Evergreen Blogs

We routinely disqualify testimony that would plead for extenuation.  That is, we are so persuaded of the rightness of our judgment as to invalidate evidence that does not confirm us in it.  Nothing that deserves to be called truth could ever be arrived at by such means.              Marilynne Robinson, The Death of Adam

Matt Brown and I were chatting Monday night.  Here’s a blurb. 

 Matthew:  A Catholic can commit a murder and go to confession and receive absolution, but the priest will give penance. What is penance, but the ‘turning away’. So a good priest would say: ‘ your penance is to take the earthly consequences of your sin’
  Matthew:  The Wolf (murderer, abuser) probably was a victim at some point and has a story and needs grace, but even though there is love there are consequences. 
  me:  ?  Yeah?
 Matthew:  Yeah what? People mistake grace for letting someone off the hook.
People mistake love for leniency
  Matthew:  Jesus and the tax collector who pays people back more than he stole shows that God is interested in justice. Heck, the crucifiction shows that.
BUT God is also interested in love, grace, compassion, and truth
So that quote struck me
Struck me in light of a lot of the conversations we had yesterday

The conversation Matt mentions above was about castrating sex offenders.  Apparently, there is a move (I’ve forgotten where) to make castration an option after the first offense and mandatory after the second.  Certainly, we want to make sure that sex offenders never get the chance to repeat their crimes.  But, is castration the answer?  The Hemphills and the Browns had a lively after-dinner discussion.

The way this quote strikes me is that, to me, it confirms the need to be in community.  We all see life through a lens.  Last year, Ed used the metaphor of the slats of a fence.  I thought that was brilliant.  People who are genuinely seeking Truth will arrive at some type of truth.  But, like looking at a yard through the slats of a fence, each person will see Truth a little differently.  Their understanding of Truth will be colored by their experiences, their histories, their belief systems.  Their truth may be correct, but, by definition, it will be too small to be Truth.

God is love.   Yes, He says that about Himself in His Word.  (That means it’s in the Bible.)

It is not God’s will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  (That’s in the Bible, too.)

So, God doesn’t want anyone to perish.  That’s certainly one slat.  But, what do you do, then, with verses like, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”  (That’s in the Bible, too.  Revelation 21:8)

To help get your head around some truths that are too big for one person, you need other people.  You need other perspectives, other points of view.  Sometimes you need your friends to challenge you when you are “disqualifying testimony”.

Evergreen is really, really good at loving people.  But, do we do an adequate job of challenging each other?  Have you been challenged?  Is your truth larger now than it was a year or two ago?  Has your picture of God changed?  How?  Does the quote strike you differently?  How?

Exploding the Box

My guess is that most followers of Jesus would not doubt the importance of reading scripture.

In the gospel of John the Word was God and the Word became flesh, the Word is Jesus.  As followers of Jesus we should learn about Jesus to following him better.  The scriptures are God’s word left to us for learning, teaching, etc (2 Tim 3:15-16).  What better way to learn about Jesus and follow him by reading the Word in the Bible/Scriptures.

But I get a sense that this is what many followers struggle with in their journey with God,  (Prayer is another on but I will not deal with that here), a consistent reading of the scriptures.  Why is it so hard to pick up the Bible and read a chapter or two or seven?  I think that Jesus considers reading of the scriptures important.  In Matthew 22 some religious leaders ask Jesus a question about a man dies and he has seven brothers.  The first response from Jesus is not to answer their question but he says, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures…”(v 29). 

Why is reading of the scriptures, which I believe that we all know is important, hard to do consistently?  What hinders you?  Does Steven King (or any other author of your choosing) look more interesting or distracting?

I just had lunch with a friend of mine where we talked about the new story of Christianity.  It was odd because both of us grew up with the slogan that the message of the Bible can never change but the modes of telling it can and should change to fit each culture.  This sounded so right, so good, so easy to defend.  And yet, none of us believes that women should not be allowed to speak at all in church (at least no one reading this).  And yet the Bible is clear if read directly about this.

So, it must mean the main core of the message of Jesus cannot change.  Yeah, that is it.  But what if over time that core message has slowly shifted from the power to restore and redeem the earth to something totally other.  What if only one smudge is allowed to remain on a window each year…what would it be like to look through that window after 2000 years?  I imagine it would not be very clear.

I have been reading through the Bible again with a new look, trying to clear away some of the smudges I think have built up over the years.  And it is amazing what I am seeing.  More than anything else, I have been asking, “What separates the message of Jesus from any other message?”  At this writing, I have come up with two words: Grace and Sacrifice.

