Thursday Thinking - Deciding to Believe

My Lenten sermon series for this year is entitled, Never Forsaken. Each week I'm exploring the many ways and times Christians struggle with thoughts and feelings of being forsaken by God. My premise for the series is that a fear of abandonment by God makes it impossible to live the Christian life. Faith, as the Hebrew writer says, is being sure of what we hope for and confident in what we do not yet see. Jesus faced faced the harsh reality of the cross in the full confidence of God's faithfulness. He faced death, believing in resurrection.

How can Christians live in hope, obedience, service, and joy when our world is so messed up, our lives are so broken, and our trials are so many? How can we not lose heart, when outwardly we're wasting away? How? It's a very good question. The answer? -- Our belief in the promises of God, our confidence in the Spirit's comforting power to sustain us, and our expectant hope that Christ will return to set all things right.

One of the dear friends in my church family, Becky, writes a personal blog that chronicles the joys and trials of her family's journey. She writes about their simple pleasures and their heartbreaking struggles. Some days she might post about something funny, and other days she might share a prayer request. Sometimes she will share photos of her kids, and other at times she will generously give you a portrait of her heart.

Today, with Becky's permission, I want to share her post from Monday, February 25. I really appreciated her thoughts about being in worship with our Valley church family the day before. It's filled with good things to think about.

HOW?
Yesterday, I participated in an incredibly bizarre ritual.

I went to a place where a group of over 100 people stood in a room for a purpose.  I know many of them.  I know some of them very well.

If you were to have looked around the room, whether you knew it or not, you would see the following:

You would see a man standing alone because his wife has been too ill to join him.

You would see a woman standing on one leg because she lost the other in a car accident

You would see a a recovering alcoholic standing next to his wife who stood by him.

You would see a breast cancer survivor.

You would see people battling depression

You would see parents with children in heaven

You would see parents with children who suffer too much on earth.

You would see me.

And do you know what we did?  It's the strangest thing ...

We stood up, and together sang a song

How can I keep from singing your praise?

No, really!  We sing of amazing love and grace from a powerful God.

Isn't that weird?

Seriously, forget the common-ness of that ritual.  Why on earth would a group of people, each bearing unique burdens from a sin-torn and trouble-filled world, why on earth would we gather and sing the praise of a God who ... well ... let's be honest ... He could fix it.  He could have stopped the car accident.  He could have saved the child.  He could have nudged that amino acid at just the right time and stopped the "mutation" in my daughter.

But He didn't.

And we stand and say, "How can I keep from singing your praise..."

I'm sure one would be tempted to suggest that, to participate in such a ritual, we let our mental faculties take a vacation for an hour or so every Sunday.  Let me assure you that we don't.  Yes, the pain in this world and the belief in a good, powerful God who has loving intentions toward me ... I'm not going to deny the cognitive dissonance set up by those two concepts ... and, if you're interested, I'd love a rigorous discussion regarding the theology and philosophy of my faith-based world view.

But that is NOT what struck me on Sunday.

What struck me on Sunday was the faith.  The crowd of witnesses I am blessed to stand with, some having as many reasons as Job to question God, but for some reason, we've decided to trust.  We've decided to believe.  We've decided to lean on God.

We've decided that, whether he removes the pain or not, he is God and he is good and he is worthy of our praise.

Faith.

I understand that it looks foolish.  I promise you, it's not.

But I'm not sure where I would be without the other people I have in my life who stand next to me, encouraging me by their mere presence to hold to that foolish-looking faith.

Dear friends, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.  - Hebrews 10

I am so thankful and so encouraged by the witnesses I am blessed to stand next to in faith. 

From "Our Journey," Monday, February 25, 2013. Used by permission.

Wednesday Words - Lenten Selections, Week 2

From the Book of Common Prayer:
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

In Praise of Self-Deprecation

The buzzard has nothing to fault himself with.
Scruples are alien to the black panther.
Piranhas do not doubt the rightness of their actions.
The rattlesnake approves of himself without reservations.

The self-critical jackal does not exist.
The locust, alligator, trichina, horsefly
live as they live and are glad of it.

The killer whale's heart weighs one hundred kilos
but in other respects it is light.

There is nothing more animal-like
than a clear conscience
on the third planet of the Sun.

Wislawa Szymborska of Poland won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. Her poems have been translated (and published in book form) in English, German, Swedish, Italian, Danish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian, Serbo-Croatian, Romanian, Bulgarian and other languages. They have also been published in many foreign anthologies of Polish poetry.

Tuesday Tome - God of Possibilities

I just got a copy of Greg Boyd's book, God of the Possible. It's one of the books I'll be reading in preparation for a theology conference I'm planning to attend in April. The conference is called Open 2013 and is hosted by Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.

