The Primacy of Story: Creation

Let’s just get this out of the way right at the start: I don’t believe in six literal days. There are several reasons, which I’m not prepared to expound on. I will say this: if time wasn’t created until day four with the coming of the sun and moon then how would one measure 24 hour days? Ready for another bombshell: I don’t necessarily believe that Creation happened exactly like it says. I know, I know, burn him at the stake and all that. Let me explain this one because it has probably ruffled more feathers. 


Down through antiquity every major civilization has had a story of how the world came into being. A quick search on Wikipedia or Google will confirm this. The Israelites were no different. These ancient creation stories from every culture were passed down orally, not written down for generations afterward, many bearing striking similarities to those in Genesis. Archaeology has proved this tie and again. As these stories are passed down differences arise in the telling from generation to generation (think of the game “Telephone” that you used to play in elementary school; now extend it over several thousand years). Somewhere down the line a dust-covered Jewish scribe breaks out his Macbook and starts getting the story down into written form. Here you are now, sitting in your Barcalounger, with Jiffy Pop and a Jones soda, reading a leather bound translation of what a nomadic scribe wrote down several millenia ago. Ever wonder why there are two different accounts of Creation, one poetic (Genesis 1) and one narrative (Genesis 2)? Could it be that the author(s) were trying to do something other than just tell a story, perhaps even tell a story beyond the story? A poem is based on rhythm and structure. Though most translations turn Genesis 1 into a narrative structure, the original Hebrew is poetic. Hebrew poetry is uses repetition of lines and phrases to emphasize important ideas. Look at the phrases found in Genesis 1: 


And there was evening and there was morning


It was good


And God said


There are many levels of meaning present here that space will not allow me to go into. What the author wants us to see is that Creation--and all of life--is founded on rhythm. There is a driving beat at the heart of the Universe, carrying forward through history everything that is, like a celestial drummer (or that drummer from Def Leppard that only has one arm but blows up the drums anyway) pounding out the 4/4 time that pushes a song to its inevitable conclusion. Think about the rhythms of creation: four seasons every year; your heart, your breathing, your waking and sleeping; “nine planets around the sun repeat” (with apologies to Dave Matthews Band); 24 hour days; a sunrise and sunset everyday; the tides; birth and death. On and on the rhythms go. Gd even establishes in the 7 day creation a day of rest: six days of work, one day of rest. 6 and 1… 6 and 1… 6 and 1…


When we argue over six literal days we miss all of this. We miss the great truth that all of creation is rhythmic and our lives become full of chaos when we step outside that rhythm. Wonder why your life feels so chaotic? Check your rhythm with the rhythm God established.


There is more, much more to be found in Genesis 1 alone, much less Genesis as a whole. Are you missing the forest for the trees? Are you missing the story beyond the story? That’s why I don’t worry about six literal days, or how creation went down: it isn’t what’s most important here. What the story says about my story and our story is what is important. 


Switch gears now. Where does science factor into all of this? Despite what Ken Ham says, I’m not sure the Bible tries to give answers to the dinosaurs and all of that (I know, I know, Behemoth and Leviathan; but could they have just been really big animals such as an elephant or something? Either way, it isn’t definitive proof, no matter what the Creation Museum says). By remaining vague, Genesis leaves ample room for scientific theory and/or fact. If a “day” is not meant as a 24 hour period, then could it carry billions or years within those three letters? Faith and science need not be exclusive, nor, do I believe, do they need each other to survive. Many people fight against science, evolution and the like because they are terrified that science will prove their faith a fraud. So they ignorantly deny science as “out to get them,” when nothing could be further from the truth. Our faith is based on Jesus Christ crucified and risen, not on our view of Creation (or anything else, for that matter). The power of the Creation story lies, not in its literal fact, but in its story of rhythm, of rest, of a God who creates for relationship, and that that relationship has a rhythm of its own which must be maintained if we are to live fully and completely human lives. 


shalom, matt

The Primacy of Story

Few Christians would argue with the fact that the Scriptures are imbued with a mysterious, transformative power (perhaps, to say it better, the Spirit’s power flows through the ancient texts, bringing about God’s intended transformation in us. It isn’t the words, but the Spirit’s use of them that makes them what they are to us).  A careful, constant, disciplined reading of the written word (and sometimes even a cursory reading) can bring about astounding changes to individuals and faith communities. 


There is significant debate among “liberal” and “conservative” camps about whether or not Scripture has to be literally true in order to be considered truth. To me (and this is not official church doctrine) “truth” is something--Someone--real that changes you, somehow transforms you into something different and beautiful (think caterpillar-to-butterfly). The factual, historical accuracy of the story is not nearly as important (I would go so far as to say that it is secondary to the “truth” of the story), not nearly as crucial as what the story does to us and in us. If we rely upon historical accuracy to validate the real truth of the story then we put the real truth in danger, for if some “fact” is proved inaccurate then have we not also invalidated the truth of the story at the same time?


But, if we leave the two independent of one another, yet still connected, then the negation of the historical truth is not a deathblow to the “real” truth. the connection is not unimportant, but it is not crucial. The power of the story comes in what it does to you, not in the its literal fact. Christians, particularly fundamentalist Christians, tend to stop at the literal factuality of the story, never going beyond it into the heart of the story. By way of example, a literal six day Creation is more important to some than the meaning(s) of Creation. This is tragic, that they never move beyond literalism. If science or archaeology were to prove six literal days inaccurate then they would have to do one of three things: 1) Abandon their faith for secularism (see above diagram); 2) Deny science and archaeology, a path many take (see state of Kansas education system); 3) Change their outlook on the story itself. I’d rather go with option 3, for if we change our outlook on the story (and on the primacy of Story) we will find a deeper appreciation, love, hunger, and power in THE STORY. And we may just be transformed.

shalom, matt

Still Here

I haven't died, in case anyone was wondering from the 11 days of silence. I'm working on a fairly lengthy series of posts and will start posting here shortly. Sorry about the delay, work and family are taking up most of my time so I'm struggling to find time to write. 