Grace seems to be absent from all other religious/spiritual doctrine of all kinds.  Grace is that choice of God to give good things we do not deserve or not give bad things that we do.  Another way to say it is that the message of Jesus was not laden with oughts and shoulds - it was filled with hopes and possibilities and ways to bring life, but rarely is it full of guilt and “you get what you pay for” thinking.  Grace reminds us that God’s love is unconditional - as Philip Yancey says, “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing we can do to make God love us less.”  Grace is a radical concept in our world.

Sacrifice, the very essence of Christ’s death on the cross, is a way of living where others are more important than ourselves.  Although doing good things is very prevalent in other religions, sacrifice or the giving up of one’s own comfort for the good of another or the world, is found rarely.  Sacrifice is not just living simply or giving away our money, it is orienting our lives for the restoration of a world gone bad.  It is choosing to do what brings life for others ahead of ourselves.

A New story of Jesus? Not really.  But what do you think?  Have we lost our way as we seek to tell and live out the message of Jesus in this world?

On Sunday in church someone made a joke about the 4 spiritual laws as if there was something wrong with them.  But what is wrong with them?  Truthfully there is nothing wrong with the concepts of the laws at all, but it is how they are used and presented by people and that they do not present the whole story of God, there lies the problem.

Law 1: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life - the basis for this law is John 3:16 which is kind of ironic because John 3:16 says the God loves the whole “world”.  It is not an individualized verse, but the law is.

Law 2: Man is sinful and seperated from God.  Therefore, man cannot experience Gods love and plan. - Can you say GUILT, SHAME?  Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23 are verses used to get this law, but these are huge concepts to grasp even as a long time follower of Christ, let alone a seeker, atheist, agnostic, etc.  I think this law pushes the seeker, atheist, agnostic, etc further away from God.  Do you?

Law 3: Jesus provides the gap between us and God - This law uses verses that tell us Jesus dies for our sins, which is true but not the whole story.  He also was there when the universe, world, earth, you and I were created and He wants to see us restored back to Gods original intent of beauty, harmony, of the Garden.

Law 4: We must individually receive Jesus as Savior and Lord - yes here is the hook line and sinker.  The push to get someones butt into heaven without building anytype of relationship at all so that you can mark up another one.  And then these laws usually end by saying you can receive Jesus right now by saying a prayer and then you are now a Christian.

Isn’t being a Christ follower/Christian more than that?  These spiritual laws leave out the whole story of God, mostly the creation story and Gods desire to bring restoration to lives in the here and now.  Living a life as a Christ follower is not a one and done like these laws present, but it is a process.  Most people do not necessarilly know an exact date and time when they decided to follow Christ because it is not about that.

Let’s tell the whole story not an abbrevated one of the “4 spiritual laws” which does nothing more than help a follower of Christ be pridefull.  These laws do not work today not because they are incorrect but that they do not present the whole story.

In the Sunday service, we’ve spent the last several weeks talking about the obstacles we experience in our journey with God.  My main obstacle is anger.

I get the angriest with people who appear to me to be what I am most afraid of becoming.  If your behavior strikes me as selfish, I’m going to be incredibly annoyed.  If you seem judgmental, I’m going to struggle to not give you a piece of my mind…in love, of course.  And, if you are prideful and critical of others (or, God help you, critical of me), I’m going to have a hard time being in the same room with you.  Or, I’ll avoid you out of abject fear of rejection.

Fortunately, God hasn’t left me in my self-focused, judgmental and hyper-critical place.  As I catch a glimpse of the unfathomable depths of my sin, God has been gracious enough to remind me that all sin, mine or yours, is a result of brokenness.  And, good news to all who ever walked this planet, God is in the business of restoring brokenness and redeeming selfish, judgmental, prideful and critical critters and making us into saints.

Years ago, I read about a saint from the early Church who was known for humility and forgiveness.  His name has long since flitted out of the sieve I call a mind, so I’m naming him Saint Fred.  What was said of him was basically this.  “The surest way to develop a lifelong relationship of love, kindness, compassion and service from Saint Fred is to offend him.”  Apparently, Saint Fred took seriously Jesus’ command to “Bless those who curse you.”  So, following the tradition of Jesus and Saint Fred, that’s been one of the steps I’ve taken to continue overcoming this obstacle every time it looms before me.  The Pathways are crucial to my endeavor.  Because of my circumstances, I’ll list them in reverse order.  So, if you need to read SPIRE, turn your head or the monitor upside-down.