For more information about the conference, click here. I'll be attending with a friend or two. Let me know if you'd like to join us.

From Publisher's Weekly:
This exceptionally engaging and biblically centered text defends a theological claim that is generating heated controversy among evangelicals: that from God's perspective, the future is partly open, a realm of possibilities as well as certainties. Boyd, professor of theology at Bethel College (St. Paul, Minn.) and author of Letters from a Skeptic and God at War, displays a remarkable ability to make "open theism" accessible to a wide audience.

Open theism usually receives a cool reception among evangelical theologians, whose views of divine foreknowledge often echo Augustine, Aquinas and Calvin, as well as Hellenistic philosophical theology. This classical tradition interprets God's perfection as eternal changelessness, ruling out the possibility that God could learn new information, or that God's intentions could change. Boyd sidesteps the more abstruse theological debates surrounding this issue in favor of a patient, but not pedantic, exposition of a "motif of future openness" in biblical narrative and prophecy. These biblical texts repeatedly portray God as changing plans in response to human decisions, viewing future events as contingent and even being disappointed at how events turn out.

Boyd clearly believes the debate over open theism has gotten off to an unfortunate start, as disagreements about the "settledness" of the future have unnecessarily been interpreted as challenges to God's omniscience or sovereignty. This convincing, clear book promises to raise the caliber of argument in the controversy.

Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Monday Music - Unforced Rhythms of Grace

THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE
Walkin' that narrow road like a beast of burden
Under a load of religiosity;
You're so tired out tryin' to measure up,
Your heart is worn and empty as broken cup.
But I came to fill you up....  fill you.

Come and walk beside me.
We'll live freely and lightly.
You'll find rest inside me
When you learn to match my pace
In the unforced rhythms of grace.

Johnny's bein' good just in case God's keepin' a scorecard;
Richy writes checks cause he thinks ten percent is the price;
Rosey chants a prayer as she counts her beads;
Penni's doin' pennance, crawlin' on her hands and knees;
But I came to break the chains, break the chain.

Come and walk beside me.
We'll live freely and lightly.
You'll find rest inside me
When you learn to match my pace
In the unforced rhythms of grace.

This ain't some mystic school.
It's more that ritual or religion.
It's not some list of rules--
It's reason for livin'.

Come and walk beside me.
We'll live so freely and lightly.
You'll find sweet rest inside me
If you learn to match my pace
In the unforced rhythms...

Come and walk beside me now (in the unforced rhythms).
We'll live so freely and lightly (in the unforced rhythms).
You'll find sweet rest inside me
If you learn to match my pace
In the unforced rhythms of grace.

Words and Music by Dave Burkum. © Copyright 2002 by Dave Burkum (burkum.com).

Sunday Supplication - Transforming Love

O God, we are so thankful for your mercy.

Please be gracious to us when we go astray from your ways. Bring us back to you. Give us humble hearts and steadfast faith. Teach us to hold fast to the unchangeable truth of your Word. Help us to follow Jesus Christ your Son.

Forgive us our sins. Renew us by your Spirit. Show us how to act, think, and live as Christ. And as you have forgiven us, make us merciful and ready to forgive those who have sinned against us.

Father, renew us and save us from the things that afflict us. Give us the strength to persevere, and give us hope as we cling to your promises. Forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil. Make us vessels of your grace in a weary world. And as we are surrounded by so much suffering and hate, we ask you to make us a testimony of your saving and transforming love.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Saturday Smile - SNL: Marco Rubio's Explanation

This was so very hilarious! "Why did I eat all that cinnamon!"

Friday Family - Marriage Workshop

Saturday morning, Cheri and I will be leading a marriage workshop at the Crowne Plaza in Plymouth, Minnesota. This workshop, The Meaning of Care and Commitment, is part of the Valley Christian Church Couples Retreat, and runs from 9:00-11:30am.

If you live in the Twin Cities area and would like to join us, please let me know. I'm sure we could make arrangements to squeeze in a few more people. You might even want to come early to enjoy the hotel's delicious breakfast buffet (7:00-8:30am). If you're interested in joining us, please be sure to contact me first so I can confirm the details. Thanks.

Thursday Thinking - Guns and Violence

What are the stark statistics and economics of gun ownership? Can any of the political "solutions" regarding gun control actually change the numbers? What's more dangerous, letting your child visit a friend's home where there is a gun, or where there is a swimming pool? What would have a greater impact on reducing gun violence in America, preventives (i.e.- bans, buy-backs, limiting access) or disincentives (i.e. - harsher penalties, longer sentences).

