The Bible

24 June 2007
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“The holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.“ – Paul, to his disciple Timothy

“I adore the fullness of the Scriptures.” – Tertullian

“We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word.” – Charles Spurgeon

Long have I romanticized the picture of the old sage pouring over the cracked and ancient pages filled with some words of old. There is something mysterious and attractive about it to me. Something wise. 

Gandalf, in the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, upon the discovery that the magic ring of invisibility of his old friend Bilbo was actually the famous, long lost and evil “Ring of Power”, rode urgently off to the the old city of Gondor to a basement in the White Castle filled with volumes and volumes of old leather bound books and stacks of dusty-but-preserved parchments and scrolls. Records of history and stories of old. He went to diligently find out about the past so that he might understand the present, and also the future that was constantly rolling towards him. He needed guidance. He needed more information. He needed context for the story he and the cast of characters around him found themselves in.

Something in me likes this kind of scene best when much is at stake. Not mere academic exercise. Not just the practice of increasing knowledge as if knowledge has value in the mere having of it. I like it best when much is at stake, and the careful and diligent “study of things” is going to help shape things, people, and actions in a story where life and death is at stake.

The Bible is the centerpiece of a library that I have created. I have invested in quite a few old books, parchments, and papyrus that give me the “feel” (superficial as it may be) of that romantic picture as I long for deeper wisdom that can only come from the knowledge and stories and experiences of many men’s lifetimes combined, which can be found abundantly in those men’s books. I dare say the most influential stories and men and experiences, at least for me, are recorded in the Bible…I would not ever be without it for as long as it is in my power to choose.

The Bible is saturated with layers and layers of wisdom and profound, life-giving truth. It claims it to be true itself, which would in and of itself not be proof, by my experience has verified it. One simple verse from the wealth of it’s thousands can contain dozens of different, profound lessons, each hidden one becoming accessible to a man only when he takes a new step of personal growth. With maturation, another layer of ancient truth may come surging forth from the same familiar verse that he has read hundred’s of times. And this experience can happen dozens of times in his lifetime.

The Bible requires reading, of course. But it also requires searching’s. Not mere researching, but searching’s. The sort of searching’s you would expect from a hunter tracking his prey, a mother looking for her lost child, a buyer looking for the best price, a drug addict looking for his next fix, a lawyer looking for precedent, a pilgrim looking for a homeland, a woman looking for a husband, a teenager looking for an adrenaline rush, an activist looking for a worthy cause, the hungry looking for a survival meal, a batter looking for a hit, a failure looking for consolation, a child playing hide-and-seek with his dad at home, and like a soldier looking for his enemy, or for his comrade, or for his backup, or for his weapon, or for a medic after being wounded, or for his chopper-ride out of enemy territory. All of these and more are samplings of the “searching’s” that would reap great and varied rewards out of the Good Book.

There are countless ways to approach and search scripture. And we should dedicate our lives to exhausting them all. The Bible has milk for the maturing and meat for the mature. It’s fullness will never be exhausted by the comprehensive study of all mankind who have and will invest in it. The Bible will repay the searcher. And when a man leaves the simple and rational study of it (appropriate for the beginner) and opens his heart to being guided by the Spirit as he reads, hold on! That man, who knows the Scriptures, and then is instilled with the power of God behind him as he reads will identify truer truths than he has yet been allowed. Did not Jesus distinguish this when he said, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” The Scriptures are but one glorious thing – knowable to man through study, and the power of God quite another glorious thing – knowable to man only through the Spirit of God. This man will start encountering new treasures and not just old. As Jesus said, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” The study of the Law as law renders great treasures of old, but when he is then reading it from the perspective of Christ’s Kingdom (let the hearer understand)…he will see dimensions and levels of truth unseeable to him before!

Do you think smartest among the Jews of old read the Law of Moses and understood that he was writing about Jesus Christ? I fear not, for even when Jesus showed up right in front of the Jews he had to instruct them,“If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.”

