to know Him as easily as possible. We do not need a Master of Theology degree or an M. Div. to have a relationship with God or to call ourselves Christians.
There are lots of varying viewpoints floating around on numerous subjects. Did God create the world in seven literal days or does each day represent a period of time? Will God call us up to heaven pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post-tribulation? I could go on and on, but the point I want to make is that these things really don’t matter. Does it change my relationship with God if each day of creation was really symbolic of a longer period of time? Do I live my life differently if I know I’m going pre-trib? God doesn’t ask us to become scholars and have an understanding of everything He did, does and will do. He asks us to believe with faith like a child.
Heavenly Father, there are so many things that I do not understand, and many more that I never will. I trust that you’ve known what you were doing since the beginning of time and that you will continue to be in control in ways beyond my comprehension until the end of time. Thank you that my salvation does not depend on the depth of my scholarly knowledge, but rather depends wholly on the depth of your love for me. Let me not lose focus of the big picture and your call upon my life. AMEN.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Undercover Christianity
On my drive to work this morning I flipped on my usual sports channel to listen to "Mike & Mike" discuss who would win the Thanksgiving Day football games. Some mornings I change the station over to WFIL Christian radio to listen to James McDonald from Harvest Bible Chapel near Chicago, IL. I have been in a pattern recently though of sticking with sports for my entire drive, but this morning I felt the need to listen to Pastor James. The first thing I heard was this question, "Are there such things as undercover Christians?" He went on to ponder if God has a large battalion of undercover "agents" just hiding and waiting for the right time to reveal themselves.
Pastor McDonald shared a story of a woman in his church who approached him one Sunday after the service and confessed that she did not know if she was a Christian. "No one at work knows I am a Christian," she stated. "My one neighbor knows I go to church and nothing more, the other has no idea and no one in my family knows if I am a Christian. So, am I a Christian?" This story struck a nerve in me because of the way I know I have lived for many, many years. My family and friends know I am a Christian and if asked by a coworker, I cannot recall a time when I denied my faith. However, I have not made it obvious to those around me at work or in my neighborhood. “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)
Why have I not been more open about my faith? I have spent years convincing myself that I was afraid or ashamed, and while that is part of the story, I am learning that it boils down to a lack of love for others.
In college I had a roommate who drove me crazy because he was always talking about God...everything to him was about God and He made sure everyone around him knew it. Yeah, if you read "My Story" you know that I went to a Christian college and this shows how "lukewarm" I was even in those surroundings. The fact is that this guy loved people and he could not help but talk about God. We Christians profess to have "the cure" and yet we act like we're on a special undercover mission from God, just waiting for the signal to put the plan into action. How are we showing God's love by keeping it "under a bushel"?
A few weeks ago, the CEO of our parent company, based in the U.K. came here to our office for his annual visit, and to announce his retirement at the end of the year. We had a small party for him including cake and ice cream and he was asked to give a brief speech. After thanking those who have worked closely with him and thanking us for all of our support of him and the company, he paused briefly then said, "In the spirit of giving credit where credit is due, and given the fact that I am a Christian, I need to thank God for all that he has blessed me with over the years working at Pandrol." Here was the top guy in my company professing his faith and did not miss this opportunity as 30 people hung on his every word. I was floored and most impressed because a short time before he said this, a few of the top managers here thanked him for the way he treated people, even the people lowest on the pay scale. Here was a man who treated people with respect and love and now all these people know why...God.
To round out this story, I was impressed and had a desire to discuss it and let him know that I too was a Christian and that I appreciated the example he set for me. Getting time with the boss is difficult, so I had to jot him a quick email not really expecting a reply. Not only did I get a reply, but he made a point to visit me the next morning. As I was leaving work that day, ou receptionist stayed and seemed to be waiting for me so she could ask what it was all about. Following Mr. Beal-Preston's example I told here I was a Christian and that he and I spent 10 minutes discussing our faith with one another.
Do people around you KNOW you are a Christian? Or have you been living like me, working as an undercover Christian waiting for the perfect time? Aren't we in effect denying Christ if we keep Him to ourselves?
Pastor McDonald shared a story of a woman in his church who approached him one Sunday after the service and confessed that she did not know if she was a Christian. "No one at work knows I am a Christian," she stated. "My one neighbor knows I go to church and nothing more, the other has no idea and no one in my family knows if I am a Christian. So, am I a Christian?" This story struck a nerve in me because of the way I know I have lived for many, many years. My family and friends know I am a Christian and if asked by a coworker, I cannot recall a time when I denied my faith. However, I have not made it obvious to those around me at work or in my neighborhood. “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)
Why have I not been more open about my faith? I have spent years convincing myself that I was afraid or ashamed, and while that is part of the story, I am learning that it boils down to a lack of love for others.
