Today I got my haircut by a hefty gentleman who had a thick beard, nose wring, and two full sleeves of tattoos on each arm. My initial thought was "This is the most bad ass, gay guy I have ever seen." I think I've been in Hollywood too long (already) because I just assumed that any man who cuts hair for a living in an upscale salon does so because he fits in well with the overwhelming amount of estrogen pumping through the veins of just such an establishment. I soon came to find out that this man had his AA in Theological Studies and was recently married, to a woman. He also plays bass guitar for the Nazarene Church that he attends. The only reason he cuts hair is because his best friend's parents owned a salon when he was growing up and he took a job there as a receptionist for extra cash as a kid but was eventually trained to be a hair stylist. Now he cuts hair to support himself while he plays guitar for a (Christian) punk band. Who woulda thought? Not me, that's for sure. But I'm learning everyday.
Me and Sean quickly hit it off as I told him what I was doing for work and how I wanted to implement my passion for the entertainment industry alongside my love and/or calling to ministry. To look at us, one clean cut, all-american, 150lb, boyish looking man and the other a 220lb, tattooed, pierced, hardcore member of a rock band, you would think that we would have nothing in common. However, our ministries and life experiences could not have been more similar. He uses his music to break into a scene where most people use their instruments and voices to rage against "established entities" such as religion or God in general. I use my looks (not at all trying to brag with that statement, I look like I'm 16) to get on sets where people have run to from all over the world to find hope, love, and acceptance in what they see as the all-powerful, healing affect of fame and fortune. We work in broken worlds where people come to use and be used themselves. We work among the wolves.
As I was trudging through Matthew I found a verse that I have come to embrace with all my heart. It's Matthew 10:16 and it says, “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.” There's a balance in that statement that is so profound that only someone like Jesus could have said it. I think too many Christians walk through this life acting far too naive to ever do anything truly meaningful for the Kingdom of God. We are to be cunning, astute, perceptive, insightful, and wise as we march down the path God has laid before us. I am convinced that we are far too concerned with being harmless than being shrewd. We must be shrewd for most of today's wolves come dressed in sheep's clothing...
But I digress. My original point was to comment on how lovely it is that Jesus has always been about being the odd-man-out. He's the only righteous one at a table of sinners, He's the only working class guy among the high-class, religious leaders, He's the only Jew talking to a group of Samaritan lepers, He's the only man talking with woman in public, He's the only grown man playing with children in the streets, and He calls us to live in exactly this way. I'm beginning to feel that if we are not finding ourselves in situations where we are one of the only good people doing something positive for Christ in a place surrounded by those who are nothing like us, than we are not doing our jobs as Christians called to minister to every dark crevasse and corner of this earth. In other words, if you don't spot some wolves from time to time than you never really left the pasture and you are certainly not ending up with the rest of the heard alongside the Shepard at the end of the day.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Judge Me Not
Yesterday I was lucky enough to stumble upon a fellow APU grad on set at Suburgatory. I had seen her around several times before but never talked to her and we got into a conversation I would not have expected to get into with a fellow Christian. It felt very much like talking to a non-believer based on the way she approached spirituality as such a subjective, experiential, individualistic way a deriving one's own beliefs about God and truth in this world. We got into a complex conversation about "good and bad" and whether or not Christians are to make judgements in this world about anything. She majored in Psychology and is getting her masters in Spiritual Psychology but it shocked me how little she knew about theology or scripture. She found me on facebook and sent me a lengthy follow up message to our conversation saying basically that we can't judge people's actions because their actions are so unique to the person experiencing the situation. Here was my response:
I know that when anyone enters APU they walk into a world of scrutiny. A lot of times it hurts to feel like people are constantly expressing disapproval for the way you live life, or for what you believe. Too often, people start to define this inappropriate behavior as "judgement". People go on rants and tirades about how we should have no negative opinions of their actions and scream "don't judge me!" as they walk unknowingly down harmful paths of sin.
First off, I believe that we are called to judge. Most importantly we are called to have GOOD judgement. Jesus says in John 7:24 "Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly". We should judge situations, people's actions and most of all our OWN actions. Judgement in and of itself is not bad. Judgement is what happens after we have analyzed a situation and used discernment to come up with a Godly, Biblical opinion of a situation. IF someone does something we approve of and we say "Good job!" or "Well done good and faithful servant" we are making a Judgement. But, no one ever complains if we make a judgement that ends in a positive opinion of them.
