Holidaze... Caution this may or may not be a bit of a rant.

Yes, the Holiday season is well into full swing. Well, it is in most places and for most people. But for myself, I am resisting the Holidays this year. I know, I sound like  Scrooge whose Holiday mantra is "Bah Humbug!". Don't worry I got plenty of push back last night from the teens at youth group on my Holiday stance.

My disenfranchisement of the winter Holiday season is a journey in and of itself.  Simply, I have come to a place where as a Christian I believe this season should be more than gluttony and consumerism. Don't get me wrong, I love a good meal with friends and family and I love to give and receive gifts. There is something uniquely satisfying in giving someone something special and seeing the joy in their life. I believe this comes from the fact that God created us to be relational and to be joyful and generous givers. But, the slew of  recent Holidays seem to take all of that to a perverse and exorbitant level.

As I mentioned earlier, I believe that this season should be something more to the Christian. The longer I travel in my journey with the Lord the more concerned I become with the health and general physical and spiritual well being of other people. I cannot simply sideline Jesus' words, "To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And to love others as yourself." (Matt. 22:36-40) in this season when I should be clinging to and living them out more and  more each day. I also cannot in good conscience look at the wealth of my life and demand more; when others have so little and in fact many barely have enough for tomorrow. Jesus' words weren't "Be greedy and make sure you take care of number one!".

As Christians these winter Holidays should be more about giving to the poor, the needy, the hungry, the oppressed, taking care of the widow, and caring for the fatherless, than getting more stuff to store in the basement and max out the visa with (see Isaiah 58). This is not a culture rant. I do not expect culture to ever change the way it celebrates this season. This rant is with the church and with my life as a Christian. Particularly, how we celebrate this season. Jesus has redeemed us; and we have been changed in our hearts and called to live a life of righteousness by Him. What better a time to do this than now and what better a season to be generous to those that are really in need?

My Holiday mantra is not "Bah Humbug!" it is, "Let me live more like Jesus and love other people more and more each day." I am not a perfect example of Christianity (quite far from it) and I don't have this Holiday thing nailed down. But somewhere inside of me something is crying out... "It has to mean more than this!"

Irresistible Grace

A while ago a friend of mine posted something on a particular internet social media outlet (I'll let you guess which one I am talking about). What they wrote struck me; and for the last few days I have really been chewing it over. They wrote:

All my bridges have been burned, but you say that's how this grace thing works.

It may sound simple to you, and I suppose my mind is simple. Maybe it is the simplicity of it that makes it so, dare I say profound? After all grace is profound. And, I don't think we will ever understand grace completely. Especially the grace that God gives us. But they summed it up pretty well. In reality, weren't all our bridges burned with God? And yet He longs for us and readily opens a new chapter in our lives with Him. Or, as Brennan Manning puts it, God pursues us with a furious longing, and no matter who we are, what we've done, or how many bridges we've burned with God he is always there for us. And most profoundly He is excited about us. That my friends is irresistible grace.

What if we tried grace like that in our own lives and with each other? How would the world see Christians? More importantly how would your life be more like Jesus'?

So, thank you to my friend who shared those words, because when grace works like that it is not only freeing, but irresistible.

Doing Life

Over last weekend I had the opportunity to get away and regroup on a short trip. I was at a conference for Free Church youth pastors and their wives. To say the least it was a great time with my wonderful wife. What was so great is that it provided me a lot of time to think and to chew on some things.

Our speaker talked about the two things every Christian is supposed to do: love God and love others. What I love about Christianity is that  it is not really all that complicated. It is not supposed to be suppressive but instead liberating. Jesus is the God of our freedom. He frees us to live the life we were created to live; to love Him and to love others. In fact when Jesus was questioned about the two most important things he said this:

"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments."

-Matthew 22: 37-40 NLT

Jesus didn't make it more complicated, he made it simpler, more liberating, and more intimate. As our speaker worked through his content I kept thinking, "How wonderful it would be if we all could live in a community of people that committed their lives to this." But we do have those communities. They are called church. At least that is what church is supposed to be about. If you want a community like that, let it start in you first, keep it simple. Start by loving Jesus Christ with everything you got (do life with Him) and then love others where they are (do life with them).

Do life together: first with Jesus and then with each other.

