I got a facebook message today from A Christian Ministry in the National Parks.
It closed with this benediction:
"May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done."
Tomorrow night, while I'm at our youth gathering, the school board will decide how many employees they must let go to meet the allotted state budget. That means, as of 6:30 tomorrow night, I may no longer have a contract for next year. That means, I get to keep trusting God just as much as I have been all year long.
The world's a big place. Maybe my time in Kitsap is almost over. Maybe not.
I'm hoping that I won't spend tomorrow pre-occupied with the school board meeting. We're making explosives in science class. We're going on a long run for track practice. We're collecting food for the Bremerton Foodline at youth. I pray that God blesses me with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, rather than tears for myself. I pray for the strength to reach hands to comfort students and to turn their pain into joy.
May God bless me with enough foolishness to believe I can make a difference in this world.
I'm on Team Jesus. He's already won.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
a journal entry that should have been done BEFORE the Mazatlan meeting today
Sometime after school gets out in June (like the 18th or so), our youth team is sending a team to Mazatlan, Mexico. We're going to partner with local churches to be the hands and feet of Christ. I joined the team a little late in the game and am still catching up on the details, but...that's pretty much how life works these days.
One of our training preparations is to read a section of Romans 8 each week and respond. So, here goes...
So there is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the life-giving power of the Spirit has saved us through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. The Law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent His only Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so the requirement of the Law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sin natures but instead follow the Spirit.- Romans 8:1-4 NLT
I've been reading Romans chapter 8 every day at work during my planning period. The last two weeks, though, it's been hard to get past the first sentence. "NO CONDEMNATION"
Wow. Makes you realize the enormity of grace.
I'm realizing how much of my life has been wasted in condemnation. Trying to please people, or measure up to unwritten expectations placed on myself. If Christ doesn't condemn me, no one else has the power to, either.
Here, in the very first verse, is a proclamation of innocence. God doesn't condemn me. I belong to Christ Jesus. Through Christ, I am offered the life-giving power of the Spirit. God wants me to walk with Him. He sent His Son to rescue me. I forfeit the right to condemn myself. Christ has conquered death. There's no reason for me to act like sin has control.
It's the same Gospel I've heard my entire life. Why did this never hit home before?
Then, a little further down, there's a beautiful phrase: But God put into effect a different plan to save us.
Growing up with a knowledge of the Law, it's tempting to seek salvation through legalism. BUT THAT'S NOT GOD'S PLAN! Liberating, isn't it?! The plan became: Send Jesus.
And because Jesus came as a sinless sacrifice, we have perfect new life. We don't have to live for the Law. We don't have to be victims of sin's control. WE GET TO FOLLOW THE SPIRIT.
So, to re-cap:
God does not condemn us
Even though we cannot fulfill the Law.
That's why He sent Jesus
So we may now follow the Spirit.
Mmmm... Good News.
One of our training preparations is to read a section of Romans 8 each week and respond. So, here goes...
So there is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the life-giving power of the Spirit has saved us through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. The Law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent His only Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin's control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so the requirement of the Law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sin natures but instead follow the Spirit.- Romans 8:1-4 NLT
I've been reading Romans chapter 8 every day at work during my planning period. The last two weeks, though, it's been hard to get past the first sentence. "NO CONDEMNATION"
Wow. Makes you realize the enormity of grace.
I'm realizing how much of my life has been wasted in condemnation. Trying to please people, or measure up to unwritten expectations placed on myself. If Christ doesn't condemn me, no one else has the power to, either.
Here, in the very first verse, is a proclamation of innocence. God doesn't condemn me. I belong to Christ Jesus. Through Christ, I am offered the life-giving power of the Spirit. God wants me to walk with Him. He sent His Son to rescue me. I forfeit the right to condemn myself. Christ has conquered death. There's no reason for me to act like sin has control.
It's the same Gospel I've heard my entire life. Why did this never hit home before?
Then, a little further down, there's a beautiful phrase: But God put into effect a different plan to save us.