Sad are the days when people try to read the Bible and only see great stories, guiding principles, convicting rebukes, or paths to salvation (all treasures, make no mistake) and miss the person of Jesus Christ (the Treasure that all treasures endeavor to point us to). Sad indeed are the people who only find salvation for their souls upon their death through Jesus’ blood and miss out on the friendship of Jesus Christ available in this life.

Jesus is a sweet friend. A powerful lord. A compassionate forgiver. An exacting King. An intimidating presence. A disarming servant. A brother-at-arms and mighty in battle. A smiling companion. A sincere guide. A disciplining father. And a right-in-the-nick-of-time savior.

The Bible tells me so.

 

 

 

The Greek word here rendered search signifies a strict, close, diligent, curious search, such as men make when they are seeking gold, or hunters when they are in earnest after game. We must not rest content with having given a superficial reading to a chapter or two, but with the candle of the Spirit we must deliberately seek out the hidden meaning of the word. Holy Scripture requires searching–much of it can only be learned by careful study. There is milk for babes, but also meat for strong men. The rabbis wisely say that a mountain of matter hangs upon every word, yea, upon every title of Scripture. No man who merely skims the book of God can profit thereby; we must dig and mine until we obtain the hid treasure. The door of the word only opens to the key of diligence. The Scriptures claim searching. They are the writings of God, bearing the divine stamp and imprimatur– who shall dare to treat them with levity? He who despises them despises the God who wrote them. God forbid that any of us should leave our Bibles to become swift witnesses against us in the great day of account. The word of God will repay searching. God does not bid us sift a mountain of chaff with here and there a grain of wheat in it, but the Bible is winnowed corn–we have but to open the granary door and find it. Scripture grows upon the student. It is full of surprises. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to the searching eye it glows with splendor of revelation, like a vast temple paved with wrought gold, and roofed with rubies, emeralds, and all manner of gems. No merchandise like the merchandise of Scripture truth. Lastly, the Scriptures reveal Jesus: “They are they which testify of Me.” No more powerful motive can be urged upon Bible readers than this: he who finds Jesus finds life, heaven, all things. Happy he who, searching his Bible, discovers his Savior.

Where are they?

20 June 2007
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“I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.“ –  God
 
 
Where are these people?
 
Who has God found among us who is after His own heart?
 
Who can He boast about, someone who will do everything He wants him to do…
    ...regardless of the cost and consequences?
    ...without taking a knee to the obstacles?
    ...resolved, finally and steadfastly?
 
Where are the BELIEVERS?
 
I don’t know who God was talking to when He said these words about David. But I think He was bragging. Oh, sure, I think He was being factual and accurate. I think He was being practical, too…giving power and influence and rule to a man who’s motives and intent line up with His own for His people. But I think he was primarily bragging. You know how God is about His own glory (He is the only being existing that can be self-promoting and it be a gift to everyone). He was showing off His own greatness through the trust, priorities, heart, and love of David as seen through his dog-gone, sold-out, signed-on commitment to followership of this God Yahweh.
 
Can God find David’s heart, one that is like His own heart, in a man today?
 
Please, Lord, grant me the grace that it be me. Grant me the grace that it be my wife. My children. My church family. Please, Lord, forge me and mine into quality that You would be able to point at our hearts and brag to all the authorities and hosts of all of your creation. Bring Your Kingdom in all it’s authority to bear over your church on all the earth, and instill in us the heart of David, Your own heart, a heart that will show off your glory and light throughout the cosmos.
 
It is not that this heart is unavailable to me, or you. It’s that we don’t believe it’s attainable. Well that’s the problem, folks. The only one really. We don’t believe. And that’s the work, too. To believe. That’s it.
 
“The work of God is this: to believe in Jesus.” – Jesus
 
Let’s admit it. Most of us know what we need to do, have the time to do it, understand that the real answer to “how” is “yes”, have the Resources to pull it off, know that more abundant life is the result…yet, we don’t pull the trigger. We don’t count the cost. We don’t keep our eyes open. We don’t accept responsibility. We don’t surrender to God’s power. We just don’t BELIEVE.
 