In college I had a roommate who drove me crazy because he was always talking about God...everything to him was about God and He made sure everyone around him knew it. Yeah, if you read "My Story" you know that I went to a Christian college and this shows how "lukewarm" I was even in those surroundings. The fact is that this guy loved people and he could not help but talk about God. We Christians profess to have "the cure" and yet we act like we're on a special undercover mission from God, just waiting for the signal to put the plan into action. How are we showing God's love by keeping it "under a bushel"?
A few weeks ago, the CEO of our parent company, based in the U.K. came here to our office for his annual visit, and to announce his retirement at the end of the year. We had a small party for him including cake and ice cream and he was asked to give a brief speech. After thanking those who have worked closely with him and thanking us for all of our support of him and the company, he paused briefly then said, "In the spirit of giving credit where credit is due, and given the fact that I am a Christian, I need to thank God for all that he has blessed me with over the years working at Pandrol." Here was the top guy in my company professing his faith and did not miss this opportunity as 30 people hung on his every word. I was floored and most impressed because a short time before he said this, a few of the top managers here thanked him for the way he treated people, even the people lowest on the pay scale. Here was a man who treated people with respect and love and now all these people know why...God.
To round out this story, I was impressed and had a desire to discuss it and let him know that I too was a Christian and that I appreciated the example he set for me. Getting time with the boss is difficult, so I had to jot him a quick email not really expecting a reply. Not only did I get a reply, but he made a point to visit me the next morning. As I was leaving work that day, ou receptionist stayed and seemed to be waiting for me so she could ask what it was all about. Following Mr. Beal-Preston's example I told here I was a Christian and that he and I spent 10 minutes discussing our faith with one another.
Do people around you KNOW you are a Christian? Or have you been living like me, working as an undercover Christian waiting for the perfect time? Aren't we in effect denying Christ if we keep Him to ourselves?
Monday, November 22, 2010
Who Deserves it More?
In spending some time this week considering God's love for me, the question crossed my mind: Would I be willing to die for someone else? In reading the book of John, I came to this verse John 15:13 "Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one's own life for his friends." I've given money to friends when they've needed it, and I've even taken blame for mistakes at work so that a coworker wouldn't be reprimanded. But if push came to shove, could I make the decision to give my life for someone else? It takes some soul searching to try to come to an honest answer. I think that most husbands (good ones anyway) would say that they give their life for their wife and the majority of parents would willingly sacrifice their own if it meant saving a child's life. But what about a sibling? A cousin? The guy or girl who sits in the office across the hall? The jerk who cut you off this evening on the way home? If you're like me you got to the end of the list of choices I gave there and thought, "Yeah right...I'm not even going to yield for that guy let alone give my life for him." Somehow we seem to be able to place a value on the lives of the people around us and make judgement calls based on who deserves our love.
One of my favorite authors, Donald Miller, calls this the "Lifeboat Theory." In his book, Searching For God Knows What, Miller describes a scenario where people are (and I will paraphrase to save time) drifting through life in a big lifeboat. As food begins to run out, we look at each other and assign value and try to justify why we are better than everyone else. No one is about to risk death and give up their ration of food so someone else can live, right? He then applies that to our everyday lives. I deserve to live more than "that" guy...I have a graduate college degree. I'm clean-cut, give 10% and wear a tie every week to church...clearly I deserve to be rescued before that kid that wears all black to church with piercings and black nail polish. I have a certificate in Biblical Studies from an online seminary, sing in the choir, serve food to the homeless and attend prayer meeting...that woman only vacuums the sanctuary once a week, why does she deserve to live more than me?
Stay with me, here's the point - isn't it a good thing that God's love doesn't work like that? I'm sure glad, because I've screwed up many times and I've spent years not being willing to serve in the church. If my hope of God's love was based on service or who is most 'perfect' - I'd be fairly low on the list. But I'm sure I would be able to look around and try to justify why I am better than that person or that guy or some woman at work. We are all created in God's image and He loves each of us unconditionally. And here's the kicker...He was willing to give His life for us and took it one step further...gave up the one thing most precious to Him...His Son! I may be willing at some point in my life to make a decision to give up my life for someone else, but tell my son I'm giving HIS life for someone else's...not a chance! And that's why I am glad He's God and I am not dependent on my own abilities to attain His love and grace.