Growing up with a knowledge of the Law, it's tempting to seek salvation through legalism. BUT THAT'S NOT GOD'S PLAN! Liberating, isn't it?! The plan became: Send Jesus.
And because Jesus came as a sinless sacrifice, we have perfect new life. We don't have to live for the Law. We don't have to be victims of sin's control. WE GET TO FOLLOW THE SPIRIT.
So, to re-cap:
God does not condemn us
Even though we cannot fulfill the Law.
That's why He sent Jesus
So we may now follow the Spirit.
Mmmm... Good News.
Friday, April 23, 2010
screamo
Sometimes life is a screamo song.
Music. A good beat. Lyrics. Then a good drum solo followed by screaming. On pitch, of course.
Listening to a song right now by David Crowder Band. Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord. Psalm 100, right?
Maybe it's the product of too much coffee. There is caffeine in every cell of my body.
Maybe it's the tension heavy in the air here. Something big is going on. And not just in Kitsap, either. Friends in different corners of the Earth keep sharing the spiritual conflict.
Maybe it's something else.
Whatever the reason...life is the bridge of a screamo song. Right about now, the rockstar is grabbing the mic and pointing to the crowd. Nod your head. Pump your fist. Join the mosh pit.
Make a joyful noise!
God wins.
Some of my friends are living in Mazatlan, Mexico right now. Loving the hungry, the poor, the imprisoned. Tomorrow night they're having a prayer meeting to fight the darkness in their city. Praying for redemption from the drug-related violence that's attacking the city. Pray for peace. Pray for healing. Pray for God's spirit to wash over their city. And our city. And your city.
Right now we're in the bridge of the song. But the outtro is coming. Resolution. And it's gonna be EPIC.
Music. A good beat. Lyrics. Then a good drum solo followed by screaming. On pitch, of course.
Listening to a song right now by David Crowder Band. Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord. Psalm 100, right?
Maybe it's the product of too much coffee. There is caffeine in every cell of my body.
Maybe it's the tension heavy in the air here. Something big is going on. And not just in Kitsap, either. Friends in different corners of the Earth keep sharing the spiritual conflict.
Maybe it's something else.
Whatever the reason...life is the bridge of a screamo song. Right about now, the rockstar is grabbing the mic and pointing to the crowd. Nod your head. Pump your fist. Join the mosh pit.
Make a joyful noise!
God wins.
Some of my friends are living in Mazatlan, Mexico right now. Loving the hungry, the poor, the imprisoned. Tomorrow night they're having a prayer meeting to fight the darkness in their city. Praying for redemption from the drug-related violence that's attacking the city. Pray for peace. Pray for healing. Pray for God's spirit to wash over their city. And our city. And your city.
Right now we're in the bridge of the song. But the outtro is coming. Resolution. And it's gonna be EPIC.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
whirlwind
Spring is here and life has exploded.
It's official.
With quarter ending and track season starting, its tough to catch a breath. Literally. Some track workouts this week have required ALL of my oxygen! Full days. Nights that stretch longer than they should. Friends breaking up, thinking the world is ending.But, its for the mission. It's worth it in eternity, right?
Trying to figure out everything I've learned, experienced, processed this month. It feels like a whirlwind. Like that scene in the middle of Where the Heart Is where the tornado tears apart the town and almost sucks Natalie Portman and her daughter out of the storm cellar.
Proverbs 1:27 talks about calamity coming like a whirlwind. Destroying the wicked. Robbing all hope from people who can't trust Jesus. It's like the terrible, morbid picture of judgement in Joel chapter 2. The urgent reminder that Christ is returning.
Then, there's also the idea of God coming to speak through the whirlwind. It's how He called Elijah back to Himself in 2 Kings 11. It's how He spoke to Job in chapter 38. It's how Isaiah proclaims that God will return in chapter 66.
