Praying the Psalms

In my lifelong quest to grow in my spiritual life, I've discovered something that is helping - praying the Psalms. I certainly didn't INVENT this idea, but, its simple and it is a great tool for directing my prayers on days when I'm not feeling all that 'spiritual'. Today I prayed through Psalm 9 and I really reflected on the simple act of praising God. I realized that if I really focusing on praising God, other stuff seems less important. Anyway, I'm a work in progress and maybe praying through these Psalms will further that progress...

The Heart of God - Generosity

I recently read a book that a friend gave me to read that talked about living life the way God intended us to live it - blessed. The writer, Robert Morris, pointed out that there are 3 levels of generosity or of being a good steward that the Bible presents. The first, and the most I've ever really thought much about, is the tithe or the tenth. This is a principle laid out way back before the Jewish nation of the Old Testament even had the 'law'. Morris thinks that statistically most of those who claim to follow Jesus don't do this today. In Morris' opinion (and from a passage in Malachi 3), those who don't give God the top 10% are subjecting themselves to a curse. Ouch! For me, I give my 10, but, I have to admit that God has been dealing with me about the 90...it's still not MINE...its His and always will be - He's just loaned it to me. Morris digs deeper to talk about going above the 10% into the realm of both offerings AND extravagant gifts (like a year's salary or a car or house or something). In both of these 'above the 10' categories, he speaks of relying on God's Spirit to direct us. So, after reading this book, called "The Blessed Life", I realized that my attitude had to change regarding the 90, and, that I need to be walking close to the Lord and listening to Him on opportunities for me to be generous in the 'above the 10' category...Lord, help me obey You in this and help me be truly GENEROUS!

Barna's 'Revolution'

I recently read this book (Revolution by George Barna) for myself and am struggling with why some of my peers are saying that Barna, the writer, calls for all church members to abandon the contemporary church, period. I didn't get that from the book. I did get a feeling that Barna, like myself, senses both by intiuition and statistics, that disciples are not necessarily being made in our current 'church' culture. In fact, the church, as a whole, is losing membership at an alarming rate - partly due to the fact that our culture has shifted in many different ways such as postmodernism, globalization, isolation, etc. As our culture has shifted, the church has not made appropriate changes. Barna talks about broadening our picture of what church should be by including valuable movements like home churches, smaller churches and other non-traditional discipleship methods. I personally liked his approach - the church in the New Testament did meet in larger groups, but, more often, they met in homes and focused on loving God and loving each other - it wasn't a big show each meeting with a 30-40 minute sermon by a designated 'preacher' with everyone staring at a stage as if it were a theater - passive onlookers, etc. Somehow we've got a church 'culture' that is all about the show, and thus, as Dallas Willard calls it, we've got a bunch of consumer Christians who shop for the best show. It's about becoming disciples of Christ who can make disciples...nice work Barna.

Emma's Baptism

It's been brewing in my head and heart to journal about this, and, since it's been so crazy this Summer, I'm just now getting to it - ouch! Emma-Anne, my 10 year old daughter, was baptized into Christ on Monday, August 14th in the Bumping River at the Indian Flatt campground. That was an amazing evening. Many friends from our church were there and I was confident Emma knew what she was doing, why she needed Christ, and understood what baptism was for. Really, she preceeded my own baptism, in age, by 4 or so years. It is a humbling experience being used by God to bring others into His kingdom, and that evening was very, very special. I must mention that the evening was made even more special by the fact that some other dear friends Tim & Heather were baptized after Emma - what a night! God was and IS moving in hearts young and old. Sometimes it takes longer for some, shorter for others to decide to jump in with God, but, when it happens - AWESOME!

The Time Flies

My kids both had birthdays recently and as I watched them enjoy opening gifts and laughing with friends, it occured to me that the time we have with our children isn't long in the scheme of things. In fact, my daughter Emma turned 10, which means we're only 8 years away from the time she'll be leaving the nest - just 8 years. Dylan, my son, is 6 and is already not playing with the things he used - the sandbox in our backyard, the Tonka dump trucks, etc. Emma loves to dress up in ball gowns and have me dance with her in the front room. Yes, she's loved that since she was 4 but now she can almost look me square in the eye - she's looking more grown up than ever. Lord, help me remember that these 2 precious people are only in my care for a limited time -help my wife and I shape them into the people You want them to be Father.