I love you, Father. Make me like the Son of David. Make me like Christ. I believe…forgive my unbelief.
 
 
 
 

On Change

19 June 2007
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“I think we severely underestimate how committed we are to remaining the same.” – Yours Truly
 
 
And the capacity we have to manipulate ourselves into staying that way is gargantuan.
 
Seriously…how much of your conversation is a defense of who or how you are? Oh, you are talking about various things and issues and people…but just under the surface of that is where I want us to check. How much of what you say and do, out loud to others and in your mind to yourself, is really a defense against healthy evaluation and change?
 
And this is not about feeling guilty, or defending yourself from thoughts that make you feel guilty. The very idea of being able to have serious thoughts of change, without guilt, is one of the very changes that we are so committed to not making.
 
You are holy and you are being made holy, the Scripture says. You are faithful and are called to be more faithful, it proclaims. You are saved, and you are working out your salvation, the letters record. Your eternal life is secure as a follower of Christ, and your life is constantly transforming into his image as a follower of Christ. I think of some of the Kings of old being crowned King as children. They are the King, and they are becoming the King. How silly it would be for him to feel guilty as a child when he makes a mistake that isn’t very “kingly”. How wasteful of time would it be for him to dwell on the guilt he feels because of the instructions, guidance, or help of someone who wants nothing but to lovingly help him grow up into “kingliness”.
 
It is our flesh, defending how we are, trying to keep us the same, that does such things.
 

How likely is it that you will get up tomorrow and do something significantly and core-level different, even if you set your mind to do so only for one day? And are you aware of how you feel when it is even suggested that it might be a good idea?

 
How noble are my plans! They are high and mighty, with my eyes set to the summit of Christ-likeness as my ideal and real goal! And, oh, how I manipulate myself out of taking my next courageous step towards it. Why? Because I would have to change. Really change.
 
And I think I really underestimate how committed I am to staying the same.
 
“Unless you change you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” — Jesus Christ
 
For some, the waiting game is just gonna have to do. They will endure this life as it comes and as they are…waiting and longing for Heaven. For others, they want it to be here on earth as it is in Heaven. They want the kingdom’s rule now. They will USE this life…to shape them and forge them into living the Kingdom now…here on earth as it is in Heaven.
 
Most days, I am the latter. But I will have to fight against the gravity of the earth, the gravity of the dark kingdom of status quo, and the gravity of most of the people around me in my life…and change…if I want to enter it.
 
You?

Resist him.

7 June 2007
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“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.“ – St. Peter

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.“ – St. James
 

“If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!“ – Solomon
 
“I have never seen anything like this.” – tour guide in the video, and what the world should be saying when they see the church family in action on their behalf 
We live in a world at war.
 
The attacks seem to come from land and water, don’t they? From the front and behind. Life, in the highest sense of the word, seems lost and elusive. Attacked and on the brink of death…and feeling so alone.
 
Where is Christ? Where is he? Where are his people? Where are they? As tentative and as scared as we are of losing our own life in the process, Christ moves in and us and through us as a body, a family, an army, a mob (if you like) — FULL OF POWER. The power to act. The power to support. The power to resist. The power to fight. The power to save.
 
Check out this video (it lasts 8 minutes, but is worth it) as a visual parable right from nature of what life is often like (in the surprise attacks of our prowling enemy) and what God intends the church family to be for the “least of these” (which is each and every one of us at some point). 
 
“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength… And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.“ – St. Paul 

My Friend Lost a Son

29 May 2007
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My friend lost a son today.
 
I just came from my living room with my elbows on my knees, my head between my hands, and tears dropping between my feet. My 2 sons and daughter sleeping peacefully just a few feet away, I was thinking of my friend in a hospital hours away, mourning, in shock, and caring for his two sons and daughter, who just lost a brother, and two of them also injured from the tragic auto accident.
 
