Signing Off...for Now

Being introduced to the blogging world about a year ago opened the door to a fun, new hobby. I have really enjoyed getting perspectives from people far beyond my scope of personal relationships. It has also been fun to have a very small, but public forum to practice trying to think out loud and on screen. I'd love to keep up with blogging and be a regular poster, but that is simply not going to happen in this season of life so for now I am signing off. Happy blogging!

Theology Schmeology

Question:

Our current social/philosophical culture has had a very interesting impact upon theology and the manner in which Christians interact. What do you think has changed between the early church and now that allows for the theological indifference experienced in our age. Is this theological indifference a good or a bad thing? Why?

My attempt at an answer:
The Church, through the reformation, lived in a drastically different world and culture than we do now. The Church was much more united and when one spoke of the Church there was a sense of the one, holy, apostolic and Catholic Church that one was referring to. This Church took great pains to lay out their theological positions in the form of councils, creeds, etc. and these positions were applicable to the whole Church. Those dissenting groups that did not agree with the church’s official position found themselves at best as outcasts or worse as victims of persecution with little opportunity for recourse. Given our current cultural context, it is amazing to think of the profound struggles that have occurred in reaction to peoples passionately held theological beliefs.

We, in contrast, live in a world of theological diversity, ignorance and indifference, even among Christians. Theological distinctives of denominations are not even known among the professing members of some congregations, and furthermore, the denomination of many churches is not even known to many of the attendees. Several of the things which our culture highly esteems set us up for this theological indifference. Consider some of our highly esteemed values such as acceptance and diversity, community and experience, especially over and above propositional truth and the rampant consumerism of our age.

I am not saying that these things are inherently bad, just that we must acknowledge the role they play in the status we afford to theology. When we highly value diversity as a whole, it also affects the particulars, and so we have a wide variety of acceptable theologies. Given our accepting culture, it is hard to not end up in a place where it is not necessary to pin down ones particular theological leanings as long as we know we all share the same basics. In regards to community, the emphasis is placed on faith lived out, not necessarily the details of the theology behind it. Out of sincere love for God and His creation, one can seek to be Jesus hands and feet to the world around them without having to nail down ones eschatology, view on predestination, or any number of theological quandaries. Additionally, most would admit we are in a consumer driven society and the church has been greatly influenced by this. We have the freedom to buy just about anything. We get to choose what we will live in, and what variety of shampoo we desire to use. We are used to having options and to picking that which works best for us, and in general, we are pretty content to let our neighbors buy what works for them. Is it any wonder that we carry this attitude over to theology?

Personally, I think this has potential to be a good thing if we can put it within the guardrails of a church that is heavily into the Word of God. There is certainly room for diversity, acceptance, experience, etc. in the kingdom of God, but if we don’t - across the board - have a high regard for, and knowledge of Scripture then we put ourselves greatly at risk of falling prey to heresy or relativism. I’d love to see more churches that offer opportunities for in-depth study of the Word of God, as well as of theology and I think this could help to provide the guardrails we need.

Anyone else’s answer?

The Starving Baker

Last week, I was apart of an amazing event. We brought together some great leaders and had the opportunity to interact with them for three days. We provided 15 breakout sessions with excellent people who were willing to share what they are experiencing and learning in their settings and then we went on to two full days of general session with great speakers like Donald Miller and Andy Stanley. And yet as I sat and stared at the computer last night and now tonight, I realize that as amazing as I hear the event I was apart of was, I walked away with very little to share about it. I have been so busy working that I haven’t heard anything interesting, read anything interesting, or even thought of anything interesting for weeks. It reminds me of a leadership lesson I read years ago.

In Tim Elmore’s first Habitudes book (www.growingleaders.com) he introduces the image of the starving baker. The story goes something like this….imagine you find a great little bakery and apparently many other people also discover it is a place worth frequenting. You often visit the shop and enjoy the wonderful breads and pastries the baker provides. You come to notice the baker is rapidly losing weight. You take the time to observe what is happening in his life and you notice he is so busy preparing and serving bread to others that he is forgetting to eat himself. Ironically, he is surrounded by nourishment and yet he is starving.

Admittedly, some seasons are more intense than others, but I am reminded that it is worth counting the price that will be paid if we allow ourselves to go for a prolonged amount of time without investing in ourselves. Leading up to Catalyst, I tried to admit the reality of life without throwing it all out the window for six weeks. I knew going to the gym five days a week for an hour a day was not going to be realistic so I aimed for three times a week for thirty minutes. The goal was to recognize reality and come up with some realistic expectations that could keep me on the right track. I think sometimes in life we need to do this relationally, spiritually, and in our plans for personal growth. Perhaps it is hard to do because we feel like we are letting ourselves off the hook when we should be working harder to get it all in. We, rightfully, do not want to lower our expectations of ourselves, but on the other hand we do need to accept the reality of a particular, defined, period of time. It can be tricky. We can’t let the current busy season roll into the next busy season and continue to get by only putting in the minimum across the board or we will end up feeling the effects of that.

