Looking to the New Year

It's the way I'm wired. I enjoy coming to the end of a year and "closing the books." As a self-employed minister of the gospel I discipline myself to keep track of my time as preventative against sloth and as a corrective against what Oswald Chambers warned, " The greatest competitor of devotion to Jesus is service for Him." I've seen pastors who seldom talk about Jesus, but talk a lot about their ministry. I've also seen too many pastors who allowed the church to become their mistress, cheating their wife and family out of a relationship with him as husband and father.

I also keep track of books I've read through the year. This helps keep me balanced by showing me the genres I'm gravitating to. If I've read several novels in a row, I choose a non-fiction book or a book of poetry. If I've read several minisry-related books, I choose a novel or biography. If I've read several contemporary novels, I choose a novel that is at least 50 years old. (Note to my Margarita friends: While I'm not back to a book a week, I am reading a book every two weeks rather than once a month, so I must be working through the transition to southern California.)

All this to say, I am coming down the home stretch and then on January 1 I have new pages to begin filling in with hours worked and books read. I'll let you amateur psychologists figure out what this all says about me.

I Wish I Had Thought of That

In his book, Take and Read, Eugene Peterson writes, "When my children were young, I was full of devout idealism regarding ways in which we as a family would replicate the church as we gathered around the dinner table. Especially on Sundays. When we returned home after a morning of worship and sat down to Sunday dinner, I would attempt to initiate and direct a discussion that would bring the prayer and praise from the sanctuary into the eating and drinking at our dining room table. I would ask what they thought of the second hymn, or how they liked the introduction to the sermon. Did they notice the novel twist the assisting elder had given to pronouncing Melchizedek in the Scripture reading? No real conversation ever developed. One Sunday, in a moment of inspired desperation, I took another tack. I said, 'After the pastoral prayer, Mr. Green, head bowed, never straightened up. Those around him thought he was still praying. After the benediction when he still hadn't moved, he was discovered dead. Murdered. How was it done, and what was the motive?' Conversation developed. Real conversation. What it lacked in devoutness it made up for in liveliness. We searched the Scripture readings for clues, sifted the hymns for evidence, examined the possibilities of sin behind the congregational facade of Presbyterian rectitude. Each week there would be another victim."

Now why didn't I think of that? "Family devotions" with a twist. Give it a try some Sunday soon and then let me know how it works out.

Gentlemen, Stay Out of the Doghouse

Occasionally I receive a forward worth watching and sharing with others. This is one. There's still time before Christmas. Let this be a warning from a friend.

Ripples

One of our favorite missionaries uses the imagery of ripples in a pond when she speaks of the part that we play in people's lives. We toss our stone into the pond. Sometimes the rock makes a big splash. Sometimes rather small. But either way there are ripples that continue to move out from the initial event.

I got misty-eyed Sunday night at a children's musical directed by my middle daughter. Not only because of the usual distracted child in the front row of the angel chorus or the almost-on-pitch soloist or the brief moment one of the dance numbers was reminiscent of "one Grecian urn", (Tip of the hat to The Music Man) but also because the entire production was a ripple of the years that other adults invested in my daughter's life, particularly in using her talent in the arts.

Seated two rows behind me were my son and his fiancé. In four weeks he will be preaching to his local church. A church much larger than most churches I've preached in. Ripples of those adults who saw his gifts, communication among them, and encouraged him.

Arriving next Tuesday, my oldest daughter will spend the holidays with us and with people who are part of the support team who make it possible for her to work with a school in western Europe, recruiting godly men and women who will help educate children of missionaries which, in turn, allows them to continue their ministry. Ripples of those adults who saw her creativity and administrative talents and encouraged her.

I thank God upon every remembrance of my children, but also the myriads of adults who took the time to affirm their gifts and point them to Jesus.