Until then, here's a little Victor Wooten playing Amazing Grace on a bass. I'm sure I've posted this before, but I thought about it the other day while talking to a guy I work with about music and thought it worth posting again. 



shalom, matt

My Glittering Image

I’ve been reading a novel by Susan Howatch called Glittering Images. In the context of the book a “glittering image” is the self that we present to those around us, particularly those we desire to impress. It is the spit-and-polished version of our self, the mask that covers the real us, the one that we know ourself to be and the one that God sees. The real self is covered in warts, bruises, cuts, leprosy and wreaking of rotting flesh at times; full of lies, greed, deceit, lust, wrath and selfishness. It is also, at times, on what most would call “a good day,” capable of compassion, generosity, kindness and love. It is our true self, the good and bad, the self Christ died to redeem. It’s not a stretch to say that Christ came to save us from our glittering image, to show us how to live fully human and alive, to not hide our weaknesses but expose them, to, as Paul says, “boast in our weaknesses,” knowing that Christ’s strength is made perfect there. 


I have a glittering image that I’ve been trying to kill for years. I think he is a ninja, because as soon as I draw my sword to eviscerate him, he disappears into the night. I’ve succeeded in wounding him on occasion, but never fatally. My glittering image is very pretty, wearing a different outfit for every occasion. He is very eloquent, making flowery declarations and promises that my real self isn’t prepared to keep. He is well-mannered most of the time, though, at times, he will shoot his mouth off to irritating parties. He stands above in superiority and intellectual ability, wringing wet with false humility: “No, I only live to serve. All glory to God!” He loves accolades and applause, and is a simpering brat when he doesn’t get any. 


He’s a bastard child; I gave birth to him but I don’t know who conceived him. I don’t know when his birthday is, but he feels old, heavy and bloated. I wish I could ring the death knell on his existence so that I--the real I--could come forth from the grave, like Lazarus, shedding my grave clothes and breathing for the first time again that initial newborn breath of life, scented with the possibilities of a full, complete humanity, a future of hope, lived in grace and alive in the full reality of knowing that I am, at last, once and for all, Me.


shalom, matt

Castro = Willy Wonka

Jesus won't bring you candy if you pray for it, but, by George!, Castro will. Bow down to Mother Russia!



Two Videos

One that you've probably seen, but it's fun anyway...




One that rocks your face off with Jesus-ness...


What Happens if You Stand Up For Jesus


The lesson here: If you stand up for Jesus the Russians will cut off your head and throw it down a hill.

The 21st Century


So, here's my question: how do we minister in the 21st century given all this?

shalom, matt 

Dangerous Theologies: Theology of Masked Politics

Theology of Masked Politics

This “theology” has become more and more prevalent as politics increasingly polarizes not only America, but the church as well. Hot-button issues, mainly homosexuality/gay marriage and abortion, become topics in sermons and there is an unwritten, but nonetheless obvious expectation, that you will vote Republican because Republicans are against those two things. Because of the polarization and the desperate attempt by many churches to insure their agendas get elected into office, many churches theologies have unintentionally (intentionally?) swerved toward pushing conservative agendas instead of the Way of Christ. As part of our desire for control we tell people what to think, and by extension, vote for, never stopping to consider whether this conservative agenda has any basis in Christ’s teachings or at all mirrors the Way of Jesus. What unfortunately happens is that churches push the one or two hot-button issues and never mention the many other issues that actually have root in Scripture. Further, a number of positions that are held as “conservative” using Biblical grounds as a defense are immediately contradicted by the person’s view of another similar subject. Here are a few examples:


Abortion and the Death Penalty: one of the biggies. Ironically, it is never talked about in Scripture. Many people who claim “right to life” for unborn babies are more than prepared to fry/gas/inject other human beings, repaying evil for evil. You cannot on the one hand hold a position of the sanctity of human life and dignity and on the other hand deny that life and dignity to another human being (regardless of whatever crime they’ve committed). 


War: Few issues in recent years have polarized families and churches like this one. Without going into detail as to my own opinions on the subject I’ll refer you back to my above statements about the sanctity of human life. Human life is human life, regardless of where it lives or what ideologies it touts. 


Homosexuality/Gay Marriage: At the risk of opening up a can of worms here I’ll simply say this: For this being such a huge issue in the church, Jesus is surprisingly silent on the subject. Interesting, don’t you think? Maybe there are more important things to worry about. Jesus had much to say about gossip, unforgiveness, and neglect of the poor, yet most churches brush these far more damaging and dangerous sins under the rug, or, at best, verbally slap people on the wrist. But when it comes to gays they are adamant, vocal, and willing to declare war on homosexuality, never realizing that by declaring war on homosexuality they have, in the world’s eyes, declared war on homosexuals. 


Again, all of these political positions are subtly masked in sermons and lessons, comments and discussions. Rarely, though occasionally, these positions are “unmasked” and just outright said to the masses. Far more often they are hidden in the midst of authentic Biblical teaching, giving them viability and legitimacy through association with that teaching. “I know that A (authentic, true teaching) is true, therefore (masked political position) must also be true.” Don’t fall for it.


Don’t buy into any theology that is a cover for conservative or liberal political agendas. It is crucial that you study the scriptures yourself, and find a trusted brother or sister who can help guide you to a better understanding, and perhaps even a more pure understanding, of Jesus’ way of life.


shalom, matt

From the Brother...

My brother to be exact. You need to read this. He could probably use your prayers that he would speak prophetically to his leadership and that they would hear him.


shalom, matt

Dangerous Theologies: Theology of Moral Control

I’ve recently been reminded of how dangerous some theologies are to the lives of ordinary people. Theology is defined by my MacBook this way: 


theology |θēˈäləjē|

noun ( pl. -gies)

the study of the nature of God and religious belief.

religious beliefs and theory when systematically developed. 