2 Chronicles 19:7 says 7 "Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.” Clearly there are bad things in this world that should be judged accordingly.
The type of judgement that God condemns is when we judge people's salvation. Matthew 7:1 is the famous "Judge not lest you be judged" that people usually quote to advocate against having any negative opinions about other people's actions. But this verse is in the context of damnation. In Luke 6:37 we see this same verse but with more context. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven."
Jesus hung out with the people who received the harshest judgements in society i.e. prostitutes, tax collectors, adulterers but he never judged them, in the wrong way that is. John 12:47 says "I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it". Yet we see Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul constantly judging religious leaders and calling them out for being "hypocrites" and calling them "broods of vipers".
We can judge people's actions but not their salvation, and if we do deem their actions as inappropriate than we must still continue to love and forgive them as brothers and sisters in Christ. IF we start condemning people to Hell than we are overstepping our bounds and will receive divine punishment. Ok, that said we should not be spending so much time judging people's actions as we do. It goes back to the whole taking the plank out of our own eye before we complain about the speck in our friend's eye (Matthew 7:3-5). We are called to love people first and foremost (Mark 12:28) and we forget that far too often. Christians should be the least judgmental people with the best judgement. It's a tough paradox to master but that's where I fall in this topic. I hope this helps clarify my position!
I know that when anyone enters APU they walk into a world of scrutiny. A lot of times it hurts to feel like people are constantly expressing disapproval for the way you live life, or for what you believe. Too often, people start to define this inappropriate behavior as "judgement". People go on rants and tirades about how we should have no negative opinions of their actions and scream "don't judge me!" as they walk unknowingly down harmful paths of sin.
First off, I believe that we are called to judge. Most importantly we are called to have GOOD judgement. Jesus says in John 7:24 "Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly". We should judge situations, people's actions and most of all our OWN actions. Judgement in and of itself is not bad. Judgement is what happens after we have analyzed a situation and used discernment to come up with a Godly, Biblical opinion of a situation. IF someone does something we approve of and we say "Good job!" or "Well done good and faithful servant" we are making a Judgement. But, no one ever complains if we make a judgement that ends in a positive opinion of them.
2 Chronicles 19:7 says 7 "Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.” Clearly there are bad things in this world that should be judged accordingly.
The type of judgement that God condemns is when we judge people's salvation. Matthew 7:1 is the famous "Judge not lest you be judged" that people usually quote to advocate against having any negative opinions about other people's actions. But this verse is in the context of damnation. In Luke 6:37 we see this same verse but with more context. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven."
Jesus hung out with the people who received the harshest judgements in society i.e. prostitutes, tax collectors, adulterers but he never judged them, in the wrong way that is. John 12:47 says "I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it". Yet we see Jesus, John the Baptist, and Paul constantly judging religious leaders and calling them out for being "hypocrites" and calling them "broods of vipers".
We can judge people's actions but not their salvation, and if we do deem their actions as inappropriate than we must still continue to love and forgive them as brothers and sisters in Christ. IF we start condemning people to Hell than we are overstepping our bounds and will receive divine punishment. Ok, that said we should not be spending so much time judging people's actions as we do. It goes back to the whole taking the plank out of our own eye before we complain about the speck in our friend's eye (Matthew 7:3-5). We are called to love people first and foremost (Mark 12:28) and we forget that far too often. Christians should be the least judgmental people with the best judgement. It's a tough paradox to master but that's where I fall in this topic. I hope this helps clarify my position!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mornings With Martha
Some days you wake up and it's like God had an issue waiting for you to deal with as soon as you stepped out of bed. I feel like it normally happens right after you have a great day, this way it comes as a complete surprise. This morning felt like just such an occasion.
It seems like God constantly brings people into my life who have surrounded themselves with "friends" who will never speak into their lives in any meaningful way, nor will they speak out against any serious problems they see in the lives of their "friends". However, I seem to constantly be the one friend who will.
Many people get to a point where they give up trying to deal with those whom they constantly butt heads. It's all too common to hear people say, as they toss their arms up in defeat, "What's the point? They're never gunna change!" I think I've known for quite some time that I will never be able to accept that argument with anyone, no matter how big of a pain in the ass they are. I don't have it in me to allow people in my life to continually wreck themselves and ignore glaring problems in their lives. I don't have it in me to ignore people. But this process of confrontation is so tough to do and it can all too often end in loosing a friendship. I've always had the hope that maybe just a few words will break through from God, just enough to illicit some sort of positive change...This brings me to the topic at hand.