For Memorial Day, my whole family drove, too. We went to the Palo Duro Canyon and hiked up rocky trails, went through caves, walked along steep ridges. We swam in shallow but not transparent water, where a kid is completely hidden from view if he stoops over and dips his head under. And my whole family drove home from our Memorial Day festivities, too.
 
Additionally, my wife and I made and received several phone calls sweeping us up into the drama of life, some of our own making, and some from the lives of those we love. The dramas of hurt feelings, subtle insecurities, embedded fears, passive-aggressive social manipulations, who-does-what-for-who-and-what-that-means, ego issues and reputation maintenance, while all very real issues (and helpful guideposts) for helping each other know where we need healing in our hearts and more abundant life, just fade to the background and get overshadowed on those days when my friend loses a son.
 
In light of such tragic clarity, I’m compelled to impatiently and intolerantly give everyone in the world these pieces of blunt and helpful advice, in hopes that they truly are non-negotiable gifts of uncompromising truth that are attainable no matter how much we want to argue otherwise in our less-clear moments (which, sadly, are most of our moments), and also in hopes that I will settle back into being a more grace-full counselor, guide, minister and coach once the exacting impact of this particular day is lost to me, blended into the woodwork of “my past” (which I wish would not happen):
 
Forgive everyone of everything now.
Never care if you someone else is preferred over you, ever.
Repay evil with kindness every single time you are wronged.
Love everyone. Everyone.
Fight for everyone’s heart. Everyone’s.
Stop hiding.
Withhold nothing from your spouse, your kids, and your parents.
Stop lying. And stop believing that “not telling the whole truth” isn’t lying.
Use every single dollar you ever have stewardship of to bless others.
Say “I love you” way too much.
Show “I love you” way too much.
Be with those you love way too much and poor, rather than away from them a little and rich.
LISTEN!
If you must talk, talk about what matters.
Respect everyone. Everyone.
If you don’t look at your kids and marvel, figure out what is wrong with you.
Get over yourself and become a “hugger”.
Walk slowly through the crowd.
Stop being offendable.
Believe.
Be still without being asleep.
Be present without having to be noticed.
Notice without having to be reminded.
Say the negative things after you have exhausted everything you can say that is encouraging to anyone.
Find yourself in every single other person’s flaws, that you may love them.
Accept suffering as a gift, that you may leave nothing wasted.
Think the best of all people, that you may be a blessing.
Humble yourself constantly, that you may be lifted up, and not by yourself.
Receive anything good at all as undeserved grace, that you may be a lover of God, and a benefit to those closest to you and to all mankind.
 
Think of my friend, for a longer amount of time than you have right now. Think of him hugging his wife. Think of him next to his daughter’s hospital bed. Think of his tears mixing with his other sons tears. He lost a son today. Starting today, and not by choice, he will feel a little bit more compassion for what our Father in Heaven endured in order to love the world and rescue us from ourselves. 
 
Glorify God by becoming more like Him. We are all driving somewhere with our loved ones today.
 
 