The Power of a Changed Life

Forwarded e-mails are usually met with much cynicism and a quick finger on the delete button when they arrive in my inbox. But today I received a forwarded e-mail from my friend and colleague, Dennis Baker (whom you all know because everyone knows Dennis Baker). It is a short video entitled "Cardboard Testimonies" from Richland Hills Church of Christ in a suburb of Fort Worth Texas. I wouldn't presume to forward it to all 14 of my readers, but if you are inclined to view it, first grab a box of kleenex, then click on this link Cardboard Testimonies.

Expectations

Sharon and I continue to work through Peter Scazzero's book, "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality." The chapter for this week talks about expectations. Pete suggests that, for most of us, most of our expectations are
Unconscious: we're not even aware we have them
Unrealistic: those around us cannot live up to them
Unspoken: we've never bothered to actually tell others what we expect of them
Un-agreed upon: the others in our life have never agreed to even attempt to fulfill our expectations because the expectations are unrealistic or because they are unaware of our expectations

As a result, we are disappointed or angry with the others in our life because they have let us down. In many cases without even knowing we had expectations for them.

Pete writes that expectations are only valid when they have been mutually agreed upon. Then he asks the rhetorical question about what would happen if we made our expectations
Conscious
Realistic
Spoken
Agreed upon

The challenge for us is to either change how we view our expectations or lower our expectations.

Now here's the "what if" for those of you who graciously read this blog. The Holiday season is notorious for unmet expectations. What if we worked on making our expectations conscious, realistic, spoken and agreed upon? It doesn't take much reflection to come to the conclusion that we will probably enjoy our Holidays much more because we'll be living in truth rather than fantasy. That is my prayer for you.

Listening to Christmas Music

Beginning back in the early 70's, while in college, I began listening to Christmas music early each October. Recently it's become more like early November, but the concept is the same. I hate to waste perfectly good music and lyrics by avoiding them until a few days before the day that's been designated to help us remember that God became flesh and lived among us (and has also become freighted with expectations of family reunions and snow).

My taste in music, as well as most other areas of life, can best be described as eclectic. This year, for instance, I purchased Bela Fleck's Christmas album, "Jingle All the Way" and Sara Grove's Christmas album, "O Holy Night." Beyond the obvious difference in titles, Fleck's album includes Tuvan throat singing (Look it up. Hint: Tuvans live in Siberia, just north of Mongolia) and some fascinating combinations of instruments. Grove's album is mellow and features a wonderful reading of the Christmas story by small children. Only 4 of the 17 cuts on Fleck's album are overtly Christian while only 1 cut on Grove's album is not focused on the significance of Christ's coming ("Toy Packaging" is the title and it is a charming ode to the frustration of trying to get gifts out of the hard plastic cases where they have been sealed into an almost impenetrable cocoon.) Fleck's album contains a masterful rendition of Bach's Christmas Oratorio featuring English Horn, violin and banjo. Yes, banjo. Grove's album ends with a haunting, aching rendition of "Breath of Heaven" which can bring you to tears.

So, instead of fruitcake this year, you can get me iTunes cards so I can increase my repertoire since I currently only have 415 Christmas songs for a total of 23.9 hours of Christmas music. :)

Loving Well

My son already knows this because I've told him so, but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what a godly young man he's become and what a wise decision he made in his choice for a wife. Like the rest of us, Jon is a sinner in need of redemption. But having received that redemption through faith in Jesus Christ, he has also become very intentional about living out the implications of that redemption. He loves God. He loves his family. He loves his fiance. He loves the Jr. Highers (now that would be amazing grace for most of us) and their parents among whom he is privileged to minister. Jon is learning to love well and is well-loved. Jon chose carefully the woman he will love exclusively for the rest of his life. And his parents couldn't be happier with his choice. (We've already decided that she is, without doubt, going to be our favorite daughter-in-law.)

A Little More Closure

Last weekend I was privileged to participate in the installation of Santa Margarita Community Church's new pastor, Robert Campbell. As Robert notes in his blog, Leading from the Middle, it is not often that the former pastor has the joy of being there and rejoicing with his well-loved congregation as they commit themselves to the new pastor and he commits to them. Robert, Julie, Caleb and Meg are already deeply in love with the church community as well as the broader community. SMCC will be well taken care of by this family. For those of you have journeyed with us vicariously through this blog, thanks for praying for us. As the peasant in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" put it, "We're getting better."