Martha has always bugged me. We read about her in Luke 10:38-42 and she bugs me. I'm pretty sure she bugged Jesus too so I don't feel bad about the fact that she bugs me. Just so it's clear, Martha really bugs me. Ok, now that I've clarified the situation I have to say that God has placed plenty of Marthas in my life at one point or another. They usually become my friend because at first we can relate to one anther's drive, passion for moral/ethical living, and work ethic. However, what we never relate on is how to just live life sometimes.
Martha always has to be doing something and I just want to tell her to shut up, sit down and relax. I just want her to believe already, to feel even an ounce of trust in the Lord. She worries about grades, finances, work, etc. and thinks there is always some book or instruction manual she can study in order to become perfect and in need of nothing when in fact mistakes and trials are the only things that can ever shape you in such a profoundly positive way! Martha worries, a lot. She stresses out so much that it makes me nervous just to be around her sometimes. What is truly tragic about Martha is that she has never lets anyone get close enough to her to speak into her life and show her the error of her ways. Even when Jesus shows up she ignores Him to finish baking a cake for some event instead.
So my pickle today is how do I reach Martha? Of all the Marthas I've known I have never witnessed a transformation into a Mary. They usually just get married and pass on their problems to the next generation of "marthitas" as I'll call them. I guess I don't have much else to say about this one. I know I usually have some hope based on a reflection or epiphany I had but this one kind of ends in thoughtful deliberation and lots of prayer.
It seems like God constantly brings people into my life who have surrounded themselves with "friends" who will never speak into their lives in any meaningful way, nor will they speak out against any serious problems they see in the lives of their "friends". However, I seem to constantly be the one friend who will.
Many people get to a point where they give up trying to deal with those whom they constantly butt heads. It's all too common to hear people say, as they toss their arms up in defeat, "What's the point? They're never gunna change!" I think I've known for quite some time that I will never be able to accept that argument with anyone, no matter how big of a pain in the ass they are. I don't have it in me to allow people in my life to continually wreck themselves and ignore glaring problems in their lives. I don't have it in me to ignore people. But this process of confrontation is so tough to do and it can all too often end in loosing a friendship. I've always had the hope that maybe just a few words will break through from God, just enough to illicit some sort of positive change...This brings me to the topic at hand.
Martha has always bugged me. We read about her in Luke 10:38-42 and she bugs me. I'm pretty sure she bugged Jesus too so I don't feel bad about the fact that she bugs me. Just so it's clear, Martha really bugs me. Ok, now that I've clarified the situation I have to say that God has placed plenty of Marthas in my life at one point or another. They usually become my friend because at first we can relate to one anther's drive, passion for moral/ethical living, and work ethic. However, what we never relate on is how to just live life sometimes.
Martha always has to be doing something and I just want to tell her to shut up, sit down and relax. I just want her to believe already, to feel even an ounce of trust in the Lord. She worries about grades, finances, work, etc. and thinks there is always some book or instruction manual she can study in order to become perfect and in need of nothing when in fact mistakes and trials are the only things that can ever shape you in such a profoundly positive way! Martha worries, a lot. She stresses out so much that it makes me nervous just to be around her sometimes. What is truly tragic about Martha is that she has never lets anyone get close enough to her to speak into her life and show her the error of her ways. Even when Jesus shows up she ignores Him to finish baking a cake for some event instead.
So my pickle today is how do I reach Martha? Of all the Marthas I've known I have never witnessed a transformation into a Mary. They usually just get married and pass on their problems to the next generation of "marthitas" as I'll call them. I guess I don't have much else to say about this one. I know I usually have some hope based on a reflection or epiphany I had but this one kind of ends in thoughtful deliberation and lots of prayer.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Just GO
A wise man once told me that 2/3 of God's name is GO. Another wise man then told me "Well, in English it is." Anyway, the phrase has always stuck with me but mostly in terms of doing overseas mission work in the 10/40 and the many "unreached people groups" that reside there. Now I look at this phrase as a means for doing life in general.