Cool Bible Version Trick...NAS & The MSG

This morning, as I was reading and meditating on the Scriptures, I tried something I hadn't done before - reading one line from the New American Standard version and then repeating that same line in The Message version...I did this with Psalm 23 - wow, what an eye-opening, enlightening experience. This is a great way to get a literal and more conversation view of the same Scripture! Often the more literal versions of the Bible (say KJV, RSV or the NASB) seem a bit out of touch with the way we talk today. I guess maybe the feel a bit more stuffy than the relaxed way that current American English sounds. This is why I like versions like The Message and the New Living Translation. However, to make sure we still have our bearings in more literal word-for-word translations from the original Biblical language, I like reading both together. I'm going to be doing this more often! Maybe God will unlock His word in my life in a new way!

The 'Dream of God' (aka the kingdom of God)

The kingdom of God was something that Jesus spoke of many times during is ministry. The New Testament records many statements from Him regarding this topic using phrases like, …. The problem for us reading this language today is that it doesn’t resonate with the world we know. Kingdoms are a thing of the past and bring about notions like Shakespearean chivalry or in the case of current kings - more of a formal or ceremonial reign for pomp and circumstance. In Jesus’ day however, the language of kingdom was much more current and relevant. So, in reading a new book by Brian McLaren (The Secret Message of Jesus), I was struck by the idea of how one might talk about this kingdom of God in today’s language. Terms like the ‘the dream of God’, the ‘revolution of God’, the ‘mission of God’, the ‘party of God’, the ‘network of God’, or even the ‘dance of God’. We should feel free to describe God’s kingdom with these and possible many other terms so that the culture in which we live can be let in on the beauty of God’s work here and now for eternity’s sake.

The Secret Message of Jesus

Sounds almost scandalous doesn't it? Yet, in His ministry among us, Jesus opted for indirect teaching as the crowds grew - from parables to the use of probing questions, He wanted people following Him to be transformed - not simply informed. That's part of the premise behind McLaren's newest book The Secret Message of Jesus. Well, I don't want to spoil it for you, but, this book, akin to Dallas Willard's Divine Conspiracy, is about how the kingdom Jesus talked about wasn't something only accessible after death, but right here and now - the kingdom among us. I liked a few chapters in particular beginning with the decision making process that potential disciples or apprentices encounter when confronted with Jesus's teachings. I think that chapter is called 'Getting It, Getting In'. He talks about the 'steps' in the conversion or decision process which are: rethinking, believing, receiving, going public and practicing a new way of life. Rethinking (repentance) is the idea that we've realized we've been heading toward the wrong direction. Believing is the trust that God's kingdom is really good news. Recieving is where we are open to receive forgiveness, acceptance, love, hope, empowerment, strength, encouragement, perseverance...everything we need to live in the kingdom of God. After rethinking, believing and receiving, we're ready to go public and be immersed (baptized) and identify with God's kingdom. This leads to living the rest of life as a follower of Christ...the practice of following Jesus. This was a great way to describe, in my opinion, the decision to follow Jesus. More to come...

Everyday Stuff; Indelible Memories

In the front room of my house I have an old upright piano weathered by time and barely in tune. It was made around 1903 and it takes up the entire back wall! Me and my family love it though because it has special meaning. You see, when I was a little boy, I remember my great, great grandmother playing songs on it when we visited her in Redmond, Oregon. So, when my mother told me that the family wanted us to have it, I was moved almost to tears. The piano may not be that valuable on the antiques market, but, it has a lot of sentimental value as a gift of love. Have you ever been given a gift by someone you love who has since died? Or maybe you might have something that belonged to someone that was close to you but is now far away from you. Those things are now very valuable to you regardless of how everyday they might seem to other people. One of the last things Jesus did before going to the cross to die for us was to give us a way to remember Him. Of all the things He could have done, He decided to give us something that was very everyday and simple. He chose common meal items: bread and wine. Then, He gave a blessing and told His followers to continue to remember Him through this very simple, everyday meal where the bread represents His broken body and the wine represents His blood poured out for everyone. So, the simple ‘meal’ of bread and wine (often grape juice in our case) becomes very valuable to us everytime we remember what Jesus did on that day at the cross.