We all know the verse John 3:16 and we see it on signs at almost every football game, but how often do we really think about the depth of God's love for us that he would send us His son? He sure loves us!! God doesn't play favorites and check out some list of who's been naughty or nice...we don't have to be perfect for God to love us...thankfully. Here's one of my favorite verses: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God doesn't wait for us to deserve love. God gave his life for the jerk who cut him off in traffic. God loves us whether we have a college degree or can't read and write. God loves us whether we have the Bible memorized or never opened the front cover. God loves Billy Graham and my foul-mouthed, lying, cheating and drunken neighbors.**
"So are we supposed to be looking for opportunities to die??" - Ummm, nope. But we sure can give of ourselves in other ways. We can sacrifice ourselves by giving up the great seat on the bus. We can park farther away from the front door of a store so an older lady doesn't have to walk as far in the cold. We can skip lunch tomorrow and buy a sandwich for the homeless guy on the corner that everyone else walks by. We can forego buying Christmas presents for our spouses this year and instead buy some toys for kids whose parent(s) are in jail. We are no better than they are and God loves us the same. Shouldn't we try to love others that way too?
**To my knowledge, none of my neighbors meet this description and I am not intentionally describing someone you know. If you feel that I was describing you, perhaps that is God's way of telling you something!!
One of my favorite authors, Donald Miller, calls this the "Lifeboat Theory." In his book, Searching For God Knows What, Miller describes a scenario where people are (and I will paraphrase to save time) drifting through life in a big lifeboat. As food begins to run out, we look at each other and assign value and try to justify why we are better than everyone else. No one is about to risk death and give up their ration of food so someone else can live, right? He then applies that to our everyday lives. I deserve to live more than "that" guy...I have a graduate college degree. I'm clean-cut, give 10% and wear a tie every week to church...clearly I deserve to be rescued before that kid that wears all black to church with piercings and black nail polish. I have a certificate in Biblical Studies from an online seminary, sing in the choir, serve food to the homeless and attend prayer meeting...that woman only vacuums the sanctuary once a week, why does she deserve to live more than me?
Stay with me, here's the point - isn't it a good thing that God's love doesn't work like that? I'm sure glad, because I've screwed up many times and I've spent years not being willing to serve in the church. If my hope of God's love was based on service or who is most 'perfect' - I'd be fairly low on the list. But I'm sure I would be able to look around and try to justify why I am better than that person or that guy or some woman at work. We are all created in God's image and He loves each of us unconditionally. And here's the kicker...He was willing to give His life for us and took it one step further...gave up the one thing most precious to Him...His Son! I may be willing at some point in my life to make a decision to give up my life for someone else, but tell my son I'm giving HIS life for someone else's...not a chance! And that's why I am glad He's God and I am not dependent on my own abilities to attain His love and grace.
We all know the verse John 3:16 and we see it on signs at almost every football game, but how often do we really think about the depth of God's love for us that he would send us His son? He sure loves us!! God doesn't play favorites and check out some list of who's been naughty or nice...we don't have to be perfect for God to love us...thankfully. Here's one of my favorite verses: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God doesn't wait for us to deserve love. God gave his life for the jerk who cut him off in traffic. God loves us whether we have a college degree or can't read and write. God loves us whether we have the Bible memorized or never opened the front cover. God loves Billy Graham and my foul-mouthed, lying, cheating and drunken neighbors.**
"So are we supposed to be looking for opportunities to die??" - Ummm, nope. But we sure can give of ourselves in other ways. We can sacrifice ourselves by giving up the great seat on the bus. We can park farther away from the front door of a store so an older lady doesn't have to walk as far in the cold. We can skip lunch tomorrow and buy a sandwich for the homeless guy on the corner that everyone else walks by. We can forego buying Christmas presents for our spouses this year and instead buy some toys for kids whose parent(s) are in jail. We are no better than they are and God loves us the same. Shouldn't we try to love others that way too?
**To my knowledge, none of my neighbors meet this description and I am not intentionally describing someone you know. If you feel that I was describing you, perhaps that is God's way of telling you something!!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Wearing Your Team's Colors
After a Sunday filled with some good football games, it's easy to have this topic on my mind this morning. I was thinking about how we show support for our favorite football team by going to games or sitting in front of the television wearing jerseys and t-shirts and hats - perhaps even painting our faces and waving big "#1" foam fingers in the air. And home games are the best, aren't they? We get together with friends who all wear the team colors - and even people we don't know are like family simply because they share the same love for the home team. Proudly showing our colors is easy when the surroundings are comfortable.