It Comes Down to 1

You know how you read and study the Bible and think you understand it pretty well? And then someone offers an insight and you wonder how you could have missed it. In Eugene Peterson's latest book, "Tell It Slant", he points out that in the series of parables in Luke about the Lost Sheep, Lost Coin and Lost Son(s) there is an interesting progression. At the beginning of what we call chapter 15, tax collectors and sinners are drawing near to Jesus. In response to the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes about Jesus' willingness to receive sinners and even eat with them, Jesus tells 3 stories. In the first story, a man has 100 sheep. He loses 1, so he leaves the 99 to go find it. When it is found, he rejoices and invites others to join him in his rejoicing. The Pharisees and scribes could have missed the point of the story since the ratio of "lostness" is 1 out of 100. They tell themselves they certainly wouldn't be in that lost group.

The second story is about a woman with 10 coins. She loses 1. She seeks diligently for the coin. When it is found, she rejoices and invites others to join her in rejoicing. The Pharisees could have missed the point of the story since the ratio of "lostness" is 1 out of 10. They tell themselves they certainly wouldn't be in that lost group.

The third story is about a man who had 2 sons. He loses 1. He waits patiently for that 1 son to return. When the son returns, he rejoices and invites others to join him in rejoicing. The Pharisees could have missed the point of the story since the ratio of "lostness" is 1 out of 2. They tell themselves they certainly wouldn't be in that lost group.

The final part of the third story is about the prodigal's brother. The father loses the 1 son he still had at home. He wants that son to join in the celebration of finding his lost brother. The son refuses and is lost to the father. The ratio of "lostness" in this part of the story is 1 out of 1. Could the Pharisees have failed to see that when it comes down to it, we are all lost. Some of us are just more respectably lost. We haven't been eating with the pigs, but we are lost just the same. We all need to be found. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. Which includes me. And you. And when we recognize our lostness and come home to the Father, we are rejoiced over by the One who loves us most.

My prayer is that all who read this blog will be reconciled to the Father, through his son, Jesus Christ. There is salvation in no other. God has done all that is necessary for us to return to Him. Our part is to respond, by faith, to the free gift of life provided for us by Jesus dying in our place. God could justly judge us for our sin. Instead He placed our sin on Jesus who, because he was perfect, had no sins of his own to pay for. Because Jesus was infinitely perfect, he could infinitely pay for our sin. God's holiness and justice were satisfied by Jesus' sacrifice of himself in our place. While the satisfaction is sufficient for all, it is effective only for those who reject any attempt to make themselves right with God and, instead, embrace what God has done for them in Jesus Christ.

If this concept is new to you, ask a Christian you know to explain it further. They'd love to tell you the story of Jesus and answer your questions. Remember the ratio of "lostness" is 1 out of 1.

Because I'm Being Asked

The general election will take place two weeks from today. (It seems like the process has been going for 4 years now.) In addition to selecting the next president, we in California have our usual smorgasbord of Propositions. As recently as last Sunday in a class on the EFCA Statement of Faith I was asked about Proposition 8 and what we were going to do, as Christians, if it is defeated. My answer, I would like to think, was thoughtful and lacking my usual glib retorts.

I answered that I was going to go into the voting booth and, because propositions are really just the electorate's way of asking questions, I was going to voice my opinion on what I thought would be in the best interest of our culture. That is, my vote on Proposition 8 will be my way of giving my opinion on the issue presented. I will give that opinion on the basis of what I think Scripture clearly teaches about marriage in both the older and newer Testaments. The fact is, everyone who enters the booth on Tuesday, November 4, will give their opinion on the basis of their values, their view of life, their understanding of what is right and wrong. All laws are statements of values, whether they be about speed limits, taxes or marriage. Since we're being asked what values should be reflected in marriage, we should give our opinion. It is a great privilege in this country to even be asked what we think. There are still many nations where citizens, regardless of religious background, are never asked what they think about laws and moral issues. Those who govern the country simply tell the citizens what the leadership thinks is right.