Well, there you have it, a concise and 90% useless definition brought to you by the fine people of Apple. Theology, as the 10% useful section informs us, is the study of God. Theologies are a collection of religious beliefs, sometimes systematically written down into doctrinal statements and creeds, or, in the case of professors who have no lives, systematic theology textbooks, foisted upon unknowing Bible college students. Theologies, as a rule, aren’t necessarily detrimental; in fact, quite the opposite, really. They can be quite useful in communal settings to unite a believing community underneath a common system of belief. The Apostle’s Creed has for centuries served as a declaration of belief for the Body of Christ.


Theologies become dangerous when they serve purposes other than declaring a common faith. When they are used to ostracize and alienate and excommunicate those who see things differently; when they are used as weapons to destroy community and dismantle relationships and friendships; when they become a means of controlling (and thereby destroying) our freedom in Christ. 


So what I would like to do is take a couple weeks and unmask a few “theologies” that you would do well to avoid being around and buying into. 


Theology of Moral Control/Morality

This is perhaps the most prevalent and the most difficult theology to spot of them all, because it looks like real Christianity. Let’s consult the on-board dictionary again for a good definition of morality.


morality |məˈralətē; mô-|

noun ( pl. -ties)

principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.

• behavior as it is affected by the observation of these principles 

• a particular system of values and principles of conduct, esp. one held by a specified person or society

• the extent to which an action is right or wrong; behavior or qualities judged to be good 


It is the last of the definitions that interests me the most here. Morality is about good vs. bad behavior. It is about determining what is right and what is wrong. Now, on the surface this is not a bad thing. It is generally a good idea to determine right actions and wrong actions. It is right for me to love my wife and treat her with respect. It is wrong for me to kill her. See: one action is right, and one is wrong. And, by the way, I’ve never killed my wife. I digress…


The danger in moral control theology is that many of the actions deemed “wrong” by a particular church body have little, if any, basis in Scripture. Many times they are defended with out-of-context Scripture quotations that ignore the intent of the author and the context of the passage. Or, worse, they are based on old, worn-out, prejudices and traditions that have long since died away, and were themselves outgrowths of shaky interpretations of Scripture. Basically, moral control theology is based on what people have decided is wrong, not necessarily what is actually right or wrong in Scripture. These traditional thought patterns, many times passed down from one generation to the next with no explanation for the reason, are used to control the behaviors of the individual church members, mainly by pouring on large dosages of guilt and fear: guilt because you broke the rule and fear over what God will do to you if you break it again. 


Some popular rules that get thrown around that have no basis in Scripture, but are regarded as wrong because of perceived social stigma, preconceived ideas, or denominational tradition include, but are not limited to: dancing, watching secular movies, listening to secular music, drinking alcohol, smoking, “cussing” (or using a wildly-varying list of “bad words”), you must attend church on Sundays, no instruments in church (a cappella churches only), you must read, listen to, watch, or wear Christian products only, you must dress up for church, no running in church, don’t wear your hat in the sanctuary, and don’t, under any circumstances, watch Scooby-Doo or read Harry Potter. I’ve heard of a church in the tri-county area that actually tells their constituency what movies they can and can’t watch, what they can and can’t wear to church and what music they can and can’t listen to. It’s a matter of membership for them, too. There are other rules I’m sure in different churches, but these cover the basics. 


I said earlier that moral control theology is hard to discern because it looks like real Christianity. Churches that foist this type of theology on their members judge the maturity of the Christian based on their compliance with these dogmas. There is a complete lack of awareness, or at best a vague congizance, of the signs of true Christian maturity and discipleship: a desire for the disciplines, a hunger and need for Christian community, a God-centered and others-centered life, an awareness of God in the present moment, a desire to live the Way of Christ, to live in Ultimate Reality, to “seek first the Kingdom.” Moral control theology reduces discipleship down to compliance with church rules, usually determined by the authority figures at the top of the church hierarchy. 


And let me say this: I’m not opposed to living a right life. But when all we seek to do is obey rules we miss out on the life of Christ, a life of freedom and love. We fall into the trap of the Pharisees.


"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. __Jesus in Matthew 23__

We focus on the wrong things, put emPHASIS on the wrong syllABLE (so to speak), obey “rules” and neglect life. Jesus said, in John 8, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Why then would we return to bondage under man-made rules that have no bearing on our Christian discipleship? Why do we not trust the Spirit’s work in the lives of individual disciples? Why do we not allow God to work through the disciplines to move us to places of maturity in HIS time? Moral control theology betrays a distinct lack of trust in God to bring about maturity and growth, instead relying on man-made rules to bring about quasi-changes that rarely are permanent. At its worst, moral theology ignores grace, by not allowing for the freedom to make mistakes and the room for God to redeem and use those mistakes for our growth and maturity. 

May you find freedom in Christ, freedom to live life, love more fully and revel in the grace of Almighty God. 

shalom, matt

Strange

Okay, for the strangest thing I've seen all year...


The girl has a beautiful face and is a darling, but I've never heard of anything like that happening before. 

shalom, matt

Five Lessons for Everyone (Part 2)

Your Life is Not About You

I know this sounds like something straight out of Dr. Phil’s mouth, but it’s not. It dovetails nicely off of the preceding idea that we aren’t that important. Our over-privileged society has ingrained in us and (unfortunately) our children (might be my fault, too) the idea that everything is centered on us. We are an ego-centric culture. We are crazy over ourselves, cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs (assuming that we are a chocolaty breakfast puff that turns milk brown and sludgy, of course). It is a nasty reality to face when a teenager, or maybe even worse, an adult, discovers that life is not about them and they have to come to grips with a new reality that doesn’t focus on them. It is a nasty reality, but on the other side of that awakening, that “death to the false self,” is a beautiful resurrection of Christ- and others-centeredness. How different would our world be if humanity understood this lesson, if we died to our own self and turned outward towards a much larger world than we first imagined it to be? 


