Archive for July, 2014

What Kind of Follower Are You?

Follow the call of wisdom and head to Proverbial Thought!

Jesus said to many people, “Follow me.”

When He said it to Matthew (Matthew 9:9), we read that Matthew pulled out his smart phone, opened his Facebook app, found “Jesus of Nazareth”, and clicked “Add Friend”. Then he switched to the Twitter app, found @JesusofNazarethMessiah, and clicked “Follow”.

And the world was changed forever! @MatthewLevi and his 11 closest friends re-tweeted and shared everything @JesusofNazarethMessiah tweeted and posted, and lives were changed as all of their followers re-tweeted and shared everything again and again.

Then they all went out for a cup of over-priced coffee to talk about it.

. . .

Or maybe it happened differently? Maybe Jesus expects more from those who follow Him?

Is it enough to follow @JesusofNazareth on Twitter? Is it enough to “Like” or “Friend” Jesus Christ on Facebook? (For the record, I do these!)

Perhaps Jesus expects more of us. Perhaps being a Christian calls for a greater commitment than clicking “Like” or “Follow”.

Perhaps Jesus expects us to change our entire lifestyle and literally follow Him: become like Him, think like Him, walk in His footsteps.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Matthew 16:24-28, ESV

2014
07/29
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Carry your cross
Friend
Jesus
Lifestyle
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 07/27/2014

Stop questioning wisdom and find some at Proverbial Thought!

I recently heard a quote that “You know you are preaching grace right if people think they have license to sin.” (See Romans 6)

The thing is, I think most people either take this idea to heart or completely forget about God’s grace.

In either sense, they forget what God has said, and then they question what God has really said. In one direction it is sinful, and in the other direction it is misleading.

We must remember that He has said, “Go and sin no more.” (such as in John 8:11)

We must also remember that He has said, “You are forgiven.” (such as in Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20, 7:48; and 1 John 2:12)

Also, it seems that it does not matter who you are, but a message similar to the poem today can hit you in the face, knock you down, and help you appreciate God and His grace in a new way.

That is the power of His grace!

 
___   ________   ___
Who are you to question Me?
You came before Me stricken,
I tell you you are healed,
Yet you go right back to your sin.
Still, I have said you are free.
You come back to be forgiven.
JUST STOP! Listen, please.
When you go that way again,
Turn to me, and you will see
You were forgiven for ever when
I sent my Son to that tree!
Stop sinning, my loved children.
You were made whole … complete,
When you said “I repent. Amen.”
Who are you to question Me?
Remember, I have called you friend!

 

2014
07/27
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Forgiveness
Grace
Poetry
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Rediscovering “Rediscovering God with Downhere”

Rediscover wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

Three years and nine days ago I heard a song for the first time that I greatly enjoyed, so I shared it on my blog.

As I have been finishing my first summer as a Seminarian, I am officially beginning my teaching career (in Special Education with children with Autism), and I have had a jam-packed summer of travels, work prep, and simply getting things done.

It has been a little exhausting!

Therefore, I think it is a great time to bring back this song as a good reminder to myself, other seminarians, and all those who tend to work too hard and sometimes forget or neglect time with God (like pastors and other ministry leaders, teachers, and just about anyone else in Western culture). This is “Let Me Rediscover You” by the band Downhere (no longer together, but the lead singer of this song is now “Freddie Mercury” for the Queen cover band Queen Extravaganza).

Just listen to the lyrics and focus on God for about four minutes!

Let Me Rediscover You

Your spirit hovers over my waters
Your love burns longer than the sun
The skies of thunder echo your wonder
Your praises can’t be over-sung

The whole Universe is witness
To only a part of what you’ve done

So let me rediscover you
And breathe in me your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
Oh, let me rediscover you

You see my weakness, my pride, my blindness
You wield your power through them all
Of all the mysteries, still, the greatest to me
Is that you’re faithful when I fall

How can I say I know you
When what I know is still so small?