Emotional - Through counseling, I’ve become more aware of why my fears get translated directly into anger.  I’m learning about how I’m broken and how that impacts my worldview, relationships, etc.  I am discovering what issues I have and what needs to be addressed.

Relational - I have the best husband at Evergreen.  (Sorry, ladies…it’s true.)  My husband helps me see where my past issues are impacting current relationships and when I am starting to go off course.  My inner core of friends are patient with me when I get all knotted up, but are willing to stand up to me and redirect my attention from “you” to me when necessary.  They love me amazingly well.  Thus, there are safe relationships for me here.

Intellectual - I’ve read books, studied the Bible and listened to I don’t know how many teachings on anger, forgiveness, fear, etc.  As I discover topics germane to my experience (in counseling), I am able to learn more about those issues and dynamics.

Physical - I’ve been recognizing how the emotional issues which trigger my anger also impact my health.  Seeing the connections has allowed me to begin taking steps to rectify the issues, whether headaches, weight, schedule, budget, etc.

Spiritual - This is the biggie for me.  Taking all of the other Pathways before God on a regular basis allows me to maintain an anchor through the storms.  When I confess the anger, God restores me.  When I struggle with fear, He shows me how He has been faithful in the past and how I have safe places and relationships now.  When I’m journaling about how Saint Frieda has annoyed the bejabbers out of me…again…God whispers to me about doing something nice for her, or sending her a card, or praying for her daily for a week, etc.

I wouldn’t have the foundation to hear God’s voice in “S” without the “PIRE.”  So, yeah, sending a card to the one who annoys you is a baby step.  But, there can be a lot of work involved in getting to the baby step.

Are you using the all of the Pathways?  How can we help?  And, make sure you check your mailbox for my card.   <GRIN>

Do you remember the days when main TV channels used to “sign off” at 1 in the morning?  The national anthem would be played and then…static noise.  How long would it take you to turn off the TV after the static was playing?  Probably less than one minute.  Why?  Because listening and watching static is boring, annoying, etc.I have been reading a book by Ron Martoia entitled, Static: Tune out the “Christian Noise” and experience the real message of Jesus.

When you hear or start a conversation by saying, “If you do not turn your life to Jesus and repent and give up your sinning ways you will spend eternity in hell”, what is your reaction?  Is it the same reaction as you would have to the static on the TV at 1 in the morning?  “Christianese” does not work especially to those outside of the church.  Yet many Christians still use the language and words which in many cases are out of context, human text, and biblical text (www.velocityculture.com/3text).

I feel that following Jesus is being real and authentic instead of formulaic and ritualistic.  Isn’t this a better way to talk to others about your faith?  This is me being real and authentic, in the beginning God created a beautiful garden for us to live and commune with Him and each other at all and any time.  We had an unlimited supply for all our needs but human nature wanted more from God.  This selfishness resulted in the not so perfect world we live in today.  I think that God just wants us to reorient, realign our lives to Him in all ways.

What do you think would happen if we stopped being so selfish and consider others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3)?  Simple concept yet hard to do!  Why? 

The ultimate hypocrisy that I see in the church today is the rejection of grace.  Not in extending grace to others, but in extending grace to ourselves.  We often stand in the way of our own realization of redemption because we cannot forgive ourselves. 

The reason it is easier to forgive someone else and not yourself is because you know what a bad person you really are. Even the worst person in the world has the full impact of his worst qualities hidden from you. I don’t want you to go on a narcissistic bender – I want you to let go:

Let go of the pain of being you.
Unclench your mind and open it to God.

Let go of the fear of being judged.
Be present with us and we will accept you (we have faults too — you’ll see them).

Let go of the uncertainty that you can’t be perfect.
God does not expect your perfection — he knows that you’re screwed up. That’s why Jesus came.

Let go of the excuses that stop you from committing to follow Christ.
The fear of committing is the fear of change. That’s a normal fear. Move towards God — this is a journey we take together.

God sees you for who you are and still loves you.  You’re his baby. You need to accept yourself as broken and a work in progress.  Leaving this unacknowledged is what leads to facades and inauthentic living.  Just thinking about putting up a front makes me tired.

I think that Satan would much rather have us expend our energy on putting on a false front to others because of three things:

• It tires us out and makes us ineffective for Christ
• It embitters us as we try to compete with others for position
• It keeps us unaccountable for the festering crap and nasty stuff in our lives - we never get better.