You Are Not In Control

How much do you and I hate this one? Seriously, is there a more helpless feeling than to be out of control? Yes, there is. To realize you are out of control and there is nothing you can do about it. This is a terrifying prospect for us control freaks. Life is beyond anything we can get our arms around. Walk in a hospital’s cancer ward or a funeral home and ask the people there if life is in their control. Better yet, walk into an AA meeting and ask an alcoholic if they feel like life is in their control. You’re not in control. Learn this lesson with the reality that life is hard. The two go hand-in-hand. We need to be okay with this. Not happy about it necessarily, but okay with it. We have to be willing to learn from what life hands us. The message of the cross is that God, in his infinite love, is willing to give up control, “put himself out there,” to us. Jesus, according to Philippians 2, “became nothing,” that is, gave up control of his rights as God, humbling himself and dying. God: willing to be out of control. Can we be as willing to give up control as well? Dag Hammerskjold, former U.N. Secretary-General said, “At some moment I did answer Yes to Someone--or Something--and from that hour I was certain that existence is meaningful and that, therefore, my life in self-surrender had a goal.”


You Are Going to Die

It’s amazing how many people just can’t seem to accept this fact. Last time I checked the death rate was still 100% among every living thing on earth. An old Hindu saying says, “The surprise of surprises is that although everybody who has ever lived in this world has died, for some reason, we think we won’t.” Dr. Ira Byock writes, “Death is not primarily a medical event. Death is a personal and spiritual event, yet we are largely concerned about preparing for the medical.” There is an great line from Dr. Cox in an episode of Scrubs where he tells J.D. that everything that they do as doctors is, at best, a stall for the inevitable. You are going to die. If we cannot accept our own death then we cannot truly live, because we live in fear of the inevitable end that could come at any moment. Jesus said that not one of us can add a single minute to his or her life by worrying. I used to spend a lot of time worrying about my own death. I didn’t want to die. Who does? But worry and fear turn into anxiety, which can be debilitating and life-stealing. We have to come to terms with our own fear over the unknowable. No one knows what happens at death, which is partly why we fear it so much. No one likes the unknown. If we can live in the reality of the kingdom understanding of death, that it is not final, does not have the last word, that, as Paul writes, it has lost its sting, that on the other side is glorious resurrection and the continuance of an eternal life already begun in the present, then we might be able to acknowledge the reality that we are going to die. And then we might be able to truly live. 


shalom, matt

Prayers That Aren't Really Prayers

I found this on a blog called the overflow. So much truth to it. Time for me to think about my prayer life. I really like the idea of toasting Jesus at dinner instead of the perfunctory "bless this food" prayer. Anyway, read on. 

shalom, matt

Only once in my life has anyone ever confronted me on my prayer life.

No, not like if I pray or when do I pray, but actually on how I pray. It came from Ron Ritchie, a trusted 70 year old mentor. I was 32ish when he looked me in the eye over lunch and in a way only a man who looks like Moses/
Grizzly Adams could have said, "Brian, you use God's name like a comma when you pray. God I pray that (comma God) you would help me do blah blah blah (comma God).... " I think it was the first time in my life I'd actually truly thought about how I spoke to God and what words I chose.

He also introduced me for the first time to the 
PRAYER TOAST. We did it every night after bible study with Ron and our clan of disciples over dinner for a year of Tuesday's. I use it all the time in restaurants now. Rather than bowing your head and wondering if you're going to get the prayer done before the waiter returns to interrupt you awkwardly, you just ditch the head bowed deal, grab your beverage, raise it to the sky, and thank Jesus for the fellowship, the food you're about to eat, the amazing chance to enjoy breath in your lungs, and invite God's presence to be at the table with you. It's really refreshing. You should try it sometime. Inviting God to join your table and thanking him for the blessings of food and friends is always sincere and very rare today.

Well anyway, ever since that year of prayer challenges by Ron, I've been particularly sensitive to my own prayers and annoyed by some of the traditional habits of the church today in prayer. A couple of things that have happened this week made me think of it, so I decided to blog them. Here you go, here's my list:

  • THE ANNOUNCEMENT PRAYER: This is not really a prayer at all. It's not really talking to God, it's just talking to people while they are in the hypnotic state of eyes closed and heads bowed. It often involves transition hints like, "as the band comes up" or reminders like, "we know that this week is the big blah blah blah".
  • THE HOUDINI PRAYER: This may or may not be sincere prayer, but it is strategically placed so that we magically whip people on and off stage while your eyes are closed. While you're supposedly talking to God, the band can magically disappear and the speaker appear or visa versa- as if the angel of the Lord himself whisked them off the stage like Houdini.
  • THE NO ONE'S LOOKING PRAYER: This is the prayer where we begin by talking to God, then pause to talk to you, asking no one to look around, cuz evidently that screws up the sincerity of someone really talking to God. Now, while "no one's looking, please raise your hand or look at me or whatever..." cuz now we're pausing in prayer to talk to you all.
  • THE GOD IS A COMMA/MUST LOVE TO HEAR HIS OWN NAME PRAYER: This prayer is one I was very good at and have tried to ditch. It's the prayer that uses God more times in one sentence than is humanly possible. It is common, but evidently only something we do in prayer. Can you imagine saying to me at dinner, "Dear Brian, thanks so much Brian for having us over for dinner Brian. I just love you Brian. Brian you have blessed us so much Brian that we wanted to tell you Brian that we are here to serve you Brian with our whole lives Brian. Amen Brian. Amen." Yeah, it sounds stupid, but if you insert God in there for me, well, you have the classic comma/name prayer.
  • THE END THE MEETING PRAYER: This prayer is just a prayer we do cuz the meeting is over and evidently, no two Christians are allowed to talk and then leave without praying to sorta close the book on this deal. Most of the world just says, see you later. Christians feel the need to make sure God knows we're done talking now.
  • THE IN CASE GOD WASN'T LISTENING PRAYER: This is where we go around the room and have everyone share prayer requests. Then, after we have talked to one another for a while about them, we then repeat exactly what we've all been talking about but now, we do it with sentences that begin with "Dear God" and end with "Amen" since evidently when we were saying them before, we were talking to ourselves and God was busy somewhere else.
  • THE GOSSIP PRAYER: This is a classic one. This often never makes it to prayer. But under the umbrella of protection of a prayer request, we gossip about others so that the person who is receiving the juicy facts can take them back and pray about them.
  • THE SUPER SPIRITUAL PRAYER: This one is where the person praying uses words that only God can understand and that are only used when praying. It's often with hands held up, sounds really super theological, and usually gets them asked to pray a lot, cuz it sounds like something God himself might say in 1850.
  • THE IT'S TIME TO SHUT UP PRAYER: This prayer is not really prayer. It's just a reality that the one at the mic is being ignored, so instead of waiting for the crowd to get quiet, they just start praying and inevitably, a shhh and side slap hitting fest goes across the audience that tells people to shut up, somebody up front is pretending to pray so you all will stop talking.