Consumer Christianity vs. Disciples

I've just finished Dallas Willard's extensive work on the Kingdom of God called The Divine Conspiracy. There is so much meat in what he's writing about, that it would be silly for me to sum it all up in a blog entry. However, 2 chapters (chapters 8 and 9) really hit me. They both talk about the immediate, urgent need for making disciples rather than more consumer Christians. Every church leader, no, every follower of Christ would be moved by his words. American church membership has become a very consumer-istic institution, and thus, even talking about radical commitment to hearing Jesus and doing what He taught sounds crazy. Followers of Christ must fight this bland, psuedo-Spirituality. He recommends a 'curriculum for Christ-likeness' to help emulate Christ's methods for training His apprentices...so, as I chew on this 'curriculum', maybe we all can chew on how to be so 'ravished by God and His kingdom' that we cannot help but do what He would have us do!

Prayer & Fasting

Of all my years of following Jesus, I think the hardest Spiritual practices or disciplines for me have been in these 2 areas. It's easier for me to read, study Scripture or listen to worship music and sing out to God than to stop what I'm doing, get alone or at least away from distractions and talk with God. Equally so, I've found that going without food has been difficult to do on a regular basis. I've decided recently to infuse more of these 2 practices in my weekly life. I'm definitely dwelling on God and His kingdom more as a result of this new venture. My desire is to drink in more of God and see that invigorate every area of my life. I even think this will then spread to my position as lead worshipper for my church and my other leadership responsibilities. I desire to know God in a way I've not known Him - Lord, open my heart, my schedule and my mind to the deeper waters You dwell in.

Musical Cheating...?

I just finished reading an article in Recording magazine which highlighted the new version of the popular vocal tuner called Auto-Tune (first made famous by Cher's "Believe" pop hit a few years back) and I was stunned at what it can do...it's CHEATING man! This new version can actually manipulate HOW the singer sang a particular part - changing the throat pattern, amount of air, mouth shape, etc. Now, if that wasn't enough, it also allows you to automatically build a choir with various singers and note ranges based on the lead vocal's style, etc. It can also do a famous studio trick of duplicating a performance on another track - as if the singer sang it several times to different tracks and then blends it to the lead track...wow...it's getting too easy people!

SIDE NOTE: I confess that I do use an earlier version of Auto-tune...

Prayer

I just finished reading a book by Richard Foster called Prayer and I'm really wrestling over all the different types of prayers he covers in the book. He covered some things that I really wonder about - things like praying in tongues, becoming unconscious while praying, gifts of laughter while praying and even his call to healing prayer. I was struck by one of the statements he made about how many times people prayed in the Bible with a position of face-down, flat on the ground with hands out stretched. That doesn't seem very comfortable, but, it sure seems humble and unashamed. The book really opened my eyes to how little time I devote to really let God get a hold of me through prayer. I have so much room to grow in this area - God help me!

God said it, I believe it...

I read a devotional book recently that poked a bit of good-natured fun at this popular Christian bumper sticker/t-shirt slogan which says, "God Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It". The devotional pointed out that it should really say, "God Said It, That Settles It" because no matter what my opinion might be, God's Words are always right, true and perfect. Whether or not I believe what God says has absolutely no impact on the reality of it being true. God's truth doesn't change even as culture and opinions constantly change. That foundation is pretty comforting to realize.

Following Jesus by NT Wright

I just finished this short study from a British minister on discipleship and found it surprising. Let me just say that I'm happy that the book was short - I think more Christian writers should take heed...less filler, keep to the point ladies and gents! What I found enlightening was the return to the center of following Christ - His return from the dead. That changed (and changes still) everything. It is the only thing that brings any real hope - for humanity and all creation. He says that as Christians, we are like Sunday (post-resurrection) people living in a Friday (still dead) world (page 61). He also surprised me by mentioning that the most frequent command in Scripture is 'do not fear' - I've got to check that out. Finally, his concept 'being more human' is pretty cool...in that the more we conform to Jesus's way of living, we are actually being more human - like we were created to be. He goes so far as to say that Christ, as the glorified, perfect human, remains in the glorified state and will return in that state - He didn't just vanish back into some 'divine mist' - He's still the glorified 'son of man' that will return. I've got to chew on all this more...