A Few Special Days

24 May 2007
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Me: “Hey, son. Did you know that you have 3 more days of school and then it’s summer?”
Shade: “Yes. And the 3 days are special days, too.”
– A conversation between me and my oldest son, when I wanted to fuel his excitement about school ending
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two.”
– St. Paul, when faced with the excitement of his life ending
It caught me off guard.
I assumed that Shade would be totally focused on his last day of school, and the freedom represented by leaving Belmar Elementary’s doors one final time (at least for 3 months).
But instead, he quickly acknowledged that while he is looking forward to it, he is a little bit more focused – and a little bit more excited – about the special days he has between know and then.
What wisdom. My children are my greatest teachers.
See, Shade just new that exciting things were coming in each of his remaining days at school. He had a field trip to the Zoo planned for Monday, a special lunch out at “the new McDonalds” with his favorite teacher Mrs. Borger on Tuesday, and a special assembly and Awards Ceremony (which is another story) today. While Shade loves to speak of the coming freedom from school, known to him best through the word “summer”, he had more impending excitements to consider. And they came first. “Special days,” he called them, that resided between now and then.
I couldn’t help but hear echoes of the Apostle Paul in the book of Philippians. He longed to experience what my friend Brad has recently called “The Ultimate Healing”, known to Christians best through the word “death”. He longed for the flesh suit to be discarded, the assaulting war-zone that he exists in to be escaped, and for his eternal reward of perfected union with God, known best to him through the word “salvation”, to be ultimately experienced.
But he was torn.
He had “special days” between now and then that he didn’t want to miss. “Fruitful labor” that brings such sweet satisfaction to his heart. He had “joy” to deliver to others that could only be delivered to them by him remaining in the flesh (i.e.: not dying yet). Which would he choose if he had the choice? He did not know.
I felt like that sometimes in school, growing up. I always longed for the freedom of summer, but I also wanted to enjoy the “special days” that could only be had by being in the school year. Looking back, it was when I focused on the negative aspects of school (homework, research papers, getting up early, Mrs. Morris’ incompetence, Mr. Byrd’s militant ways, social struggles) that I would just do nothing but wish for the escape of summer.
But it was when I was focused on the specialness of school (meeting new people, building friendships, soccer games, soccer practice, teammates, getting in shape, drama class, computer lab, being invested in by conscientious teachers, belonging, school spirit) that I would acknowledge the attractiveness and hope that is available to me through the promise of summer, but would soak up everything there was for me in the “special days” between now and then.
I believe this is available to all human beings. The glory and hope of ultimate union with Christ that will come with the follower of Christ’s life, but the equally enjoyable and glorious nature of all the “special days” in between this day and that.
Which would you choose? Which do you choose?
Which would I choose? I do not know. I can’t wait for the intimacy that I am constantly learning to enjoy in ever-increasing measure to culminate in whatever exciting ways that it will upon my death. But, doggone it, I’m busy enjoying the ever-increasing nature of it, too. And I’m enjoying watching it happen in my wife, and my 3 precious kids, and in the co-workers and Shepherd’s I get to work with, and in the other people who God brings into my life! I’m enjoying the idealism, intimacy, and depth that allowing God to forge me into Christ’s image brings! I want the struggle of learning how to deliver that to my children better and better, how to let God deliver it to me through my wife and friends. I love this life.
For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Which would I choose?
I’m so glad it’s not on us. I am glad I can just enjoy the few “special days” in school with all my heart, living in the present moment, and wringing life out of it…knowing full well that when those are done, “summer” will hit with all it’s freedom, life and glory.
Shade loved his trip to the zoo. He had a blast with his special teacher Mrs. Borger. I attended his Awards Ceremony this morning, and he was elated. And I bet his diving into the “joys of school” will not steal one bit of his excitement when he bursts out the doors of Belmar exclaiming, “Summer is here!”
May we all live such rich lives. Abundant lives. Hope-filled lives. Lives of Christ.


A New Level of Humility

22 May 2007
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“How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” – God
“Humility is impossible for the insecure.” – Yours Truly
“Humility is impossible for weak.” – Yours Truly
“Humility is impossible for those who have something to prove.” – Yours Truly
“Humility is impossible for for the fear-full.” – Yours Truly
“Humility is impossible for the bitter.” – Yours Truly
“Humility is impossible for he who must be acknowledged as right.” – Your Truly
 
“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become [humble] like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Jesus Christ
 
Coming from a religious culture that tied my salvation primarily to 1) believing accurate truth, 2) behaving accurately moral, and 3) and doing the accurate things during “church” has embedded in me the illusion of needing to be right.
 
