No Rest For The Radical

Over the course of the past couple of years I have read more than one book that made me uncomfortable in a good way and, at the same time, uncomfortable in a bad way. All of us who know Christ need to be challenged to deepen our devotion to Him. We need to be honest about how far short of loving the Lord with ALL our hearts, ALL our souls, ALL our minds and ALL our strength, we truly fall. (See Mark 12:30)

We need to be encouraged to keep pressing towards the mark (See Phil 3:12). We must not allow ourselves to become complacent or to allow apathy to creep in and erode our passion. We need to be crazy in love with Jesus. And realizing how far short of that we normally come should make us uncomfortable and desirous of more. We must be called to an awareness of how much, and how often, we compromise our faith and conform, allowing the world, rather than the Word, to shape our lives.

But there is also something about the onslaught of recent books and materials calling us to a radical devotion to Christ that makes me uncomfortable in a bad way and I have not been able to sort it out theologically as of yet. That’s why when I came across some quotes recently from a new book by pastor and author Larry Osborne it got my attention. I haven’t read it yet but it is definitely on my list for summer reading this year. Here is some of what Larry has to say about the subject that caught my eye.

“There is nothing praiseworthy in a feel-good, lukewarm, consumer Christianity that never asks us to change or do anything. It makes Jesus gag. But we must never forget that there is also nothing praiseworthy in a spiritual zeal that looks down on others or sublimates Jesus' grace and mercy in order to emphasize our radical obedience and sacrifice. That too makes Jesus gag… Following Jesus is not a race to see who can be the most radical, sacrificial, knowledgeable, or quickest to burn out. It’s not a contest to see who’s willing to take the hardest road. That’s asceticism, not discipleship. For the gospel to remain the gospel, grace and mercy have to remain front and center. When the radicalness of my commitment, the intensity of my zeal, or the extent of my personal sacrifices become the means to receive or maintain God’s acceptance and approval, the good news of the gospel is no longer good news to anyone except those of us who excel. Make no mistake. My warnings about the dangers of an overzealous faith are not meant as a defense of soft and easy Christianity. They are simply a plea that we remain true to the heart of the gospel, offering rest, help, hope, and salvation to the weary and heavy laden.”   Larry Osborne in ‘Accidental Pharisees’

Eight Years

Eight years ago we purchased a ten acre parcel of former farmland immediately behind our church building. This week we planted over 60 trees on those 10 acres. For some people that might not seem like a big deal but for me it was historic. Over the course of these years we excavated almost the entire property for what will be a beautiful park and without the deep pockets of big business at times it seemed like we would never get there.

Eight years consisting of a lot of waiting mixed in with some major construction, but this past Monday (Victoria Day), just over 20 people showed up to pick more rocks and plant trees to complete this stage of the development. By the end of the day, we were down to a skeleton crew consisting mostly of young people (as in teens and kids). We probably looked like a pretty rag-tag group and for that reason it seemed almost surreal. Anyone happening by that didn’t know what was happening wouldn’t have given it much thought, just a handful of people planting something maybe. And then on Tuesday, Curtis finished dragging the whole property in preparation for seeding and then Art (our project manager) seeded out the entire acreage by himself manually. And that was it. Eight years of dreaming and praying, working and waiting. It’s going to be a mighty fine looking site.

The experience this week reminded me a little of the picture I have that was taken when we had the sod turning ceremony for Project ‘Make Room’ back in 1999. There weren’t a lot of people on site that day either, but it went on to be an extremely successful project. I’m very thankful to God for allowing me to see this week and participate in it. 

Doc Aub's

It’s sad to see the old house go. Change always involves letting go of the past, and there’s always an element

of sadness that goes along with that, even with the excitement of moving forward. Ah, the memories…

I was plagued by recurring bouts of tonsillitis when I was a kid. It was typical for me to come down with it a couple of times a year or more. And so we would go, and sit, and wait. The waiting was part of the torture. As much as I enjoyed that sun-porch full of weird and wonderful strangers coming and sitting and standing and going, beneath it all was the foreboding realization that I was there to see the doctor. Finally to have my name called… the strange looking implements hanging here or laying there around the office provoking images of unimaginable horrors … the tongue depressor … that cold stethoscope roaming around my hot little chest… hoping against hope that a prescription for penicillin would be in order… that faint smile and that slow withering voice ... “I think I’m going to have to give you a needle” !!!

Did I really hear it?! Was this really happening to me?! The mere thought of the invasion of that long pointy object into my tender little body was more than I could stand. Could anything possibly be worse?!

I smile today as I write those words. A catastrophe of life shaking proportions then. Today, a mere prick of the skin. Yeah, it’s sad to see the old house go, but how big a deal is it when we consider what God has for us moving forward?   

