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Things I already know.

November 7, 2011 in Christian Life, My Christian Walk

Sometimes, when I read my Bible or go to church, I expect to learn something ‘new’ something profound. Yet what I find more and more is that I really just need to rehearse the basics. Passages that should be familiar speak in new ways. Ideas that are foundational still never cease to amaze me. The most beautiful and the most profound things I learn are usually the things I (should) already know.

 

Perhaps this is why it is the Living Word?

 

Take for instance Philippians 3, very familiar, no?:

1Finally, my brothers,[a] rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

2Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God[b] and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law,[c] blameless. 7Butwhatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

12Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18Formany, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

(ESV)

Paul is just a fantastic writer. I can’t wait to meet him ‘on the other side’. Maybe we can have coffee? I can’t help but wonder when I read that if I can be like Paul and say that I consider EVERYTHING a loss for the sake of knowing Christ?

Can I consider ALL of my earthly gains and accomplishments as rubbish?

Can I too say that I WANT to not only be like Christ, but to share in his death and suffering?

Do I consider myself a citizen of heaven or of an earthly nation?

Do I consider it my GOAL to know Christ and to be found in him?

 

I have read these words so many times. I have heard sermons on them. I have talked about them. Yet, somehow, I cannot help but be struck anew with them, and to be challenged by them again.

 

Sometimes I wish I would ‘get it’ the first time I read it. Because I feel stupid when I re-read these familiar passages and feel like I have never read them before. Yet, the reality is I don’t know that I’d have it any other way. To be awestruck again and again with the beauty of God, expressed in the Word–really, it’d be dull if it all just clicked on the first read and I never needed to ponder those words and ideas again.

 

Lord, yes, teach me the new, but never stop reminding me of the basics, the familiar, the routine, the orthodox. Never let me lose the awe and the wonder found in your Word. Never stop teaching me things I already know.

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Recentering

July 6, 2011 in Thoughts of the Day

I came across a great quotation today that I thought would be worth sharing, especially in light of my post yesterday. Currently, I am reading Making All Things New: An Invitation to the Spiritual Life, which is a fantastic book. Nouwen begins the book talking about our modern, busy lives. I’ve had many conversations about the modern life, modern busyness, and balancing the spiritual life with “secular” life; so I found this quotation thought-provoking:

It is important for us to realize that Jesus in no way wants us to leave our many-faceted world. Rather, he wants us to live in it, but firmly rooted in the center of all things …. [Jesus] speaks about a change of heart. This change of heart makes everything different, even while everything appears to remain the same.

…

Jesis asks us to move our hearts to the center, where all other things fall into place. What is this center? Jesus calls it the kingdom, the kingdom of his Father.

{ Making all things New, page 42-43 }

At first read, it’s just a restatement of the familiar “be in the world but not of it” idea that Christians often (rightly) parrot. But I think Nouwen captures an essence of this delicate balance of Christian life in this world very well. We are to refocus on the Kingdom, just as Jesus did.

This is the freedom Christ offers: death to self and life in Him. When we refocus on that kingdom, and that reality, we experience true freedom. Christ does not call us to forsake all things earthly, rather we are called to refocus so that we are no longer concerned primarily with the physical kingdom around us, but the kingdom of the Father.

May you and I find the strength and the courage to recenter our lives on that kingdom.

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True Freedom

July 4, 2011 in Christian Life, Thoughts of the Day

Independence day. Undoubtedly, many of us are celebrating today by enjoying time off and spending it with family and friends. Today is a reminder of our country’s heritage and freedom. I would like, however, to offer something that I have been thinking about a lot: what is true freedom for the Christian? I would like to suggest that the freedom we celebrate today, on July 4th, is at best a pale shadow of the freedom Christ offers to us, and at worst an idea that lures us into a false conception of Christ’s freeing work on the cross.

Let me start out by saying that I by no means wish to “bash” our country or its principles. As a historian, I recognize the uniqueness of our country’s founding, and our ideals; we are indeed blessed with a freedom that many people today and throughout history have not been. I am glad that I can choose my own government—that our government in theory works for us and not the other way around, that I can worship as I please and where I please, live my life as I please, and so on and so forth. But the problem with that list, for the Christian, is that word I.

Christians believe they have freedom in Christ. But what is this freedom? Is it to do as we wish and live as we please? No. Paul tells us in Romans 6:6,7 that “our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin” And the more I see the power of sin in my own life, the more I see how the word “enslaved” is so appropriate. But Paul does not end there:  (verses 17 & 18) “But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.” We are dead to self and alive in Christ. We are all familiar with Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Freedom in Christ, then, is fundamentally about far more than little old me. In fact, Paul goes so far as to say that he is no longer living his own life—he is dead to self, but that it is Christ living in him. I should no longer be concerned with my own desires, but the desires of Christ. Not that all human desires are wrong or should be ignored, but rather that I submit them to Christ my master.