Let me rediscover you
And breathe in me your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
And let me rediscover you

Let me cry “holy, holy, holy”
(holy, holy, holy)
Let me awaken to your majesty
(waken to your majesty)
And see a glimmer of your glory
Let me abide in you

Let me rediscover you
And by your grace I’ll follow through
Reveal to me the God I thought I knew

Let me rediscover you
And breathe in me your life anew
Tell me of the God I never knew
And let me rediscover you

Oh, let me rediscover you
Tell me of the God I never knew
Jesus, let me rediscover you.

2014
07/22
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God
Jesus
Music
Reblog
Submission
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 07/20/2014

Find joy in wisdom over at Proverbial Thought!

In the summer of 2007, I noticed a word in Proverbs 14:33 for the first time, even though by that point I had read through the book of Proverbs at least four times:

“Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she lets herself be known.” (NIV)

It was an amazing time in my life. I learned a new word, and it totally rocked my world!

Repose means “to rest” or “to recline”, so “Wisdom rests or reclines in the heart of the discerning …”

Later, I read 2 Corinthians 5:14, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.”

Now you have the inspiration for the poem today:

                    _____________
for the joy that besets my soul
not just on my heart to repose
do i find i am being compelled
the love of Christ to share with all
my soul is blessed by God above
with His mercy and grace and love
to the world i shout to come in
and find the joy found only in Him

2014
07/20
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Gospel
Poetry
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Mythic Jesus?

Find truth in myth by finding wisdom in proverbs over at Proverbial Thought!

My wife and I have been in a class at Phoenix Seminary for the past two months, and this class is “Technology in Ministry”.

Mythbusters from Flickr via Wylio

© 2008 grace, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

One of the first ideas introduced to us is the idea of technology becoming mythic. This idea is that once a technology is introduced it relatively quickly seems to have always been with us, usually within a generation.

Think about it: what would life be like without the wheel? What would life be like without light bulbs or refrigerators or running water? What would life be like without the internet or cell phones?

And to drive that last part home, cell phones are less than 20 years old (affordable, small, portable, able to fit in a pocket), yet almost every people group on the planet has cell phones. I personally witnessed it in the mountains of Morocco, and a friend has seen them in the mountainous regions of China where there is almost no other modern technology.

Children born in the past decade will have no experience in a world without the internet or touchscreens. For this children, touchscreens and the internet are mythic. They have always been here.

Other things become mythic, too.

When we hear the word “myth” we automatically jump to the same conclusion as C.S. Lewis before he converted to Christianity: myths are lies and fancy.

What J.R.R. Tolkien and Hugo Dyson showed him, however, is that myths are always based on some element of truth.

The ancient myths most likely were derived from actual people and events in history, but over time they became embellished and twisted. They are not lies, but they are stories that lost their way.

In other words, myths are simply stories. Some contain more truth than others.

Over centuries and even millennia, many stories of human history, stories that pointed to the truth of God, were embellished and twisted. Many people assume there could not have been a global flood. It just seems so outrageous. Yet, virtually every ancient culture around the world had flood stories that are eerily similar, stories that may have been embellished and twisted here and there.

But because these stories have always been with us, we just disregard them as mythic.

But what if a myth was shared that was not embellished or twisted? I mean, it always happens, especially in an age of instant gratification in which people share a story before having all of the facts and the story gets blown out of proportion and people get hurt (like the woman who sued McDonald’s over hot coffee).

Our stories quickly become mythic. There is truth, and it is possible to find that truth.

The thing that Tolkien and Dyson helped Lewis to see is that the myth of Jesus Christ is a true myth.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 1:16, ESV

 

2014
07/15
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Apologetics
Jesus
Truth
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 07/13/2014

Search no more, and find some wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

Firstly, I offer to you today a sort-of-proverb:

those who have accepted Christ

do not like me

those who have responded to Christ

love being around me

The meaning behind this is simple: it is actually easy to accept a truth. People do this all the time without acting on a truth. Think of how many times we see commercials calling for us to sponsor a child or rescue a dog or cat or do something amazing. We accept that we should be doing something to help our world be better, but then we change the channel and maybe think about it again.

It is when we respond that real change begins to happen. When we respond to a call (and I am assuming a positive response), those who have not responded tend to feel guilty or envious. What do guilty and envious people do? They make excuses, they accuse, and they shun. What do those who also responded do? Get together and share stories!