In a recent episode of the Freakonomics podcast, Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt have a straightforward conversation about gun control and gun policy, keeping in mind recent events like the Newtown, Ct., school massacre and long-standing traditions like the American embrace of guns.

Levitt has focused much of his academic career on crime research, including all sorts of gun policies that do and do not prevent violence.  He has also analyzed the relationship between the economy and the crime rate, whether increased police presence affects crime, and whether deterrents like capital punishment and sentence enhancements actually work.

Just for the record, this podcast challenged many of my own knee-jerk reactions, attitudes, and beliefs about guns. My own inclination is toward limiting access and exerting more control, but it's questionable, from a purely statistical point of view, that such policies would actually make much of a difference. This post is not intended to be political or partisan. Just an invitation to think critically and more objectively than most of the rhetoric and emotional response we're subjected to on this important social issue.
 
FREAKONOMICS - THINKING ABOUT GUNS

Wednesday Words - Lenten Selections, Week 1

From the Book of Common Prayer:
Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan; Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer 
Liberation Front
by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.

Listen to carrion -- put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn't go.

Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

"Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" from The Country of Marriage, 
Copyright ® 1973 by Wendell Berry.

Tuesday Tome - The Divine Conspiracy

Last Saturday, I met with a young man from my church who had just finished reading Dallas Willard's The Divine Conspiracy. I was delighted to learn that he really enjoyed it and gained a lot of insight and inspiration from it. We barely got started in our discussion, so we'll have to meet again and keep the conversation going.

If you have never read the book, I highly recommend it. Let me know when you've finished it and you're ready to have a cup of coffee and talk about it. I'll buy!

Book Description:
In The Divine Conspiracy, Willard gracefully weaves biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice into a tour de force that shows the necessity of profound changes in how we view our lives and faith. In an era when many Christians consider Jesus a beloved but remote savior, Willard argues compellingly for the relevance of God to every aspect of our existence. Masterfully capturing the central insights of Christ's teachings in a fresh way for today's seekers, he helps us to explore a revolutionary way to experience God--by knowing Him as an essential part of the here and now, rather than only as a part of the hereafter.

"The most telling thing about the contemporary Christian," Willard writes, "is that he or she has no compelling sense that understanding of and conformity with the clear teachings of Christ is of any vital importance to [their] life, and certainly not that it is in any way essential . . . Such obedience is regarded as just out of the question or impossible." Christians, he says, for the most part consider the primary function of Christianity to be admittance to heaven. But, as Willard clearly shows, a faith that guarantees a satisfactory afterlife, yet has absolutely no impact on life in the here and now, is nothing more than "consumer Christianity" and "bumper-sticker faith."

Willard refutes this "fire escape" mentality by exploring the true nature of the teachings of Jesus, who intended that His followers become His disciples, and taught that we have access now to the life we are only too eager to relegate to the hereafter. The author calls us into a more authentic faith and offers a practical plan by which we can become Christ-like. He challenges us to step aside from the politics and pieties of contemporary Christian practice and inspires us to reject the all too common lukewarm faith of our times by embracing the true meaning of Christian discipleship.

Monday Music - David Wilcox

David Wilcox is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. I used his song, "Show the Way," as the introduction to my Ash Wednesday sermon last week. A number of people have sent me emails asking for the words and a link to a site where they could hear the song. So here you go.

CLICK HERE FOR WORDS AND MUSIC

SHOW THE WAY (David Wilcox)

Sunday Supplication - Deliver Us from Evil

Almighty God, we ask you to help us when we face temptation.

We remember that Jesus was tempted by Satan during the forty days he fasted and prayed in the wilderness, and so we know that Jesus understands our weaknesses and temptations. Just as you strengthened Jesus to overcome temptation, we pray that you will strengthen us by your Spirit, that we too might overcome temptation and escape the sins that entangle us.

Thank you for the forgiveness and renewal you have given to us through Christ.  Help us to extend forgiveness to each other in his name. Help us become a redemptive and healing community. Help us to have a saving and healing influence on the world around us.

Father, help us to be in the world as Jesus was in it. Help us to be truly engaged with our world, and yet to be truly different from it. Help us to be instruments of your grace and power. Where there is hatred, let us bring love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is discord, unity. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is darkness light.

Lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil.

Through Christ, we pray. Amen.

Saturday Smile - Helpful Song Diagram

Friday Food - Mustard

I'm a big fan of mustard. I especially like spicy mustards. Trader Joe's Deli Style Spicy Brown Mustard has become my favorite everyday mustard. I always have a bottle on hand. Unbelievably, it's only 99¢ a bottle. For a delicious, satisfying, and low-cal snack, I love slathering this mustard on Trader Joe's pumpernickel pretzels.