Do you see the paradox with what we call “freedom” in America? Freedom here is the freedom to do whatever you wish with your life, and be free of governmental control, religious control, and free from tyranny. Freedom in Christ is the freedom to no longer be concerned about your own life, and to no longer be enslaved to your own sin, but to wholeheartedly give your life to Christ and live for him. To call him Lord and Master: two words that are inherently, not “free.” To be completely free from yourself, your desires, and your sin is true freedom.

Again, I by no means believe there is anything immoral about experiencing what I am calling “American” freedom. Indeed, we are arguably better enabled to serve Christ and live for him because of it. But I hope we can see the limitations of that freedom too. And I hope we can see that our freedom in Christ is completely independent of secular freedom, and perhaps even stands in stark contrast to that secular freedom. Christians living under the most oppressive governments, or Christians who are physically enslaved to someone, can still experience freedom in Christ, and perhaps they even have experienced that freedom more fully than we who live in “free” countries.

I leave you with the words of Christ from John 8:31-36 :

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’

They answered him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?’

Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’

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Giving all

June 23, 2011 in Biblical Justice

My thought for today comes from Mark 12:41-44

 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Mark 12:41-44, New International Version

This is probably familiar to most who’ve grown up around the church. Which, at least for me, is problematic because it means I tend to ignore what it is really saying. I.e. “Oh yeah, that’s that verse about the widow giving all her money away. Something new, perhaps?”

 

While skiming over it in a book today, however, I was struck with something. The Message translates/interprets the very last sentence in an interesting way “All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.” I think that wording conveys an important part of this passage that is often missed.

 

Typically, it seems, this passage is used during the “tithe and giving” portion of a service, with the implication that the more you give, the more Jesus likes you. Of course, we oddly enough quickly try to explain that Jesus doesn’t really want us, in our wealth, to give everything: just a lot. How many of us have seriously considered writing a check for the entire amount in our bank account? I doubt it. We rationalize it as “unprudent,” and “foolish.” Jesus didn’t really mean that, of course. We wouldn’t want to have to trust him that much. Isn’t out wealth a sign of his provision? If we gave it all away, he wouldn’t give it back, would he? He wouldn’t want us to be uncomfortable, would he?

 

I digress. Perhaps you can detect my frustration with the “explaining away” of Christ’s words that I see myself, and much of the American church, doing. That’s a topic for another time.

 

Her all. Think about that. What I liked in the wording of the Message (yes, I do read it, alongside other traditional translations of course :) was that it wasn’t focused on her monetary gift. I don’t think Jesus called attention to her purely because she gave all her money; I think he called attention to her because she trusted Christ entirely. I think he called attention to her because she “got it.” Her life was not consumed with her plenty, or her lack. She was enchanted by God. And even though all she had was two small coins, she gave freely to God–and I suspect without even realizing anyone was watching. I suspect that, had they followed her, they would have seen that her life reflected her gift: she gave it all to God. All.

 

What she did was very foolish, in worldly terms. What right-minded person would give up all the money they had to support themselves with? Here again, the offering messages often start to talk about how God will bless you with more than you give. But here’s a thought: what if that widow never saw any monetary return on that “investment” at the temple that day? Do you suppose she gave, as many of us do, expecting something back from God? Or did she give freely, without any care or concern about the future? I think the passage indicates the latter. And I think too that her giving was not confined to her finances. She willingly trusted, and gave, God her life.

 

See, she didn’t give because she wanted something. She gave because she had something. The Almighty God was worth more to her than any earthly possession, any status, any will of her own. As Christ points out to his disciples, he wasn’t impressed with her giving because of the amount, he was impressed because she didn’t hold back.

 

Giving to God meant more to her than her next meal. Have you or I ever given like that before?

 

Will you give Christ your all? Will you give it all, because you believe He, and He alone, is worth all? Are you willing to give up everything, even when it appears (and probably feels) foolish? Too extravagant to be rational? Remember, this isn’t about what you give “on paper”–it’s about where your heart is. Are you so enchanted by the Lord, and by Christ, that you can’t give extravagantly enough of your time, your money, your possessions? Are you supremely satisfied by Him, rather than your circumstances and possessions? That widow certainly seemed to be content with little.

 

I hope I learn to be like her.