That being said, here is a poem for you about what we are responding to:

______________
i could search forever and never find
a love like that from this God of mine
He is the Creator of the universe
all things from the past through the future
He made my heart and mind and soul
and He maintains His loose yet firm control
because i searched all over and found
that my God can be found all around
He is all good things that exist
and He redeemed us all through His Son Jesus
because His love and grace so wonderful
extends to all men and women who are sinful
and means it covers every person
and therefore all of His Creation
you could search forever and also find
the greatest love is shown in Jesus Christ

2014
07/13
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Love
Poetry
Proverbs
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Unsound … and Okay

Make sure your soul is okay and find some wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

My wife and I recently watched a movie about the battle between good and evil. Angels and demons fought over the lives of humans, and what could have been purely a love story was about more of the battle for our souls.

They included the basic elements of good versus evil, grace, forgiveness, and the power of love. These were masterfully portrayed.

However, I must say, I disagreed with so much of the theology of the film. They twisted basic understanding of good and evil and the character of God. They elevated the importance of angels and demons. They made the Universe out to be God.

That being said, I still liked the movie, overall.

It may have been theologically unsound with un-biblical ideas, but I thought it was okay.

There was this overarching theme of how important it is to love unconditionally and that we play important roles in each other’s lives.

I can hear all of the voices in the Christian realm complaining about its New Age-y messages and dangerous ideas, and all I can think of is “Would these people have reacted the same way as the Pharisees did to Jesus’ parables?”

I am in no way comparing a modern movie (with clear theological issues) to Jesus’ words, except to point out that Jesus told wild stories to get important messages to people … if they were willing to listen.

“And [Jesus] was teaching them many things in parables . . . And he said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.‘”
Mark 4:2-9

2014
07/08
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Love
Parable
Winter's Tale
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 07/06/2014

Do not torment your soul and get wisdom as expounded at Proverbial Thought!

I know this is the weekend of Independence Day here in the good ol US of A (Yep. I put the “of” in there!), but I am making my way through written poems from several years ago!

Also, I think the poem today is rather apropos.

On a weekend celebrating independence and freedom, this poem looks at the effect of taking our own independence of God (not bothering to have Him in our lives). It can be about a believer who loses his or her way or the lost soul of an unrepentant sinner wondering if there is something else out there.

When I wrote this, a friend of mine was going through a severe crisis of faith, and he started doing things he knew were stupid. And he suffered for it.

Do not turn away from God. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV) And, “admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (v. 14)

As Red Green says, “Keep your stick on the ice.” And “Remember, I’m pullin’ for ya. We’re all in this together.”

___   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___
the torment of a soul apart from God
___   ___   ___   ___   ___   ___
the torment of a soul apart from God
avoiding all that is holy and good
depriving itself of happiness
avoiding the things of holiness
knowing that life with Him frees
always staying just out of His reach
the torment that never goes away
though at times may ebb and sway
destroys the body and the mind
because it can never seem to find
a peace or a joy that can last
or a way to forget the past
the torment that that soul endures
chasing everything that is impure
trying to deny that God exists
and always willing to just persist
because of fears that love will reveal
the darkness that it always feels
the torment of a soul at the edge
like standing on the railing of a bridge
fear the only thing that is hindering
but unable to stop the wondering
if God could really love trash like this
if God   __   __   __   __   really is

2014
07/06
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Despair
Fear
Poetry
Struggles
Wayward brother
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Deceitful Riches

Many in our nation, and even our world, latch onto the Constitutional clause “… the pursuit of happiness” and immediately think, “If I get rich, I will find happiness.” For this Independence Day week (here in the States, anyway), I am sharing my entry from Proverbial Thought as a small reminder of what a pursuit of riches can mean.

Proverbial Thought

Proverbs 23:1-3

1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

1 When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.
3 Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. (NIV)

The Wealthiest

Most if not all people who read this live in or were born in a so-called First World nation. These are the wealthiest and most technologically advanced nations.

The standard need of the average citizen here – food, clothing, shelter, etcetera – is usually met.

In fact, today’s passage is probably more of a warning to you if you live in one of these nations, than it…

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2014
07/01
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