Aspens

While in Colorado a couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do some photography. Here are a few of my shots for your enjoyment.

Barna on Lukewarm

The Barna Group recently put out an interesting article to go with my previous post. Here's an excerpt:

Like the lukewarm church at Laodicea that Jesus said in the Book of Revelation He was about to spew out of His mouth, The Barna Group in a recent study assessed American Christianity as neither hot nor cold.

"Most Americans do not have strong and clear beliefs, largely because they do not possess a coherent biblical worldview," said David Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group. "That is, they lack a consistent and holistic understanding of their faith. Millions of Americans say they are personally committed to Jesus Christ, but they believe He sinned while on earth."

Read the whole article here.

Flatlands

|Catfish|

I'm back in Nebraska.  Here are a couple reasons why that statement goes in this section: 

 

1. It's hard to find passion and excitement in Nebraska.  Sure, you can do something illegal or go somewhere were lots of people are (CWS) and find excitement...but it's not the same as standing on top of a rock looking back over the 500 feet or so you just climbed without any ropes.  It's not the same as pulling someone out of a white water river with sharp jagged rocks for a riverbed.  And even the CWS can't compete with a midnight hike to a mountain meadow far enough away from any artificial light that you can see stars that make you wonder if the seven or eight thousand feet higher you are help you see stars you're sure you've never seen before.  No, this feeling does not replicate itself in the suburban jungle.

 

2.  The mountain top experience of Colorado was also a spiritual experience for me.  I traveled with a church youth choir that did not limit itself to large churches full of Colorado Christians.  Instead, we sang at homeless shelters, homes for women and children, public restaurants, and Salvation Army homes, all the while serving those we sang to as fellow human beings.  I was so proud of the kids on the trip for their genuine interaction with people from starkly different backgrounds.  None of the kids displayed the sense of entitlement that is so prevalent in upper-middle class suburbanites.  It was a blessing to be in the presence of God as I watched relationships build, and people be people.  Someone on the trip said the hard part will be taking the mountain top experience back to the people in the valley who need to share the hope we've been given.  I disagree, but only slightly: I think the hard part is taking hope back to the flatlands where people have forgotten they need hope at all.

 

|Gospel|

Jesus told his disciples to take the good news of the coming kingdom to all people groups.  There is an interesting cycle happening in our churches.  It seems we're either too focused on ourselves, or too focused on global needs that we forget to give hope to Suburbia.  There is so much need in our world, so many people living in inexplicable conditions; it is no wonder the church has honed its focus so tightly overseas.  And the global need is nowhere near satisfied.  It will take a tremendous act of God in the world through generous, self-less Christ followers to eradicate this type of poverty.  But Jesus' letter to the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3) could be, and in my book should be, renamed to be the letter to the church in Suburbia.  For those of us who live here, this is a reminder of the mission field that begins at our sidewalk and winds throughout our neighborhoods.  If you live in Suburbia, the following is for you:

 

"I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You're not cold, you're not hot - far better to be either cold or hot! You're stale. You're stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, 'I'm rich, I've got it made, I need nothing from anyone,' oblivious that in fact you're a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless.

"Here's what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that's been through the refiner's fire. Then you'll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You've gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see.

"The people I love, I call to account - prod and correct and guide so that they'll live at their best. Up on your feet, then! About face! Run after God!

"Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That's my gift to the conquerors!

"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches."

 

Listen to the Wind Words.  The Spirit is indeed blowing through our churches.  If this strikes with your heart, but you don't know how to pray about it, the lyrics to the following song have been helpful for me.

Decide This Doubt for Me - Lyrics

Decide This Doubt for Me - MP3

I pray you always find hot the coals of your heart.

 

David's Mighty Men

I'm totally intrigued right now with the Mighty Men. Their stories are written in the bible, 2nd Samuel. I wish I could have known these men! One of them, with winter snow on the ground, went down into a pit and killed a lion. Another was on the front lines of a battle, and when his entire army retreated and ran back to their city, he stood his ground and killed 300 men with his sword! These men did amazing things, and thousands of years later their stories are being told. I wonder what stories will be told of me after a generation goes by, let alone thousands of years.