Be yourself, and be yourself with us and in the Body of Christ.
The song that the universe is singing to you is that you are loved and that you are not alone.

Father’s day is lame, and yet I always enjoy it.  It is lame, I believe, because it is another ploy for corporate America to generate some fake emotions and then cash in on them.  I enjoy it because I really like my kids and as their father I am very proud of them.  My upbringing, my experience, my deeply felt beliefs, and my reading of the scriptures tell me that children - any children - are a gift from God.  My place as the youngest of six informs my feeling that one should be open too all the gifts that God has planed for you.  Karen and I take the raising of our children very seriously and have some very specific ideas about how children should be raised and regarded.  Here are some that I thought about on fathers day:

• When raising children, the parents come first.  Marriage is work and children add tension and distraction to a marriage.  Your children need you to love each other first and best - it gives them the model of a healthy marriage and it makes them feel secure.  Also, the children will go away someday - you better have a good relationship by the time that happens.
• As parents, we are meant to equip our children to make decisions (to be free moral agents). In the ancient world, children reached adulthood at the age of 13.  Our culture perpetrates the lie of adolescence.  Karen and I never bought into that artificial construct; instead we concentrated on equipping our children to become adults.  That meant responsibilities (like jobs from about 12 on), access to knowledge (very little to no censorship), engagement (that means spending time with them and talking to them as fellow adults), and always authority.  We never wanted to be their friends (Erin cried the first time I told her that); we are much more. I could write a book on this, but instead I will give you one sentence: Love demands that we give our children the unabridged truth with humility and authenticity; opening ourselves up to vulnerability beyond friendship.
• Be prepared for their bad decisions. Hey you made bad decisions  - well if you didn’t, I made plenty of bad decisions for all of us.  Here is what I know and what I hope I can teach my children: you will make bad decisions (some with horrible and life alerting consequents), but God will honor your efforts to move back to his way. As parents your job is not to sit in judgment of your adult children, but to come along side of them.
• Love unconditionally. You have a divine teacher here. Love them as God has loved you.  Yeah, it is not always easy, but understand that love does not mean approval. Your children are people with their own personalities, and you may not have children that you would have chosen as friends, but you can love them.

Those are just some notes that I’ve made. Seeing children abused by privilege, neglect, unrealistic expectations, too much freedom, and too little freedom, makes me think about how our own journeys must be alternately tended to and let go of.   Last night we all went out together for a big father’s day dinner, and as we sat around the table laughing and talking I saw glimpses of heaven and its bliss. There are no people on Earth that I would rather be with.

Paul records in his first letter to Timothy 4:7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

I have watched two movies recently that after I viewed them I was left disturbed and could not figure it out.  There were scenes in the movies that I had not so good dreams about all night after viewing.  The morning after watching the second of these movies I read the above verses.  The words “godly” and “godliness” jumped off the page.  I did not hear God say that I can no longer watch disturbing things, but to strive my life to be “godly” in all I do, say, and live for.  I think that God has been showing me that I ought to refocus every aspect of my life to his call of living in “godliness”.  I know that on this earth on this side of eternity that I will never attain perfect “godliness”, but God desires me to try my best. 

When you read the word “godly” or “godliness” what do you think of?  What does it mean for you?  What do think God wants it to mean for you? 

Why is it that we tend to think our sin is not as bad as others? No matter what our sin is, we always have people that make us angry….like the person that does _____. How did you fill in the blank? Each of us has people in our lives that do things we utterly hate. It may be the person who lies to others. Perhaps the person who sleeps around. Maybe for you it is the person that is a religious legalist or the one who spends too much money. Whatever it is, it makes you angry.

So why does their sin make you angrier than your own? Perhaps it doesn’t. But most likely, your anger at someone is really anger at their sin (which you are deeming somehow worse than your own). So why is that? How come we can overlook our own sin and be angry at another? Why does our own sin not make us more accepting and forgiving of others?

Oh, we say that we understand this idea. Intellectually, we can reason all this out. But yet, we stay angry… Who are you angry at today? Why? Is their sin really worse than your own? Or is it just worse for you? What will it take to let it go…to see sin as a disease that needs a cure…a disease brought on by our choices, but still a disease. What can we do to learn to see the sin of others in light of our own?

Jesus said in Luke 6: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful… Forgive, and you will be forgiven. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

No one wants to be accused of judging…but who are you angry with today? Even if the anger is legitimate, what are you going to do with it?