Tim shares another story in this lesson about the starving baker that really brings it home for me. He talks about two lumberjacks who challenge each other to see who could cut the most trees down in a day. The first lumberjack started his day by “wasting” two hours sharpening his axe while the other lumberjack jumped ahead in the contest by immediately felling trees, but at the end of the day it was the lumberjack who had taken the time to sharpen his axe that had cut the most trees down. By the end of the day the first lumberjacks axe was still sharp while his colleagues axe was dull. The same amount of hard work and strength was being put in by both for the last half of the day, but the one who had prepared himself was able to do his job much more effectively.

I very much understand that we can sit and look at our schedules and not see any time to invest in ourselves, but yet I can also see the folly in that. Knowing the right thing to do is often simple, but following through and actually doing it is often hard. It is my hope that I can keep the image of the starving baker before me when I enter my next season of craziness. It is worth being intentional about investing in ourselves for our long term physical, mental and spiritual health, as well as for the quality of whatever it is we aim to produce for others.

(I will get the cd's of the event so maybe later I can have something to share from it :-)

Turn of Events

Today I read an article about dealing with pivotal circumstances and I loved the practicality of it. The article was written by Reggie Joiner (Turn of Events) and it challenged me to go into my next pivotal circumstance looking for God in the midst of it, and to consider that God wants to build my confidence in Him and my passion for Him through the circumstance. I may have arrived at the circumstance by my own poor decision, or it may be a good circumstance God has allowed to bless me, but either way, I need to look for God in it.

So often we spend so much time trying to control our circumstances. We say we know we are not in control and yet we do everything within our power in hopes that we can sway the circumstances of life in a way we would find desirable. I am not saying that is wrong, I am all for being intentional with every bit of life, but it does make me consider what kind of position that puts us in when we find ourselves in unexpected circumstances. All of a sudden our illusion of control is shattered as we find ourselves facing an unexpected reality. The circumstance can be good or bad, but the fact that it was not on our radar makes it disconcerting and at this point we must look to see what God is up to in our midst.

Sometimes we find ourselves in circumstances we aren’t happy about. It is hard to cheerfully receive that which God has provided us with when what He has provided us with does not match up with what we were planning on. We can get lost in trying to figure out how the circumstance came to be, or we can look for God in the midst of it, and trust Him to correct it if that is what needs to happen. However, correcting the circumstance may not be God’s desire. I’ve heard Ken Boa say many times that God cares more about our holiness than He cares about our happiness. He may have allowed the circumstance to build our confidence in Him, and our pursuit of Him. The situation may work itself out in a way that is favorable to our own cause and so we walk away blessing God for His graciousness to us, or the situation may not come to a successful resolution, but in the process we experience God walking closely with us and so walk away strengthened to the core. God is at work in both cases.

The article suggested we read the passage in Luke 8 where Jesus quells the stormy seas by his spoken word. The disciples present for that pivotal circumstance walked away with a rock solid picture of who Jesus was, and an assurance that they could trust God to be God. In seeing their concern over the storm, Jesus asks them where their faith is. The article challenged the reader to walk into the next pivotal circumstance with a 3x5 card that says “Where is my faith?” I may be caught by surprise by some of the twists and turns of life, but God is bigger than any circumstance and can be trusted to walk with me through all of them.

Religion vs. the Gospel

I recently listened to a lecture given by Tim Keller on the difference between the gospel and religion. This was my introduction to Mr. Keller and I appreciated what he had to say so thought I would share my notes. I know my notes do not do the lecture justice, but perhaps something in it provides a good reminder. I believe this lecture was given at the Resurgence Conference fall of 2005.

Keller says religion operates on the principle that I obey, and therefore God accepts me where as, the gospel operates on the premise that I am accepted because of what Jesus Christ has done for me, therefore I obey. Luther says the default mode of the human heart is to believe that we are accepted because we obey. Why? Perhaps part of the reason this is so, is that it allows us an illusion of being able to control our lives by what we do rather than accepting the radical grace of Jesus Christ for our salvation. Accepting salvation on the sole basis of God’s grace towards us takes our control totally out of it.

On the surface, you may not see a great difference between those living on the basis of the gospel or those living on the basis of religion. Both are earnestly seeking to obey and honor God, but it is the inward motivation that is drastically different. In religion, I am driven to do all I should out of fear of rejection and/or insecurity. If one accepts the gospel as ones starting point then one does all he/she should in an effort to please, resemble and delight the one who loves us unconditionally.