Our Sovereign God

Over the last month I have been attending a Bible study on Joseph. I must admit I am not the model Bible study member; I successfully avoided four weeks of homework in a four week class. I know, impressive to some and tragic to others... Either way I did thoroughly enjoy this weekly time with others talking about scripture and life.

"Joseph Interpreting Pharaoh's Dream" -Reginald Arthur

As I mentioned our study was on Joseph, he was the guy in the Bible who's brothers beat him up, threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, then he spends the rest of his life in Egypt (part of his life there he was in jail and the rest he was a servant for others). Yes that is a really quick recap; you can read it in Genesis 37-50. 

As we met and talked through the weeks about this story and the homework I didn't do, I had a strange feeling about it all. I felt like I couldn't relate to this story. In the story we don't see Joseph's sin (but he was sinful because he's a human and sin is what we do), we don't see Joseph get angry, and we don't see him curse God or his brothers. What we do see is a man have incredible faith in God through some very challenging circumstances and he seems to always make the right decision. See what I mean? I don't relate to that! My life is full of sin and making wrong choices.

However this story is in the word of God for a reason, and I don't think it is to show how awesome a guy Joseph was (he does seem pretty awesome though). I believe it is to show how powerful God is. A lot of times we approach scripture and ask, "How does this relate or apply to me?". But one of scripture's purposes is to teach us about God. Once I began to ask, "What is this telling me about God?", I began to see the purpose in this story. God is presented as supremely sovereign. He is the God of Jacob's hope and the salvation of his people. In this story we get to see just how big and powerful God is.

That was my takeaway from this story. The God I worship is sovereign. He is big enough to save me and to deliver me. I got to see God's sovereignty this week in my work, he sent a great encouragement when I wasn't feeling so encouraged.

Have you experienced God's sovereignty lately... have you looked for it? 

Where Did Mo Go?

I couldn't help myself...

Motivation seems to be on short supply these days. Not sure what is causing my loss of mo. Usually, I can always find motivation in working towards the next big thing.  I have some neat opportunities coming up in the near future, but even those don't seem to be providing much fuel for the flame. The hardest thing for me about all of this is that my lack of mo in my interpersonal life also affects my spiritual life. I suppose that makes since your interpersonal self and spiritual self are not disconnected but are in fact connected.

As a Christian I am called to and have been created to worship God in my  heart and my mind (in spirit and truth).  This is hard enough to do without a lack of mo! While I may have a lack of mo right now, I do still believe in God and I believe that He loves me and understands my lack of mo right now. However, this doesn't give me an excuse not to pursue God and to live in righteousness. He saves me, redeems me, provides strength in my weakness, and cares for me. Today, I will live in His grace and take one small step at a time to overcoming my lack of mo right now. I think I will start by telling Him I have a lack of mo and that I love Him and how thankful that He loves me too.

How do you worship God when you have a lack of mo?

The Loveliest Thing

“As Kingfishers Catch Fire, Dragonflies Draw Flame”

“As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies dráw fláme;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
Selves—goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying Whát I do is me: for that I came.
Í say móre: the just man justices;
Kéeps gráce: thát keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God’s eye what in God’s eye he is—
Chríst—for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.”

-Gerard Manley Hopkins 1918

English Kingfisher with a bit of lunch.

I read this poem a while ago and yesterday it came back to my mind. It always reminds me of  how lovely it is to see God in and through his creation. Whether I see it in the birds taking flight, in flowers coming into full bloom, or in the sound of a creek softly bubbling on. Christ is present in all these things as he is their creator. But what is truly lovely is that Christ is present in us. And not just in each believer one at a time, but in all believers all the time and all through the world! Christ in His indwelling of us is what makes us beautiful and unique; unlike any other part of creation. But what is truly lovely is that He is more than enough to save us and it is His great pleasure to do so!

“For Christ plays in ten thousand places” … Him in us all is truly the loveliest thing.

Simplicity and Comfort or Comfortably Simple

Somewhere inside of me exists a conflict and every once in while (or every day) I wrestle with it. It may sound silly but it has to do with bicycles. I love bicycles, I love to ride them, and I love the freedom they provide me. I currently own two and a half (the half is a frame and fork); which is down from my previous stable of four.