Yesterday there was a beautiful storm. Hail. Lightning. Powerful, gorgeous dark clouds that billowed in front of the Sun and hugged the mountain peaks. I stopped at the Comfort Inn to pick up a car for a friend and got to see the vivid end of a rainbow reaching down into Oyster Bay.
When the Sun broke through the dangerous clouds, it looked like they were on fire.
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet. --Nahum 1:3 NAS
And so, waiting during the whirlwind, I will cling to the joy of loving our God. He is great in power. Nothing catches Him by surprise. On days like today, His way is in the whirlwind. And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
It's official.
With quarter ending and track season starting, its tough to catch a breath. Literally. Some track workouts this week have required ALL of my oxygen! Full days. Nights that stretch longer than they should. Friends breaking up, thinking the world is ending.But, its for the mission. It's worth it in eternity, right?
Trying to figure out everything I've learned, experienced, processed this month. It feels like a whirlwind. Like that scene in the middle of Where the Heart Is where the tornado tears apart the town and almost sucks Natalie Portman and her daughter out of the storm cellar.
Proverbs 1:27 talks about calamity coming like a whirlwind. Destroying the wicked. Robbing all hope from people who can't trust Jesus. It's like the terrible, morbid picture of judgement in Joel chapter 2. The urgent reminder that Christ is returning.
Then, there's also the idea of God coming to speak through the whirlwind. It's how He called Elijah back to Himself in 2 Kings 11. It's how He spoke to Job in chapter 38. It's how Isaiah proclaims that God will return in chapter 66.
Yesterday there was a beautiful storm. Hail. Lightning. Powerful, gorgeous dark clouds that billowed in front of the Sun and hugged the mountain peaks. I stopped at the Comfort Inn to pick up a car for a friend and got to see the vivid end of a rainbow reaching down into Oyster Bay.
When the Sun broke through the dangerous clouds, it looked like they were on fire.
The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet. --Nahum 1:3 NAS
And so, waiting during the whirlwind, I will cling to the joy of loving our God. He is great in power. Nothing catches Him by surprise. On days like today, His way is in the whirlwind. And clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
trail mix
Processing a lot of big ideas...
But in the meantime, I made some awesome trail mix.
Cashews
Pecans
Sunflower seeds
Soynuts
Raisins
Dried cranberries
CHOCOLATE
But in the meantime, I made some awesome trail mix.
Cashews
Pecans
Sunflower seeds
Soynuts
Raisins
Dried cranberries
CHOCOLATE
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Resurrection
This weekend I've been talking a lot with a friend about the appropriate emotional response to Easter. Like, when are you supposed to be sad? When is it okay to be happy? What if you have more than one emotion at once?
Maybe it sounds elementary. But, we've been wrestling with these questions since Wednesday's youth gathering.
Emotions in the Resurrection Story
When Jesus died, the bad guys were the only ones excited. And not even all of them. Pilate washed his hands symbolically, showing he did not agree with the crowd's condemnation. Herod wanted to see Jesus like a rock star or political figure. Maybe Barabbas was excited. The crowd surged at riot-level energy, clinging to jealousy and self-righteousness.
But Jesus did not walk to the cross laughing or cheering. Right before He was arrested, Jesus begged the Father's will be done and still asked for the cup to be taken from Him. (Luke 22) Nobody else understood the terrifyingly beautiful impact of what Jesus would do by dying on the cross.
Jesus' disciples were already "sleeping from sorrow" (Luke 22:45) while Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. How much more would that sorrow grow as they watched Jesus stop breathing on the cross?
Peter's bitter weeping came as a response to Jesus' prophecy over him: that Peter would deny Jesus three times. Incredible guilt. A heavy emotion, waiting for resolution that a dead friend can't bring.
After Jesus died, some responded with tasks. This is the grief-emotion I relate to the best. Joseph and the women quickly began preparing Jesus' body for burial, knowing that the Sabbath would force them to take a day of rest.
All this to say...every emotion was present at Golgotha when Jesus died.
And Easter morning, those emotions had not yet faded.
