DIFFERENT HOW?

If you read my post from last week you will know that there is more I would like to say about the ‘permission to struggle’.

When we don’t feel we have it, not only does it alienate us from each other, the result of which is we struggle alone (the subject of last weeks post), but it also alienates us from those who don’t know Christ. And the result of this is lost opportunity for people to come to know Him.

I know there is no shortage of people who believe that Christians are all a bunch of hypocrites. But there are also people who are not Christians but wish they could be but know in their hearts that they could never do it (‘it’ being the stuff that Christians are supposed to do). This relates back to the ‘perception’ that we create (if we aren’t careful) that we are really doing it (‘doing it’ meaning we don’t struggle).

The truth of the matter is that real Christians struggle with anger, impatience, lust, greed, self-centredness, addiction, resentment (need I go on?) ... just like everyone else. Sometimes we mistakenly feel that admitting this is somehow a blow to Christianity. After all, Christians are supposed to be different, right?!

Well, this is definitely where the rub comes isn’t it. We are supposed to be different. It is pretty hard to get away from that truth when we have Jesus saying things like … “People (are like this or do things like this)… but it should not be so with you…”

Yes, we are to be different, but just what is that difference and how does it work?

There is definitely change (difference) that comes when we come to that initial acceptance of Christ. It is a major shift in our allegiance, if you will, when we entrust ourselves to Him. The Bible also makes it clear that this simple act of faith on our part is met with absolute forgiveness on God’s part, who, consequently comes personally to live in us from that time forward. We have God in us! It has to be one of the greatest understatements to say this constitutes a substantive difference!

However, in order to really understand what this means we have to understand what God is like. He doesn’t come to ‘take over’ and then control us or manipulate us into holiness. He doesn’t ‘operate’ us like you would a machine. Because He isn’t like that and it’s not what He is all about. He comes so that we can have a relationship with Him; so that we can know Him and experience the wonders of life as He created it to be in relationship with Him.

This all points to a process and this point is a very important one. We change over time (becoming different from what we were) as we learn to trust Him and learn His ways on a very experiential level. It’s all relational and it’s all personal. And yes, this involves struggle. Paul put it this way, “Work out your salvation … for it is God who works in you…”

There are probably a number of different directions that we could go in as we contemplate these things but here is what I want to say to you today. If you are a Christian (that is to say, if you have placed your trust in Christ to receive forgiveness and eternal life), then, yes, we are different in that we trust Christ to save us and His presence in our lives is the most wonderful thing in the world. BUT, we have no difficulty relating to those who struggle with every temptation common to man. Your struggle is a vital part of your story that you have to share with the world. It’s hard.

If you are not a Christian but would like to be, what you need to understand is that becoming a Christian is entering a relationship. It is not primarily about what we do or don’t do. Those things are more consequential. It is about knowing Christ and learning to trust Him and to live for Him. That isn’t something that all happens at once in a moment of time. It is something that is worked out over a lifetime. It’s hard, but it’s the only battle worth fighting.

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Philippians 3:10-16

Permission To Struggle

I did a fair amount of reading during our vacation time this summer. And from a lot of different sources. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to remember where I read this so I can’t document it. That part really bugs me. Nonetheless, it really got my attention at the time and I’ve been thinking a lot about it since. Someone who should really know what they were talking about said that the biggest thing today’s young adults are looking for in a church is ‘permission to struggle’. I seem to recall that he was citing statistical support for his statement as well.

For me, these kinds of comments are like spiritual smelling-salts that bring us suddenly back to full attention clearing our sleepy minds of all kinds of theological debris. We really need these kinds of reminders.

It all happens quite naturally. We get so focused; so intent; so ‘into it’ … ‘doing it’ (‘it’ being the stuff that Christians are supposed to be doing), that we inadvertently (giving us the benefit of the doubt here) ignore and thus fail to acknowledge, even to ourselves consciously, when and where we are coming up short. In all of our valiant effort to live for Christ, it’s like taking the time and effort to focus at all on our personal failings in the quest just seems (subconsciously at least) to be counterproductive; distracting us from the goal we are stretching for, taking away from our concentration … and if we are not careful we lose the sensitivity (struggling for words here) to acknowledge, be forthcoming… about our ‘struggles’.

One of the results of this can become the ‘impression’ that we are actually ‘doing it’. And the result of that is that others who know they are not ‘doing it’ are left to feel alone in their struggles, alienated from the very ones who should be able to relate.

And those who are more conscious of their ‘struggles’ seem often to be those who are younger or those who are newer to church life. At this point, I think it needs to be pointed out that this should not be the case. The maturity of us ‘older’ Christians is really called into question by this because, really, we should become more conscious of our personal failings over time, not less.