My conflict isn't from whether I should ride or not or if I should even own a bicycle. Those answers are clear; yes and yes. But what I really wrestle with is living a simple life or a comfortable life. My bikes just seem to be the expression of my conflict. Should I only have one bike, two bikes, or should I own a bike for every type of riding I am in to (that would mean I need to get busy buying bikes)? This conflict is not about the bicycle itself but more about my life style.

Deep inside I desire to live a very simple life that is dedicated to loving my Savior as best as I can (which is pretty imperfectly) and to loving others as best as I can (which is also pretty imperfectly). I want to be content in having only a few earthly possessions and for the most part that is not too challenging for me, as other material goods don't lure me in... however bicycles seem to be my kryptonite.  Do I throw it all in and work only for myself and obtain a comfortable life or do I run headlong to my Savior and live in true simplicity with Him? 

Comfort or Comfortably Simple?

   

Not my Thoughts.... Thats why they're good

Today I read an article from a former professor of mine during my time at Trinity. You should read it too! Then let me know what you think of his thoughts.

Check it out here.

Cheers,
Kyle

Friendship (forgive the lack of a creative title)...

I like my friends. Yes, I do have a few friends and no, I don't have to bribe them (too often) to hang out with me.

This morning I woke up and began to think of my friends (at least the ones that I don't have to bribe). I have always enjoyed hanging out with people. Some of those people are like me, some are really different from me. I think this is what I have enjoyed the most about friendships; the diversity of it all. Through my friends I have experienced and seen things I may never see or be able to experience. My life is enriched through and by them.

Friends that don't require too much bribing.

I find it incredibly refreshing that we can connect with others on such a deep level as to enrich each others lives. I can only imagine what it must have been like in the garden of Eden before sin. Man was perfect and his relationship with God was perfect. How refreshing must that have been? Even in my very imperfect state of being right now (I've ruined many a good friendship), I still find refreshment in imperfect friendships. Maybe it is because within each person no matter how different, there is still the mark of the creator. Maybe it is that God has supplied some measure of grace that allows me to experience the refreshment of what he originally intended friendships to be. This I am sure of, that the more I experience God's grace, the more refreshing my friendships seem to be (even if I have to bribe them to be my friends).

Instructions For Life

For most of us we had some introduction with the “Ten Commandments” as children. If your childhood was anything like mine, you at least heard “Honor your mother and father.” And if your childhood was anything like mine, boy was that fifth commandment really hard to keep!

However, the Ten Commandments are more than just a set of rules handed down by God in order to rule over his creation. God handed these down to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai three months after they had left Egypt. God in his mercy knew that the people of Israel would not be able to love God and love each other on their own. They would need something to guide them, to help them.

Is it not the same with us? Do we not also need guidelines to help us in our spiritual journey? These commandments are really the mercy and love of an infinite God who knew that we couldn’t do it on our own. He gave us ten rules to help us live out the most important commandment, “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” These Ten Commandments are not rules imposed to squelch us but they are rules to help us live the most fulfilling life in Christ and with each other that we can.

Renovation of the Heart...

What is the heart? What does it contain? Is it like a treasure chest filled with beauty and treasure of limitless value? Or is it a compass for moral and emotional guidance? If so, why would it need renovating?

Often we speak of our hearts as something much more than just a fleshy organ that pumps blood through a network of veins. A high priority is placed on "following our hearts" or "listening to your heart". We suggest that deep inside of us there is some source of great goodness that can guide us. Is that what truly lies within? It seems that human nature is bent towards evil and destruction with out some type of intervention.

The prophet Isaiah writes to us about this intervention and gives us a picture of the one who can preform the renovation of our heats. He tells us that it is only the God of the universe the one who has measured the heavens with his fingers, weighed the mountains on a scale, and the one who loves us more than anything else (Isa. 40:10-14, 25-26). The apostle Paul also affirms this idea that it is the one and only God of the universe that could change us. He goes on to explain that it is this transformation is the most brilliant and beautiful thing that could happen to us. in II Cor. 3:17-18 Paul explains that we are being transformed in the image of Christ and that transformation keeps happening and our lives grow more and more brilliant. This is all because of the work of Christ, not because of anything we have done. God is good and he desires that your life be the best it ever could be. That means loving him and having a heart renovated that begins to look more and more like Christ.