My girl Emma

As I drove my daughter Emma-Anne to school this morning and watched her run off to class, I felt my chest get really heavy. I still remember holding her in my hands - she barely filled them back then. Now she's independent, almost as tall as me, and on the verge of double-digit age 10. She's becoming a young woman - even talking about youth group! I got my start in ministry with being a youth minister - she's almost that age...it's too much for me sometimes. I wonder what she's learned from her mom and I, what she'll remember from her childhood. I wonder who she'll first fall in love with and where she'll graduate from college. I wonder about her future and where she'll live and what she'll be doing. Will she ever know how much her mom and I love her? I've always done this silly little thing with her since she was little...I'd ask her "who's my favorite girl?" I'd then run through random girl names until I would whisper Emma...then she'd say yes! Little things like that will forever be etched in my memory. I find myself praying about her teenage time - Lord, help me have wisdom, love and patience for this next phase of Emma's life...and to enjoy every moment with her!

What the Bible REALLY says…

Ah yes, the big buzzword here is ‘interpretation’. Well, if you read over my lengthy translation vs. version comments, proper Biblical interpretation hinges on having a couple of trustworthy Bible versions handy. I think it also is important to read how other trustworthy Christian teachers have explained parts of the Bible. Interpretation is really just an explanation. The problem with all of this is that we can often be led away from truth by poor interpretation or bad explanations or teachings can’t we? I’m sure God grieves every time His words are misused to divide the church, start wars, and mess up lives. How can we be confident with this whole concept then, of interpretation? This is a deep subject, but in essence, I think that the Bible has a lot of straight-forward, easy to understand ideas. Things like loving your neighbor, trusting in God’s goodness, accepting the grace and forgiveness from Jesus, helping people around us, being thankful, etc. - those are all pretty clear. When it comes to the confusing parts or at least the harder to understand parts, we all must be careful. Jumping to conclusions too quickly is an easy trap. Let’s start, then, with the idea here: CONTEXT IS KING. No more taking a verse or two out of it’s chapter or book and making big conclusions from just a few words…that’s a no no! In respecting context, we’ve got to ask questions like: Who is this written to? Who is writing this part of the Bible? Where are we in history? What part of the story of the Bible are we in? Etc, etc. Second, let’s realize that the Bible should never say what it never said. Look, we’re already at a disadvantage when we read it in English (not the original language) as we sit in our nice clothes drinking coffee in the free, democratic Western world, so, let’s not make it worse by claiming that Scripture says stuff that the first century world would never have read into it…let’s be fair! Having the humility and the patience to put ourselves into the sandals of a first century Christian can help us avoid bad interpretations. Finally, embrace Christian community and find out how the majority of Jesus’ followers interpret or explain it. This is really, really helpful. If you think about it, the Bible has been around for a while – people have been studying it for a while – maybe they’ve found some common ground in explaining some of those hard parts. One final thought…is it ok to have a difference of opinion on some of the harder passages? I should hope so – and NEVER let that be a cause of division. Humility is a key for all followers of Jesus –so, let’s show some with each other!

Translations vs. Versions…help!!!

I’ve been asked this question a lot since I’ve been a Christian. I guess it might be time to actually put this out there. Yes, there is a difference between these two words in relation to the Bible. You see, few if any people I know read the Bible in the original languages that it was written (namely old Hebrew, Aramaic and Koine Greek from the first century). So, most read the Bible in English or another current language. If you stop by a local bookstore, or better yet, a Christian bookstore, you’ll find lots, and lots and LOTS of choices in your search for a copy of the Bible in English. Which one is the ‘true’ English copy – I’ve actually been asked this…well, there is no ‘true’ copy that I know of, except maybe some would say that the first English popular Bible, the old King James (or King James Version – KJV for short). In any case, most all of us need a translation or else we’d need to know the original languages. Since we don’t, we have to choose an English copy. Since each English copy has its root in either a direct translation (the author or editor did the translating him or herself or with a group of translators), or indirect translation (a modern update of an earlier English translation – like the New King James Version), let’s rather talk about versions. There are ‘literal’ versions and ‘free’ versions. The literal tend to stick to the original languages a bit closer making them a bit harder to read for us modern English speaking folk (like KJV, or the New American Standard – NAS). For studying, I like to use one of those more literal versions. Now, the ‘free’ versions are much more readable, but, they tend not to follow the original languages as closely. The editors of these free versions take liberty to give readers more of the ‘gist’ of the original language rather than a word for word reading. Obviously this can lead to the editors swaying the meaning for the reader one way in one version and another way in another version. So, here is what I do, I use a couple of English versions. I use my trusty New American Standard (NAS) for study and my new favorite ‘free’ version, the Message for more of a modern, nice flowing reading text. If there is something I see that seems a bit strange, I check the versions next to each other to make sure I’m able to interpret that part of the Bible accurately. Oops – I brought up that pesky word ‘interpretation’ – that will be talked about in another time! Anyway, the more literal versions would be the KJV, the NAS, and maybe the RSV (Revised Standard Version), whereas the free versions would including the NIV (New International Version), the NLT (New Living Translation), or The Message. Don’t let one editor sway you – check one or two more before you simply settle! Happy reading! If you want more on this, check this little resource out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_version_debate