I recently went to a retreat with APU's School of Practical Theology. It was for all the Christian Ministry and Youth Ministry majors as well as alumni and faculty. It was a great chance to recharge my ministry battery by being able to fellowship with both the younger and older generations of ministry professionals. During the two day retreat I had multiple opportunities to share my story about where God has brought me these past few months with my passion for ministry and my heart for shaping culture, media and Hollywood especially. The typical response I got was "Wow, that's so cool that you are doing that!" I know that Hollywood is cool, tv is great, and movies are awesome but is it really that cool what I'm doing?
I believe what I am doing should be the standard (meaning lowest possible mark) for ministry professionals. If you want to do ministry you better damn well have a passion for it because, as one of the professors on the retreat stated, "ministry is the front lines." All I am doing is blending my calling with my passions, interests, and skills. I feel like that is basic. Those are the foundational ingredients for creating an effective ministry. I don't have outlines, lesson plans, programs, or any staff yet but I am doing ministry and I am doing it somewhere that is in dire need of divine intervention; of salvation and healing. Sadly, I feel so drawn to Hollywood because I don't see any other Christians flocking there as they should, but that's another issue I'm sure I'll address another day.
Why don't we follow our passions? Usually because they lead down a road with too many unknowns, or at least that's what I have found. I have no idea where I will be in a week and I wouldn't have it any other way. Only God knows, He's the only one who needs to know.
We get so used to planning our lives and if something goes wrong in our plans it becomes a problem instead of a blessing because we don't see it as God course-correcting for us but instead the world interferring with what we projected onto God as "His Plan" for our lives. What all this critique adds up to is that I see far too many people hindering their own futures because they are too afraid to mix their passions with their careers because it seems less "practical" and is much harder to discern. Most importantly, I see ministry professionals compromising their ministries because they do not believe God could call them outside of traditional Church roles or preexisting non-profit organizations. We are so afraid to invent or venture outside the norms of custom/culture and create something as unique as ourselves. There are a myriad of verses I could use to support these arguments but I'll just use one. I'll just use the one that has inspired me the most.
Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps."
How comforting is that?! We can, we are allowed to, we get to plan a course for ourselves. A course that can be as complex and incomparable as our very own fingerprints. Yet, God is there at every "step" to ensure that His will be done and all things work together for His glory to be reflected upon the entire earth. All we have to do is go. Just go. Pick a path, any path. We start constructing the course of our destiny and then get to be the humble witnesses of God's glorious guidance in our lives as we watch the changes, difficulties and growth that God catalyzes in our lives. That is, if we ever get off the starting line.
This weekend I heard too many of the same stories from future ministers who were paralyzed by fear. I know we plan everything years in advance while we are in school until we are 21 or older, but then real life starts and all that planning goes out the window. Still, I wish we would have built up more confidence in the time we spent inside the world of texts and tests. The one draw back about being in school for so long is that we never fully learn to trust God with the future, unless we are privy to some tougher lessons that take place outside the classroom.
The point of school becomes learning how to control your own future by being prepared, educated and entirely self-sustaining. It seems extremely obvious, to me at least, that ministry is never about having all the answers nor being completely prepared. The only thing you can be prepared for is that you are most likely unprepared to handle the things God will bring your way initially. That is why we have to learn to lean on God and just be willing to walk into the darkness in the direction that seems most appropriate to us at the time. That is why I don't believe what I am doing is special, cool, etc. It should be the standard, and the lowest possible one at that. God expects no less from us than complete obedience and trust. He also expects that we utilize our God-given talents and seek out our innate passions in order to lead us into the most effective ministries possible.
Time to GO? I think so.
I recently went to a retreat with APU's School of Practical Theology. It was for all the Christian Ministry and Youth Ministry majors as well as alumni and faculty. It was a great chance to recharge my ministry battery by being able to fellowship with both the younger and older generations of ministry professionals. During the two day retreat I had multiple opportunities to share my story about where God has brought me these past few months with my passion for ministry and my heart for shaping culture, media and Hollywood especially. The typical response I got was "Wow, that's so cool that you are doing that!" I know that Hollywood is cool, tv is great, and movies are awesome but is it really that cool what I'm doing?