Five Lessons for Everyone (Part 1)

I’ve been reading a book called Adam’s Return: the Five Promises of Male Initiation by Richard Rohr. The book looks at a wide range of cultural male initiation rites that communities used to initiate a young boy into manhood. Among other things, and the subject I’d like to take up briefly here, the book talks about the five lessons that every young man must learn in order to be the leader that he must be as a male in his community. The five lessons are:


Life is hard.

You are not that important.

Your life is not about you.

You are not in control.

You are going to die.


These lessons were not simply found in Israelite culture, but in cultures across the board. Scripturally speaking these are lessons found, and not accidentally, throughout the Written Word. I think that these are lessons, male initiation aside, that we all need to learn if we are to understand our relationship to God and to each other.


Life is Hard

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble on account of me.” Because of Jesus we will have trouble. Let me add this: because we are human we will have trouble. Because we are alive we will have trouble. You can’t avoid hardship. It’s not a matter of if but when and how severe. And the larger question is, How will we respond to it? We are a culture that avoids suffering, detests it, pretends like it doesn’t exist. We bury ourselves underneath a plethora of pleasures and distractions, seeking to forget that we are hurting, that the world is bent and broken, and that we ourselves are, deep down in the dark places of our souls, bent and broken. We must learn, and it is not an easy lesson to swallow, how to suffer and how to learn from our suffering. God uses suffering. Nothing is wasted in God’s kingdom. He uses everything--including our suffering. Life is difficult. How will we respond to it?


You are Not That Important

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve wanted to say or have said to a teenager seeking counsel from me that they aren’t nearly as important as they think they are. At first glance that seems like a harsh statement, but it isn’t. Here’s why: We are a very, very privileged country, our teens especially succumbing to our culture of conspicuous consumption, believing that everything is owed to them and that the sun rises and sets at their beck and call. Parents don’t help much, feeding their teens insatiable appetite for more with...well...more. Jesus said that life is more than food and drink. We need to understand and to impress on younger generations that the world is bigger than our own field of vision. It’s bigger than our own wants and needs. It’s bigger than our own personal destinies. Now, none of this is to downplay how important we we are in the eyes of God. And I believe that if we understood that, and if we understood that He sees every human being as important, then our own field of vision would expand. Our importance is not based on what we think of ourselves, what we own, what we do, but on Who we belong to and what we look like in His eyes.


to be continued...


shalom, matt

Reason 212 Why I'm Cooler Than My Brother

The number 1 song on the day I was born: (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty by KC and the Sunshine Band.

The number 1 song on the day he was born: "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" - Rupert Holmes.

Need I say more.

Go here to find out what the number 1 song was on the day you were born.

shalom, matt

Living. Moving. Being.

For in him we live and move and have our being. __Paul in Acts 17:28__

This passage has hung over me for, well, at least a year, perhaps longer. It is one of those passages that seem to be a black hole of meaning, endlessly deep and powerful, full of possible interpretations. I never have been able to get my mind around it, plumb the infinite depths. It just seemed like the thing I was seeking (or was it seeking me?) was hovering over me, that it was just out in front of my face, just beyond my grasp, like one of those electronic rabbits at the dog track. And like those dogs chasing the fake rabbit, I was in hot pursuit, but I simply could never get my brain to wrap its tendrils around Paul’s words.

That may have changed last week.

Maybe.

Rewind to Sunday morning at 5:30 AM. I was in my car on my way to work. Now normally there is very little thought process happening in my brain at 5:30 AM other than “keep the car on the road.” But for some reason, perhaps my mind was finally at a point where it could hear the Spirit, but I thought about this passage. Like I said, I’ve chewed on it and chewed on it—the Latin word is meditatio, meaning “to ruminate” (which is what a cow does to its cud)—and this time it seems like I’ve—pardon the expression—“hacked up” a possible meaning.

What if this is a Trinitarian statement, hinting at the work of each of the “members” of the Trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Watch.

In him we live… Christ is our life. Christ came to give life. Christ is Life. Paul wrote in Philippians, “To live is Christ” (1:21). He continues in Galatians, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (2:20). Jesus himself said, “I came to give you life” (John 10:10). Oh, and by the way, Jesus said, “I am the Life” (John 14:6). I’ll stop now, but there are more. There can be no argument that Jesus is a Life-giver, all of Christendom, nay, all of humanity is banking on that reality.

…and move… The Spirit is the “force” (with apologies to George Lucas, Luke Skywalker and Yoda) behind our movement, which makes sense given that is the Spirit of the Life-giver. Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3, “The wind (read: Spirit) blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Jesus tells his followers on the night of betrayal that the Spirit will guide them into all truth. All throughout Acts we find the Spirit guiding the apostles, guiding the followers of the Way, the early Church into situations that would lead to the glory of God. The Spirit even physically moves people at times: “The Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away…” (Acts 8:39). The Spirit is the mover in our lives, the power through which we do everything that we do for the Kingdom.