The women who first found the tomb empty are frantic to find the body of their Lord. They were not thinking "Oh, He must have come back to life." Then, when messengers from God come to share the Glorious News, the women are terrified! I would be, too. But once the women get the message...they remember. Suddenly it all makes sense! Suddenly they must go share the Glorious News.
Yet, as the women returned to the church of mourners and shared what they had seen, "these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they wouldnot believe them." (Luke 24:11) What an urgent message! How did these women feel when their account was considered "nonsense"?
But Peter and John wanted this to be true. So they take off towards the tomb and discover the body is gone. And they marvel.
Jesus starts re-appearing to His friends and followers. Suddenly, so much of what He said before the crucifixion makes sense to them. Some still respond in fear, in doubt, in amazement.
This morning, I rejoice that Jesus conquered death. I know how the story ended. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
And I praise our God for bringing us through every emotion. He knows our hearts better than we do ourselves. He knows exactly how to show us that we need Him. Beautiful.
So how do we react? "And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,and were continually in the temple praising God." Luke 24:52 & 53
He is Risen!
Maybe it sounds elementary. But, we've been wrestling with these questions since Wednesday's youth gathering.
Emotions in the Resurrection Story
When Jesus died, the bad guys were the only ones excited. And not even all of them. Pilate washed his hands symbolically, showing he did not agree with the crowd's condemnation. Herod wanted to see Jesus like a rock star or political figure. Maybe Barabbas was excited. The crowd surged at riot-level energy, clinging to jealousy and self-righteousness.
But Jesus did not walk to the cross laughing or cheering. Right before He was arrested, Jesus begged the Father's will be done and still asked for the cup to be taken from Him. (Luke 22) Nobody else understood the terrifyingly beautiful impact of what Jesus would do by dying on the cross.
Jesus' disciples were already "sleeping from sorrow" (Luke 22:45) while Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. How much more would that sorrow grow as they watched Jesus stop breathing on the cross?
Peter's bitter weeping came as a response to Jesus' prophecy over him: that Peter would deny Jesus three times. Incredible guilt. A heavy emotion, waiting for resolution that a dead friend can't bring.
After Jesus died, some responded with tasks. This is the grief-emotion I relate to the best. Joseph and the women quickly began preparing Jesus' body for burial, knowing that the Sabbath would force them to take a day of rest.
All this to say...every emotion was present at Golgotha when Jesus died.
And Easter morning, those emotions had not yet faded.
The women who first found the tomb empty are frantic to find the body of their Lord. They were not thinking "Oh, He must have come back to life." Then, when messengers from God come to share the Glorious News, the women are terrified! I would be, too. But once the women get the message...they remember. Suddenly it all makes sense! Suddenly they must go share the Glorious News.
Yet, as the women returned to the church of mourners and shared what they had seen, "these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would
But Peter and John wanted this to be true. So they take off towards the tomb and discover the body is gone. And they marvel.
Jesus starts re-appearing to His friends and followers. Suddenly, so much of what He said before the crucifixion makes sense to them. Some still respond in fear, in doubt, in amazement.
This morning, I rejoice that Jesus conquered death. I know how the story ended. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
And I praise our God for bringing us through every emotion. He knows our hearts better than we do ourselves. He knows exactly how to show us that we need Him. Beautiful.
So how do we react? "And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,and were continually in the temple praising God." Luke 24:52 & 53
He is Risen!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
spring breaking
Beautiful blessed rest! That's a theme of this week. Praise God for time to love, time to enjoy, time to work and time to sleep. A whole week of time. A whole HOLY WEEK. It's beautiful.
So, here are some verses to chew on...
I have thought about this in connection with the various kinds of work God has given people to do.
So, here are some verses to chew on...
| What do people really get for all their hard work? |
| God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. |
And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
| ||
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Ephesians 5
Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints. Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them, for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light – for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – and find out what pleases the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. But all things being exposed by the light are made evident. For everything made evident is light, and for this reason it says:
“Awake, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you!”
Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord’s will is. And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, because the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church – he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.