I have some friends who are fans of the Philadelphia Eagles (pronounced 'Iggles') and they are travelling down to the D.C. area tonight for the game against the Redskins. I can guarantee that they are wearing their finest Eagle's jersey's and hats and will not be shy about showing their allegiance to the green-and-white. Isn't that what being a sports fan is all about. We want it known that we are part of this franchise and we'd be ready to jump right in there if the coach called on us. We're more than willing to take the name-calling, the food being thrown at us, the obscene gestures...All because we love our team and want to be associated with them.
I attended a Bruins - Flyers hockey game not too long ago with my brother-in-law here in Philadelphia. We were walking across the parking lot and spotted 2 Bruins fans decked out in their team's gear being all proud that they were there. As we passed them, my brother-in-law shouts - "Hey, he's Bruins fan too!" while pointing in my direction. They questioned "Where's your jersey?" - I had no answer...I wasn't wearing one (and honestly don't own one) but the next thing they said was, "BOO...BOOOOO - you're not a real Bruins fan!" We laughed, but I can't argue...I claimed to be a Bruins fan, but was too ashamed and fearful of being called names that I chose not to make it known. And unfortunately, it's all too easy to do that in our Christian lives.
We Christians find it easy to wear our team colors at home games too. We put on our Sunday best, we proudly carry our Bibles and notebooks and put smiles on our faces and sing songs and pray out loud in Sunday School. We may let an "AMEN" slip out when the preacher says something we agree with or raise our hands in praise when worship choruses are sung. It's easy to do that among our friends and family, just like it is in football. The difference is that when go to work or school or the grocery store on Monday morning, we seem to forget that team allegiance and take off all of our "Jesus gear" and try to slip through the crowds without anyone noticing. We can't even support other "Jesus fans" because we can't recognize them. We might as well be Eagles fans wearing Redskins jerseys.
Can I encourage you today to put the "Jesus gear" back on the other 6 days of the week? We claim to love God and we're working to get better at loving those around us, so we ought to be proud of the fact that we are Christians and not be fearful of the name-calling or objections. I am not suggesting that we go out and start berating the "opposing team" - because that isn't showing love as I mentioned last time. 1 Peter 4:16 "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." Take your Bible out of your desk drawer and leave it on top. Take the Max Lucado book you're reading to work and read at lunch with your office door OPEN. Feel free to pause before lunch, close your eyes and say grace before lunch with your clients at Applebee's. Stick up for your classmate who is being made fun of. Say an encouraging word to the cashier who looks likes she's had the worst morning possible. Show your love for God by being bold and perhaps it will lead to an opportunity to share your faith with a friend or coworker. We can't show love if we're too afraid to be known as Christians.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
We have to love Yankees fans too??!?!?
In Luke 6:27-28 we read "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." Up in the Boston area, NY fans are mortal enemies for at least 8 months out of every year. The hatred runs deep and this is known as the fiercest rivalry in all of baseball and has been carried on for generations. Will it ever end? I doubt it. Love isn't easy...I suspect if it was then we'd see a much different landscape in this country than we see now. Loving family and friends is easier, but loving our enemies? Now that's near impossible, and yet this is what God expects from us. Why? "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35). Because it is so unnatural to love people who hate us that it can only be explained as a "God thing." It points to Christ - it shows what we're about and our enemies have no defense against it.
Let me offer this up as a picture of what I mean...abortion. Christians know it is wrong and have very strong feelings about it, and pro-choice supporters feel they are right and scream just as loud from their side. Is the right response from Christians to yell and scream and carry signs calling pro-choice supporters all kinds of names? I don't believe it is - those are not loving actions...all that is accomplished is bunch of noise. Well, something else happens - we get to be known for what we are against rather than for what we really are. The secular part of society knows we are against abortion or homosexuality or whatever it is instead of seeing that we are compassionate and reflecting God's love. That verse about does not say that people will know we're Christians by loudly protesting every immoral issue.
We as Christians need to do a better job of being known for our love rather than for hating what we don't like. It's easy to say, but doing it is difficult. Start by asking for God to help you understand how much He loves you and try to be a mirror of that love. It's difficult to hear God when we're busy yelling...
Your turn...what other "enemies" do we have a hard time loving?
(and practice loving by not bashing the Red Sox in your comments...thanks!)
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Christians Clinging to the Balance Beam
Watch this video...I saw this video clip for the first time this past Monday and thought Francis Chan puts into words and video what I've been thinking for some time now.