...and have our being… Hang with me on this because I need to break out my limited linguistic and grammatical knowledge (which would fit on the head of a pin) to make this make sense. In Exodus 3 Moses asks God what His name is. God says, “I AM.” Without going into the ridiculous depth of that answer I will say that “I AM” comes from the “be” verb: am, is, are, was, were. Microsoft Word © tells me, by my hitting Shift + F7, that synonyms for “be” are “exist,” “alive,” “be alive,” be real.” So God simply says, “I exist.” When we say that we have our being in God we are saying that because he is—because he “be’s”—we are—we “be.” We have our be-ness. We are made in the image of Be, therefore we are Be-ings. In his being-ness I find my be-ing, my existing, my aliveness, my realness. “Be” also has as its meaning “be present” or “be there.” Presence. There-ness. These attributes not only beautifully describe God, but they describe how we are to “be” in this world. We are presences, “there-ers” to the world, available and always living in the now. So in the Father we have our be-ness, our presence to the world and we are made available to all. Just as he is present to the world in his “Be-ness” we, too, are present to the world in our “Be-ness.”

Now to backtrack to the beginning of that passage that I intentionally skipped over to point out the role of the Trinity in our lives, I would like to take a quick look at the phrase in Him. I’ve always thought that this phrase, which appears over and over again in Paul’s writings, particularly in Ephesians and Colossians, applied to Christians only. But I’m not so sure. Remember that when Paul says in him we live and move and have our being that he is talking to a group of philosophers in Athens, a decidedly polytheistic culture. Paul is telling them (or so it seems to me) that all of humanity lives, moves and has its being in God. He even concludes his statement by quoting one of their own pagan poets to underscore his point. Think about that. Think about what that changes in how we present the good news. People aren’t somehow entering into a club that we’ve already bought memberships to; no, when they accept Christ as the reality of life they are awakening (the Biblical word for this is "enlightenment") to a reality that they have been a part of all along, namely, that in God, all along, they have been living and moving and being right along with us. They are now awakened to that fact and all of life looks different. Every action, thought, or word is seen in a different light now. How sweet is that!?

Now it is your turn. What are your thoughts?

shalom, matt

Willow Creek

I got fired for thinking this way.

Hurray for Willow Creek. May God bless their search for a new way of ministring.

shalom, matt

p.s. Willow Creek is one of the largest churches in America, located in the Chicago suburbs. Many churches have tried to immulate and immitate them and to try and be as successful as they are.

God the Recycler

Everything belongs; God uses everything. There are no dead ends. There is no wasted energy. Everything is recycled. Sin history and salvation history are two sides of the same coin. I believe with all my heart that the Gospel is all about the mystery of forgiveness. When you "get" forgiveness, you get it. We use the phrase "falling love." I think forgiveness is almost the same thing. It's a mystery we fall into: the mystery is God. God forgives all things for being imperfect, broken, and poor. Not only Jesus but all the great people who pray that I have met in my life say the same thing. That's the conclusion they come to. The people who know God well--the mystics, the hermits, those who risk everything to find God--always meet a lover, not a dictator. God is never found to be an abusive father or a tyrannical mother, but always a lover who is more than we dared hope for. How different than the "account manager" that most people seem to worship.

God is a lover who receives and forgives everything. The Gospel says "you will know the mystery of salvation through the forgiveness of sin" (Luke 1:77). "Fore-given means being given to beforehand--before you earned it, were worthy of it, or maybe even asked for it. So forgiveness breaks down the entire world of meritocracy and the notion of deservedness. Our logic of quid pro quo is useless in the realm of the Spirit. Instead, if we are open to it, we will be led into the realm of mercy and grace--the unique world of God. __from Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr__

shalom, matt

The Powerlessness of God

For me, the utter powerlessness of God is that God forgives. I hold myself in a position of power by not forgiving myself or others. God does not hold on to that position of power. God seems to be ready to surrender divine power. God forgives the world for being broken and poor. God forgives us for not being all that we thought we had to be and even for what God wanted us to be. That is probably why we fall in love with such a God. Why wouldn't you? You would be a fool not to--and you will be a "holy fool" if you do. __from Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr__

You should go and buy this book immediately and read it.

shalom, matt

Silence

Silence is golden, or so I've heard. My silence is due to a crappy computer giving me fits, work, not having much time to write recently, and the fact that I'm training for the Iditarod in Alaska. Okay, so one of those reasons isn't true, but the other ones are.

I'm working on something right now and will have it posted as soon as I can.

shalom, matt

The Trouble With Evangelism (part 4)

Let’s dispense with the formalities and dive right into the question at hand, shall we?

What if someone receives a Christian, that is embraces that person’s community relationally, has that someone received Jesus?


Big question, ain’t it? Lot’s of implications, right? Steps on a lot of doctrinal toes, crushing them into a meaty pulp, doesn’t it? Please understand that I’m not trying to establish in this, or any article I write, a doctrinal absolutes. Most doctrinal “absolutes” make me queasy, like I’ve just discovered a pile of someone else’s chest hair in my burger at Steak-n-Shake after taking several bites already (have fun with that image, by the way). Most doctrinal absolutes are not absolutes at all, but simply someone’s misinterpretation of random Bible passages that were not written with the idea of establishing doctrines by which churches and denominations can control people’s thinking and questioning and further fragment the body of Christ.

But I digress… (I’ll be working on that argument for another article…or maybe I already have…)

My intent here, before I veered wildly off course, is to ask questions that have been on my mind and share them with you. Let’s begin this discussion with a couple of scriptures.

We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving and receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing. __Matthew 10:40-42 (the Message)__

And this is real and eternal life: that they may know you, the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. __John 17:3 (the Message)__


And just so you know that I’m not trying to manipulate the Scriptures by using a linguistically “loose” translation like the Message I’ll include a more accurate, direct translation.

He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward. __Matthew 10:40-42 (NASB)__

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. __John 17:3 (NASB)__


So, let me get this straight: Jesus sends out his disciples into towns all over Galilee and tells them that when people accept them and receive them they are receiving Him AND receiving God, who sent him. So people all over Galilee are accepting Jesus’ emissaries, his direct representatives of himself, and, in accepting them they are accepting Jesus and God at the same time.