Unfailing Love

Two hospitals in Edmonton announced this week that they are opening 'Angel’s Cradles' where

mothers can anonymously ‘drop off’ their babies. While it is illegal in Canada for parents to abandon their children, and while Child and Family Services is obligated by law to try and track down parents who do, police have stated that they will not charge mothers who leave their babies in safe places. Spokespersons for the hospitals say that the medical staff will not attempt to identify or find the parent unless the child is found to be harmed.

Officials say that the service is meant “to provide an alternative to unsafe abandonment, such as leaving a newborn in a trash bin or back alley”. The new ‘service’ in Edmonton is inspired by a similar ‘service’ being offered by a hospital in Vancouver over the past three years.

Read the story here

I certainly don’t want to stand in judgment of a young mother that finds herself in such a desperate situation that she would feel that this is the only or best course of action for her and her child. The announcement did remind me however of a passage of Scripture…

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
 your walls are ever before me.”  Isa 49:15,16

It’s hard for us to conceive of the anguish involved in abandoning one’s own child. But while it is, thankfully, not a common occurrence (the hospital in Vancouver has only had one child dropped off in the three years it has been offering the service), it can and does happen.

The truth is that, as much as we love and honour our parents, and as much as they love and do for us, as parents, we do fail. As human beings, our love, though ferociously loyal a lot of the time, particularly when it comes to our children, is not perfect.

But, let’s be reminded that when we talk about the love and care of God, we are talking about a perfect love; a love that never fails.   

The shepherd king of Israel also spoke of God’s love in these same terms.

“Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”  Psa 27:10

The phrase ‘unfailing love’ is a phrase that occurs numerous times in Scripture (4 times in Psa 107 alone) but it is always in reference to God’s love for us because only God’s love is perfect.

Got a few moments? Have a listen.

One Thing Remains

Easy as Pie

This past Sunday, as part of the morning teaching time, I used a simple illustration to communicate some important truth about life. I actually used a number of them. I love illustrations. They don’t replace, nor should they ever usurp the place of Scripture, but it’s hard to get around the fact that Jesus used illustrations continuously. There is also the whole body and tradition of the wisdom literature of Israel. Those writers drew constantly upon the observable world around us (Creation) to illustrate the truth of numerous life principles. The simple reason for this is that illustrations (good ones anyway) help us in our understanding.

Life is complex, not simple. We used to think it was simple. We used to think that a cell was a simple thing. But modern science, if it has proved anything at all, has proved that life is complex. However, it has been and continues to be the glory of what the Bible calls wisdom to make the complex simple.

Charles Mingus is credited with saying:

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”

Another version of Mingus’ words has it as,

 “Making the simple complex is easy. Making the complex simple, awesomely simple, now THAT is genius.”

More recently, Steve Jobs highlighted the power of this precious ability to simplify the complex.  

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

So, how do we do that? I think one way (following the examples in Scripture) is to recognize patterns or systems in nature that bring order and balance to life. Life in this world consists of a seemingly limitless number of activities and experiences and needs and wants and so on, all interconnected somehow and interdependent. But when we observe the created world around us we observe a sense of order and harmony that is both inspiring and instructive.

Even the things in nature that might appear random at first glance turn out to be in fact intricate patterns. Patterns are created by order, not chaos. There is no randomness to life. Life depends on organization. Organisms are very thoughtfully and intentionally (‘fearfully and wonderfully’) organized. Human beings are certainly no exception to the rule, each of us the result of being ‘knit together’ in our mother’s womb. (Psa 139)

One of the examples I used this past Sunday was the simple baking of a cake. In order to bake a cake you need to have the right amount of the right ingredients in the right order and then you need to process them correctly. Some things you exclude because they aren’t good ingredients for a cake. In life, some ingredients you exclude because they aren’t good ingredients for your life. But it's not just a matter of having the right ingredients. You have to have the right amounts of each. Too much of a good thing is not a good thing. We need to have just the right balance. Don’t work too much, play too much, rest too much … but make sure you have the right amounts of each.

The order is important as well. I think most of us have heard the story about the teacher fitting all of the big rocks and the little rocks into the jar and how the secret is to put the big rocks in first. Establishing our priorities first is a critical factor. And all of this too speaks to the ‘chemistry’ or interconnectedness of the different elements or aspects of life and how each relates to the others and the interplay back and forth between the different parts.

And, of course when you have the cake (or pie!) all made, you get to slice it and eat it. And you can slice it anyway you want, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too. 

As complicated as life often feels, the answers to our frustrations can often be something as simple baking a cake or slicing a pie. God is good!