It strikes me that a man who would slide into a pit with a lion has either great courage or an intelligence deficiency. Seeing as it was a snowy day, the lion was probably walking along, minding his own business (or worse, hunting) when he lost his footing in the snow and slid into a pit. Try as he might, the lion cannot escape the pit, and is still there when Benaiah finds him. The last time I happened upon a lion in the wild who had spent God knows how long trying to climb snowy banks without success, I thought to myself, "Self, why don't you slide down there with that lion and kill him. He seems pretty pissed, so you're just putting him out of his misery." No, 'fraid not. I would be the one high-tailing it out of there in case the lion gets one good footing and flies out of there, hungry and mad. Sliding myself into a snowy grave with a hungry, pissed off lion is not my idea of a courageous afternoon activity. Maybe that's why no one is writing stories about me, or naming me among mighty men. Heck, I'm not even trusted to ward off scary men in the office.

Now, apart from my cynicism, here's reality: there aren't lions in pits in my neighborhood. So here's where the dialog begins. What are some 21st Century examples of heroism and courage? Can those acts be performed by an average guy, or do you have to achieve some sort of status to be recognized in this way, and if so, what is that status level?

Storm

|Catfish|
So I didn't start blogging for a long time because I know myself well enough to know I would post several times the first week, once the next week, and then forget about it for several weeks...then post several in a week... I hate being a creature of habit, especially when the bad habits are easier to form than the good habits.

One of my bad habits is neglecting work that needs to be done. I've been getting better when it comes to lawn care. Monday was my planned day to mow, and when I went out to begin, there was nothing but blue sky to the south. To the north, a towering wall of solid cloud hung like a curtain, waiting for the cue to throw open as the show begins. To the south, ninety degrees and not a cloud in the sky. To the north, a wave of cool air was washing over the beach between me and the mountainous mass, only the wave didn't recede back to its master. It moved over the earth, cooling the air in a moment. It felt as if I pushed my mower off a diving board into the kind of water that takes your breath away. The excitement of the approaching storm caused me to finish a 25 minute task in 15 flat. If only I could get into the habit of finishing lawn work ahead of every storm! Instead, too often I let the storms bring rain to an already overgrown lawn. By the time I get around to mowing after the storm, there are large game animals taking shelter under the blades of grass.

|Gospel|
The spiritual habits form in much the same way. As spiritual beings, we are constantly in need of maintenance. We must keep our spiritual well-being groomed and prepared before the storms hit. Otherwise we will be caught off guard, and there will be no time for reforming ourselves. Jesus warned us of the storm that is coming.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:42-45)

It's not a surprise. Jesus is coming back! We don't know the hour, but we know the event is inevitable, and could come at any moment.

There is a storm on the horizon. I can't tell you when the rain will hit my house, but I know it's going to rain. There are signs if only you'll look for them. So get your lawn mowed already.

Consumer vs Member

Ok, Will is on to something. I don't know Will personally, but I read his posts on the Coram Deo blog all the time. Lately, his focus has turned to individualism. In a blog post yesterday, he used the following chart to illustrate the practical ways to identify consumer tendencies. Check the graphic out and you will see what I mean. By the way, for the sake of conformity to the style of this blog, consider the |catfish| section to be the consumer column, and the |gospel| section to be the member column. Check out the graphic, then check out Will's post.

Blessing God

|Catfish|
I put a lot of my eggs in this basket: total depravity. There are a lot of intelligent writings and convincing arguments for total depravity, but I believe it based on something else - my own inability. As I mature as a Christian (stop laughing - I know I'm just a guppy), I continually see the gap between me and God spread wider and wider. He's holy. I'm depraved. He's really holy. I'm really depraved. He's really really...etc. I think you see where I'm going. As God reveals himself to me, I become continually more aware of my inability to be like him without intervention by him.

Sunday, the sermon was about authentic worship. A quote, "Worship is about me blessing God, not about God blessing me." What? What can I do to bless God? What does he lack that I can show up Sunday morning and give him? If I'm totally depraved of anything good apart from God, the only thing good I have to give him is what he's given me already. Worship isn't about me...I think this was well put on Sunday. It's not about my preferences, my taste, my desires, my anything. But how is it about God if there's nothing I can do for him? WHAT DOES HE WANT FROM ME?

|Gospel|
For God so loved the world, he gave his only son. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God doesn't want me to show up and sing the loudest, give the most, kneel at the front the longest, pray the hardest, raise my hands, or close my eyes in order to bless him. Instead, I think God wants us to come to worship as a community to communally admit our depravity, and to allow Him through the community of believers to heal and bless us through the forgiveness of the Messiah and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is an ongoing process in my mind. Maybe you process on this too, and have comments. Maybe you've never thought about it, and have comments. Maybe you should comment!