Talk about blowing apart most evangelistic programs and totally turning the whole idea of accepting Jesus (a phrase never found in Scripture to my knowledge) on its head.

In Acts 2, during Pentecost, the disciples receive the awaited gift of the Holy Spirit, literally, the risen Jesus takes up residence inside each one of them. This is traditionally the beginning of the Christian community, the ekklesia. Now, if in receiving the disciples people received Jesus, how much more true would it be for us as Spirit-filled Christians that when people receive us that they are receiving Jesus? How huge are the implications for this? If this is true it completely transforms what our communities should be, how we should live with and for each other as a legitimate conduit of reception. This is why it is so important for us to be authentic human beings, because when people respond by wanting to be part of this “new humanity” (Ephesians 2:15, TNIV) they are receiving Jesus—the supreme authentic Human, who now lives in us. After all aren’t we made in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:27, TNIV) and “clothed in Christ” (Galatians 3:27, TNIV)? The Church according to Scripture is now “the letter of Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:3, TNIV) not written on tablets of stone or paper with ink, but with the Spirit on human lives. Jesus is written all over us. We’ve talked about the importance of love in reference to evangelism in previous articles. What we do, how we receive people, accept them as one of us without restraint and with massive doses of grace, forgiveness, and patient love, serve as the pipeline through which people see the real Jesus, the one of the Scriptures that loves them and serves them through the willing disciple. Too often our evangelism and subsequent “accept Jesus” rhetoric has reduced receiving the extraordinary, mysterious, resurrecting and redeeming life of Jesus to a few propositional doctrinal statements. How many times have you heard this, or, in my case, said this?

Repeat after me: I believe (I believe) that Jesus is the Christ (that Jesus is the Christ) the Son of the living God (etc.) and I accept him as my Lord and Savior (etc.).

Not that these words of affirmation aren’t important, but does that really make you a Christian? If it does then why doesn’t any of that appear in the Bible? Why don’t we have record of Peter taking 3000 confessions at Pentecost and then baptizing everyone? This is not to make light of doctrine or deem it unnecessary. Clear cut verbalization of what we believe has its place and has for centuries in the church (see every creed of the church, particularly the Apostle’s Creed). Isn’t evangelism relational and communal? Shouldn’t it be if it isn’t already? Faith in Christ, life lived with Christ, is more than just a bunch of random crap (and by crap I mean over-emphasized doctrines that are forced on us and we aren’t ever supposed to question) that we are supposed to intellectual and verbally ascent to. It has to be or it isn’t life-giving; it is soul-crushing legalism and law.

If we are, in fact, as I believe we are, and I believe Scripture says we are, the Word made flesh again in our neighborhoods then in receiving us and our faith communities people are receiving the Word in us. I can’t get away from this very possible reality. This makes our evangelism entirely relational, loving people for the sake of loving them, knowing that when they accept us and our communities and desire to be a part of that they are, in some mystical way, accepting the One who has sent us out into “all Galilee.”

shalom, matt


Next time: why church is the last place you should invite someone. Stay tuned.

Bubby's Blog

Okay, so my brother writes some worthwhile stuff on his blog, and, occasionally, puts photos of my ridiculously cute nephew on, too. If you want to read some worthwhile stuff from someone who vaguely knows what he's talking about and is still a legitimate, all be it, second-rate, minister, check out his stuff at Kethuvim.

I normally wouldn't advertise for him, because, frankly, he's a poopy-head (Oh, yeah, I went there!), but his stuff is worth your time and consideration.

shalom, matt

Ahhhh...Yes....

I'm shamelessly ripping off my brother here. He posted a link to a good article and I'm linking to it here. It's a tad long, but worth the read, especially toward the bottom of the article.

shalom, matt

God in the Factory

I came to the realization of something this week, something extraordinary for me, something I've not experienced in years: I'm actually content with my life right now. I know, I know: stop the presses, right? Can I be honest with you? I can't remember the last time I was content with my life. The last year has been one long, seemingly unending nightmare of criticism, lies and vilification, with a dash of not making enough money to pay the bills, and a sprinkle of not having a clue what God was up to. I still don't know what God is up to, but I'm content with that. I like my job. I'm starting to pray more and worry less about the outcome of my prayers. I'm starting to focus less on myself and more on the people around me: family, friends and coworkers. Here is the greatest part of the whole contentment thing: I have an increasing awareness of God's presence all around me, especially in the factory. While I'm sure that God isn't unionized and working the line or anything, He is present nonetheless. It's obvious. I can't just right it off. I'm content with my line job, something I never would have pictured myself doing or being okay with. I actually don't mind going to work, even at 6 in the morning. I find myself praying at work, listening to God, meditating on Scripture, running random God-thoughts through my head. I find that worship songs are constantly running through my head. God is blessing the work of my hands. After only two weeks, the supervisors are talking about making me a team leader. This is all good. But the deciding factor in my awareness of God all around me is this constant feeling that there is an "Other" surrounding me, subtly, but truly present nonetheless. It's this "Otherness" that I can't explain, but that is simply too real to ignore and write off as emotion. Vocabulary fails when trying to explain it; I simply just experience it and trust that you know what I'm talking about. It's as if I'm contained within Something, like the feeling of being gently wrapped in a warm blanket. It is the reality of the passage in Acts that says, "In him we live and move and have our being." It's what Brother Lawrence called "practicing the presence of God." It is me living in the present moment, not looking ahead or behind, just simply taking in each moment as something holy and good and right, knowing that God has me exactly where he wants me. I don't have to force anything, push to understand Him or pull away in an attempt to go it alone. I just simply have to be in the moment. God tells Moses in Exodus to "Come up on the mountain and be here." Basically, "don't come up here, Moses, and immediately start thinking about how you're going to get back down, what the people are doing down below, or anything else for that matter. You come up here and be present in this one moment with me. I want all of you, every part of you, right here, right now."