Christ’s demand for humility has really confronted this illusion. And the more I focus on the practice of Christ’s humility, the more peaceful and untouchable it seems my spirit becomes. Interesting thing is, the more peaceful and untouchable my spirit becomes, the deeper I’m allowed to see into my inner being…at which point, I get to see just how deep my insecurities, fears, and weaknesses are embedded.
 
This is no longer bad news to me, it is merely an objective truth about being human. The commonly perceived “curse” of having the light shone upon our deeper weaknesses and fears is in reality the “blessing” of having those fears and weaknesses penetrated and healed. But, oh, how we avoid the light. And, oh, how we excuse ourselves from allowing this Light of Life from entering in. Either with “productive business” or “slavery to others” and sometimes even with very dutiful and religious works.
 
What do I gain from being right? From winning an argument? From shielding my insecurities? What, truly, have I gained when I’ve proved someone else the fool, and vindicated myself? What gift is it when the “fellowship of the moment” hears me and agrees? Or hears someone else and disagrees because of me?
 
What do I gain when I show myself to be right against my wife about some nuanced detail concerning yesterdays history that was the source of a heated debate this morning? What do I lose when I was mistaken?
 
Humility steals whatever gain there is to be had from such things, which turns out to always be very little and very worthless anyway. And it replaces it with unspeakable and bottomless blessing and glory. Biblically stated, humility delivers the Kingdom of Heaven and it’s transcendent, untouchable, and peaceful ways.
 
The old song still rings in ears, “Lord, its hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way.” 
 
That kind of perfection is way overrated. We should stop fighting against humility in order to protect the illusion of it, and instead embrace humility in order to lean ever-more into the real kind…Christ-likeness.

Born Again?

10 May 2007
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“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” —  Jesus Christ
The guy he was speaking to, Nicodemus, had no category of religion or spirituality that explained what Jesus meant.
 
Most of us don’t either. Some minimize the idea of being “born again” as an act of baptism in water. Some make it ethereal by saying it is a strictly of the “other world” and not something seen and felt in this one. Some doctrinalize it and preach the exact words very loudly, hoping volume will make up for lack of understanding. Some do all three of these, and it is still a far cry from whatever Jesus was saying.
 
Our Master said, “You are Israel’s teacher and do you not understand these things?”
Humbly, we must respond, yes. We are the teachers we do not understand. We have a general intellectual agreement with the fact that it is true, and most of us have experienced some-sort-of-something, but yes, we do not understand these things.
 
Our Teacher tries to explain, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind 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.”
Spirit birthing spirit? Rebirth that is like the wind? Wow. Thanks for clearing that up, Jesus.
 
I think a key for both Nicodemus and us is to stop trying to “categorize” and instead try to “romanticize”. We must embrace (as author Peter Block puts it) idealism, intimacy and depth over efficiency, methodology, and organization. It is quite counter-cultural. But it would be a mistake to dismiss it as unrealistic.
 
Idealism and realism are often set as opposites (I may have done as much, in this old post:  http://brianmashburn.blogspot.com/2005_06_01_archive.html – you’ll have to scroll down to the one entitled ‘The Realist’s Satisfaction vs. The Idealist’s Amazement”). But what if they are not? What if “being idealistic” is a realistic thing to do and be?
 
The idealism I pursue is Christlikeness in every relationship. This work is by default intimate work. And it can not be done on the surface…it requires depth. Every-increasing depth.
 
So…Re-birth…it’s the thing that Jesus (and therefore, we as a church) are offering to the world. And it is oftentimes as mysterious to us as to the beloved one’s that we are peddling it to.
 
We need to shut off our minds and chunk our structures and allow our heart to come up with new categories with which to explain things. As we go, it will require art (pictures, analogies, visuals, metaphors, poetry) in some form to communicate about it. Sorry, left-brainers, but you have a right-brain, too (underdeveloped and underutilized as they may be)…and you will need to exercise it to grasp the re-birth that Christ wants every human to have. THEN, we want to use your left-brain to organize social structures that have half-a-chance of delivering it to more people.
 