I believe what I am doing should be the standard (meaning lowest possible mark) for ministry professionals. If you want to do ministry you better damn well have a passion for it because, as one of the professors on the retreat stated, "ministry is the front lines." All I am doing is blending my calling with my passions, interests, and skills. I feel like that is basic. Those are the foundational ingredients for creating an effective ministry. I don't have outlines, lesson plans, programs, or any staff yet but I am doing ministry and I am doing it somewhere that is in dire need of divine intervention; of salvation and healing. Sadly, I feel so drawn to Hollywood because I don't see any other Christians flocking there as they should, but that's another issue I'm sure I'll address another day.
Why don't we follow our passions? Usually because they lead down a road with too many unknowns, or at least that's what I have found. I have no idea where I will be in a week and I wouldn't have it any other way. Only God knows, He's the only one who needs to know.
We get so used to planning our lives and if something goes wrong in our plans it becomes a problem instead of a blessing because we don't see it as God course-correcting for us but instead the world interferring with what we projected onto God as "His Plan" for our lives. What all this critique adds up to is that I see far too many people hindering their own futures because they are too afraid to mix their passions with their careers because it seems less "practical" and is much harder to discern. Most importantly, I see ministry professionals compromising their ministries because they do not believe God could call them outside of traditional Church roles or preexisting non-profit organizations. We are so afraid to invent or venture outside the norms of custom/culture and create something as unique as ourselves. There are a myriad of verses I could use to support these arguments but I'll just use one. I'll just use the one that has inspired me the most.
Proverbs 16:9 "In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps."
How comforting is that?! We can, we are allowed to, we get to plan a course for ourselves. A course that can be as complex and incomparable as our very own fingerprints. Yet, God is there at every "step" to ensure that His will be done and all things work together for His glory to be reflected upon the entire earth. All we have to do is go. Just go. Pick a path, any path. We start constructing the course of our destiny and then get to be the humble witnesses of God's glorious guidance in our lives as we watch the changes, difficulties and growth that God catalyzes in our lives. That is, if we ever get off the starting line.
This weekend I heard too many of the same stories from future ministers who were paralyzed by fear. I know we plan everything years in advance while we are in school until we are 21 or older, but then real life starts and all that planning goes out the window. Still, I wish we would have built up more confidence in the time we spent inside the world of texts and tests. The one draw back about being in school for so long is that we never fully learn to trust God with the future, unless we are privy to some tougher lessons that take place outside the classroom.
The point of school becomes learning how to control your own future by being prepared, educated and entirely self-sustaining. It seems extremely obvious, to me at least, that ministry is never about having all the answers nor being completely prepared. The only thing you can be prepared for is that you are most likely unprepared to handle the things God will bring your way initially. That is why we have to learn to lean on God and just be willing to walk into the darkness in the direction that seems most appropriate to us at the time. That is why I don't believe what I am doing is special, cool, etc. It should be the standard, and the lowest possible one at that. God expects no less from us than complete obedience and trust. He also expects that we utilize our God-given talents and seek out our innate passions in order to lead us into the most effective ministries possible.
Time to GO? I think so.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Better The Devil You Know...
We are creatures of habit. Good ones, bad ones, useless ones. In this case I'll mostly be talking about the bad ones. Usually we don't understand that something has become a bad habit, aka demon, until a situation occurs that shakes up our little worlds. A good friend once told me, you can't change by being told about your flaws, you have to be shown. As I've been reading through Mark this past week I've realized that Jesus works in that very manner.
I didn't quite understand Mark 3:12 the first time I read it. In the verses prior to it, Jesus has been casting out evil spirits who shriek in pain as they realize that He is the Son of God. In verse 12 Jesus commands these evil spirits not to tell anyone who He is. It is written "Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who He was." For some reason I could not wrap my head around the fact that Jesus did not want everyone possible proclaiming who He was, until I studied the story about the demon-possessed man in Mark 5.
When I started to read this passage today I thought that it was the perfect kind of scary, ghost story fitting of the Halloween season we are in. It tells of a man who was possessed by so many demons that he grew more and more twisted until he began to stalk through the cemetery every night howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. Some of the towns people became so terrified of him that they tried binding him in shackles and chains. However, the man was so strong with evil powers that he would snap the chains from his wrists and smash the shackles on his body. This man was quite a beast but still no match for the JC.