Drawing Near

Once a person admits that there is a God and then sees that Jesus is that God who walked ‘among us’, there is a question…what now? Once a decision is made to follow Jesus, what is the next step? The Bible talks about how the first followers of Jesus not only believed this, but also took steps. Steps like going God’s way instead of their own (repentance is the big word here), and agreeing with God about who they were and are – sinners (that’s called confession) and even admitting their need for God to save (in what Jesus did on the cross). The early followers also did these things in a public setting, culminating in the physical/spiritual act of immersion - totally covered by water (this is that big word baptism). Then, these early followers began a life-long process of becoming more like their savior/rabbi Jesus. This is where the ‘drawing near’ concept hits all who’ve embarked on this life-long process. How do we draw near to God? The Bible promises that God will draw near to us if we will draw near to Him (James 4:8). This comes in the middle of the chapter which speaks of what we as followers ‘do’. Sometimes we can draw near to God by doing what Jesus would do – being about justice, mercy, kindness, gentleness, love, patience, etc. Other times we draw near by listening to God in times of being still and quiet. We draw near by reading the stories of what Jesus did in the Bible – that shows us how he lived and walked and worked. We draw near by making every moment an opportunity to see Him, talk with Him, reflect on Him – act like Him. Drawing near means that everyday we are alive, we do something consciously to grow in our faith. The things we do can be done for God’s sake and He believes in us – we can do it. God promises that if we’re about that in our lives, He’ll reward us with drawing near to us – that’s amazing! I’ll end with the words of King David to his King-elect son Solomon (from I Chronicles 28:9): “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

Celtic Christianity – Listing to the Heartbeat of God

I’ve always wondered why some in the Christian church are so enamored with Celtic stuff. I mean, the Celtic crosses, the artwork, the old stone church buildings, the ‘mystery’, what’s this all about anyway? I then read a short little book about Celtic Christianity called “Listening for the heartbeat of God – A Celtic Christianity” by J. Philip Newell and I really connected with this whole Celtic thing for the first time. What really resonates with me is this idea that God is the heart of all creation, and, since He is, when you really dig deep in every human heart, beneath the surface sin and evil, you will ultimately find the good placed there by God. This is counter to the notion which has it’s roots with the early Christian church father Augustine who taught that the human is basically evil and unable to do anything good without God. It was this very view of creation that got the first Celtic ‘philosopher/theologian’ Pelagius excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Many more excommunications followed as Celtic monasteries revealed this similar belief in creation and the elevation of women and the marriages of Celtic priests. I also find that I resonate with the Celtic idea of following Jesus in such a way that we spend the time really leaning in and listening to God, rather than the easier ‘do, do, do’ busy Christianity. Even the early Celtic missionary methods resonate with me – in that they sought to show the Britons that their pagan spiritual practices were actually calling for the one true God and that Christ fulfills all that their practices were meant to fulfill. So, instead of violently changing or destroying the culture of the Britons, those missionaries would simply help them see how Christ is the root of all that the human heart has been yearning for all along. There is much more to this, so, I’m really chewing on how this relates to followers of Jesus today…now I know why I’ve always loved ‘St. Patrick’s Day’ – all Guinness aside…