If we refuse to open our minds to new categories of thinking, how will we understand teachers who say things like, “Rebirth is like the wind”?

The work of rebirth is intimate…and we have a tendency towards being private.
The work of rebirth is continual…and we have a tendency to do something and be done.
The work of rebirth is found communally in dialogue with God and others…but we hate long meetings (be it with God himself or with others).
 
The work of rebirth… The whole world is set against it. The people of God don’t have time to experience it. And even though it is trying to happen to each person in every moment, we are conditioned to miss it, pursuing other “worthy” things. And God help us, those of us who are leaders and teachers in the church are trying to deliver this mysterious, real, life-giving “wind” to others when we don’t understand it. Seriously, God help us.
 
Seriously, God will. God is. We must only be willing. Here is a piece of art that has long captured my imagination while explaining my experience of re-birth. Guess I’ll just have to leave it with this for now.
 
With passion in our hearts, and with ever-increasing understanding, God is having a group of us “leaders and teachers” in Amarillo become social architects, if you will, organizing our “church” into a community of believers who live and deliver re-birth to as many people as will accept.
 
May God help us.

On Undoing Things and the Amazing Grace In It

5 April 2007
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“Wilbur…you have work to do. Take them on. Stop them! Do it! Blow their dirty, filthy ships out of the water!” – John Newton, to his younger contemporary, William Wilberforce, as they both work toward “undoing” the slavery that John had played a part in maintaining
 
“To Timothy my true son in the faith…stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work-which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” – The Apostle Paul, to his younger contemporary, Timothy, as they both work toward “undoing” a slavery that Paul had played a part in creating.

 
I just saw “Amazing Grace”. The movie about William Wilberforce working to abolish the slave trade in England.
 
I was “assigned” to see this movie by one of my Shepherds and with another one of my Shepherds. The idea behind the assignment was that I am a type of William Wilberforce, and my Shepherd who came with me is a type of John Newton…and that our relationship is similar, and that seeing ourselves played out in this movie would be inspiring and healing.
 
Now, I just want to go on record as saying that this is a really cool “assignment” to give somebody!
 
But more importantly…He was right.
 
Of course, the “movie” that we are living in is not quite as “Big Screen” worthy, but it summoned much from the depths of our hearts nonetheless.
 
The “cause” that William was passionately working for was freedom and life for all men. The enemy was slavery…men enslaved to other men rather than God alone. William’s mentor and minister, John Newton, used to own a slave ship, but repented (he is the one who wrote the song “Amazing Grace”) and now serves God as a humble minister of the pure gospel and inspires others to do the same. John is somewhat haunted by “20,000 ghosts”, he says…the souls of those slaves that he had a hand in enslaving. He is free from playing that role anymore in his life, doing quite the opposite now, but he desperately wants to undo what he has done. And through his enabling of William, and his own confessional truth telling, he plays a significant role in doing just that. While William’s passion and giving of his life for the cause is the primary storyline being watched in the theatre (i.e.: He is the one “preaching” in the parliament), it is John’s repentance from his past life that offers poignant credibility and inspires persistent faithfulness to the cause.
 
The “cause” that I am passionately working for is freedom and life for all men. The enemy is slavery…men enslaved to legalistic religion rather than Christ alone. My mentor and minister, this Shepherd, used to preach and teach this legalistic religion, but repented and now serves God as a humble minister of the pure gospel and inspires others to do the same. My Shepherd is somewhat haunted by his “20,000 ghosts” as well…the souls of those slaves who still live under a legalistic righteousness that he had a hand in teaching. He is free from playing that role anymore in his life, doing quite the opposite now, but he desperately wants to undo what he has done. And through his enabling of me, and his own confessional truth telling, he plays a significant role in doing just that. While my passion and giving of my life for the cause is the primary storyline being watched in our “theatre” (i.e.: I’m the one preaching from the pulpit), it is my Shepherd’s repentance from his past life that offers poignant credibility and inspires persistent faithfulness to the cause.
 