Jesus confronts this man head on and the demons, collectively called Legion, "begged Him again and again not to send them to some distant place." (v. 10). So in a move that would piss off PETA in a big way, Jesus casts the demons into 2,000 little piggies and sends them all the way home to the bottom of a lake. Now, anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows that big news spreads fast. Even trivial news spreads like wild fire in a rural town such as this, so one can imagine that word of Jesus' actions would get around quickly. The surprising part of the story is not that everyone finds out but how they react once they do find out.
Verse 17 depicts the crowd begging Jesus to "go away and leave them alone." Why would they do this? After all they knew about the struggles the demon-possessed man faced for so long and how he terrorized their town, how would seeing him healed and sane not drive them to worship Christ? It's really quite simple. People have been the same since the beginning of time, and we have always preferred the devil we know to the angel we don't. Those townsfolk we terrified of the demon-possessed man yet they grew to be comfortable with that terror. They knew that evil and thought it wasn't that bad after all. Jesus challenged them to flip their world upside down and recreate their understanding of what God was doing in the world as well as what He was calling them to do.
The demon-possessed man fell on the exact opposite end of this spectrum. Verse 18 shows the man begging to go with Jesus as He left town. Why was his reaction so different? Because he experienced the evil first-hand and the change that followed. The man was shown his flaws while the towns people were merely told about theirs. When he experienced the renewed life Jesus offered him he knew that there was no going back. The townsfolk merely saw that Jesus disturbed the life they had come to know and accept. Loosing that life was not worth gaining the true life that Christ offered them.
I wonder how often we do this in life. Obviously most of the time it wont be such an overt experience that threatens the demons in our lives but it's still noticeable every time we choose to move away from God in support of our own selfish motives. Jesus is constantly trying to show us the error of our ways but too often we have to become raving lunatics wondering around grave yards at night first before we let Him change us. Ok, that's an exaggeration I know, but we still need to be vigilant about ridding ourselves of the devils we know when there are plenty of angels out there waiting for us.
I didn't quite understand Mark 3:12 the first time I read it. In the verses prior to it, Jesus has been casting out evil spirits who shriek in pain as they realize that He is the Son of God. In verse 12 Jesus commands these evil spirits not to tell anyone who He is. It is written "Jesus sternly commanded the spirits not to reveal who He was." For some reason I could not wrap my head around the fact that Jesus did not want everyone possible proclaiming who He was, until I studied the story about the demon-possessed man in Mark 5.
When I started to read this passage today I thought that it was the perfect kind of scary, ghost story fitting of the Halloween season we are in. It tells of a man who was possessed by so many demons that he grew more and more twisted until he began to stalk through the cemetery every night howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. Some of the towns people became so terrified of him that they tried binding him in shackles and chains. However, the man was so strong with evil powers that he would snap the chains from his wrists and smash the shackles on his body. This man was quite a beast but still no match for the JC.
Jesus confronts this man head on and the demons, collectively called Legion, "begged Him again and again not to send them to some distant place." (v. 10). So in a move that would piss off PETA in a big way, Jesus casts the demons into 2,000 little piggies and sends them all the way home to the bottom of a lake. Now, anyone who has ever lived in a small town knows that big news spreads fast. Even trivial news spreads like wild fire in a rural town such as this, so one can imagine that word of Jesus' actions would get around quickly. The surprising part of the story is not that everyone finds out but how they react once they do find out.
Verse 17 depicts the crowd begging Jesus to "go away and leave them alone." Why would they do this? After all they knew about the struggles the demon-possessed man faced for so long and how he terrorized their town, how would seeing him healed and sane not drive them to worship Christ? It's really quite simple. People have been the same since the beginning of time, and we have always preferred the devil we know to the angel we don't. Those townsfolk we terrified of the demon-possessed man yet they grew to be comfortable with that terror. They knew that evil and thought it wasn't that bad after all. Jesus challenged them to flip their world upside down and recreate their understanding of what God was doing in the world as well as what He was calling them to do.
The demon-possessed man fell on the exact opposite end of this spectrum. Verse 18 shows the man begging to go with Jesus as He left town. Why was his reaction so different? Because he experienced the evil first-hand and the change that followed. The man was shown his flaws while the towns people were merely told about theirs. When he experienced the renewed life Jesus offered him he knew that there was no going back. The townsfolk merely saw that Jesus disturbed the life they had come to know and accept. Loosing that life was not worth gaining the true life that Christ offered them.