What we believe effects how we live out our Christian life. If I base my justification on my sanctification and performance then when I sin I am either mad at myself for not living up to what I know I should, or mad at God for not sparing me from myself. As a result, in religion it is absolutely critical that I see myself as a good person. Otherwise, I can have no self esteem because my worth is based on my behavior. In contrast, when one whose beliefs are founded in the Gospel sins, then he/she may struggle, but can ultimately rest in knowing that my punishment, all of it, fell on Jesus and He will exercise His fatherly love in my trial. The gospel affirms that I am more wicked than I ever believed and I am more loved than I could ever imagine. This produces incredible humility and yet a healthy sense of pride, and does not over value or undervalue tradition.

On Being Content

Getting ready in the morning, I was thinking about all the money we had spent repairing the car the last few weeks. I said to myself, “I am never going to get where I want to be.” I realized my error quickly and said, “I should have said God is never going to get me where I want to be.” I shook my head as I realized I still did not have it right and I tried again. I said, “Apparently God is going to get me where He wants me to be and I need to learn to be content with that.” Finally… I could stop talking out loud to myself and finish getting ready.

I sighed and kept getting ready as I realized the truth in my third sentence to myself. I know God is my provider and I regularly submit to it, and yet I so easily go back to having an illusion of control. It is such a balancing act. I certainly believe that I do need to do my part and wisely manage the money God has entrusted me with and I believe I need to work to earn money in an honorable way, but on the other hand I can’t believe that by doing what I am supposed to, that I have any control.

I struggled with 1 Chronicles 29:11 – 13 when I had to memorize it for Crown years ago, but it has come back to me often. “11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.” I do not know how to reconcile that with my strong tendencies towards freewill, but I do believe those verses. I believe them, but they certainly do not always seem to make sense. Yikes – look at some of the people out there who have wealth and honor! I am reminded of David’s lamentations about the wicked people who are prospering and God reminds David that there is a bigger picture to keep in mind.

If I accept the truth of those verses then being content needs to become a goal that is high on my priority list. How do you experience a sense of contentment, and cultivate a mindset of being content in the midst of a society that profits off of, and hence pushes discontentment? I have three recurring thoughts when I consider how to develop a mindset of being content in much or in little. To experience contentedness, I need to: develop a sense of overflowing gratefulness for that which I do have, have an eternal perspective, and have a perspective that takes into account those people who are in more challenging straits than I am. As I thought about my frustration with the car I realized I was grateful that we had the funds to fix the car and I was grateful to have a car. I thought about the many, many people who lack any form of convenient transportation. I thought about what really matters. My financial goals are really only goals that serve to give me greater freedom to be the woman God has called me to be.

If I can catch myself feeling dissatisfied and in that moment ask myself what I am grateful for, why does this really matter, and how does it compare to the struggles of people near and far then I hope I will reinforce a spirit of contentment. In that spirit of contentment I can seek to do my best while at the same time relinquishing the illusion of control.

The Sabbath

What does the Sabbath mean to us today? If we decided to observe the Sabbath what would that look like? Why do many of us not specifically set aside a Sabbath day? I’ll be the first to admit I do not know a lot about the concept. The word "Sabbath" even sounds out of place, and I am not sure how it is supposed to be practiced in our crazy, busy culture and age. I have this general idea that I should not work on Sundays, but I also have a feeling there is more to it than just not working at my Monday – Friday job. I also have a sense of tension between the freedom we know God allows us and the things He asks us to do.

Recently, I listened to a podcast by Rob Bell where he talked about how he began to observe the Sabbath about two years ago and it has revolutionized his life. He says the Sabbath is not something to be legalistic about, but rather is a gift to be savored. Taking a proper Sabbath energizes and restores us to wholeness in preparation for the next six days of the week. Personally, he found it extremely difficult to begin to refrain from business or busyness on his Sabbath, but that now it is a day he and his family look forward to.

I found his comments interesting, especially since this is a topic that has been on my mind the last several months. Mark Buchanan’s “Your God is Too Safe” is one of the best books I have read in the last few years and I was excited to hear he had a new book out. His new book is, “The Rest of God,” and I am told that it deals with the concept of the Sabbath. Hmmm...now that I know what it is about, I half want to read it, and half am afraid to read it. The concept came up again when my small group at work recently was going through the Life@Work curriculum, and we came across a quote that said something to the effect that it takes faith to observe the Sabbath. I have been thinking about that quote now for about two weeks. I think sometimes we think if we do not create our own opportunity for advancement it will never come. Sometimes going above and beyond and working all weekend is one way we see to get ahead. Ouch – I am reminded that if I am doing my part in being a good employee then I can trust God to do His part in making me as successful as He wants me to be.

I think another reason we do not take a Sabbath is because we do not understand the value of taking a break and renewing ourselves. I have heard a few people, who very intentionally take a Sabbath, talk about what observing the Sabbath does for them and it is obvious they feel it is a practice that adds immense value to their lives. Perhaps the rest of us are missing out on something?

Any thoughts out there in blog world? If you do, or were to, practice a Sabbath what would it be defined by? And, secondly, why do you, or why do you not observe the Sabbath?