Anyway, when this happens church can go from being wonderful beyond words to being a very lonely place. After all, being in relationship with those who really can relate to how we feel and what we are going through and experiencing is what church life together is all about. It is at the heart of the biblical concept of ‘fellowship’. There are tons of passages that highlight this concept. One that comes to mind is from James… confess your faults to one another and pray for each other that you may be healed …

There is just so much I would like to say about this but I don’t want to turn this posting into something that some or most of you will not have time to read. For now, just think about this – ‘permission to struggle’ – it’s a wake up call people. If we aren’t being real, are we really being anything?

Here is one more thought: The Christian life isn’t lived by concentration alone but also by contemplation. We are called to go for it and stretch out for the goal, but we are also called to be still and to know God and be known by Him. If our zeal to ‘do it’ for Jesus, exceeds our recognition of our ongoing need for His ongoing grace and mercy, then are we concentrating too hard and not contemplating enough?

Feeling Conficted

Went to a ball game Tuesday evening. It was a ‘mites’ game. Used to be called ‘atoms’ when I was a kid, but then it used to be all boys too. This was a good mix of both girls and boys. And wow, those kids are good ball players! It was a lot of fun. Can’t remember when the last time was that I took time to do something like that.

It was a nice, cool, sunny, summer evening. The field was in excellent shape. The breeze kept all the flies away. Really nice. There was only one small problem – I knew kids on both teams. It was kind of a challenge to cheer for the pitcher and the batter at the same time! It is the feeling of being conflicted! Of course, it’s just a game, especially when it’s just kids that are playing. So, it’s ok to cheer for both sides. In fact, it’s kind of fun and puts everything into perspective.

In ‘real life’ however, we are all conflicted and it’s not so fun. The words of Paul from Romans 7 come to mind … “… for what I want to do I do not do but what I hate I do…” . Yeah, that sounds about right.

You’ve probably heard the story about the old Indian who said that it was like two dogs were fighting inside of him, a good one and a bad one. When asked which dog usually won, his response was “the one I feed”. The story is often used as an illustration to encourage people to ‘feed’ the impulses to do good and to ‘starve’ the others. It’s kind of a cool story and I think it makes a good point. The hard part about this is the doing of it. But it is pretty clear what we need to do.

But, what about those times when it’s not a choice between right and wrong, good or bad? What about when it’s two good things? That can also leave us feeling pretty conflicted. Well, Paul talks about that too. Take a look at what he wrote to the Philippians:

“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: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”

That is definitely one big conflict! Life here in this world, loving and serving God with His people, is good, no two ways about it. But, heaven will be ‘better by far’. So what to do? I think I’ll cheer for both sides. Make the most of life here but look forward to even better things in God’s timing. Either way, we win. That puts everything in perspective.

A Voice Of Sanity

I’m quite sure I am like the majority of people who have been watching the news over the last couple of weeks and found myself saying, “Enough already with all this Michael Jackson mania.” It really is enough to make you nauseous. I mean, awarding tickets to a funeral service! And seeing people celebrating that they had won a ticket!!! How ironic is that!

And of course, these are not people who knew Michael Jackson. They are part of what could be called the ‘entertainment cult’ of our day. Whether they realize it or not, they are a large part of the insanity that led to the performers desperate life and death in the first place. The irony is running over!

But then, in the midst of all the madness, finally a lone voice of sanity. The Bible says a little child will lead them. Unexpectedly in the middle of the memorial service this week in Los Angeles, Michael Jackson’s little 11 year old daughter spoke briefly from her heart about the father she knew and loved and now misses so much. It wasn’t about show or performance or image or pretense. It was a heartfelt tribute to the value of a relationship. It was sincere and meaningful. It was real, unlike all of the glamour and glitz that has accompanied the life and death of the performer, and so many others in that train; the stuff of Hollywood and MTV.

But, I have to wonder if consumers were listening, really? It was as if for a brief moment, the curtain was drawn back on the fantasy exposing it for what it was, and a little bit of reality was allowed to shine in. The words of a song come to mind – “Only for a moment then a moment’s gone.” It was like that verse in the Bible in John chapter one that says, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

Today, it’s back to business as usual while our society continues to try and ignore the carnage as people continue to consume and be consumed by a culture that seems for the most part to have forgotten what life is even about, if it ever even really knew. I hope you know.

The King of Pop

Everyone knows that Michael Jackson died yesterday. Today, the news is all about his life. This is a real indication of just how famous Michael Jackson became in his lifetime. I hear no one debating that. It is obvious. The debate that is raging, however, is whether he was famous and great, or famous and weird. This is quite understandable when you consider the significant accomplishments that rightfully earned him the title ‘The King of Pop’ on the one hand, and then on the other, the antics that earned him the title ‘Jacko the Waco’.