And all of this is happening in a factory, working twelve hour shifts, and doing demanding, physical labor. I didn't experience this kind of Presence while working in a church (go figure). I've not experienced anything like this perhaps ever before in my life.

And I am happy.

May you find contentment in the present moments of your life.

shalom, matt

The Trouble With Evangelism (Part 3)

Okay, so now that we've stopped selling Jesus and have begun to love our own spiritual flesh and blood family, what do we do? What's the program, the formula, the recipe for bringing others into the glorious fold over yonder in Beulahland? First off, what does Beulahland mean and who came up with it? Does it sound like a land full of blue-haired, overweight women crocheting lace doilies and sipping Lipton Iced Tea, or is it just me? Secondly, stop looking for formulas. We are dealing with human beings, not cyborgs with automated responses. We are dealing with human beings with broken hearts, broken lives, broken relationships, broken families, real and definable problems with not-so-simple solutions. To gloss over the grief and heartache, the flesh and blood reality of their lives is to do a great injustice to their God-breathed humanity.

So, we agree then? No more formulas, right? Good. Let us away with ourselves to higher plains of conscience thought...or something less pretentious anyway.

I know when I talk about loving others as the key to evangelism, nay, to everything we do as Christians, people who have grown up with formulas tend to get glassy-eyed and start nodding off; or they get out the pitch-forks and torches and storm the castle keep chanting, "New Age hippy! New Age hippy!" Either response is what scientists would "bad." But if we read the gospel narratives carefully, picking over them with a fine tooth comb, we will find a God who, defining himself as love, incarnates himself into human flesh simply because he "so loved the world" (John 3:16). And it is this same love that compels Him to offer his own self as a once-for-all-forever sin atonement sacrifice. And it is this same love that drives the grace-for-nothing forgiveness that he foolishly and extravagantly endows to every breathing human being. And it is this same love that Jesus says we are to have for God--and for every human being on earth.

"You are to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your strength."

"You are to love your neighbor as yourself."

Told you so.

See why I said evangelism begins and ends with love? It's not a New Age thing. It's not 1960s free love residue clinging to my underarm hair (I wasn't even born in the '60s!). It's the way of Jesus: love. It's love that drove his mission; love that drove him to the cross; love that moved him to have compassion on the sick and insane, the criminal and creepy, the murderous and pathetic, the hungry and homeless, the least, last, lost and lonely.

This love is not a general sympathetic feeling for humans in general, like when you watch T.V. and see all of those starving African children with flies buzzing around their eyes and mouths, and you say to no one in particular, "Someone should help those kids; it's so sad," but you then change the channel over to TNT to watch old re-runs of "Everybody Loves Raymond," muttering to yourself how Oprah will get around to it eventually...or Bono...or BrAngalina. This love is specific and intentional, rooted and founded in relationship; it is dirty and involved, simultaneously painful and joyful, exhilarating and exhausting, so simply you smack your head and say, "Duh!" and yet so difficult that you could curl up in a corner and suck your thumb in frustration. This love is drenched in blood and guts and tears and mystery. It is infectious and transforming and I dare anyone to walk away unchanged by it, whether lover or beloved.


This is why formulas are so dangerous: they can be done without love, without relationship--and without effect.

"Yes? I see there is a question way up in the Mezzanine section. Go ahead...Yeah...Can you speak up, please?...You want to know about the Great Commission. You say it's a formula for making disciples. Okay, let me address that very simply and then expound upon it verbosely: not it isn't! It is not a freaking formula, thank you very much!"

My brother did some studying up on the Great Commission and discovered that the Greek word we translate as "go" can also be translated "as you are going." Stop and think about the implications for that difference in translation. We always read the Great Commission in such a way as to make it seem like a separate part of our life, like another compartment we open up at the correct time, such as during a mission trip or a VBS. We sequester it off from our real life, where it will make the occasional intrusion into our conscience in the form of guilt (usually) at having never "made a disciple." This is why we program evangelism, because it is not a realistic extension of who we are as Christians. It is something we do (a program), instead of something we live (a relationship).

"As you are going..." As you are eating, working, playing; as you're walking the halls of school or commerce; as you are driving or riding to work or school with someone, your family, a friend; as you talk and listen, love and serve, laugh and mourn--make disciples. Evangelism has to be a natural extension of the loving relationship we share with God, on down to our relationships with humanity. We can't put ourselves into a mode of evangelism, as if flicking a switch or engaging your 4x4 system on your Jeep. You can't go into evangelism mode. You can't jump into a phone booth and all of a sudden become "Evangiman," able to convert tall people with a single word. If it isn't part of who you are then it will be uncomfortable for you and awkward for whatever fish is (unluckily) caught in your evangelism net.

Here is a cuckoo thought: what if we actually trusted the Spirit to transform people's lives? What if we showed-then-told people what discipleship under Jesus is really like, honestly and completely? There is a distinct lack of trust among Christians when it comes to allowing the Spirit to work in HIS time. He doesn't work fast enough. He allows people the freedom to make mistakes. He allows people to be...well...people, individuals with a distinct and often dirty humanity. We don't like that. We want to create people in our image, who look and act like us. We don't want them to do un-Christian things (even though we did...and still do). We don't allow them the process of discipleship that we were allowed (and are still in the midst of). Esther de Waal in her commentary on The Rule of St. Benedict says this:

...the only person who has rights over the inner life of another person is God Himself...growth is not something which can be manipulated by human rules or ideologies; maturity cannot be mass produced. __From Seeking God: the Way of St. Benedict

We, generally, will wrest "control of the yolk from the Pilot and send the whole mess into the sea" (with apologies here to The Shins). We weary them with dogmatic declarations and legalistic rules and soul killing morality that strips them of their freedom in Christ and turns them into one more Spirit-starved pew sitter who looks just like us.

My friends, this cannot be.

Leave people in the hands of God. "As you are going" love people, serve people, rejoice and mourn with them, share your life with them, let God do His work, and, who knows, the kingdom may just grow by one.

shalom, matt