I wonder how often we do this in life. Obviously most of the time it wont be such an overt experience that threatens the demons in our lives but it's still noticeable every time we choose to move away from God in support of our own selfish motives. Jesus is constantly trying to show us the error of our ways but too often we have to become raving lunatics wondering around grave yards at night first before we let Him change us. Ok, that's an exaggeration I know, but we still need to be vigilant about ridding ourselves of the devils we know when there are plenty of angels out there waiting for us.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Beyond Esteem
Our society often deals with the issue of personal contentment within the realm of self-esteem. How good we feel about ourselves usually has to do with how much we allow the opinions of others affect us. In my opinion, we can never have the proper amount of self-esteem until we recognize who actually is the ultimate judge.
A lot of what I'm about to say comes from Timothy Keller's podcast entitled "The Sickness Unto Death", so if you don't like my version of things you should listen to his sermon for a better understanding. The basis for my understanding of how a Christian should handle the matter of self-esteem comes from 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, which says "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." Here, we see that Paul's perspective of self-esteem is entirely off the map because we are usually at one end of the two extremes of self-esteem. We either have too high of a regard for ourselves, causing us to be arrogant, self righteous, and prideful or we have too little self-esteem causing us to be depressed, insecure, and unstable.
To describe things as concisely as possible I'll just say that we are to live beyond esteem. Paul says he doesn't even judge himself, only God judges. That should bring a profound sense of peace to our lives as God loves us completely and unconditionally so there is no standard that we must live up to in order to be accepted. When we rely on boosting our self-esteem through anyone but God we will always come up empty. What tends to happen most often is that we seek the cheapest, easiest forms of approval in order to gain the quickest high we can get. Just look at Facebook for example. We post pictures and hope to gain as many "likes" as possible, or we post what we hope to be funny, exciting or witty status updates that we hope will catch the eye of all those with whom we are "friends". On that note, we collect facebook friends like trophies that represent our self-worth in the world. It's ridiculous and it creates an all too fragile reality for far too many people because our self-esteem is raised just only half as much as it is lowered by this superficial conduct.
The flipside to this reality are those people who isolate themselves in their own personal opinions and become closed off to the thought of anyone else's point of view. It seems like this is a product of our American individualistic culture that we can't comprehend living beyond our own personal thoughts about ourselves because we elevate our opinions to the status of Godhood. We should care about what others think of us to some degree so we never loose accountability but we should never find our self worth in the opinion of any man or woman. I say all this as the chief among sinners. I have found myself on both sides of the coin in this instance so I know how detrimental they can be. I am learning to rely on God's approval alone but it is a complicated process. These habits are ingrained in us from our families, friends, and culture. We have to shake off the chains of false self-esteem and realize that the One who created us thinks that we are beautiful, interesting, lovely people despite all of our flaws. Once we realize that, every ounce of judgement is gone and we can finally accept ourselves as God does.
A lot of what I'm about to say comes from Timothy Keller's podcast entitled "The Sickness Unto Death", so if you don't like my version of things you should listen to his sermon for a better understanding. The basis for my understanding of how a Christian should handle the matter of self-esteem comes from 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, which says "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me." Here, we see that Paul's perspective of self-esteem is entirely off the map because we are usually at one end of the two extremes of self-esteem. We either have too high of a regard for ourselves, causing us to be arrogant, self righteous, and prideful or we have too little self-esteem causing us to be depressed, insecure, and unstable.
To describe things as concisely as possible I'll just say that we are to live beyond esteem. Paul says he doesn't even judge himself, only God judges. That should bring a profound sense of peace to our lives as God loves us completely and unconditionally so there is no standard that we must live up to in order to be accepted. When we rely on boosting our self-esteem through anyone but God we will always come up empty. What tends to happen most often is that we seek the cheapest, easiest forms of approval in order to gain the quickest high we can get. Just look at Facebook for example. We post pictures and hope to gain as many "likes" as possible, or we post what we hope to be funny, exciting or witty status updates that we hope will catch the eye of all those with whom we are "friends". On that note, we collect facebook friends like trophies that represent our self-worth in the world. It's ridiculous and it creates an all too fragile reality for far too many people because our self-esteem is raised just only half as much as it is lowered by this superficial conduct.