Which brings me to the second part of the answer I gave. On Wednesday, November 5, I will live, Lord willing, exactly as I did on November 4, regardless of whether Proposition 8 passes or fails. This answer is not intended to minimize the importance of the vote on this issue or the potential consequences for our culture whichever way the issue is decided. (I predict acts of civil disobedience from individuals and groups from whichever side "loses" the vote.) The reason this is my answer is that a relationship with Christ, a relationship which often changes cultures, does not require cultural support.

As hard as it may be to believe, the society in which Christianity was birthed was, from a Biblical standpoint, more decadent than our own. The first century Christians lived out their relationship with Christ in the context of family, friends and neighbors who were monogamists, heterosexuals and celibates as well as polygamists, homosexuals and pederasts. There is no record I know of that indicates the Christians sought to change the hearts, minds and lifestyles of their family, friends or neighbors through legislation. It wasn't much of an option, especially since the Roman Senate had its share of legislators whose lifestyles would certainly not align with Biblical values. Those first century Christians did not throw up their hands in despair. In keeping with the parable of the leaven, they quietly, faithfully and almost invisibly (like yeast permeating dough) lived their relationship with Christ and shared the Gospel as opportunity presented itself. It is recorded that they turned the world upside down.

Lest someone has missed my point, let me go over it again. I have a strong opinion on what I think, on the basis of Scripture, constitutes a marriage and, because of that, what would be best for our culture in the long run. Since I am being asked to voice that opinion on November 4, I will do so. The outcome of the vote on Proposition 8 will not change my faith, regardless of which way the vote goes. And regardless of the outcome of the vote, I pray God that it will not change the way I interact with people whose values are different than my own.

We Don't Become More Spiritual By Becoming Less Human

Sharon and I are currently in a Life Group that is working through Pete Scazzero's book, "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality." (Some of you thought I was joking when I referred to this earlier.) His thesis is that "it is impossible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature." If you've been around church for more than about 6 months, you know this is true. When was the last time you heard that a church had an argument or split over a central doctrine such as the divinity of Christ, the substitutionary atonement, or the immutability of God. (It does happen, but seldom in our culture.) No, most often it is because one or more of those who attend the church have gotten their feelings hurt by someone else (This is not new, of course, read Philippians 4:2-3) or no one noticed their sacrifice of time or the pastor doesn't feel appreciated or supported. These are emotional issues with spiritual implications. These situations are, at their core, discipleship issues. Allowing God to do the work in us that allows us to respond in godly ways, or at least come back to apologize for not acting godly initially, are both spiritual and emotional.

In his latest book, Eugene Peterson addresses the same issue, but from a different angle. In his chapter on Luke 11:1-13 he writes:

"Life is personal. By definition. All parts of it...When any one of us quits being personally present to our child, our spouse, or our friend, life leaks out...Jesus is our primary revelation that God is personal, extravagantly personal...What the biblical revelation tells us...is that we can't become more like Jesus (more pleasing or acceptable to God) by becoming less human, less physical, less emotional, less involved with our families, less associated with socially or morally undesirable people. We don't become more spiritual by becoming less human."

When did we, as a Christian subculture, allow this first century heresy to creep back in? It's time we recognized that our redemption is about ALL the areas of our life. We focus on giving up smoking or swearing while God calls us to give up anger and causing trouble among the family of God. Maybe its because smoking and swearing are easier to spot that we focus on the externals. Or maybe its because we find ways to rationalize our anger as "righteous indignation." Or maybe its because we can point to Jesus' attitude when he cleared the Temple courtyard that we can justify our behavior. Maybe its because we can claim our trouble making is really just "standing for the truth."

Whatever it is, we need to invite the Holy Spirit to do a more complete work in us. Or is it just in me? Sorry, I didn't mean to judge. I forgot you have this stuff all figured out. Well, you can pray for me. I'm still having a hard time letting God work in these areas of emotionally healthy spirituality.