William and John go about their separate lives, connecting periodically and memorably just a few times throughout the movie, faithfully living out and fighting for the cause in their separate roles and ways. I imagine that for each of them, the mere thought of the other inspires them to continue faithfully in the life they now live , and want all others to see.
 
That is a pretty good description of the relationship that my Shepherd and I have.
 
May God bless us with the blessing of living every day in faithfulness to this worthy cause, and may we be grateful every day for how God has given us each other to keep us ever-inspired to die for it.
 
“I once was lost, but now am found…was blind, but now I see.” – A line from the John’s song, Amazing Grace

Walk into Pain

4 April 2007
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“It is the Law that any difficulties that can come to you at any time, no matter what they are, must be exactly what you need most at the moment, to enable you to take the next giant step forward by overcoming them.  The only real misfortune, the only real tragedy, comes when we suffer pointlessly, without learning the lesson.” — Emmet Fox
 
“The circumstances you currently face are the precise conditions required to give you exactly what you are needing to be who you are most longing to be.” – Your Truly
 
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – St. Paul
 
“The obstacles before you will become your source of life.” – The “fortune” from my fortune cookie at lunch yesterday
 
“Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” – Jesus
 
So it comes to this. God has reverted to fortune cookies to pronounce out loud, once again, what has become so glaringly true in my life’s experiences.
 
And yet, still, I resist.
 
I resist pain when it presents itself to me.
I resist coaching others to walk into their pain.
I resist seeing Christ’s life, who I say I want to emulate above all else, primarily as a “walk into pain”.
I resist people who love me enough to point me into it while the world (and my rational flesh) calls them fools.
 
It’s so counter-intuitive. No wonder my Master has tutored me with the idea that “narrow is the road that leads to life” and that only a “few find it”.
 
So few believe. So few. Even among the spiritual. So few.
 
When circumstances provide me with the obvious opportunity to be forged, to confront myself, to transform, to metamorphosis, it always requires time, energy, intent, willingness…suffering.
 
Sometimes I do brain-dead things to drown out the “opportunity”, like flip on the TV or surf the web. But most of the time I need a much more noble distraction to “trick myself” out of doing this self-crucifixion-type work. Something as obviously mind-numbing, useless, and time killing taking a drink, a drug, or even picking up the comic section of the newspaper isn’t thick enough to shade me from the light of opportunity before me. No, I need much more “spiritual” deception. Something I can use to justify my avoidance of true suffering.
 
Like calling a hurting person. God knows there are plenty of them, and after all, what better way to avoid anything lacking in me than by helping someone who is lacking in them? I even get to feel appreciated in my assistance of someone else’s transformation while avoiding mine!
 
Or serving my family. How splendid is that? I get to be a good husband and father, and acknowledged as such, while avoiding the hard inner-work that would be a much truer blessing to them.
 
Or drowning myself in the details of my “work”. I’m a minister, so I get the double bonus of “needing to get my work done” or “providing for my family” AND consider it a service to my church. No one, not even I, will notice that my zeal stems from my fear of suffering. There’s nothing like a little suffering to camouflage my avoidance and fear of a massive dose of it.
 
You know, the opportunity for truly sincere, holy, life-giving suffering is probably constantly available, but rare is the moment, it seems, when it both presents itself in glorious fashion and I am awake enough to see it as such. I should take it when it comes…and so should you.
 
We should put our trust in it’s light while we have it, so that we can become sons of light.
 
Right now, right here, if I will perk up and pay attention, I will undergo a revolution. All things that are present in my life right now, all the cast of characters that surround me, even the seemingly insignificant ones, will work for good for me. If only I will love God and work according to His purpose in putting them all there. If only I will walk into the suffering.
 
It’s trying to happen. For you, too. Look around, spot it, and walk into it. And then, and only then, will you find life to the full. Only then will you be a source of it for others. Only then…will you be more like Christ than you are now.
 
 
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