The flipside to this reality are those people who isolate themselves in their own personal opinions and become closed off to the thought of anyone else's point of view. It seems like this is a product of our American individualistic culture that we can't comprehend living beyond our own personal thoughts about ourselves because we elevate our opinions to the status of Godhood. We should care about what others think of us to some degree so we never loose accountability but we should never find our self worth in the opinion of any man or woman. I say all this as the chief among sinners. I have found myself on both sides of the coin in this instance so I know how detrimental they can be. I am learning to rely on God's approval alone but it is a complicated process. These habits are ingrained in us from our families, friends, and culture. We have to shake off the chains of false self-esteem and realize that the One who created us thinks that we are beautiful, interesting, lovely people despite all of our flaws. Once we realize that, every ounce of judgement is gone and we can finally accept ourselves as God does.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Reevaluate
Last week a friend of mine died. She was 23. Apparently, she took a three story fall from a rock climbing wall as she was working at a youth camp. I still don't quite know what to make of it.
I first met Nadyne my junior year at APU. She was my RA which would have normally meant that I would never see her nor develop a relationship with her, but Nadyne was different. She came by all the time in order to intentionally build relationships with 4 guys who would otherwise avoid every community meeting and organized event. She baked for us, watched movies with us, and even had late night conversations about war and the military as 3/4 of us were in ROTC at the time (I was in the process of getting out of it). We both had studied abroad in Spain and had strong critiques about Christian culture so we got along great.
I last saw her in May on the night that I graduated. She was at a party my friend was having for all of us that had graduated. We caught up a little bit but nothing serious because in my mind I always expect to see people again. Young people are supposed to live forever, right? I still can't imagine the Nadyne I talked to and bonded with lying on a stretcher in some hospital, broken and lifeless, or in a casket with friends and family gathered around saying their last goodbyes...but I can imagine her dancing and signing with her Father in Heaven, away from all the pain this world holds. I can imagine her asking God so many questions about life, the bible, theology, and creation. I can imagine her being happy right now and for all eternity.
Sometimes I wonder if she or I is the lucky one. Am I more fortunate to be on this earth a few days longer than her or is she the lucky one who got to go home early? Some days I just want to go home already. I'm tired of the hurt, pain, sorrow and disappointment this world brings. I'm looking forward to some brighter days, hopefully here but definitely there. I admire Paul who found his contentment in the Lord no matter where he was. I need to develop that ability in my own life. We all do, or else things like death and suffering become too much for any human heart to bear.
These past few months have been hard. I can't imagine what the next few months will be like for Nadyne's family...We all suffer hardships. I'm still trying to reevaluate my life and relationship with Christ to ensure that, no matter what happens, I am never broken beyond repair and that the Joy of the Lord never leaves me.
I first met Nadyne my junior year at APU. She was my RA which would have normally meant that I would never see her nor develop a relationship with her, but Nadyne was different. She came by all the time in order to intentionally build relationships with 4 guys who would otherwise avoid every community meeting and organized event. She baked for us, watched movies with us, and even had late night conversations about war and the military as 3/4 of us were in ROTC at the time (I was in the process of getting out of it). We both had studied abroad in Spain and had strong critiques about Christian culture so we got along great.
I last saw her in May on the night that I graduated. She was at a party my friend was having for all of us that had graduated. We caught up a little bit but nothing serious because in my mind I always expect to see people again. Young people are supposed to live forever, right? I still can't imagine the Nadyne I talked to and bonded with lying on a stretcher in some hospital, broken and lifeless, or in a casket with friends and family gathered around saying their last goodbyes...but I can imagine her dancing and signing with her Father in Heaven, away from all the pain this world holds. I can imagine her asking God so many questions about life, the bible, theology, and creation. I can imagine her being happy right now and for all eternity.
Sometimes I wonder if she or I is the lucky one. Am I more fortunate to be on this earth a few days longer than her or is she the lucky one who got to go home early? Some days I just want to go home already. I'm tired of the hurt, pain, sorrow and disappointment this world brings. I'm looking forward to some brighter days, hopefully here but definitely there. I admire Paul who found his contentment in the Lord no matter where he was. I need to develop that ability in my own life. We all do, or else things like death and suffering become too much for any human heart to bear.
These past few months have been hard. I can't imagine what the next few months will be like for Nadyne's family...We all suffer hardships. I'm still trying to reevaluate my life and relationship with Christ to ensure that, no matter what happens, I am never broken beyond repair and that the Joy of the Lord never leaves me.
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