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A Technological Manifesto in the age of Facebook and Twitter

July 23, 2010 in Computers,Technology and Organization

So the topic of technology seems to be brought up frequently these days. I was at a conference in April where one of the speakers spoke on the use of technology. She was an advocate of my generation utilizing Twitter, Facebook, etc to change the world, or at least that was my takeaway from her talk. And of course technology follows us in daily life. I purchased a netbook this summer. And love it. WiFi is easier and easier to find. We just upgraded phones, and I’m pretty amazed how much things have changed in the cell phone world in just three years. I think I’m a part of a shrinking population that does not have internet on their phone, or more accurately, doesn’t want to pay $30/month for that luxury. Still, I have owned four cell phones in my life now, and somehow I just can’t bring myself to believe that.

And of course all this technology becomes the topic of different discussions, especially among my friends. And every time it does, I think I ought to blog about it. Rather ironic I suppose. I was finally motivated by an article by the BBC, which of course, I read online using an RSS feed. Technology. Anyway, the article, which can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10719042, was essentially highlighting the growing popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Linked in, etc, and the decline of MySpace and Flickr. I suppose I am no exception to those trends. I can’t even remember when I was last on MySpace, and I don’t know anyone who uses it anymore. I should probably delete my account. Regardless, the article reminded me of these ongoing discussions about the role of technology, social networking, and such in our lives.

More often than not, I find myself wondering how effective all this connectivity really is. Is our society really any more connected than it was before Facebook? Do we network better with Twitter than without? Have iPods really enhanced our lives? Yet I find my professors who refuse to use computers and Powerpoint in class to be a bit strange. And my cell phone has proved quite useful on plenty of occasions. Even the famed iPod I have come to love.

The more time goes on, the more I think the discussion of whether or not technology is beneficial becomes pointless. We can debate the virtues of Facebook, or the vices of Twitter all we want, particularly as Christians, but the fact of the matter seems to be that they are here to stay. Though we can avoid them if we want, what good does that do us? Our society is quickly embracing the idea of new verbs such as “tweeting” and “facebooking.” It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a website that does not have a Facebook and Twitter icon on the page. Or a business who invites their customers to “like” them on Facebook. Speaking from a Christian perspective, I think it is important that we do not ignore these trends. What the BBC article observes is important: social networking is a hot topic.

One of the criticisms some of my friends have of these communication mediums is that they remove real contact with real people. And it is quite valid. I can spend hours on Facebook, and yet have no real idea what is going on with any of my friends. I can catch the latest world news on Twitter, but miss the news in my own neighborhood. I read recently that experts think it is only possible for us to really “know” 150 people in our lives. Most people I know on Facebook, myself included, have hundreds of “friends.” Likewise, another valid criticism is that these sites do little more than give an avenue to promote one’s self. Considering the majority of status updates I’ve seen, I’d say that is quite true. Yet, as I said before, I don’t think this excuses us as Christians to run from technology. Rather, I think the complications demand a reasoned and thorough examination as to why we are using them. A manifesto of sorts. Rather than carelessly using Facebook, why not have a purpose to it? Rather than ignore Twitter, perhaps we should aim to master it and use it intentionally?

Twitter, for me, is a good example of this. I have a Twitter account, and do “tweet” on occasion. And then I go for a while without using it. And then I’m back. I don’t think Twitter serves the same purpose as Facebook. Though it can be an interesting way to keep up with people, I actually see it as perhaps a more “formal” tool than Facebook. One of my first Twitter interactions was after posting about an upcoming IJM event on campus. Someone tweeting from IJM headquarters replied and asked if we needed anything for the event. It was a type of connection that would have never happened outside of Twitter.

As I use Twitter more, I almost see it as a kind of market place, a forum, or maybe just a really big room full of people always talking. A way to exchange information, and interact with people who you may have something in common with. Till today, I had been “protecting” my tweets, as I didn’t like the idea of strangers “following” me. But I think if I am to really use Twitter as a sort of digital forum, that doesn’t really work. Likewise, tweeting about mundane parts of daily life is probably not helpful either. Rather, would I say my tweet aloud in a roomful of strangers? And if I am willing to enter this forum, do I believe that I have something to offer to the stream of information?

Anyway, my real motivation for posting this blog is to see what you think. I always enjoy comments and feedback on my blogging, but I am particularly curious to hear what you think the role of technology is in our lives. Do you Tweet? Why or why not? Facebook? How do you use these social networks? Do you think it is important to use them intentionally? Or should we avoid them? What sort of “manifesto” do you have regarding the use of technology? How might Christians use social networks, or is that really a place to bring in one’s faith?

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