I’m not going to comment on the details of either really. I think they speak for themselves on both counts. He was a very gifted man and a very desperate one. I would like, however, to say that Michael Jackson becomes another striking example of the biblical truth that fame, money and power (success as defined by the world) do not bring true happiness. He joins a long list of people. Names like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley readily come to mind.

I turn fifty this year and have watched, albeit from a distance, Michael’s public life and career for the past 35 years or so. Yes, I remember the cartoon. Everyone is being asked about how they feel and how they would describe Michael and his life. The word that best describes how I feel, and what I think about his life, is the little word ‘sad’.

His great skill as a performer cannot be contested. In that sense he was truly great. And, he is also to be remembered as someone who did a lot to help a lot of people. He seemed to really care and he had a lot of people who cared very much about him. But, with everything that he had and was, he was obviously a very sad man who lived a very sad, and often desperate, type of life. Now he is gone and the profound emptiness that was observable in this man is almost haunting.

You can have it all, but if you don’t have the personal validation that brings a sense of wholeness and completeness to your spirit, then nothing else will ultimately matter. I only wish that the King of Pop could have met the King of Kings and found what he searched unsuccessfully for his entire life.

Sad

Hum Bugs

I remember the first time I saw a hummingbird. It was a pretty big deal. I was in either grade 2 or 3. It was a split class and I can’t remember which side of the classroom I was actually on, but I do remember the room on the lower floor of the north side of the Great Village Elementary school. There were large shrubs outside the big windows in the front (west) side of the school and they had grown up into the view of the windows and, suddenly, one day there he was in all his glory, shining in the sun. I remember all of us kids running off to the window to see this marvelous feat of engineering, one of God’s many wonders. Even the teacher got caught up in the moment as all control of the classroom was suddenly lost and captured by God’s handiwork on display as we stood in silence with wide eyes.

I don’t know whether I hadn’t really been observant enough to see them before that day, or if they have just gotten more plentiful in more recent years, but it sure seems like it was a much rarer thing to see a hummingbird when I was a kid than it is now. Isn’t it funny how we are so interested in the things that are rare and tend to overlook the wonder of the common place? Curious thing. Something I need to give more thought to. I mean, who get’s excited when they see a blue jay! And yet, they are pretty spectacular really. It’s like the old saying, ‘familiarity breeds contempt’.

Evolutionists say that similarities between different species (comparative anatomy) is evidence for evolution. This is typical. A personal bias leads to a certain conclusion without consideration for alternative explanations. Why wouldn’t similarities between different species be evidence for a common Creator? After all, every artist has his own style and considering natural principles of aerodynamics, etc, wouldn’t we expect to see design patterns?

Having said all of that, a few days ago, Florence and I were in the back yard when, suddenly, there he was, in all his glory, shining in the sun – something that neither one of us had ever seen before. He was almost the size of my thumb and at first I thought he was a tiny hummingbird. On closer examination though, it was evident he was more of an insect, maybe, sort of, with a body like a bee. But he flies just like a hummingbird and has a long protruding beak thing (‘proboscis’) for retrieving nectar just like a hummingbird.

I ran and got the camera and took his picture so here he is. Nice lilacs too eh! Of course, I went online right away and googled him. I discovered that he is not a ‘humbug’. Just a thought that was in the back of my mind. I found out that he is, in fact, a ‘hummingbird moth’.

I also found this video of the same guy if you want to see him fly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC-6Bpo7dhk

Just another of God’s amazing wonders. They seem to be almost endless. That’s because in spite of the many similarities in design pointing to a common Designer, the seemingly endless variations within God’s design work point to One who is infinite in his imaginative and creative power.

Steve

Indwelt

I doubt there is a truth in Christianity so outlandishly grand, so amazingly fantastic, so eliciting of wonder and awe, as the doctrine of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Christian. Just think about it! Spend the rest of your life thinking about it! Ponder its immense cosmic significance! And to think that you and I … It is almost too much isn’t it! I do know that it is really beyond me as a simple writer and speaker to convey it.

You know how every once in a while you stumble across something that you have never seen or read before and it’s like finding a gem on the path. I came across a poem today that I have never seen before and was immediately struck by it’s beauty, both in phrase and in truth. I would have to say it is one of the most beautiful poems I’ve ever seen or heard. I’ve decided to share it with you for that reason so here it is. According to the posting, she wrote it for her pastor. If so, it is an amazing tribute. I would only pray that God might make this true of each one of us who attempt to speak in His Name.


Indwelt

Not only by the words you say
Not only in your deeds confessed
But in the most unconscious way
Is Christ expressed.

Was it a beatific smile,
Or holy light upon your brow?
Oh no, I felt His presence when
You laughed just now.

For me, 'twas not the truth you taught,
To you so clear, to me so dim,
But when you came to me you brought
A sense of Him.

And from your eyes, He beckons me
And from your heart, His love is shed,
Till I lose sight of you
And see the Christ instead.

Beatrice Clelland